Texas teen Michael John Riley Jr dies from brain-eating amoeba illness

The teenager who fell ill after a swimming outing earlier this month with his high school track teammates has died.

The family of Michael John Riley Jr. announced that the 14-year-old died after contracting a lethal disease caused by a brain-eating amoeba after swimming in the warm waters at Sam Houston State Park.

"It is with a heavy heart that we tell you, Michael John Riley Jr. lost his battle on this earth but won a victory for his place in the arms of our Lord Jesus Christ," according to the family's Facebook post. "Michael fought a courageous fight over the past week, allowing him to move on to be with the Lord for future heavenly tasks, a beautiful set of wings, and a pair of gold running shoes."

The family vows to honor Riley's legacy by supporting scientific efforts to better understand primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (or PAM, as it's better known) along with an awareness campaign to prevent others from contracting the disease.

PAM is caused by the Naegleria fowleri amoeba which flourishes in warm water. Children who play in freshwater lakes or rivers are typically the most commonly affected.

"They get water up their nose with those organisms in there," Dr. Luis Ostrosky, medical director of epidemiology at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center and UT Health, told the Houston Chronicle last week. "They start invading the nasal tissues. They basically go all the way to the brain and you get a brain infection."

The amoeba, which normally feeds on bacteria, begins to multiply which causes the brain to swell. Victims usually die within seven to 10 days.

One of the difficulties of treating PAM is that it is rare. During the past five decades, there haven't been more than eight cases a year in the United States.

However, Texas Children's treated another patient for PAM three week before it treated Riley. That patient did not survive either.

Riley got sick a few days after swimming in a freshwater lake at Sam Houston State Park with his new Cy-Ridge High School track team on Aug. 13.

At first, doctors didn't know what was wrong with the accomplished long-distance runner. His headaches, however, continued to worsen and, a few days later, became unbearable. His neck was painfully stiff and he became disoriented.

But a physician at Texas Children's Hospital-West Campus recognized the symptoms from another case he had seen and Riley was transferred to the Texas Medical Center. A 2013 case from Arkansas gave the Riley family hope as well as a guide to treatment methods because that patient, who had contracted the disease from a water park, was one of only two U.S. survivors.

Doctors put Riley in an induced coma and monitored his brain activity.

But Saturday night, the test results weren't good, according to the family's Facebook post.

"Family and friends from all over the world have shown tremendous support both in presence and from far distances," according to the family. "Our family continues to find comfort in your prayers and love, please keep them coming. From the bottom of our hearts we thank you for your outpouring of love."

Funeral services will be announced later, according to the family.

Source: MSN

WHO, setting up an emergency fund of US $ 100 M tackling an Ebola outbreak

WHO Director General, Margaret Chan, said the organization is overwhelmed by the spread of the disease in West Africa. She said the need to handle ten times greater than expected.

Outbreaks of the disease have been reported back in March 2014, and has taken the lives of more than 11,000. During this time, Chan and WHO was criticized by many because of their slowness in dealing with this outbreak.

"With the support of member states, I declared an emergency fund of US $ 100 million, derived from a non-binding voluntary contributions, to ensure that we have the resources needed to immediately prepare an initial response," Chan said at the annual meeting of WHO. Chan is also drawing up a program 'integrated' to address this health emergency.

Earlier, German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, called for the opening session of this meeting, that the WHO shall streamline its organization to respond quickly sort Ebola crisis.

"I'm sure if we act more quickly and have a clear command structure, we will be better prepared to face a crisis such as Ebola, if it happens again in the future." she said. Ebola outbreak was deadliest disease since 'discovered' in 1976.

The first case occurred in southeast Guinea early last year and spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Mali. Some countries, including the United States, Spain, Germany, Norway, France, Italy, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, treating patients infected with the virus in West Africa.
Later, Liberia became the first country-from the three countries most affected that have been declared free of the virus, after 42 days no new cases found.

Former world's fattest man Paul Mason successfully in skin removal surgery

Paul Mason before skin removal surgery

Former world's fattest man, Paul Mason underwent the operation at a hospital in New York. This surgery aims to remove excess skin sagging.

This operation lasted nine hours, he had to undergo surgery as a result of his body has begun to skinny. Previous man from Ipswich has a weight of 440 kg. No wonder he dubbed the fattest man in the world. However, he started to run a weight loss program. Now weighing been reduced to 285 kg.

He is currently in New York recuperating after a nine-hour operation there to remove the loose skin.
Asked by BBC Radio Suffolk about the removal of so much tissue, he said: "I just think 'good riddance'.

About half of the skin removed was from Mr Mason's right leg with further significant surgery to what he described as his "apron", which covered his midriff.
"The operation entailed the removal of the excess skin left from the weight loss operation," he said.
"It has certainly improved things for me."
He said the excess skin had been holding him back.
"I can see me getting around a lot easier," he said.

"Lifting my leg... (feels like) lifting a wafer-thin piece of paper rather a tree trunk."
He said he still needed further surgery to remove excess skin elsewhere on his body, including his arms.

Cut the fat off: Surgeons removed a staggering 3.4st of skin from Paul's body

"Life has definitely improved," he said.
Mr Mason, who used to have £75-worth of takeaways and chocolate delivered to his door daily, had the operation thanks to a donation of time by Dr Jennifer Capla.
He travelled to the United States last year and has been living with Massachusetts resident Rebecca Mountain, who proposed to him during filming for TV programme The View.

Mason struggle to get this surgery is not an easy way. He even asked the NHS to carry out surgery, but was rejected. But the story and his struggle to lose weight and eliminate fat skin have spread all over the world. Finally, a plastic surgeon from Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, Jennifer Capla willing to perform this procedure.

After Capla track Mason's data, she was offered skin removal surgery, but on one condition, if Mason could get in the United States (from the UK) then, Capla will perform surgery

"I remember seeing a photo of himself, using a wheelchair, can not walk. For me it is very sad. He could not even do simple things, and nobody wants to help," said Capla.

65 Years Old German Mom of 13 Childrens Pregnant with Quadruplets

Annegret Raunigk, 65, is reportedly pregnant with quadruplets. Elementary school teacher in Germany was reported to have entered a period of 21 weeks' gestation and feel "healthy".

If the pregnancy goes smoothly, as expected, Raunigk will become the oldest woman who gave birth to quadruplets, but not the oldest mothers who gave birth to a child.

Official records that there was no mention of the oldest mother is Spanish Maria del Carmen Bousada Lara, who gave birth to twins in 2006, when she was 66 years, although a number of other says a record held by Omkari Panwar, who is believed to be 70 years old when gave birth to twins in India in 2008.

How pregnancy when age was "aging" is medically possible?

Eggs from donors

Women who have passed menopause is not possible to get pregnant without help. They require donor eggs from their own-or eggs that have been frozen to be able to pregnant. For women, the fertile period declines over aging, and this decrease occurred rapidly after the age of 35 years, although it is different from one person to another.

Hormone

Before the egg has been fertilized donor can be used, the doctor should ensure the womb of the woman is ready to receive and maintain it. Doctors can give estrogen therapy to thicken the lining of the uterus and prepares the environment for the embryo.

Once the fertilized eggs that have been transferred to the uterus, prospective mother should get hormone therapy to support a pregnancy. In contrast to younger women who have fully functional ovaries, women who are older will not be able to produce its own hormones.

Strict supervision

Dr Sue Avery, fertility expert at the Center for Women Fertility Birmingham, England, said older mothers should be monitored carefully because they have the risk of complications associated with higher pregnancy rates as high blood pressure and gestational diabetes.

But if the donor eggs are a younger woman, things could be different. Because pregnant quadruplets, it is not possible for Raunigk to give birth naturally and he would have to give birth by cesarean.

The 65-year-old woman already has 13 other children and the last childbirth are a decade ago.