Health - 深近視與黃斑點病變

以視論視：深近視與黃斑點病變

當提起深近視，便會令人聯想到視網膜穿孔或脫落等可致盲眼疾。其實，由深近視引起的黃斑點病變，同樣會令患者視力受損。根據醫管局的統計，黃斑點病變是三大致盲殺手之一。黃斑點位於眼底的中央。由於深度 近視會導致眼球往後過度延長，黃斑點區域的脈絡膜和視網膜可被拉薄而出現病變。如脈絡膜被拉薄時，血液流量會下降，令視網膜獲得的營養減少；這些組織可能繼而出現萎縮退化，失去功能。黃斑點病變會令中央視力變得模糊、看見的景物會出現扭曲變形或出現盲點；嚴重者視力永久受損，甚至失明。它亦有機會於年輕患者身上出現，風險會隨着年齡和近視度數而增加。深近視患者必須定期找眼科視光師檢查；若發現有徵狀，應盡快接受治療。
香港理工大學眼科視光學院
http://www.metrohk.com.hk/index.php

Read - ENG - BBC news 2009/07/06

Page last updated at 10:25 GMT, Monday, 6 July 2009 11:25 UK

China launches yuan trade scheme

China's currency is not freely convertible but its use is spreading
China has begun a trial scheme that allows trade with its neighbours to be settled with its own currency, the yuan, also known as the renminbi.

Six Shanghai companies have signed contracts with counterparts in Hong Kong and Indonesia to settle deals in the currency.

It means if the two parties to a trade have yuan available, they need not enter world exchange markets to pay.

Executives said the move would save costs and avert exchange rate risks.

Most of China's foreign trade is settled in US dollars or the euro, leaving exporters vulnerable to exchange rate fluctuations.

Expansion

The yuan is not yet a freely convertible currency.

But observers say that, when expanded, the scheme could lead to the strengthening of the Chinese currency.

"The scheme should have limited impact on the yuan's value in the initial stage, due to official restrictions and because firms need time to get familiar with the procedures," said Liu Dongliang, currency analyst at China Merchants Bank in Shenzhen.

"But with its expansion in the long run, it will increase pressure for the yuan to appreciate as the yuan's international status strengthens."

The trial is expected to be limited to Hong Kong and Macau outside of mainland China, and to Shanghai and Guandong province.

However it is expected to be extended so that the yuan could be used to settle trade between parts of eastern China (Guangdong and the Yangtze River delta) and the Asean group of countries (Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam).

Last month, China's central bank reiterated its call for a new reserve currency to replace the US dollar.

The report from the People's Bank of China (PBOC) said a "super-sovereign" currency should take its place.

Central bank chief Zhou Xiaochuan has loudly led calls during the financial crisis for the dollar to be replaced.

The bank report called for more regulation of the countries that issue currencies underpinning the global financial system.

"An international monetary system dominated by a single sovereign currency has intensified the concentration of risk and the spread of the crisis," the Chinese central bank said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8136066.stm

Yoga - Backward Bending postures

Back bends
Backward bending postures squeeze the abdominal organs

‘Bending back and opening the chest also unlocks the spirit within. Practicing these postures takes you along previously untravelled paths, challenging you to overcome fear and frustration, teaching you to move with ease and grace and to live with an open heart and a passion for life and love’
(J Chapmen, Yoga for Inner Strength, p164).

Back-bending is an unusual position for the spine, and should be approached very gently by people with back problems, pain or injury, with the guidance of a remedial yoga teacher. It is also not recommended to practice Urdhva Danurasana when menstruating, pregnant, very tired, suffering from high or low blood pressure, carpal tunnel syndrome, headache or heart problems. A gentler back-bend, such as Sethu Bandhasana, or a supported back bend (e.g. reclining over a bolster) may be more suitable.

Working with the breath can help us feel calm, and move into backbends safely. Inhale to lengthen out of the lower back, strengthening the legs and opening the chest. Exhale to soften, possibly releasing deeper into the posture. If the breath is held constrained or panicked, ease out of the pose until you relax. The breath is a good indicator that adjustment is needed, as is knees that are rolling in or out, an over-extended lower back, and obviously the facial expression and body language of the student. When a student is very, very comfortable in this asana, variations like leg raises, or straightening the legs could be introduced
http://www.yoga.net.au/back_bends/

Read - ENG - BBC news 2009/07/06

World's oldest Bible put online

Summary
6 July 2009
The world's oldest surviving Bible has been pieced together and made available on the internet. The 1,600-year-old "Codex Sinaiticus" was split up after its discovery in the 18th Century.

Report
Before the Codex Sinaiticus was compiled and bound less than 400 years after Jesus' crucifixion, most Bibles were written on collections of scrolls. The 1,400 parchment pages of the Codex - which was named after its discovery in Sinai - were scattered between St Petersburg, Leipzig, London and Egypt, but each page has now been digitally photographed and collected on a single web-site.

900 of the 16 by 14 inch pages survive, each bearing four neat columns of Classical Greek. Careful study reveals passages that have been questioned and altered repeatedly over the centuries.

The British Library, which begins an exhibition of the Codex Sinaiticus today, said the book gave first-hand evidence of how the text of the Bible had been transmitted from generation to generation.

Robert Pigott, BBC

Vocabulary
bound
made into a book - by fastening together separate pieces of paper, parchment (see below) or other material used for writing

scrolls
rolls of paper, parchment (see below) or other material used for writing

parchment
a yellowish material made from dried and treated animal skin which in the old days was used for writing

scattered between
located in different places, such as

neat
orderly, tidy

passages
here, extracts, short pieces of writing that are part of a larger work

altered repeatedly
changed many times

the book gave first-hand evidence
the book provided new, original proof

transmitted
here, passed
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/07/090706_witn_bible.shtml

Berry good flu fighter

Ivy Ong-Wood
Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Strawberries and cream make a refreshing summer tea. But did you know that the fruit is also considered a "superfood" capable of warding off colds and seasonal flu? Loaded with vitamin C and low in calories, strawberries are an excellent source of water-soluble nutrients.
The recommended dietary intake for women is 75 milligrams of vitamin C daily and 90 mg for men. A serving of eight medium strawberries provides 96 mg of vitamin C, well above the dietary requirement. That's more vitamin C than one medium orange, which contains 74 mg.

Assistant professor of biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences Navindra Seeram at the University of Rhode Island said a healthy diet rich in vitamin C can reduce the chances of catching flu, limit the severity of symptoms and shorten the duration of illnesses.

"While most people associate vitamin C with oranges, strawberries actually contain more vitamin C than oranges on an ounce-per-ounce basis, and they also contain potassium, folate, fiber and phyto-nutrients that prevent and even reverse serious diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stomach ulcers and also help lower cholesterol levels," he said.

The fruit is also high in antioxidants, which provide protection by neutralizing the damaging free radicals. A report published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition analyzed over 1,000 foods and beverages for antioxidant capacity

Strawberries came in third, behind only blackberries and walnuts , in total antioxidant capacity per serving.

Antioxidants help defend the body against several diseases, including cancer, heart disease, neurological decline and diabetes.
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=16&art_id=84409&sid=24473564&con_type=1&d_str=20090707&fc=3

Health - 常用食物規格資料庫

[常用食物規格資料庫]以下為食物的知識庫:
http://www.fooddb.com.hk/

Health - 補 充 骨 膠 原 由 食 物 入 手

[轉貼]補 充 骨 膠 原 由 食 物 入 手

相 信 一 眾 愛 美 女 士 對 「 骨 膠 原 」 一 詞 不 會 陌 生 ， 因 為 市 面 上 不 少 美 容 產 品 如 潤 膚 露 、 精 華 素 等 ， 現 在 甚 至 連 洗 頭 水 也 加 入 骨 膠 原 。

改 善 皮 膚 及 髮 質
頭 髮 及 皮 膚 主 要 是 由 蛋 白 質 組 成 ， 隨 着 年 齡 增 長 、 新 陳 代 謝 率 減 慢 及 外 在 因 素 ， 例 如 環 境 污 染 物 及 紫 外 線 等 ， 都 有 機 會 加 速 骨 膠 原 流 失 。 骨 膠 原 是 蛋 白 質 的 一 種 ， 主 要 存 在 於 皮 膚 內 的 結 締 組 織 內 ， 所 以 骨 膠 原 的 多 寡 影 響 了 皮 膚 和 頭 髮 的 彈 性 及 光 澤 。
當 皮 膚 及 頭 髮 內 的 骨 膠 原 慢 慢 流 失 ， 其 彈 性 便 會 降 低 ， 令 皮 膚 鬆 弛 甚 至 可 能 出 現 皺 紋 ， 而 頭 髮 有 機 會 變 得 乾 燥 、 易 斷 。 骨 膠 原 護 膚 品 的 原 理 ， 是 讓 皮 膚 直 接 吸 收 骨 膠 原 ， 以 補 充 流 失 。 不 過 ， 骨 膠 原 分 子 較 大 ， 是 比 較 難 從 皮 膚 滲 透 至 內 層 ， 故 要 補 充 骨 膠 原 ， 由 食 物 入 手 會 更 徹 底 。
食 物 裏 的 營 養 ， 要 經 過 消 化 和 吸 收 後 才 能 被 身 體 利 用 。 蛋 白 質 （ 包 括 骨 膠 原 ） 會 先 分 解 成 氨 基 酸 ， 再 根 據 身 體 需 要 ， 重 新 排 列 成 有 用 的 蛋 白 質 ， 如 皮 膚 、 頭 髮 、 指 甲 及 其 他 細 胞 。 所 以 無 論 是 骨 膠 原 或 其 他 蛋 白 質 ， 都 像 積 木 一 樣 ， 被 腸 胃 拆 散 ， 然 後 被 身 體 再 重 組 。
按 照 道 理 ， 吃 雞 蛋 、 豬 肉 、 魚 類 、 奶 類 等 優 質 蛋 白 ， 跟 直 接 食 用 豬 腳 、 雞 的 骨 膠 原 也 差 不 多 ， 但 卻 可 減 少 脂 肪 的 攝 取 。 維 他 命 C 可 幫 助 身 體 製 造 骨 膠 原 ， 在 此 建 議 大 家 吃 這 類 食 物 時 ， 配 合 高 維 他 命 C 的 蔬 果 ， 例 如 西 蘭 花 及 奇 異 果 等 效 果 會 更 理 想 。

米 施 洛 營 養 護 康 中 心 營 養 師 梁 家 琪
19-09-2008
http://hk.health.nextmedia.com/index.php?fuseaction=Article.ListArticle&sec_id=6612660&iss_id=20080919&art_id=11620026