Shanghai Expo Blog

U.S. FDA approves drug to treat rare form of cystic fibrosis

Wendy — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:13:35 +0000

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Kalydeco for the treatment of a rare form of cystic fibrosis in patients aged six years and older who have the specific G551D mutation in the CFTR gene.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a serious genetic disorder affecting the lungs and other organs that ultimately leads to an early death. It is caused by mutations in a gene that encodes for a protein called Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Regulator (CFTR) that regulates ion and water transport in the body. The defect in chloride and water transport results in the formation of thick mucus that builds up in the lungs, digestive tract and other parts of the body leading to severe respiratory and digestive problems, as well as other complications such as infections and diabetes.

CF, which affects about 30,000 people in the United States, is the most common fatal genetic disease in the Caucasian population. About four percent of those with CF, or roughly 1,200 people, are believed to have the G551D mutation.

In patients with the G551D mutation, Kalydeco, a pill taken two times a day with fat-containing food, helps the protein made by the CFTR gene function better and as a result, improves lung function and other aspects of CF such as increasing weight gain.

“Kalydeco is an excellent example of the promise of personalized medicine — targeted drugs that treat patients with a specific genetic makeup,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg in a statement.

According to the FDA, the most common side effects of Kalydeco include upper respiratory tract infection, headache, stomach ache, rash, diarrhea, and dizziness.

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Nearly 80% of Chinese school kids lack sleep

Wendy — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 02:34:56 +0000

Nearly 80 percent of Chinese school students do not get enough sleep, Beijing News reported Monday.

The sleep time for primary and middle school students has been decreasing consecutively for a number of years, according to the Research Report on Ten-Year Development of Chinese Youth and Children (1999-2010) released by China Youth and Children Research Center.

The average sleep time for primary children on school days is about seven hours and 37 minutes in 2010, one hour and 22 minutes less than in 2005. The figure at weekends is seven hours and 49 minutes, one hour and 47 minutes less compared to 2005.

Chu Hongqi, professor at Beijing Normal University, attributed this trend to students being overburdened with study and the pressure from parents and schools to achieve higher results.

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Dads’ depression impacts children’s development

Wendy — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 06:58:49 +0000

Men with paternal depression can increase their children’s risks of developing behavioral and social problems, according to an Australian study published on Wednesday in the Medical Journal of Australia.

The study of more than 2600 families found children whose fathers suffered depression when they were born were three times more likely to have behavioral, emotional and social problems at age of five than those without depressed fathers.

The study leader, Richard Fletcher from Newcastle University’s Family Action Center of Australia, said the findings suggested doctors and other healthcare workers should check new dads for signs of depression so they could get treatment promptly.

“Generally, dads respond to treatment in a similar way to mums, but dads are less likely to get treatment,” he said.

Postnatal depression is estimated to affect about one in seven Australian mums.

The study also found 1.3 percent of dads had paternal depression when their children were born, while 2.6 percent of mothers reported postnatal depression.

Fletcher said reasons why dads with depression impacted the development of their children were unclear.

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Cold front to weaken in China over next three days

Wendy — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:07:36 +0000

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) said on Tuesday that a cold front that has affected China over the last few days will gradually weaken over the next three days. However, parts of northeast China and regions along the Yangtze, Huai and Yellow rivers, as well as some regions south of the Yangtze River, will see temperatures drop by up to 10 degrees Celsius Tuesday night, the NMC said on its website. The cold front will also bring gales to eastern and southern sea areas, the NMC said. On Wednesday morning, temperatures will fall as low as negative 30 degrees Celsius in parts of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and other areas in northeast China, the NMC said. Parts of north China and regions along the Yangtze, Huai and Yellow rivers will see temperatures between negative 5 and negative 6 degrees Celsius.

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8th China Int’l Garden Expo held in Chongqing

Wendy — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:42:18 +0000

The 8th China(Chongqing) International Garden Expo held in Chongqing on Nov.19, 2011. The Garden Expo is a garden to hold the China internation garden and flower Expo.
With a total area of 3,300 acres, the 8th China (Chongqing) International Garden Expo (CCIGE) is located in New North Zone of Chongqing, and there are 127 exihibiton gardens and it sets 6 different exhibition areas.

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Human health may get threatened by rising temperature

Wendy — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:49:45 +0000

An official assessment has forecasted several potential challenges that climate change may bring about, including impacts on bio-diversity and disease control, China would face in the context of global warming.

The annual mean temperature (AMT) in China may rise by 2.5 to 4.6 degrees Celsius by the end of this century compared with that of the 1980-1999 period, according to the Second National Assessment Report on Climate Change.

The report, the second of its kind in nearly five years, was released here Tuesday less than two weeks ahead of the Durban Summit on climate change to be held in South Africa.

The climate changes and extreme weather and climate events would have significant influences, largely adverse, on human health, said the report, stressing that rising temperature may cause spread and resurgence of pathogenic communicable diseases, including schistosomiasis, malaria and dengue.

It further predicted that the potential distribution area of schistosomiasis will go northward, reaching North China and even inland areas including some parts of Xinjiang in the northwest by 2050.

The report also highlighted the possible changes in the country’s ecosystem, including a large-scale migration of vegetation distribution, expanding grassland areas and variations in the distribution range of animal species.

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Open courses of top Chinese universities to go online

Wendy — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:39:14 +0000

Video classes of 20 courses from top Chinese universities will be available free of charge through the Internet starting Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Education.

Similar to Harvard open courses, the video classes will be provided on www.icourse.edu.cn, China Network Television and the web portal Netease for free.

The open courses of China’s universities, feature 20 scientific and cultural subjects or lectures given by speakers and professors from high-profile universities across China, including Zhejiang University, Nankai University and Wuhan University.

The online open courses will focus on Chinese traditional culture and will mainly target college students, said Liu Ju, the deputy head of the Department of Higher Education.

The courses also include the rise and fall of ancient Greek civilization and a brief introduction of aeronautics and astronautics.

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UN congratulates China on successful space docking

Wendy — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:52:17 +0000

The UN Office for Outer Space Affairs on Thursday congratulated China on the successful docking of the Shenzhou-8 spacecraft with the Tiangong-1 space laboratory.

Director of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs Mazlan Othman wrote to Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations on the event.

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Death toll from Turkey earthquake rises to 366

Wendy — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:18:13 +0000

The death toll in quake-hit province of Van in eastern Turkey has increased to 366 and the number of the injured to around 1,301, the country’s Disaster and Emergency Administration said Tuesday. Hundreds of others are believed to be buried under rubbles after one of Turkey’s most powerful quakes in a decade and rescue work is ongoing, Turkish NTV reported. A 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit the eastern province of Van on Sunday afternoon. The quake severely damaged Ercis, a town of 75, 000 people, close to the Iranian border where about 80 multi- storey buildings collapsed. The region is among Turkey’s most earthquake-prone zones. Turkey refused assistance from other countries, saying foreign aid is not currently needed.

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Xi’an horticultural expo to close on Oct. 22

Wendy — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:02:24 +0000

The 178-day Xi’an International Horticultural Exposition in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province has attracted over 15 million visitors and will conclude on Oct. 22, the event’s organizers said Wednesday. The expo had attracted a record-setting 15 million visitors as of Oct. 16, surpassing the organizers’ expectations of 12 million, according to the expo’s executive committee. Since the opening of the expo on April 28, visitors have feasted their eyes on abundant flowers and a wide variety of gardening styles from both China and abroad. The renovation of the 400-hectare expo site, including the construction of a horticultural park and a theme park of renowned movies, will start on Oct. 23 and the spaces will be opened to the public on April 28, 2012.

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