Health Officials Plan to Test Multiple Ebola Drugs at Once
     
 
 The quest for an Ebola treatment is picking up speed. Federal officials have unveiled a plan to test multiple drugs at once, in an umbrella study with a single comparison group to give fast answers on what works.
"This is novel for us" and is an approach pioneered by cancer researchers, said Dr. Luciana Borio, head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Ebola response. "We need to learn what helps and what hurts" and speed treatments to patients, she said.
She outlined the plan Wednesday at an American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene conference in New Orleans. Thousands of scientists have crowded into day and late-night sessions on Ebola, which has killed 5,000 West Africans this year.
There is no treatment for Ebola, but several experimental ones such as ZMapp have been tried on a few patients, and scientists are eyeing some others that were developed for different conditions but may also fight Ebola.
"There's this tremendous urge to want to give people these experimental therapies" but it's crucial to make sure they don't do harm, said the FDA's Dr. Edward Cox.
Everyone in the umbrella study would get supportive care, such as intravenous fluids, then be assigned to receive one of several drugs or be in a comparison group. That's needed because without one, there's no way to know if any problems or deaths are from the drug or the disease, Cox said.
Instead of waiting until a certain number of patients are treated to look at results, as is usually done, researchers will monitor results as they come in, pairing each person on a drug with someone from the comparison group to see if a pattern can be detected.
The National Institutes of Health developed this "learn as you go" plan "to allow a winner to be declared very early," Cox said.
He said the FDA could not name the drugs being considered, but said a meeting next week with various companies should crystallize the plans.
source:fox news

See Photo of Youngest Woman Elected to US Congress
       
  30 year-old Republican Elise Stefanik just became the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. The Associated Press reports that Stefanik defeated Democrat Aaron Woolf, securing the House seat vacated by Democrat Bill Owens in New York's 21st congressional district.

Lets Laugh

      
 Mechanic v Doctor Story
Allan, a mechanic, was removing a cylinder head from a Harley-Davidson motorbike, when he spotted a world-famous heart surgeon in his garage. The heart surgeon was waiting for the service manager to come and take a look at his bike.
Allan shouted across the garage, 'Hey Doc can I ask you a question?'  The famous surgeon, a bit surprised, walked over to Allan.  Allan straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag and asked, 'So Doc, look at this engine.  I also can open hearts, take valves out, fix'em, put in new parts and when I finish this will work just like a new one.  So how come I work for a pittance and you get the really big money, when you and I are doing basically the same work?'
The surgeon paused, smiled and leaned over and whispered in Allan's ear, 'Try doing it with the engine running.'

Clever Man

An old man lived alone in Russia. He wanted to dig his carrot garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, who would have helped him, was in prison for bank robbery. The old man wrote a letter to his son and mentioned his predicament. Shortly, he received this reply,” For HEAVEN’S SAKE Dad, don’t dig up that garden, that’s where I buried the Money!” At 4 A.M. the next morning, a dozen policemen showed up and dug up the entire garden, without finding any money. Confused, the old man wrote another note to his son telling him what happened, and asking him what to do next. His son’s reply was: “Now plant your carrots, Dad. It’s the best I could do from here.

 

BBC Donates Equipments To FRCN
        

 The British Broadcasting Corporation’s Media Action on Tuesday in Abuja, donated equipment to the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) to boost the quality of its programmes and news.

Donating the items, the Acting Country Director of the BBC Media Action, Sam Miller, said that the gesture was to further boost the organisation’s partnership with the FRCN.

He said that the group was currently training two members of staff of the FRCN, stressing that the collaboration would be extended to other FM stations under the FRCN.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that items donated included laptop computers, digital voice recorders, editing suites and broadband.

President GEJ Stunning in Suit, on His Way to Crisis Talk
  

 President Jonathan at the Presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport on his way to Burkina Faso for crisis talk with other ECOWAS leaders.

Church gives free Beer During Service to Attract New members

   

 A church, in a bid to attract new members, is now giving away free beer during services.

The East Side Church of Tulsa invited the public for beer for the first time last week. A spokesperson told reporters that the service was designed as an outreach event.

“It’s an opportunity to reach a wide demographic of people to ask questions about what is happening in our Christian world, what is happening in our churches and what is happening in our community,” said the spokesperson.

The poster of the church read “everyone is welcome. No questions are prohibited. No holds barred. Just come and respect the opinions of others. Just having a good honest conversation about God, while having a couple of beers.”

In order to prevent underage drinking, IDs were checked and the limit was three beers per person.
news24

Missing Nigerian Air force Jet Found Near River Benue By a Fisherman

     
 A fisherman may have found the missing Nigerian Air Force Alpha Fighter Jet (NAF 466) near River Benue.

According to PUNCH, a resident of Kwaine, Adamawa state who spoke anonymously said that the remains of the aircraft was discovered by some fishermen at the bank of River Benue and that the fishermen had alerted security agencies on the discovery.

The entire area has reportedly been cordoned off by security operatives.

NAF 466 went missing on September 12 with 2 crew members on board.
hmmmm, I thought these boko people said they shot it down and seized it??

Pregnancy doesn't stop me from running- US Pregnant Woman.

      

 Clara Peterson of Corte Madera, California, is a mom of three kids — ages 5, 3 and 11 months — and an elite runner who trained through all three of her pregnancies. Now 30, she is due in May with her fourth child and continues to run daily. She explains why pregnancy and motherhood does not stop the runner within. 

I have been running since I was a fourth grader in Berkeley, California, and started training seriously in high school. I won my first of four state championships my sophomore year. And then went on to compete at the national level at Duke University and always planned to pursue a career in elite racing.
When I got pregnant with my son Ramsey, I never thought twice about continuing to train. It was by far the most challenging of the three pregnancies. You are experiencing hormones and your body feels so off. As an elite athlete, you are so in touch with your body, you know what’s OK, and what’s not. When you are so in tune and in control of your body, pregnancy is for sure a very foreign feeling.
      

 The first five minutes of warm up are always uncomfortable, whether you're pregnant or not, says Clara, seen here in one of her earlier pregnancies. "But after that passes, you get in the rhythm. You feel great," says Clara Peterson.
My normal training regimen usually consists of 70 to 90 miles per week, with intense intervals as fast as 5 minute pace per mile. I have run two marathons , the first at the Olympic trials in 2012, eight months after my second child was born. And I ran the California International marathon last year. But I prefer local road races that are shorter. I don’t get on a starting line unless I’m going to run fast.

I was very tired in my first pregnancy. I had anemia and I could sleep till 1 p.m. every day. Of course you can’t do that when you have more than one child. But I had to really push myself to get out there and run.
There is no elite women runner out there who trains the same way when pregnant. During pregnancy, mileage comes down, and the intensity comes down. I average 40 to 60 miles a week. If I do 400 meter intervals, I’ll do them at a slower than normal pace. I don’t like getting my heart rate up for more than 3 minutes at a time.
And like any run— whether you are an elite athlete or a recreational runner, pregnant or not — the first five minutes of warm up are always uncomfortable. But after that passes, you get in the rhythm. You feel great.
It’s definitely more uncomfortable to run while pregnant. The strangest part — especially as you get further along— is the sensation of having the uterus, which is filled with that 6- to 7-pound child, on top of your bladder, and trying to run with it. It’s not really pain — just discomfort, from the pounding.But I’ve found that with each pregnancy, running becomes more of a routine because I know what’s happening. I know that I am feeling this way because I’m four months or seven months. My body is becoming better at running with each child. It’s almost like a marathoner gets better at every marathon. I get more efficient at running with every pregnancy.
I consider pregnancy a break from elite training and my goal is to decondition as slowly as possible. So by the end of this pregnancy, at nine months, I’ll try to pull off a 6 mile run at a 7 to 8 minute-per-mile pace. At the end of my first pregnancy I was running much slower, at a 8:30 pace.

To pregnant women runners: “If you are a runner, keep running. Do what you are doing and cut back slowly. If your body doesn’t agree with running, then don’t do it.”

I run every day with the occasional day off. My OB-GYN doctor ran through her pregnancy and gave me advice that you if you take anything more than a week off, there is no going back. You are slowly easing into a changing body. If you aren’t running to acclimate, you lose your window.
But, you know, running is my thing. It’s my vice. Without it, I’m not the same. It’s healthy for my body, because that’s what it’s used to.
To pregnant women runners who ask me for advice, I always say, “If you are a runner, keep running. Do what you are doing and cut back slowly. If your body doesn’t agree with running, then don’t do it.”
Of course, I always tell everyone, the baby is first.
It’s hard for us elite runners because we have these control issues about making our body perform optimally. With pregnancy, you have to let the reins go.
If you are feeling good, you can run all the way to the end. It’s natural for me to keep going. And it can be the same for recreational runners. But ultimately you need to listen to your body and do what you’re doctor advises.
I’ve been very fortunate. But if I were to find out tomorrow that I had to go on bed rest, I’d suck it up and do it.
I’d be bummed, but the health of my baby is the priority.
culled from today-parent news

13 Years After 9/11, World Trade Center Reopens for Business
Standing at 541 meters with 104 floors, it is officially America’s tallest building and cost $3.9 billion to put the skyscraper together.
     
 The new World Trade Center is the center piece of the 16-acre site where the twin towers once stood, before they came crashing down, killing more than 2,700 people.
The old twin buildings went down on September 11, 2001 after it was hit by two planes hijacked by terrorist group, al-Queda.

Actress Stephanie Linus' Foundation performs repair surgeries on 20 women with VVF

        

 In an effort to spread the word on the dangers of Vesico Vaginal Fistula and to repair as many women as possible who have the condition, the Extended Hands Foundation with support from SNEPCo/NNPC recently carried out repair surgeries on 20 women at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
     

 The pool effort was done to bring hope and restoration to the women who had been living with this condition for varying period of time. The women had the repair surgeries done at no cost to them and their families.
      
 Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) is a serious disability that can be experienced by women after childbirth. They are holes resulting from the breakdown in the tissue between the vaginal wall and the bladder or rectum caused by unrelieved obstructed labour. The consequence of such damage is a woman’s inability to control the flow of urine or faeces. It occurs more often in young women during childbirth, as their bodies are not yet mature for the process.
The exercise which kicked off in June was a very successful one. The team of doctors carried out repair surgeries on 20 women whose lives had been adversely affected by this condition and it was so heart warming to restore hope and a chance at living normal lives to these women.

Female Senator Chris Anyanwu Slapped a PDP Chairman

 

 Now this is one funny news....
Senator Chris Anyanwu was on Saturday November 1,2014 during the PDP ward Congress election in Imo State, engaged in a slapping match with the PDP chairman of Ezinihitte LGA, Mr Chinemerem Madu over the LGAs delegates list.

Information alleges that when Chris Anyanwu was dissatisfied over the attitude

of the Chairman who is said to be loyal to Hon. Emeka Ihedioha,she slapped the Chairman who in retaliation, slapped the amiable senator severally till people came to her rescue.
She was reportedly rushed to the hospital afterwards..
Hahahahah.

Policeman Crushes Wife And Kills Baby Over N2k Palaver

Policeman Crushes Wife And Kills Baby Over N2k Palaver

   

 According to PUNCH the incident occurred at the family’s rented apartment in Kale Close, Mafoluku, Oshodi last week.

It was gathered that four days prior to the incident,34-year-old Lucky, who hails from Sabon Gida Ora, Edo State, had a quarrel with his wife, Dupe over N2,000, after which he reportedly sent her packing.

The policeman, who is attached to the Makinde Police Division, Oshodi, Lagos had also ‘seized’ their only child from Dupe as a means of ‘punishing’ her.

Around 8pm on the day of the attack, Dupe, a 30-year-old indigene of Abeokuta, Ogun State,was heading for her mother’s house in Mushin unknown to her that Lucky was waiting in a bus to attack her.

It was learnt that on getting to Olorunshogo junction, Lucky pursued his wife with the bus, crushing her legs in the process.

Leaving her for dead, Lucky was said to have fled the scene while passersby initially thought the attack was random.

However, after Dupe was rushed to a nearby hospital on same evening for treatment and had regained consciousness the following morning, she explained that the man who drove the bus which crushed her legs was her own husband.

Unknown to Dupe, after her husband attacked her, he reportedly drove back to their apartment where he stabbed their child, David, in the belly, before fleeing the residence.

Lucky’s co-tenants and Dupe’s relatives who discovered the baby’s corpse on Friday morning, reported the incident at the Akinpelu Police Division. It was also gathered that the knife and the bus had both been recovered.

When PUNCH Metro visited the hospital where Dupe was receiving treatment on Monday,the woman, who could hardly speak. She said the cause of the fight was a sum of N2000 which Lucky claimed she stole.

She said, “We got married and started living together around October 2013. We usually had quarrels and that was not the first time he would beat me up, and send me out of the house. But this incident started on Sunday, October 26. Lucky had initially kept N15,000 with me.

“Then, on Sunday, he collected N5, 000 to repair the bus. Later I gave him the rest,only to realise it was N8,000. So,he began to question where I kept the remaining N2000. But I knew that it was his nature to stir up trouble because he had a habit of keeping money with me and going again to take it.

“So, we began to fight, and he asked me to leave the house.He did not allow me to take the child with me that day.I was sleeping in friends’ places until Thursday when I decided to go back home.I did not find my baby and when I asked him, he threatened that if he met me in the house by evening, he would kill me, kill the baby and himself.”

Dupe said she was then called by her mother to come to their family house in Mushin, adding that as she got on her way, and was at the Olorunshogo junction, a commercial bus swerved to her path and hit her several times.

She said, “The commercial bus was his bus. He was the only man inside. He hit me and I fell. Then he reversed and came over my legs again. I lost consciousness. That was the last thing I knew.”

Punch learnt from one of the nurses that Dupe might be admitted in the hospital for about two months and might spend over N600,000 for treatment owing to the severity of the attack.

One of Dupe’s relatives, Mr. Segun Akiode, said that the family had yet to inform Dupe of her son’s death. He added that the family also did not know Lucky’s whereabouts.

He said, “I was called on the phone on Thursday evening that my sister was knocked down at Olorunshogo junction. When I got there, I met her in a pool of blood. So, we rushed her to a hospital. It was already around 9.30pm.

“On Friday, when we went to their apartment, we found the baby boy, stabbed in the belly and already dead on the floor. We have not told Dupe about his death yet. So, we went to report at the Akinpelu Police Division, and we were asked to describe the bus which hit Dupe. When we did, they said the bus was with them in the station, but the whereabouts of Lucky were still unknown.”