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Better chances of achieving a cure for the deadly Hepatitis C brings patients high on hopes as a breakthrough triple therapy treatment is now being offered in the country. With the arrival of boceprevir, Hepatatis C patients, especially those who are genotype 1 will have an increase in their response rates. The standard treatment for the disease is composed of a combination of an injectable drug that enhances an adaptive immune response called peg-interferon and an oral drug that attacks the Hepatitis C virus in the body called ribavirin. For naïve patients (those undergoing treatment for the first time), the triple therapy almost doubles the chance of achieving virologic cure rates (or sustained virologic response (SVR), based on results of a clinical trial. According to UST Hospital-based gastroenterologist, Dr. Joey Sollano, these new combinations give the patient the capacity to shorten treatment. "When they (the patients) have been treated for a year in the past, th...

At a glance, many would never have guessed that this petite woman is an occupational therapist. Born in Kuala Lumpur, but brought up in Perak, 25-year-old Nazahiyah Abdullah is one of the three full-time therapists at the Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation-National Centre (KDSF-NC) in Petaling Jaya. She is the only occupational therapist there, with the other two being physiotherapists. What does one gain from being an occupational therapist? "I didn't choose occupational therapy as a career. I wanted to study physiotherapy at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), but occupational therapy was offered to me instead. "I had no idea what occupational therapy was. When I went for classes, I began to understand more about occupational therapy," said Nazahiyah, who is known as Naza to family members, friends, and KDSF-NC's colleagues and children. OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY Naza enrolled in UiTM in Shah Alam, Selangor, in July 2006 and graduated four years later with B.Sc...

Despite marked progress in curbing the HIV epidemic, a high percentage of schoolgirls are still HIV positive in South Africa, latest figures revealed. Schoolgirls tested HIV positive constitute at least 28 percent of female pupils in schools across the country, according to figures released by Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi at a National Council of Provinces "taking Parliament to the people" event in Carolina, Mpumalanga on Wednesday. Compared with schoolgirls, only 4 percent of boys at schools are HIV positive. "It is clear that it is not young boys who are sleeping with these girls. It is old men. We must take a stand against sugar daddies because they are destroying our children," Motsoaledi said in remarks published by the Sowetan newspaper on Thursday. Motsoaledi said 94,000 schoolgirls fell pregnant across the country in 2011. "Some (pregnant pupils) are known to the department of education, but there is a number which the education department doe...

The Iloilo City Health Office (ICHO) here is set to open an adolescent clinic in every district health center every Friday for teenagers and young mothers to seek counseling. This was announced by city health officer, Dr. Urminico Baronda on Thursday after a team of experts from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) based in Washington, DC and from the Department of Health (DOH) central office visited the ICHO to see and observe services for the adolescents and young people. Baronda said that Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog is amenable to the idea of an adolescent center and throws his full support for the establishment of the center right after the election. The city health officer said that a comprehensive training will be conducted for health personnel to man the adolescent center in every city districts separate from the teen centers where the teenagers congregate for fun and sports activities. The visiting USAID team is headed by youth advis...

If detected early, chronic kidney diseases can be treated , reducing other complications and the growing burden of death and disability from chronic renal and cardiovascular disease worldwide. This was said Thursday by Dr. Eric Chua, consultant nephrologist of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute during the observance of the World Kidney Day. Chua pointed out the functions of human kidneys and the ways to keep them healthy. Chua explained the human kidneys play a vital role by cleansing body from toxins, excess waters, acids, and medicines being taken. Chua also added the kidneys removes excess sodium, potassium, calcium and phosphorous to keep the body fit and healthy. He said kidneys are responsible for controlling blood pressure by secreting renin. "It can be also a silent killer," Chua warned, noting there are cases that patients did not know they had chronic kidney disease and did not consult a doctor until their condition worsened. Chua recommended peo...

The Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta stressed on Wednesday that he would support the most radical measures against those who violate standards regarding food safety. The head of government made the remarks referring to the recent food scandals, especially the toxic milk scandal in the country. "I watch all the signals we receive about safety food and the sanitary-veterinary procedures," he said, stressing that "this is an extremely important field and extremely sensitive." "It is extremely important for me, as prime minister, that this domain may function very well and to show that, both to Romania and to Europe, to all those who benefit from exports from Romania, we have a system that works perfectly," said Ponta, while adding the need of authorities to be strict and to prove credibility and seriousness in taking actions, avoiding at the same time to cause panic. Ponta stressed that it is important not to affect the economic interests of prod...

The median approval of U.S. leadership across 130 countries declined to 41 percent in 2012, down by 8 percentage points from 2009, the first year of President Barack Obama's administration, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday. At the same time, the disapproval rating of U.S. leadership has risen to 25 percent in 2012, up 4 percentage points from 2009, the poll showed. Still, the 41 percent approval rating is higher than the 34 percent at the close of George W. Bush administration in 2008. The image of U.S. leadership continued to be the strongest worldwide in Africa in 2012, where the approval rating stood at 70 percent against 19 percent who disapproved, according to the poll. U.S. leadership remained far less popular in North Africa, except in Libya where the United States helped overthrow the rule of former strongman Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Fifty-four percent of Libyans surveyed before the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi approved of U.S. leadership in ...

China Monday again called for calmness and restraint as tensions escalated sharply on the Korean Peninsula. At a daily press briefing Monday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said, "Now the situation of the Peninsula is highly complicated and sensitive. China maintains that it shall be in the fundamental interests of the international community to safeguard peace and stability of the Pennisula and northeast Asia." Hua's comments came on the same day as Republic of Korea and the United States kicked off their annual joint military exercises. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea also vowed to nullify an armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War from Monday. DPRK cut off a communication hotline with ROK on Monday. DPRK also warned of more and stronger counter-measures if ROK-U.S.joint military drills continued, Yonhap News Agency said. China urged all parties to remain calm and restrained and refrain from any actions that may escalate tensions, H...

The majority in the United States still favor a reduction in U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals, but the level of support for that appears less than in the past, finds a Gallup poll released Monday. U.S. President Barack Obama is considering a plan for further reductions in U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons, beyond those agreed to in the 2011 New START treaty. Fifty-six percent of Americans expressed support to a deal to reduce U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals, while 38 percent opposed it, the March 2-3 Gallup poll shows. This is compared to a December 2010 poll, which found that 51 percent of Americans supported the U.S.-Russian nuclear arms reductions, while 30 percent opposed them, Gallup said. But in the past, Gallup found much greater support for the U.S.-Russian or U.S.-Soviet nuclear arms reduction agreements. For example, 82 percent of Americans supported a 2002 agreement signed by the two countries on nuclear reductions. In 1987, 74 percent said they approved of the p...

President Benigno Aquino III has written King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia requesting for the deferment of overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Joselito Zapanta's sentence to give his family more time to raise the blood money. The Saudi Arabian government has set March 12 as deadline for the family of Zapanta to pay the blood money. Zapanta has been accused of killing a Sudanese in 2009. Last November, Zapanta was given a four-month reprieve to raise the blood money, even as the victim's family agreed to reduce the amount from P55 million to P44 million. "President Aquino sent a letter dated March 5, 2013 to King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, requesting for the deferment of Mr. Zapanta's sentence to give the latter's family more time to raise the blood money," said Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte in a statement.

Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Mohamed Ibrahim Ali has announced the discovery of 14 ancient stone statues for Goddess Sekhmet in Luxor governorate, official news agency MENA reported Monday. The statues, made from black granite, were unveiled by a German excavation team in the temple of King Amenhotep III , who governed Egypt from 1410 B.C. to 1372 B.C., MENA quoted Ali as saying in a press conference. "For the role of Sekhmet in the reign of Amenhotep III as the goddess of war and destruction, the king was keen to establish dozens of statues to resemble her," Ali said. The statues were transferred immediately for security reasons to another place in preparation for a restoration process, the official added in a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday that his country looks forward to working with Brunei on issues like the South China Sea, energy and climate change. "We're very, very much looking forward to working with you on issues with the South China Sea, and issues of energy and climate change," the top American diplomat told visiting Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah in front of reporters before their meeting at the State Department. "He is taking on the important job of being the president of the ASEAN meeting this year," Kerry said of his guest. President Barack Obama is scheduled to welcome the sultan to the White House on Tuesday, as Brunei will host the East Asia summit and U.S.-ASEAN summit in October. "The sultan's visit underscores the strategic importance the president places on the Asia Pacific region and to substantive engagement with our friends and partners in the region," the White House said in a statement last wee...

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari are set to officially inaugurate the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project on Monday, Press TV reported Sunday. According to earlier reports, the 7.5-billion-U.S.-dollar project will be inaugurated by the two presidents at a ceremony to be held at the Iranian border city of Chahbahar. Iran has constructed 900 km of the 1,600-km pipeline on its soil, said Press TV, adding that both Iranian and Pakistani firms will undertake the construction of the remaining part in Pakistan. When the project is completed, Iran will export 21.5 million cubic meters of natural gas to Pakistan on a daily basis. Despite strong opposition by the United States and possible sanctions, Zardari said last week that his energy-starved country would pursue the gas pipeline project and would persuade the critics that Pakistan needs energy. Pakistan and Iran have held a series of talks on the project for nearly two decades, b...

Iran will start exporting gas to Iraq within the next three months, Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi said on Sunday. Qasemi, who met with his Iraqi counterpart Abdul Kareem al-Luaibi in Baghdad, said the agreement on Iranian gas supplies to Iraq had "reached the stage of final signing." "The launch of gas exports will proceed by stages, First, gas will start to be supplied to Baghdad and then, within another three months, to Basra," official news agency IRNA quoted Qasemi as saying. Iraq is expected to consume about 20-25 million cubic meters of Iranian gas per day. Iran, which has the world's second largest natural gas reserves after Russia, is also close to signing an agreement on gas supplies to Syria via Iraq, Qasemi said. "The signing of this agreement will take place in Tehran with the participation of representatives from the three countries," the Iranian oil minister said. In the summer of 2010, Iran, Iraq and Syria signed a memora...

Faced with sluggish jobs growth and failure of the Doha round, the Obama Administration has set in motion an ambitious global round of trade talks covering Europe and much of Asia , which is bound to influence countries like China, India and Brazil, say a media report.

A Jordanian government official confirmed to Xinhua Saturday that the 21 UN peacemakers kidnapped by Syrian rebels arrived in Jordan after they were released. The UN peacemakers will be handed over to the UN organization in Amman later in the day, the official said on condition of anonymity.

The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, "This Man welcomes sinners and eats with them." So to them Jesus addressed this parable. "A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.' So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. ...Coming to his senses he thought, 'How many of my father's hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your so...

Bicol region and Eastern Visayas will experience cloudy skies with moderate to heavy rainshowers and thunderstorms which may trigger flash floods and landslides, according to the 5:00 a.m. weather bulletin issued on Sunday. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said moderate and strong northeasterlies are affecting the eastern section of Central and Southern Luzon. CARAGA region will be cloudy with light to moderate rainshowers and thunderstorms while Cagayan Valley and the provinces of Aurora and Quezon will have cloudy skies with light rains. Metro Manila and the rest of the country will be partly cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms. PAGASA also said that moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast will prevail over the Bicol region and from the east to northeast over the eastern Sections of Visayas and Mindanao.

U.S. veteran Senator John McCain on Saturday called for a congressional hearing into the transportation authority's decision to allow small knives on planes, which has been banned following the September 11 attacks. "We need a congressional hearing on the whole issue of what is a danger to the entire flight," McCain said in an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced Tuesday that travelers will be allowed to bring small knives and some other once-prohibited sporting equipment in their carry-on baggage. The change will take effect on April 25, which marks the first loosening of restrictions for carry-on baggage since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Items allowed include knives that do not lock and have blades that are 6 cm or less in length and are less than 1.27 cm in width, novelty- size and toy bats, billiard cues, ski poles, hockey sticks, lacrosse sticks and two golf clubs. "They are o...

Two policemen were injured in gunfights with militants on Sunday as more than a week-long of deadly clashes between police and the Filipino intruders in Malaysia's Sabah state takes its toll on civilians. Authorities said the policemen were shot by gunmen in overnight skirmishes as militants showed no signs of backing down. The militants had come in a group of more than 180 who arrived in the east coastal town of Lahad Datu in Sabah from southern Philippines on February 9 to claim territorial rights to the land. They were followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III who insisted Sabah belongs to his sultanate. Police on Sunday raised the number of people they arrested under suspicion of sympathizing with the militant to 85 from 79 Saturday night. Authorities said they are concentrating efforts to hunt down the militants holed up in Kampung Tanjung Batu and Kampung Tanduo by launching airstrikes and sifting them out house-to-house. Police said some of the militants were foun...

The National League for Democracy reelected Aung San Suu Kyi as leader of Myanmar's main opposition party on Sunday before closing a two-day national congress, the first in its 25-year history. The NLD also expanded the size of its decision-making body, the Central Executive Committee, from seven to 15 members and elected 120 members of the party's Central Committee. Under a new mandate, Suu Kyi, 67, will take the reins in steering the fractious NLD toward scheduled parliamentary elections in 2015.

US President Barack Obama was in his elements over a whopping USD 85 billion forced spending cuts his administration was facing, saying, "My joke writers have been placed on furlough." "Before I begin, I know some of you have noticed that I'm dressed a little differently from the other gentlemen.

Egyptian police in various governorates nationwide went on strike over the past few days, complaining recurrent bloody confrontations with anti-government protesters, rioters and sometimes outlaws when they are only allowed to use teargas bombs and water cannons in dealing with troublemakers. Over 50 police stations across the country closed their gates and central security forces assigned with facing rioters went on strike in different governorates, demanding to sack the interior minister and to be equipped with necessary deterrent weapons to be able to deal with outlaws, thugs and rioters, protect the citizens and properties and maintain the country's security. Some security experts believe that the protesting policemen have the right to go on strike as they cannot control the criminal acts committed during anti-government protests as some hired armed thugs and outlaws hidden among protesters to incite violence while the policemen are empty-handed against them. "The po...

The Malaysian police shot dead a teenage boy and injured a man on Sunday, bringing the death toll to 62 as the Malaysian security forces continue to launch assaults to end the Filipino militant incursions in Malaysia's Sabah state. Police chief Ismail Omar said the teenager, aged between 12 and 15, was killed when police sensed movements behind a bush and fired shots at it as they were frisking five people in Sungai Bilis village. The identity of the teenager has yet to be disclosed. A man in his 30's were also injured in the shooting. Two policemen were shot and injured by gunmen in overnight skirmishes as the Malaysian authorities said the militants showed no signs of backing down. The Filipino armed intruders had come in a group of more than 180 who arrived in the east coastal town of Lahad Datu in Sabah from southern Philippines on February 9 to claim territorial rights to the land. They were followers of a self-proclaimed Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III who insiste...