Scubaism

An Oslo court ordered the Norwegian government Friday to pay three deep sea divers a total of nearly 30 million kroner (US$5.1 million, €3.7 million) in compensation and interest for health problems associated with working in the offshore oil industry.The so-called pioneer divers from the early years of Norway’s offshore oil development, Magn Haakon Muledal, Angus Gunnar Kleppe, Dag Vilnes, won their suit against the government, claiming it knowingly risked their lives by sending them to extreme depths for profit.

A fourth diver, Asbjoern Joergensen, lost the case, formally brought against the Ministry of Labor and Social Inclusion.

Some divers complain of severe health consequences, including lung and brain damage. In December, a government survey said 20 percent of 139 divers active between 1965 and 1990 were on medical disability pensions.

When Norway, now one of the world’s major oil exporters, was first developing its North Sea fields in the 1970s and 1980s, divers were sent to extreme and sometimes experimental depths to maintain and install equipment.

In its 93-page ruling, the court said, “as a result of the oil adventure, Norway is one of the world’s richest countries” and the government, because of its strong role in developing the resources, has a responsibility to the divers for their injuries.

“A small group, about 400, of then strong, healthy young men took jobs as professional divers at the start of what we must call our oil fairy tale,” said the court. “Even though saturation divers had very good pay, the court finds that many paid a price they had not anticipated: their own health.”

It cited studies saying a disturbing number of those divers are now on disability pensions after their deep dives.

The plaintiffs said Norwegian officials accepted a maximum depth for dives of 400 meters (1,300 feet) until 2002, while the safe limit is now set at 180 meters (590 feet).

The court awards to the disabled divers, including interest, compensation and lost income, were 11.5 million kroner (US$1.98 million, €1.43 million) for Vilnes, 11.2 million kroner (US$1.93 million, €1.4 million) for Kleppe and 3.1 million (US$535,000, €387,000) for Muledal.

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Kenyan researchers have hailed a humble fish as the latest weapon in the battle to curb the spread of malaria.

Nile tilapia, a fish more usually seen on Kenyan dinner tables, was introduced to several abandoned fishponds in the west of the country. By consuming mosquito larvae it managed to reduce numbers of two of the main malarial mosquitoes by more than 94%.

The BMC Public Health study noted the fish could prove critical as mosquitoes are becoming resistant to pesticides.

Nile tilapia’s taste for mosquitoes has been known since 1917 but this is the first time field data has been published detailing their use in mosquito control, the researchers from the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology said.

The authors suggested that for Kenyans, the fish could prove a win-win investment. In addition to limiting mosquito populations they could also be used for food, and even generate income, too.

“This method may well work in a defined area of water, but mosquitoes spread in all sorts of places - including small pools in the mud and puddles - where you obviously can’t introduce fish,” said Joanne Greenfield, malaria advisor for the World Health Organization in Kenya. “It just wouldn’t work for many areas.”

But she added: “We recommend a spectrum of methods to combat malaria, and this could certainly be a useful tool.”

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A special type of cell found in the eye has been found to be very important in regenerating the retina in zebrafish and restoring vision even after extensive damage. Now, a UK team of scientists believe they may be able to use these cells – known as Müller glial cells – to regenerate damaged retina in humans, according to a study published this month in the journal Stem Cells.

Researchers at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital have studied these Müller glial cells in the eyes of people from 18 months to 91 years of age. The team showed that a population of these cells have stem cell properties and are able to develop into a range of different retinal cells. The researchers were able to develop the cells in vitro into all the types of neurons found in the retina.

When tested in rat models with diseased retinas, the cells migrated into the retina and took on the characteristics of the surrounding neurons. The researchers are now looking at developing this approach for use in the human eye. In addition to growing the cells in the lab and transplanting them back into the eye, the researchers are looking at ways to stimulate growth and persuading the eye to repair itself using its own cells.

“Müller cells with stem cell properties could potentially restore sight to someone who is losing or has lost their sight due to diseased or damaged retina,” says Dr Astrid Limb, who led the study. “Our findings have enormous potential.”

“It may be possible to store the cells in a cell bank and transplant them into the eye or to use cells from a person’s own eye.”

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According to state and federal agencies, though, the amounts of mercury in certain fish caught in the Gulf of Mexico and the Rio Grande could be cause for concern.

A decade ago, the state’s health department issued a consumption advisory on king mackerel caught in the Gulf, cautioning people to minimize their intake of the large fish because of mercury levels. The advisory continues to stand today.

The Environmental Protection Agency also has advised that women of childbearing age, pregnant women and young children avoid eating swordfish, shark and tilefish, which all contain high mercury levels. All of these species make periodic appearances in the Gulf.

Nearly all types of fish contain some amount of mercury. But it’s the fish at the top of the food chain that have the highest levels, said Pam Baker, regional director for Environmental Defense’s oceans program. Mercury accumulates in fish tissue and the levels grow as the fish grows, she said.

“The mercury doesn’t dissipate over time,” Baker said. “And each time a fish eats another fish, the fish takes on that mercury load too.”

In the Gulf, the types of fish most popular with tourists are smaller than king mackerel or swordfish and therefore lower in mercury — fish like red snapper, dolphin fish and wahoo, for example, said Bryan Ray, owner of South Padre Island-based Master Plan Charters. Several times a week, Ray takes tourists out into the Gulf to fish.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, red snapper, dolphin fish and wahoo have moderate to low mercury levels.

Tourists occasionally catch larger fish like shark or king mackerel, and that’s when Ray will mention mercury. “I tell them the smaller king mackerels are much better to eat than the large ones,” he said.

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Bumiputera boat builder Kaymarine Sdn Bhd is constructing seven all-purpose catamarans for the Marine Department in Peninsular Malaysia at a cost of RM56 million.

The aluminium catamaran high speed inter-island services craft will be used as sea ambulances to move people who fall sick on island resorts or other offshore points to the mainland for medical treatment.

Kaymarine chairman Datuk Wan Mohd Albakri Wan Md Noor said each boat will be have a fully equipped treatment room that meets the requirements of paramedics such as patient monitor, trauma stretcher, medical bunk, first aid box, inspection lamp, mini fridge and oxygen tank.

“Work on building the vessels began last May, and all the more than 200 workers are locals, which demonstrates that their skills are on par with those of foreigners.

“Although we faced several problems, the first of the seven catamarans has already been completed, well ahead of the year-end deadline,” he said at the handing over of the craft at Kelab Teluk Warisan here today.

He said the 26m catamaran named `Sirius’ can travel at up to 28 knots and its range exceeds 400 nautical miles.

The boats being built use high technology such as direct glazing outframeless windows which are widely used in fast ferries, passenger vessels and cruise liners. The walls are made of aluminium honeycomb panels, which is a new product that is light yet sturdy.

Marine Department director general Datuk Kapt Ahmad Othman said at the handing over that the catamarans are being built under an Eighth Malaysia Plan allocation that has been extended into the current Ninth Plan.

“All this while, we haven’t had vessels that are suitable to transport patients from offshore to shore, especially at night, and these catamarans will enable us to not only provide this service at all hours but also help improve the department’s operations,” he added.

The first catamaran will be based at Kuala Terengganu to serve the people at Redang and Kapas islands, while the others will be at several other islands like Tioman, Labuan, Langkawi, Pangkor and Pulau Ketam.

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Whalemeat served in school lunches in an area of rural Japan are contaminated with alarming levels of mercury, a local assemblyman said on Wednesday, calling for a halt in plans for the meat to be shipped to schools nationwide.Hisato Ryono, a assemblyman in Taiji, a historic whaling town some 450 km (280 miles) west of Tokyo, said two samples of short-finned pilot whale had mercury levels 10 to 16 times more than advised by the Health Ministry.

The samples, bought from two local supermarkets, also had 10-12 times more methyl mercury than advised levels, he said.

Ryono and a fellow assemblyman conducted tests after local authorities ignored their calls to have the whalemeat inspected before it was served in school lunches in the town’s kindergartens and elementary and junior high schools.

“We were shocked that it continued to be served in school lunches,” Ryono told Reuters by phone. “We are not calling for the town to stop whaling. But there are plans to ship the whalemeat to schools nationwide, and we want to stop that, or at least have it tested first.”

While meat from the short-finned pilot whale — part of the dolphin family — is currently only served in schools in Taiji, plans are under way for it to be shipped to schools across the country from the whale-hunting season starting in September, he said.

Other types of whalemeat are already served in school lunches nationwide, including in Tokyo.

Local authorities, including the town’s school board, could not be reached for comment.

Activists have said in the past that some whale meat sold in Japanese supermarkets may be contaminated with hazardous levels of mercury, cancer-causing PCBs or heavy metals. Japan abandoned commercial whaling in accordance with an international moratorium in 1986 but conducts what it calls “scientific research” whaling every year and is pushing for the resumption of commercial whaling.

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Shark cartilage, a widely used alternative therapy for cancer, did not help patients with lung cancer live longer, according to the results of one of the first rigorous studies of the approach.

But two smaller studies showed some preliminary but encouraging evidence that two other complementary therapies, ginseng and flaxseed, might have some benefit for cancer patients.

The studies were presented on Saturday here at the annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology, where the nation’s cancer doctors usually discuss the latest in chemotherapy and new biotechnology drugs.

It is relatively unusual for this meeting to highlight alternative therapies, but doctors here said that might be changing. They acknowledge that many of their patients are taking these supplements — widely available in health food stores — and asking them about them. So, they said, well-designed clinical trials are needed to determine whether these approaches are helpful or harmful.

The shark cartilage clinical trial was mandated by Congress and was sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. It tested a shark cartilage extract being developed as a drug by Aeterna Zentaris, a Canadian company.

But in the trial, those who received the shark cartilage extract lived a median of 14.4 months, meaning that half the patients had died by that point. Those who got a placebo had a median survival of 15.6 months.

The trial involved 384 patients in the United States and Canada with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. The shark cartilage extract was given as a liquid that patients drank twice a day.

Results were somewhat more promising, though far less definitive, for flaxseed. That study, led by scientists at Duke University Medical Center, involved 161 men with prostate cancer who were scheduled to have their prostates removed.

After the glands were removed about a month later, the tumors were studied. It was found that the tumors of the men who had taken the flaxseed had been growing about 30 percent to 40 percent more slowly than for those who did not.

The ginseng study suggested that the herb might help fight fatigue, which is common in people with cancer. The study involved 282 patients with various types of cancer.

About one-quarter of the patients who took 1,000 or 2,000 milligrams a day of powdered extract of ginseng root reported that their fatigue had become “moderately better” or “much better.” That contrasted with only one-tenth of those who took either a smaller amount of ginseng or a placebo.

Doctors said that it was too early to recommend that patients take flaxseed or ginseng, though they said the supplements were not harmful.

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Norwegian researchers are calling for bold, non-hairy humans to bare their arms and be stung by jellyfish — in the name of science.

Testing a new sun screen, aimed at protecting against jellyfish stings, the University of Oslo said it wants volunteers to be burned by jellyfish tentacles on both arms — one with ordinary sun block, the other with anti-jellyfish sun lotion.

“You’re supposed to get burned. If you’re not, then the tests have been a waste of time,” Torgrim Andersen, spokesman for the university’s biology department, said Wednesday.

Only five people have registered for the test, to be held on Thursday, but Andersen said he was optimistic about getting a team of more than 10 people. “There’s been a lot of interest in us doing this,” he said.

Volunteers must be aged over 18, have hair-free inner arms, which means they get stung easier. Asthmatics, pregnant women or people with allergies or skin diseases will not be accepted, Andersen said.

The compensation? Three bottles of anti-jellyfish sun screen, of course — provided by the sponsor of the trial, the Norwegian sun cream company AC-SunCare.

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DOCTORS are to use skin made from sharks to treat the terror suspect horrifically burned in the Glasgow Airport attack.Surgeons struggling to save Kafeel Ahmed, 27, have turned to a revolutionary treatment.

The expensive process involves a skin substitute made from shark cartilage and cow tendons. A source said: “Ahmed is being treated with these grafts because there is nothing left on his body that can be used.”

The Glasgow Royal Infirmary insider added: “He is receiving the latest technology to try to heal the skin — but there is still little hope of him surviving.

“In the past, pig skin was used to treat severe burns, but the shark skin treatment is used now.”

The process — a system called Integra Dermal Regeneration Template which costs more than £20,000 — involves doctors placing silicone implants with shark skin extracts on to the burns.

After two weeks, the outer protective silicone layer is removed and replaced with a layer of skin thinner than a graft. A chemical in the shark skin prevents a scar from forming and allows the body to produce a skin-like tissue.

Surgeon Steve Jeffrey, who spent nine months in Australia perfecting the treatment, explained: “It tricks the body into creating new skin cells.”

Sources at the Royal Infirmary, where Ahmed is under armed guard, say he is in a coma. One said: “This person is effectively dead already.”

It is alleged Ahmed and Iraqi doctor Bilal Abdullah, 27, drove the flaming Jeep Cherokee into Glasgow Airport.

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Divers across Europe are joining the campaign started by UK divers against changes to valve fittings for nitrox and trimix cylinders. The UK’s Health and Safety Executive had fought to prevent the fitting becoming compulsory, however, was out-voted when the new standard was created, as reported by DIVE in June.

Diver Peter Slegg from Hertfordshire set up a petition against the EU standard which requires a specific pillar valve to be fitted for cylinders containing more than 22-per-cent oxygen. The M26 valve thread is similar to the well-known DIN fitting, however, it is a different size and not compatible with most regulator set-ups.

French, Slovenian, Czech and Portuguese divers have also set up various petitions against the valve change, which will become European law in August 2008.

‘Hopefully the international diving community can stop this law and discourage the European Union from interfering in subjects that they clearly have little understanding of,’ Slegg told DIVE.

The petition can be accessed at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/SCUBA-valves/#detail

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