“The steps now are observation, but it is controlled. It will depend on how he does. It is not highly complex, but it is still brain surgery.”- Advertisement – Mauricio Pochettino reminisces on sharing a room with Maradona and how his charismatic personality reminds him of former PSG teammate Ronaldinho He was later transferred to the Olivos Clinic in Buenos Aries to undergo surgery on a subdural hematoma – an accumulation of blood between a membrane and his brain.“I was able to evacuate the hematoma successfully and Diego tolerated the surgery very well,” said Leopoldo Luque, Maradona’s neurosurgeon and personal physician. 
Image:Maradona was initially admitted to hospital on Monday, suffering from anaemia and dehydration Maradona last appeared in public on his 60th birthday last Friday before his side’s league match against Patronato.He was gifted a plaque and a cake to celebrate the occasion but he did not stay to watch the game and witnesses said he looked unwell and weak. 5:20 The hematoma was likely to have been caused by an accident, Luque added, although Maradona has said he does not remember the event.Maradona, who won the World Cup with Argentina in 1986 and is widely considered to be one of the greatest players of all time, currently coaches local club Gimnasia y Esgrima.He had initially self-isolated after one of his bodyguards displayed symptoms of coronavirus, the country’s state-run news agency Telam reported last Tuesday.- Advertisement – Diego Maradona has undergone successful brain surgery, the Argentina legend’s doctor has confirmed.Maradona, 60, was initially admitted to the Ipensa Clinic in La Plata, Argentina on Monday, suffering from anaemia and dehydration.- Advertisement – – Advertisement – The former Napoli, Barcelona and Boca Juniors player has suffered frequent periods in hospital over the years, often due to the extravagant lifestyle that accompanied and followed his playing career.The former Napoli striker was also admitted to hospital in January 2019 with internal bleeding in the stomach.He also fell ill at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where he was filmed passing out in an executive box at the Argentina-Nigeria game.Maradona was taken into hospital in 2004 with severe heart and respiratory problems linked to cocaine use. He later underwent drug rehabilitation in Cuba and Argentina before a stomach-stapling operation in 2005 helped him lose weight.In 2007, he checked himself into a clinic in Buenos Aires to help him overcome alcohol abuse problems.
Month: November 2020
Fernando Alonso exclusive: F1’s returning champion talks Renault 2021 move
Simon Lazenby caught up with Fernando Alonso ahead of his return to Formula 1 with Renault next season “Honestly, I expect to be straight up to speed,” stated Alonso. “But I’m aware of the challenge that maybe I face in the first couple of races. Not only on pure speed, but also on procedures, steering wheel commands, things that are new for me and could take some time. I’m aware that I could struggle a little bit.“But I want to think that it will not happen.”‘Stopwatch will decide when I stop, not third title’Alonso has signed an initial two-year contract with Renault, meaning he is set to race until at least the age of 41. But, when asked if he will keep racing until he secures what feels like a long-overdue third title, he said his competitiveness will be the deciding factor, not championships.“I don’t think I will target a certain result before I stop,” he told Lazenby. “I think in motorsport, the stopwatch tells you when it is time to stop, not the age. I hope the stopwatch is on my side in the next coming years.” 
But he also knows he needs more track time, adding: “When you go out of the sport for two years and then you drive a Formula 1 car again, everything surprises you like the first time. I need those laps now.“The simulator is good until a certain point, but then you need the physical effort of the car, the G-forces, the training of the neck. I need as many laps as possible.”First few races could be a ‘struggle’… but will they be?That’s not to say Alonso expects to be rusty when he does get started officially next year – even though he acknowledges that it could be a ‘struggle’. – Advertisement – – Advertisement – – Advertisement – Talks between Renault and Alonso ramped up after Daniel Ricciardo’s surprise confirmation, back in May, that he would be leaving for McLaren, before a reunion between the French team and the driver who claimed their last two Drivers’ Championships in 2005 and 2006 was announced in July.With Renault fifth in last year’s constructors’ standings, they didn’t appear to have what Alonso has always stressed would be key for him making an F1 comeback – a winning package – but he insisted to Simon that, with new rules on the way in 2022, they are the perfect fit.“[They were the preferred choice] for two reasons,” he continued. “One, in terms of expectations and building something from the midfield to the top, it was very attractive, very appealing. And secondly because I know everyone in this team. I know the passion for racing. It’s the third time I come here and I knew I would feel at home here.”Renault are leading the midfield this season, currently third with four races to go, so the signs for Alonso – a man who has famously not had luck on his side with career decisions in the past – are promising. They will be known as Alpine next season and, presumably, a convenient return to a blue livery.Renault car ‘amazing’ but he ‘needs laps’Alonso stepped up his preparations for 2021 with a filming day in Barcelona last month, completing 21 laps in the team’s current car.“It was amazing,” he said. “It was quite an experience.” 5:17 
Anthony Joshua’s Olympic rival Zhilei Zhang holds the key to ‘mega-fight’ in China – but can it become a reality? | Boxing News
Buttigieg once again hits it out of the park on Fox News, this time talking about Mitch McConnell
On the subject of the Senate, Wallace asked if the majority leader is Mitch McConnell, won’t that hurt some of the “boldest” parts of Biden’s election promises? Buttigieg first stressed that Georgia’s runoff Senate races are likely to be extremely competitive, and if Democrats don’t win, McConnell’s caucus will have a decision to make. – Advertisement – “Is his purpose in Washington to defy the American people? Who, along with the president and the House of Representatives, will believe in expanding, not taking away health care, ensuring that the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes instead of slashing their taxes, no matter what, raising wages, treating climate change as real?” Basically, Buttigieg posited, does McConnell want to move forward with progress or stop progress?Perhaps the biggest takeaway? Just how very important the Georgia Senate special election really is. The double runoff will be held on Jan. 5, 2021. The Georgia run-off is January 5th. Request an absentee ballot by Nov. 18. Early in-person voting starts Dec. 14. And REGISTER TO VOTE here by Dec. 7. And give $3 right now to rip the Senate majority from Mitch McConnell’s cold dead hands. Here’s that clip.x As my colleague, Hunter, noted, the Trump administration is not expected to make any major moves when it comes to handling the pandemic before Donald Trump leaves office in January. On the other hand, as we count down the days until he takes office, Biden is likely to urge the American people to listen to health and science expert recommendations (what a breath of fresh air, eh?), including wearing face masks and practicing social distancing amid a literal global pandemic. Wallace opens the dialogue by saying that Biden claimed the American people gave him a “‘mandate for action.’” Wallace then referenced the House’s slimmer majority and what he describes as the “likelihood” of a Republican-controlled Senate. Wallace asked Buttigieg, “The question is: What mandate?”- Advertisement –
– Advertisement – Buttigieg’s answer is nothing short of refreshing. “Well, I think he has a mandate to deliver on the winning campaign agenda that the Biden-Harris ticket offered the country. This not only earned us the support of the majority of Americans who voted for him to be the next president, but also, we should remember that those who supported him, and a remarkable number of President Trump supporters support the agenda that Joe Biden is going to lead our country forward with.In other words, the idea of getting serious on COVID and having a science-led approach, which he’s already underway on. The idea of raising wages and protecting workers. And making sure corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes. Taking climate seriously. Doing something about racial justice. As we look forward, whether we have a divided government or not, I know this. What Joe Biden wants for the country is what most Americans believe is right for this country. And that, I think, is where the real propulsion of his administration will be. Just as it’s been the propulsion of this campaign and led to this win.”- Advertisement –
La Liga round-up: Real Madrid beaten 4-1 by Valencia as Carlos Soler scores hat-trick of penalties | Football News
Image:Real Sociedad’s players beat virus-depleted Granada Valencia’s teenage forward Lee Kang-in almost struck a third early in the second period but Courtois turned his shot onto the post.The home side kept up the momentum though and won two further penalties, for a foul by Marcelo on Maxi Gomez then a handball by Sergio Ramos.Soler converted each time, becoming only the third player in the history of La Liga to score three penalties in a single match.Five in a row for Real Sociedad Soler saw his spot-kick saved by Thibaut Courtois and then hit the post on the rebound, while team-mate Yunus Musah netted the loose ball, only to see the goal ruled out after a VAR review showed him encroaching in the area.A re-take was ordered and Soler made no mistake at the second attempt.Valencia took the lead before half-time through a freak own goal from Raphael Varane, who unwittingly sent the ball flying over his head and just over the line, the goal being awarded several minutes later following another VAR review.- Advertisement – – Advertisement – Earlier, Real Sociedad beat a nearly unrecognisable Granada side 2-0 to return to the top of La Liga.The visitors’ attempt to get the game postponed due to a spate of coronavirus cases was turned down by authorities, meaning they were forced to make nine changes from last week’s 1-1 draw with Levante and started with five players aged 20 or under.Granada’s makeshift side made a bright start but Sociedad took the lead midway through the first half through left-back Nacho Monreal, before a Mikel Oyarzabal penalty five minutes later doubled their advantage.Brazilian forward Willian Jose had a spot-kick saved by Granada’s 18-year-old ‘keeper Angel Jimenez in the second half and Sociedad ended the game with 10 men as defender Robin Le Normand was shown a straight red card in the 86th minute.Granada earned a penalty in added time but Darwin Machis was denied by an excellent save from Alex Remiro and the Basques celebrated a fifth consecutive La Liga victory.Other La Liga results:Getafe 1-3 VillarrealLevante 1-1 AlavesValladolid 2-1 Athletic Bilbao Valencia forward Carlos Soler scored a hat-trick of penalties as his side beat La Liga champions Real Madrid 4-1 at home in an extraordinary match on Sunday.Karim Benzema put Madrid ahead with a scorching strike from outside the area only for Valencia to pull level eventually with the first of Soler’s three penalties after a most unusual turn of events.- Advertisement – – Advertisement –
Emirates posts $3.4 billion half-year loss as coronavirus hits flights
Aircraft operated by Emirates, at Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates.Christopher Pike | Bloomberg | Getty Images Emirates lost $3.4 billion in the first six months of the year, tipping the Dubai state-owned airline’s holding company into its first half-year loss in more than thirty years.The carrier, which temporarily suspended operations this year at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, said global flight and travel restrictions meant revenue dropped 75% to $3.2 billion as passenger traffic fell 95% to 1.5 million.Emirates Group, which includes the airline, said its workforce had shrunk by 24% to 81,334 staff as of Sept 30.- Advertisement – The airline confirmed it had received $2 billion in financial assistance from the government of Dubai as an equity investment.Emirates had reported a 862 million dirham profit for the first half of theprevious year. – Advertisement – – Advertisement –
Study shows few serious problems among smallpox vaccinees
Dec 14, 2005 (CIDRAP News) – Exactly 100 of about 38,000 civilians who received smallpox shots in a federal program in 2003 suffered serious adverse events afterward, signaling that the program successfully screened out most people at risk for complications, according to a recent report.The safety monitoring system “achieved its goal of safe administration of smallpox vaccine among a limited number of DHHS [Department of Health and Human Services] volunteers through successful exclusion of at-risk individuals and rapid detection of unexpected adverse events,” says the report, published in the Dec 7 Journal of the American Medical Association.The authors, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), analyzed adverse events reported as a result of the smallpox vaccination program from January through October of 2003. HHS launched the program for healthcare and emergency response workers out of concern about the possibility of a terrorist release of smallpox virus. The report’s first author is Christine G. Casey, MD, of the CDC’s National Immunization Program.Authorities originally hoped to vaccinate as many as 500,000 health workers, but only 37,901 received shots by the end of October 2003. Hospital and public health workers constituted 95% of those, with law enforcement and firefighters making up most of the rest, the report says. Most of the vaccinees (64%) were women, and more than 75% of them were between 40 and 64 years old and had received a smallpox shot before.The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) received 822 adverse-event reports related to the vaccinations, the report says. Of these, 100 were classified as serious events, for a rate of 26.4 per 10,000 vaccinees.Of the 100 serious events, 85 involved hospitalization or prolongation of hospitalization. Two people suffered permanent disability, and 10 experienced a life-threatening illness. The serious events included 21 classified as myopericarditis and 10 classified as ischemic events that were not expected on the basis of patient histories. Those 10 included six myocardial infarctions, two of which were fatal, and four cases of new or increased angina. Two cases of dilated cardiomyopathy occurring 2 to 3 months after vaccination were also reported.As a result of cardiac adverse events in both civilian and military smallpox vaccinees, the CDC issued a Health Alert Notice on Mar 26, 2003, that described the events and recommended deferring vaccination for at-risk people. None of the 10 ischemic cardiac events in vaccinees occurred after the alert notice triggered cardiac screening of potential vacccinees, the report says.The authors note that US military personnel recently vaccinated against smallpox have had a significantly increased rate of myocarditis, compared with unvaccinated military members. However, the report says the rate of ischemic cardiac events in civilian vaccinees does not appear to exceed the rate in a comparable unvaccinated population.”Whether smallpox vaccination is causally associated with ischemic events remains uncertain,” the authors write.Two cases of generalized vaccinia and one case of postvaccinial encephalitis were reported in the program. But there were no cases of transmission of vaccinia (the vaccine virus) to others and no severe reactions requiring treatment with vaccinia immune globulin.Among the 722 “nonserious” adverse events reported, the most common signs and symptoms were fever, 18.9%; rash, 18.4%; pain, 16.0%; headache, 15.2%; fatigue, 13.5%; and pruritus, 13.4%. Compared with those reporting nonserious events, people reporting serious events were more likely to be older than 40 (81% versus 64%).People who had been vaccinated previously were slightly overrepresented among the vaccinees with serious adverse events, the authors found. They say this is not surprising, since the revaccinees were older than the primary vaccinees and may have had a higher risk of adverse events because of age-related underlying chronic disease.The rates of expected, preventable, and noncardiac adverse events in the civilian vaccinees were about the same as rates in the much larger military vaccination program, the authors found.Casey CG, Iskander JK, Roper MH, et al. Adverse events associated with smallpox vaccination in the United States, January-October 2003. JAMA 2005 Dec 7;294(21):2734-43 [Abstract]See also:Safety summary for Department of Defense smallpox vaccination programhttp://www.smallpox.mil/event/SPSafetySum.asp
Avian flu reported in two more Nigerian states
Feb 9, 2006 (CIDRAP News) – Deadly H5N1 avian influenza was reported on farms in two more Nigerian states today as United Nations officials warned that the virus’s emergence in Africa represents a serious crisis.The Nigerian agriculture ministry said the virus had been found in chickens on two farms in Kano state and one in Plateau state, according to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) report. Kano borders Kaduna state, site of the first reported outbreak, on the northeast, and Plateau borders it on the southeast.”The outbreak in Kaduna state in northern Nigeria proves that no country is risk-free and that we are facing a serious international crisis,” said Samuel Jutzi, director of the the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO’s) Animal Production and Health Division, in a statement yesterday.Lee Jong-wook, head of the World Health Organization (WHO), said today, “The confirmation of H5N1 avian influenza in poultry in Africa is a cause for great concern and demands immediate action.”The deaths of 60,000 poultry in Kano had been reported previously, but officials had said tests for avian flu were negative. It was not clear today how many of the deaths were due to avian flu, according to the AFP report.Tope Ajakaiye, spokesman for the Nigerian agriculture ministry, said the outbreak sites have been quarantined. “The federal government is doing everything to contain the disease within the three centers that have been located,” the Associated Press (AP) quoted him as saying.The AP reported that Junaidu Maina, director of Nigeria’s livestock department, said poultry farms all across northern Nigeria were under quarantine, but he did not say how many of the country’s 36 states were included in the order.Government accused of slow responseAwalu Haruna of the Poultry Farmers’ Association of Kano yesterday accused the government of tardiness in responding to the outbreak, the AP story said. “The government should have quarantined the affected farms to prevent further spread,” he said. “But as I speak this has not been done. There is still movement of humans and birds in and out of these farms.”According to a Reuters report today, workers at the Kaduna farm where the virus was first reported said all the birds had died about a month ago. “They burned them and buried them,” one worker was quoted as saying. “They didn’t tell us what had happened. I heard it on the news.”About 40,000 birds reportedly died on the farm, near Jaji village. Fifteen large concrete hangars used as chicken barns stood empty today, Reuters reported.The story also said agricultural authorities in Kano state had ordered a quarantine of all farms with mass bird deaths, but officials would not destroy the flocks until tests confirm the presence of H5N1. Otherwise, “people might take advantage” of compensation being offered to farmers, one official said.International help expectedThe United States has pledged $25 million to help contain the virus, according to the AP and Reuters reports.Ajaikaye told AFP a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention team based in Kenya was expected to come to Nigeria and set up a laboratory. The team is to bring 2,000 protective suits for health and veterinary workers, he said.Experts from the FAO, the WHO, and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) were expected to travel to Nigeria tomorrow to help, the AP quoted the OIE’s Alex Thiermann as saying.The WHO’s Lee said in his statement, “The single most important public health priority at this stage is to warn people about the dangers of close contact with sick or dead birds infected with H5N1.”He said the WHO is offering to help the Nigerian government in a public information campaign, possibly by giving messages about bird flu during a nationwide, house-to-house polio immunization campaign scheduled to begin Feb 11.Lee noted that African health systems are already struggling to cope with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and other diseases. “We simply do not know what the impact of exposure to avian influenza will be on the many people who may be already immunocompromised and in a fragile state of health,” he said.Greece reports infected swansIn other developments, three swans found dead in northern Greece tested positive for an H5 virus, possibly signaling H5N1’s arrival in the country, according to an AFP report today.Greece has had no confirmed outbreaks of H5N1 so far. Last October there was a report of an H5 virus in some turkeys on a Greek island, but the findings apparently were never confirmed. At this writing, the OIE Web site showed no reports of H5 avian flu in Greece.Two of the infected swans were found in the northern port city of Salonika, and the third came from the prefecture of Pieria, according to officials quoted by AFP.The Greek agriculture ministry said a European Union–certified laboratory in Salonika had detected H5 viruses in samples from the three swans, which were among 52 birds tested, AFP reported.The samples have been sent to a London lab for to determine whether the virus is H5N1, officials told AFP.Earlier this week, a swan infected with an H5 virus was reported in Bulgaria, which adjoins northeastern Greece.See also:Feb 9 statement by WHO Director-General Lee Jong-wookhttp://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2006/s03/en/index.htmlFeb 8 FAO statementhttp://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000226/index.html
HHS adds new anthrax drug to national stockpile
Oct 6, 2005 CIDRAP News article “HHS to buy two anthrax drugs for testing” The HHS had previously awarded Cangene and another company, Human Genome Sciences, Inc., of Rockville, Md., contracts to test two experimental anthrax drugs. “Our first line of defense against anthrax is antibiotics,” said HHS assistant secretary for public health emergency preparedness Craig Vanderwagen, MD. “While additional studies are underway to determine its efficacy and ultimate role in treatment, AIG may have the potential to provide physicians with a source of human antibodies against the anthrax toxin that could improve the management of patients with the life-threatening toxemia associated with severe anthrax.” B anthracis is classified as a category A bioweapon. Anthrax spores sent through the US mail in the fall of 2001 caused 22 cases of anthrax,11 cutaneous and 11 inhalational. Five patients with the latter form died. The source of the anthrax has never been identified. Jul 28 HHS press release on adding AIG to the national stockpilehttp://archive.hhs.gov/news/press/2006pres/20060728.html See also: Jul 31, 2006 (CIDRAP News) The US government announced Jul 28 that it will add 10,000 courses of anthrax immune globulin (AIG) to the strategic national stockpile. Toxins produced by the anthrax bacteria are believed to be a major cause of mortality in infected patients. The HHS says AIG is a potentially promising addition to the options physicians have to prevent and treat anthrax infections. In a press release Jul 28, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said it awarded a $143,833,719 contract to Cangene, based in Winnipeg, Man. Deliveries of AIG, used to prevent or treat inhalational anthrax cause by Bacillus anthracis, to the stockpile are expected to begin in 2007. Full payment to Cangene hinges on the product being approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA); however, the contract permits delivery of the product before FDA approval in an emergency.
WHO reports progress on H5N1 vaccines
Feb 16, 2007 (CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) today reported “encouraging progress” on development of H5N1 avian influenza vaccines, while cautioning that global capacity to make the vaccines remains very limited.Following a 2-day meeting of vaccine experts in Geneva, the WHO said new vaccines aimed at various strains of H5N1—considered the likeliest candidate to spark a flu pandemic—look promising.”For the first time, results presented at the meeting have convincingly demonstrated that vaccination with newly developed avian influenza vaccines can bring about a potentially protective immune response against strains of H5N1 virus found in a variety of geographical locations,” the WHO said in a news release.”Some of the vaccines work with low doses of antigen, which means that significantly more vaccine doses can be available in case of a pandemic,” the agency added.However, the statement continues, “WHO stresses that the world still lacks the manufacturing capacity to meet potential global pandemic influenza vaccine demand as current capacity is estimated at less than 400 million doses per year of trivalent seasonal influenza vaccine.” The current world population is more than 6 billion.Sixteen companies from 10 countries are developing prototype pandemic flu vaccines against H5N1, the WHO said. Five of those companies also are developing vaccines against other avian flu strains, including H9N2, H5N2, and H5N3. More than 40 clinical trials have been completed or are under way, most of them involving healthy adults. But some companies have begun clinical trials in children and the elderly.So far, all the vaccines were safe and well tolerated in the groups tested, the agency said. Most of the companies are using vaccine strains corresponding to H5N1 viruses provided by WHO collaborating laboratories.Because pandemic flu viruses are products of constant evolution, no one knows how well any of the prototype vaccines under development would work against a pandemic H5N1 virus, but experts hope that the vaccines would provide some protection. Once a pandemic strain emerges, it is expected to take at least 6 months to produce a vaccine precisely matching it.Today’s statement strikes a different tone from that of a report on flu research released by the WHO last November. That report, based on a meeting of 22 scientists in September, said vaccine developments at that point did not look promising. One problem cited was that H5N1 viruses had branched off into a number of different subgroups, and vaccines that worked well against one subgroup did not work well against others.The November report also said many fundamental questions about H5N1 vaccines remained to be answered. Because of the many unknowns, the report cautioned governments against stockpiling pre-pandemic vaccines. Today’s brief statement does not mention stockpiling.The WHO meeting drew more than 100 flu vaccine experts, who heard and discussed information on more than 20 projects. The aim was to review progress in vaccine development and reach a consensus on future priorities. The meeting was the third of its kind in 2 years, the WHO said.The statement does not give an estimate of how many doses of H5N1 vaccines have been made so far, and further information was not immediately available.In 2006 the WHO launched its global pandemic influenza action plan, a program expected to cost $10 billion over 10 years, the statement noted. One goal of the plan is to enable developing countries to build their own flu vaccine production facilities.In launching the program last October, the WHO called for an urgent effort to boost vaccine production capacity and develop better vaccines, while cautioning that it would take 3 to 5 years for the effort to bear fruit.See also:Feb 16 WHO statement on vaccine developmenthttp://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2007/np07/en/index.htmlNov 2, 2006, CIDRAP News story “WHO report calls H5N1 vaccine stockpiling premature”Oct 23, 2006, CIDRAP News story “WHO seeks urgent push for pandemic flu vaccines”