Japan: More women seeking marriage after twin calamities

Like in many modern countries, Japanese women focus on their careers and marry late. The 11 March Great East Japan Earthquake that plagued the country may have been a wake up call to many singles particularly women.

They came to reflect and think about their life and future.

Arizona baby who grew outside the uterus delivered safely

This is Medicine's first.

A 27-year-old woman from Arizona gave birth to a 1,143-gram (2-pound-14-ounce) baby boy at 32 weeks gestational age last Monday at the Maternal Fetal Medicine Center at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center.

What is so special about this case other than the baby being born prematurely?

Well, the fetus developed outside his mother's womb.

Two Filipinos killed in Missouri tornado

At least two Filipino women were killed on Sunday in Missouri's tornado, the worst in US history.

Grace Aquino was killed in a collapsed building in Joplin to save her son by covering him. He sustained minor bruises, according to an email sent by viewer Dustin Dalisay to Balitang America on Tuesday, in a report by ABS CBN.

Filipinos' reactions on the RH Bill radio debate

I listened to an entertaining—but not necessarily educational—debate about one of the Philippines' hotly discussed topics these months known as the Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008 or simply, the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill.

Pro-RH Bill Rep. Rissa Hontiveros Baraquel and anti-RH Bill Sec. Lito Atienza Jr. belted their best wisdom on whether the country needs to pass this Bill as a Law in a debate at DZMM.

Philippine town wins UN Disaster Risk Reduction Award

Mabuhay!

The municipality of San Francisco in the Camotes Island, Cebu bagged the grand prize of $25,000 from the 2011 United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction for strengthening its disaster preparedness program.

The other city winners that received $12,500 each on 11 May during the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction held in Geneva were Argentina and Canada, according to the The UN News Center.

Sexually Transmitted Infection

Available at: Jeepney Press

Tanong (T): Drop ko na lang ang facts.

Sept. 28, may nakatalik akong babae na naka-chat ko lang sa Facebook. Well educated siyang babae pero hindi ako naniniwalang ikalawa lang ako sa mga naka-sex niya.

Oct. 13, nag-sex kami ng girlfriend ko while having her period. After noon eh nakaramdam na ako ng tila mabigat na pakiramdam na parang namamaga sa kaliwang bayag ko.

Rat poison: Another theory surrounding the mysterious tourist deaths in Thailand

Chiang Mai's seven mysterious deaths continue to perplex our minds much like in the X-Files series.

In a related development, health officials in northern Thailand are now entertaining the possibility of poisoning due to chemicals used to kill rodents, Australia's News.Com said.

Kids of undocumented Filipinos in Sabah are neither Filipinos nor Malaysians

Up to one million undocumented Filipinos live near Sabah, Malaysia's poorest state.

The attached YouTube video by Al Jazeera shows a glimpse of the hundreds of thousands of undocumented Filipinos who has lived for several years close to the Malaysian territory seeking better opportunities.

Terminal breast cancer patient arrives in native South Korea

She made it!

The woman who was diagnosed to have late stage breast carcinoma has finally arrived in South Korea on Friday via Delta Airlines.

Crystal Kim and her daughter, Mimi, were even upgraded to first class seats from Seattle to Inchŏn, said King 5 News.

Child slavery in the chocolate industry

Many people love chocolates. I, for one, am a huge fan of it but a documentary film that I watched last night made me think that there are many injustices behind my favorite dessert.

The four-part YouTube video titled The Dark Side of Chocolate(total running time: 45 minutes) opened my eyes that forced child labor exists in Ivory Coast where almost half of the world's cocoa is produced.

Terminal cancer patient barred to fly from US to Korea

A weak-looking 62-year-old woman who is suffering from stage 4 breast cancer was denied transportation to her home country via Korean Air on 8 May for Mother's Day.

Korean-American Crystal Kim accompanied by her daughter, Mimi, failed to take their seats in a flight from Seattle because airline authorities thought she was unfit to last the 11-hour travel even though she showed proofs from two doctors who cleared her that the illness will not be a deterrent, The Korea Herald said.

Successful HIV vaccine trial in monkeys gives hope for human cure

After years of working to create a vaccine that can effectively prevent the deadly HIV/AIDS, US scientists published a report that promises to find cure to the elusive virus.

In their experiment, 24 healthy rhesus monkeys were injected with a vaccine that will produce antigens and attack the monkey form of HIV, said the BBC.

May 12 is International Nurses Day

Feel good when you’re feeling bad. We have nurses to thank for.

May 12 marks the International Nurses Day. The world honors the thousands of nurses who dedicate their services to the millions of sick people.

7.1-Magnitude earthquake hits South Pacific, no injuries

The USGS reported a 7.1-magnitude earthquake in the Loyalty Islands close to the island nation Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean at 08:55:11 UTC Tuesday.

No tsunami warnings were issued. There were no injuries or damages reported.

Thailand's mysterious tourist deaths linked to insecticide poisoning

Seven tourists were reported to have died between January and March while spending their holidays in northern Thailand, all with similar circumstances and symptoms of severe chest pain that progressed to vomiting and fainting.

An incredible life-threatening investigative journalism was undertaken by reporters of New Zealand's TV3 60 Minutes who traveled to Chiang Mai and posed as tourists to get samples and swabs in Downtown Inn—the hotel were all of the seven died.

Online survey shows 90% of foreigners want to stay in Japan despite the risks

An online survey conducted shortly after the 11 March triple calamities in Japan showed that over 90 percent of foreigners living in the country did not want to leave in spite of the damage and risks facing them.

A total of 392 respondents—90 percent of whom were Chinese, Taiwanese and South Koreans—answered the Internet-based poll conducted by the International Foreign Students Association between 22 and 26 March, The Japan Times said.

Japan: Radiation level in nuclear reactor 1 drops

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said Saturday that the radiation level inside the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear reactor 1 have dropped that will enable workers to reenter the building and make the necessary repairs.

The nuclear operator said the decrease in the level was due to a ventilator that was installed in the building on Thursday to filter out the radioactive materials from the air. However, there was no mention what the numerical values are, in a report by the Kyodo News.

Japan's radiation limit for kids criticized by US medical group

A US-based non-profit organization has criticized Japan's radiation safety standards for school children in Fukushima prefecture, one of the hardest hit areas during the 11 March calamity.

The Japanese government's radiation limit of less than 20 millisieverts for one year for kids was challenged by the Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), The Japan Times said.

Philippines offers free cancer screening to women

The Department of Health (DOH) announced that it will offer free cervical cancer screening to women between ages 35 and 45 in 58 designated hospitals all over the country.

The cancer screening will be done once a week for the whole month of May in the observance of the cervical cancer awareness, according to the DOH Website.

Asbestos: Another health risk in post-disaster Japan

Much has been said about radioactive substances since the nuclear power plant in Japan's Fukushima prefecture exploded over a month ago.

But now, attention is being paid to another potential environmental problem that may pose health risk—asbestos.

Analysts have found that there are 2 fibers of the cancer-causing substance per liter of air in Sendai city, an area that was devastated by the quake-triggered tsunami, Asbestos.com said.

That value is lower than the Japanese safety standard of 10 fibers per liter but they still consider it alarming.

The tsunami waves that destroyed several houses and buildings disturbed the asbestos that is part of the materials used in the construction of such edifice. It is estimated that there are more than six million tons of rubble in each town.

The health ministry has already made efforts to lessen the exposure of the people by issuing instructional materials and as much as 90,000 masks.

Prolonged inhalation of asbestos particles may cause inflammation of the lungs. Once inhaled and retained in the respiratory tract, asbestosis may occur, which is a medical condition that causes swelling and hardening of the lung tissue.

Symptoms of the disorder include chest pain, cough, shortness of breath and tightness in the chest.

After many years, asbestos exposure could also lead to the development of a rare form of tumor called mesothelioma, which causes fatal cancer in the lungs, abdomen, heart and testicles.

Takuo Saitou, a Sendai-based attorney and a spokesman for a group tackling defective home issues in the disaster-hit areas said, "There are a lot of people going back into the rubble to search for valuables and photos.

"There are people not even wearing masks. This is like a suicidal act. We want people to know this is a problem."

Details of this report here.