Late Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi's son dies at 54

John Nnanyerem Aguiyi Ironsi, son of Nigeria's first Military Head of State is dead at the age of 54.  The late Military leader's son died on Sunday, October 13 at the the Federal Medical Centre in Umuahia, Abia State after a protracted illness. Former Minister of Defence and Head of Ironsi family, Thomas Aguiyi Ironsi confirmed his death on Monday October 14.  Daily Trust reported that the deceased who was a special adviser to two governors of Abia state, attended Government College, Umuahia and College of Arts and Science, Zaria in Kaduna state, before proceeding to the USA for further studies.  He is survived by his wife and daughter. The post Late Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi's son dies at 54 appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.

source http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2019/10/late-gen-aguiyi-ironsis-son-dies-at-54.html

Armed men attack leaves 16 dead in Ethiopia

An attack launched by gunmen in Ethiopia’s Afar regional state left 16 people dead including women and children. Officials from Ethiopia National Defense Forces (ENDF) who spoke on behalf of the country's government on Monday October 14, said the gunmen armed with heavy weapons attacked Afambo locality in Afar regional state over the weekend.  Identity of the armed attackers or the motive of the attack was not revealed by the Ethiopian officials but it was gathered that several others are being treated for injuries sustained in the attack.  Really sad what facing our voiceless Afar people, just after one day after pm Abiy won Nobel Peace Prize this happens by foreign gangsters.The Ethiopian defense minster makes us sad again by choosing Djibouti's diplomacy than #Ethio_Afar_people.@PMEthiopia @Jawar_Mohammed pic.twitter.com/OFF9y1N0m5— Akku Afar (@AafarAkku) October 14, 2019 Colonel Tesfaye Ayalew, Head of the Office of Deputy Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Defense however denied reports of armed men who crossed from Djibouti. “The news circulated over the social media that said to be Djiboutian armed forces have crossed Ethiopian border and inflicted detrimental acts on citizens through Afar is a sham,” he told the Ethiopian News Agency.The post Armed men attack leaves 16 dead in Ethiopia appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.

source http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2019/10/armed-men-attack-leaves-16-dead-in-ethiopia-2.html

Piers Morgan begs fans to sign petition to keep him in his TV job days after online petition calls for his sack over treatment of gay community

                               Good Morning Britain TV host, Piers Morgan has begged his fanbase to sign an online petition for him to keep his job, days after an online petition originated asking for the Tv Host to be sacked from his job because of his treatment of the LGBTQ community.Morgan on Sunday revealed that he’ll be debating whether or not he should be fired from his position on the Monday show, and has now asked his 6.8million Twitter fanbase to show their support by adding their signatures to a Change.org appeal.  ‘BREAKING: There is now a rival petition to save me on @GMB,’ Piers wrote. ‘Thank you Margaret Lowry! Please sign it if you wish to repel the snivelling snowflakes & keep me in my job.’  In another post, he added: ‘Spread the word, my people… Sign, RT, and save me as your voice against the shriekingly illiberal liberals who want to cancel everyone who dares challenge them…’  Morgan's petition has so far garnered over 2000 supporters, meanwhile the pettiton asking for Morgan to be sacked reads ‘Morgan dictates to his viewers that it’s acceptable to deny an LGBTQ+ person of their rights; it’s acceptable to tell them they don’t exist; it’s acceptable to call them “snowflakes” when they get rightfully upset,’   ‘These are the lessons Morgan teaches. ITV, as a major broadcasting corporation with a worldwide reach, are currently tarnishing a long-lasting legacy by using one of their highest-performing programmes as a vehicle to spread hate and intolerance.’ The post Piers Morgan begs fans to sign petition to keep him in his TV job days after online petition calls for his sack over treatment of gay community appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.

source http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2019/10/piers-morgan-begs-fans-to-sign-petition-to-keep-him-in-his-tv-job-days-after-online-petition-calls-for-his-sack-over-treatment-of-gay-community-2.html

The best times are indeed here with us

Maybe its time to rejoice with this government

UNDERSTANDING WHAT MESOTHELIOMA IS

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that arises in the mesothelium, a thin membrane that protects your internal organs and allows them to move freely without damage-causing friction. You have several of these membranes in your body: the pleura surround the lungs; the peritoneum protects your abdominal cavity (stomach, intestines, and other organs); and the pericardium envelops your heart.  Mesothelioma can occur in any of these membranes, but pleural mesothelioma is by far the most common, accounting for about 70 percent of all mesothelioma cases. Although some people may have a genetic predisposition for developing mesothelioma, nearly all cases arise from exposure to asbestos. Men typically are at greater risk than women, but women also get this disease.  This chapter provides an overview of mesothelioma, starting with a look at who’s at risk for developing mesothelioma, how your respiratory system works and how mesothelioma affects your body. Look for cross-references to other chapters for more detailed information. 

 WHO’S AT RISK

 Between 2,500 and 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year. Anyone who has been exposed to asbestos is at risk for developing mesothelioma, and, although your risk increases with the length of time you were exposed to asbestos, even small exposures to asbestos can cause mesothelioma.

Ironically, your risk also increases with the length of time that elapses after your exposure to asbestos.

Mesothelioma has a very long latency period – that is, the period between exposure to asbestos and the onset of symptoms of the disease. 

  Mesothelioma typically doesn’t appear until at least a decade after asbestos exposure; in some cases, the latency period has been 50 years or longer.

Sometimes, mesothelioma results from exposure to naturally occurring asbestos, but the most common causes are exposure to asbestos in the workplace or from products used in the home (see Chapter 2 for examples of such products). Spouses and family members of workers also may have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibers from the clothing the workers wore home from the job site. Here are some quick facts about mesothelioma and risk factors:

· Men are more commonly diagnosed than women, because men more typically worked in jobs where they were exposed to asbestos. These high-risk jobs include electricians, shipyard workers, factory workers, pipefitters, oil refinery workers, auto mechanics, machinists, and steel workers. (See Chapter 2 for more on how asbestos was used and the most dangerous jobs relating to asbestos exposure.) Older men account for more than 90 percent of all new mesothelioma diagnoses each year. Although no one knows exactly why, Caucasian men are statistically more likely to develop the disease than African-American or Hispanic men.

 · Women who worked in factories had increased direct exposure to asbestos and are more likely to be diagnosed with mesothelioma later in life.

· Women whose husbands, fathers, or other household members worked in high-exposure jobs also are at risk of developing mesothelioma from secondary exposure to the asbestos dust and fibers on work clothes. Children in these homes also are at risk from secondary exposure.

 · People who used asbestos-containing products in their homes are at increased risk of developing mesothelioma.

· Because of mesothelioma’s long latency period, people over the age of 50 are more likely to be diagnosed with the disease. Most mesothelioma diagnoses come in patients between the ages of 50 and 70; those who are diagnosed earlier may have a better chance of long-term survival.

 · People serving as first responders – fire-fighters, police officers, rescue workers and recovery personnel – may be exposed to asbestos at disaster sites, such as the World Trade Center.

 · Armed service personnel, especially those serving on ships in the Navy or Coast Guard, also are at higher risk of developing mesothelioma.

TAKING ASBESTOS FOR GRANTED PUT MY FATHER’S LIFE IN DANGER

The dangers of asbestos, even one exposure, are so frightening to me that I am paralyzed at the thought of someone coming in contact with it.  Even the potential that you could be exposed is enough to bring tears to my eyes and cause serious anxiety. This applies to anyone, even a stranger, but what do you do when someone you care about doesn’t take these dangers seriously?

It is so painful when someone you love, someone who has walked this horrible mesothelioma road along with you, fails to take into account the possible ramifications of what could be caused by their negligence.  My heart breaks for anyone who may come into contact with them who could also be exposed, and therefore, at risk.  I am angered by their utter disregard for the memory of my father who lost his life to mesothelioma; it almost feels like they’re saying he died in vain.

It hurts when you try to explain to someone why you are concerned and they brush it off, simply saying, “It’s fine, I was careful!” or, even worse, “You’re just being ridiculous.”  Is it fine that I’m left without a father, my mother without a husband, and my daughter without her grandfather?  Is it ridiculous that I want to spare others from what my family had to endure?  I don’t think so.

Some may say that this is overreacting, but to me, it feels like underreacting (if that’s a real thing).  Families are torn apart each and every day by this cancer that could have been prevented by the elimination and proper removal of asbestos.  If human lives were put in front of the dollar, we would be in a different situation right now with the continued spread of mesothelioma.

Sure, my words might cause some dissension, but I’m not afraid or ashamed to stand up for a cause that I believe in, one that is so real to me… too real.  So, please, don’t be afraid to fight.  Fight to be heard, fight to have your concerns addressed in a real way.  Fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.

RADIATION TREATMENT DOSING TECHNIQUE HAS SHOWN PROMISE FOR MESOTHELIOMA

Advances in imaging technology for early detection of mesothelioma as well as immunotherapy used in multimodal treatments have recently shown great promise to extend life expectancy for mesothelioma patients.

Now, another adjuvant treatment is being developed for treating pleural mesothelioma called non-ablative hypofractionated hemithoracic radiation treatment.

A study published in September 2018 by Dr. Marc de Perrot, the man who pioneered the SMART treatment for pleural mesothelioma, and Dr. John Cho, the resident Radiation Oncologist at The Princess Margaret Cancer Center in Toronto, Canada, outlined the results of a series of tests conducted to determine the viability of this new radiation treatment.

They found several advantages to using hypofractionated radiation to slow or halt future metastasis of this aggressive cancer.

What are the Benefits of Hypofractionation?

Hypofractionation means that the dose of each blast of radiation administered to the tumor site is higher and more focused, allowing for fewer sessions in a shorter period of time immediately before or following a surgical procedure to resect the tumor.

Normofrationation on the other hand, which is currently utilized more often in the treatment of various types of cancer, is the administration of low doses of radiation, over a longer period, and with more frequent sessions.

The difference between these two methods is striking given the overall health of the study’s test subjects and their improved prognoses following treatment with the newer hypofractionated method. Patients who have to endure weeks of radiation treatments through the normofractionated method often develope pneumonitis, caused by damage to healthy cell DNA from the longer duration of treatment.

The study highlighted the specific benefits of the hypofractionated method stating that:

“Hypofractionated radiation has several advantages. It can be completed over a few days rather than a few weeks; it can be delivered in the induction or the adjuvant setting in combination with radical surgery; for a given total dose, it delivers much greater biological effect (compared to normofractionation); and, perhaps more importantly, it may provide a specific activation of the immune system directed against the tumor that could provide a platform for immunotherapy.”

A Potential New Standard of Treatment

Dr. de Perrot went on to say that the hypofractionation method limits and even halts the growth of most tumors in new areas such as the point of entry for surgery, which is often at risk of being seeded by cancer cells during the resection of diseased tissue.

The non-ablative hypofractionated radiation treatment is so encouraging primarily because of its ability to work well as a part of multimodal treatment plans that are being used more often to treat mesothelioma.

Dr. de Perrot also noted in his report that one of the reasons for this success is due to the immune response to non-ablative radiation, which doses are too low to remove the disease at a macroscopic level. When the non-ablative hypofractionated method is used, it triggers immune responses in the tumor cells and causes an upregulation and production of T cells that activate what are known as cytotoxic CD8+ T cells, which speed up cell death.

This opens new doors for patients with more aggressive or advanced stages of mesothelioma since this treatment can be used alongside immunotherapy treatments and radical surgery. With the promising results that this study has produced, it is likely that with more research this procedure could become a standard in care for mesothelioma patients.