Pinoy Blog Machine (Beta)

AngTherapist.com brings to you excerpts of some of the press releases of the American Academy of Neurology for December 2007.

Stimulating Muscles May Improve Musician’s Dystonia

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Therapy that stimulates the hand muscles may help treat the condition called musician’s dystonia, a movement disorder that causes muscles spasms in musicians, according to a study published in the December 26, 2007, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Musician’s dystonia occurs in musicians who have practiced particular complicated movements for years. The muscle spasms are usually painless and generally occur only when playing the instrument.

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Walking and Moderate Exercise Help Prevent Dementia

ST. PAUL, Minn. – People age 65 and older who regularly walk and get other forms of moderate exercise appear to significantly lower their risk of developing vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study published in the December 19, 2007, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The four-year study involved 749 men and women in Italy who were over age 65 and did not have memory problems at the beginning of the study. Researchers measured the amount of energy exerted in the participants’ weekly physical activities, including walking, climbing stairs, and moderate activities, such as house and yard work, gardening, and light carpentry. By the end of the study, 54 people developed Alzheimer’s disease and 27 developed vascular dementia.

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Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs and the Risk of Hemorrhagic Stroke

ST. PAUL, Minn. – People taking cholesterol-lowering drugs such as atorvastatin after a stroke may be at an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke, or bleeding in the brain, a risk not found in patients taking statins who have never had a stroke. But researchers caution the risk must be balanced against the much larger overall benefit of the statin in reducing the total risk of a second stroke and other cardiovascular events when making treatment decisions. The research is published in the December 12, 2007, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the Aerican Academy of Neurology.

For the study, researchers conducted a secondary analysis of the results of the Stroke Prevention with Aggressive Reduction in Cholesterol Levels (SPARCL) clinical trial. The trial enrolled 4,731 people who were within one to six months of having had a stroke or transient ischemic attack, or mini-stroke, and with no history of heart disease. Half of the participants received atorvastatin and half received a placebo. The participants were then followed for an average of four and a half years.

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Good Physical Function After Age 40 Tied to Reduced Risk of Stroke

ST. PAUL, Minn. – People who have good physical function after the age of 40 may lower their risk of stroke by as much as 50 percent compared to people who are not able to climb stairs, kneel, bend, or lift as well, according to research published in the December 11, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

For the study, researchers examined 13,615 men and women in the United Kingdom from 1993 to 1997 who were between the ages of 40 and 79 and had not suffered a stroke, heart attack or cancer. Participants were then asked to complete a self-reported test on their physical function 18 months later that looked at how well they were able to climb stairs, carry groceries, kneel, bend and lift. Researchers monitored how many strokes were suffered in this group through 2005.

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Since I am practically stuck with the upcoming issue of the PJR Reports, I wasn't able to go to last night's opening ceremonies for the year-long centennial celebration of the University of the Philippines. Yes, yes, I know. All day long, especially towards the afternoon, fellow Iskos and Iskas -- dear friends some of which I haven't seen for a long time -- sent me messages (through phone, Friendster, Twitter, Yahoo messenger, what have you) asking me if I'm going. Well. At least I still have 364 more days to make it up for it.

Here's a blog entry on last night's activity from Malaya reporter and proud UP Los Baños alumnus Anthony Ian Cruz aka Tonyo:

Oblation rocks as UP kicks off centennial celebration
By Anthony Ian Cruz
Malaya
January 9, 2008

TENS of thousands of students, faculty, staff and alumni of the University of the Philippines kicked off yesterday the national university’s year-long centennial celebration with a parade, a torch relay, a 100-gun salute and a concert by alumni.

Contingents from UP campuses in Manila, Los Baños, Mindanao, Pampanga and Baguio, and the Open University marched through University Avenue and around the Academic Oval.

A helicopter from the Air Force, flown by alumni, showered confetti on parade participants and onlookers.

One of the most applauded parade contingents was from the UP Diliman-based College of Fine Arts.

Read more here.

The centennial theme, according to a site UP provided for the centennial celebration, is: "UP: Excellence, Service, and Leadership in the Next 100 Years". "(The) kinetic dash into the next century involves rationalizing UP’s program offerings, strengthening its position as the leading research university, firming up its science and technology programs, and developing a community of scholars with academic credentials comparable to their counterparts in the best universities in the world," the site explained. "For UP, the next century has just begun." For more about the UP centennial theme, read more here. For complete news about the year-long celebration, visit the UP centennial website. An explanation of the centennial logo (photo above) can also be read there.

Below is a photo album posted in Youtube by user baniaguirre on the UP Carillon Tower before and after restoration (with new bells installed) in time for the 2008 UP Centennial.

I’m in my last semester in college and would be moving on to the “real” world. The time sure passed by so fast, I feel that I have spent a much shorter time in school compared to the when I was complaining on how dragging the passing of time was when I was in first year.

I have mixed emotions about this new chapter in my life. I feel excited, yet anxious, also scared but at the same time already nostalgic. Whatever I feel though, it will still come. The only thing I can do now is to face whatever is coming.

So, what’s next for me? Obviously, it’s the most inevitable thing after death: Work. Although I am already moonlighting a few online jobs while still in school, and I do a lot of freelance work, I still need to find an actual job that pays bigger, is stable, and more regular than just freelance. It is a good thing for me that this new era comes with more jobs, and more places to look for it. There’s the old newspaper, the net, I could ask the school, ask relatives, and if all else fails, I could simply look up and search around light posts for any plastered ads for work. I just wish that I will find the job that I would love doing.

Also, please check Singapore Franchise Opportunity for some job and business opportunities in Singapore.