Case study: Could Facebook trigger asthma?

Can virtual friends give you asthma? The question is put in an unusual case study reported on Friday by the medical journal The Lancet.

Italian doctors describe how a 18-year-old man with a history of asthma suddenly experienced bouts of breathlessness during the summer months, when he was normally free from these symptoms.
The teen`s worried mother learned that he was depressed after breaking up with his girlfriend, who had deleted him from her list of "friends" on Facebook while "friending" lots of new young men.
Using a new nickname on Facebook, the young man succeeding in becoming her "friend" once more and in finally gaining access to her picture on her Facebook profile.
Intrigued, the doctors asked the patient to wear an airflow mask, measuring respiratory flow, whenever he accessed Facebook.
Sure enough, his breathing volume dramatically plunged as soon as he logged in, sometimes by more than 20 percent. After getting help from a psychiatrist, the patient determined not to login to Facebook any more -- and the asthma attacks stopped.
The patient had no other physical problems or anything else untoward in his medical history, say the investigators.
They conclude it was the stress of Facebook login that triggered the asthma: the patient literally choked at the prospect of seeing and communicating with his ex.
The case is reported in a letter by five doctors, led by Gennaro D`Amato of the High Speciality Hospital in Naples.
The authors say the case could be a useful tip for doctors who want to explore mystery cases of wheezing and breathlessness among young patients, for whom social networking is fast taking the place of real-life relationships, with all their ups and downs.
"Facebook, and social networks in general, could be a new source of psychological stress, representing a triggering factor for exacerbations in depressed asthmatic individuals," says the letter.
"Considering the high prevalence of asthma, especially among young people, we suggest that this type of trigger be considered in the assessment of asthma exacerbations."
-Internet

Send SMS to complain to police

After e-ticket and health service through cellular network, citizens are now offered filing complaints with police by texting on mobile phone and general diaries online.

Under a joint initiative by the government's Access to Information (A2I) programme, mobile phone operators and police department, the arrangement comes into effect by the end of this month.
A2I started working on this project in mid-2009. It was delayed due to various technical glitches, officials concerned said.
KAM Morshed, assistant country director of UNDP in Bangladesh, said, "UNDP is working with the home ministry on various concerns. This A2I initiative is one of them."
"The move is aimed at ensuring that the ordinary people get easy access to law enforcement agencies in emergency," he said.
Once the scheme opens, people will be able to file complaints with the police control room or complain desk by sending SMS to 7373. Foreigners staying in Bangladesh can also send their particulars to the same number.
All the police stations in the country will send data related to First Information Report (FIR) to the central short message service (SMS) server of the police headquarters.
Police officials will send all their necessary information to the central server by sending SMS to 7374.
The information in this server could be accessed by texting 'FIR' to 7373 from any operator.
Anyone will be able to submit a general diary (GD) or collect a police clearance certificate online.
The online GD system is already being implemented experimentally, the officials said. A police clearance certificate website is also under construction.
People will also have the access to latest information on their passports through the service.
It would also be possible for law enforcers to report or track any lost or stolen vehicles by texting on mobile phone.
-The Daily Star

Siddikur going great guns

Siddikur Rahman's fine form at the UBS Hong Kong Open followed into third round when he leaped from 36th place to joint 19th (placed 26th) with a score of third round of 6 under par.

His aggregate score is now 8-under par 202 after three rounds with a third round 6-under par.
It remains to be seen whether Siddikur can finish this event on a high after commendably completing Barclays Singapore Open last week.
Meanwhile, Ryder Cup star Ian Poulter continued to dominate as he took a two-shot lead over Graeme McDowell in the 2.5-million-dollar event on Saturday, shooting a six-under-par 64 in the third round.
US Open champion McDowell sits on his own in second place on 17-under after his round of 63, while England's Simon Dyson is in third, one shot further back.
-Daily Star

Mixed day for Bangladesh

Bangladesh had a mixed day at the Asian Games in Guangzhou yesterday with some heartening results chipping in amid disappointing ones.

The most commendable performance of the day came in chess where the men's team completed a clean 4-0 sweep of South Korea while the women's lost 1.5-2.5 to leaders China.
In the men's board, GM Ziaur Rahman, FM Minhazuddin Ahmed Sagor, FM Abu Sufian Shakil and FM Mehedi Hasan Parag won over their respective opponents. The men's team is in the eighth position with four points from four rounds while China lead the table with 8 points.
In the women's section, WFM Sharmin Sultana beat China's WGM Zhao Xue while Shamima Akhter drew with another WGM Ju Wenjun. However, Nazrana Khan and Masuda Begum lost their respective boards. The women's team now have four points from four rounds and are in the sixth position as China lead the table with 7 points.
Bangladesh women's archery team gave North Korea a run for their money but ultimately conceded a 205-195 defeat in the pre-quarterfinals at the Aoti Archery Range. The final scores however do not fully reflect the performance as two out of the four rounds were won by the Bangladeshi trio of Mathui Prue, Beauty Roy and Najmin Khatun. However, the aggregate scores from Bangladesh over the four rounds weren't good enough to challenge their more established opponents.
There was good news from track and field too, where the country's fastest man Azharul Islam made it to the semifinals of the Games' showcase event 100m sprint. Azharul timed 11.19 seconds in heat No. 6 to finish fourth from the six-man heat. The semifinals of the event will be held today. However, Azhar's female compatriot Nazmun Nahar Beauty could not follow his footsteps as she finished 22nd among 26 participants to bow out from the heats. She finished her race with a timing of 12.72 seconds.
Erratic performance in the hockey field continued when Bangladesh lost their last group match against Pakistan by 6-1 goals.
Taposh Barmon scored a consolation goal seven minutes from time after conceding six goals against the former world champions.
Veterans Shakeel Abbasi and Sohail Abbas scored two goals apiece to give Pakistan a 4-0 first-half lead before Muhammad Imran converted two penalty corners in the second.
-Daily Star

Chanchal busy again after Eid

Actor Chanchal Chowdhury, of Monpura fame was very busy in shooting for Eid special TV plays for various television channels during the Eid holidays, had no time for the drama serials. After Eid schedule, He plans to pay most of his time on these serials.

‘The hectic schedule for Eid Special TV plays did not allow me to give schedule to the ongoing TV serials,’ said Chanchal.
One of the most busiest actors on the small screen, Chanchal has won hearts of many viewers of the country by playing roles of various TV plays within a short period of time.
He has also proved his talent in film-acting after the huge hit of his debut film, Monpura.
Chanchal is fond of playing roles, which are a bit rustic, as he finds it easy to relate to characters resembling his own roots. His favourite roles include the characters of Fiza Master in Bhober Haat, Japan Daktar in Sakin Shari Shuri and Shonai in Monpura.
The characters he plays in a number of TV plays bear some similarities of his own restlessness during his boyhood in Kamarhaat village in Pabna.

SEC rewrites listing rules for energy firms

The stockmarket regulator has eased some IPO rules under the book building method to encourage infrastructure, power and fuel companies to go public

Non-listed companies in the three sectors with at least a year of commercial production and profits can now raise funds from the market, according to a circular issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday.
Previously, a company had needed at least three years of commercial operations and profits for a minimum of two years before being eligible to raise capital through the exchanges.
However, if a company wishes to float shares under the fixed-price initial public offering (IPO) method, the new, easier rules will not be applicable.
The relaxed rules will not apply to companies in other sectors. SEC officials said infrastructure, fuel and power sectors are being prioritised for economic development.
"The rules are being relaxed so that entrepreneurs in the sectors can raise funds easily and run their projects smoothly," an SEC official said.
"It will also increase the supply side in the market, which is now crying for new securities after the entry of thousands of fresh investors with thousands of crores of taka in cash.”
Although some companies listed on the stockmarket using the book building method, a modern pricing mechanism for an IPO, no companies in energy and infrastructure sectors are yet to float shares under the new system.
On Monday's circular, SEC also made another amendment to the book building rules. It said the institutional investors that will participate in fixing the indicative prices of a company's shares will also have to participate in the final bidding to discover share prices. Previously, it was not mandatory for them.
Companies with a minimum of Tk 18 crore in paid-up capital will be also be allowed to go public from now on, said the SEC circular. But the minimum size of the IPO should be Tk 12 crore, meaning a company with at least Tk 30 crore in paid-up capital, including the minimum IPO size, can go public.
A company with large capital will have to go for an IPO with minimum shares equivalent to 10 percent of total paid-up capital and IPO size.
For example, if a company's existing paid-up capital is Tk 150 crore and it wants to raise Tk 10 crore from the stockmarket, its IPO size should be at least Tk 16 crore, which is 10 percent of Tk 160 crore.
The circular said the market lot of shares will have to be equivalent to Tk 1,000 or multiplied. For example, if a company's share face value is Tk 10, the market lot must be 100 shares, but if a company's share face value is Tk 100, the market lot will have 10 shares.
-Daily Star

Dhaka hopes COP-16 will deliver green fund

Annual global climate conference under UNFCCC in Cancun, Mexico may not yield any major breakthrough on reaching deal for reducing carbon emission, but most likely to achieve success to create ‘green fund’ to support the developing countries for adaptation.

Members of Bangladesh delegation taking part in the negotiation meeting said this at a press briefing at the National Press Club in Dhaka Saturday ahead of their departure for the conference slated for November 29 to December 10.
The Copenhagen climate conference agreed to create the ‘green fund’ under which the developed countries pledged to deliver $30 billion to the developing countries for the period of 2010-2012 for adaptation and mobilise $100 billion by 2020 to combat climate change.
Senior member of the negotiating team Qazi Khaliquzzaman Ahmed said Bangladesh along with other developing countries would try its best to establish its position and persuade developed nations to take pragmatic measures to reduce their carbon emission in the 16th Conference of Parties (COP 16).
The secretary of the ministry of environment and forests, Mihir Kanti Majumder, said, ‘Our main focus will be persuading the large emitters to come to an agreement for mitigation to reduce global warming as mitigation is the best way for adaptation.’
Chairman of Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad Mohammad Farash Uddin, members of the Bangladesh delegation Ansarul Karim and Asaduzzaman were present.
The state minister for environment and forests, Hasan Mahmud, will be present at the ministerial level meeting of the conference, QK Ahmed, also the chief of the Working Group on global climate negotiation, said.
He said the secretary of the MOEF would lead the negotiation team comprising representatives from the government and non-government organisation, and researchers, civil society members and media.
Recognising the importance of the climate conference, he said parliament members from all political parties, academics, civil society member and journalists from major media houses had been included in the Bangladesh delegation.
‘Climate negotiation is an important diplomacy which can be successful through massive media campaign,’ Farash Uddin, former Bangladesh Bank governor, said hoping that COP-16 would certainly be able to make a way for a global deal by a couple of years to contain global warming.
Highlighting Bangladesh’s position in the COP-16, QK Ahmed said, ‘We want enhanced action for adaptation and mitigation, and quick release of the fund as agreed in the Copenhagen climate summit last year.’
‘Developed countries must reduce their emission up to 45 per cent by 2020 from 1990 level and up to 90 per cent by 2050 to keep global warming below 1.5 degree than the pre-industrial level,’ he said.
Khaliq said Bangladesh wanted financial support from developed countries up to 1.5 per cent of their gross national product to fight adverse impacts of climate change in the form of grant.
He acknowledged some differences of least developing countries with major economies of G77+China group and said, ‘We are making efforts to consolidate the strength of LDCs as separate group called as most vulnerable countries is not possible under the existing UN system.’
‘But, we want implementation of the Copenhagen Accord which agreed for giving preferential treatment to the needs of most vulnerable countries to adapt to climate change and technology transfer,’ he said.
The secretary of the MoEF mentioned the steps taken by the government to address climate change issues. He said the government plan for building a 7,000- kilometer-long coastal defence embankment and ten-year Bangladesh Climate Change Strategic and Action Plan has already earned global acclamation.
Formation of Climate Change Trust Fund and Climate Change Resilience Fund, Bangladesh Biodiversity Plan and innovation of saline and drought-tolerant crops are included among the salient measures of Bangladesh to adapt to climate change, he said.
-New Age

 

WB helps studies for sustainable dev of Sundarban

The World Bank is helping Bangladesh carry out a series of studies to develop a holistic programme for sustainable development of the Sundarban, the world’s single largest mangrove forest.

The Sundarban is home to an estimated 425 species of wildlife, including 300 species of birds and 42 species of mammals, as well as the Royal Bengal Tiger.
A comprehensive plan based on a total of six studies would be developed to integrate prioritised interventions to address the region’s main conservation and development challenges, a WB spokesman told BSS Saturday.
The studies will draw up the main challenges of poverty reduction, climate change adaptation, and biodiversity conservation in the Sundarban.
The studies, expected to be completed by September next year, will take full account of the distinction between protected areas and surrounding inhabited areas for assessing the development challenges of the Sundarban by providing them with alternative livelihood.
Bangladesh and India share the world’s largest mangrove forest Sundarban and 62 per cent of the Sundarban falls in Bangladesh.
Due to its rich biodiversity and unique ecosystem, the ecological importance of the Sundarban Reserve Forest is immense. Over 3.5 million people live in the Sundarbans Ecologically Critical Area, with no permanent settlement within the Sundarban Reserve Forest.
Among them, about 1.2 million people directly depend on the Sundarban for their livelihoods. Most of these people are Bowalis (wood cutters/golpatta collectors), fishermen, crab and shell collectors, Mowalis (honey collectors) and shrimp fry collectors and mostly women and children.
The study will integrate the ecological dimension and importance of the Sundarban’s biodiversity while maintaining a careful distinction between protected and inhabited areas to ensure that conservation of the protected areas can be upheld.
To succeed in any conservation efforts, it will be important to arrange sustainable and alternative income generation opportunities for the people living in the periphery of Sundarban who are dependent on forest resources.
A World Bank team already visited Bangladesh earlier this year to prepare the Terms of Reference for the studies and to discuss setting-up of two national committees to ensure the quality of the studies and coordinate closely with the study team.
Bangladesh’s people are proud of having the Sundarban as it was named ‘The Venice of Nature’ at a special event at the Shanghai Expo in China recently.
-New Age