Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Battling for life, the baby born with its heart OUTSIDE its chest
A newborn baby has survived delivery despite its heart being outside the chest cavity.
The infant's heart was born with its most vital organ exposed and is being treated in the intensive care unit of Shenzhen Children's Hospital in China's Guangdong Province.
The parents knew about the condition before the baby was born, but chose not to abort it.
The unusual and dangerous development was caused by a rare disease - less than five babies in one million are struck by it. The illness affects the child's chest and abdomen.
Less than 200 cases have been recorded and it is the first modern case in China.
Most babies die from the disease before birth.
Doctors are expected to operate to repair the malformation when the infant is strong enough.
In July 2004, Charli Southernwas born prematurely with a similar condition and survived two operations to repair her chest.
And in 2006, Naseem Hasni underwent surgery to put his heart inside his chest hours after being delivered by Caesarean section at Holtz Children's Hospital in Miami.
The infant's heart was born with its most vital organ exposed and is being treated in the intensive care unit of Shenzhen Children's Hospital in China's Guangdong Province.
The parents knew about the condition before the baby was born, but chose not to abort it.
The unusual and dangerous development was caused by a rare disease - less than five babies in one million are struck by it. The illness affects the child's chest and abdomen.
Less than 200 cases have been recorded and it is the first modern case in China.
Most babies die from the disease before birth.
Doctors are expected to operate to repair the malformation when the infant is strong enough.
In July 2004, Charli Southernwas born prematurely with a similar condition and survived two operations to repair her chest.
And in 2006, Naseem Hasni underwent surgery to put his heart inside his chest hours after being delivered by Caesarean section at Holtz Children's Hospital in Miami.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Panic after 'Franken-fish' that is deadlier than a piranha is caught in Britain
A savage fish deadlier than a piranha that has killed people has been caught on British shores for the first time.The giant snakehead - so called because of its long body and fearsome teeth - was caught by an angler in Lincolnshire.Dubbed the "gangster" of the fish world, it eats everything it comes across and has even been reported to kill people.
The monster, which is from south-east Asia, can also "crawl" on land and survive out of water for up to four days.It already has a fearsome predatory reputation in other parts of the world.In the U.S., the fish has been described as a "FrankenFish" and "like something out of a horror film".
Andy Alder, from Lincoln, caught a 2ft snakehead while using a sprat as bait for pike on the River Witham near North Hykeham.He said: "It had a gob full of razor-sharp teeth. To be honest it looked terrifying."Anglers and conservationists are panic-stricken after its discovery in Britain.
An Environment Agency source said: �The reaction was, 'Oh s***'. This is the ultimate invasive species � if it starts breeding here it's a disaster."Ben Weir, of the fishing magazine Angler's Mail, said: "In all my time of working within fishing I have never heard so many concerned voices.
"These guys are the real deal and have attacked humans whilst protecting their young.
"Everyone within the angling and fishery world have been left gobsmacked by its capture."
Experts have examined pictures of the fish and confirmed it was the predator.It is on a blacklist of species that cannot be imported into the UK.There are fears it could have been smuggled in for an aquarium and then illegally released.Catching the vicious fish is considered great sport in Asia.
One of the world's leading angling guides, Jean Francois-Helias of Angling Adventures Thailand, has put his customers onto brilliant snakehead captures.
He told Angler's Mail: "That fish is a juvenile giant snakehead, or channa micropeltes, the meanest of all snakehead species.
"That giant snakehead has no fear. It even attacks human beings when protecting its fry."
The same fish caused chaos when they made it into the U.S. in 2002.
Snipers were set up on river banks to shoot them and entire lakes were poisoned in a bid to wipe them out.
Adult snakeheads can grow to 3ft and weigh as much as 44lb.
The monster, which is from south-east Asia, can also "crawl" on land and survive out of water for up to four days.It already has a fearsome predatory reputation in other parts of the world.In the U.S., the fish has been described as a "FrankenFish" and "like something out of a horror film".
Andy Alder, from Lincoln, caught a 2ft snakehead while using a sprat as bait for pike on the River Witham near North Hykeham.He said: "It had a gob full of razor-sharp teeth. To be honest it looked terrifying."Anglers and conservationists are panic-stricken after its discovery in Britain.
An Environment Agency source said: �The reaction was, 'Oh s***'. This is the ultimate invasive species � if it starts breeding here it's a disaster."Ben Weir, of the fishing magazine Angler's Mail, said: "In all my time of working within fishing I have never heard so many concerned voices.
"These guys are the real deal and have attacked humans whilst protecting their young.
"Everyone within the angling and fishery world have been left gobsmacked by its capture."
Experts have examined pictures of the fish and confirmed it was the predator.It is on a blacklist of species that cannot be imported into the UK.There are fears it could have been smuggled in for an aquarium and then illegally released.Catching the vicious fish is considered great sport in Asia.
One of the world's leading angling guides, Jean Francois-Helias of Angling Adventures Thailand, has put his customers onto brilliant snakehead captures.
He told Angler's Mail: "That fish is a juvenile giant snakehead, or channa micropeltes, the meanest of all snakehead species.
"That giant snakehead has no fear. It even attacks human beings when protecting its fry."
The same fish caused chaos when they made it into the U.S. in 2002.
Snipers were set up on river banks to shoot them and entire lakes were poisoned in a bid to wipe them out.
Adult snakeheads can grow to 3ft and weigh as much as 44lb.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
Two stone fat cat put on strict diet after getting wedged in his flap
A massively overweight fat cat has been put on a strict diet after getting stuck in his flap.
Worried owner Molly Oliver, 68, considered Sooty's weight gain to be harmless but decided he ought to to the vets when she had to prise him free from the door last month.Vets were amazed to see the six-year-old had piled on the pounds since his last visit, tipping the scales at almost two stone - three times the size of a normal cat.
Animal lover Molly blamed over-generous locals for her pet's size - although she has now put her moggy on a strict low-calorie diet.Luckily he has so far lost enough to be able to get in and out of his own house.Molly said: "He's always been quite big but I feed him exactly the same amount as any other cat."He loves meat and I just give him normal size portions."Over the last couple of months I noticed he was getting stuck in the cat flap - it was quite comical to see his bottom wiggling as he squeezed through - but it was the final straw when he got stuck and could not get outside."I realised then how awful it must be for him."I was puzzled as to why he got so big. He had also stopped jumping around like he used to.
"They had seen him six months ago and couldn't believe how much weight he had put on.
"They were worried he could die if he stayed the same weight, apparently he could have got heart disease and diabetes so he must lose some pounds."The corpulent cat is now on a special low-calorie diet - he's not allowed meat and has to be content with biscuits.Molly has also been told to encourage him to cram his huge frame through the cat flap so he can play in the garden of her flat.
sooty fat cat
Puzzled: Sooty's owner Molly Oliver is still confused about how her cat put on so much weightMolly, who is divorced and lives alone in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, was forced to give up her work as a customer services assistant 15 years ago due to severe arthritis.She added: "I think it was people being kind and leaving food out for him that has led to him getting so big.
"Some of the locals leave lots of meat out for cats, they are only trying to be kind but Sooty was already being fed by me so he didn't need anymore."Cats can be greedy and I think he just took advantage.""He's such a well-behaved and well-mannered cat but he just loves his meat too much. I've had him since he was a kitten and he is great company for me."Vet Lisa Winter, who set up Sooty's diet and exercise programme, said: "We do get overweight animals being brought in but I've never seen anything like this one.
"The average weight of a cat is four kilos and Sooty weighs 12 kilos, just under two stone."We will now weigh Sooty every month to see how he is progressing.
"With overweight cats we encourage them to play more. Some people get them to run up and down the stairs and some take them for a walk on a harness."
Worried owner Molly Oliver, 68, considered Sooty's weight gain to be harmless but decided he ought to to the vets when she had to prise him free from the door last month.Vets were amazed to see the six-year-old had piled on the pounds since his last visit, tipping the scales at almost two stone - three times the size of a normal cat.
Animal lover Molly blamed over-generous locals for her pet's size - although she has now put her moggy on a strict low-calorie diet.Luckily he has so far lost enough to be able to get in and out of his own house.Molly said: "He's always been quite big but I feed him exactly the same amount as any other cat."He loves meat and I just give him normal size portions."Over the last couple of months I noticed he was getting stuck in the cat flap - it was quite comical to see his bottom wiggling as he squeezed through - but it was the final straw when he got stuck and could not get outside."I realised then how awful it must be for him."I was puzzled as to why he got so big. He had also stopped jumping around like he used to.
"They had seen him six months ago and couldn't believe how much weight he had put on."They were worried he could die if he stayed the same weight, apparently he could have got heart disease and diabetes so he must lose some pounds."The corpulent cat is now on a special low-calorie diet - he's not allowed meat and has to be content with biscuits.Molly has also been told to encourage him to cram his huge frame through the cat flap so he can play in the garden of her flat.
sooty fat cat
Puzzled: Sooty's owner Molly Oliver is still confused about how her cat put on so much weightMolly, who is divorced and lives alone in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, was forced to give up her work as a customer services assistant 15 years ago due to severe arthritis.She added: "I think it was people being kind and leaving food out for him that has led to him getting so big.
"Some of the locals leave lots of meat out for cats, they are only trying to be kind but Sooty was already being fed by me so he didn't need anymore."Cats can be greedy and I think he just took advantage.""He's such a well-behaved and well-mannered cat but he just loves his meat too much. I've had him since he was a kitten and he is great company for me."Vet Lisa Winter, who set up Sooty's diet and exercise programme, said: "We do get overweight animals being brought in but I've never seen anything like this one.
"The average weight of a cat is four kilos and Sooty weighs 12 kilos, just under two stone."We will now weigh Sooty every month to see how he is progressing.
"With overweight cats we encourage them to play more. Some people get them to run up and down the stairs and some take them for a walk on a harness."
