The Image Woman

FRIDAY, April 22 — Brain cancer patients live longer if neurological side effects from chemoradiation can be minimized, a new study says.

U.S. researchers analyzed the records of 2,761 patients with high-grade gliomas — the most common primary brain tumor — who were enrolled in 14 Radiation Therapy Oncology Group studies between 1983 and 2003.

Patients who didn’t experience neurological side effects, such as fatigue and memory loss, during chemoradiation lived an average of four months longer than those who had such effects, said the team at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

Chemoradiation involves giving patients chemotherapy and radiation treatments together.

Side effects were most likely to occur in patients who were older, frailer, had more symptoms and were receiving radiation twice a day.

The researchers said their findings suggest that damage to normal tissue during chemoradiation plays an important role in determining long-term survival and that minimizing side effects could benefit patients.

“Our results support the personalized approach to brain tumor management . . . and emphasize the importance of minimizing side effects,” Yaacov Richard Lawrence, an assistant professor in the radiation oncology department at Thomas Jefferson University and director of the Center for Translational Research in Radiation Oncology at Sheba Medical Center in Israel, said in a university news release.

The study is published in the April issue of the British Journal of Cancer.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about brain tumors.

There are times, when you need to do some fast footwork to save your valuable leather sofa or couch. You can save it, by applying leather cleaner for sofas, from permanent staining. A stitch in time can redeem it from becoming an eyesore and a topic of future conversations. Your precious possession may come to harm in a jiffy, without you getting wise or knowing anything about it. Your culprit may slink away, unnoticed or noticed, depending on the state you are in, and sure or unsure footed, depending on the state he is in, mingled with the departing crowd, after the party.

Cleaning up after a gala party may evoke in you all the warmth of the previous night. Even so, if you were the gallant host of the party at your house, a well furnished one stuffed with chosen and well cared for furniture, seeing a red wine stain or a greasy chocolate smear on your white leather sofa can evaporate it in a fraction of a second. You will be hard pressed to find a worse casualty than a stained white leather sofa. What do you do in such a situation to save your sofa? Do you go for a best leather cleaner for a sofa or reach for the white leather sofa cleaner or the most handy leather sofa cleaner, depends entirely on how jolted you are seeing the ruin.

Best Leather Cleaner For Sofa

It might be that the root cause of your problem is of an entirely different origin. Your 2 year old Picasso or Mona Lisa ( Is it a painting?) has acquired the most lethal weapon, stretching his or her entire self on the ideas of the tiny toes, the man has ever made. When fortified with the ballpoint pen, your house grown artist has decided on cartoonizing his dad or mom on the only decent surface offered inside the house, your sofa. Well, who can stem the flow of creativity? It may make you feel like grabbing the child and spanking him till you have painted his bottom red. Even so, a leather cleaner for sofas would be a great thing to lay your hands on. The following is a brief information on leather sofa cleaners and how you can use them. The following are some leather cleaning ideas that may help you in cleaning your leather sofa. Read more on the way to clean leather couch.It really is a good policy to always check the effectiveness of the cleaning merchandise before using them for leather cleaning. Test it by applying a small amount on the surface of the sofa in an inconspicuous place. Testing a leather cleaner for sofa also tells us about the damage to the leather, such as discoloration that it can cause.You may be lucky enough to notice the stain, such as a greasy chocolate smear or ink, before it really is soaked into the leather. Using clean cloth to soak the excess amount of the stain removal may limit the damage.Take a clean and damp cloth that is soft to touch. Apply moisturizing milk based body wash to the cloth.Begin rubbing the leather sofa in a circular motion and applying gentle pressure.Concentrating your efforts on a small area of the sofa at a time will be beneficial.Rinse the cloth if it gets too soiled and reapply the body wash. Wipe the area you worked on with a damp and clean cloth.Repeat the above procedure for the rest of the sofa.In order to remove a stubborn stain use a non-acetate based nail polish remover.First, apply it to a clean cloth. Use the cloth to rub the stained area of the sofa by applying gentle pressure.Always rub gently which does not leave mark on the surface of the sofa.Next, make a paste of oxy-clean that is accessible within the marketplace and apply it to the area under discussion using a soft and clean cloth.Make sure that you use circular motions and gentle pressure while applying the paste. Clean the surface of the sofa you worked on using soft damp cloth to wipe the stain remover paste.Don’t forget to buff the cleaned surface with the soft, clean and dry cloth to restore the shine of the cleaned surface.Whenever you use leather cleaner for sofas, make sure that the it does not contain harsh chemicals, as it may damage the leather. It will be a good idea to stick to a water based foam leather cleaner.Unfinished leather may be easily cleaned using specially made saddle soap or leather soap.Leather sofas appear elegant and stylish but removing stains from leather is difficult. Yes, it truly is agreed that they are easy to maintain. Nonetheless, leather furniture, don’t respond to the furniture cleaners that are normally obtainable. It takes special detergents and polishes to clean leather furniture properly. If your tried and tested homemade leather cleaner and conditioner fails, taking help of a professional leather cleaner, who may know the dark secrets of leather cleaner for sofas, may sound to be a good idea. You may zero in on it, within the first place or you can talk to the manufacturer of the sofa to get sound advice.

FRIDAY, April 22 — Most children born with HIV infection now survive into adulthood, a markedly different prognosis from the near-certain death that awaited HIV-infected babies years ago, researchers report.

Researchers are tracking children with HIV, the AIDS-causing virus, to better understand the effects of treatment and identify possible complications.

“About two thirds of these kids, at this point, don’t have virus detectable in the blood,” Tulane University infectious diseases expert Dr. Russell Van Dyke said in a university news release. “While they are still infected and they are not cured, it’s surprising how well they’re doing, considering what they’ve been through.”

However, with longer survival, new issues arise. “We’re not seeing the deaths we used to see due to infections, but we’re starting to worry about longer-term complications,” Van Dyke said. “Some of these complications may be related to the HIV itself, or some may be related to the medications these kids are on.”

The complications include coronary artery disease and cognitive problems. Still, Van Dyke said the patients in the study should have normal life spans or at least near-normal. That’s a sign that HIV/AIDS is becoming a chronic disease, not an always-deadly one.

“These kids are doing very well,” Van Dyke said. “They’re going to school and doing all of the things that kids should do. Hopefully, they will be living 50 or 60 years or more, so what’s going to happen 40 years from now is the real concern.”

Because of medical advances, HIV transmission from pregnant mother to infant has decreased considerably, Van Dyke added.

The study was published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

More information

For more about AIDS, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

–Exercise is a great remedy for joint pain and stiffness caused by rheumatoid arthritis.

The University of Maryland Medical Center lists these guidelines for exercising with rheumatoid arthritis:

Begin with easy exercises, such as gentle stretching and tensing muscles without adding movement.Try light strength training exercises when your body feels ready.Add low-impact aerobic exercises to your routine, such as dancing, walking and swimming.Try tai chi, as it can promote relaxation and improve joint flexibility.Don’t do any exercises that cause pain.

Most people who have invested in a leather jacket, bag or couch, want to know what they need to do to extend its life. If you’ve recently bought a leather item, you’ll probably not only want to extend its life because of its relatively high cost, but also because you’re so fond of it. If you want your leather product to retain its beauty, you need to care for it, which includes cleaning and conditioning. Leather goods that are used on a regular basis, such as purses or seats, are exposed to a fair amount of wear and tear. It will get scuffed, pick up dirt and dust from the floor or any other surface and be exposed to hand oils and the elements of weather.

Leather that is soft and supple needs more care than ‘hard’ leather, because it has not gone through many layers within the treatment process. If this may be the kind of leather you have invested in, you will need to use the best leather cleaner and conditioner on it. After all, it’s much easier to spend time in leather cleaning and conditioning, than spending money to try to salvage it later. Read on leather furniture.

How to Select the Best Leather Cleaner

Most people are aware of the fact that there is no such thing as an all-purpose leather cleaner. While selecting the best leather cleaner for handbags, jackets or any other product, you need to keep a few factors in mind.The best leather cleaner for car seats or rather for any leather item may be the one that the manufacturer has recommended. Most goods come with cleaning and maintenance instructions, but if yours did not, or you’ve lost them, check online. The manufacturers web site is sure to provide you with the information you need. It may also provide the facility to post questions, or it may provide a toll free of charge number. Alternately, if it not too much of a hassle, go back to the store where you brought it from, and ask them to suggest a cleaning product.Another option is to get in touch with a cleaning service that specialize in cleaning leather items. They will be inside the best position to tell you what product you should use on what item. They are able to also tell you what contents to appear out for inside the product you buy.Leather Cleaning Tips

As mentioned before, the different types of leather need to be treated differently. Find out the kind of leather the item is made of and accordingly select a product. For example, pigmented top coated leathers, which are colored with a pigment (paint like) finish, and also have a clear sealer coat for protection, have a good resistance to fading or color loss so it needs comparatively less care. Nonetheless, if the leather will be the kind that does not have protective surface coating (nubuck-suede leathers), then you need to use a product that will provide one.

Read About:Homemade Leather Cleaner and ConditionerHow to Clean Leather FurnitureLeather Cleaning TipsOther steps you can take to preserve your leather is to keep it out of direct sunlight. Also clean it regularly with a soft cloth or micro-fiber cloth, so that dust or grime does not accumulate on the surface. While using a leather cleaner, be sure to follow the instructions that come with it, and never leave the product on for longer than the recommended amount of time. Another aspect to keep in mind while cleaning leather may be the condition the leather is in. If you find your leather beginning to crack, that means that the product you are using on it does not retain suppleness. The best leather cleaner in this case would be to one that provides conditioning and cleaning.

–Snoring can undermine the quality of sleep — for the snorer and anyone sleeping nearby.

The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons lists these lifestyle changes that can help to curb snoring:

Try losing weight — even just 10 pounds.Instead of sleeping on your back, try sleeping on your side.Avoid alcohol and caffeine, and don’t eat large, heavy meals — particularly within about two hours of heading to bed.Don’t take a sedative, which relaxes the muscles in your throat and increases snoring.

Mark Twain said, “The finest clothing made is a person’s skin, but, of course, society demands something more than this.” Shoes, vintage, trendy, classy and particularly, leather shoes are the answers to his statement. Leather shoes are always the most treasured accessories, for every piece is a piece of work, in itself. Leather is like wine. The older it gets, the finer it becomes. Thus, caring for leather shoes is essential if you want to make them last lengthy. And who doesn’t want to own a pair of antique leather shoes?! They are a priceless bounty. Let’s see the best way to clean leather shoes at residence.

Tips to Clean Leather Shoes

Leather shoes need to be cleaned as soon as they get soiled. Even if they are not soiled, they need to be cleaned at least when a month. If they are left untreated, leather shoes are most likely to grow fungus on them and get spoiled forever. Leather cleaning shoes will be extremely easy with these how you can clean leather shoes at house ideas and techniques.

How to Clean Leather Shoes with Cloth
With a very soft cloth (preferably muslin cloth), clean the dirt and debris that has deposited itself on the outer and inner parts of the shoes. If your shoes has laces, brooches or sequins, remove all of it (if possible) and carefully dust very nook and cranny of your shoe.

How to Clean Leather Shoes with Cleaner
Make a mixture out of 1 teaspoon of saddle salt and water. Dip the cloth within the mixture and wipe your shoes clean with it. The other option is a commercial leather shoe cleaner. You will also find other shoe cleaners inside the marketplace. So, buy a product, which may be the most suitable.

How to Clean Leather Shoes with Vinegar
In case your shoes are stained, get rid of them immediately. Stains on leather shoes could be removed with a solution of white vinegar and water. Mix equal parts of both and dab in on the stain, as many times as required, till it vanishes. This will remove salt stains from the shoe. If your precious leather shoes get greased, then read how you can remove grease stains from clothes, since the same method works for leather.

Read more on:Leather Cleaning TipsRemoving Stains From LeatherHow to Take Care of your Leather Shoes

Now that your leather shoes are completely cleaned, you need to store them well, so that they remain in a good shape, till the time you use them again. Shelving your leather shoes, will be the perfect way of storing them. Shoe bags, made out of light soft fabric, is best meant for storing leather shoes. You will find these at a nearby shoe store. Place your shoes in these cloth bags and place them on the shelf, to keep them away from dirt and dust.

If leather is left untreated, it tends to get dry. This leads to cracks, making the texture flaky and causes it to fall apart. To avoid all to this, pamper your leather shoes with good quality of shoe wax and oil. Polish your shoes with these at least as soon as every six months, to keep the leather in good condition. Read more on the best way to polish shoes.

So, these were some of the ways to clean leather shoes. Lastly, if you store your shoes well and keep them away from grime and slime, they will last longer. Are you still seeking for the best way to clean leather shoes?? I hope not. Just keep them clean, to treasure them forever!

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Mysterious Health Problems in Some Gulf Residents: Doctor

A variety of mysterious health problems are occurring in some Gulf Coast residents and clean-up workers one year after the BP oil spill disaster, a Louisiana doctor says.

“I’m dealing with a wide array of people and the symptoms are almost identical in all of them,” Dr. Mike Robichaux, an ear, nose and throat doctor, told CNN.

“What’s really unique about it is that patients have come in with a severe amount of memory loss,” he said. “Very high blood pressure — blood pressures that are going sky high and then coming down to normal, and then blood sugar levels that are fluctuating. Lastly would be some pulmonary problems and some fairly serious (gastrointestinal) problems.”

Robichaux, based in Raceland, La., said he’s treated about 60 people with some combination of these symptoms but believes there are many more with similar health problems, CNN reported.

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Measles Outbreak in Europe

Failure to vaccinate all children is responsible for a major measles outbreak in Europe, says the World Health Organization.

More than 6,500 cases of measles have been reported in 33 European nations between March and January, including 4,937 cases in France alone, the Associated Press reported.

Children and teens ages 10 to 19 haven’t been getting immunizations as they should, said Rebecca Martin, head of WHO’s Copenhagen, Denmark office for vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization.

“There’s been a buildup of children who have not been immunized over the years,” she told the AP. “It’s almost like a threshold. When you have enough people who have not been immunized, then outbreaks can occur.”

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BP Agrees to Advance Payment of $1 Billion for Gulf Restoration

BP will provide an advance payment of $1 billion for early efforts to repair damage to coastal marshes, beaches, barrier islands and ocean habitat in the Gulf of Mexico caused by last year’s offshore drilling platform explosion and oil spill disaster.

The voluntary agreement with the U.S. government and five states is the largest of its kind in an oil pollution case. It was announced by the company and government officials Thursday, The New York Times reported.

The agreement does not absolve BP of legal liability for the disaster, or from the costs of any additional economic and environmental damages.

A review to assess the full amount of damage to the gulf habitat and to develop a plan for restoring it is being conducted by federal and state officials, The Times reported.

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Botox Reduces Ability to Read Emotions: Study

Botox reduces a person’s ability to understand other people’s emotions, according to a new study.

Botox paralyzes certain facial muscles, impairing the ability to make some expressions. This is important because people read others’ emotions partly by mimicking their facial expressions, lead author David Neal told USA Today.

The study compared participants who used Botox and others who used a gel that boosts muscular signals. They were asked to identify emotions on computer images of faces.

“When the facial muscles are dampened, you get worse in emotion perception, and when the facial muscles are amplified, you get better at emotion perception,” said Neal, a psychology professor at the University of Southern California, USA Today reported.

The study was published in the journal Social Psychology and Personality Science.

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FRIDAY, April 22 — The same gene mutation that causes a fatal neurological disease in Tibetan Terrier dogs also causes a hereditary form of Parkinson’s disease in humans, a new study reports.

This finding, which was aided using the DNA of a Tibetan Terrier named Topper, could one day lead to a treatment for early-onset Parkinson’s, according to the University of Missouri researchers.

When Topper reached the age of about 5 years, he began to show signs of behavioral changes, such as increased shyness. Soon after, he began to lose muscle control and then developed what his owner described as “terrible” seizures. After Topper was euthanized, his DNA was studied.

The investigators were able to use Topper’s DNA to identify the gene mutation that causes adult-onset neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis (NCL) in Tibetan Terriers.

While the mutation causes NCL in these dogs, it also causes a hereditary form of Parkinson’s disease in humans, the researchers say.

The findings mean that Tibetan Terriers can be tested for the gene mutation to prevent them from passing it to the next generation. It also may be possible to use dogs with the gene mutation to test experimental treatments for Parkinson’s disease in humans, the researchers pointed out in the report published in the June issue of the journal Neurobiology of Disease.

“Dogs and people suffer from the same diseases, and it’s much easier to discover gene issues in dogs because of the unique genetics of pure-bred dogs,” Dennis OBrien, a professor in the veterinary medicine and surgery department, said in a university news release. “Because we have a medical school and veterinary school near each other, we can find the genes in the dog and then find out if they cause a similar disease in people.”

Other symptoms that show up in Tibetan Terriers with the gene mutation, usually around age 5, include dementia, vision problems, loss of coordination and unprovoked aggression.

More information

We Move has more about Parkinson’s disease.

Suede is commonly a type of leather which is given a napped finish and the name comes from a French word which means, “gloves of Sweden”. It’s made from the under side of a goat’s or a lamb’s skin. Pigs, cows and deers can also be used as they give thick hides, but since it doesn’t have a tough exterior it truly is less durable than the standard leather but comparatively soft and tender. It really is used to make a number of household things like upholstery bags, normal bags, shoes, clothes and other accessories. The only problem with suede is that it catches dirt very fast and needs to be cleaned often. Cleaning suede is not very difficult and there are a number of suede cleaner accessible inside the industry but you can easily clean suede at residence all by yourself, so take a appear at which are the best homemade ways to maintain the texture of this material.

Homemade suede cleaners

Though suede is a warm soft and cuddly material, it might be quite difficult to clean and employing cleaning services of a professional suede cleaner might be very expensive. The best way to clean suede is to do it at property, thus here are some suggestions for on how you can clean suede or even make suede cleaner at house. More on best leather cleaner.

Suede cleaner for shoes

Having suede shoes is a great perk but to clean them is quite a hassle, so when you buy any suede materials make sure you acquire a suede brush to scrape off the stains and dirt from the shoes. When you are cleaning suede you also need to make sure you don’t use any water to clean it as that can completely spoil the shoes. One homemade remedy for cleaning suede shoes is to use sandpaper of 100 or higher designation. The paper will protect the shoes from getting dirty again and also remove the stains and dirt to the maximum extent. Lightly scrub the sandpaper over the stains but do it with strength so as to remove them off. The sandpaper’s coarseness will loosen the stains and restore the nap on the suede material. More on suede boots.

Suede cleaner for furniture

If you have suede furniture or couches, you need to be very careful with them and if by chance you stain them, there are some more house remedies you can use. One such remedy is through steam cleaning, but from a distance. Use a steam iron and keep it about 6 inches above the shoes and use the brush to scrape off the stains and dirt. If the stains still don’t go, use a pencil eraser to rub them off from the surface. Another very effective method you can use as suede cleaner for couches is white vinegar. If the stains on the furniture are very stubborn and hard to remove, take a bath towel and pour a little bit of white vinegar on it. Then rub this towel over the stains till they are removed. You can use your suede cleaning brush to scrape off the stains as well. More on leather furniture conditioner.

Leather suede cleaner

As suede leather is a very delicate textured material, it’s always advised that you should keep a suede cleaner kit with you when you obtain it. The kit has leather protection sprays and brushes which make suede cleaning a very easy job. You can have shoes, purses, clothes and accessories which may be cleaned with the help of these kits or even the homemade remedies suggested above. Make sure you use the sprays as they maintain the nap and shine of the suede material and keep the new and fresh appear on the material. More on the best way to clean suede shoes.

With those simple suede cleaners for the desired articles, you should have realized that even though suede is a delicate material, it may be cleaned easily. So keep those suede cleaners close by as you never know when you will need.