My Iraq: Child psychiatrist

Dr Haidr says most Iraqis now deal with each other in an aggressive way

Dr Haidr al-Maliki was an army psychiatrist during Saddam Hussein's regime.

He now works as a child psychiatrist at Ab Ibn Rushed Hospital in Baghdad. He lives with his wife and four children.

There used to be about 80 psychiatrists in Iraq, now there are just 20 to 25.

And some of them will leave. Fifteen or so will eventually go to the UAE or to Jordan; it's difficult.

About a year ago, during Ramadan, four boys aged about 15 to 20 came into my private clinic, in front of my patient.

They asked "Are you Dr Haidr?" I said yes. And they shot me several times.

One bullet went into my right shoulder, another into my right arm. I am left with nerve injury and muscle atrophy.

Afterwards they told me I couldn't go to my clinic and that I had to leave the country. They didn't say why.

So, now I don't go out, I just stay at home. My own private jail.

During Saddam's regime we could take our families to the cinema.

Most Iraqi people ... show disturbed behaviour

I want to drink, I want to dance, I want to visit my friends. But I can't do anything. If I even think about going for a drink in my club 500m from my house, I will be killed.

Iraqi people are living in difficult times. Most of us have been exposed to aggression: attacks in the street, car bombings, kidnappings.

Most Iraqi people now deal with each other in an aggressive way; they show disturbed behaviour; they have lost their civility.

We don't know how to treat these problems really.

But I can't leave Iraq. If I and my friends leave, who will help our people?

Limitations of care

I was asked to open the child psychiatry centre in Ab Ibn Rushed hospital, but I have no training in children, really.

I read books and I try to help.

Most of the children are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, especially those who have been exposed to kidnapping.

Most of the children I see are bedwetting. They have disturbed behaviour or epilepsy.

We treat them with simple medication; it is very difficult.

Most of the families come here for help and sometimes we can do nothing for them, except offer support and advice.

Alternative medicine: Coriander

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:20:28

By Patricia Khashayar, MD., Press TV, Tehran
Since ancient times, traditional Iranian medicine has used coriander seeds for treating anxiety and sleeping disorders like insomnia.

Botanical: Coriandrum sativum (LINN.)
Family: N.O. Umbelliferae
Synonym: Chinese Parsley, Cilantro, Dizzycorn, Japanese Parsley, kizbara

Habitat:

Coriander is probably native to the Middle East and southern Europe, but has also been known in Asia and the Orient for several millennia.

Description:

It is an annual plant with slender and branched stems. The lowest leaves are stalked and pinnate. The flowers are in shortly-stalked umbels, five to ten rays, pale mauve, almost white, delicately pretty. The seed clusters are very symmetrical and the seeds fall as soon as ripe.

Part Used Medicinally:

Fruits (so called seeds) and fresh leaves

Dried coriander leaves are mentioned in some versions of Georgian khmeli-suneli and the Iranian qorma herb mix.

Constituents:

Coriander fruit contains about 1 percent volatile oil, which is the active ingredient. It is pale yellow or colorless, and has a mild aromatic taste. The fruit contains malic acid, tannin and some fatty matter.

Medicinal Uses:

Coriander water is a carminative for windy colic. Oil extracted from its seed is an aromatic stimulant, a carminative (remedial in flatulence), an appetizer and a digesting stimulator. Recent studies have supported its use as a stomach soother for both adults and colicky babies.

Coriander seeds are also used as a diuretic by boiling equal amounts of coriander seed and cumin seed, then cooling and consuming the resulting liquid.

It is generally beneficial to the nervous system and believed to have anti seizure and anxiolytic effects

Inhalation of coriander is useful in treating sinusitis and colds. It is mainly used to mask foul tasting medicine, especially purgatives.

Coriander is believed to make individuals feel happy and is good for the heart.

Coriander cakes were once taken against 'St. Anthony's fire', or 'Rose' a severe streptococcal skin infection called 'erysipelas', which claimed many lives before the advent of antibiotics.

The herb is used to treat hemorrhoids, headache and swellings; the fruit in colic, hemorrhoids and conjunctivitis; the essential oil in colic, rheumatism and neuralgia; the seeds as a paste for mouth ulceration and as poultice for other ulcers.

Coriander is helpful in lowering serum lipids and glucose levels.
It is believed to be useful in treating benign prostate hyperplasia.

Cilantro and Coriander contain substances that kill meat-spoiling bacteria and fungi and prevent wound infections.

Preparation:

Inhalation of coriander seed 3 times a day added with drinking 2 cups of its infusion helps relieve headaches and treat sinusitis and earaches.

Having a teaspoon of coriander seed or regularly taking two capsules significantly lowers lipid levels.

Weak coriander tea may be given to children under the age 2 for colic.

Caution:

If used too freely, the seeds may cause amnesia and become narcotic. Eating too much raw coriander extract is lethal.

PKH/HGH

Gene 'links breastfeeding to IQ'

The government advises breastfeeding for first six months

A single gene influences whether breastfeeding improves a child's intelligence, say London researchers.

Children with one version of the FADS2 gene scored seven points higher in IQ tests if they were breastfed.

But the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study found breastfeeding had no effect on the IQ of children with a different version.

The gene in question helps break down fatty acids from the diet, which have been linked with brain development.

Seven points difference is enough to put the child in the top third of the class, the researchers said.

In the past people have had different results about whether breastfeeding improves IQ and this would sort out the reason why Professor Jean Golding

Some 90% of people carry the version of the gene which was associated with better IQ scores in breastfed children.

Researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, used data from two previous studies of breast-fed infants in Britain and New Zealand, which involved more than 3,000 children.

IQ was measured at various points between the ages of five and 13 years in the studies.

Previous studies on intelligence and breastfeeding have come up with conflicting results.

There has been some debate as to whether mothers who had more education or who were from more affluent backgrounds were more likely to breastfeed, skewing the results.

Nature versus nurture

Professor Terrie Moffitt, a co-author on the paper, said the findings gave a fresh perspective on the arguments by showing a physiological mechanism that could account for the difference between breastfed and bottle-fed babies.

HAVE YOUR SAY More scare tactics! Breastfeeding isn't for every woman and in fact some babies get on better with a bottle. Jacqueline Walton, Sawtry Send us your comments

"The argument about intelligence has been about nature versus nurture for at least a century," she said.

"However, we have shown that in fact nature works via nurture to create better health outcomes."

Since the studies used in the analysis were done, manufacturers have begun to add fatty acids to formula milk but there have been inconsistent results on the benefits.

Belinda Phipps, of the National Childbirth Trust, said: "This shows for the majority of parents they can have a positive effect on their babies IQ by breastfeeding."

Catherine Collins, a dietician at St Georges Hospital in London and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, said the study highlighted the interaction between nutrition and genetics.

"In this study you have an effect that suggests that nature is more important that nurture.

"If nine out of 10 babies benefit, then that is a very good chance."

But she added the study did not specify how long babies were breastfed for and it may be that even breastfeeding for a short period may be beneficial for intelligence.

Professor Jean Golding, who founded the ALSPAC study set up in the 1990s to follow the development of thousands of children in the South West of England, said the results were fascinating and they would be doing a further study of the gene.

"In the past people have had different results about whether breastfeeding improves IQ and this would sort out the reason why," she said.

Europe child porn probe nets 92

Some of the pornographic material was sold online

An investigation into a Europe-wide child pornography network has led to 92 arrests across eight countries, prosecutors say.

The network made videos of children being abused and sold them to 2,500 customers in 19 countries, says the European police force, Europol.

The films were mainly produced in Ukraine, Belgium and the Netherlands, and most of the victims were Ukrainian.

More than 40 of the arrests were made in Britain, European prosecutors say.

Police have seized thousands of computers, videos and photographs in their investigation - code named Operation Koala.

The investigation began in July 2006, when police in Australia found a video on the internet showing an adult abusing two young girls.

The girls were identified by police in Belgium and the offender, their father, was arrested.

He in turn led investigators to the producer of the video, an Italian man who operated in Belgium and the Netherlands but also owned a studio in Ukraine.

'Tailor made'

The names of 2,500 customers were recovered from his computer.

An analyst for Europol, Menno Hagemeijer, said the customers came from many different countries and all walks of life.

"We have identified schoolteachers, swimming instructors, lawyers, IT specialists," he said.

Mr Hagemeijer said the videos had been "tailor made", with customers ordering specific acts to be performed by specific children.

Twenty-three children aged between nine and 16 who were shown being abused have been identified. Twenty-one are from Ukraine and two from Belgium.

European prosecutors have stressed that the operation is continuing and there are likely to be further arrests.

Addressing the Fallout Of Newborn Screening

Government and Researchers
Seek to Reduce False Positives,
Improve Physician Education
and Follow-Up for Families

By SHIRLEY S. WANG
October 30, 2007; Page D1

The recent adoption of widespread screening of newborns for congenital health problems is saving thousands of lives every year, identifying potentially deadly conditions in time to begin treatment. But now, health-care professionals recognize that success has highlighted glitches in the system.

UNINTENDED IMPACT

Some problems have cropped up with newborn screening:

• False Positives: Second and even third tests are sometimes needed to rule out false positives and confirm the diagnoses.

• Ill-Informed Doctors: Some pediatricians aren't familiar with the screened-for conditions, or where to find specialists for treatment.

• Lack of Follow-Up: States are only beginning to track patients to monitor the long- term impact of early diagnosis.

More screening has meant more potential for erroneous test results and misdiagnoses, causing needless angst for parents. Doctors and hospital officials, who must inform new parents about the screening process, are often ill-informed about the diseases that are screened for and how they are treated. And once a diagnosis is confirmed, families may get little follow-up as they struggle with the overwhelming rigors of caring for their sick infant.

To improve the screening process, health providers and government officials are starting to expand beyond the push for more screening to also address shortcomings in the entire system. Efforts include creating a national standard for assessing screening, in order to cut down on false positives. Genetics experts are developing an online map of specialists across the country to help families find treatment. And researchers and health officials are working to educate doctors about screening and create state registries to track the long-term impact of early diagnosis.

"We're trying to see the newborn screening as a system and not a lab test," says Rani Singh, associate professor and director of the Genetics Metabolic Nutrition Program at Emory University in Atlanta, which has been working in a collaborative of southern states to improve access to genetic services.

Newborn screening has grown exponentially over the past two years -- the result of years of effort by health experts and patient advocates. All 50 states now mandate the procedure, which involves pricking the heel of an infant before the baby leaves the hospital to obtain a few drops of blood for testing. As of July, nearly 90% of U.S. babies are tested for 21 of the 29 conditions recommended by the American College of Medical Genetics, compared with 38% in 2005, according to the March of Dimes.

The conditions, many of which are metabolic disorders that interfere with how the body breaks down and absorbs nutrients, are typically rare. With some, fewer than 1 in 10,000 are afflicted. But these conditions can have devastating consequences, including mental retardation, physical disabilities or even death within days of birth. Caught early, many of these diseases are treatable, and the children can live normal lives.

"Without a good screening program in place in a state, the rest doesn't happen," says Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes.

Yet problems can arise from the outset. For one thing, even the most accurate screening tests will identify some children as false positives. The likelihood that a test correctly identifies a case ranges from 10% to 45%, depending on the test and what score a state uses as its cutoff to define abnormal, says Brad Therrell, director of the National Newborn Screening and Genetics Resource Center, an Austin, Texas-based agency.

Hayward Genetics Center at Tulane University in New Orleans, for example, sees about seven false positives for every one baby with a true metabolic defect, according to director Hans Andersson.

To help make test results more accurate, groups of genetic experts across the country -- separated into seven "regional collaboratives" -- are carrying out a project to figure out what test cutoff scores best distinguish the true cases while minimizing false positives. The effort, funded by the Department of Health and Human Service's Health Resources and Services Administration, aims to establish a uniform cutoff score for each condition. Currently, variations in states' standards and testing procedures mean that a child who tests positive in one state might have tested negative if he or she had been born in another state.

Also, a number of medical centers that conduct "second-tier" tests to check results are getting inquiries from around the country about expanding the use of such tests before informing pediatricians or parents, according to Michael Watson, executive director of the American College of Medical Genetics, the nonprofit that puts out recommendations for screening. Second-tier tests are used by a limited number of states, either through their own state lab or contracted out to another laboratory such as the Mayo Clinic, but there are no formal national recommendations for their use yet.

Uncertainty over screening results, including false positives, can have a significant impact on families. Even when parents are later told initial results were wrong, they may still worry about their baby's health. Parents continue to take these babies more frequently to the doctor and the emergency room, according to a study that Susan Waisbren, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and colleagues published last year in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Many organizations, including the American College of Obstetrics, say they would like to get obstetricians more involved in educating parents earlier about newborn screening to head off unnecessary angst. ACOG's committee on genetics will be publishing an opinion at the end of the year urging obstetricians to be "proactive" and offer written, video or electronic materials to patients during pregnancy, says Anthony Gregg, chairman of the committee and associate professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine.

The aim is to convey the importance of screening results without creating undue panic -- since many conditions can be effectively treated. When Christena Neal of Hallsville, Texas, received a call from her pediatrician on a Friday afternoon last December, she says she fell apart. "I heard the panic in him, but he was trying to be calm," Ms. Neal said. Her three-week-old son Jesse David, the doctor said, had "something wrong with his blood."

"I hung up and started bawling," Ms. Neal said. "I was so afraid he would die."

Screening results indicated the boy -- nicknamed J.D. -- likely had the metabolic disorder known as MCAD (medium chain acyl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency), which prevents his body from breaking down certain kinds of fats for energy. Infants with this condition can die in just hours if they don't eat enough food that provides usable energy to keep their blood sugar normal. The Neals' pediatrician had never treated anyone with the condition before and had printed information about MCAD from the Internet.

Fortunately, J.D. was able to get an appointment with a specialist quickly, and was started on the treatment, a special low-fat formula, even before his diagnosis was confirmed. He is now a healthy 11-month-old.

J.D is a screening success story. Yet his family's journey illustrates how screening leads to a host of other struggles. Ms. Neal makes the hourlong trek with J.D. to the geneticist every three months, and she remains vigilant about feeding him like clockwork with nutritional supplements and special foods. She has had to rush him to the emergency room four times, and had to beseech a state senator in order to get Medicaid to cover the cost of his supplements.

To improve follow-up for children like J.D., HHS's Health Resources and Services Administration, the National Newborn Screening and Genetics Resource Center, and others would like to have states monitor patients' outcomes to better understand what happens if these rare conditions are caught early. A study of 35 states published this month in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found that less than one-third of states surveyed collect long-term follow-up data, and the follow-up information varies tremendously. But some states, including California, and 16 pediatric metabolic centers in several Midwestern states have begun collecting this information, and more are starting or looking to do so, according to Cynthia Cameron, director of the Region 4 Genetics Collaborative.

Another difficulty in the follow-up process is that many pediatricians and primary-care doctors aren't familiar with these rare and complex diseases. To help better inform doctors, the American College of Medical Genetics' Web site offers a series of so-called ACT Sheets, which walk them through what to do when a baby screens positive for a rare condition, according to executive director Dr. Watson.

The group is also developing an online map of genetic specialists across the country so parents and doctors can search for treatment in their area. Dr. Watson says the map will be launched within six months.

Write to Shirley S. Wang at shirley.wang@wsj.com

Size Genetics

Cellcept may cause birth defects

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:16:51

FDA has raised worrying concerns over the risk of birth defects and miscarriages following the use of Cellcept (mycophenolate mofetil).

According to AP, Cellcept made by Roche Holding of Switzerland, also lowers birth control hormone levels, which may reduce their effectiveness in preventing pregnancy.

FDA has warned that women of childbearing age should have a negative pregnancy test within a week of starting the drug, use effective contraceptives, and receive birth control counseling during the treatment course.

Previous studies revealed that Cellcept decreased the body's ability to protect against illness and infection, and increased the risk of developing lymph node tumors (lymphoma).

Cellcept is an immune system-suppressing drug used to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients. It is also prescribed to lupus patients who can not tolerate chemotherapy.

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Women with set of triplets

Victoria and husband Tim with their three-year-old triplets

A woman in Ohio has given birth to her second set of triplets.

Victoria Lasita and her husband Tim conceived both sets naturally, without fertility treatments that increase the chance of multiple pregnancies.

"Holy smokes. Do you know what the odds of that are?" fertility expert Dr Glen Hofmann told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

The chances of conceiving one set of triplets naturally were about one in 8,000, making the odds of having them twice far higher, he said.

Having triplets once did not affect the chances of having triplets a second time, added Dr Hofmann, medical director of the Bethesda Center for Reproductive Health and Fertility.

Casey Alexander was the first born at 1357 local time on Wednesday at just 4lb 2.5oz (about 1.9kg).

He was followed by Caden Bradley, at 4lb 13.5oz (about 2.2kg) and Carson Charles, at 4lb 9.5oz (just over 2kg).

You take what God gives you Victoria Lasita

Their father, Tim, who witnessed the Caesarean birth, said: "Everybody seems to be doing well."

He said it was still too early to know when the babies will be ready to go home and join their older siblings, Jessica, Jillian and Brian, who will soon turn four.

The Lasitas have been married six years and have three grown children from previous marriages.

But they decided they'd like "one more" after the birth of the triplets.

"I guess we should have been more specific and said one more child, not one more set," Victoria said.

The Lasitas will be changing about 150 nappies a week for the new triplets.

Victoria said: "You take what God gives you. And this is what he's decided we can handle."

Triplets for woman with two wombs

Hannah's triplets were born from two eggs. Photo: SWNS

A UK woman with two wombs is believed to be the first in the world with the condition to give birth to triplets.

Hannah Kersey, 23, from Northam in Devon, had identical twins Ruby and Tilly, who were born from one womb, Grace, who was born from the other.

The girls had to stay in hospital for nine weeks after being born seven weeks early by Caesarean, but have now returned home to their parents.

The odds of having triplets from two wombs are about 25 million to one.

The chances of a woman with two wombs having twins or two separate births is estimated to be five million to one.

Against the odds

Only 70 women in the world are known to have been pregnant in two wombs, reports suggest.

The condition, which is actually called uterus didelphys, affects one in 1,000 women in the UK.

In Miss Kersey's case, the babies were conceived from two eggs - one in each womb - which were fertilised at the same time by two different sperm.

There are very few world firsts nowadays, but it may be one Consultant Dr Simon Grant, who delivered the babies

One egg then divided, producing identical twins, while the other developed into a single baby.

Hannah and her partner Mick Faulkner said they were "over the moon" at how healthy and happy the girls are.

Hannah said: "They are three lovely and incredible children, all with very different personalities.

"Gracie seems to be the ringleader - maybe because she grew up in her own womb.

"Ruby is very laid back and quiet, happy to sit and watch what is happening around her.

WOMB ABNORMALITIES Occur when the uterus fails to fuse normally during development Vary in severity - sometimes the division extends into the vagina Can cause fertility problems

"Tilly, who was the baby that struggled to survive inside me, is a real fighter, wanting to keep up with her sisters and not be left out."

Dr Simon Grant, a consultant at Southmead Hospital who delivered the babies, said: "There are very few world firsts nowadays, but it may be one."

Mr Ellis Downes, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Chase Farm Hospital in London, said: "It is quite amazing. Women with two wombs have conceived a baby in each womb before but never twins in one and a singleton in the other."

Leading expert Mr Peter Bowen-Simpkins added: "For a woman to spontaneously conceive and give birth in this way is a real rarity. They have been extremely fortunate."

Mr Richard Warren of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said most cases occur naturally, but the condition can run in families.

Hannah's mother and sister also have two wombs.

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Turkish No to Sharia

>>>>SNIP>>>Posted: 6.14pm Tuesday 24 July 2007 International SOCIALIST WORKER
Turkish voters deliver a blow to the military
by Ron Margulies in Istanbul

The Justice and Development Party (AKP) was re-elected on Sunday of last week with a thumping majority in the Turkish elections.
It is a landslide for the Islamist party that faced a concerted effort by Turkey’s powerful military to influence the outcome of the poll.
The AKP increased its share of the vote to 47 percent from 34 percent in the 2002 elections.

http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=12557

HIJAB?