Guanzhou R&F’s stunning debut in AFC Champions League |
- Guanzhou R&F’s stunning debut in AFC Champions League
- Not giving in to muscle disease without a fight
- Bionic hand gives new hope to amputees
- Biggest Illinois lottery jackpot winner just a ‘regular Joe’
- Force behind ‘Titanic’ to be new head of Sony Pictures
- Faberge’s first Imperial egg in 99 years unveiled
| Guanzhou R&F’s stunning debut in AFC Champions League Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:06 PM PST
The Chinese side looked on in envy as city rivals and domestic champions Evergrande won the title in 2013, but they announced themselves in style with the win in Osaka. Moroccan striker Abderrazaq Hamedallah set the visitors on their way with a mazy run and finish on 11 minutes, which left a back-pedalling Gamba defence red-faced. And Wang Song ensured a dream opener for R&F, and their new coach Cosmin Contra, in Group F when his deflected free-kick found the net 11 minutes from time. Yang Xu's second-half double later spared Shandong Luneng's blushes and made it a 100 percent start for Chinese clubs as they beat Binh Duong 3-2 in provincial Thu Dau Mot. Binh Duong's Nigerian forward Ganiyu Oseni cancelled out Wang Yongpo's opener, before Wang Qiang gave the hosts a shock lead with an own goal on 56 minutes. But Yang got Shandong back to 2-2 just three minutes later before he completed the great escape in Group E by snatching the winner with 10 minutes to go. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors' Group E campaign began with a whimper as the South Korean champions were held 0-0 at home by Japan's Kashiwa Reysol. But Thailand's Buriram United started with a win when they beat South Korean side Seongnam FC 2-1 at the Thunder Castle stadium in Group F. In Group A, Qatar champions Lekhwiya crashed to a 3-0 defeat against Persepolis of Iran in a match that saw tempers boil over on several occasions. After a gritty first half, Mohsen Bengar put the Iranians ahead with a fine header from a Fernando Gabriel free-kick in the 60th minute, and Hadi Nourouzi consolidated six minutes later after receiving a deft pass from Mehdi Taremi inside the penalty area. Several skirmishes broke out between the teams forcing the officials to intervene and calm down the players. Lekhwiya, coached by Danish great Michael Laudrup, hardly got to penetrate the Persepolis defence, and their rout was complete when Mohamed Nouri slotted home a penalty in the 83rd minute after he was fouled by Mohamed Moosa. The other Group A match saw Fabian Estoyanoff rescue a point for Saudi's Al Nassr after Uzbekistan's Bunyodkor had gone ahead in the 14th minute, courtesy of an own goal scored by Abdulla al-Enazi. In Group B, Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor struck once in each half to beat Naft Tehran 2-1. Georgian Kakha Makharadze put the Uzbek giants ahead in the 48th minute, and although Ali Ghorbani equalized for the Iranians in the 59th, Igor Sergeev put the result beyond doubt with a strike five minutes from close. In another Group B match, UAE's Al Ain and Saudi Arabia's Al Shabab played out a goalless draw. — AFP  |
| Not giving in to muscle disease without a fight Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:02 PM PST
Jordan was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) just before he started Primary One. Affecting one in 3,000 boys, DMD is a progressive, genetic muscle disease that causes the muscles to weaken over time. "We were initially devastated by the diagnosis because everything we read on the Internet about the condition was so damning," said Jordan's mother, Mrs Adele Augustin, 43. Dr Wendy Liew, consultant at Neurology Service, Department of Paediatrics at KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), said patients will have a shortened lifespan and delayed motor milestones as a result of muscle weakness. There is currently no cure for the disease. By 12 years of age, many of them would require a wheelchair to help them move around. While steroid treatment can help to maintain muscle strength and delay the need for a wheelchair by one to three years, many patients would still require ventilator support to help them breathe in their late teenage years, said Associate Professor Stacey Tay, head of the Division of Paediatric Neurology at National University Hospital. Later, death usually occurs from infections, heart rhythm problems or heart failure. Over the years, Jordan's parents have witnessed his muscle strength deteriorating gradually. He currently moves around in a wheelchair, and requires assistance to shower and use the toilet. His handwriting has also deteriorated in recent years, said Mrs Augustin, who uses a hoist to help Jordan in and out of the family car. Yet, the optimistic couple, who also have three daughters aged 19, 14 and 10, are not giving up without a fight. "We don't talk about DMD being a fatal condition and Jordan doesn't consider it something he is going to die from. For us, a diagnosis is not the end. It is simply a start of another journey," said Mr Augustin, 46. Although the Augustins are aware that boys have died from complications resulting from the disease, they have not made any end-of-life plans. "Our approach has never been about that," said Augustin. Instead, they are focused on preserving as much of Jordan's muscle strength with more aggressive steroid treatment and physiotherapy. They are also biding their time for a potential cure. Mrs Augustin said: "Our doctor has kept us updated on medical developments that are happening overseas. At the moment, we're focusing on having enough funds. Hopefully when there is a clinical trial for a new therapy, we'll be able to afford to be in the programme." Assoc Prof Tay said a novel gene therapy for certain groups of DMD patients is in the pipeline. Currently in the clinical trial stage, the gene therapy could potentially pave the way for similar tailor-made treatments. In the meantime, Jordan still has schoolwork to do as well as life's challenges and joys to experience, his parents quipped. Mr Augustin feels it is important to engage Jordan "like he is not disadvantaged and he is as capable of doing what boys without DMD would do". "You can be sure that his mum will get on his case if he's behind in his schoolwork," he said with a laugh. — TODAY |
| Bionic hand gives new hope to amputees Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:01 PM PST
The three Austrian beneficiaries of the unprecedented technique had suffered injuries in car and climbing accidents to the "brachial plexus" — a network of nerves running from the spine to the upper limbs. This type of injury is like a sort of "inner amputation," irreversibly separating the hand from neural signals, said the study published in The Lancet medical journal. The three patients received their futuristic robot appendages in surgeries between April 2011 and May 2014. "For the first time since their accidents all three men were able to accomplish various everyday tasks such as picking up a ball, pouring water from a jug, using a key, cutting food with a knife or using two hands to undo buttons," said a statement from The Lancet. Oskar Aszmann of the Medical University of Vienna, who invented the technique, said it was in some ways less risky than a donor hand transplant, which requires the use of strong immunosuppressant drugs that can cause serious health problems. 'Not flesh and blood' In the case of a single hand lost, "I think the benefits sway towards the prosthetic reconstruction, because it doesn't have any side-effects and the quality of hand function being restored with the prosthesis is almost as good of that of a hand transplant," the surgeon told AFP. "Yes, we don't have sensibility (feeling)" with a bionic hand, he conceded. "It is not flesh and blood, it's just plastic and componentry, but if you just look at it from a functional point of view, I think a prosthetic hand today can hold up to a hand transplant." Cases where both hands are lost, however, are "still the domain of hand transplantation because of the loss of sensibility and the fact that you need to put on a prosthesis with another hand." The team's major achievement, said the statement, had been to allow neuronal signals to stimulate the robot hand equipped with sensors that respond to electrical impulses in the muscles. "Existing surgical techniques for such injuries are crude and ineffective and result in poor hand function," said Aszmann. For their method, the team grafted muscle tissue taken from the thigh to the patients' forearms, and added nerves taken from elsewhere. Before having their useless hands selectively amputated, the patients underwent nine months of training to activate the grafted muscle, and then learned to use the electrical signals to control a virtual hand. Once they mastered that, they practiced with a prosthetic hand attached with a splint to their non-functioning hand. The prosthesis costs about €15,000 (RM61,630) and the surgery and rehabilitation about the same, said Aszmann. "Some patients, in the end, will not be candidates for bionic reconstruction, either because there are not sufficient nerves available for reconstruction or they are psychologically not fit for that, or the environment is just not OK," he said. The technique has since been successfully used in at least one person born without the use of a hand. — AFP |
| Biggest Illinois lottery jackpot winner just a ‘regular Joe’ Posted: 24 Feb 2015 04:48 PM PST
Jesus Davila Jr of suburban Naperville was handed a gigantic ceremonial check from the Jan 16 Mega Millions drawing in an event broadcast on local television. "You can't win if you don't play. I'm just a regular Joe, and I played," said Davila, a father of four and grandfather of four. The Jan 16 jackpot was US$265 million if taken as an annuity, but Davila will take a one-time cash payment option, which after taxes totals about US$127 million, the Illinois Lottery said. Davila, a former professional driver, bought the winning ticket at Bucky's Express convenience store in Glendale Heights, another Chicago suburb. The store will get a US$500,000 prize for selling the ticket. Originally from Puerto Rico, Davila moved to the United States at the age of 6, according to a statement from the Lottery. He was watching the numbers announced on the television at home and thought he had matched only the first five numbers on his single ticket and would get US$1 million. But his son rechecked and found all six numbers were matching. Davila plans to share the windfall with his family, invest and donate to his favorite charities, the Lottery said. "I would also like to a buy a big house with a really big lawn ... and a riding lawn mower," Davila said in a statement. Illinois has not had a grand prize winner for the Mega Millions game since 2012, when a resident won a drawing that had a US$218.6 million jackpot. People bought tickets for the Jan 16 drawing in 44 states, Washington and the US Virgin Islands. Davila was the only person to match all six numbers. — AFP |
| Force behind ‘Titanic’ to be new head of Sony Pictures Posted: 24 Feb 2015 04:47 PM PST
Rothman, 60, takes over for Amy Pascal, who suffered public embarrassment after hackers leaked emails she had written to other Hollywood executives. Rothman, who brings expertise in both blockbusters and art-house films, will probably push for more franchise development as he did at Fox, where he launched the "X-Men," "Planet of the Apes" and "Ice Age" movies. Sources close to the company said Rothman would start his new job in the next week or so. Rothman was known for financial discipline when he co-led Fox Filmed Entertainment from 2000-2012. In 2013, he became chairman of TriStar Productions, a joint film and television venture with Sony, and has pulled together a slate of films with directors like Jodie Foster and stars George Clooney and Meryl Streep. While the Sony studio came under pressure a few years ago from activist investor Daniel Loeb because of its flops and high costs, Hudson Square Research analyst Daniel Ernst said the motion picture division was "doing rather well." Ernst said the entertainment arm of Sony Corp would probably not have changed the studio leadership if not for the cyberattack. Rothman will report to Michael Lynton, who will continue to run the Japanese corporation's global entertainment business. His contract was extended for an undisclosed number of years, Sony said in a statement. Lynton had several choices inside Sony for Pascal's replacement, including her deputy, Doug Belgrad, and Columbia Pictures production president Michael De Luca. "Tom's creativity, strong talent relationships and track record of enduring films and commercial success are unparalleled in this industry and exactly what we are looking for to grow our film business," Lynton said in the statement. Pascal and Lynton announced this month that she was stepping down as studio chief and moving to a production deal on the lot with Sony's financial backing. The executive shuffle comes after hackers launched a devastating cyberattack on the studio in November, angered by the Sony Pictures comedy "The Interview." The movie, championed by Pascal, mocks North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. — Reuters |
| Faberge’s first Imperial egg in 99 years unveiled Posted: 24 Feb 2015 04:41 PM PST
Ninety nine years since Faberge made its last Imperial egg, for Tsar Nicholas II, the famous jewel maker will show off its newest creation at an exhibition of watches and jewellery in Doha. The "Faberge Pearl Egg" features 139 fine white pearls, and more than 3,300 diamonds as well as other precious gemstones, according to the jeweller. Several Gulf nations have a long history of pearl diving, and Qatar is building an artificial island off its coast named after the precious treasure. The egg is the first of its kind commissioned since World War I. Faberge's last Imperial creation — the Steel Military Egg — was commissioned in 1916 by the Tsar just months before he was removed from power by the Russian Revolution and forced to abdicate in February 1917. Nicholas II had arranged the egg as a present for his wife, Alexandra. The tradition of giving decorative eggs was started by his father, Tsar Alexander III, who surprised his wife Empress Maria with a bejewelled Easter egg in 1885. But as much as they were loved by the Russian royalty, the diamond-encrusted objets d'art have come to symbolise the family's excesses. The new egg has been crafted "to mark the upcoming (100th) anniversary since the last Imperial egg was commissioned," Faberge's spokeswoman Alize Morand told AFP. She said the egg would be the first of several that will soon be unveiled by Faberge. After going on show for the first time, the egg will be sold at the end of the five-day exhibition in Qatar and there are already buyers interested in the piece. One estimate put the value of the new egg at US$2 million (RM7.239 million). But Morand would not confirm that and said the price could only be known "on application" for interested buyers. She added that several people had already expressed their desire to buy the piece. The egg has been commissioned in association with the Gulf-based Al Fardan jewellery group, which is renowned for its pearls. The US$2 million price tag may end up being a conservative estimate. The last Imperial egg to be auctioned reportedly went for more than US$30 million when sold last year after being found in a jumble sale. And the last officially known price for an egg was US$18.5 million, which was sold at Christie's in London in 2007. Faberge says that 50 eggs in total were commissioned and 43 of those are known to have survived the Russian Revolution. — AFP |
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