HSN1 - A Type of Avian Influenza Virus

H5N1 is a type of avian influenza virus (bird flu virus) that has mutated[1] through antigenic drift into dozens of highly pathogenic varieties, but all currently belonging to genotype Z of avian influenza virus H5N1. Genotype Z emerged through reassortment in 2002 from earlier highly pathogenic genotypes of H5N1[2] that first appeared in China in 1996 in birds and in Hong Kong in 1997 in humans[3]. The "H5N1 viruses from human infections and the closely related avian viruses isolated in 2004 and 2005 belong to a single genotype, often referred to as genotype Z." [1]

The avian influenza subtypes that have been confirmed in humans, ordered by the number of known human deaths, are: H1N1 caused Spanish flu, H2N2 caused Asian Flu, H3N2 caused Hong Kong Flu, H5N1, H7N7, H9N2, H7N2, H7N3, H10N7.

All avian influenza (AI) viruses are type A influenza virus in the virus family of Orthomyxoviridae and all known strains of influenza A virus infect birds. Influenzavirus type A is subdivided into subtypes based on hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N) protein spikes from the central virus core. There are 16 H types, each with up to 9 N subtypes, yielding a potential for 144 different H and N combinations.

Avian influenza (also known as bird flu, avian flu, influenzavirus A flu, type A flu, or genus A flu) is a flu due to a type of influenza virus that is hosted by birds, but may infect several species of mammals.

An influenza pandemic is a large scale epidemic of the influenza virus, such as the 1918 Spanish flu. The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that there is a substantial risk of an influenza pandemic within the next few years. One of the strongest candidates is the A(H5N1) subtype of avian influenza.

A myxovirus of the genus Influenzavirus, antigenically varying from influenza virus type A and influenza virus type C, that causes various respiratory illnesses in humans.

A myxovirus of the genus Influenzavirus, antigenically varying from influenza virus type B and influenza virus type C, that causes acute respiratory illness in humans.

Influenza caused by infection with a strain of influenza virus type C.

People should get vaccine who are:

People 65 years of age or older. Resident of nursing home and other chronic-care facilities. Adults and adolescents with chronic pulmonary or cardiovascular disorders, including asthma. Health care workers, care givers and others who might transmit influenza virus to persons at high-risk for complications from infection.

People who are less able to fight infections because of a disease they are born with, infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), treatment with medications such as long-term steroids, and/or treatment for cancer with X-rays or medications.

Adults and adolescents who required regular medical follow-up or hospitalization during the preceding year because of chronic illnesses (including diabetes mellitus), kidney diseases, and blood cell diseases such as sickle cell anemia.

Women who will be in the second or third trimester of pregnancy during the flu season (December - March).

Persons 6 months to 18 years of age who receive long-term aspirin therapy and therefore might be at risk for developing Reye syndrome after influenza.

How to Deal With Genital Warts in Males - What You Have to Know

Dealing with sexually transmitted disease like genital warts is a very stressful situation if you do not know how. It is important for sexually active people to be cautious and prevent getting the disease. This condition is very frustrating and embarrassing especially to men and that is why it is important to know how to deal with genital warts in males.

Genital warts are caused by HPV or human papilloma virus. There are more than 100 different types of HPV and around 30% of it affects the human genitals. The virus is easily transmitted through sexual intercourse, oral sex and skin to skin contact. If you get infected by HPV, symptoms may appear 3 months after you had sexual contact with an infected partner. In men, the most obvious symptom is the appearance of genital warts on or around the head of the penis, scrotum and anus. They are skin-colored, white, pinkish or yellowish small lumps. They could also appear as cauliflower-like lumps in clusters. Other symptoms include itching and burning sensation around the genital area and painful sexual intercourse. The symptoms are very disturbing that you need to know how to deal with genital warts in males.

Dealing with genital problems could be really difficult especially for sexually active men. Here are some tips on how to deal with genital warts in males:

Abstain from sexual activity. To be sure that you will not make your condition worse, stop engaging in any sexual activity while you are under treatment. Staying sexually active will worsen the infection and you may infect your partner. Using condoms may work but it is not 100% reliable because it cannot cover all the infected areas.

Consult a medical practitioner. It is best to seek medical advice once you suspect that you have HPV to avoid more serious genital problems. It is better to talk to your doctor about your suspicions and fears. They can perform tests to know if you are infected or they can offer treatments and antiviral medicines to help you deal with genital warts in males.

Advance medical treatments. There are advance medical treatments to help you deal with genital warts in males. Treatments like laser surgery, freezing or cryotherapy, electrocautery or burning and surgical removal are preformed by doctors to treat genital warts.

It's Official! Pluto Is Not A Planet!

Astronomers at the International Astronomical Union (IAU) General Assembly in Prague, decided on Aug. 24, 2006 that the Solar System has eight planets, not nine, and Pluto is not one of them. Instead, Pluto has been designated a "dwarf planet."

424 astronomers were involved in the vote.

"I'm embarrassed for astronomy. Less than 5 percent of the world's astronomers voted," said Alan Stern, leader of NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto and a scientist at the Southwest Research Institute. He expects the decision to be overtuurned by the astronomy community. Other astronomers have criticized the definition as ambiguous.

The assembly ruled has ruled, in order to qualify as a planet, a world must meet three criteria:

It must have enough mass and gravity to gather itself into a ball. It must orbit the sun. It must reign supreme in its own orbit, having "cleared the neighborhood" of other competing bodies.

So Jupiter, for example, which circles the sun supreme in its own orbit, is a planet - no adjective required. Pluto, on the other hand, shares the outer solar system with thousands of Pluto-like objects, some bigger, some smaller. Because it has not "cleared its own neighborhood," it is now to be called a dwarf planet.

There is one flaw in that argument, though; Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Neptune all have asteroids as neighbors and can hardly be said to have cleared their neighborhoods. True, those asteroids are a sparse population, but research in recent years has discovered over 1,000 Near Earth Objects, bodies that could potentially impact our planet in the future. Not so much a case of Earth serenely sailing a pristine path as occasionally getting a bug-splat on its windscreen as it orbits through space.

"It's patently clear that Earth's zone is not cleared," Stern said. "Jupiter has 50,000 Trojan asteroids," which orbit in lockstep with the planet. "It won't stand," he said. "It's a farce."

The historian and astronomer emeritus at Harvard, Owen Gingerich, who led the committee that proposed the initial definition, has called the new definition "confusing and unfortunate" and said he was "not at all pleased" with the language about clearing the neighborhood. Gingerich also did not like the term "dwarf" planet.

Mike Brown, of Caltech, recently found an object with the snappy moniker of 2003 UB313, which is larger than Pluto.

"As of today I have no longer discovered a planet," he said. But Brown called the result scientifically a good decision.

"The public is not going to be excited by the fact that Pluto has been kicked out," Brown said. "But it's the right thing to do."

This decision clarifies the vocabulary of planetary astronomy while simultaneously upturning 76 years of "Pluto is a planet" pop-culture. Will non-specialists heed Pluto's demotion? That remains to be seen. Meanwhile, according to the IAU, the Solar System has eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune; and three dwarf planets: Ceres, Pluto and 2003 UB313.

Quite a number of textbooks and classroom charts will now have to be updated to take account of Pluto's change in status.

Named after the god of the underworld in Roman mythology (and not a cartoon dog), Pluto orbits the Sun at an average distance of 5.9 billion kilometres (3.7 billion miles) taking 247.9 Earth years to complete a single circuit of the Sun.

The New Horizons spacecraft is due to fly by Pluto and the Kuiper Belt in 2015.

Types of Sleep Apnea Treatment

Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder characterized by brief breathing pauses during sleep, if left untreated can lead to serious cardiovascular problems and premature death. Currently there is no complete cure for sleep apnea, but there are a number of treatment methods available. Diagnosis is done via a sleep study (polysomnography) and is usually conducted in a sleep lab. Home sleep test kits are available these days for those who may have problems sleeping in a foreign environment like a sleep lab.

There are a number of conventional treatment methods commonly used and these depend on the patient's medical condition and also on the severity of the disorder. These conventional treatment methods for Obstructive Sleep Apnea commonly recommended include:

Use of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine Use of Oral or Dental Appliances Throat or nasal surgery

Currently there is no medication available to treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Provagil tmModanifil has been recommended for some sleep apnea patients who complain of persisting sleepiness during the day even when using CPAP for several months. Provagil has been prescribed as an adjunctive treatment for patients who have not responded adequately to CPAP.

Of the three conventional treatment methods above the use of CPAP machine is by far the most popular and is relatively successful in treating sleep apnea. Unfortunately the compliance rate is not very high and many users have reported great discomfort in using a CPAP machine and sleeping with a mask attached. In fact the problems and side effects experienced with the use of CPAP mask and other oral dental devices have prompted many to look for other alternative treatments. Surgery unfortunately is more invasive and painful and has not had very good success rate either.

There have been some clinical studies and reported success cases on a number of alternative treatment methods. In fact some of these natural alternatives have been considered as complementary to the more conventional treatments.

Following are some alternative treatments:

Lifestyle changescan help sleep apnea Diet, exercise and weight loss. Even a small amount of weight loss can open up your throat and improve sleep apnea symptoms. Quit smoking. Smoking is believed to contribute to sleep apnea by increasing inflammation and fluid retention in your throat and upper airway. Avoid alcohol and other muscle relaxants or depressant drugs a few hours before bedtime, because they relax the muscles of the soft palate and interfere with breathing. Avoid having heavy meals and coffee a few hours before bedtime. Sleeping Positions- avoid sleeping on the back. Sleeping on the back cause the tongue to fall backwards into the airway causing an obstruction in the airway leading to sleep apnea. There are a number of aids available to help avoid sleeping on one's back. The most popular is a specially designed sleep pillow that makes it difficult for the user to roll over onto his/her back thus preventing the user from sleeping in the supine position. Singing Therapy- singing therapy has been proven in scientific studies to help reduce the number of apneas significantly. There had been a number of successful clinical trials conducted at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. Weak vocal chord muscles and tissues in the throat tend to relax and collapse when we sleep resulting in a blockage of the airway causing apneas. The principle behind this 'singing therapy' is that by strengthening and toning the throat muscles it reduces the risk of the flabby soft palate tissues and throat muscles collapsing and vibrating hence reducing snoring and blockage of the airway, a major cause of sleep apnea. Didgeridoo Therapy- A study done by Dr. Milo A. Puhan and his team showed that regular Didgeridoo playing is an effective alternative treatment for patients with moderate obstructive sleep apnea. To play the Didgeridoo correctly it requires a special breathing technique called 'circular breathing'. This breathing technique requiring the coordinated movements of the tongue, mouth and throat help to strength the airway by toning the muscles surrounding it helping to reduce any blockage of the airway. Acupuncture - Energy or 'qi' in ancient Chinese tradition flows through the body by way of 'meridians', i.e. invisible energy channels located throughout the body. This flow of energy like all flows can often times be blocked in the body. This blockage is attributed by Traditional Chinese Medicine as a cause of many health problems, sleep apnea being one of them. To unblock this flow of energy, acupuncture is often used as an effective healing technique.

For more information on Alternative Treatments for Sleep Apnea visit my website below.

Franchising Mobile Oil Change Units - Is It A Viable Concept For Franchising?

As a former franchisor, it seemed that I learned many things the hard way. Much of the Industry Association information was not applicable to our type of franchise or the size of our business starting out. When franchising mobile service business as franchised units it is more difficult than you might think.

There are many folks out there that wish to "SELL" a business opportunity or trailer, van, truck, etc or franchise and yes they are more concerned with the short term sales than the long-term accomplishments that franchising brings. Of course, we would never partner or attempt to partner with anyone that short sided, such thinking for short-term without the long-term component is a dead end.

Thus, we often found ourselves going it alone and inventing it as we went. Indeed, you must make money both short and long term and like Collins points out in "Built to Last" and therefore, you must consider the total mission, each battle and the end game of the war itself. So, I do not fault folks for making money "selling equipment" as that is their choice, but that is not what we are about or our primary focus in setting up franchises in the past.

In fact, I tend to agree with those who make comments about such short-sided folks, and agree I would never wish to partner with any of them. If you decide to franchise a mobile oil change business or any mobile service business, then I think you can make this work with the right resources, what questions do you have for me? Would you like a reading assignment?

Go to this website; www.EzineArticles.com and at the top center of the home page is a search feature. Type in "mobile oil change" and you will pull up about 150 articles on the subject. And also look for the top authors in the Franchising Section, to find the article that I have written, it will give you a good basis to formulate questions, that you will need to answer in your business plan. Good luck, Gods Speed and Continued Success.

Kitchen Tables and Chair Sets - An Essential Dining Room Furnishing

Your dining room, it is the location in your home for all sorts of events and occasions. From fancy seven course dinners to pizza parties, even all nighters for school projects. For that reason, it needs to be a functional space and that's where high quality kitchen tables and chair sets come into play. They allow you to use your space the way that you want, plus, one adds a nice decorative element in the process.

Kitchen tables and chair sets are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, making it easy to find just the right one for your space. For example, if you have a smaller kitchen area, then a great option for you would be one that is smaller and round in size that comes with four chairs. If your dining space is on the larger size, then a long, rectangular table option would be the way to go that comes with eight chairs and can sit eight people. You can even get kitchen tables that have an expanding option with a removable insert and if you want chairs that match the set, extras are always available for purchase. Basically, there are just a lot to choose from.

Along with coming in different shapes and sizes, kitchen tables and chairs sets are also available in a slew of styles and designs to match the look and feel that you have going on in your space. The reason this is possible is because they can be crafted from a wide variety of materials including wood, metal, metal and glass, even stone. So, maybe you have a modern theme resonating throughout your entire home, then a great choice for you would be something that features bold geometric lines. Like one who's table and chair base is made out of metal that is paired up nicely with a glass table top. For something that is more on the traditional side, a great choice would be sets that are crafted out of wood with a nice cherry base.

A great way to browse all the different kitchen tables and chair sets that are available and find the perfect one for you is by heading to your computer. That is right, your computer and not the local furniture store. You see, there are a lot of online vendors and you can breeze through all their offerings in not time and all. And when you do find something you like, it will be shipped right to your home so you do not even have to worry about transporting it. Now that is convenient.

When it comes down to it, kitchen tables and chairs sets are essential in having a functional and beautiful dining room space. One thing to remember when buying yours is that it is important to get one of high quality because you want it to be able to stand up to the rigors of everyday living. Now, what are you waiting for? Get one today, so you, and everyone else can enjoy sitting around it tomorrow and many, many years after that.