ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΠΡΩΤΙΑ ΣΤΗΝ ΡΟΜΠΟΤΙΚΗ ΧΕΙΡΟΥΡΓΙΚΗ

ΠΑΓΚΟΣΜΙΑ ΠΡΕΜΙΕΡΑ ΣΤΗ ΧΩΡΑ ΜΑΣ ΓΙΑ ΤΗ ΧΟΛΟΚΥΣΤΕΚΤΟΜΗ ΜΕ ΡΟΜΠΟΤ - Η πρώτη ρομποτική επέμβαση μέσω μιας τομής πραγματοποιήθηκε από τον δρα Κ.Μ. Κωνσταντινίδη και τους συνεργάτες του δόκτορες Σ. Χειρίδη, Π. Χρυσοχέρη, Π. Χειρίδη και τον αναισθησιολόγο δρα Χ. Χαριτόπουλο. Το Ιατρικό Κέντρο Αθηνών και η ομάδα Ρομποτικής Χειρουργικής του κ. Κ.Μ. Κωνσταντινίδη επιλέχθηκαν με δύο άλλα κέντρα διεθνώς, ένα στην Ιταλία και ένα στην Ελβετία, για να ξεκινήσει συγχρόνως η εφαρμογή της υπερσύγχρονης ρομποτικής τεχνολογίας Singlc Sitc.

Με την τεχνική αυτή πραγματοποιείται η πλήρως ρομποτική χολοκυστεκτομή διά μέσου μιας μόνο τομής 1,5 cm. Η διά μιας τομής ρομποτική χολοκυστεκτομή με χρήση του ρομποτικού συστήματος Da Vinci Si HD που υπάρχει μόνο στο Ιατρικό Κέντρο πραγματοποιείται εξ ολοκλήρου μέσω μιας μικροτομής κάτω από τον ομφαλό. Η μέση διάρκεια της επέμβασης είναι 40 λεπτά.
«Για τον ασθενή που επιθυμεί να ελαχιστοποιήσει τις ουλές, η ρομποτική χολοκυστεκτομή διά μιας τομής αποτελεί την καλύτερη επιλογή», δηλώνει ο διευθυντής Γενικής Χειρουργικής του Ιατρικού Κέντρου Αθηνών και υπεύθυνος Ρομποτικού Προγράμματος Κ.. Κωνσταντινίδης.
Η πρώτη ρομποτική επέμβαση διά μιας τομής πραγματοποιήθηκε από τον δρα Κωνσταντινίδη και τους συνεργάτες του δόκτορες Σ. Χειρίδη, Π. Χρυσοχέρη, Π. Χειρίδη και τον αναισθησιολόγο δρα Χ. Χαριτόπουλο.


Τεράστια εμπειρία
Η χειρουργική ομάδα του Ιατρικού Αθηνών με πρωτοπορία στη λαπαροενδοσκοπική χειρουργική πραγματοποιεί λαπαροσκοπικές επεμβάσεις χολοκυστεκτομής από τις αρχές της δεκαετίας του ’90, με αποτέλεσμα να έχει τεράστια πείρα στην εν λόγω επέμβαση. Στην κλασική λαπαροσκόπηση για τη χολοκυστεκτομή απαιτούνται 4 τομές ώστε να εισαχθούν όλα τα απαραίτητα εργαλεία καθώς και η ειδική κάμερα, το λαπαροσκόπιο, μέσα στην κοιλιά. Σήμερα με τη Ρομποτική Χειρουργική Single Site το λαπαροσκόπιο και όλα τα εργαλεία μπαίνουν μέσω μιας μόνο μικροτομής στον ομφαλό.
«Η χειρουργική διά μιας τομής δεν είναι καινούρια. Με συμβατικά λαπαροσκοπικά εργαλεία μπορεί να δημιουργηθεί μεγάλη τεχνική δυσκολία γιατί όλα τα εργαλεία δουλεύουν στην ίδια ευθεία. Χάρη στη Ρομποτική τα προβλήματα γωνίωσης λύνονται και επαναφέρουν στον χειρουργό την αίσθηση ότι χειρουργεί κανονικά», συμπληρώνει ο δρ Κωνσταντινίδης.


Άλλες εφαρμογές
Η ομάδα του δρα Κωνσταντινίδη ξεκίνησε τη Ρομποτική Χειρουργική με το σύστημα Da Vinci τον Σεπτέμβριο του 2006. Μέχρι σήμερα έχουν πραγματοποιηθεί περισσότερες από 1.000 επεμβάσεις γενικής χειρουργικής, ουρολογίας και γυναικολογίας. Στη γενική χειρουργική, ρομποτικά πραγματοποιείται η οισοφαγεκτομή, η αποκατάσταση διαφραγματοκήλης και γαστροοισοφαγικής παλινδρόμησης, η καρδιομυοτομή για αχαλασία οισοφάγου, η ολική και υφολική γαστρεκτομή, η δεξιά και αριστερή κολεκτομή, η σιγμοειδεκτομή, η χαμηλή πρόσθια κολεκτομή, η κοιλιοπερινεϊκή και η ορθοπηξία για πρόπτωση του ορθού. Επίσης ηπατεκτομές, επεμβάσεις χοληφόρων, ολικές ή περιφερικές παγκρεατεκτομές και σπληνεκτομές. Πολλά πλεονεκτήματα παρουσιάζει και η ρομποτική επινεφριδεκτομή.
Ιδιαίτερη σημασία αποκτά τον τελευταίο καιρό η χρήση ρομποτικού συστήματος σε παχύσαρκους ασθενείς, εφόσον οι ρομποτικοί βραχίονες μπορούν με την ίδια ευκολία να σηκώσουν οποιοδήποτε βάρος για όσο χρόνο χρειάζεται. Τελευταία συζητείται όλο και περισσότερο η αξία των ρομποτικών συστημάτων στη χειρουργική της νοσογόνου παχυσαρκίας, όπως είναι η κατά Roux-en Y γαστρική παράκαμψη (γαστρικό by-pass).
Η ουρολογική ομάδα του Ιατρικού έχει πραγματοποιήσει πολυάριθμες ριζικές προστατεκτομές για καρκίνο προστάτη, μερικές ή ολικές νεφρεκτομές, ριζικές κυστεκτομές με δημιουργία νεοκύστης και άλλες.
Τέλος, η γυναικολογική ομάδα χρησιμοποιεί το Da Vinci σε κύστεις ωοθηκών, αφαίρεση ινομυωμάτων, λεμφαδενικό καθαρισμό πυέλου και ολική ή υφολική υστεροκτομή με απόλυτη επιτυχία.


Παγκόσμιος πόλος
Το 2011 η ομάδα Κωνσταντινίδη επιλέχθηκε από την κατασκευάστρια εταιρεία για τις πρώτες επεμβάσεις Single Site και ως κέντρο εκπαίδευσης για τον υπόλοιπο κόσμο λόγω της μακράς της εμπειρίας με τις ρομποτικές επεμβάσεις που ξεπερνούν τις 1.000 και καλύπτουν όλο το φάσμα της γενικής χειρουργικής, ουρολογίας και γυναικολογίας.
Στη ρομποτική χολοκυστεκτομή Single Site τα εργαλεία που είναι εύκαμπτα χιάζονται στο σημείο εισόδου και ηλεκτρονικά το σύστημα αντιστρέφει τους βραχίονες (το δεξί γίνεται αριστερό και το αριστερό δεξί), με αποτέλεσμα οι κινήσεις του χειρουργού να είναι άνετες και φυσικές. Ο δρ Κωνσταντινίδης εξηγεί: «Το σύστημα απαιτεί εκπαίδευση ως προς την έναρξη της επέμβασης και σύνδεση του ρομπότ. Ωστόσο με την ανάλογη χειρουργική εμπειρία και την κατάλληλη επιλογή ασθενών η έκβαση είναι άριστη».
Και προσθέτει: «Χρησιμοποιώντας μία μόνο τομή, η μετεγχειρητική φροντίδα των ασθενών μου έχει ήδη βελτιωθεί με λιγότερα προβλήματα από τις τομές και άριστο αισθητικό αποτέλεσμα».
Ποιος όμως είναι ο κατάλληλος υποψήφιος για την πιο πρόσφατη αυτή εξέλιξη της Χειρουργικής; Οι περισσότεροι ασθενείς που θεωρούνται κατάλληλοι για την κλασική λαπαροσκοπική χολοκυστεκτομή μπορούν να υποβληθούν σε ρομποτική χολοκυστεκτομή Single Site, σύμφωνα με τον δρα Κωνσταντινίδη. «Καθώς το κύριο πλεονέκτημα της αφαίρεσης χολής διά μιας τομής είναι αισθητικό, επιλέγουμε τους ασθενείς μας προσεκτικά και λογικά, μελετώντας την κάθε περίπτωση ξεχωριστά».
Η ρομποτική χολοκυστεκτομή διά μιας τομής πραγματοποιείται μόνο στο Ιατρικό Κέντρο Αθηνών από την ομάδα του δρα Κωνσταντινίδη και τα αποτελέσματα είναι ήδη εντυπωσιακά.

απο press-time εδω

THE KILLER SEEDS FROM MONSANTO

more here

ΦΟΥΚΟΥΣΙΜΑ @ ΡΑΔΙΕΝΕΡΓΕΙΑ

Leading Epidemiologist: Instead of Trying to Avoid Japanese Radiation, Put Your Energy Into Demanding a Saner Energy Policy

Steven Wing is a PhD epidemiologist, and an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. ("Epidemiology" means the study of disease on the population level).
Dr. Wing has spoken out against nuclear power, and has spoken out against the cancer risks from the Three Mile Island accident. He's not, by any definition, a nuclear industry shill.

So I listened with interest to an interview of Wing by outspoken nuclear critic Arnie Gundersen about the health risks from the Fukushima fallout

Wing said:

• The generally accepted thinking is that there is no safe dose of radiation with regards to cancer or genetic mutation. There is a linear relationship between radiation dose and the likelihood of getting cancer. As the dose goes down, the risk goes down ... but it never disappears

• When the news media says there is no threat to health, that flies in the face of all of the standard models and all of the studies that have been done over a long period of time regarding radiation cancer

• When the radiation clouds move around the world, the radiation doses are spread out. But spreading out a given amount of radiation among among more people, it reduces each person's radiation risks, but it doesn't reduce the number of cancers which result from that amount of radiation. So having millions and millions of people exposed to a small dose could cause as much cancer as a hundred or a thousand people exposed to the same amount of radiation

• A lot of people are asking should they take iodine, should they avoid certain foods, should they move? No. There is almost nothing that Americans - or indeed, anyone outside of Japan - can do to reduce their exposure to Fukushima radiation. Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be exposed to at least a small amount of radiation from Fukushima [Note: If you are not satisfied with his advice, see this. And a French non-profit group is giving different advice. Finally, Dr. Wing's advice might change if a higher level of radiation reached the U.S.]

• Fukushima will cause some cancers. But instead of trying to avoid radiation from Fukushima, we should put our energy into pressuring our elected representatives to implement a sane energy policy which won't lead to these types of fiascos in the future. We should get involved in collective action to put pressure on people in government and the energy industry to come up with a policy which minimizes harm. [For background, see this, this and this]

ΦΟΥΚΟΥΣΙΜΑ @ ΔΙΑΤΡΟΦΙΚΗ ΑΛΥΣΙΔΑ

Europeans warned to avoid drinking milk or eating vegetables due to high radiation levels

 The radiation risk from Fukushima is "no longer negligable," says CRIIRAD, the French research authority on radioactivity. It is now warning expectant mothers and young children to avoid drinking milk or rainwater. They should also avoid certain types of vegetables and cheese due to the dangerously high levels of radiation they may contain thanks to theradioactive falloutspreading across the globe (http://www.euractiv.com/en/health/r...).

CRIIRAD now says thateatingthese items qualifies as "risky behavior." And yet, in practically the same sentence, the organization claims there is "absolutely no need" for anyone to takeiodinetablets.

That's right: There's so muchradiationin the food that you probably shouldn't eat it. But all that radiation is so harmless that you don't need to protect yourself from it with iodine. It's amazing how thesepeoplethink they can have it both ways.

The institute goes on to say thatdrinkingrainwatermight be dangerous, butstandingin the rain is perfectly safe. There's actually some sense to this, asingestingradioactivewater is indeed far more dangerous than merely being drenched in it. But U.S. nuclear authorities make no such distinction, by the way.

Here comes the mass irradiation of thefood supply

Despite these warnings, the real issue that few are willing to acknowledge so far is thatFukushimafallout will continue for many more months. And during this fallout, there will be a cumulative load of radiation raining down upon the grasses, fruits andvegetablesthat make up the globalfoodsupply. How high those levels get is anyone's guess, and those animals that feed upon those grasses -- such ascattle, goats and sheep -- will tend to further concentrate the radioactivity, producing milk and meatproductsthat are far more radioactive than the grasses upon which they fed.

This is a very sad circumstance, of course, because it means that the corn-fed, factory-farmed cattle will probably be LESS radioactive than the open-range grass-fed cattle whosebeefproducts are usually far better for you. Although I'm not personally someone who consumes beef, I'm a big supporter of those who choose grass-fed beef over the corn-fed factory farmed beef.

Bring your Geiger counter to the fresh produce section

What I'm beginning to wonder in all this, however, is how high the radioactivity of the entire food supply is going to become. Are we looking toward a day when we have tobeing Geiger counters to the grocerystore?

Will we soon have two bins of apples at the store called "Pre-Fukushima" and "Post-Fukushima?"

And for all those people who have already stored food, good for you! All the food you stored before Fukushima is obviously not radioactive, and there may come a day when non-radioactive food commands a huge price premium.

For those still looking to acquire and store non-radioactive healthy foods, check outwww.StorableOrganics.comwhere you can findorganicfoods and superfoods sealed in steel cans for long-term emergency preparedness. The entire inventory there is "Pre-Fukushima," by the way.

For those who haven't stored any food, you might start thinking about what you're going to eat if Fukushima suffers yet another explosion and a massive cloud of radioactive isotopes gets dropped onto the food production lands of the world. This situation will only get worse before it gets better.

And sadly, evengrowing your own foodis no solution to all this, because your own gardens are just as susceptible to radiation fallout as commercial crop lands. Only those who grow food in greenhouses will be largely protected from the fallout. Maybe it's a good time to buy some sproutingseeds, too, because you can sprout seeds in your own kitchen and grow them free of radiation. In just 3 days, you can turn a pile of seeds into a nutritious sprout salad. Add some avocado and balsamic vinegar and you have a delicious lunch!

Articles Related to This Article: • Americans Exposed to Atomic Bomb Levels of Radiation through Medical Imaging, CT Scans, Mammograms • Radiation disease - here are the symptoms and causes • Radiation scientists agree TSA naked body scanners could cause breast cancer and sperm mutations • Rosemary Found to Offer Best Protection against Radiation Poisoning •Mammograms cause breast cancer (and other cancer facts you probably never knew) • FINALLY: NIH takes a step to track radiation exposure from medical tests

Related video from NaturalNews.TV Your NaturalNews.TV video could be here. Upload your own videos at NaturalNews.TV (FREE)

Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/032050_radioactive_food_nuclear_radiation.html#ixzz1JxXCSfmC

ΤΟ ΚΟΥΤΙ ΤΗΣ ΦΑΡΜΑΚΕΡΗΣ ΠΑΝΔΩΡΑΣ

Η άρρωστη σχέση γιατρών και φαρμακοβιομηχανίας from Kouti Pandoras on Vimeo.

Το «Κουτί της Πανδώρας» ανοίγει για την μεγάλη πληγή της ιατρικής επιστήμης: Για την ιατρική κουλτούρα που δίνει «ελαφρά τη καρδία» τη θέση της στην κουλτούρα του χρηματισμού.

ΤΑ ΦΑΡΜΑΚΑ ΤΗΣ ΝΕΑΣ ΕΠΟΧΗΣ

Οι επιστήμονες προειδοποιούν: Τα μελλοντικά φάρμακα θα είναι σχεδιασμένα για τον έλεγχο του ανθρώπινου μυαλού

NaturalNews / μετ. ΚΟΚΚΙΝΟΣ ΟΥΡΑΝΟΣ

Ένα χάπι για να ενισχυθεί η ηθική συμπεριφορά σου. Μια θεραπεία για τις ρατσιστικές σου σκέψεις. Μια θεραπεία για να αυξηθεί η συμπάθεια σου για τους ανθρώπους από άλλες χώρες.

Όλα αυτά μπορεί να ακούγονται σαν σενάριο ταινίας επιστημονικής φαντασίας, αλλά ερευνητές από την Οξφόρδηλένε ότι η σύγχρονη συμβατική ιατρική εξελίσσει σταδιακά τρόπους για να αλλάξει την ηθική των ανθρώπων μέσα από φαρμακευτικά προϊόντα, και έτσι να ελέγχει τον τρόπο που οι άνθρωποι θα σκέφτονται και θα ενεργούν σε διάφορες καταστάσεις της ζωής.

Αυτά τα νέα φάρμακα θα έχουν κυριολεκτικά την δυνατότητα να διαταράξουν την προσωπική ηθική του ατόμου, και αντί αυτής να ‘επαναπρογραμματιστεί’ το εν λόγω πρόσωπο να πιστεύει και να κάνει ό, τι ο σχεδιαστής των ναρκωτικών έχει δημιουργήσει αυτό το φάρμακο να κάνει.

«Η επιστήμη έχει αγνοήσει το ζήτημα της ηθικής βελτίωσης μέχρι τώρα, αλλά τώρα γίνεται (για αυτό) μια μεγάλη συζήτηση», είπε ο Δρ Γκάι Καχάνε από το Κέντρο Νευροηθικής στην Οξφόρδη της Μ. Βρετανίας. "Υπάρχει ήδη ένα αυξανόμενο σώμα έρευνας που μπορείτε να περιγράψετε με αυτούς τους όρους. Οι μελέτες δείχνουν ότι συγκεκριμένα φάρμακα επηρεάζουν τους τρόπους που οι άνθρωποι ανταποκρίνονται στα ηθικά διλήμματα, αυξάνοντας την αίσθηση της ενσυναίσθησης (συναισθηματικής ταύτισης), με την υπαγωγή σε μία ομάδα και μειώνοντας την επιθετικότητα".

Ενώ αυτό μπορεί να ακούγεται καλό στη θεωρία, ο έλεγχος του νου είναι ήδη μια πολύ επικίνδυνη παρενέργεια των υπαρχόντων φαρμάκων. Πάρτε το αντικαταθλιπτικό φάρμακοProzac, για παράδειγμα, που είναι γνωστό ότι προκαλεί σε εκείνους που το πήραν να καταφύγουν σε βίαιες εκρήξεις οργής. Ένα νεαρό αγόρι δολοφόνησε τον πατέρα του χτυπώντας τον και μαχαιρώνοντάς τον στο κεφάλι, και χτυπώντας τη μητέρα του με ένα λοστό και μαχαιρώνοντάς την στο πρόσωπο, λίγο μετά αφότου άρχισε να παίρνει το Prozac (βλ. ΕΔΩ).

Όμως, τα είδη των ναρκωτικών στα οποία ο Kahane και οι συνάδελφοί του αναφέρονται υπαινίσσονται ότι πρόκειται για φάρμακα ειδικά σχεδιασμένα όχι μόνο για να αλλάξουν την ψυχική κατάσταση του ατόμου, αλλά και για να αλλάξουν τον τρόπο που ένα πρόσωπο σκέφτεται συγκεκριμένες καταστάσεις από ηθική σκοπιά. Το τελικό αποτέλεσμα είναι κυριολεκτικά ένας τύπος φαρμάκου που προκαλεί έλεγχο του νου, όπου τα ανθρώπινα θέματα, θα ελέγχονται από κάποιον άλλο, χωρίς να μπορεί ένα άτομο να είναι σε θέση να παίρνει συνειδητές αποφάσεις για τον εαυτό του.

Η έρευνα για το θέμα, βεβαίως, προσπαθεί να ζωγραφίσει την ιδέα των ναρκωτικών ελέγχου του νου με ένα ‘θετικό πνεύμα’, γεγονός που υποδηλώνει ότι θα μπορούσαν να χρησιμοποιηθούν για να βοηθήσουν να κάνουμε τον κόσμο ένα καλύτερο μέρος. Φανταστείτε λιγότερη βία, περισσότερη εμπιστοσύνη και περισσότερη αγάπη, λένε. Αυτή η ρητορική, όμως, είναι πραγματικά ακριβώς ένα τέχνασμα για περαιτέρωκατασκευή μαζών με ‘μουδιασμένο μυαλό’ που θα είναι έτοιμες να δεχθούν την οποιαδήποτε ιδέα ως ένα καλό πράγμα.

ΚΟΚΚΙΝΟΣ ΟΥΡΑΝΟΣ /Πηγή (και ΕΔΩ)

http://redskywarning.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-post_5846.html

Η ΥΓΕΙΑ ΣΤΟΝ 21ο ΑΙΩΝΑ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΥΡΩΠΗ ΤΟΥ ΠΑΓΚΟΣΜΙΟΥ ΥΓΕΙΟΙΝΟΜΙΚΟΥ ΧΩΡΙΟΥ

Η συνδιάσκεψη για το μέλλον της υγείας στην Ευρώπη εδω 

CHEMICAL DEPENDENCIES 1

Coke is very addictive. It can be difficult to resist the craving and strong psychological dependence due to changes in the brain. Recent evidence suggests possible long-term changes to the nervous system.

Although psychological dependence is more of a problem than physical withdrawal symptoms - low moods and feeling very rough soon after stopping can tempt people to take more coke.

Publications reposted from NIDA

National Institute on Drug Abuse

Addiction to stimulants such as cocaine or amphetamine is a chronic,
difficult-to-treat psychiatric disorder characterized by very high rates
of relapse that can occur following many months or even years of
abstinence. Years of diagnostic observations of drug addicts have
shown that chemical dependency, including dependency on
stimulants, is associated with a variety of coexisting psychiatric and
neurological disorders.
This monograph grew out of a technical review sponsored by the
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in July 1994 that evaluated
the existing clinical and preclinical evidence of neurotoxicity and
neuro-pathology associated with chronic abuse of stimulants,
particularly cocaine. The individual chapters presented in this
publication discuss different facets of this topic and together provide
convincing proof of neurotoxic effects of stimulants.
The present chapter describes the logic underlying the notion that
addiction to cocaine/stimulants could be viewed as a
neurodegenerative or neuro-logical disorder and that treatment should
address problems of coexisting neurochemical abnormalities. The
proposed concept aims to stimulate thoughts and further research in
this area, which may ultimately aid the development of effective
medications for the treatment of stimulant addiction.
Read on below...

Cocaine Addiction as a  Neurological Disorder

Maria Dorota Majewsk

http://archives.drugabuse.gov/pdf/monographs/monograph163/001-026_Majewska.pdf

...The rise in the rate of complications related to the increasing use of
crack cocaine has been reflected in the medical literature: Initial
isolated case reports were replaced by a series of accounts of medical
and neuro-psychiatric complications of crack cocaine. These
accounts were followed by publications describing specific
complications such as strokes, seizures, myocardial infarctions, and
rhabdomyolysis (Brust 1993; Sanchez-Ramos 1993).
The CNS effects of cocaine seem to result from the reuptake blockade
of NE DA (norepinephrine (NE) release, dopamine (DA) release), and serotonin, which can
 potentiate the action of these three neurotransmitters, leading to serious complications 
(Dackis and Gold 1988; Johanson and Fischman 1989).
 Although emergency room visits and hospital admissions due to cocaine-induced symptoms are more commonly related to medical and psychiatric problems, neurologic sequelae are frequent and severe...
...Neurologic complications related to cocaine use can be classified as neurovascular events (cerebral or spinal), seizures, abnormal movements, headache, hyperpyrexia, and rhabdomyolysis, as well as rarer miscellaneous complications involving the nervous system.


Read on below...

Neurologic Complications of Cocaine

Michael Daras

http://archives.drugabuse.gov/pdf/monographs/monograph163/043-065_Daras.pdf

...The frequent use of cocaine in the United States has resulted in a high
degree of morbidity and mortality. Although cocaine was initially
believed to be a relatively safe drug, there is now evidence that cocaine
is one of the most toxic drugs of abuse (Johanson and Fishman
1989). In fact, laboratory animals given free access to cocaine will
self-administer until death (Koob and Bloom 1988). Though cocaine
is toxic to various organs in the body, the most frequently involved
are the brain and the heart (Dackis and Gold 1990).
Cardiac toxicity is the most frequent complication of cocaine abuse.
Cocaine use can trigger myocardial infarction (Huester 1987; Isner et
al. 1986) and lethal cardiac arrhythmias (Gradman 1988). Both
central (Jones and Tackett 1990; Wilkerson 1988) and peripheral
mechanisms (Beckman et al. 1991; Hale et al. 1988; Pitts and Marwah
1989) are responsible for cocaine's cardiotoxic properties. Cocaine's
peripheral actions involve the release of adrenaline and noradrenaline
from the adrenals (Chiueh and Kopin 1978), inhibition of
noradrenaline reuptake sites in myocardial tissue (Iversen 1965), and
local anesthetic effects in myocardial cells (Seifen et al. 1989).
Cocaine is directly toxic to the myocardium (Peng et al. 1989;
Przywara and Dambach 1989), and its anesthetic properties can
trigger cardiac asystole (Nanji and Filipenko 1984)

Read on below...

Heart related problems, Cardiotoxic Properties of Cocaine

Nora D. Volkow, Joanna S. Fowler, and Yu-Shin Ding    

 http://archives.drugabuse.gov/pdf/monographs/monograph163/159-174_Volkow.pdf

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 Effects of Cocaine Addiction video

 Effects of Crack Cocaine Addiction video


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Added Danger: Cocaethylene

Polydrug use—use of more than one drug—is common among substance abusers. When people consume two or more psychoactive drugs together, such as cocaine and alcohol, they compound the danger each drug poses and unknowingly perform a complex chemical experiment within their bodies. Researchers have found that the human liver combines cocaine and alcohol to produce a third substance, cocaethylene, which intensifies cocaine’s euphoric effects. Cocaethylene is associated with a greater risk of sudden death than cocaine alone.

Also, a cocaine crisis associated with severe cardiac problems hits in a big way the hospital's emergency rooms in the UK. Read on below, extracts reposted from the Guardian here...

Health timebomb as rising cocaine use threatens heart problems in young

· Up to 10% of patients with chest pains took drug
· Greater acceptability and lower prices fuel growth

A surge in cocaine use is pushing Britain towards a "healthcare disaster" that will see a dramatic rise in heart attacks, strokes and neurological problems among young people, says a leading specialist. The warning follows a three-year investigation into cocaine use carried out at a London hospital emergency unit which indicates that the medical complications of the drug will become a significant burden on hospital resources.
The study looked at levels of cocaine in people who arrived at the accident and emergency unit of St Mary's hospital, Paddington, London, who were complaining of chest pains, a common side-effect of the drug. It found that on Friday or Saturday nights up to half the young people tested had cocaine in their system...

[...]

... John Henry, a leading toxicologist and professor of accident and emergency medicine, who led the study.  "...We're going to see more severe addiction, more strokes and heart attacks in young people, and more of the other complications linked to its usage," said Professor Henry, who is regarded as the UK's leading expert on illicit drug use. "It's a healthcare disaster and it's coming here."

The study confirms the fears of other healthcare professionals that cocaine use in Britain has reached an unprecedented level. In an audit of drug tests carried out by the City Hospital NHS teaching trust in Birmingham cocaine use was found to be increasing by about 50% every three years, a trend showing no sign of slowing. "The arrival of the cocaine epidemic has now started to become a reality in the UK," said Stephen George, the doctor who did the survey...

...Experts fear cocaine use will continue to soar until it reaches a peak, as it did in the 1990s in the US where there are now 25 million users and two million addicts...Cocaine tightens up blood vessels, making the heart work harder and raising blood pressure. While long-term heart problems can build up in cocaine users, as little as two 100mg lines (a fraction of an ounce) is enough to cause chest pains... 

...US studies found that 5% of cocaine users attending A&E departments with chest pains had heart attacks because of their drug usage. Hospitals are already reporting patients in their early 30s suffering strokes and severe coronary heart disease brought on by cocaine use. Many do not smoke, are not overweight and do not have naturally high blood pressure...

...In the US a condition called aortic dissection has become common among cocaine users. Caused by blood being forced into the lining of big vessels, it essentially creates a new channel for blood to flow down. The rupture itself causes crushing chest pains but also reduces blood flow to vital organs, leading to brain and kidney damage in many cases. A third of the cases of aortic dissection in the US are attributed to cocaine use...

...The drug has also lead to a rise in foetal deaths in the US. It is believed that one in 10 babies dying in the womb do so because their mother took cocaine - a factor that leads to a rupture of the placenta, making it shear away from the womb...

Conclusions (from here) — In an inner city population, acute aortic dissection in the setting of crack cocaine use is common, presumably as a consequence of abrupt, transient, severe hypertension and catecholamine release. This diagnosis should be considered in cocaine users with severe chest pain.

so sorry...

Κοκαίνη , το ξέπλυμα 380 δις ,  και η παγκόσμια ύφεση (Μax Κeiser report)

...On 10 April 2006, a DC-9 jet landed in the port city of Ciudad del Carmen, on the Gulf of Mexico, as the sun was setting. Mexican soldiers, waiting to intercept it, found 128 cases packed with 5.7 tons of cocaine, valued at $100m. But something else – more important and far-reaching – was discovered in the paper trail behind the purchase of the plane by the Sinaloa narco-trafficking cartel.

During a 22-month investigation by agents from the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service and others, it emerged that the cocaine smugglers had bought the plane with money they had laundered through one of the biggest banks in the United States: Wachovia, now part of the giant Wells Fargo.

The authorities uncovered billions of dollars in wire transfers, traveller's cheques and cash shipments through Mexican exchanges into Wachovia accounts. Wachovia was put under immediate investigation for failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering programme. Of special significance was that the period concerned began in 2004, which coincided with the first escalation of violence along the US-Mexico border that ignited the current drugs war.

Criminal proceedings were brought against Wachovia, though not against any individual, but the case never came to court. In March 2010, Wachovia settled the biggest action brought under the US bank secrecy act, through the US district court in Miami. Now that the year's "deferred prosecution" has expired, the bank is in effect in the clear. It paid federal authorities $110m in forfeiture, for allowing transactions later proved to be connected to drug smuggling, and incurred a $50m fine for failing to monitor cash used to ship 22 tons of cocaine.

More shocking, and more important, the bank was sanctioned for failing to apply the proper anti-laundering strictures to the transfer of $378.4bn – a sum equivalent to one-third of Mexico's gross national product – into dollar accounts from so-called casas de cambio (CDCs) in Mexico, currency exchange houses with which the bank did business.

"Wachovia's blatant disregard for our banking laws gave international cocaine cartels a virtual carte blanche to finance their operations," said Jeffrey Sloman, the federal prosecutor. Yet the total fine was less than 2% of the bank's $12.3bn profit for 2009. On 24 March 2010, Wells Fargo stock traded at $30.86 – up 1% on the week of the court settlement.

The conclusion to the case was only the tip of an iceberg, demonstrating the role of the "legal" banking sector in swilling hundreds of billions of dollars – the blood money from the murderous drug trade in Mexico and other places in the world – around their global operations, now bailed out by the taxpayer.... συνέχεια & αναδημοσίευση εδω/reposted/published  & continues here

ΛΑΜΠΕΝΤΟΥΖΑ : ΠΥΛΗ ΕΙΣΟΔΟΥ ΣΕ ΣΥΝΑΓΕΡΜΟ

AFP – Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi addresses people upon arrival in the Italian southern island …

• Slideshow:Mideast refugees flee to Lampedusa island

by Gildas Le Roux – Wed Mar 30, 1:28 pm ET

LAMPEDUSA, Italy (AFP) – Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi visited Lampedusa on Wednesday as ships began to evacuate 6,000 migrants from Africa who were exhausting the tiny island's resources.

"The 'Free Lampedusa' plan began at midnight," Berlusconi told cheering residents. "In 48-60 hours Lampedusa will be inhabited only by the people of Lampedusa."

Mindful that residents had become increasingly weary of the migrant influx and angry over government inaction, the flamboyant premier quipped that Rome would "propose Lampedusa for the Nobel Peace Prize."

The billionaire media tycoon also promised a new golf course on the island, whose main industry is tourism, and announced that he had bought a house on Lampedusa via the Internet.

"I went online and bought a house at Cala Francese called The Two Palms. I'll be a Lampedusa citizen too," Berlusconi said.

The premier's visit came as another rickety boat carrying around 100 people was towed into the port and aid organisations warned that living conditions for the some 6,000 migrants were untenable.

Italy also renewed an appeal to the European Union for help dealing not just with Tunisian migrants looking for a better life, but also with refugees from other parts of Africa formerly held in detention camps in Libya.

Since the conflict between rebel Libyan fighters and forces loyal to Moamer Kadhafi began in mid-February, Eritreans, Ethiopians and Somalis have begun turning up on Lampedusa and other islands in the Pelagian archipelago, which lies closer to north Africa than to mainland Italy.

The Italian government has previously warned that hundreds of thousands of migrants could depart for Italy's shores if Kadhafi's regime falls, while the Libyan leader himself has threatened to send "millions" to Europe.

"These are not just economic migrants, and we continue to ask Europe to take action," Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told Sky TG24, adding that promises for "very limited European funds" were not enough.

An EU spokesman replied Wednesday: "We have made around 18 million euros (25 million dollars) available to Italy in 2010-2011 for repatriations, on top of 25 million euros allocated to all member states for emergency measures."

Berlusconi, who held an emergency meeting in Rome late Tuesday to address the problem, announced tax breaks and compensation measures for Lampedusa residents.

Five boats were being used to transport the migrants off the island to reception centres in Sicily and the Italian mainland on Wednesday, including ferries and the naval amphibious assault ship San Marco.

The migrants are mainly young men, many of whom have been sleeping in the open air on the dock for days, herded into makeshift pens delineated by ropes or dustbins.

They have protested at their confinement but are also worried about where they are being taken and whether they will be free to seek employment.

"I left Tunisia because I didn't have any work. I don't know what will happen today and I'm afraid, very afraid. No one knows anything and they are not telling us anything," a 21-year-old migrant who gave his name only as Bechir told AFP.

"I just want to join my family in France," he added.

Aid organisations and charities have denounced the government for poor management of the crisis, deploring that the migrants have only three chemical lavatories at their disposal -- and are forced to relieve themselves on a hill near the port.

On Wednesday, locals tried to clean up the area, nicknamed "shame hill," ahead of Berlusconi's visit.

"Lampedusa must be cleaned out immediately or the situation will get out of control," health inspector Tullio Prestileo said after visiting the island.

The aid groups also point to growing tensions between locals and migrants.

"It's not possible in the long term to leave 5,000 inhabitants living alongside 6,000 immigrants in such conditions," said Laura Boldrini from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

"The situation is very tense. We cannot lose any more time," she said.

The usually taciturn Italian President Giorgio Napolitano has also condemned the situation as "unacceptable."

"We must step up transportation to evacuate most of the people who have arrived," he said, calling on Italian regions that may have to put up the immigrants on a temporary basis to show "cohesion and solidarity.

reposted from here / αναδημοσίευση απο εδω

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