His decision to step down as Apple’s CEO, however, signals that his disease — kept in check for more than seven years — is advancing beyond doctors’ ability to control it, experts say.

While no one can say how Jobs will fare, “I suspect we will not be talking about years” of additional survival, says Zev Wainberg, a gastrointestinal oncologist with UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center with no personal knowledge of the case.

Jobs suffers from a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, which accounts for only about 5% of the 43,000 pancreatic cancers diagnosed each year, and is generally more curable than more common types of pancreatic cancer, says Margaret Tempero, a pancreatic cancer expert at the University of California-San Francisco and former president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Patients with the most common form of pancreatic cancer often live less than a year, says Tempero, who hasn’t treated Jobs.

Neuroendocrine tumors, which arise in hormone-producing cells of the pancreas, typically grow much more slowly, allowing patients to live at least two or three years, says Wainberg, who hasn’t treated Jobs.

Unless the disease is completely eradicated, however, the cancer eventually takes a turn for the worse, growing much more quickly, Wainberg says.

“People can co-exist with this disease for years,” says Richard Goldberg, an expert in neuroendocrine tumors at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, who has not treated Jobs. If the liver begins to fail, however, “people can go downhill pretty quickly. When you hit the wall, you hit the wall.”

Only about 10% of people with metastatic disease — cancer that has spread around the body — survive this type of tumor, Goldberg says.

With Jobs’ work ethic and strong love of his job, doctors say his decision to resign as Apple CEO suggests that he must be feeling very ill.

“Given his will to dominate, you’d have to speculate that he must not be doing well,” says James Abbruzzese, a pancreatic cancer expert at Houston’s M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Abbruzzese, one of the USA’s leading pancreatic cancer specialists, consulted on Jobs’ care early in the course of his treatment, but has not participated in Jobs’ treatment in several years.

Jobs has undergone aggressive treatment for the cancer, which he first acknowledged in 2004. Jobs had surgery to treat the original cancer, then underwent a liver transplant in 2009.

That suggests that his original tumor had spread from his pancreas to his liver, in spite of surgery to remove it, says Tempero.

Liver transplants for this kind of tumor are “occasionally successful, but it’s a real long shot,” Tempero says.

Patients who receive organ transplants must take drugs to prevent the body from rejecting the new organ, Tempero says. But because these drugs also suppress the immune system, they can allow the original cancer to re-emerge and attack either the new liver or other organs.

In rare cases, a liver transplant may cure the patient’s cancer, if it hasn’t spread around the body, Abbruzzese says.

More often, the transplants helps restore normal liver function, giving patients a few more years with a better quality of life, Abbruzzese says.

The fiercely private Jobs has said relatively little about his health problems, although he did acknowledge his bout with cancer during a commencement speech at Stanford University. “No one wants to die,” he said. “And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it.”

Actor Patrick Swayze died of the more common type of pancreatic cancer in 2009, as did opera star Luciano Pavarotti in 2007. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg also has had pancreatic cancer.

Doctors don’t know what causes neuroendocrine tumors, Abbruzzese says.

The most common types of pancreatic cancer, however, are linked to smoking and obesity, and possibly to a diet filled with red meat and fat. Those at greater risk include men, African-Americans, people older than 50, diabetics and those with a family history of pancreatic cancer. Chronic inflammation of the pancreas and exposure to certain chemicals also can cause the disease.

Scientists are actively studying ways to find the disease earlier, when it might be more curable, by looking at families in which several people have developed the cancer. Researchers also are searching for genes that may be involved. In January, scientists at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore announced that they had deciphered the genetic code, or genome, of neuroendocrine tumors, which they hope will lead to better treatments.

Tempero notes that the Food and Drug Administration approved two new drugs for neuroendocrine tumors, sunitinib and everolimus, this year.

“Apple is in incredible shape, and you could say that Jobs has changed many of our lives for the better,” Goldberg says. “I’m sorry to see him affected by this; it only redoubles my resolve to improve on the treatments we have.”

Summitt, 59, continues to teach, and that is negligence Tuesday’s shocking news that causes it to be appear as though she’s looking lower her disease with similar icy glare she made famous while winning eight national titles, 1,071 games and also the respect of the nation that did not pay much focus on women’s sports dads and moms when she was becoming an adult.

Summitt, entering her 39th season as coach in the College of Tennessee, got diagnosing in May and told the planet about this Tuesday mid-day. Reaction was shock giving method to dismay, tempered by popularity of her fighting spirit.

“It’s like discovering a detailed member of the family is ill,” stated transportation safety consultant Kevin Galbreath, a UT alumnus and fervent fan.

“Pat Summitt is our John Wooden,” Baylor women’s coach Kim Mulkey stated. “Regardless of the number of national titles (other coaches) win, there should never be another Pat.”

Summitt authored a wide open letter towards the college community Tuesday. “I intend to continue being your coach,” she authored. “Clearly, I recognize I might possess some restrictions with this particular condition since you will see good quality days plus some bad days. For your reason, I’ll be depending on my small outstanding training staff for the first time.Inch

Alzheimer’s disease is not curable. That’s possibly the only real known quantity in most this. What is coming up next is mainly concerning the unknown – how her condition might progress, how stress might affect it, how her gamers might respond to all of the attention centered on the healthiness of their coach.

What is Dementia Symptoms?

eMedicineHealth : Symptoms of dementia vary considerably by the individual and the underlying cause of the dementia. Most people affected by dementia have some (but not all) of these symptoms. The symptoms may be very obvious, or they may be very subtle and go unrecognized for some time. The first sign of dementia is usually loss of short-term memory. The person repeats what he just said or forgets where she put an object just a few minutes ago. Other symptoms and signs are as follows:

Early dementia

• Word-finding difficulty – May be able to compensate by using synonyms or defining the word
• Forgetting names, appointments, or whether or not the person has done something; losing things
• Difficulty performing familiar tasks – Driving, cooking a meal, household chores, managing personal finances
• Personality changes (for example, sociable person becomes withdrawn or a quiet person is coarse and silly)
• Uncharacteristic behavior
• Mood swings, often with brief periods of anger or rage
• Poor judgment
• Behavior disorders – Paranoia and suspiciousness
• Decline in level of functioning but able to follow established routines at home

Confusion, disorientation in unfamiliar surroundings – May wander, trying to return to familiar surroundings

McDonald’s Happy Meals are getting their fat and calories trimmed, the fast food giant announced Tuesday.

The seemingly ubiquitous Happy Meals that have drawn the ire of health advocates and have been blamed for contributing to childhood obesity, will carry apple slices, reduced portion of french fries and a choice of beverage, including new fat-free chocolate milk and 1% low-fat white milk.

The core of the Happy Meal will remain the same as kids will still get fries (a smaller portion) and a choice of a hamburger, cheeseburger or chicken nuggets. All beverages, including milk, fruit juice, water and soda, continue to be options for the Happy Meal.

The changes are scheduled to begin September with the hopes that all 14,000 restaurants will transition to the new Happy Meals by the first quarter of 2012.

The suggested retail price of the Happy Meal will not change, remaining between $2.99 and $3.49.

“By adding fruit in every Happy Meal, McDonald’s hopes to address a challenge children face in meeting the recommended daily consumption of produce,” according to the corporation’s statement.

The new Happy Meal with four pieces of McNuggets, apple slices, smaller French Fries and 1% milk has 410 calories, 19 grams of fat and 560 milligrams of sodium.

The makeover of the Happy Meal comes after cities and counties began considering Happy Meal toy bans over concerns about nutritional quality and marketing towards children. Happy Meal toys have been banned in San Francisco, and a New York council member has proposed a similar measure this year.

Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University, said McDonald’s had to change its nutritional content because of political and community pressures.

“I see this as a positive development,” he said. “The companies have recognized the pressures from the public, the community and parents to offer healthier choices for children. They’ve begun to respond. There have been criticisms of what they serve children for many years. In the past years, the pressure has intensified, the White House concern about childhood obesity is one source of that pressure.”

First lady Michelle Obama who has spearheaded a public health campaign to prevent childhood obesity commended McDonald’s for making “progress today by providing more fruit and reducing the calories in its Happy Meals. I’ve always said that everyone has a role to play in making America healthier, and these are positive steps toward the goal of solving the problem of childhood obesity.”

McDonald’s promised continuing changes to the nutrition in its meals.

“McDonald’s has been engaging suppliers, government and non-government organizations to determine ways it could play a role in helping society address today’s obesity concerns,” the company’s press release said. “McDonald’s will develop additional fruit and vegetable choices and expects them to roll out over the next few years.”

The apples were not very popular in Happy Meals – only 11% of all kid’s meal purchases included the fruit option. Many customers were not aware of apples as an option, according to the company. They will become a default item on the children’s meal.

The fast food giant also pledged to reduce sodium 15% across the board in its menu by 2015. It recently reduced sodium by 10% in most of its chicken offerings, including the Chicken McNuggets.

McDonald’s also vowed to reduce added sugars, saturated fat and calories through varied portion sizes, reformulations and innovations by 2020.

Brownell said he hoped that reduced sodium and apples in the menu would not give parents “permission to go to McDonalds more than they did before. That’s not a good development.”

It’s a good first step, but doesn’t solve the problem, according to a statement from Corporate Accountability International, which is a frequent critic of McDonald’s. It released a statement saying that McDonald’s “deserves credit for not only taking these steps, but for acknowledging its role in today’s epidemic of diet-related disease in so doing.”

“McDonald’s is taking steps in the right direction, but we should be careful in heaping praise on corporations for simply reducing the scope of the problem they continue to create,” said Kelle Louaillier, executive director of Corporate Accountability International. “Ultimately corporate responsibility is not about securing public relations for cleaning up your own mess, but for not creating the problem in the first place. In this case, that means stopping the marketing of junk food to kids.”

The Aria Resort & Casino in the tony CityCenter of Las Vegas is advising recent guests about possible exposure to Legionnaires disease during their stay, according to a letter posted on the hotel-casino’s website.The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that six cases of the bacteria-spread pneumonia traced to the Las Vegas hotel have been reported to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Aria’s letter tells guests who stayed from June 21 to July 4 that they may have been exposed to the Legionella bacteria, which spreads the disease. The hotel says water tests detected “elevated levels” of the bacteria in several guest rooms” — a problem it says has been remedied.

Read more detail at

What is Legionnaires Disease ?

According to MayoClinic, Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia — lung inflammation usually caused by infection. Legionnaires’ disease is caused by a bacterium known as legionella. Legionella bacterium also causes Pontiac fever, a milder illness resembling the flu.

Legionnaires Disease Symptoms

Legionnaires’ disease usually develops two to 14 days after exposure to legionella bacteria. It frequently begins with the following signs and symptoms:

• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Chills
• Fever that may be 104 F (40 C) or higher

By the second or third day, you’ll develop other signs and symptoms that may include:

• Cough, which may bring up mucus and sometimes blood
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea
• Confusion or other mental changes

The International Cycling Union issued the following statement:

Earlier today, the UCI advised the Russian rider Alexandr Kolobnev of an Adverse Analytical Finding (presence of Hydrochlorothiazide based on the reportfrom the WADA accredited laboratory in Châtenay-Malabry) in the urine sample collected from him at an in competition test at the Tour de France on 6 July 2011. Mr. Kolobnev has the right to request and attend the analysis of his B sample.

The UCI Anti-Doping Rules do not provide for a provisional suspension given the nature of the substance, which is a specified substance.

However the UCI is confident that his team will take the necessary steps to enable the Tour de France to continue in serenity and to ensure that their rider has the opportunity to properly prepare his defense in particular within the legal timeline, which allows four days for him to have his B sample analyzed.

Under the World Anti-Doping Code and the UCI Anti-Doping Rules, the UCI is unable to provide any additional information at this time.

UCI Communications Services

A study in Friday’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report highlights gonorrhea’s decreasing inclination towards cephalosporins, the only remaining class of anti-biotics open to treat the most popular std (STD).

While cephalosporin treatment failures haven’t been recorded within the U.S., CDC authorities appear at first sight seeing “concerning trends” that suggest such failures aren’t remote.

“We do fear that depending on what we should are hearing all over the world, we will have cephalosporin-resistant gonorrhea,” CDC Director of STD Prevention Gail Bolan, MD, informs WebMD. “We have no idea if this will happen, however the hope is the fact that you will find there’s couple of years to recognize other remedies.”

Challenges of Gonorrhea Treatment

Bolan highlights that since sulfonamides grew to become the very first effective gonorrhea treatment within the nineteen forties, emerging antibiotic resistance is a frequent challenge.

“First we lost our capability to use sulfa drugs to deal with gonorrhea therefore we lost penicillin,” she states.

As well as in only the last decade, growing potential to deal with ciprofloxacin along with other drugs within the class of anti-biotics referred to as fluroquinolones brought the CDC to recommend against their use for treating gonorrhea.

Bolan states the pattern of resistance now emerging for that dental cephalosporin drug cefixime and also the injectable cephalosporin ceftriaxone is strikingly much like that seen using the fluroquinolones.

For both drug classes, the very first reviews of treatment failures originated from Asia. The very first proof of declines in drug susceptibility within the U.S. have happened about the West Coast.

The This summer 8 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report includes an analysis of cephalosporin susceptibility for pretty much 6,000 test samples collected yearly between 2000 and 2010. Drug susceptibility was examined depending on minimum inhibitory levels (MIC), the industry way of measuring the cheapest power of anti-biotics required to stop a bacterium’s development in the lab.

Western U.S. Most Affected

The analysis says:

As the overall quantity of test samples which were found to possess decreased inclination towards cefixime was small, a concerning increase was observed in the past few years — from .02% in 2000 through 2006 to .11% last year and 2010.

Twelve from the 13 individuals from 2009-2010 with decreased inclination towards cefixime were from males who have sexual intercourse with males.

The Western U . s . States saw the greatest elevations in decreasing susceptibility Hawaii had the greatest increases throughout the time (from % to 7.7%), then California (% to 4.5%).

Suspicious Gonorrhea Ought To Be Cultured

Without treatment or improperly treated gonorrhea can result in infertility in females and it is connected by having an elevated risk for obtaining Aids both in sexes.

Bolan alerts that new anti-biotics may soon be required to effectively treat gonorrhea, but she states drug companies have proven little curiosity about developing such drugs.

The CDC is dealing with the nation’s Institutes of Health (NIH) to recognize effective drugs that could be available and also to study brand new ones.

And also the agency is asking healthcare companies to follow along with current treatment recommendations, which require two anti-biotics. The CDC also suggests that healthcare companies change their diagnostic practices when they suspect someone may have treatment-resistant gonorrhea.

The CDC is suggesting that cultures be carried out on patients whose signs and symptoms don’t get better or return rapidly following treatment if drug resistance is suspected.

The CDC can also be asking healthcare companies to quickly report all suspected treatment failures to local or condition health departments, and also the agency is asking health departments to maintain cultures available to ensure that testing can be achieved rapidly.

“Providers will always be about the front lines of this kind of surveillance,” Hillard Weinstock, MD, from the CDC’s Division of STD Prevention, informs WebMD. “This may be the way public health agencies discover what’s going on within their towns.”

This voluntary action is being taken as a precaution and the risk of serious adverse medical events is remote. TBA can generate an offensive odor and has been associated with temporary and non-serious gastrointestinal symptoms.

The product lot number for the recalled product can be found on the side of the bottle label.

FULL RECALLED PRODUCT LIST:

Product Name : TYLENOL, Extra Strength Caplets, 225 count
Lot Number : ABA619
UPC Code : 300450444271

Consumers who purchased product from the lot included in this recall should stop using the product and contact McNeil Consumer Healthcare, either at www.tylenol.com or by calling 1-888-222-6036 (Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time) for instructions about receiving a refund or product coupon. Consumers who have medical concerns or questions should contact their healthcare provider.

Details are emerging on why Oscar De La Hoya has entered a treatment facility.

Insiders tell TMZ the boxer recently started dabbling in cocaine, a dangerous habit that contributed to infidelity in his marriage.

While De La Hoya has reportedly told friends he hasn’t hit rock bottom, he checked himself in to a rehab center in California a few weeks to take care of the issue before it got worse.

Said the former champion, soon after news of this decision was made public:

“After doing an honest evaluation of myself, I recognize that there are certain issues that I need to work on. Like everyone, I have my flaws, and I do not want to be one of those people that is afraid to admit and address those flaws.

“Throughout my career and my life, I have always met all challenges head-on, and this is no different. I am confident that with the support of my family and friends, I will become a stronger, healthier person.

“I ask for respect and privacy as my family and I go through this process.”

Harmon Killebrew, the affable, big-swinging Hall of Famer whose tape-measure home runs made him the cornerstone of the Minnesota Twins and perhaps the most popular player in the team’s 51-year history, died Tuesday after battling esophageal cancer. He was 74.

The Twins said Killebrew passed away peacefully at his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., with his wife, Nita, and their family at his side. He announced his diagnosis just six months ago, and last week Killebrew said he was settling in for the final days of his life after doctors deemed the “awful disease” incurable.

Killebrew is 11th on baseball’s all-time home run list after an exceptional 22-year career. His eight seasons with 40 or more homers still is tied for second in league history to Babe Ruth. He was an All-Star at three positions: First base, third base and in the outfield.

“No individual has ever meant more to the Minnesota Twins organization and millions of fans across Twins territory than Harmon Killebrew,” Twins president Dave St. Peter said. He said Killebrew’s legacy “will be the class, dignity and humility he demonstrated each and every day as a Hall of Fame-quality husband, father, friend, teammate and man.”

At Target Field, where the video board showed a picture of Killebrew, members of the Twins’ ground crew slowly lifted home plate and slipped under it a plastic-encased, black-and-white photo of Killebrew winding up for a swing. The picture, believed to be from the 1960s, will stay beneath the plate the rest of the season.

Twins catcher Joe Mauer said he felt like he had lost a family member.

“He has treated me like one of his own,” Mauer said. “It’s hard to put into words what Harmon has meant to me. He first welcomed me into the Twins family as an 18-year-old kid and has continued to influence my life in many ways. He is someone I will never forget and will always treasure the time we spent together.”

Former Twins pitcher Jack Morris, who grew up in Minnesota watching Killebrew play, was choked up and teary-eyed at a news conference to talk about the slugger’s death.

“I lost a hero today,” Morris said.

Former teammate Tony Oliva said Tuesday the Twins flew him out to Arizona on Saturday so he could spend time with Killebrew.

“It’s very hard, we knew each other about 50 years,” Oliva told ESPN on Tuesday after learning of Killebrew’s death. “I saw him Saturday and he looked very good, even though he was very sick. He was smiling and making jokes.”

Former pitcher Tommy John told ESPN that Killebrew was “one of the nicest, most compassionate guys I ever met in baseball.” He said Killebrew hit five home runs against him, “and the most he had off anybody was six.”

“He never showed you up, no flaps down or anything, just that little number 3 — like Babe Ruth — trotting like he hit ‘em before and he would hit ‘em again.”

The Minnesota House observed a moment of silence at the state capitol. Rep. Bob Barrett of Shafer recalled how his father once did contracting work at Killebrew’s home and “couldn’t remember having met a nicer man.”

Said Barrett: “He was a great player, but he was an even greater man.”

Bob Wolf was walking near Target Field as he reflected on the death of a fan favorite he had followed since the Twins arrived in Minnesota in 1961.

“It’s going to be a loss for the Twins and the state of Minnesota. He was a great person and a great ambassador for baseball,” Wolf said.

What set him apart?

“Just the power,” Wolf said, shaking his head. “He went up there to put ‘em out.”

That he did.

Killebrew broke in with the Washington Senators in 1954 as an 18-year-old. He spent most of his first five seasons in the minors, then hit 42 homers in his first full season in 1959. The Senators moved to Minnesota in 1961, and Killebrew hit 190 homers in his first four seasons there, including 49 in 1964.

The 11-time All-Star was the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 1969 after hitting 49 home runs with 140 RBIs and 145 walks, all team records that stand to this day.

“I found out early in life that I could hit a baseball farther than most players and that’s what I tried to do,” Killebrew said.

Behind their soft-spoken slugger nicknamed “The Killer,” the Twins reached the World Series for the first time in 1965 and back-to-back AL Championship Series in 1969 and 1970.

Former Twins owner Calvin Griffith used to call Killebrew the backbone of the franchise. “He kept us in business,” Griffith said.

Killebrew was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1984, the first Twin to be enshrined. Killebrew’s No. 3 jersey was retired in 1975. Killebrew’s easygoing demeanor contrasted starkly with his nickname and standing as one of baseball’s most feared hitters.

“I didn’t have evil intentions,” Killebrew said on his website. “But I guess I did have power.”

Harmon Clayton Killebrew was born June 29, 1936, in the Idaho farm town of Payette. He was an all-state quarterback in high school, but it was his power with a baseball bat in his hands that got Killebrew noticed by Washington Senators scout Ossie Bluege.

On Killebrew’s website, Bluege recounted how he signed the 17-year-old to a $30,000 contract in 1953.

“I waited for the rain to stop in Payette, Idaho, and then he hit one a mile over the left field fence,” Bluege said. “I stepped it off the next morning and measured it at 435 feet. That convinced me.”

Killebrew didn’t just hit balls over the fence, he turned at-bats into longest-drive contests. He never worried much about his short game, preferring instead to swing for the fences, and wound up with a career .256 average.

“I didn’t think much about batting average when I was playing,” Killebrew said.

On June 3, 1967, Killebrew belted the longest home run in Met Stadium history, a shot that reached the second deck of the bleachers in the old park, some 500 feet from home plate.

“He hit line drives that put the opposition in jeopardy,” Bluege once said. “And I don’t mean the infielders. I mean the outfielders.”

Killebrew finished his career with one season in Kansas City in 1975.

Commissioner Bud Selig said he was saddened by the death of a “true gentleman.”

“Harmon was as tough and feared a competitor on the field as the game has ever seen, while off the field he touched everyone he encountered with his sensitive and humble nature,” Selig said. “He led his life with modesty and dignity and I will miss him forever.”

Killebrew and Nita had nine children. In retirement, he became a successful businessman in insurance, financial planning and car sales. He also traveled the country with baseball memorabilia shows and returned to the Twin Cities regularly, delighting in conversations with fans and reunions with teammates.

With strong competition from Kirby Puckett in the generation that followed him, Killebrew will go down as perhaps the most popular Twins player in history, possibly in all of Minnesota sports. Killebrew Root Beer is sold at Target Field, and there’s a Killebrew Drive next to the mall where Metropolitan Stadium once stood in suburban Bloomington.

“Harmon Killebrew was a gem. I can never thank him enough for all I learned from him,” said former teammate Rod Carew. “He was a consummate professional who treated everyone from the brashest of rookies to the groundskeepers to the ushers in the stadium with the utmost of respect. I would not be the person I am today if it weren’t for Harmon Killebrew. He was a Hall of Famer in every sense of the word.”

At the insistence of doctors, Mary, now in her 70s, has elected to undergo surgery to remove a meningioma. A benign tumor of the lining tissue of the brain, the growth is usually found in people over 60.

“At the recommendation of her neurologist, who has been monitoring this for years, and a neurosurgeon, Mary decided to proceed with this fairly routine procedure,” says her rep.

The veteran star broke ground in the 1960s playing Laura Petrie, one of TV’s original sexy housewives on the The Dick Van Dyke Show. She went on to find success playing Minneapolis career girl Mary Richards on The Mary Tyler Moore Show a decade later. The career, a trailblazer at a fictional television station, was among the small screen’s first depictions of a successful, single, working woman.

In recent years, Moore — who lives with Type I diabetes — has become an ambassador for treatment and prevention of the life-threatening disease.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery going out to Mary! We’ll simply die if we never again get to watch her toss her hat in the air…