What Is The Difference Between A Cyst And A Boil?

How can one tell the difference between a cyst and a boil?

Cysts and abscesses (I’ll use the medical term for boils) are both lumps or masses which may occur almost anywhere in the body or on the skin. Cysts may become abscesses. The basic distinction between the two is that an abscess is by definition a localized bacterial infection, whereas a cyst is an uninfected, fluid-filled mass.

The abnormal collection of fluid or other material which makes up cysts occurs because the fluid produced by a gland or an organ cannot be secreted in the normal way and thus builds up. The most common ones are sebaceous cysts, which form in the skin from the tiny glands that secrete sebum, the oily material normally found on our skin. Whiteheads on the face are small sebaceous cysts, while larger ones are common anywhere on the skin surface, and especially on the scalp. Many sebaceous cysts have a small opening at the top, the outlet for the gland that has become cystic, and squeezing the cyst may force out the oily material through the opening. Cysts are rarely painful.

Other common sites where one finds cysts are the kidney, the liver and occasionally the brain. Most cysts in these locations are benign and do not need to be treated, but if they are numerous, as can occur in polycystic kidney disease, or if they press on another vital structure, as may happen with brain cysts, then they may cause serious problems.

Some cysts are formed in tumors. This occurs if the tumor cells secrete a fluid into the tumor where it cannot escape, creating a cyst. Ovarian cancers are particularly prone to be cystic, but cancers in some other tissues may also be. Kidney cancers can be cystic, and differentiating between a single benign cyst of the kidney and a kidney cancer can occasionally be a problem. When many cysts are present, as in polycystic renal disease, the distinction is easier.

Cysts may also be caused by some parasitic infections. T. solium, the pork tapeworm, can cause cysticercosis if a human ingests the worm’s eggs by eating contaminated food. The eggs migrate to muscle tissue or the brain, where they slowly grow and form cysts. A different parasite known as echinococcus tends to form cysts in the liver and lungs. These cysts may be quite large and last for many years without producing symptoms. In the brain, of course, they are much more likely to cause serious disease.

Abscesses are localized infections typically caused by staphylococci, which have a tendency to produce pus and not to spread through tissue. Cysts which become infected may become abscesses. This is most common on the face, in the armpits and the inner thighs, but sebaceous cysts may become infected and turn into abscesses anywhere on the skin surface.

Abscesses may also occur in other tissues and internal organs, but internal cysts, such as kidney or liver cysts, seldom become infected and therefore do not turn into abscesses. Instead, internal abscesses usually form as a result of a pre-existing infection in the organ — for example tubo-ovarian abscesses that follow infection in the Fallopian tubes — or by bacteria that have spread through the bloodstream from an infected heart valve or an infection elsewhere.

Abscesses cause pain and often fever or other signs of localized infection. They almost always require treatment, and will often require drainage. Internal abscesses usually have to be surgically removed or drained. Antibiotics alone are generally not effective in treating abscesses, since the antibiotic cannot easily diffuse into the pus of the abscess. In addition, staphylococci and other abscess-forming bacteria are increasingly resistant to most antibiotics. After an abscess has been drained, and a culture taken to see if the bacteria are sensitive, then an antibiotic may speed healing.

Small abscesses on the skin may heal with only hot soaks as treatment, and I regularly tell my patients who are prone to styes (small abscesses of glands in the eyelids), or who get frequent abscesses under the arms or on the thighs to start hot-soaking the area as soon as they are aware of the painful swelling. This simple treatment is surprisingly effective if started early, before the infection has had a chance to grow.

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UDOO: $109 single-board computer is like an Arduino crossed with a Raspberry Pi

Arduino boards are small, inexpensive devices that let you build things with sensors (to control anything from a robot to a home automation system). The Raspberry Pi is a small, single board computer that can run Linux-based software.

But what if you want a board that can do both of those things? That’s where the UDOO comes in. It’s a single-board Arduino-compatible computer which has a faster processor than the Raspberry Pi, support for Android or Linux.

The developers launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the project a few days ago, and have already blown well past their goal. That means the first UDOO units could hit the streets as early as Sepetember, if all goes according to plan.

The UDOO is powered by a Freescale i.MX6 ARM Cortex-A9 processor and features 1GB of RAM, a microSD card slot for storage, gigabit Ethernet and WiFi, 2 USB ports, 2 mini USB ports, HDMI, and audio ports.

It also has the same SAM3X8E ARM Cortex-M3 chip as the Arduino Due, and support for any shields that will work with the Arduino Due.

Not only is the whole project kind of cool, but the makers of the UDOO board have put together one of the best videos I’ve ever seen showing what you might actually want to do with an Arduino board — especially one that also has its own on-board computer.

Examples shown in the video include a video game system that receives input from homemade controllers (like foot-pads for a racing game), a motion sensor that you can wave your hands in front of to control music playback, or a remote control robot that lets you follow your dog around with a camera while streaming the video over the internet to a tablet.

There will be two models of the UDOO board. The UDOO DUAL has a i.MX6 dual-core processor and a $109 price (although early bird Kickstarter backers can snag it for $99), while the UDOO QUAD has an i.MX6 quad-core processor and a SATA connector. That model will sell for $129, but early backers can reserve one for a pledge of $119.

Since Freescale offers plenty of documentation for its i.MX6 chips, these systems should be pretty hacker-friendly, and the developers say they’ll support Android and Linux.

via CNX-Software

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Nipple Tattoos now Trending in U.K.

Ladies—and, yes, gentlemen—are you nervous about your nipples? Anxious about your areolae? Is your left larger than your right? Is the right darker than the left? Is one too high? Is the other cracked? Or are they just too big, too bumpy, too smooth, or too small?

Increasing numbers of women and men facing these aesthetic dilemmas are turning to nipple tattoos to solve their problems. Advocates of the procedure-–which sits on the hinterland between cosmetic surgery and “semipermanent makeup,” such as eyebrow shaping—say that for some, a little judicious shading and definition of the nipple area can be a significantly cheaper and less invasive solution to chest insecurity than surgery.

But before you rush off to get your nipples tattooed, be warned: the color fades, so when you have your nice new nipples, if you want to keep them that way, you’ll have to drop into your clinic every year or two for a wee top-up.

And of course, it hardly needs to be said that you should choose with care the individual wielding a tattooists needle pricking your anaesthetized nipple and the surrounding area 100 times a second (it doesn’t hurt at the time, but it can be agony for a few days afterward).

For unfortunately, things can go wrong. “A procedure gone wrong can have devastating effects,” says one technician. “A couple of millimeters out, and those beautiful perky breasts can end up looking like you have breast-fed 15 kids.” Nipple pigmentation is not without its horror stories. And you really don’t want to end up, as one nipple tattooist says of an unfortunate client who presented at her clinic in need of a fix-up, looking like she’d put lipstick on her boobs.

These concerns have not stopped nipple tattooing—or “tittooing,” as it has inevitably become known—from becoming the fastest-growing body-alteration trend in the U.K., with plastic surgeons, beauticians, and semipermanent-makeup artists all reporting a steady uptick in the numbers of women and men seeking “nip tats” for purely cosmetic reasons, unconnected to any breast surgery.

Although nipple tattooing is for many a pure vanity exercise, the procedure has worthy roots in reconstructive surgery. After mastectomies and reconstructive breast surgery, many patients want to have the appearance of nipples restored, even if they can’t have fully functioning nipples. Artificial nipple pigmentation is also widely used to help conceal scars caused by breast enlargement or reduction and for sufferers of vitiligo. But recently there has been a surge in the numbers of men and women seeking tittoos for purely cosmetic reasons.

And what do they want done to their nipples, these seekers of a perfect chest?

They want them darker, bigger, and more symmetrical.

Nilesh Sojitra, a London plastic surgeon who is a member of the professional body the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, specializes in breast enlargement and reduction, but also has a nurse on hand at his clinic who performs nipple tattooing. “It is definitely getting more popular as a purely cosmetic procedure,” unconnected to any surgery, he says. “We used to get no people at all asking for it. Now it would be a few a month. There are more men asking for it also, probably 20 percent of the people we see. It is generally people who are seeing slight differences between the left and right sides and are seeking to match up. There is a question of a size and also a color match.” He adds: “It’s about looking good naked and undressing in front of their partner. When people get conscious of these things, they can think that [the imperfection] is what their partner is looking at, even if they are not.”

But surely offering clinical procedures to “color correct” and “fix” asymmetrical nipples feeds into those very insecurities rather than easing them? “We provide psychological support, and say to people, ‘You are within the normal range,’” Sojitra says. “But if it is really bothering them, it is actually a very low-risk procedure, a lunchtime thing. Nipple tattooing actually sometimes avoids surgery.”

In the U.S., one of the pioneers of nipple tattooing is Vinnie Myers, a classical tattooist who switched over from hearts and sea monsters to nipples about 12 years ago. He has performed over 4,000 nipple tattoos since then and continues to do 5 to 6 per day in Maryland and New Orleans. Myers specializes in creating “3-D nipple tattooing,” creating a nipple and areola that look like they are sticking out, but are actually drawn on flat skin, thereby avoiding the need for extra reconstruction after breast surgery.

Myers also caters to the nonsurgical market, too. “This tattooing practice has opened up other options for people wanting correction or a different look to their nipples, areolas,” he says. “Some want larger areolas. While there was some of this tattooing going on in the past, most of the time it was done by medical personnel and not traditional tattoo artists, so the results were limited. The fact that now artists are doing it, not a nurse or technician, means they look far more realistic than the salmon-colored circles of the past.”

However, others say you should run a mile from “traditional tattoo artists” and make sure instead that you are recruiting the services of a “micropigmentation specialist.”

Anouska Cassano, who has been working in micropigmentation for four years, says, “It’s actually a very different process to tattooing. Although the equipment is the same, a tattoo artist uses ink, and we use pigment. The molecule size is different—if ink were a beach ball, pigment would be a tennis ball—and pigment is designed not to be permanent.”

The nonpermanence of pigment used for nipple tattooing means retouching is needed every so often, and while that may appear an inconvenience, it is actually an advantage (not to mention a safety net), because as skin stretches and the nipple heads south over time, it can simply be redrawn and thereby retain definition like a real nipple would.

Typically, Cassano says, a client would come for two sessions to get the shade and definition of the new nipple correct—followed by top-ups at least every two years.

Cassano estimates that of the people she sees, only about 10 percent of her customers are having it as a “stand-alone treatment” unconnected to other surgery. But it is a percentage that is steadily increasing. “Not that many people know it is available. It is still not a widely known procedure.”

And what do those “cosmetic only” clients want? “Always darker and to correct what they believe is asymmetry,” she says. Does she ever worry on behalf of her clients that their quest for a perfect nipple may be a never-ending and unrealistic exercise in idle vanity?

“If people are coming to you because, for whatever reasons, they are unhappy, you need to ascertain if there is a deeper psychological issue, which means that whatever you do, they won’t be happy. Everything I do is an optical illusion. I just create an optical illusion of a perkier breast.”

Cassano adds: “I always advise that you can get darker areolae, but nothing else in life will change: the promotion at work, the husband leaving. Figuring out the person’s expectations is as important as the treatment itself.”

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Budget iPhone for $330 without contract

At last there is somewhat authentic report about Apple’s much anticipated low-cost or budget iPhone amid a flow of clues about iPhone 5S and iPhone 6.

Apple is on way to test its new budget iPhone in end of this year with a focus to target emerging markets like China and India besides gadget lovers with poor income in United States and Europe.

“Apple plans to launch an inexpensive model targeting emerging markets with initial quarterly shipments of only 2.5-3.0 million units to test market response,” DigiTimes reported.

The report claims that Apple is working with Foxconn to bring a 4 inch display powered with A6 processor. Besides, plastic chassis, of course cost effective material, is likely to be used for the budget iPhone.

Earlier reports suggest that budget iPhone, keeping in view of emerging markets, will cost around $330 without contract.

However, PatentlyApple while doubting over the rumour said that Apple had never ‘tested’ a device in the market before.

“it’s this point that makes the rumor sound invented,” it further said.

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Cheryl Cole

Cheryl Ann Cole (née Tweedy, born June 30, 1983) is a British singer and member of the band Girls Aloud. As part of Girls Aloud and as a featuring artist, Cole has had 21 UK Top Ten singles. In 2008, Cole became a judge on the British reality TV show The X Factor.She is married to the Chelsea and England football player Ashley Cole. Cole was voted "World's Sexiest Woman 2009" by the readers of men's magazine FHM.

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About The TIPS Procedure To Treat Liver Cirrhosis

My father has hepatitis C and is retaining water around the liver and abdominal area. The doctor who removed the last batch of fluid told him of a new procedure that might help. My father is not eligible for a transplant because of advanced heart disease. This new procedure is called TIPS and sounds like some kind of liver bypass. Do you have any information on this?

A TIPS is a relatively recently developed shunt used for treating some of the complications of cirrhosis. It stands for transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt. Understanding how it might be effective for your father requires a little background in the anatomy of the liver, and what happens when one develops cirrhosis.

There are several different kinds of cirrhosis, and the hepatitis C you mention has become one of the more common causes world-wide. Although cirrhosis from various causes may look different when seen on the surface of the liver or in a biopsy under the microscope, the complications that cirrhosis produces are much the same in each of the types. A build-up of fluid in the abdomen, termed ascites, is a common complication. Bleeding from varicose veins in the esophagus, which may be massive, is another, and TIPS is commonly used to treat this latter complication.

Cirrhosis is a type of fibrosis or scarring that develops in the liver after it has been damaged. The damage can be from alcohol, hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, hemochromatosis or other less common causes. As the fibrosis progresses, it slowly shrinks and hardens the liver, and tends to reduce the blood flow passing through it from the intestines. This blood flow, which comes from the spleen as well as the intestines, is called portal blood flow, since it passes through the portal vein. It probably developed to allow the liver the first crack at metabolizing and detoxifying foods that we eat, since all of the blood from the intestines passes through the portal vein into the liver before being pumped out to the rest of the body.

Constricting that blood flow raises the pressure in the portal system; and since the blood is not able to maintain a high volume flow through the liver, it establishes other connections to the regular venous system returning blood from the body to the heart. This regular system, the veins from your arms, legs, kidneys and so on, is termed the systemic venous system. These new connections occur in areas where there are already small connections between the portal and the systemic systems. These are in the esophagus and in the rectum.

These small connections become massively enlarged to accommodate the blood flow, and this produces varicose veins. Varicose veins in the esophagus are particularly prone to pop and bleed. A portosystemic shunt is an opening that allows a large volume flow to pass easily from the portal system into the systemic blood system, reducing the pressure in the portal system, and therefore reducing the likelihood of bleeding from the varicosities.

Portosystemic shunts used to be done with open surgery, by connecting the splenic vein, part of the portal system, to the vena cava, part of the systemic system. The TIPS technology allows a device to be introduced through the jugular vein, and passed down into the liver and forced into a large branch of the portal vein, thus establishing the shunt. This is much less invasive than the old surgical shunts, and therefore better suited for someone who is at high risk.

Whether this would be the best treatment for your father, I really couldn’t say. A standard text mentions doing a TIPS for ascites only if medical treatment or removing fluid through a needle has not been successful. The standard medical treatment would be to restrict salt and water, and if that doesn’t cause the excess fluid to be excreted, to give spironolactone. If spironolactone alone doesn’t do the job, a diuretic such as furosemide is added. In many centers large volumes of the fluid may be removed through a needle in the abdomen, followed by albumin (a protein of the blood plasma) given intravenously, since such patients often have low levels of albumin in the blood which contributes to the development of the ascites.

In difficult cases a different kind of shunt called a peritoneovenous shunt may be considered. This is a tube with a one way valve connecting the peritoneal space where the fluid is collecting to a systemic vein. Fluid goes from the abdomen into the blood, and is then excreted by the kidneys. The one-way valve prevents blood from flowing back into the peritoneal space.

These techniques are usually tried before a TIPS is placed because a TIPS can produce serious complications. Ten to thirty percent of people who have a TIPS placed will develop hepatic encephalopathy, a type of pre-coma/coma produced by toxins that the liver is unable to remove from the blood stream, and treatment is unable to reverse this in about five percent of cases. In about thirty to fifty percent of cases the shunt closes down within a year. Although the peritoneovenous shunt can also close down and require revision, it does not increase the risk of encephalopathy. In someone who has bled from esophageal varices, one may have no alternative to placing a TIPS; but, for ascites, there are alternative treatments that can be tried first.

Because of this complication, you should certainly talk with your father’s doctors about the other treatments being pushed to the limit before proceeding with the TIPS, since as far I can tell, your father has not had bleeding from varices.

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Can You Explain What It Means To Be A Hepatitis B Carrier?

When I got pregnant, I was diagnosed with viral hepatitis — more specifically, the doctor said I am a hepatitis B carrier. What does that really mean? I don’t have any symptoms as far as I know. Both my kids and my husband have been vaccinated. But what do I have to do for myself? Do I have to be vaccinated? I am a bit worried about this and I would appreciate it if you can enlighten me regarding this query.

In the United States, we usually think of hepatitis B as a sexually transmitted disease, and of course it can be spread in that way. But, if we look at hepatitis B from a world-wide perspective, the commonest form of transmission is probably from infected mother to newborn child. Therefore, it is now the standard of care to test all expectant mothers for this virus, so that their newborns can be promptly treated to prevent such transmission. Many women, like you, are surprised to learn that they are hepatitis B carriers, which means that they are chronically infected with the virus.

There are a number of blood tests done to evaluate hepatitis B, and they can be useful in determining the stage of infection and how much risk there is of transmission from someone who is infected to someone else, either sexually or to a newborn at birth. These tests measure various antigens, which are parts of the actual hepatitis virus itself, and the antibodies that our bodies produce against those antigens when we are infected or vaccinated.

Three hepatitis B antigens are recognized: the surface (s) antigen, the core (c) antigen, and the e antigen. The s and e antigens can appear in the blood, and are commonly tested for. The c antigen remains in liver cells, and there is not a commonly used clinical test for it. The tests for the s and e antigens are usually noted as HBsAg, and HBeAg.

Each of the antigens has a corresponding antibody, and clinical tests for all three are commonly done. These are the HBsAb, the HBcAb, and the HBeAb. (Ab is short for antibody, Ag for antigen). A complete panel of hepatitis B tests therefore consists of HBsAg, HBsAb, HBcAb, HBeAg and HBeAb. They are reported as positive or negative, not as numbers. So what do they mean?

When a person if first infected with the virus, HBsAg and HBeAg appear in the blood. These indicate that the virus is duplicating itself in the body and is present in the blood. A short while later the HBcAb appears. This is simply the body’s response to the core antigen, and doesn’t tell us anything about how severe the infection is or whether it will become chronic. If the infected person is able to fight off the virus, which happens in about 95 percent of infected adults, the HBeAg disappears after about four months, and is replaced by the HBeAb. Slightly later HBsAg disappears and is replaced by HBsAb. The presence of HBsAb means that the immune system has successfully fought off the infection, and the person is not able to transmit the infection to others (although blood banks will never accept that person as a donor regardless).

If HBsAg has not converted to HBsAb by six months, then the person is said to have chronic hepatitis, meaning that the virus is still infecting the liver. If HBeAg has not converted to HBeAb, then the person is considered to be highly infectious. A woman who is HBeAg positive when she gives birth has a 90 percent likelihood of infecting her newborn if the baby is not quickly treated. If she is HBsAg positive but has converted to HBeAb — meaning that she is less infectious — the chances of her infecting her newborn fall to about 10 percent.

You apparently didn’t know that you were a carrier until this pregnancy, so possibly you had your first two children before the testing of expectant women was a routine practice. The fact they both escaped being infected means that you are probably in the HBsAg positive, HBeAg negative category, with a low risk of transmission.

Your husband and both children have been vaccinated. This is of course crucial for your husband to prevent sexual transmission to him, and is now standard pediatric practice for all children to prevent them catching the disease sexually when they grow up. Vaccination is done with the HBsAg particle, produced by recombinant technology that ensures that no other viruses are in the vaccine. Someone who has been vaccinated should become HBsAb positive. The absence of HBcAb in people who have been vaccinated distinguishes them from someone who has had the infection and recovered from it.

Vaccination would be pointless for you, since you are already chronically infected. There is treatment now for chronic hepatitis B, with interferon and a drug called lamivudine. Whether you would benefit from such treatment would depend on the age when you were infected (people infected as infants generally cannot be cured) and the state of your liver as determined by blood tests and a liver biopsy. After you are through with this pregnancy, you should be evaluated for treatment by a gastroenterologist. Your baby should be promptly treated after delivery, even though your first two children did not get infected, just on the off chance that he or she might fall in that 10 percent group.

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Can Hepatitis B Turn Into Hepatitis C – Or Turn Into AIDS?

I frequently get questions indicating some misunderstanding about the different types of hepatitis and HIV, and have selected this question to try to clarify the situation.

Hepatitis is a term meaning inflammation of the liver. There are many diseases which can cause a hepatitis, including some that are not even infectious, like sarcoid. Infections that can lead to hepatitis can be bacterial, like syphilis, fungal, like histoplasmosis, parasitic like amebic hepatitis, or viral, like the three diseases you mentioned.

When someone says they have hepatitis however, they are usually referring to one of the three most common types of viral hepatitis, hepatitis A, B, or C. These three viral causes of hepatitis are totally different viruses, and these viruses never change into one another. Therefore, if someone has been infected with the hepatitis A virus, which is spread through food and water, it may make them very ill, but tests will show that they have been infected only with the hepatitis A virus. These tests will usually remain positive for the rest of that person’s life, and will never change to show hepatitis B or C unless the person becomes infected with one of those other viruses. Having had hepatitis A makes one immune to catching it again.

The hepatitis B and C viruses act totally differently. They are not spread through food and water, but through blood, blood products and needle sharing among drug users. Hepatitis B is commonly spread sexually; hepatitis C is occasionally but not often spread in that way. Hepatitis B often makes you sick when you are first infected, whereas hepatitis C seldom makes people sick with the initial infection, and most people with hepatitis C are surprised to be told that they have it.

Both hepatitis B and C, but not A, have the ability to become chronic infections. That is to say they are able to hide from our bodies’ immune system and continue to live within the liver cells. In adults, only about six percent of people infected with type B go on to become chronic cases, but about 85 percent of those infected with type C become chronic. This may be due to the fact that the hepatitis C virus undergoes frequent mutations, changing the proteins that make it up, and thereby evading the antibodies produced by our immune system.

A person can be infected with all three of the hepatitis viruses, but they are all separate infections usually acquired at separate times. I have seen a few patients who have had all three, and many who have had both B and C.

Neither hepatitis B nor C can turn into the human immunodeficiency virus. HIV is transmitted in the same ways as hepatitis B and C; therefore, it is pretty common to have patients with HIV who also have hepatitis B or C. The most common mode of transmission of HIV now in the United States is through intravenous drug use — the sharing of needles — and this is also a perfect way to transmit either hepatitis B or C. Therefore, in my practice, I would estimate that about 50 percent of my HIV-positive patients are also infected with hepatitis C. Many have also had hepatitis B, but since only about six percent of adults develop the chronic form of the disease, they usually no longer have an active infection by that virus.

HIV infection in someone also infected with hepatitis C appears to make the hepatitis progress more rapidly. It may also complicate the treatment of the HIV infection, since many of the potent anti-HIV drugs can be toxic to the liver, and this may be a problem if the person already has a liver damaged by hepatitis C.

The clear answer to your question is: No, hepatitis B cannot turn into hepatitis C, and neither of them can turn into HIV or AIDS. However, the same person can be infected with any two or all three of the viruses, since they are transmitted in the same ways. Sharing needles to inject drugs often results in infection with more than one of these viruses, since injecting them into your bloodstream is the most efficient way of spreading all three. This is the major reason, in my opinion, why free needle exchange programs aimed at drug users are so important to reduce the spread of these infections.

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What Are The Causes Of Hypertension – Is There A Cure?

I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. Since then I have read everything I could find about the topic. Why is there no concrete answer as to the cause and cure? I read that there are over 100 different medications for this disease! Why? I feel that we are being experimented on. Help me understand this because it is causing grave anxiety for me.

High blood pressure is a major health problem in the industrialized world. You are correct that, in most cases, the cause is not known; but what we do know is that the pressure can be controlled by treatment, and that treatment reduces the complications of the disease. These complications include heart failure and arteriosclerosis, leading to heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure.

Improved control of hypertension is thought to be a major factor in the decline in the rate of heart attack deaths over the past thirty years, and is a factor in the reduced rate of strokes as well. Despite this, only about half of the people with hypertension are being treated and only about a quarter have their pressure under control. Much death and disability could be prevented if we could get those figures higher.

The definition of hypertension has also changed over the years. When I was in medical school, a blood pressure of 160/85 in a 65-year-old person was not really considered hypertension, even though the cutoff for a younger person was 140/90, as it is today. We now realize that this systolic hypertension, that is having the first number higher than 140, is associated with increased mortality even in older people, and therefore deserves treatment.

Most hypertension is now thought to result from a complex interaction of genetic, environmental and demographic factors. I believe it’s unlikely that a single cause of the disease will ever be discovered. In a small percentage of cases, a cause can be found, usually in the kidneys or the adrenal glands, and these should certainly be sought and corrected if present. Most people with hypertension have a family history of the disease, many are overweight, and our national habit of eating too much salt also contributes.

I believe that most hypertensives, and certainly the doctors who treat them, are happy that there are so many effective treatments now available. The fact that there are over 100 drugs that can be used doesn’t mean to me that people are being experimented upon. It means that we have available different effective treatments to treat people with mild to severe hypertension, and to change their medications if one doesn’t work or they have a bad reaction to one. Everyone responds differently to treatments — what works for one person might not be effective for another. Therefore, your doctor will try a different medicine or combination before finding the right treatment with the least side effects. This is not experimentation — it is thoughtful medicine. Most hypertension, except the mildest cases, requires more than one drug for effective treatment: a diuretic to reduce the salt load in the body and a beta blocker to lower pressure are first-line treatments shown to work and to reduce mortality.

There are a number of things that people with hypertension can do to reduce their blood pressure without drugs. If overweight, even a modest weight loss of ten to fifteen pounds, will often bring the pressure down. Reducing alcohol intake if it is excessive will help. Exercise: at least thirty minutes of moderate intensity exercise three or more times per week will often reduce the pressure, and has many other benefits as well. Reducing salt and increasing potassium and calcium in the diet will benefit a hypertensive. Potassium can be safely increased by eating more fresh fruits and vegetables; and calcium can be raised by increasing low-fat dairy intake or by supplements, if dairy is not well-tolerated. People under 65 should shoot for an intake of at least 1000mg. of calcium per day, and those over 65 should be taking in 1500mg. per day. Increasing water intake is a natural way to increase the excretion of salt.

Stress management, caffeine restriction, magnesium supplements or eating garlic have not been shown to produce sustained reductions in blood pressure.

If these lifestyle changes do not bring the pressure under control, meaning below 140/90 and even lower for diabetics, then taking one of those hundred or so medications must be considered.

Because the positive benefits of controlling hypertension are so great, I hope that you will work closely with your doctor to bring your pressure under control, even if we don’t know what is causing it to be high — and even if a number of different medicines must be used.

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Treatment Of Systolic And Diastolic High Blood Pressure

Is there a difference in the treatment of systolic hypertension and diastolic hypertension? My systolic pressure is typically in the 120s but my diastolic is in the 90s and 100s. I have had this problem for over 15 years. I exercise regularly and I am not overweight. I’m otherwise in good health and currently taking Verapamil and Cozaar.

Hypertension or high blood pressure is one of the most common diseases that a general doctor like myself sees, but it often remains undiagnosed or undertreated. This is very unfortunate since we now have many drugs that are effective in bringing the blood pressure down to normal, and there is very good evidence that treating hypertension literally saves lives. The treatment of hypertension is one of the reasons that the death rates due to heart attacks, heart failure and stroke have fallen substantially over the past 30 years.

You refer to the systolic and the diastolic pressures. The systolic pressure is the pressure in the large arteries when the heart is actually contracting, and forcing blood out into the arterial system. The diastolic pressure is the pressure in the system between heartbeats, when the heart is not actually contracting. The systolic pressure is always higher than the diastolic. There is no clear-cut dividing line between normal and elevated pressure. We have arbitrarily taken the figures of 140/90 as the line separating normal pressure from hypertension, but in fact the lower the pressure, the better off one is, and doctors are increasingly treating patients to achieve pressure levels under 130/85, and in diabetics, even under 130/80.

For many years it was believed that the diastolic pressure was the more important one, probably because that is the pressure that the arterial system is exposed to most of the time, since diastole, when the heart is not beating, lasts much longer than systole, the time of the contraction. When I was in medical school, at a time when there were few effective treatments for hypertension, we wouldn’t worry about a 65-year-old woman with a pressure of 165/95. Now it is clear that treating a person with such blood pressure is important and will greatly reduce her likelihood of stroke (Harrison Principles of Internal Medicine). Diabetics represent a special case, since the combination of the two diseases produces much more damage to the arterial system and the kidneys. For this reason, the current recommendation for treating hypertension in diabetics is to bring the pressure down even lower than one would in a non-diabetic, to below the level of 130/80.

The combination of hypertension and diabetes is unfortunately all too common, and will become even more common with the increasing incidence of obesity in our population. Obesity is a risk factor for both of these diseases, and makes their treatment more difficult. Trying to lose weight if one has this combination is very important, and even a relatively small amount of weight-loss, like 10 to 15 pounds, may bring the blood pressure down to normal.

The treatment of the systolic and diastolic pressures usually does not differ. That is, drugs or combinations which are effective in reducing the diastolic pressure will usually reduce the systolic as well. One exception to this is people of African American descent, whose systolic pressure may be difficult to control unless a diuretic is used.

You are taking Verapamil, which belongs to the class of calcium channel blockers, and Cozaar, belonging to the class of angiotensin receptor antagonists. This class of drugs has only recently been marketed, and they are only available as brand name drugs. Therefore, they tend to be expensive; and since they are new, there are few studies on long-term effectiveness, particularly studies demonstrating a reduction in mortality. Only beta blockers (Inderal, Tenormin, Lopressor) and diuretics have been around long enough to have been shown to reduce mortality in such long-term studies. Because of this, many experts advise starting treatment with members of those classes, and moving on to other drugs only if there are side effects, or control cannot be achieved with those drugs alone.

Since you appear to have a diastolic pressure persistently in the 90s to the 100s, you are not being treated aggressively enough, in my opinion. You and your doctor should be shooting for a pressure equal to or below 135/85. This may be achieved by either increasing the doses of Verapamil and Cozaar, or adding a third drug. Many doctors will add additional drugs in low doses in the hope of avoiding side effects rather than pushing the dosage of one or two drugs, but either technique is acceptable if the pressure is brought down, and troublesome side effects do not appear.

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Can Caffeine Affect Blood Pressure?

I am 35 and believe I am developing high blood pressure. I am 5’5″, 125 pounds, in the gym five days a week, and eat a low-fat diet. Can caffeine affect blood pressure? Will caffeine cause it to be higher? I’m trying to get it down without medication. It usually runs 140/90.

Hypertension is a common problem seen in general medical practice, and many articles in the past few years have chastised doctors for not being aggressive enough in identifying and treating people with the condition. Therefore, I thought that today’s question would provide a good starting point for a discussion on hypertension.

Hypertension means high blood pressure; and the level of 140/90 is usually accepted as the dividing line between normal pressure, in which both the systolic pressure (the first number) and the diastolic pressure (the second number) are lower, and hypertension, in which one or both of the numbers are higher than that figure.

You write that your pressure runs 140/90, at best. To me this means that you frequently have readings above that. In that case, you definitely have hypertension, and should be seeing your doctor to get it worked up, and probably to start getting treatment.

The workup of someone with hypertension attempts to identify any other conditions that might be causing it — such as certain kidney diseases, or some tumors of the adrenal glands. No such cause is found in more than 90 percent of people with hypertension, who are then said to have essential hypertension. Essential hypertension is strongly inherited. You didn’t mention your family history, but I would not be surprised to hear that one or both parents, or some siblings also have hypertension.

The workup should also include checking for other conditions which might lead to more serious complications when present with hypertension. These include all the risk factors for coronary artery disease such as smoking, high cholesterol, diabetes and perhaps high homocysteine levels in the blood.(See my q/a on this recently recognized risk factor for heart disease.) An electrocardiogram (EKG) to see if the hypertension has caused any enlargement of the heart muscle, and tests to check on other organs may also be done.

Even if your workup is negative, meaning no cause is found for your hypertension and no other risk factors for heart disease are identified, you should still be treated with the goal of reducing your usual blood pressure to around 130/80, or lower. You are getting regular exercise, which is good, and you are not obese. People who are obese and hypertensive should make a determined effort to lose weight, since even a 10-pound weight loss will often result in much lower pressure. Caffeine is not considered a problem in someone who is hypertensive. You can stop drinking coffee and see, but I doubt that that will reduce your pressure. Lowering your salt intake may bring your pressure down somewhat, and will make it possible to treat you with lower doses of drugs should that be necessary. If you drink alcohol, you should try abstaining and see if that will lower your pressure.

Other non-medical ways of treating hypertension that have been investigated over the years include hypnosis and biofeedback. Neither has been shown to be consistently effective. I am also not aware of any consistently effective herbal remedies. There has been some evidence showing that a calcium supplement can lower blood pressure so you might try increasing your intake by taking two 600mg tablets of calcium carbonate daily with food. You are also getting to the age where this supplement is desirable, to reduce the development of osteoporosis.

However, if none of these non-medication steps produce results, then I would suggest that you begin treatment with drugs. There are now many choices among anti-hypertensives, and since your pressure is not very high, you may require only small doses, which have less likelihood of producing side effects. The treatment of hypertension is long-term, and it may be necessary to try several medications or combinations until the best treatment for your case is found. Increasing dosage may be necessary over time, since the blood pressure of people with hypertension does tend to rise with age.

Although this sounds like it will be a real pain, with frequent doctor visits and possible drug side effects, it is important for you to simply make up your mind that you are going to persevere in keeping your blood pressure under control. The benefits in terms of reduced mortality from heart disease, kidney disease and stroke are enormous; and we are seeing this in our national health statistics as deaths from heart attacks and strokes go down. Much of this decline can be attributed to our better control of hypertension, high cholesterol and cigarette smoking, but there are still too many people out there with hypertension or who have high-fat diets, smoke, and get little exercise. We need to be identifying them and getting them into treatment, and into a healthier lifestyle. This happens only one person at a time; but you can make the decision that you’ll be the next person to bring your blood pressure under control, whatever it takes.

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What Are The Types And Causes Of Hypertension?

I am searching for information on causes of high blood pressure — information that goes beyond the standard. I am a relatively healthy, 44-year-old male (6’1″, 225 pounds). I am currently taking three separate medicines, yet my blood pressure remains higher than it should.

I’m going to have an MRI scan for a growth on my adrenal glands, which may cause this continual high blood pressure, but I cannot find any literature on the relationship between adrenal glands and high blood pressure. Any suggestions of reading material and sources?

The causes of hypertension are roughly divided into essential hypertension, where no cause for the condition can be found, and secondary hypertension, which by definition has a cause. Essential hypertension accounts for well over 90 percent of all cases. There are quite a few causes of secondary hypertension, but most are related to either drug use, alcohol, oral contraceptives, estrogens, excessive steroid (cortisone) or thyroid-type drugs, amphetamines; or excessive secretion of hormones from the adrenal glands; or various types of kidney disease.

Persons with a gradual onset of hypertension in their 40′s or 50′s, who have a family history of hypertension, and whose hypertension is not difficult to control, usually have essential hypertension, and do not require more extensive workup. Treatment should include losing weight if you are heavy. Even a 10-pound weight loss may help in controlling your pressure.

In someone who does not fit this profile, further investigation is in order. Your doctor is evidently thinking about an adrenal tumor or enlargement as the cause of your hypertension. An MRI will also detect, rather expensively, several forms of kidney disease.

The adrenal glands secrete three types of hormone which can cause hypertension. Each may come from a tumor or overgrowth of the gland that is producing excessive amounts of the hormone. These tumors are usually benign, but dangerous because of the excessive hormone production. Cortisone and aldosterone, both secreted by the adrenal cortex, can cause hypertension; and adrenalin, secreted by the adrenal medulla can as well. The tumor that secretes adrenalin is called a pheochromocytoma. The hypertension caused by this hormone is often sporadic, with episodes of palpitations, sweating, and high blood pressure, alternating with periods when the blood pressure is normal.

If you indeed have a form of secondary hypertension, my bet would be that it stems from a kidney problem. Polycystic disease of the kidneys, various kinds of nephritis, and interference with the blood supply to one or both kidneys can all cause a severe, difficult to treat hypertension. A sonogram of the kidneys with urine and blood tests would find most of these problems. Of course your doctor may have other reasons, such as your appearance on physical exam, or blood tests, to think of an adrenal problem, in which case an MRI would be indicated.

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How Can I Treat High Blood Pressure?

What is the best treatment for borderline labile hypertension? I’m 64 years old and am presently taking 20 milligrams Monopril and 180 milligrams verapamil each morning. My blood pressure can range from 150/93 in winter to 120/80 in summer. I cycle on a stationary bike three to four times weekly for about 40 minutes. I also play singles tennis three to five times weekly. Is there a better type of medication for me?

There are now so many very effective drugs to treat hypertension that it is impossible to say what is best. All drugs have some side effects, which may be more troublesome in some individuals than others. Effectiveness may also vary between individuals, and African Americans may benefit more from some medications and diuretics, than others. Also, some drugs have other beneficial effects that a physician may want to bring into play.

A group of drugs known a alpha adrenergic blockers, terazosin and others, may help men with prostatic enlargement urinate more effectively, and may reduce insulin resistance in some diabetics. ACE inhibitors, of which the Monopril that you are taking is an example, seem to provide extra protection against kidney disease, especially in diabetics. Calcium channel blockers, to which the verapamil that you are taking belongs, can provide side benefits in patients with angina or heartbeat irregularities.

The only drugs that have been shown in controlled studies to reduce long-term mortality, as opposed to bringing down the blood pressure, are hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic, and beta-blockers, such as atenolol and propanolol. These are among the oldest hypertension treatments, and therefore studies showing a benefit on mortality have been possible.

It is quite likely that drugs such as monopril and calcium channel blockers will also reduce mortality (although short acting nifedipine (Procardia), a calcium channel blocker, has been shown to have a bad effect on mortality. The long-acting variety of nifedipine (Procardia XL) does not have this deleterious effect).

Your doctor needs to take into consideration your entire medical history and lifestyle when selecting the appropriate drugs, and may have to change drugs or dosages until you hit on the best combination. Don’t hesitate to tell your doctor of any side effects you experience, or any other problems, such as difficulty urinating. The drugs that you are taking are very standard and are a very effective treatment for hypertension.

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Sherlyn Chopra goes topless for Kamasutra 3D

The Playboy gal does what she now excels in – shedding her clothes to stay in the news. But this time around the controversial babe has a valid reason to go bare.

Sherlyn Chopra has highly sensitive skin, wethinks, making her unwilling to wear clothes – or so does it seem! The babe is always itching to drop her…err…top. Ever since Sherlyn posed for Playboy magazine last year, we have seen her more out of her clothes than in them. First we saw her posing happily in all her natural glory with her new-found mates at Hugh Hefner’s colourful mansion and more recently, Sherlyn was seen topless in the ‘leaked’ promos of her new film, Kamasutra 3D. And now the the desperate-for-attention gal is doing her topless thing again for the poster of the erotic movie.

In this titillating still (you can also call it shady, depending on your taste) we see Sherlyn trying to hide her bare bosom behind a pole. The dimly lit room and the setting gives you a clear idea of what to expect from Rupesh Paul’s supposedly steamy movie. “”1 of the few posters of Kamasutra 3D to be shortly showcased at a press conference at the 66th Cannes Film Festival,” tweeted Sherlyn about her ‘adventurous’ appearance on the image.

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IPS vs AMOLED vs SLCD – smartphone displays explained

You’ll spend most of your time looking at the display more than anything else but what are smartphone display panels made of?

As with any technology, smartphone display panels are a mega business on their own. Japanese component and notebook giant Toshiba has had to brush aside rumours that Apple was planning to invest in a new production line built by Toshiba Mobile Display, such is the demand of high-quality, high-resolution display panels.

But when you start looking at the specs of smartphone displays, it can get very confusing very quickly. You might think you’re just looking at a bunch of pixels but how those pixels are created can affect everything from the price of your phone to how long the battery lasts.

The type of display your smartphone has is typically described by an alphabet soup – LTPS, AMOLED, SLCD, Super AMOLED and TFT LCD all represent different technologies used in the production of display panels. Knowing what each type does, its benefits and drawbacks will help you understand just how good (or not) your phone is.

LTPS – Low-temperature polycrystalline silicon

If you see these written as a display type, forget it – LTPS is a description of a manufacturing process, not a display technology. Low-temperature polycrystalline silicon can be used to make different types of screens – AMOLED as well as standard LCDs. It’s a way of creating tiny silicon crystals that go into making the pixels of a display. The “low temperature” part is important because it means this process can create screens using low temperatures, allowing low-cost substances such as plastics to be used as the backing material on which the display panel is infused or created. As a result, it also means you can create more flexible display panels.

AMOLED – Active-matrix organic light-emitting diode

Okay, this is a type of screen technology. OLEDs or organic light-emitting diodes have been around for a while now and they have one significant benefit: to produce black, you simply turn an OLED off. To produce a light colour, they have to produce light. So they have huge potential for power savings in mobile devices.

The “Active matrix” describes how each OLED is addressed or controlled. The alternative is a passive matrix display where rows or columns of OLEDs are addressed rather than individual pixels. As a result, AMOLED displays are not only brighter, use less power, they’re also faster.

The problem is that AMOLED panels are in high demand, with that demand exceeding supply.

The other issue with AMOLEDs is that because of the fabrication process, they can be difficult to see if viewed in direct sunlight. AMOLED panels are typically three layers, the AMOLEDs, the touch-panel sensor layer made of glass and then the top glass protective surface with air in between each layer. The diffusion of light through all three layers causes the AMOLED light to be diffused and difficult to see.

AMOLED panels are used in a number of phones including Google’s Nexus One and early versions of the HTC Desire.

Super AMOLED

So Korean giant Samsung decided to come up with a different method that combined the top glass layer and the touch-panel glass layer into one.

This promotional video gives you a brief overview of Samsung’s Super AMOLED technology.

By reducing the number of layers and removing one air gap, light dispersal is reduced, making these AMOLED displays easier to see in bright light.

Samsung uses the Super AMOLED panel in its Galaxy S phone and is expected to use it inside the upcoming Nexus S.

SLCD – Super liquid-crystal display

LCD has been the mainstay for display panels from PDAs to notebooks to TVs over the last 15 years or so. What makes Super LCD so super is said to be improved light bleeding so that blacks actually look a bit more like black than they typically used to, giving better overall contrast. In comparisions with AMOLED, some reviews suggest that SLCD gives warmer colours than AMOLED. However, battery life appears to be worse with SLCD displays.

SLCD shouldn’t be confused with S-LCD, which is the name for the Samsung/Sony joint venture for manufacturing LCD panels.

Smartphone maker HTC began using SLCD panels in its Desire smartphones in August 2010 due to shortages in AMOLED panels from Samsung. If you have an early Desire, it’ll more likely have an AMOLED panel whereas those manufactured after August 2010 will have an SLCD panel instead.

IPS – In-plane switching

Apart from poor contrast ratios, the other issue with LCD panels is poor viewing angles. The further you move of the centre axis of an LCD panel, the worse the image becomes until you begin to see the reflected negative of that display. In-plane switching is a more expensive solution to the viewing angle problem by changing the direction in which the liquid crystal molecules move. So instead of the normal right-angle or perpendicular switching, IPS panels switch molecules in the same plane as the panel. It means light transmitted through the molecules can be seen at (almost) any angle.

IPS technology is most often used in LCD monitors – and usually at prices three times the going rate. It’s the technology behind Apple’s Retina display in the iPhone 4.

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Flynn Product Design’s Bluetooth Web Camera Concept for PHILIPS

Even though having a computer peripheral shaped like an alien arachnid may not be my idea of showing off my superior tastes in life to my friends, I’m ready to give this fine new Bluetooth Web Camera Concept a chance. Created by Flynn Product Design for PHILIPS, the radically designed hi-resolution Bluetooth Web Camera has been carved out of ABS and Polypropylene which actually makes it eerie legs look even more sci-fi horrific!

The good thing is that is offers and unprecedented flexibility in camera angles thanks to a ball and socket joint connecting the base and body unit. With a Bluetooth USB Dongle thrown in for good measure, this cute little monster can well be the pride and joy of any geek worth his collection of alien “sighting” reports! - Gizmo Watch

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Pinay becomes an instant millionaire in Qatar

MANILA, Philippines - A Filipina healthcare specialist is the latest millionaire of Mashreq Qatar.

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The Gulf Times reported that Herminia Mescallado won the one million Qatari Riyals prize money from the savings program MashreqMillionaire.

Mescallado won the prize during the program’s draw last December.

She received the cheque from Mashreq Qatar's head of retail banking, Niranjan Mendonca, during a ceremony held at the bank's Gold Centre. The event was also attended by the OFW's family.

Mescallado moved to Doha ten years ago and is currently working as a radiographer at the Women's Hospital.

Since its launch in 1995, the MashreqMillionaire program has produced over 300 millionaires.

Those eligible for the monthly draws are customers who save by investing in fully-encashable MashreqMillionaire certificates each valued as QR1,000.

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Super AMOLED Vs Retina Vs OLED Vs LCD Vs IPS: What’s the Difference?

There’s no denying that there are LOTS of different Android phones on the market, and what there also happens to be lots of are different types of displays. I don’t know about you guys, but I think it can get pretty confusing hearing about Super AMOLED, Retina, OLED, LCD, and IPS displays, so I thought I would do my best to explain some of the key differences between all of the different types of displays you can find on smartphones.

LCD

LCD displays start with a backlight that’s always on, and require light in order to create black, white, and colors. High end LCD’s have the reputation for creating the most accurate colors and “grays”, but are often calibrated (on purpose) to produce weaker red, blue, and purple colors to keep power consumption down. LCD screens also age slower, and can easily withstand thousands of hours of use.

OLED

This particular type of screen requires no light in order to produce black, but only needs it to produce white and colors. Because of this, it can be considered as a battery saving display. OLED displays are often brighter, but can often suffer from oversaturated green colors. They also age a lot faster than LCDs, with red and blue colors deteriorating faster than green. That might not sound like a big deal, but it can cause the color balance to suffer over time. OLEDs are also more expensive to make, which has caused many manufacturers (HTC for example) to switch from AMOLED to LCD displays.

Super AMOLED

Don’t let the title “Super” fool you. This is simply Samsung’s proprietary name and approach to making OLED displays. In other words, Super AMOLED=Samsung OLED. Super AMOLED, Super AMOLED Plus, and HD Super AMOLED only really have one major difference: sub pixels.

Screen pixels are generally made up of red, green, and blue sub pixels that combine to create other color combinations. For example, Samsung’S Super AMOLED uses Samsung’s PenTile layout, and the same pattern of red, green, blue, and green sub-pixels, which typically has fewer sub pixels than the layout used in LCD displays. The larger sub pixels are effective in letting in more light, which lead to brighter and smoother images, which is seen on the Galaxy S2, Samsung Droid Charge, and the Samsung Infuse 4G. Super AMOLED HD is simply the same PenTile Super AMOLED display, but with a higher resolution of 1280 x 720. These screens are featured in the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note, and the new Samsung Galaxy S3.

IPS and Retina

IPS , which stands for “in plane switching, is actually a premium LCD technology that’s known for having a wide viewing angle and clear picture. You can find this display in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. The “Retina Display” that Apple uses is based on IPS technology, and if you’ve ever seen an iPhone in action, I’m sure you can attest to how great the screen is. The Transformer Prime features an IPS display, and I can personally attest to how great the colors are. The newly announced Transformer Infinity will feature a "Super IPS" display 1920 x 1200.

And the best display is?

So which type of display is best? There’s no real answer for that, as it will most likely boil down to personal preference. I personally prefer IPS and Super AMOLED displays, but that certainly doesn’t mean that any one display is better than the other. They all have their strengths and their weaknesses, with some having more textured and brighter colors, while others produce colors differently to reduce battery consumption.

So next time you’re browsing around the shop looking at different phones, try to see if you can spot the differences in the displays. Keep in mind that this article was only to provide a brief overview of the key differences of the displays, as there are obviously other technical factors that come into play with their individual construction. With some you might see nothing, but for others you might notice a considerable difference. The infographic that we made back in early May (below) tells you which types of displays are featured in 7 popular Android phones, and could help to provide a bit of an overview of which phones carry which displays. - Source

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Developer sued by Mozilla for passing off espionage spyware as Firefox

The Mozilla Foundation is suing a British web surveillance company, alleging that it is trying to pass off its programs as Firefox products.

FinFisher, a suite of espionage viruses and malwares that is used by governments around the world, is a product from a British-German firm called Gamma International. According to AP, the makers of the Firefox browser believe that Gamma has been passing off its malware as Firefox products to trick people into installing it.

Clearly, anything that masquerades as Firefox -- but which actually lets the government spy on you -- is going to damage customer perception of the browser as a product that can be trusted.

The FinFisher malware can be used to spy on what a user is doing on their computer, including logging keystrokes, intercepting data communications and surreptitiously recording footage from a webcam or microphone. It's a suite of tools that's proven equally attractive to law enforcement officials gathering evidence of web crime and to dictatorial regimes that want to crack down on dissidents.

The University of Toronto's Citizen Lab has found evidence of FinFisher's use in 36 different countries around the world. Its latest report on its use came out on 30 April, detailing the most recent 11 nations to have made use of its services -- including South Africa, Nigeria, Romania and Pakistan.

Documents uncovered in the wake of the overthrow of Egypt's Mubarak regime in 2011 showed that Gamma had offered its products, while evidence has also been found of it being used to keep track of opposition politicians in Ethiopia. A company selling a product that imitates another product for the purposes of human rights violations is, understandably, infuriating for Firefox's makers.

Alex Fowler of the Mozilla Foundation said that it is "sending Gamma, the FinFisher parent company, a cease and desist letter demanding that these practices be stopped immediately".

Firefox is currently the second most-popular desktop web browser, with 28.5 percent of the global market share, behind Chrome with 51.7 percent.

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Huawei Ascend P2 brings 'world's fastest' 4G at 150Mbps

Chinese phone manufacturer Huawei has unveiled a handset it claims has the world's fastest wireless speeds.

During a keynote event ahead of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona the company launched the Ascend P2, a phone that uses LTE category 4 to achieve network speeds up to 150Mbps.

The P2 is part of Huawei's fashion-focused product range and features a 1.5GHz quad-core processor and comes with 1GB of RAM. It runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and displays its wares using a 4.7-inch 720x1280-pixel display, which can reportedly be used even when wearing gloves, similar to Nokia's Lumia devices.

The P2 forms part of Huawei's effort to move away from being seen as a manufacturer of products for other brands and become a brand power in its own right.

The Ascend P2 handset is expected to launch in the summer of 2013 meaning it should coincide with other UK phone service providers joining EE in the 4G network space.

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Lumia 900 display beats Galaxy S and iPhone 4 displays in visibility tests ?

AMOLED displays, although beautiful to look at, have had issues performing under bright sunlight. The first phones to use AMOLED displays were barely usable outdoors. Eventually the technology improved, specifically when Samsung introduced their Super AMOLED displays, which had significantly better outdoor visibility, and these days AMOLED displays are even outperforming LCDs when it comes to visibility under sunlight.

One such AMOLED display belongs to the Nokia Lumia 900, which despite its AMOLED nature performed very well under bright light, thanks to Nokia’s Clear Black Display technology, in a comparison test performed by DisplayMate. Compared to the Galaxy S and the iPhone 4, the display on the Lumia 900 came out on top with 90 points, with the Super AMOLED display on the Galaxy S narrowly managing to get the second position with 80 points and the LCD on the iPhone 4 coming in at third with 77 points.

They also had older phones such as the Motorola DROID X and the HTC Desire and you can see from their poor scores of 20 and 15 points respectively how much further AMOLED technology has come in the past two years alone.

We just find it curious as to why DisplayMate chose to compare the Lumia 900 with two year old phones like the Galaxy S and the iPhone 4. Something more recent such as the HTC One X and the upcoming Galaxy S III would have made much more sense.

You can find the results of their test in the link below. - Source

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LG Optimus G Pro: Is it really Big Screen?

LG is hoping to take on the U.S. market with its massive 5.5-inch Optimus G Pro — does it have the goods to take on the Samsung juggernaut?

If the Optimus G was LG's attempt to take on the Samsung Galaxy S III, the Optimus G Pro is LG's take on the uber-successful Galaxy Note II.

Now, this isn't LG's first attempt at the phone/tablet space (I hate the word phablet, but it does apply), the company previously tried its hand at the large-phone space with the LG Optimus Vu (released as the Intuition in the U.S.). Unlike the Optimus Vu, the Optimus G Pro has a much more streamlined design and aesthetic.

Big Screen. Really Big

Compared to the Galaxy Note II, the Optimus G Pro has a slimmer profile. Both devices have a 5.5-inch display, but the Optimus G Pro has a smaller bezel on the sides, which makes the device slimmer and easier to hold.

Still, make no mistake, the Optimus G Pro is a big phone. Even for large-palmed individuals, I could see the Optimus G Pro — and any smartphone of its size — being hard or impossible to use with one hand. I'm probably the last person who should use a 5.5-inch phone because my hands (and fingers) are so small.

LG has modes for the phone that are supposed to make one-handed use easier, including better access to a keyboard and dial pad, but it made little difference in my experience.

The 5.5-inch screen is a full 1920x1080 IPS display. That's higher resolution than the 1280x720 on the Galaxy Note II and in line with the full HD displays we've seen from HTC and on the Galaxy S4. It gives the Optimus G Pro a pixel density of 400 ppi, meaning that text and graphical elements are crisp and clear.

The display is bright and vivid, but while I normally prefer IPS panels to Super AMOLED and PenTile displays, I wasn't in love with the viewing angles on the Optimus G Pro. Colors are bright and vivid and video playback and text is super sharp — but the phone doesn't have great viewing angles from the side, which is a shame. Part of the appeal of a phone of this size is that you can easily share it with someone else.

Like the Galaxy line of smartphones, the LG Optimus G Pro has a home button. Unfortunately, because of the way LG designed its bezel (to make the footprint of the phone smaller), the button's shape and positioning is almost hard to press. It just doesn't feel good or comfortable to press.

That wouldn't be a problem if the home button didn't become an important part of navigating the phone itself. In this case, I wish LG had followed its steps with the Optimus G and the Nexus 4 and just gone for all soft buttons.

There is a volume button on the side and a button at the top that toggles LG's Quick Memo feature. QuickNote allows users to quickly draw or write on top of the screen. You do this with your finger — no stylus for the Optimus G Pro.

The phone is made of plastic and the back is removable. This means that the back can be replaced with a Quick Cover to add wireless charging and provides easy access to the huge 3140 mAh battery, the microSD card slot and the SIM.

The phone comes with 32GB of storage and an additional 64 can be added via a microSD card.

The phone also has NFC support, LTE and Bluetooth 4.0.

Under the Hood

The Optimus Pro G has a quad-core Snapdragon processor running at 1.7 Ghz and has 2GB of RAM. It's running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, rather than the latest 4.2.2 release. The differences between 4.1.2 and 4.2.2 are minimal, especially when you factor in LG's Android skin, but it is curious that the company wouldn't release the phone with the latest software.

The phone also has dual cameras: a 13 megapixel rear camera and a 2.1 megapixel front-facing camera. Like the Galaxy S4, the Optimus G Pro has a dual-recording mode for photos, video and video conferencing.

Using the phone, I found that performance was generally quite snappy, with little to no discernible lag.

Having said that, I did find myself getting frustrated with LG's Android skin. Maybe I'm just more used to TouchWiz (Samsung's Android skin) or HTC's Sense, but I wasn't in love with the interface.

And while HTC is really touting the importance of Quick Memo, the feature activates itself in some really frustrating ways, often when unexpected. There wasn't an easy way to turn it off altogether — though I'm sure it's possible — and can severely impede with the ability to use the phone.

LG is also touting its idea of on-screen widgets, known as QSlide. It allows for floating instances of other apps like a calculator, note pad or calendar on the screen itself. I can find this being useful — especially the calculator — but it's far from the "multitasking" that LG claims.

Like the Galaxy S4 and the Note II, the Optimus G Pro also has an IR port so that it can act as a remote control. This was one of my favorite features of the Galaxy S4 and the implementation on the Optimus G Pro is similar on the surface.

While setup was simple, I didn't like that I couldn't set the remote to truly act universal — controlling volume on the TV while changing the channel with a cable box. Perhaps that's something that could be merged in settings but in my limited time with the feature, it felt more like a kludge rather than a thought-out feature.

And that's the problem. There's a lot of stuff that on the surface looks cool, but the implementation doesn't feel fully formed. I could lob the same criticism at Samsung, but at least with the Galaxy S4 (and the Note II), it's relatively easy to turn off or ignore the features you don't want.

Camera

The 13 megapixel camera on the Optimus Pro G is solid but nothing to write home about. The camera software includes time shift features we've seen from HTC, Samsung and BlackBerry, as well as various automatic modes.

In my limited testing time, I was disappointed with the softness of some of the shots and the automatic white balance. I did, however, like how easy it was to focus and take a shot.

The same was true for video. It's fine quality, but nothing particularly stellar.

The dual video mode works similarly to the implementation on the Galaxy S4. Samsung, however, has done a better job with the camera software and it makes accessing that feature easier. Of course, it also helps that the Galaxy S4 is a physically smaller device. Trying to take a photo or video with a phone the size of the Optimus G Pro is only slightly easier than trying to do it with a Nexus 7 or iPad mini.

Call Quality and LTE Speeds

The Optimus G Pro is available exclusively on AT&T. AT&T's LTE network in New York City is really robust and easily rivals Verizon in most parts of the city. I was consistently getting 30 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up.

Call quality on the phone is solid, although I'd recommend using it with a Bluetooth headset or pair of earbuds to avoid looking like Zack Morris. Moreover, if you're a smaller person, the size of the phone just isn't easy to hold up to your face. So not only do you look silly, it feels awkward.

Overall: Solid, If Uninspiring

There's a lot to like about the LG Optimus G Pro. It has solid specs and is a good performer. But that's no longer enough for a great phone.

Right now the Android ecosystem has two hot phones, the HTC One and the Galaxy S4, that offer a more manageable experience, better performance and better software.

Moreover, while the Optimus G Pro is better than the Galaxy Note II in the spec department, it's only a matter of time before the Note III gets released. If you're interested in a large screen phone, that's what I would wait for — because it's sure to get Samsung's latest Galaxy S4 features and improvements.

At $199 (and less if you take advantage of AT&T's trade-in program), the Optimus G Pro is a good value but at the same time, I can't find myself getting overly excited about a phone that is a solid performer, but ultimately not very special.

This one didn't wow me, and the tricks that were designed to wow just turned out to be annoying.

Still, if you're in the market for a large, HD screen phone, the Optimus G Pro might just be the ticket. But maybe consider installing the Nova Launcher. - Mashable

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LG Optimus G Pro – AMOLED display screen beater?

The LG Optimus G Pro launched in Korea last month and is scheduled to arrive in the UK around April time. It has something special to offer LG Optimus fans. The Optimus G Pro will be the first smartphone with a True HD IPS Plus display to be seen in Europe.

The Optimus G Pro is an Android flagship smartphone for which full specification details can be viewed here. The G Pro comes with a 5 inch touch screen display, a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels and a True HD-IPS Plus display. The display supports full HD multi-media content.

You normally expect Full HD being an exclusive to your TV, but this is all set to change with the arrival of the Optimus G Pro. The main feature being talked about is its Full IPS Colour Accuracy accompanied with a wider picture viewing angle.

The True HD-IPS Plus display produces natural and consistent colours perfectly aligned with the original image. This is backed up with the IPS technology offering clear and vivid motion pictures which exceeds that offered in AMOLED displays.

The wider picture viewing angle facility provides perfect viewing from any angle with no colour changes or distortion which does occur in many smartphones. You can see a visual representation of what the LG Optimus G Pro’s True HD IPS Plus display can do when compared to smartphones with an AMOLED display screen below. 3G will be sure to get a review copy at the earliest opportunity to complete out LG Optimus G Pro Review.

The Full HD experience is no longer exclusive to your TV. With Optimus G Pro, no over saturated colors as can often be found with other display technologies, just true color representation in glorious Full HD. Life as you see it.

With Full HD IPS, you can enjoy:

- The Wider picture, with perfect viewing from any angle with no color changes or distortion

- Faster & stable response time, offering vivid and clear motion pictures

- Natural color, with the accurate colors, tones and temperatures consistent with the original image

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