The Star Online: World Updates
The Star Online: World Updates |
- Body odour? Gene disorder may be the culprit
- Third man pleads guilty in N.Carolina Islamic militant case
- U.S. urges Myanmar to make "genuine" reforms
| Body odour? Gene disorder may be the culprit Posted: 14 Sep 2011 09:08 PM PDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - For some people with troublesome, unexplained body odour, an uncommon genetic disorder once known as "fish-odour syndrome" may be to blame, according to a study. The condition, known clinically as trimethylaminuria, is caused by emitting excessive amounts of the compound trimethylamine (TMA). TMA is produced when people digest foods rich in a substance called choline -- including saltwater fish, eggs, liver and certain legumes, such as soy and kidney beans.
"Individuals with the metabolic disorder trimethylaminuria may sporadically produce malodours despite good hygiene," wrote study leader Paul Wise, at Monell Chemical Senses Centre in Philadelphia, in the American Journal of Medicine. "The psychosocial impact of trimethylaminuria may be considerable. However, trimethylaminuria is difficult to diagnose without specialized tests." Trimethylaminuria is caused by defects in a gene known as FMO3, which hinder the body's ability to metabolize TMA and turn it into odour-free compounds. TMA itself has a strong fishy smell, but only about 10 to 15 percent of people with trimethylaminuria have that specific malodour, which may make it tougher to get a diagnosis. For someone to have the disorder, he or she must inherit a defective copy of the FMO3 gene from both parents, who themselves would be unaffected "carriers." Of course, if either of the parents had the disorder, they would also pass it on. Studies in the UK have estimated that up to 1 percent of white people carry a flawed copy of FMO3, with some ethnic groups -- including people from Ecuador and New Guinea -- having a higher rate. For the current study, Wise and his colleagues looked at how often trimethylaminuria was diagnosed in patients who came to Monell seeking help for unexplained, persistent body odour. They found that about one-third of the 353 patients tested positive for trimethylaminuria. Testing involves measuring the level of TMA in the urine after a person drinks a beverage with added choline. Of the 118 patients who tested positive, just 3.5 percent had complained of a "fishy" odour. Far more often, they reported general body odour, bad breath and a bad taste in the mouth. Many of the patients in the study had seen several doctors and dentists before being referred to Monell for testing. Some contacted the centre on their own -- which Wise said was the major limitation of the study. So it's unlikely that they are actually representative of all the people with unexplained body odour problems, he added, meaning researchers cannot conclude that one-third of all such individuals have trimethylaminuria. George Preti, a Monell researcher who also worked on the study, said that in their experience, the second-most common culprit in unexplained body odour is chronic halitosis, or bad breath. "It can be mistakenly perceived as body odour, because the odour is projected around your body when you speak or exhale." Only a few labs in the United States perform testing for the disorder, but one way to gauge on your own whether you have it or not would be to make diet changes, such as avoiding choline-rich foods, Wise said. If cutting out those foods improves your problem, that's a strong clue as to the underlying cause, he added. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/qhS5uN (Reporting by Amy Norton at Reuters Health; editing by Elaine Lies) Copyright © 2011 Reuters | ||
| Third man pleads guilty in N.Carolina Islamic militant case Posted: 14 Sep 2011 08:36 PM PDT RALEIGH, N.C. (Reuters) - The son of a man accused of being ringleader of a North Carolina Islamic militant group pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday to participating in a conspiracy to promote violent jihad abroad. Dylan Boyd, 24, admitted his guilt as part of a plea agreement. He faces up to 15 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced in December. "The government is very impressed with the forthcomingness of the defendant," Assistant U.S. Attorney John Bowler told U.S. District Judge Louise Flanagan. Boyd has been in custody since his arrest along with six other men in July 2009. The men were charged with multiple counts related to planning to assist Islamic militants in foreign countries. Daniel Patrick Boyd, the father of Dylan Boyd, is a Muslim convert and drywall contractor. Prosecutors said he organized a plot from his home in Willow Spring, North Carolina, near Raleigh. Prosecutors said Boyd's father was a veteran of terrorist training camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Between 2006 and 2009, the indictment said, the elder Boyd conspired to recruit others "to advance violent jihad, including supporting and participating in terrorist activities abroad and committing acts of murder, kidnapping or maiming persons abroad." The elder Boyd had been indicted for allegedly plotting an attack by the group on the U.S. Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia. Following the arrests, investigators found $13,000 in cash and a large cache of firearms at the Boyd home which "was set up like a fortress," Bowler said at the hearing. Daniel Patrick Boyd, pleaded guilty in February to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and one count of conspiracy to murder kidnap, maim and injure persons in a foreign country. Dylan Boyd's brother and co-defendant, Zakariya Boyd, pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. The trial for the remaining co-defendants in custody is scheduled to open next week in federal court in New Bern, North Carolina. The indictment, based largely on covertly recorded conversations and reports from a confidential informant, said the defendants prepared themselves to engage in violent jihad and were willing to die as martyrs. They were also accused of offering training in weapons and financing, and helped arrange overseas travel and contacts so others could wage violent jihad overseas. (Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Greg McCune) Copyright © 2011 Reuters | ||
| U.S. urges Myanmar to make "genuine" reforms Posted: 14 Sep 2011 08:06 PM PDT YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's leaders must pursue "genuine" reforms that involve Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and make progress in freeing thousands of political prisoners before ties can improve with Washington, a U.S. envoy said on Wednesday.
But the new U.S. special representative to Myanmar, Derek Mitchell, declined to identify specific conditions for lifting sanctions in place since the military crushed a 1988 student uprising. "I consider this a highly productive visit," Mitchell told reporters at Yangon's main airport at the end of a six-day trip to the army-dominated, reclusive former British colony also known as Burma. Mitchell met a range of officials in the capital, Naypyitaw, including Cabinet members of the nearly year-old parliament and opposition politicians led by Suu Kyi, but he did not meet President Thein Sein. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell will meet Myanmar's foreign minister in New York next week during the U.N. General Assembly, a senior U.S. official told reporters as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton flew to San Francisco. "There are clear ... winds of change blowing through Burma," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "We are trying to get a sense of how strong those winds are and whether it is possible to substantially improve our relationship." While noting many U.S. concerns about Myanmar and saying one should not be "overly hopeful," the official noted the authorities' emerging dialogue with Suu Kyi and said more generally that Myanmar was going through "probably the most significant developments on the ground for decades." SKEPTICISM ABOUT GENUINE REFORM Mitchell said he asked officials to free about 2,000 political prisoners, maintain dialogue with the opposition and investigate human rights abuses. He also raised concerns about Myanmar's military relationship with North Korea. "Progress on these issues will be essential to progress in the bilateral relationship," he said. "If the government takes genuine and concrete action, the United States will respond in kind." Recent rare overtures by Myanmar's authoritarian rulers toward liberalization have stirred speculation of possible reforms in the resource-rich country, which has been blighted by 48 years of oppressive military rule and starved of capital. Last month, Thein Sein held an official meeting with Suu Kyi, who was detained for 15 years until freed from house arrest last November. "Any credible reform effort must include her participation," said Mitchell. Most experts doubt sanctions will be lifted until political prisoners are freed. Mitchell said he held a "candid" dialogue and "very productive exchange" with Myanmar officials on the issue of political prisoners but received no commitment. "I noted that many within the international community remain sceptical about the government's commitment to genuine reform and reconciliation, and I urged authorities to prove the sceptics wrong," he said. (Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed in San Francisco; Writing by Jason Szep; Editing by Peter Cooney) Copyright © 2011 Reuters |
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