(Reuters Health) – A new study suggests people who had certain kinds of dental X-rays in the past may be at an increased risk for meningioma, the most commonly diagnosed brain tumor in the U.S.
The findings cannot prove that radiation from the imaging caused the tumors, and the results are based on people who were likely exposed to higher levels of radiation during dental X-rays than most are today.
“It’s likely that the exposure association we’re seeing here is past exposure, and past exposure levels were much higher,” said Dr. Elizabeth Claus, the study’s lead author and a professor at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.
Claus and her colleagues write in the journal Cancer that dental X-rays are the most common source of exposure to ionizing radiation — which has been linked to meningiomas in the past — but most research on the connection is based on people who were exposed to atomic bombs or received radiation therapy.
There have been some studies that looked at dental X-rays, but they were from years ago and included fewer people than the current study, Claus noted. Still, they were generally in agreement with the new findings.
For her study, Claus’ team recruited 1,433 people diagnosed with intracranial meningioma — a tumor that forms in the tissues lining the brain — between May 2006 and April 2011. All of the participants were diagnosed when they were between 20 and 79 years old and they were all from Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Carolina or the Houston or San Francisco Bay areas.
For comparison, the researchers also followed 1,350 people who were similar in age, sex and state of residence as the study group, but who had not been diagnosed with a tumor.
Read more HERE.
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The first attempt to assassinate a president was on Andrew Jackson by Richard Lawrence, a house painter. Both of his guns misfired, however – an event that statisticians say could occur only once in 125,000 times. Andrew Jackson then chased Lawrence with his walking stick. – Provided by RandomHistory.com
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Just a shout out to all my readers. Do visit my blog sponsors. See the right sidebar here, plus of course those words or phrases found throughout my post that are underlined.
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This Web site relates the story of the Titanic, sumptuous liner which sank during its maiden journey on April 15, 1912, bringing death to 1523 of the 2228 passengers and crew members aboard. Only 705 survived.
Go HERE.
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Probably taken the next day after the Titanic sunk. April 15th, maybe even April 16th, of 1912?
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Did hubris doom the Titanic? How about simple human error when an iceberg loomed dead ahead? Or maybe the iceberg deserves all the blame.
Tim Maltin, a British author, has another theory. In the new Smithsonian Channel documentary “Titanic’s Final Mystery” (aka “Titanic: Case Closed” in other countries), Maltin concludes that the natural world conspired against the ship.
“The Titanic was very much in a killing zone of nature due to atmospheric conditions,” he said. “A mirage, high pressure and darkness just came together.”
The result: The Titanic’s lookout didn’t see the iceberg in time, and a nearby ship failed to come to the rescue.
Maltin didn’t reach his conclusion on his own. He got plenty of help from those who were there, thanks to the words they’d subsequently write in books, articles and letters. He’s compiled several of their tales in the new book “Titanic, First Accounts.”
In an interview on the eve of the anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking, Maltin talked about what we can learn by listening directly to those who witnessed horror and heroism on a frigid night a century ago.
Read more HERE.
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Volvo Car Company Founded (This day in 1927)
In 1924, Assar Gabrielsson, sales manager at the Swedish ball-bearing manufacturer SKF, and engineer Gustaf Larson decided to build an automobile that could withstand Sweden’s rough roads and harsh climate. Their first car—nicknamed “Jakob”—rolled off the line on April 14, 1927, which Volvo considers its founding date. The following year, they created a truck that was immediately popular and contributed to the company’s early success. The name Volvo is Latin, not Swedish, and means what? More…
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Adopted Russian Boy Rejected by U.S. Mother Adjusts in Foster Care
TOMILINO, Russia – Artyom Saleviev’s mischievous grin quickly fades when asked about the five months he spent in the United States.
“I do not want to talk about this,” he said quietly, as he looked down at the floor. Asked if he would ever go back he said nothing and emphatically shook his head no.
In 2010 Artyom made headlines around the world after his American adoptive mother Torry Hansen put the then seven-year-old boy back on a plane to Russia alone with a letter that said she didn’t want him anymore.
Artyom’s new foster mother still cannot believe what happened to him.
“It’s inhumane,” Vera Egorova told ABC News in an interview in the home where she cares for him and several other children. Artyom is her 17th foster child.
“He should have been accompanied by adults and not just sent like a package by plane with his documents. It’s bad. As a woman and a mother I could have never done this,” she said.
The case sparked outrage in Russia and the government froze adoptions to the United States while it sought assurances that Russian children would be properly cared for by their adoptive parents. An accord was finally reached last year and the Russian parliament may soon ratify it in the coming weeks.
In the meantime the world has seen very little of Artyom since he was the scared little boy being whisked away by authorities. Russian officials say he spent time in a hospital and in various institutions before finally ending up here, at an orphan colony in the suburbs of Moscow.Now nearly ten years-old – his birthday is on Monday – Artyom remembers only a few words of English.
“My name is Artyom,” he said sheepishly without looking up from his Legos.
He’s perhaps small for his age, slim, and soft spoken. Like many boys his age, he enjoys watching television, playing with his toys, and horsing around with friends. He also seems to like showing off to the camera. When ABC News filmed him playing on the playground he immediately climbed to the top of the jungle gym and jumped off into a pile of snow, but not before glancing over to make sure the camera was rolling.
Ms. Egorova says he has taken to calling her “mama.” She says he’s struggling at school and is prone to acting up in class, but she attributes that to the trauma he experienced and the class time he has lost as a result.
Egorova says she has seen none of the “psychopathic” issues that Torry Hansen wrote about in her letter which caused her to reject Artyom. She says many foster children are traumatized by what they have experienced and Artyom is no different.
“We did a lot of tests and visited several specialists and they say there are no disorders,” she said.
A U.S. court last month ordered Torry Hansen to pay child support for Artyom’s care. A hearing has been set for May 17 to determine how much she will pay, which will depend on her income level and how much it costs to take care of the boy in Russia.
A lawyer representing Artyom visited Russia this week to meet him and to determine how much money to request, as well as to ensure that it will reach him.
Ray Stoner, an attorney for the National Council for Adoptions, says he’s confident the judge will give them what they are looking for. He hopes no other child will ever share Artyom’s experience.
“What we’re trying to assure is that something like this never happens again. And that there’s a consequence to what Ms. Hansom did. And that send an important message on behalf of all parents,” he told ABC News.
“This is an issue that transcends America, or Russia, this is just the way that children should be treated in any civilized society,” Stoner said.
In the meantime, the top Russian official for adoptions, Children’s Ombudsman Pavel Astakhov, said he expected no further delays for American families hoping to adopt a Russian child.
“There are (sic) not any artificial obstacles for this process,” he told ABC News. Ms. Hansen was unable to be found for comment, despite efforts to locate her. (via)
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