Another 365 new E. coli cases found in Germany

European Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner John Dalli holds a news conference on the contaminated cucumbers crisis in Brussels June 1, 2011. Spain said on Wednesday it was considering legal action against German regional authorities for blaming its produce for an E. coli outbreak that has killed 16 people in Germany, Sweden and other countries

Germany’s disease control centre reported 365 new E. coli cases today as the government scrambled to trace the source of the deadly outbreak.

A quarter of the new cases involved the hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication resulting from E. coli infection that affects the blood and kidneys, Germany’s Robert Koch Institute said.

The HUS outbreak, one of the largest of its kind, has been the main contributor to the deaths of some 16 people in north Europe, all of whom had travelled in northern Germany.

CPR switch: Chest presses first, then give breaths

New guidelines out Monday switch up the steps for CPR, telling rescuers to start with hard, fast chest presses before giving mouth-to-mouth.

The change puts "the simplest step first" for traditional CPR, said Dr. Michael Sayre, co-author of the guidelines issued by the American Heart Association.

In recent years, CPR guidance has been revised to put more emphasis on chest pushes for sudden cardiac arrest. In 2008, the heart group said untrained bystanders or those unwilling to do rescue breaths could do hands-only CPR until paramedics arrive or a defibrillator is used to restore a normal heart beat.

Now, the group says everyone from professionals to bystanders who use standard CPR should begin with chest compressions instead of opening the victim's airway and breathing into their mouth first.

The change ditches the old ABC training - airway-breathing-compressions. That called for rescuers to give two breaths first, then alternate with 30 presses.

Sayre said that approach took time and delayed chest presses, which keep the blood circulating.

Eight virus types cause almost all cervical cancer

Scientists have identified the eight human papillomavirus (HPV) types responsible for more than 90 per cent of cervical cancer cases worldwide and say they should be the targets for the next generation of vaccines.

Drugmakers GlaxoSmithKline and Merck & Co. already make vaccines against HPV strains that cause many cases of cervical cancer, which is the second most common cancer in women worldwide and is expected to kill 328,000 this year.

Obesity surgery ‘could save UK millions’

Providing surgical treatment for people who are morbidly obese could save British taxpayer-funded health services and the wider economy hundreds of millions of pounds a year, leading surgeons said today.

In an economic impact assessment of obesity surgery, the Royal College of Surgeons and the National Obesity Forum said the financial toll of unemployment, welfare payments, hospital costs and prescriptions caused by obesity could be cut drastically if more patients had weight-loss surgery.

A man walks past the New York Stock Exchange after trading hours in New York

Venezuelan politician raffles breast implants

A Venezuelan politician is offering breast implants as a prize in a raffle to raise funds for his election campaign, a newspaper said on Friday.

“There are critics but also some people think it’s a nice idea,” Gustavo Rojas, an opposition candidate for a National Assembly position, told El Universal newspaper.

Developing nations to bear cancer brunt, unprepared

Developing countries will bear 60 per cent of the world’s cancer burden by 2020 and 70 per cent by 2030, but are not prepared for the looming crisis, cancer experts warned in a report today.

These countries do not have the infrastructure in place to prevent cancer, diagnose it early or provide long-term treatment, according to CanTreat International, which comprises experts from leading international cancer organisations.

“Developed countries have been setting up plans and systems to cope with cancer all the time, but developing countries are not ready ... treatment, diagnoses are made very late or not at all, so the (death) toll is much, much higher,” Joseph Saba, a medical doctor and member of the group, said in an interview.

TV presenter has severe asthma attack live on air after swallowing a mosquito

On-air emergency: The mosquito can be seen flying into Huang Ching's mouth as she's live on air

A Taiwanese TV presenter had a severe asthma attack live on air after a mosquito flew into her mouth and bit her.

Huang Ching had to be hospitalised after she swallowed the insect, which then got stuck in her windpipe while she was reading the news.

Saudi man chains his son in the basement for six years because he is 'possessed by an evil female genie'

A Saudi man has been chained in a basement apartment for more than six years because his father believes he is possessed by an evil female genie.

'When he has fits he has convulsions and his entire body twists and his eyes become completely white,' said the father of the 29-year-old man who has been identified only as Turki.

'Then the voice of a woman can be heard coming from him.'

Youngest man to die of breast cancer: 28-year-old fought disease for four years

After a four-year battle against the disease Nicky Avery, pictured here with wife Cheryl, succumbed to breast cancer on Monday

The youngest man in Britain to be diagnosed with breast cancer has died aged 28.

Nicky Avery passed away in hospital on Monday after battling the disease over the past four years.

Before his diagnosis Mr Avery had no idea men could contract breast cancer, but he went on to campaign to raise awareness of the disease.

Parents' fury as teenage daughter dies just days after doctors sent her home and 'told her to take paracetamol'

Amy Carter, on the day she was released from Worcestershire Royal Hospital. She died three days later after suffering multiple organ failure and four heart attacks

A schoolgirl suffered multiple organ failure and four heart attacks just days after doctors sent her home with paracetamol and told her to take 'plenty of rest', an inquest heard.

Amy Carter, 15, begged doctors not to discharge her, telling them 'I'm dying' but medics assured her she would be fine.

She developed septicaemia after being released by doctors who had diagnosed her with glandular fever.

Two days later on Christmas Eve, Amy - who had not been able to eat for 19 days and weighed just six stone - was taken to hospital and died hours later.

How a brain scan could help you choose the perfect career

Brain scans showed a close correlation with traditional tests

Brain scans may be able to help people choose their careers, scientists claim.

Researchers used a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner to study the brains of 40 volunteers seeking career guidance.

Fans pay £30,000 for X-rays of Marilyn Monroe's chest

Marilyn's hands can be seen on her hips as she has her chest X-rayed in 1954

Three X-rays of Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe's chest and pelvis taken during a hospital visit have sold for more than 10 times their pre-sale estimates at auction in the U.S..

The X-rays fetched £30,000 during a sale of Hollywood memorabilia.

The incredible moment a deaf baby hears his mother's voice for the very first time

An overjoyed Jonathan stretches back in delight


An incredulous smile of joy spreads across the baby's face as his mother asks him: 'Did you hear that, Jonathan?'

Gurgling in a mix of wonder and joy, this is the incredible moment a child hears his mother's voice for the first time.

Eight-month-old Jonathan was born deaf and had cochlear implants put into his ears so he could hear.

His father filmed the tear-jerking moment they were turned on for the first time, capturing the amazement in the boy's face as he heard his mother's voice saying his name.The clip has become a YouTube sensation with 1.4million views, mostly in the last few weeks.

Woman whose face was torn off by a chimp released from hospital

Charla, who has hidden her face under a hat and veil, with her daughter Brianna

Travis, the pet chimpanzee, was shot and killed by police following the attack.Charla Nash, whose face was ripped off by her friend's pet chimpanzee, has finally left hospital more than a year after the attack

 

A woman who lost her hands and much of her face when she was mauled by a chimpanzee has been released from hospital.

Charla Nash was discharged from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio on Thursday night and transported to a Boston-area assisted-living centre, where she plans to continue her rehabilitation.

Bill Monaco, an attorney for Ms Nash's family, told The Associated Press: 'She's going to be learning some skills necessary to become independent.

'She needs a rehab facility while they assess what they can do for her in the future.'

World Cup fans warned over S.Africa fever outbreak

South Africans queue to buy tickets as the final round of sales begins for the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup in Soweto township, near Johannesburg, April 15, 2010.

Tourists in South Africa including soccer fans heading to the World Cup must guard against mosquito bites and avoid contact with raw meat due to an outbreak of Rift Valley fever, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.

Officials in South Africa, the host of the 2010 World Cup from June 11 to July 11, have reported 172 human cases of the animal viral disease this year, including 15 deaths, it said.

Woman whose face was shot off to get new magnetic prosthetic ... so she can raise her son without wearing a mask

New beginning: Left, Chrissy Steltz, her face covered by a sleep mask, laughs during an interview. Right, Chrissy as a teenager shortly before the horrific accident that tore away her face

Recovery: Left, a computer graphic shows how Chrissy's face will look after the surgery. Right, an X-ray of Chrissy's skull shows the missing eye socket and nasal cavity - as well as shotgun pellets that remain embedded in her head

An American woman is set to have a total mid-face reconstruction after losing her eyes and nose in a horrific shooting accident.

Chrissy Steltz, 27, was just 16 when her friend accidentally blasted a shotgun in her face at point blank range.

Eleven years later, doctors are set to reconstruct her face with a silicone mask with a nose and glass eyes, magnetically attached to dental implants drilled into her remaining bones.The never-before-attempted surgery will, she hopes, allow her to raise her young son without wearing a mask.

Because she has no eye sockets or sinus cavity, doctors are unable to perform a face transplant.

Instead they are to mask her injuries with artificial eyes and a nose of silicone.

The mask will be held in place by magnets attached to eight implants embedded in the remaining bones of her face.

The $20,000 (£13,000) three-hour surgery is not covered by health insurance as it is considered cosmetic - so doctors have donated their time and skill.

And if all goes well, by this summer, Chrissy will once again have a face.

Man with half a body defies the odds by 'fathering a child'

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Affectionate: Kenney Easterday with Desiree, the seven-year-old who could be his daughter

He is also a fan of bowling, as seen in this clip from the American TV documentary

Active: Kenny uses his arms to prop himself up as he plays pool, in a still from a documentary on his life

Rare: Kenny's legs were amputated when he was six months old and a part of his shinbone was used to complete his spine

Together: Kenny with fianceé Nicky in a still from the American TV documentary

Defying the odds: Kenny Easterday is living a normal life beyond expectations in Virginia

Despite only having half a body, Kenny Easterday insists he can live the life of a normal man.

Now he appears to have proved it after claiming he has fathered a child.

Easterday, 35, was born with a rare condition called sacral agenesis, which prevented his spine from developing normally.
When he was just six months old, doctors amputated Kenny's legs and used part of his shinbone to complete his partially-formed spine.

Kenny is so small he can fit inside a suitcase but that hasn't stopped him playing pool, bowling, working - or having a love life with fianceé Nicky, 33.
In an American television documentary, he and Nicky revealed that they were together seven years ago - after which she became pregnant with her daughter, Desiree.

The pair are soon to found out if Desiree is actually Kenny's child. And they hope to start a new family to join Nicky's two children.
Kenny's greatest dream is to have a child, he revealed in the documentary.

'I want a child to carry my name, someone that can carry my legacy and be able to say 'Well that's my daddy',' he said.
Kenny was not expected to live past 21.

As a boy Kenny was offered prosthetic legs but he hated wearing them and preferred to use his hands or a skateboard to get around.

'My dad pretty much taught me how to walk on my hands,' said Kenny, from West Virginia, USA.
'I just told him to walk behind his mother, because she walks like a duck so just walk like her,' Kenny's father said in documentary made about his life.

As a child Kenny starred in the 1988 film, The Kid Brother, a dramatised version of his early life.

'If I'm handicapped it's because of these damn legs,' Kenny said in the film as he pushes over his prosthetic legs.

Lucky labrador cheats death after football he swallowed gets stuck next to his heart

Puppy love: Bracken with his owner John Grant. Mr Grant realised Bracken needed medical attention when he began coughing incessantly

Back to full health: Bracken has made a full recovery since his operations

Energetic: Mr Grant throws a ball for Bracken, who has also been known to eat golf balls and twigs

Uncomfortable: The deflated football that was removed from Bracken's body

A dog owner today described how his pet bounced back to health after swallowing a football.

Bracken the labrador ended up with the deflated ball stuck next to his heart after munching it while out of sight of his owner John Grant and would have died without surgery.

Mr Grant realised the two-year-old dog needed medical attention when he started coughing incessantly.
When Bracken was X-rayed at the University of Glasgow Small Animal Hospital, vets noticed an unexpected dark shape near the labrador's heart.
Further tests revealed a congenital abnormality - a hole in the diaphragm between the dog's chest and abdomen which meant part of his stomach could move into the space.
When surgical specialist Kathryn Pratschke operated, assisted by vet Damian Chase, they were stunned to discover that the foreign object was a deflated toy football about 12cm (5in) long.

Mr Chase said: 'Bracken had been fine and his stomach had been gradually moving in and out from this area in his chest, but because he had eaten this toy football it got stuck up there.

'Part of the stomach moved and was sitting next to his heart with the football in it.

'We were surprised because when we did the X-ray and scan we couldn't tell what it was. He is a very lucky dog. He would have died without the operation.'

Mr Chase said the abnormality, called peritoneo-pericardial diaphragmatic hernia, could have catastrophic consequences, though many dogs with the same problem lead normal lives with the flaw going unnoticed.

Bracken needed two operations to correct the problem, one last spring and one in January, building up medical costs of around £5,000 over the year.
He is now living life to the full at the Grant home in Lenzie, East Dunbartonshire, though where he found the football remains a mystery.

Mr Grant, 70, said: 'I don't know where he picked it up, though it may have been in the park in the long grass.

'He is quite inquisitive and noisy and boisterous. He eats anything - plastic bottles, golf balls, stones and sticks. He is an extrovert, very lively and sometimes steals things from the kitchen table.

'He has been fine since the operation but it was quite traumatic at the time.'

Over the past year vets at Glasgow University Small Animal Hospital have dealt with dogs which have swallowed everything from tights and bandages to crab shells and milk bottle tops, but said that Bracken's case was one of the strangest.

It can be hard for dog owners to know whether their pet has swallowed a foreign object if they don't catch the animal red-handed.

However, Mr Chase said that if dogs keep vomiting it could indicate they have eaten something they shouldn't have while retching and gagging could suggest there was something stuck in their throat.

He advised owners to keep a close eye on their pets if they know they have a roving eye.

He said: 'You can't wrap your dog up in cotton wool.

'But if you know your dog is a scavenger he needs to be under control, even on a lead.'

Family of world's shortest man shocked by his death

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The world?s tallest man, Sultan Kösen (R) poses with the world's shortest man, He Pingping

The family of He Pingping, the world's shortest man, said Tuesday they were shocked by his unexpected death in Italy, saying he had shown no previous signs of bad health.

"We just did not expect this bad news," his sister He Lihua told AFP over the phone from Baotou, a city in the northern region of Inner Mongolia where he lived.

"Pingping went to Italy... and he called us every day saying he wasn't eating well and that he missed us."

He Pingping, who had been named the world's shortest man by Guinness World Records, suffered chest problems while in Rome where he was taking part in a television show, and was taken to hospital but died over the weekend.

He Lihua said her brother, who had a form of primordial dwarfism and measured less than 75 centimetres (30 inches), had showed no signs of bad health before he left for Italy.

"Unfortunately we cannot go there and we can only wait for his body to come back," He said, adding that the family would be asking the Italian company behind the television show to pay for the funeral.

He's main rival to the title, Nepal's Khagendra Thapa Magar, said Tuesday he was saddened by the news.

"I offer my heartfelt condolences to the family of Mr. Ping. I met him a month ago for the first time and our first meeting was to be our last," said Magar, who travelled to Italy earlier this year to take part in the television show.

Magar, who is just 51 centimetres tall, applied to Guinness World Records to be recognised as the world's shortest man in February, when his family said he had turned 18.

But the organisation is reported to have questioned whether that is his true age.

Guinness World Records said it would announce He's successor as the world's shortest man in due course.

Egypt TV shows footage of 'upbeat' Mubarak-Egypt stock market falls on Mubarak health worries

Mubarak's fifth six-year term as president ends in 2011

Egyptian television on Tuesday aired footage of President Hosni Mubarak for the first time since his March 6 surgery in Germany, as his doctor described him as "upbeat and in very good spirits."

In footage apparently recorded Tuesday morning, a pale looking Mubarak in a hospital gown sat in a chair talking to doctors.

The president had made no appearances in public or on television since the operation and no pictures of him in hospital had been published, causing a stock market dip on Monday over speculation about his health.

During his routine medical check-up Mubarak "was upbeat and in very good spirits as usual," his doctor, Markus Buchler of University of Heidelberg told reporters in Germany.

"His resolve and willpower that we witnessed all last week was very obvious this morning as he looks forward to returning to normal activity," he said.

"I'm happy to say that his medical and general condition is improving in a satisfactory manner.

"His physical activity and appetite have improved significantly over the last few days. Accordingly and as of today, no further daily follow-up laboratory investigations are required," Buchler said.

Mubarak, 81, had his gall bladder and a growth removed from his small intestine in an operation at the University of Heidelberg hospital.

Mubarak's fifth six-year term as president ends in 2011. During a speech in 2005, he said he would stay in power until his "last breath."

Before the operation Mubarak, who has been in power for 29 years, temporarily handed power to Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif.

Share prices fell in Egypt on Monday over what analysts said were concerns about the health of President Hosni Mubarak who has not appeared in public since surgery in Germany on March 6.

Egypt's benchmark EGX 30 index fell 3.84 percent by the close, after a fall of 2.40 percent on Sunday.

"There is uncertainty in the stock exchange, particularly among Egyptian investors, due to worries about the health of President Mubarak," an expert at a large financial house in Cairo told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"This will carry on until he makes an appearance," a financial analyst said, echoing the view of many in the sector.

Another analyst said the drop was caused by "bad communication" over the president's health. "Other bourses are steady or doing fine. There is no other reason for the drop in the Egyptian market," he said.

Mubarak, 81, is said to be recovering after having his gall bladder and a growth in the small intestine removed. Official statements from his medical team say the operation went well and that the tissue removed was benign.

The president was in a "witty mood" and his recovery "progressing normally," according to the latest update on Saturday.

But the veteran leader has not made a public appearance since his operation more than a week ago and no photograph of him in the German hospital has been made public.

There is also no indication of when Mubarak is expected back in Egypt.

"Egypt is waiting for a photo of President Mubarak," read a headline in the opposition daily Al-Dustur, although a presenter on state television said he could "soon" address the Egyptian people by telephone from his hospital room.

The octogenarian, who has been in power for 29 years, has temporarily delegated powers to Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, in line with the constitution. He has yet to announce if he will run in next year's presidential election.