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Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Viruses may be linked to lung cancer

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (UPI) -- U.S. and Israeli researchers suggest viruses may have a role in the development of lung cancer.

The researchers all agree smoking is by far the most important risk factor for lung cancer, but Dr. Arash Resazadeh and colleagues from the University of Louisville, Ky., found five out of 22 non-small-cell lung cancer samples tested positive for human papilloma virus.

"We think HPV has a role as a co-carcinogen which increases the risk of cancer in a smoking population," Resasadeh said in a statement.

In another study, Samuel Ariad from Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheva, Israel, and colleagues found more than half of the 65 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer had evidence of measles virus in tissue samples taken from their cancer.

In his study, Ariad found the "measles virus is a ubiquitous human virus that may be involved in the pathogenesis of lung cancer. Most likely, it acts in modifying the effect of other carcinogens and not as a causative factor by itself."

Both studies have been presented at the First European Lung Cancer Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, jointly organized by the European Society for Medical Oncology and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.

Trivia Time!!

What makes an ale an ale?

Ales usually have a fuller flavor and body than lagers or pilsner. The length of time the malt is roasted determines the color and flavor of the ale. Pale ales have malts that are dried rather than roasted. Therefore, they have a light gold or copper color and a crisp, lighter flavor.

Which state is highest in cremations?

Hawaii has the highest percentage of cremations of all other U.S. states, with a 60.6 percent preference over burial.

Do bison roam on Catalina Island?

Off the coast of southern California, around 200 bison still roam in Catalina Island's hinterlands, descendants of a few brought there in the 1920s for a movie and left there.

How popular was Grapeade?

In 1918, Welch's developed its first jam product called "Grapelade." The initial quantity of Grapelade was purchased in its entirety by the U.S. Army. It was an immediate hit in the military lower ranks, and became a demanded product by doughboys when they returned to civilian life.

What does a porcupine do during mating season?

During the mating season, male porcupines bristle their quills at each other and chatter their teeth in rage before attacking. All porcupines at this time become very vocal: grunting, whining, chattering, even barking and mewing at each other.

source: www.arcamax.com

Monday, April 28, 2008

Party for Maria!!

We got a baby shower party for Maria today...guess also my Despedida in going to the States....5 sleeps more and it will be my flight already..will have a vacation there for two months or more maybe...not so sure..I will see what happen there!! As there will be a lot of things that will be happening and sometimes we really don't can forecast them...unless maybe you are a fortune teller???huh??

Back to the party...we got a good afternoon...Filipino party will never be successful without lot of food...aha!! Each and everyone cooked and brought their own menu!! here they are in the photos!! Thanks to Lily who organized the baby shower..Maria was very happy and I guess everybody who was there...not really that much people are there....

I am also happy to be there seeing friends like Maria, Lucil, Lily, Girlie and Emily..I just met the last two for some months and just seen them maybe 2-3 times..Maria is the first Filipina I met here in Germany..She's like a sister to me already..I am just happy that she got a family now and a forth coming baby in June!!

It's nice talking to them once again as we also seldom met and gather together....I don't know when I will be meeting them again..esp. that I am leaving some days from now!! Please visit also my Euroangel Graffiti for some photos of today's happenings!!

It was really a great day!! Bye! bye for now!! promise to go to bed early..so I can also wake-up early tomorrow to do a lot of things before I fly!!!

Take care everyone!!

food we had today..lumpia (Girlie), pakbet and beef apritada (Emily), dinuguan and menudo(me), rice brocolli, Fil. spaghetti, cakes (Lily)..Maria brought some fish again and I cooked it as Paksiw and Fish with gata and beans...yummy again!!

the tropa...Lily, Girlie, Jasmine, Emily and me..

sino ba naman ang papayat pag ganito parati ang pagkain!!! ano ba yan!!
(who's getting slim if the foods are always like these)
what do you think???

MRI noise reducing headset is developed

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (UPI) -- U.S. engineering students say they've designed a headset that muffles the extremely loud noises produced during magnetic resonance imaging exams.

The University of Florida students said their prototype headset reduces the repetitive, industrial-like noises that accompany MRI procedures. The noises -- often as loud as a jet engine -- can cause involuntary patient movement, blurring the image and necessitating repeat examinations, said Stephen Forguson, one of the researchers.

Forguson, Chad Dailey, Paul Norris and Christopher Ruesga designed the headset in collaboration with the Invivo Corp., a manufacturer of MRI accessories.

Although noise-canceling earphones are commercially available, they use electronics that aren't permitted within a MRI chamber. Passive systems are insufficient to combat the noise.

The newly designed headset uses existing "air phones," or headphones attached to small tubes connected to specially crafted electronics and algorithm software located outside the MRI machine. Since MRI sounds are repetitive and the piped-in sounds are timed to occur on top of the repetitions, the patients hear the same sound they would without any intervention -- but at a much lower volume.

The team is now experimenting with further improvements, said Professor Gijs Bosman, the students' faculty adviser.

Brain disease studied at the atomic level

COLUMBUS, Ohio (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they have, for the first time, inspected the atomic level of the protein that causes hereditary cerebral amyloid angiopathy.

The disease, thought to cause stroke and dementia, is initiated by certain kinds of proteins called prions that produce degenerative brain diseases such as CAA, mad cow disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. All are incurable and fatal.

The researchers, led by Ohio State University Assistant Professor Christopher Jaroniec, used solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to inspect a tiny portion of the protein molecule that is key to the formation of plaques in blood vessels in the brain.

"This is a very basic study of the structure of the protein and hopefully it will give other researchers the information they need to perform further studies and improve our understanding of CAA," he said.

The research that included doctoral students Jonathan Helmus and Philippe Naudaud, as well as scientists at Case Western Reserve University, appears in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Beautiful Sunday!!

It was a very nice sunny day today!! We visited the twin sister of my husband in the hospital in Neumarkt. She had again an operation on her leg..I guess it is her fourth operation only for this year. What a pity!! We can be very thankful if we don't have one!! We got some conversations with the couple..My sister-in-law and her husband were happy as they see us there. .We stayed in the hospital for almost two hours..

After our visit, I told my husband to go walking to the small city in Neumarkt..I love this city, as you almost get here what you need basically especially for shopping ( i love this word..guess all women love this)..hehehe.. The weather today was very friendly. A lot of people were sitting outside the cafes/restaurants having some coffees or ice cream...guess, Germans get crazy when the weather is very nice...they really go out to the sun..well esp. women who want to have brown or tan skin..

We just went walking around the city and hurried up to Parsberg...for more updates, please also visit

here are some photos I got today!! have fun!!

The Cathedral in Neumarkt

the colourful, attractive buildings..lot of people were here today enjoying the sunny weather and having some ice cream!!

see those people sitting outside the restaurants/cafes...
that white building with lots of windows is the Rathaus or the City Hall in Neumarkt..

the tulip model!!! hehehe!!! meron kayo nyan???jokikiks!!

Machts gut leute!!

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Busy!! Busy!! Busy!!

I am just so busy the past days until now!! A lot of things just need to be done!! some are done some are not!! hopefully before I leave going to USA, I will finish almost everything!! I also started packing for my things that I need during the trip..

I am just so lazy to do a lot of things today because I have my monthly visitor and my stomach aches..Too bad esp. when I woke this morning, it was really very painful!! now I felt very better!! I just updated my blogs, wrote some post..till now..wink!!

I hope I can visit all of you soon esp. to those who leave comments and messages!! Thanks a lot for your time in visiting me here!!

I wish everyone a great weekend!!