Sunday, April 7, 2013

Gemma Arterton at the BBC Radio 1 studios


Gemma Arterton wears a lace top and grey pencil skirt at the BBC Radio 1 studios - vote on celebrity fashion, style and red carpet looks in GLAMOUR.COM’s Dos and Don’ts

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FDA Approves 'Bionic Eye' to Help Against Rare Vision Disorder

First-of-its-kind approval may herald new era in

By Steven Reinberg

HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Feb. 14 (HealthDay News) -- An implanted, sight-enhancing device some are calling a "bionic eye" is the first to gain approval for use in the United States, officials announced Thursday.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the new Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System can help patients with a genetic eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa regain some sense of vision. About 100,000 Americans are believed to be affected by the illness, which causes a gradual deterioration of the eyes' photoreceptor cells.

The new device uses a tiny video camera attached to eyeglasses that transmits images to a sheet of electrode sensors that have been sewn into the patient's eye. These sensors then transmit those signals to the brain via the optic nerve. The device helps replace the damaged cells of the retina and helps patients see images or detect movement.

"It's a start, it's a beginning," said Dr. Mark Fromer, an ophthalmologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "It's going to be exciting for people who get this device who are currently just seeing light or dark, [they] will see shapes and that will be life-altering for them."

An FDA official was similarly enthused.

"For many of the approximately 1,300 individuals who will develop the disease this year, this technology may change their lives," Dr. William Maisel, deputy director for science and chief scientist at FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in an agency blog post. "It's the difference between night and day," he added.

Maisel's post also included testimony from people who had tested the device and spoke in favor of its approval at a recent FDA hearing:

"The biggest thing to me was being able to see the crosswalk lines on the street so I can safely cross streets in Manhattan," one user said.

"The most exciting day to me was October 27th, in 2009," another testified. "It was the first time I was able to see letters on the monitor screen [during a test of visual perception]. I had not seen letters since 1994, so that was huge."

A third person said he had a 17-year-old son, "and I don't mind telling you how much -- I mean, how happy that made me, not only to see the silhouette of my son, but to hear that voice coming and saying, 'Yeah, it's me, Dad. I'm here and I love you.'"

People with retinitis pigmentosa suffer damage to the light-sensitive cells of the retina. As these cells slowly degenerate, patients lose side vision and night vision and later on, central vision. The disease can cause blindness,

The FDA's approval is a limited one, labeled a "humanitarian use device" approval, meaning the Argus II can be used only for fewer than 4,000 patients per year.


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Bosses Who Bully Poison the Workplace

Title: Bosses Who Bully Poison the Workplace
Category: Health News
Created: 2/13/2013 4:36:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 2/14/2013 12:00:00 AM

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Use of Morning-After Pill on the Rise: CDC

By Steven Reinberg

HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Feb. 14 (HealthDay News) -- The number of U.S. women using the "morning-after" contraception pill has risen dramatically in the last decade, federal health officials report.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 4.2 percent of women in 2002 said they had used the pill, but between 2006 and 2010 that figure had jumped to 11 percent, which translates to 5.8 million women who were between 15 and 44 years old.

The pill, considered emergency contraception to prevent unwanted pregnancy, was particularly popular among young women between 20 and 24 years old, who accounted for 23 percent of users, the government report found.

The report, released Wednesday by the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics using data from the 2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth, also found:

Non-Hispanic white and Hispanic women were more likely to have used emergency contraception, 11 percent, compared with non-Hispanic black women, 7.9 percent.16 percent of users were between the ages of 25 to 29, 14 percent were teens 15 to 19 years old, and only 5 percent were 30 or older.19 percent of the women who used the pill weren't married, and 14 percent lived with a partner.The most common reasons for using the pill were a woman's fear that the contraceptive she was using might not work, or because she had unprotected sex.Most of the women who took the morning-after pill had used it only once; 24 percent used it twice, and 17 percent had used it at least three times.

Emergency contraception is a high dose of progestin that prevents pregnancy by delaying ovulation (when the egg leaves the ovary and travels into the fallopian tube where it's available for fertilization by sperm). Some research suggests emergency contraception may make it more difficult for sperm to get past the cervix and into the uterus, and may make the uterus less hospitable to sperm.

Although the morning-after pill can be taken up to five days after unprotected sex, it becomes less effective the longer women wait.

The new report is likely to buttress the Obama administration's goal of providing contraception to all women, which has pitted the administration against religious and conservative groups that oppose any form of birth control.

Dr. Jill Rabin, chief of ambulatory care obstetrics and gynecology and head of urogynecology at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y., believes the increased use of the morning-after pill has to do with its longevity and because it has been proven safe and effective.

"It's safer than aspirin," she said.

She also disputes the claim by some conservative groups who see the pill as an abortion pill. "It is definitely not an abortion pill. Once an egg is fertilized, the pill has no power," she said.


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Ask Gemma Arterton a question!


Gemma Arterton will be answering your questions live on Twitter today.

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The Incredible Burt Wonderstone UK Trailer


Steve Carell and Steve Buscemi star as illusionists who face competition from new kid on the block, Steve Gray (Jim Carrey).

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Katy Perry and John Mayer leave Vincenti restaurant in Los Angeles


Has John Mayer really, finally settled down? The star – who is known for his long list of A-list exes – looked like the perfect boyfriend as he treated girlfriend Katy Perry to a romantic Valentine’s meal for two in Los Angeles yesterday

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