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TRINIDAD EXPRESS
httrinidadexpress.com
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NEWS FULL STORY |
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Daily
aspirin
in
middle-age
call
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Emma Wilkinson
Health reporter, BBC News
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Aspirin makes it harder for blood clots to form
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Men
and
women
over a
certain
age
should
take
aspirin
daily to
prevent
heart
attacks,
experts
say in
Heart
journal.
Nottingham
and
Sheffield
universities'
analysis
of
almost
12,000
patients
found
men from
the age
of 48
and
women
from 57
would
benefit
from the
drug.
Heart
attacks
occur
when a
blood
vessel
is
blocked
by a
clot,
but
aspirin
makes it
harder
for
blood
clots to
form.
The
British
Heart
Foundation
said
more
research
was
needed
before
"blanket
prescribing"
could be
recommended.
Under
existing
recommendations,
a GP
will
prescribe
the drug
if a
person
has
already
suffered
a heart
attack
or a
stroke.
It is
also
prescribed
if
factors
such as
high
blood
pressure
put a
patient
at high
risk of
having
such an
"event"
in the
next few
years.
But
the
researchers
said, in
reality,
many
people
are not
treated.
Some
have
speculated
it may
be
easier
to treat
everyone
over a
specific
age
threshold
such as
50
years.
Risks
An
analysis
of
almost
12,000
patients
aged
between
30 and
75
showed
that by
the age
of 47 in
men and
58 in
women,
the
10-year
coronary
heart
disease
risk is
10% - a
risk
worth
treating,
the
researchers
said.
At
that
point,
unless
someone
is at
risk of
dangerous
side
effects
because
they
have a
condition
such as
a
stomach
ulcer,
the
benefits
outweigh
the
disadvantages,
they
concluded.
But
this did
not
apply to
people
with
diabetes
or those
at high
risk of
bleeding,
the
researchers
said.
Although
diabetics
are
likely
to
benefit
from
aspirin
treatment
because
of their
high
heart
disease
risk,
the
evidence
is not
yet
quite
clear,
they
added.
And
in
anyone
over the
age of
75
years,
the
decision
whether
or not
to take
aspirin
must be
made on
an
individual
basis,
because
they are
more
likely
to
suffer
bleeding
complications.
Study
leader
Dr
Iskandar
Idris,
an
honorary
senior
lecturer
at
Sheffield
University,
said
routinely
prescribing
aspirin
in these
age
groups
was a
feasible
option.
But
he
added:
"The
final
decision
about
use of
aspirin
must
eventually
be made
after
discussion
with a
healthcare
provider."
Dr
Mike
Knapton,
director
of
prevention
and care
at the
British
Heart
Foundation,
said:
"Currently
the
recommendations
in the
UK are
that
aspirin
is
prescribed
after a
full
risk
assessment
under
medical
supervision
to those
who have
established
cardiovascular
disease.
"Further
robust
research
is
needed
before
aspirin
should
be
considered
as a
blanket
primary
prevention
measure
in the
UK.
"We
would
encourage
everyone
to
examine
their
own
individual
risk and
take
steps to
reduce
it by
adjusting
their
lifestyle." |
Bajan athletes are back
Published on: 8/27/08.
 |
| Man of the Moment: Bradley Ally, the first Caribbean swimmer to reach the semi-finals at the Beijing Olympic Games, is greeted at the airport by Lady Forde, mother of swimmer Martyn Forde who was due home last night. (Picture by Risée Chaderton.) |
SWIMMERS Bradley Ally and Andrei Cross returned home from the Beijing Olympics yesterday afternoon with a renewed commitment to train and compete as they look towards the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England.
Along with runners Ryan M. Brathwaite and Jade Bailey, they were greeted by loud applause, lots of hugs and broad smiles at the Grantley Adams International Airport. Swimmers Terrence Haynes and Martyn Forde were due last night while sprinter Andrew Hinds has gone to Europe with his fellow Jamaican-based MVP teammates.
Ally said part of the motivation came from missing the finals of the 200 metres individual medley by the slimmest of margins.
"The final was switched from the afternoon to morning. I wouldn't look back and say I was disappointed because I gave it my all, but that is just going to motivate me to train harder in the water. It is just a part of the game and you have to take it as it comes," said Ally who set two new national records in the 400 and 200 metres IM, reaching the semi-finals of the latter.
"The 200IM is my best event. It is challenging and I like to do it. I have been working on it for a long time and it came out to be a successful race."
Another motivating factor was seeing American phenom Michael Phelps who won a record eight gold medals and set seven world records.
"It is always good to be around great swimmers. They encourage you to swim faster and they motivate you to train harder and that is what I am looking forward to doing, to get back into the pool and improve on things that need to be improved upon, and see where it takes me from there," he said.
The Florida-based swimmer said there was a lot that could be done to smooth the way for the next four years, including refining his programme at the University of Florida at Gainesville and with more support from Barbados, since his family had supported him through it all.
Snowball effect
"I'll just try to stay healthy, race a lot and hopefully this could turn into a snowball effect and just get bigger and better in the future," he said, adding his confidence was also much higher after the Olympics.
"It was definitely a good accomplishment. I'd like to say it can be done. I am pretty pleased with my performance as well as Ryan's [Brathwaite]. It just goes to show Barbados can do it," said Ally.
Cross didn't make it out of the heats of the 100 metres breaststroke, but he described it as "absolutely amazing" and was looking ahead to London.
"My race wasn't the greatest performance I've ever done, but the experience was beyond anything that I could think of. I am really happy that I made it this far. I have a lot more work to do to get better and to do better things for Barbados and myself. I am just looking forward to the future," Cross said.
He and the rest of the Barbados contingent were met by Steve Stoute, president of the Barbados Olympic Association; BOA manager Glyne Clarke; Dave Farmer, head of the Olympic museum and former head of the Aquatic Centre; Sonia Oneal, president of the Barbados Amateur Swimming Association, coaches Abdul Sharif and Antonio Petrolando, David Leslie of the Amateur Athletic Association; Lady Forde; Cicely Spencer-Cross, the Brathwaite family from Hillaby, St Andrew as well as members of the Rising Stars Club |
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Bolt was
icon of
the
Games
- Rogge
Usain
Bolt
reacts
to
spectators
after
winning
the
men's
100-metre
final
with a
world
record
on
August
16. -
AP
BEIJING,
CHINA
(AP)
International
Olympic
Committee
(IOC)
President
Jacques
Rogge
stood
by
his
criticism
of
Jamaican
sprinter
Usain
Bolt,
but
said
the
22-year-old
is
an
icon
of
the
Beijing
Olympics.
In a
post-Olympic
press
conference
on
the
final
day
of
the
29th
Olympiad,
yesterday,
Rogge
reiterated
his
controversial
comments
criticising
Bolt
of
failing
to
show
respect
to
his
fellow
competitors
after
winning
the
100
and
200
metres,
but
said
he
meant
it
as
"fatherly
advice".
"Yes,
of
course
I
have
been
criticised
for
various
issues,"
said
Rogge,
who
has
been
accused
of
being
out
of
touch.
"The
Bolt
issue,
I
mean,
I
take
it
with
a
big
smile.
"I
stand
by
what
I
said,"
he
added.
"I
said
that
he
was
the
icon
of
the
games
together
with
Michael
Phelps.
I
have
great
respect
for
his
abilities.
I
thought
that,
and
I
repeat
what
I
said,
he
should
show
more
respect
for
his
opponents,
but
I've
also
said,
in
the
same
way,
he
was
a
young
man
of
22
and
that
he
has
time
to
mature."
Following
Rogge's
comments,
several
persons
voiced
their
disagreement,
including
President
of
the
International
Association
of
Athletics
Federation
Lamine
Diack.
"No,
no,
I
did
not
mind,"
he
said
of
Bolt's
celebrations.
"It
is
normal
actually
for
him
not
to
come
back
(once
he
crossed
the
line),"
he
added,
referring
to
Rogge's
comment
about
Bolt
not
shaking
the
hands
of
his
competitors.
My
personality
Bolt
was
also
unrepentant
of
his
actions,
which
included
dancing,
taking
off
his
spikes,
thumping
his
chest
and
playing
to
the
crowd.
"I
won't
change
that.
And
I
don't
see
any
problem
with
it,
because
people
enjoy
watching
me.
I'll
stay
the
way
I
am
-
that's
my
personality,"
Bolt
said
Saturday.
Diack
added
that
Bolt,
with
his
flashy
personality
and
outsize
performances,
was
exactly
the
right
man
to
help
the
sport
recover
from
a
spate
of
doping
scandals.
"He
is
good
and
great
for
our
sport,"
Diack
stated.
"He
can
help
to
build
up
our
sport."
Led
by
Phelps
and
Bolt,
athletes
broke
43
world
records
and
132
Olympic
records
during
the
Games.
Bolt
won
three
gold
medals,
all
in
world-
record
time,
and
American
swimmer
Phelps
won
an
unprecedented
eight
gold
medals.
Jamaica's
11
medals
was
the
most
by
any
nation
per
capita,
one
for
every
245,000
of
its
2.7
million
people.
With
a
population
of
21.4
million,
Australia
won
46
medals,
one
for
each
465,000
people.
Cuba
won
24
medals,
one
for
each
470,000
of
its
11.3
million
citizens.
Cops
kill
Spragga's
son
Roxroy
McLean,
Star
Writer
Carlton
Grant,
son
of
deejay
Spragga
Benz,
was
to
spend
the
brief
remainder
of
the
summer
holidays
with
his
family,
including
his
father
in
England,
and
was
set
to
leave
yesterday.
However,
this
will
never
happen
and
travel
plans
will
now
have
to
be
changed
to
funeral
arrangements
as
the
17-year-old
was
fatally
shot
during
an
alleged
shoot-out
with
the
police.
The
Constabulary
Communication
Network
reported
that
about
11:50
p.m.
on
Saturday,
members
of a
police
party
were
on
patrol
along
Church
Street
when
two
men
were
seen
on a
bicycle.
They
were
signalled
to
stop
and
they
complied.
However,
one
of
the
men
pulled
a
gun
and
fired
at
the
police.
The
fire
was
returned
and
the
men
ran.
The
area
was
searched
and
Grant
was
found
suffering
from
gunshot
wounds.
A
45
semi-automatic
pistol
was
also
allegedly
taken
from
him.
The
injured
Grant
was
taken
to
the
Kingston
Public
Hospital
where
he
was
pronounced
dead.
The
Bureau
of
Special
Investigations
has
since
been
called
in
to
probe
the
matter.
Spragga
Benz,
who
also
shares
the
same
name
as
his
son,
could
not
be
reached
for
comment.
However,
THE
STAR
was
told
that
upon
being
contacted
via
cellphone
and
informed
of
the
death
of
his
son,
Spragga
immediately
hung
up
before
returning
the
call
moments
later
and
remarked
"when
unnu
get
unnu
facts
straight
call
mi
back."
An
obviously
distraught
mother,
Sharon
Gapoor,
while
sitting
in
front
of
the
Central
Police
Station
on
East
Queen
Street
in
downtown
Kingston,
moments
after
the
killing,
described
her
son
as a
very
nice
and
jovial
person.
She
questioned
the
motives
of
the
police,
saying
she
could
not
see
the
reason
for
the
police
to
kill
her
son
and
she
has
no
idea
why
it
happened.
"Them
kill
him,
and
all
now
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We would encourage everyone to examine their own individual risk and take steps to reduce it by adjusting their lifestyle 