4D scans show fetuses yawn in the womb

LONDON: Growing into a fully formed human being is a long process, and scientists have found that unborn babies not only hiccup, swallow and stretch in the womb, they yawn too.

Researchers who studied 4D scans of 15 healthy fetuses also said they think yawning is a developmental process which could potentially give doctors a new way to check on a baby's health.

While some scientists have previously suggested that fetuses yawn, others disagree and say it is nothing more than a developing baby opening and stretching its mouth.

But writing in the journal PLOS ONE on Wednesday, British researchers said their study was able to clearly distinguish yawning from "non-yawn mouth opening" based on how long the mouth was open.

The researchers did this by using 4D video footage to examine all the times when fetuses opened their mouths.

Nadja Reissland of Durham University's department of Psychology, who led the study, said the function and importance of yawning in fetuses is still unknown, but the findings suggest it may be linked to fetal development and could provide a further indication of the health of the unborn baby.

"Unlike us, fetuses do not yawn contagiously, nor do they yawn because they are sleepy," she said. "Instead, the frequency of yawning in the womb may be linked to the maturing of the brain early in gestation."

The study was carried out on eight female and seven male fetuses from 24 to 36 weeks gestation. The researchers found that yawning declined from 28 weeks and that there was no significant difference in how often boys and girls yawned. (Reuters)

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New SARS virus

PARIS: A novel strain of the deadly SARS virus that sparked a health scare this year is closely related to a virus found in Asian bats, according to a study published on Tuesday.

Scientists in the Netherlands said they had sequenced the genetic code of a viral sample taken from a 60-year-old man whose death in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in June triggered fears that Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was returning in a new guise.

The new strain, called HCoV-EMC/2012, is part of a viral family called coronavirus, but in a specific category called betacoronavirus.

Its closest known cousins are a strain found in lesser bamboo bats (Tylonycteris pachypus) and another found in Japanese house bats, Pipistrellus abramus.

"The virus is most closely related to viruses in bats in Asia, and there are no human viruses closely related to it," said Ron Fouchier of the prestigious Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam.

"Therefore we speculate that it comes from an animal source," he said, noting that Pipistrellus bats are present in Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries.

An epidemic of SARS erupted in China in 2002, eventually claiming around 800 deaths in some 30 countries.

Bats were linked with a novel strain of SARS found in 2005. Hong Kong researchers found a natural "reservoir" of it in Chinese horseshoe bats.

Two other men have also fallen sick in the latest SARS episode.

One is a Qatari man who had been in Saudi Arabia and is being treated at a hospital in London.

There is 99.6-99.7 percent similarity between his strain and the virus sequenced in the Netherlands, said Fouchier in a press release.

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Refugee health

What health risks do refugees face?

In the cramped, basic conditions of a refugee camp, disease gains a strong foothold and can spread quickly throughout the population. Aid agencies particularly fear the spread (or epidemics) of:

• Cholera
• Measles
• Meningitis
• Tuberculosis
• Polio

They may also struggle to keep warm and fed in temporary shelters, and may face hypothermia and even starvation.
Refugees are also likely to have been psychologically traumatised by what they have seen. They may have seen their loved ones killed or harmed, they will have had to leave all their possessions and they face a very uncertain future.
Population movement, poor sanitation, water contamination and the interruption of public health programmes are the main reasons for the spread of disease after natural and humanitarian disasters.
Often displaced populations are forced to gather in confined spaces, further enabling the spread of epidemics, such as cholera, malaria and dengue fever.
Another problem is the number of injured people who need to be treated. However, according to the World Health Organisation, the presence of dead bodies isn't a major factor in the spread of communicable diseases in these situations.
The impact can be huge, from high mortality or death rates in refugee camps to many long term health issues in refugee populations who may then live for years dislocated and in poverty.

Cholera

The spread of cholera is one of the main dangers following a humanitarian disaster - whether natural or enforced. Cholera is an acute infection of the gut which causes pronounced diarrhoea and vomiting. This can lead to severe dehydration and, in some extreme cases, death. However, many people who are infected by the bacteria don’t become ill and 90 per cent of those who do are only mildly or moderately ill.
Cholera is spread by contaminated water and food. The infection is most deadly when it arrives unexpectedly because there are often no facilities for treatment or because people cannot get treatment in time. Cholera can be effectively treated with oral rehydration salts and antibiotics. Containing a cholera outbreak involves ensuring there are proper sanitation methods for disposing of sewage, an adequate clean drinking water supply and good food hygiene.
New oral cholera vaccines have come into use in recent years improving the protection against this disease. However they don’t provide complete protection against all strains of cholera, and its important to continue to follow strict hygiene measures.

What help is available to refugees?

The World Health Organisation's Emergency and Humanitarian Action division was set up in 1993, and works with United Nations agencies and national health ministries to co-ordinate and implement help in humanitarian disasters. The WHO policy is to work within the emergency measures set out in the country affected. Its first task in an emergency is to conduct a rapid health assessment in the affected areas within 48 hours of a disaster.
It’s then likely to set up:

• An early epidemic warning system
• Measures to control communicable diseases
• A programme for repairing key hospitals and primary care agencies affected
• Water and sanitation measures
• Programmes for ensuring necessary medical supplies are available

Establishing such measures may mean an appeal to international donors for supplies and help.
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Otitis externa(swimmer's ear)

What is otitis externa?

Otitis externa is an inflammation of the outer ear canal - the tube between the skin surface of the external ear and the ear drum.

Symptoms

There's redness and swelling of the skin of the ear canal. It may be itchy (especially in the early stages) and can become sore and painful. There may be a discharge, or increased amounts of ear wax. If the canal becomes blocked by swelling or secretions, hearing can be affected.

Causes and risk factors

Otitis externa is usually caused by an infection, which may be fungal or bacterial. A bacterial infection is more likely to result in a localised problem, such as an inflamed spot or boil in the ear canal, but can cause cellulitis or more widespread inflammation of the tissues.
Fungal otitis externa usually causes a more diffuse irritation of the skin. Otitis externa may also develop in skin conditions such as eczema or dermatitis, where there's no infection but generalised inflammation of the skin.
Anyone can develop otitis externa. It can follow localised trauma to the skin of the ear canal - for example, if objects are placed in the ear - or if the canal is scraped by a cotton tipped bud in an attempt to remove wax (cerumen to give it its technical name) which plays an important protective role - too little may predispose to infection, although too much causes retention of water in the ear canal, which can allow bacteria to thrive.
Constantly getting the ears wet can damage the normal immune defences in the ear leading to infection (hence swimmer's ear). People with diabetes are at increased risk of infections, especially of the skin.

Treatment and recovery

The ear must be examined using an instrument called an otoscope, and a swab taken to test in the laboratory for bacteria or fungi. Cleaning the ear and removal of discharge, using gentle suction, may be all that's needed in very mild cases to allow the body to clear the infection.
Most cases are usually treated with antibiotics, usually as ear drops. Occasionally, in more severe or recurrent otitis externa, antibiotics must be given by mouth. Steroid cream or drops may also be given.
In most cases, symptoms resolve with treatment within two to three days. Occasionally, more often in diabetics, the infection spreads to surrounding tissue and intravenous antibiotics are needed. Some people who experience recurrent episodes of otitis externa may benefit from the use of acidifying ear drops after every exposure to water (such as showers and swimming).
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