Twin earthquake kill at least 75 in Gansu province, China

Injured residents get treatment in a hospital in Minxian after an eathquake hit the area in Minxian county of Dingxi, northwest China's Gansu province on July 22, 2013. AFP PHOTO

TWO strong earthquakes have devastated parts of western China, killing at least 75 people and injuring 459. 

  The US Geological Survey measured the magnitude of the initial quake as 5.9 and the second at 5.6-magnitude in Gansu province. The Chinese government measured the first quake at 6.6 magnitude.

The death toll stands at 75 with 459 injured, AP reported.

At least 12 people were still missing, Phoenix News reported, citing the Gansu provincial government, the South China Morning Post reported.

An estimated 27,360 people have been left homeless in Zhang county, Phoenix News reported, citing the Dingxi prefectural-city government.

One-in-five buildings have been in the earthquake-stricken zone have collapsed, with 60 per cent showing cracks, Gansu Television reported.

"More than 21,000 buildings were severely damaged and more than 1,200 have collapsed,'' a local government official at the provincial earthquake bureau in Dingxi told AFP, adding that 371 aftershocks had been recorded.

Eight towns in remote, mountainous areas have been seriously damaged in the earthquake and subsequent flooding and mudslides, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Power outages and communications were cut off in 13 towns in Zhangxian county, Xinhua said.

The Lanzhou military region has dispatched 1000 soldiers with Gansu Military police sending 500 troops to assist in rescue efforts, Phoenix News reported.

Rescuers are battling to reach survivors in remote areas.

The quake hit near the city of Dingxi in Gansu province, a region of mountains, desert and pastureland with a population of 26 million. It is one of China's more lightly populated provinces, although the Dingxi area has a greater concentration of farms and towns with a total population of about 2.7 million.

Pictures broadcast on state television showed rural villages with rubble-strewed streets and houses crumbled. Locals in Minxian county in Gansu province, said they saw trees and homes shaking, with the quake lasting for about one minute.

Earlier, an official surnamed He from Minxian, said there were 19 dead and more than 200 injured in seven townships severely hit by the quakes. The Chinese government measured the first earthquake at 6.6 magnitude

The quake hit near the city of Dingxi in Gansu province, a region of mountains, desert and pastureland with a population of 26 million. That makes it one of China's more lightly populated provinces, although the Dingxi area has a greater concentration of farms and towns with a total population of about 2.7 million.

Deaths were also reported in Min County in the rural southern part of Dingxi municipality, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Residents described shaking windows and swinging lights but little major damage and little panic. Shaking was felt in the provincial capital of Lanzhou 177 kilometres north, and as far away as Xi'an, 400 kilometres to the east.

"You could see the chandeliers wobble and the windows vibrating and making noise, but there aren't any cracks in the walls. Shop assistants all poured out onto the streets when the shaking began,'' said a front desk clerk at the Wuyang Hotel in the Zhang County seat about 40 kilometres from the epicentre. The clerk surnamed Bao refrained from identifying herself further, as is common among ordinary Chinese.

The government's earthquake monitoring centre said the initial quake at 7:45am (8.45am AEST) was magnitude-6.6 and subsequent tremors included a magnitude-5.6.

The quake was shallow, which can be more destructive. The centre said it struck about 20 kilometres beneath the surface, while the Gansu provincial earthquake administration said it was just 6 kilometres deep.
Much of western China is prone to earthquakes.
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake in neighbouring Sichuan province killed about 200 people earlier this year, five years after almost 90,000 people were killed in a huge tremor in the same province.

China's worst earthquake in recent years was a 7.9-magnitude temblor that struck the south-western province of Sichuan in 2008, leaving 90,000 people dead or missing.
Dingxi is about 1,233 kilometres west of Beijing.

Japanese Commuters Pulled Together

The inspiring moment Japanese commuters pulled together to push 32-TON train away from platform to free woman who fell on the tracks

• Woman, in her 30s, slipped into eight-inch gap between platform and train
• Rescued unharmed after scores of commuters pushed carriage to one side
• She was pulled to safety at JR Minami-Urawa station north of Tokyo

Japanese commuters teamed up to heave a 32-ton train carriage away from the platform to free a woman who had fallen between the train and the platform at rush hour.

In a nightmarish scenario, the woman, who is in her 30s, slipped and fell into the eight-inch gap between the carriage and the platform edge at the busy JR Minami-Urawa station north of Tokyo.

But she escaped unscathed after around 40 commuters joined forces with officials to push the train carriage - which has a suspension system allowing it to lean to either side - away from the platform, allowing the woman to be pulled out.

Heroic effort: Commuters joined forces with rail officials to heave the train away from the platform after the woman got stuck between the carriage and the edge

The crowds in the station applauded as she made it back to safety unharmed.

The commuters' heroic effort was captured on camera by a newspaper photographer who was in the station at the time, and the resulting photo was published in Japan's largest daily newspaper, the Yomiuri.

Lucky escape: The woman fell between the train and the platform edge during rush hour, when Tokyo's rail stations are flooded with commuters (file photo)

Know Your Eye Cue

 

Here is what a few common eye symptoms could reveal about your body's health.

Is there more to your health than meets the eye? According to experts, your peepers may hold clues to undiagnosed health problems and a routine eye test could reveal the truth.

 

Eyes are the window into the body, offering a great pre-warning for many life-threatening illnesses. Most of us think we only need their eyes checked for vision problems, but all of us should have regular examinations, as conditions such as diabetes can be detected in the eye before they start to cause problems in the body.

Here are some common eye symptoms that can be detected by opticians and what they could reveal about your health.

Red eyes

Could be: High Blood pressure

When an optician shines a light into your eyes, they see the tiny blood vessels in your retinas - the sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.

High blood pressure can make these blood vessels appear twisted - or even cause them to burst so the eyes look red. A quarter of adults with high blood pressure don't know they have the condition, which can cause strokes.

Yellow deposits behind the eye

Could be: Diabetes

Yellow deposits of fat, or small tears in the retina, are signs of Type 2 diabetes. A big change to your glasses prescription is another. Early diagnosis is key to avoiding long-term, sometimes fatal, complications.

Iris rings

Could be: High cholesterol

White rings around the iris - the coloured part of the eye — are a sign of high cholesterol levels. Another clue is 'xanthelasmas' - flat, white fat deposits under the skin on or around your eyelids. Studies show people with both these symptoms have a higher risk of heart disease.

Pale inner eyelids

Could be: Anaemia

If the inside of your lower eyelids look pale when pulled down, you may be anaemic - lacking iron, which helps makes red blood cells. Anaemia can be treated with iron supplements, but can be a sign of internal bleeding, so see your GP.

Bulging eyes

Could be: Thyroid problems

Prominent-looking eyes can run in families, but eyes that appear to bulge may be evidence of an overactive thyroid. Abnormal levels of thyroid hormone cause the tissues around the eye to swell, making it appear the eye is popping outwards.

Droopy eyelid

Could be: Bell's Palsy or Stroke

A drooping eye can indicate Bell's Palsy, a temporary facial paralysis. It can also be a symptom of a stroke, especially if the speech is slurred. More rarely, it could also be evidence of a brain tumour or an autoimmune disease that is known as myasthenia gravis.

Yellow eyes

Could be: Liver disease

Liver conditions, including hepatitis and cirrhosis, can turn the whites of your eyes yellow — a symptom which requires an immediate doctor's trip. The colour is caused by bilirubin, a chemical created by the breakdown of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying molecule inside red blood cells.

Pale optic nerve

Could be: MS or Brain Tumour

The optic nerve, which transmits information from the retina to the brain, is visible at the rear of the eye to an optician. A pale optic nerve can be an early manifestation of MS or evidence of a brain tumour.

Different sized pupils

Could be: Stroke or tumour

Healthy pupils are around the same size and react similarly to light. If this is not the case with you, check yourself for problems such as stroke, brain or optic nerve tumour, a brain aneurysm or MS

The Infectious Acidity

Acid is secreted in the stomach by parietal cells

 

Acidity is very common; however, the discovery of a microbe called H plylori has thrown open a world of problems.

I am sorry I can't eat spices - I have acidity. My doctor has advised me not to drink alcohol as I have acidity. These oft repeated statements are common parlance today. In addition, most patients attribute their various symptoms from headaches to as distant as urinary burning to acidity. It seems to be a common bogeyman for a host of symptoms and diseases.

Acid is secreted in the stomach by parietal cells. The internal lining of the stomach is subject to pepsin, bile salts and number of exogenous substances such as alcohol, bacteria and pain killers each with a propensity to damage the stomach lining. The body's response to the noxious substances is to secrete bicarbonate and mucous to prevent damage to the internal lining of the stomach called mucosa. If the mucosa is breached, the cells bordering the site of injury can migrate to a damaged region to repair and restitute it to normal. It always makes me imagine the wonderful reparative capacity the body has. It is capable of regeneration.

Nitric oxide, the wonder chemical of the human body is necessary to maintain the integrity of the stomach lining, the mucosa. This is also secreted by the lining of the heart arteries and is essential for maintaining heart health.

Several manipulations to increase this substance have been tried particularly by anti-aging clinics. A major cause of damage to the stomach lining these days are pain killers. To make pain killers less stomach damaging, the later variety known as COX 2 inhibitors were developed. They have the propensity to decrease tissue inflammation. Sadly, however, they increase the risk of heart disease. As medical students, we thought that all stomach acid diseases, then termed peptic ulcer disease, was from hurry, curry and worry. Back then if you said that peptic ulcer was infectious, you were sure that your exam papers were terminated then and there.

True to paradox, in 2005 Barry Marshall and Robin Warren were awarded a Nobel Prize for discovery of a microbe called H pylori. They had extensive investigation in the 1980s when the initial work of H pylori was published in a prestigious journal. The medical world laughed at such a concept - how could acidity be an infectious disease -they asked. However, we bite our tongues now at the impact of these organism H pylori on the human body. It has been termed a carcinogen by the World Health Organisation and has been associated with cancers of the stomach. In fact, the journey of these two initial researchers has been epic.

In January 1983, they identified this organism, called it Campylobacter Pylori but the gastroenterologists society of Australia deemed it amongst the 10% of worst paper submitted and was rejected. It was however accepted in Brussels. In June 1984 when a leading internal medicine journal published their report, it was heavily criticised. To prove his point Marshall then consumed Hpylori and fell ill and treated himself with antibiotics to affect a cure. A New York Timesjournalist said he had never seen the medical community more defensive or critical of a study in regard to H pylori. H pylori play a massive role in the development of gastric cancer called MALT lymphoma. It is prevalent around the world and thereby its existence depends on the overall hygiene standards of living. In the developing world H pylori affects 80% of the population by age 20. In contrast its prevalence in industrialised countries is 20 to 50%. Transmission of this organism may occur from person to person and is associated with developing countries, domestic crowding, unsanitary living conditions, unclean food and water or exposure to stomach contents of an infected individual.

There may be a genetic factor responsible for the infection as well. It can be measured by serology in the blood or by examining the stool for the antigen. Histology and culture and the rapid urease test require an endoscopy be done and a biopsy taken. Study shows that H pylori is linked to heart disease and stroke as well. Some initial data also suggests an increase in the good cholesterol - HDL after treating H pylori with antibiotics. There is also a genetic make up of peptic ulcer disease and first degree relations of duodenal ulcer patients are three times as likely to develop the disease. People with blood group O are also more likely to develop peptic ulcer disease. Smokers in particular are more prone not only to ulcers but also complications of ulcers. Moreover, smoking impairs healing of ulcer. Patients with heart disease, renal failure, chronic lung disease, kidney stones, chronic pancreatic disease and cirrhosis are also prone to peptic ulcers. Peptic ulcers may be in the first part of the intestine called the duodenum. They are very common and do not become cancerous. But stomach ulcers which occur later in life can become cancerous.

Pain in duodenal ulcer occurs typically in the upper abdomen, in the middle just below the central chest bone, the sternum. A diet full of spices, H pylori and pain killers are the most causative features of peptic ulcer disease. Endoscopy detects ulcers in less than 30% of patients who present with dyspepsia.

It is less common to see dreaded complications of ulcers, like bleeding and perforation after the advent of effective acid reducing drugs, which we commonly saw through decades ago - Proton pump inhibitors, H2 receptor blockers, antacids, cytoprotective agents makes it easy for therapy to be effective.

The important message here is that if you suffer from acid peptic disease, be sure you exclude H pylori as a diagnosis. This small bug may land up causing you serious problems, in other systems of the body, more than what you bargained for.

How To Lose Your Fat

How To Lose 13 Kilograms of Stomach Fat in Just 5 Weeks With A Diet Cleanse That Celebrities Use.

 

Thane (Women's Health) - For the past couple of months our readers have been going crazy over a risk-free internet product that is helping women across the world lose the fat around their bodies. It has been featured on many popular TV shows. 

A lot of celebrities, like Janet Jackson, Kylie Minogue and Nicole Kidman, have lost a significant amount of body fat with just this one diet cleanse. The cleanse is clinically proven to flush out all the junk in your body and increase your metabolism without harming your immune system. Keep reading and you'll find out why we created this special report.
You see, losing weight often feels like an impossible challenge. We have evaluated numerous fad diets over the years. All too frequently their results are just shy of painfully disappointing.

The reason why most diets fail, in our opinion, is that they impose unrealistic restrictions on how you live your life. Some advocate eating tons of protein while others emphasize carbohydrates. In either case, you're left with having to make rather drastic changes to the types of food you eat and when you eat it. In this special report, we take an in-depth look at an emerging and promising weight loss trend that we believe is a game changer, and it won't break the bank.

"One blogger lost 44 pounds in 2 months with Vimax Detox."

You may have heard of the enormously popular Vimax Detox in the news. It's a very powerful colon cleanser, and is considered a fat burning machine. If you're skeptical, you're not alone. When we first learned about this weight loss product, our diet fad radar went off right away.

Nevertheless, as we began to investigate the countless success stories reported by people from all around the globe, we decided that this weight loss trend was worthy of a closer examination. Moreover, we found it of particular interest that these people had not significantly changed their current lifestyles.

Mary F. from Boston was reported to have lost a healthy 20kg in just 6 weeks while being on Vimax Detox. 
In the story on her blog she states,

"I couldn't believe how easy it was. I didn't change my diet or my daily routine, but the fat melted off like it butter. I love this stuff! Finally a diet that just works."

For the Women's Health test, it was inevitable that I was to be the guinea pig for this diet since I was about to get married. I wanted to lose 7kg for my wedding. In order to try the Vimax Detox diet, I ordered a bottle direct from the manufacturer. We contacted the company and got a risk-free bottle of Vimax Detox . Although there are many weight loss offers available, I chose Vimax, since they are one of the most credible and trustworthy suppliers on the market.

The risk-free trial of Vimax Detox was delivered in a few days from ordering and with surprisingly inexpensive shipping. Vimax Detox is one of the most concentrated and purest colon cleansers on the market. It was our shared opinion that 

Vimax Detox has been clinically proven to:

• 4 Times More Weight Loss Than Diet and Exercise
• Boosts Energy
• Rich in Antioxidants
• Promotes Cardiovascular and Digestive Health

Although we were pretty skeptical, we wanted to find out for ourselves if this product could actually do everything that it claimed. 

Putting Vimax Detox To The Test:

Vimax Detox arrived within 4 days of having placed my order online for the free trial.

1. Take Vimax Detox once per day (in the morning)

My Results - 10kg In Just 1 Month

Week One:

After one week on the diet using vimax I was surprised at the dramatic results. My energy level was up, and I wasn't even hungry. A welcomed side effect of the Vimax Detox is its power to curb the appetite.

I honestly felt fantastic.

Best of all, I didn't even change anything about my daily routine. On Day 7, I got on the scale and couldn't believe my eyes. I had lost 1.5kg. But I still wasn't convinced, since they say you lose a lot of water weight at the beginning of any diet. I wanted to wait and see the results in the upcoming weeks. But it sure was looking up! I now weighed under 50 Kilograms for the first time in years!

Week Two:

After two weeks of using both supplements, I started the week off with even more energy, and actually sleeping more soundly than before. I was no longer waking up during the night and tossing and turning because my body was actually able to relax (this is a result of getting rid of the toxins, I think). Plus I still managed to lose another 3kg, putting me at an unbelievable 4.5kg of weight loss, in just 2 weeks.

I must admit that I'm starting to believe that this diet is more than just a gimmick.

Week Three:

After 3 weeks, all my doubts and skepticism had absolutely vanished! I am down, 2 full dress sizes after losing another 2.5kg. And I still have a ton of energy. Quite often, around the third week of other diets, you tend to run out of steam. But with Vimax Detox my energy levels don't dip, instead they remain steady throughout the day. I no longer need a nap around 3pm in the afternoon! I am even noticing that my stomach is digesting food so much better. No bloating 

Week Four:

After the fourth week, my final results were shocking. I lost an unbelievable 10kg since starting Vimax Detox! Actually everyone at Women's Health is kicking themselves for not having volunteered to be the guinea pig. Using Vimax in week 4, I lost 3 more kilograms. The results are consistent! But to be honest, I really didn't have much more than that left to lose. I am definitely going to continue taking Vimax afterwards because it has so many antioxidants and vitamins that makes my skin look unbelievable.
I couldn't be any happier with the results. 

I Lost 10kg in 4 Weeks, No Special Diet, No Intense Exercise.

In conclusion, if you are a little doubtful about the effects of this diet, you need to try it for yourself; from our own test, the results are real. We at Women's Health had our doubts initially, but we were quickly turned into believers. After conducting our own study, we are pleased to see that people really are finding success with the diet.

Pregnant or planning to have a baby?

Pregnant or planning to have a baby?
ZEENIA F BARIA, TNN | Jul 5, 2013, 12.00 AM IST

Pregnancy Calculator

www.babycenter.in/ - Get ready for your baby’s arrival w/ Johnson’s Baby’s Preg Calculator

Pregnant or planning to have a baby? (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images) Here's what you should know about pre-eclampsia. A medical condition which affects roughly 10% of pregnant women, pre-eclampsia is a growing concern for doctors. Pre-eclampsia is a medical condition of high blood pressure and excess proteins in the urine of a pregnant woman after 20 weeks of pregnancy. What is Pre-eclampsia? Gynaecologist Dr Suman Bijlani says that it is a multi-systemic disorder, which affects most of the major organ systems, such as the kidneys, liver, brain, heart, lungs and clotting mechanism. The basic problem is the narrowing of blood vessels due to oxidative stress. Adds gynaecologist and infertility specialist Dr Rishma Pai, "Pre-eclampsia usually develops in the second half of pregnancy and is more common in a woman who is pregnant for the first time. It is seen in about seven to 10% of pregnant women. This is the earlier stage of eclampsia, which is characterised by convulsions in a patient with high blood pressure. If blood pressure increases over 130 / 90 after 20 weeks of pregnancy along with the presence of protein in the urine and oedema or swelling on the feet and body, it confirms the diagnosis of pre-eclampsia." Symptoms Symptoms usually include swelling on the feet and hands, puffiness of the face and, in severe cases, headaches, upper abdominal pain, blurring of vision, giddiness, reduced passage of urine orvaginal bleeding. If you're pregnant, regularly check your blood pressure and test your urine for proteins. Most of the time, the condition presents no symptoms. Some women may experience excessive weight gain. Treatment Unfortunately, pre-eclampsia cannot be 'cured'. It can be 'managed' and 'controlled'. The only cure is delivery of the foetus. Once the foetus is delivered, the maternal systems return to their original state within a few hours to days. "The challenge is that the baby cannot be delivered before he/ she is mature enough to survive outside the womb. Hence, we have to manage the pregnancy till the foetus reaches a mature stage. Untreated pre-eclampsia can lead to poor foetal growth and reduced fluid in the uterus due to narrowing of the blood vessels, which supply the placenta and foetus. In severe pre-eclampsia, the mother is at a risk of haemorrhage (bleeding) in various organs such as the liver, lungs, placenta or brain or convulsions (fits). So, the obstetrician will try to maintain the foetal circulation and prevent growth restriction, detect complications early and deliver the baby before things go out of hand. In mild cases, a doctor will control the blood pressure and keep a close watch on the foetal growth and mother's blood pressure and other systems. Monitoring is the most important aspect of management of pre-eclampsia. As soon as the foetus becomes mature, delivery is carried out," explains Dr Bijlani. If the condition worsens, the foetus is delivered irrespective of maturity. Many of these premature or low birth weight babies need neonatal intensive care. Preventing pre-eclampsia Unfortunately, there is no preventive method or drug for pre-eclampsia. Low dose aspirin started early in pregnancy may reduce the risk. However, it has to be taken under medical supervision only. According to Dr Bijlani, women deficient in calcium, vitamin D, folic acid and vitamin B12 are at a higher risk. Regular antenatal visits are the surest way to improve pregnancy outcome in women predisposed to pre-eclampsia. "A history of high blood pressure in a previous pregnancy increases the risk of pre-eclampsia in the second pregnancy. Also, obese women and those with multiple pregnancies should have regular blood pressure checks. There are no reliable tests to ascertain pre-eclampsia," says Dr Pai. zeenia.baria@timesgroup.com Occurrence in Mumbai While there are no specific studies, which have investigated the trends of pre-eclampsia in Mumbai, experts have noted an increased incidence over the last few years. "It is more common in a very young or much older mother. Since women are delaying motherhood, particularly working women in Mumbai, there is an increase in numbers. Also, women who are smokers, obese, diabetic or already suffering from high blood pressure are more at risk. There is a much higher incidence of twins nowadays due to increased fertility treatments such as IUI and IVF. Twin pregnancies are at higher risk for developing pre-eclampsia," says Dr Pai. Celebrities who reportedly battled Pre-eclampsia Angelina Jolie Adriana Lima Jennifer Lopez Faith Hill Marcia Cross Lisa Marie Presley Jenna Jameson Debra Messing Jane Seymour