Although there are many investment options, choosing the best one can be difficult. In this article, I am going to reveal how you can get 1364 per cent return per year from your hard earned money. stock tips provided here are based on after market analysis and can be used as pre market stock tips.Stock market, mutual funds and real estate are probably the most popular investment options. In fact, 96 per cent of all investors are investing their money in either one of those options. However, this doesn?t mean investing in one of those is the best way to invest money.Don?t you think there are so many people investing in those options? Moreover, the return can be limited too. Even the fund been managed by the most successful stock investor can only register 32% annual return.
What is the best way to invest money then?
Basically, it really depends on your investing needs, depth of knowledge and experience as well. The problems most beginners are facing are not having enough knowledge and experience to start investing themselves. But another serious problem that most beginners don?t realised is they don?t know how to invest in something they already knew!
How would it feel if you could make a lot of money investing in the stock market, all by yourself? You don?t have to depend on rumors for the hottest stocks or waiting calls from brokers for the ?insider tips?.Even better, what if you can beat the market just like your fund managers did? (well, if they did beat the market)After all, expert investors do start as a beginner before. But how to invest in stock market? Welcome to the world of stock investment.Here, you can lookup information on stock investing guide on steps to pick a good stock, how to calculate intrinsic value, determine your margin of safety, time your next purchase, and when is the right time to sell your stocks too! This is how Warren Buffet is so successful in stock investing.I?ll try my best to cut your learning curve into simple step-by-step winning formulas that you can use straightaway. Believe or not, basic maths and common sense is all needed!
Why It is Important
One of the best way to pinpoint your investing personality is to monitor your investing behavior as well as your feelings over an extended period of time. Pay particular attention to your decision making.It would be hard for any profile or questionnaire to compete with this kind of focused analysis. However as many of us do, you may struggle to find the time and the objectivity to analyze yourself in this way.This personality type is a guide to help you sharpen your awareness and perception as an investor or trader. It presents you with the description of your behaviour and finally highlighting where your investing strengths are and if any improvements are needed.stock tips
Wow The Dow!: The Complete Guide To Teaching Your Kids How To Invest In The Stock Market
how to invest in stock market ? click on the image below for more information.
how to invest in stock market
A FAMILY THAT LEARNS TOGETHER EARNS TOGETHER! Whether you?re a novice stockholder or a seasoned investor, you can teach the next generation of stockholders how to invest successfully. Creative, practical, and full of savvy financial advice, Wow the Dow! is a family-oriented guide to the workings of Wall Street that shows parents how to start investing in the stock market with their children and encourages kids to think intelligently about money. Cofounders of Stock MarKids,? the nationally a
Wow The Dow!: The Complete Guide To Teaching Your Kids How To Invest In The Stock Market
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How to Invest in Stocks- Stock Market Secrets Revealed!
www.stock-market-report.us So What?s in the Report? * 62 page detailed Step-By-Step report with screen shots of developer sourcing target stocks & making trades and teaching you * How to Make Consistent Small Profits From The Stock Market * How to Profit Handsomely With a Very Small Amount of Risk * How to Calculate a Fair Price Per Share and Why You NEVER Pay a Fair Price * How to ?See? Exactly What Insiders are Doing and Do The Same * ?..and much more www.stock-market-report.us how to invest in stock market Video Rating: 4 / 5
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WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Supreme Court won't hear an appeal of a ruling that 12-foot-high crosses along Utah highways in honor of dead state troopers violate the Constitution.
The justices voted 8-1 Monday to reject an appeal from Utah and a state troopers' group that wanted the court to throw out the ruling and take a more permissive view of religious symbols on public land.
Since 1998, the private Utah Highway Patrol Association has paid for and erected more than a dozen memorial crosses, most of them on state land. Texas-based American Atheists Inc. and three of its Utah members sued the state in 2005.
The federal appeals court in Denver said the crosses were an unconstitutional endorsement of Christianity by the Utah state government.
Justice Clarence Thomas issued a 19-page opinion dissenting from Monday's order. Thomas said the case offered the court the opportunity to clear up confusion over its approach to disputes over the First Amendment's Establishment Clause, the prohibition against governmental endorsement of religion.
"Today the court rejects an opportunity to provide clarity to an Establishment Clause jurisprudence in shambles," Thomas said.
Previous high court cases have made it difficult for lower courts to figure out what to do in this area and "rendered the constitutionality of displays of religious imagery on government property anyone's guess," he said.
Thomas referred specifically to a pair of 2005 cases about the Ten Commandments. On the same day, the court upheld a Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of the Texas state capitol in Austin and declared unconstitutional a display in the McCreary County courthouse in Kentucky.
MOSCOW ? Russia said Sunday it's close to a deal in talks with Georgia that would open the way for Moscow to be approved as a member of the World Trade Organization by the end of the year.
Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev thanked visiting Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey for Swiss mediation of the talks. Calmy-Rey voiced hope that her nation's efforts will help Russia join the global trade body this year, and Medvedev responded that "we very much would like to see that."
Russia needs to reach individual agreements with all 153 members of the WTO, and the lack of progress in talks with Georgia has been the last significant stumbling block. Switzerland has sponsored the negotiations between the two nations, which fought a brief war in 2008 leading to a breakdown in diplomatic ties.
Georgia said Thursday it has accepted a Swiss proposal providing guarantees of international supervision of all trade and cargo between Russia and the breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russian officials said they need several days to analyze the offer.
Medvedev didn't say in public remarks at the start of his talks with Calmy-Rey if Russia is ready to accept the Swiss offer, but the Kremlin economic advisor, Arkady Dvorkovich, said after the meeting that a deal is close and could be reached within hours.
"There are no major problems, but some issues need to be clarified," Dvorkovich said, according to Russian news reports. He added that if the deal with Georgia is finalized, Russia can be acceped as a member of the WTO at its ministerial meeting in mid-December.
Russia is by far the largest economy still outside the international trade body despite 18 years of talks. Both the European Union and the United States have voiced hope that Moscow could join the WTO by the year's end.
Georgia previously demanded that Moscow allow Georgian customs officials to operate in two breakaway provinces, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russia, which has recognized the two regions as independent states and strengthened its military presence there, flatly rejected the Georgian push.
The Swiss compromise proposal tried to solve the deadlock by offering to deploy international monitors at border checkpoints in the two separatist provinces.
(Reuters) ? Stock buybacks among large U.S. multinationals are poised to reach their highest level since the recession once third-quarter results are done, as companies step up repurchases to take advantage of lower stock prices.
The increase, however, raises several questions for investors because buybacks can make earnings look more robust than they really are, and because more money spent on shares means less invested in the business.
Even institutional investors may not fully appreciate the effect buybacks have on earnings, said Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at Standard & Poor's.
Companies are "going to spend what they need to do to protect earnings." he said.
Buybacks among S&P 500 companies slumped from 2007 to 2008, when the United States entered a recession, and bottomed in the second quarter of 2009. They have risen steadily since then, notching up eight consecutive quarters of sequential gains, according to S&P, which says the third-quarter total may top the second-quarter's $109 billion.
In the second quarter, the most recent for which S&P provided data, buybacks accounted for just under 1 percent of the S&P 500's total market capitalization. At their decade peak, in third quarter 2007, buybacks accounted for 1.3 percent of the S&P 500's market cap.
The majority of U.S. companies that have reported third-quarter results so far have beaten Wall Street forecasts, many by just a penny or two per share. Pressure to make the number is no less intense when the economy is lousy.
Buying back stock when prices are low can be smart, but the scale of recent buybacks raises questions about the quality of earnings beats, analysts and investors said. Buying stock may foster shorter-term thinking in the management suite as executives use cash, or raise debt, to buy equity when the business may need additional investment.
Investors are not sensitive enough to know easily how a company can tack on a couple of cents to their earnings-per-share by lowering the share count, said Kevin Beech, manager of equity analysis at Behind the Numbers, a research provider.
"If management has done a deep dive and feels it's the best use of funds, that's one thing," Beech said. "But companies from time to time use, not chicanery necessarily, but accounting help and Band-Aids, to hit their numbers."
Through the third quarter, U.S. companies authorized more than $400 billion in stock repurchases, up by nearly half over 2010's year-to-date total, according to Birinyi Associates.
They include Lowe's (LOW.N), Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N), Coca-Cola (KO.N), Goldman Sachs (GS.N), DuPont (DD.N) and Navistar (NAV.N). IBM (IBM.N) and Intel (INTC.O) and 3M Co (MMM.N) are committing billions.
Buybacks rose steadily in August then flattened, but last week reached a 13-week high of $16.4 billion, averaging $3.3 billion a day. Some jumped too soon as weekly buybacks peaked in late April, when the S&P 500 index (.SPX) was near highs for the year.
For a graphic, see http://link.reuters.com/wuz64s
APPETITE FOR STOCK
In 2004 and 2005, investors rewarded companies that reduced share count, so buybacks soared, but by 2008 nervous companies reduced or stopped such programs, Silverblatt said. These days, companies are negating stock options or shares used for acquisitions, but are not yet broadly reducing share counts.
"Companies are not making that leap yet," he said. "The question is, is the trend starting? Is Occupy Buyback starting up again? If we get more certainty and less uncertainty, yes."
Some buybacks are more effective than others. Netflix (NFLX.O) bought back shares at an average price above $200 in the third quarter. Its stock fell below $80 this week.
If the current pace continues, EPS could get a sizable boost next earnings season, said Trim Tabs, which analyzes stock market liquidity.
Some companies may be playing a quarter-by-quarter earnings game, but that is hard to prove, said Leon Mirochnik, research analyst and associate portfolio manager at Trim Tabs.
"Long-term, I don't think it's in their interest," he said. "It's not a sustainable measure of earnings power."
The recent increase in buybacks reflects a lack of confidence in the economy, so companies' own shares look like a better bet than other investments, Mirochnik said.
"At the moment, I think they're doing the right thing from a capital structure perspective," he said.
Mirochnik added, however, that corporate insiders are selling more than they are buying, even as their companies spend big. When executives and companies are both buying, that combination is a strong predictor of future stock gains, but that is not happening now.
PRESSURE TO MAKE THE NUMBERS
Buybacks can substantially lift reported results.
Praxair Inc's (PX.N) third-quarter profit rose 14 percent, EPS by 16 percent, as the industrial gas supplier bought back 2 percent of its stock. Praxair acknowledged buybacks lifted results and said it plans more.
"Earnings per share grew faster than net income due to share repurchases," Chief Financial Officer James Sawyer said.
Rival Airgas Inc's (ARG.N) net income rose 17 percent, but EPS jumped 29 percent. At least one analyst cited the buyback as a reason for Airgas's 1-cent earnings beat.
Motorola Solutions (MSI.N) bought back $744 million in the quarter. Asked whether that was to boost EPS, Chief Executive Greg Brown said, "Smart investors see right through that."
When Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc (DPS.N) reported results on Wednesday, it had 218 million shares outstanding, down 22 million from a year ago. Credit Suisse analyst Carlos Laboy said earnings got a 2-cent boost from that lower share count, which helped the company beat expectations by 1 cent.
Illinois Tool Works (ITW.N), whose profit beat by 2 cents, spent $1 billion this year buying back shares that at one point were down by a third from their 52-week peak.
That discount "made it pretty attractive for them to do that, and it also highlights potentially some challenges in the market to meet their guidance," said Jeff Windau, industrials analyst at Edward Jones.
(Additional reporting by Martinne Geller, Krishna Das, Lewis Krauskopf, David Gaffen, Ernest Scheyder and Sinead Carew in New York, John Stoll in Detroit, Scott Malone in Boston; Editing by Bernard Orr)
(Reuters) ? Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD.N) forecast higher fourth-quarter revenue as it recovers from a manufacturing setback that has pinched the supply of its new personal computer processors.
AMD, a distant second to Intel Corp (INTC.O) in selling microprocessors that are the brains of PCs, said it was working with manufacturing partner GlobalFoundries to resolve the problem affecting its new 32 nanometer Llano chips as well as older 45 nanometer chips.
"We are already seeing steady improvement day after day, week after week, but we are not out of the woods yet," recently appointed Chief Executive Rory Read told analysts on a conference call.
That progress helped the Sunnyvale, California company give a forecast for current-quarter revenue that beat most analysts' expectations, even as AMD faces a shaky economy and weak consumer demand.
"They're gradually improving. Clearly their biggest problem in the quarter was supply-related and going forward my sense is they'll have a healthier supply level in the current quarter and beyond," said Patrick Wang, an analyst at Evercore Partners.
Intel said last week that brisk growth in first-time PC purchases by families in emerging markets like China was helping make up for soft demand for laptops in the United States and Europe.
That emerging markets strength is supporting sales of companies that make chips for PCs, while other parts of the chip sector suffer more from the slow economy.
"Just about everyone else in semiconductors is guiding for down 10 percent for the fourth quarter so anyone that's guiding up is seeing a different market," said Stifel Nicolaus analyst Kevin Cassidy.
SUPPLY-CHAIN OK
AMD does not expect a shortage of hard drives caused by recent flooding in Thailand to impact the PC supply chain and hurt business in the current quarter, Chief Financial Officer Thomas Seifert said on the call.
Like Intel, AMD has failed to gain traction in increasingly popular mobile gadgets like Google Inc's (GOOG.O) Android smartphones and Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) iPad, which some people are buying instead of laptops.
In August, AMD hired Read, replacing Dirk Meyer, who left in January partly due to differences with the board of directors over the company's mobile strategy.
AMD said revenue in the third quarter rose 4 percent from the year ago period, to $1.69 billion.
AMD said revenue in the fourth quarter ending in December would rise 3 percent compared to the previous quarter, plus or minus 2 percentage points, equivalent to $1.71 billion to $1.77 billion.
Analysts on average expected fourth quarter revenue of $1.71 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Non-GAAP earnings in the quarter were $110 million, up from $108 million in the year-ago period. Non-GAAP earnings per share were unchanged at 15 cents, beating expectations of 10 cents.
The company reported a net profit of $97 million, after a year ago loss of $118 million.
Shares of AMD rose 4.8 percent in extended trade after closing up 8.63 percent to $5.54.
(Reporting by Noel Randewich; editing by Carol Bishopric and Richard Chang)
OAKLAND, Calif. ? An uncle of an Iraq War veteran injured when anti-Wall Street protesters clashed with police in Oakland, Calif., said he was appalled by officers' action.
A hospital spokesman says the 24-year-old veteran and Wisconsin native, Scott Olsen, was upgraded to fair condition and moved into an intensive care unit on Thursday.
His uncle, George Nygaard, tells The Associated Press from Wisconsin that Olsen's parents were heading to California on Thursday morning.
Olsen apparently suffered a fractured skull Tuesday in a march with other protesters toward Oakland City Hall. The demonstrators were trying to re-establish a presence in the area of a disbanded protesters' camp when they were met by officers.
It's not known exactly what type of object struck Olsen or who might have thrown it, though the group Iraq Veterans Against the War said officers were responsible for his injury.
Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan says officials will investigate whether officers used excessive force.
Since he was injured, Olsen's name has become a rallying cry for protesters around the nation. On Wednesday night, demonstrators in New York City, where the movement began last month, marched in support of their counterparts in Oakland.
One movement website, OccupyWallSt.org, declared: "We are all Scott Olsen."
___
Associated Press writer Dinesh Ramde in Milwaukee contributed to this report.
ROME?? A top boss from the Gambino crime clan convicted in the U.S. of selling heroin was rearrested in a Rome clinic Thursday after he checked in for medical tests, police said.
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Rosario Gambino, 69 ? convicted by U.S. courts in a Pizza Connection heroin probe and sentenced to 45 years in prison in 1984 ? was deported two years ago to Italy so he could serve a 20-year sentence in a separate drug case.
Italian news reports said an Italian tribunal earlier in the week had ordered him released while his lawyers pursue an appeal with the Court of Cassation, Italy's top criminal court. However, police said they moved to arrest him Thursday after an appeals tribunal in Palermo, Sicily, issued a fresh warrant.
Gambino "was surprised inside a clinic in the capital, where he had sought some tests" for an undisclosed medical problem, Rome police headquarters said in a statement. "He has a long career in the ranks of the Italian-Sicilian Mafia on his resume."
Police who carried out the arrest could not be reached for details Thursday night.
Court officers were closed, but the Italian news agency ANSA said that the Palermo court deemed Gambino a flight risk.
Gambino, an Italian-born New Jersey resident, was considered a top figure in the New York-based crime family led by his late cousin Carlo Gambino.
In 1984, Rosario Gambino was convicted in a multimillion-dollar conspiracy to sell heroin in southern New Jersey and sentenced to 45 years in jail. He was linked to a Pizza Connection case involving a then $1.6 billion heroin- and cocaine-smuggling operation that used pizzerias as fronts in the 1970s and early '80s.
He was released in 2007 and transferred to an immigrant detention center in California to await expulsion. Gambino was wanted in Italy since 1980 in a drug trafficking probe. When he was deported to Italy two years ago, he was served the 1980 warrant signed by Giovanni Falcone, the Sicilian prosecutor who was killed by the Sicilian Mafia in a 1992 bombing.
Police said Gambino was convicted by an Italian court in 1983 of criminal association for drug trafficking and sentenced to 20 years.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Contact: Dr. Kathrin Bilgeri kathrin.bilgeri@lmu.de 49-218-06938 Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitt Mnchen
Versatile inhibitor prevents viral replication
Broad-spectrum antibiotics, which are active against a whole range of bacterial pathogens, have been on the market for a long time. Comparably versatile drugs to treat viral diseases, on the other hand, have remained elusive. Using a new approach, research teams led by Dr. Albrecht von Brunn of LMU Munich and Professor Christian Drosten from the University of Bonn have identified a compound that inhibits the replication of several different viruses, including the highly aggressive SARS virus that is responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome.
The new method exploits the fact that interactions between certain host proteins and specific viral proteins are essential for viral replication. One of these host proteins is part of a signaling relay in the cell. The broad-spectrum antiviral compound used by the researchers blocks this signal pathway without having a deleterious effect on the host. "We have shown in this study that a broadly based search for new cellular targets can uncover new functional principles that have a demonstrable impact on virus replication," says von Brunn. "We have confirmed that the approach works in cell culture. We now hope that these laboratory results can be translated into clinically effective therapies. At the very least, our high-throughput procedure can be utilized to systematically screen various protein-virus interactions as potential targets for inhibitory compounds." The new study was carried out under the auspices of the SARS Research Network, which is supported by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF). (PloS Pathogens, 27. October 2011)
Broad-spectrum antibiotics that inhibit the growth of various species of bacterial pathogens are well known. Virologists, unfortunately, have no comparably versatile weapons in their armory. Individual drugs that are active against different types of viral pathogens are simply not available. "All of the antiviral agents we have are directed specifically at the virus itself," explains Professor Christian Drosten, Director of the Institute of Virology at Bonn University Hospital. "And since viral pathogens are highly diverse, each of these agents can attack only certain viruses." Moreover, viruses are also highly mutable, making the weaponry they can deploy against us even more powerful. What works against one viral strain may be essentially useless against another.
The SARS virus, a previously unknown pathogen which threatened to cause a worldwide pandemic in 2003, has spurred on the search for new antiviral substances. Only recently, it was shown that not only Chinese, but also European, bats carry the SARS virus. "But in contrast to the situation with bird influenza, one cannot simply kill these free-living animals in order to eradicate the pathogen," says Drosten. "That would have catastrophic ecological consequences and, apart from that, bats are retiring and secretive in their habits." If one wishes to develop drugs against viruses that can "hide" in animal species, one must explore other alternatives.
The research teams assembled by von Brunn and Drosten have now discovered a way to prevent the replication of a whole family of viruses by depriving them of an essential host factor. They first identified host proteins with which SARS viral proteins interact. This strategy led to the finding that a cellular signaling pathway is essential for the replication not only of the SARS virus, but also of a whole set of related viruses that are pathogenic to humans and animals.
"This signal pathway is normally involved in regulating the immune system," says Drosten. "We used a substance that inhibits the function of one of the proteins in the pathway, and found that it suppresses viral replication." In other words, drugs that block this pathway inhibit the replication of many different viruses, and therefore act as broad-spectrum antivirals. This opens a route to the treatment of conditions caused by the SARS virus, but also a whole variety of human coronaviruses, and pathogens that infect the internal organs of chickens, pigs and cats. Inhibition of this pathway does not damage the host, because parallel pathways can compensate for its normal role in the cell.
The successful inhibition of virus replication was not a result of serendipity. The researchers in Munich have developed a technique that allows them to systematically probe different proteins for the ability to interact with defined targets. "In order to replicate in the body of its host, a virus must first gain entry to a suitable cell type by binding to a specific receptor protein on its surface," says von Brunn, who works in the Max von Pettenkofer Institute at LMU Munich. "We have used an automated, high-throughput process to systematically test various protein-virus combinations as potential targets for possible inhibitors. The success of this strategy proves that a broadly based search for cellular targets can uncover new functional principles that have a demonstrable impact on virus replication," says von Brunn.
The investigators have shown in cell cultures that their approach actually works. "However, it will be years before we know whether or not these results can be translated into effective treatments," Drosten says. The study also underlines the importance of research collaborations. Drosten is convinced that "neither group could have done this on its own". The SARS Research Network, which is coordinated by Drosten, brings together virological expertise from six university institutes, two veterinary and four medical, located in Hannover, Gieen, Marburg, Bonn, Munich and St. Gallen (Switzerland). (University of Bonn)
###
Publication:
The SARS-Coronavirus-Host Interactome: Identification of Cyclophilins as
Target for Pan-Coronavirus Inhibitors
Susanne Pfefferle, Julia Schpf, Manfred Kgl, Caroline C. Friedel,
Marcel A. Mller, Javier Carbajo-Lozoya, Thorsten Stellberger, Ekatarina
von Dall'Armi, Petra Herzog, Stefan Kallies, Daniela Niemeyer, Vanessa
Ditt, Thomas Kuri, Roland Zst, Ksenia Pumpor, Rolf Hilgenfeld, Frank
Schwarz, Ralf Zimmer, Imke Steffen, Friedemann Weber, Volker Thiel,
Georg Herrler, Heinz-Jrgen Thiel, Christel Schwegmann-Weels, Stefan
Phlmann, Jrgen Haas, Christian Drosten, Albrecht von Brunn
PLoS Pathogens, 27. Oktober 2011
doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1002331
Contact:
Dr. Albrecht von Brunn
Max von Pettenkofer Institute, LMU Mnchen
Phone: 49-89-5160-5439
Email: vonbrunn@mvp.uni-muenchen.de
Professor Christian Drosten
Direktor des Instituts fr Virologie des Universittsklinikums Bonn
Phone: 49-228-2871-1055
Email: drosten@virology-bonn.de
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Contact: Dr. Kathrin Bilgeri kathrin.bilgeri@lmu.de 49-218-06938 Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitt Mnchen
Versatile inhibitor prevents viral replication
Broad-spectrum antibiotics, which are active against a whole range of bacterial pathogens, have been on the market for a long time. Comparably versatile drugs to treat viral diseases, on the other hand, have remained elusive. Using a new approach, research teams led by Dr. Albrecht von Brunn of LMU Munich and Professor Christian Drosten from the University of Bonn have identified a compound that inhibits the replication of several different viruses, including the highly aggressive SARS virus that is responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome.
The new method exploits the fact that interactions between certain host proteins and specific viral proteins are essential for viral replication. One of these host proteins is part of a signaling relay in the cell. The broad-spectrum antiviral compound used by the researchers blocks this signal pathway without having a deleterious effect on the host. "We have shown in this study that a broadly based search for new cellular targets can uncover new functional principles that have a demonstrable impact on virus replication," says von Brunn. "We have confirmed that the approach works in cell culture. We now hope that these laboratory results can be translated into clinically effective therapies. At the very least, our high-throughput procedure can be utilized to systematically screen various protein-virus interactions as potential targets for inhibitory compounds." The new study was carried out under the auspices of the SARS Research Network, which is supported by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF). (PloS Pathogens, 27. October 2011)
Broad-spectrum antibiotics that inhibit the growth of various species of bacterial pathogens are well known. Virologists, unfortunately, have no comparably versatile weapons in their armory. Individual drugs that are active against different types of viral pathogens are simply not available. "All of the antiviral agents we have are directed specifically at the virus itself," explains Professor Christian Drosten, Director of the Institute of Virology at Bonn University Hospital. "And since viral pathogens are highly diverse, each of these agents can attack only certain viruses." Moreover, viruses are also highly mutable, making the weaponry they can deploy against us even more powerful. What works against one viral strain may be essentially useless against another.
The SARS virus, a previously unknown pathogen which threatened to cause a worldwide pandemic in 2003, has spurred on the search for new antiviral substances. Only recently, it was shown that not only Chinese, but also European, bats carry the SARS virus. "But in contrast to the situation with bird influenza, one cannot simply kill these free-living animals in order to eradicate the pathogen," says Drosten. "That would have catastrophic ecological consequences and, apart from that, bats are retiring and secretive in their habits." If one wishes to develop drugs against viruses that can "hide" in animal species, one must explore other alternatives.
The research teams assembled by von Brunn and Drosten have now discovered a way to prevent the replication of a whole family of viruses by depriving them of an essential host factor. They first identified host proteins with which SARS viral proteins interact. This strategy led to the finding that a cellular signaling pathway is essential for the replication not only of the SARS virus, but also of a whole set of related viruses that are pathogenic to humans and animals.
"This signal pathway is normally involved in regulating the immune system," says Drosten. "We used a substance that inhibits the function of one of the proteins in the pathway, and found that it suppresses viral replication." In other words, drugs that block this pathway inhibit the replication of many different viruses, and therefore act as broad-spectrum antivirals. This opens a route to the treatment of conditions caused by the SARS virus, but also a whole variety of human coronaviruses, and pathogens that infect the internal organs of chickens, pigs and cats. Inhibition of this pathway does not damage the host, because parallel pathways can compensate for its normal role in the cell.
The successful inhibition of virus replication was not a result of serendipity. The researchers in Munich have developed a technique that allows them to systematically probe different proteins for the ability to interact with defined targets. "In order to replicate in the body of its host, a virus must first gain entry to a suitable cell type by binding to a specific receptor protein on its surface," says von Brunn, who works in the Max von Pettenkofer Institute at LMU Munich. "We have used an automated, high-throughput process to systematically test various protein-virus combinations as potential targets for possible inhibitors. The success of this strategy proves that a broadly based search for cellular targets can uncover new functional principles that have a demonstrable impact on virus replication," says von Brunn.
The investigators have shown in cell cultures that their approach actually works. "However, it will be years before we know whether or not these results can be translated into effective treatments," Drosten says. The study also underlines the importance of research collaborations. Drosten is convinced that "neither group could have done this on its own". The SARS Research Network, which is coordinated by Drosten, brings together virological expertise from six university institutes, two veterinary and four medical, located in Hannover, Gieen, Marburg, Bonn, Munich and St. Gallen (Switzerland). (University of Bonn)
###
Publication:
The SARS-Coronavirus-Host Interactome: Identification of Cyclophilins as
Target for Pan-Coronavirus Inhibitors
Susanne Pfefferle, Julia Schpf, Manfred Kgl, Caroline C. Friedel,
Marcel A. Mller, Javier Carbajo-Lozoya, Thorsten Stellberger, Ekatarina
von Dall'Armi, Petra Herzog, Stefan Kallies, Daniela Niemeyer, Vanessa
Ditt, Thomas Kuri, Roland Zst, Ksenia Pumpor, Rolf Hilgenfeld, Frank
Schwarz, Ralf Zimmer, Imke Steffen, Friedemann Weber, Volker Thiel,
Georg Herrler, Heinz-Jrgen Thiel, Christel Schwegmann-Weels, Stefan
Phlmann, Jrgen Haas, Christian Drosten, Albrecht von Brunn
PLoS Pathogens, 27. Oktober 2011
doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1002331
Contact:
Dr. Albrecht von Brunn
Max von Pettenkofer Institute, LMU Mnchen
Phone: 49-89-5160-5439
Email: vonbrunn@mvp.uni-muenchen.de
Professor Christian Drosten
Direktor des Instituts fr Virologie des Universittsklinikums Bonn
Phone: 49-228-2871-1055
Email: drosten@virology-bonn.de
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
There are a few ways to explain how to buy life insurance.? Some people prefer using their local insurance agent from State Farm, Farmers, AAA, etc.? Others needing life insurance might see an advertisement from an insurance carrier such as Met Life, and call the company directly.
The best way to buy life insurance, in my opinion, is to get multiple online life insurance quotes from a company that offers quotes from several different carriers.? For example, a company such as Select Quote or Accuquote will be able to provide quotes from multiple companies.
Selecting the Amount You Need
The two questions you need to know before purchasing life insurance are ?how much do I need?? and ?what type of insurance is right for me??? We?ll first address the amount of death benefit needed.
Most people purchase life insurance to cover a specific financial need.? One of the most common is when an income producing spouse and/or parent wants to protect against his or her loss of income due to an unexpected death.? This is a wonderful reason to have life insurance in place on your life.
Say you make $60,000 per year and you?re a 38 year old male.? You might be working for another 20 to 30 years before you?re able to retire.? Just imagine how much future income is lost if something happens to you before reaching retirement age!
Since income replacement is a very common reason to purchase life insurance, we provide an income replacement life insurance calculator on our site for free.? Just go to: How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
If the life insurance calculator is too complex for your needs, a good rule of thumb is to carry 5 to 10 times your annual income on your life.? Of course you?ll need to take your current assets and debts into account.? The individual who has $500,000 in a personal IRA may have a decreased life insurance need in comparison to an individual with nothing in the bank and $100,000 in credit card debt, all things equal.
Other valid insurance needs are to cover debts, a mortgage, a business loan, to cover a key employee (known as key man insurance), to pay for estate taxes or death taxes, and to pay for death and funeral? expenses.
Which Type of Life Insurance is Right for Me?
Please read the section above before this section.? If you?re need is for income replacement, you almost certainly need term insurance and nothing more.? Term life insurance covers you for a specific period of time, and is typically much less expensive than whole life or universal life insurance.
On the other hand, if your need life insurance protection for the rest of your life, or if you are interested in the ability to grow cash value (from which you can borrow or withdraw funds), then you will need to consider a whole life insurance or universal life insurance quote.
If you?ve read the sections on selecting the amount you need and what type of insurance to buy and are still confused, call us at 877-966-9383 to tell us your situation and we?ll help you.
How Much Will I Pay?
This question depends on several factors.? Life insurance companies charge different rates to males and females of the same age and health status, so sex is the first variable.? They take mortality risks into account such as health problems (heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc) or other risks not related to your health such as occupational risks, hobbies and activities, and family health history.
Who Has the Lowest Prices for Term Life Insurance?
I believe we at Huntley Wealth Insurance do, because we offer quotes from over 30 life insurance companies if you use the instant quote form on the right.? Just complete the form, and you?ll see your quotes on the next page.? We?re also experts at helping you find the company who will give you the best deal if you have a health condition such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes.
Beware When Purchasing Life Insurance
Be careful when searching how to buy life insurance that you don?t give away your personal information to certain life insurance websites to see a quote.? It may be an insurance lead generation company who collects your information and sells it to up to 12 life insurance agents or agencies.
If you are unfortunate enough to submit your phone number and email address to one of these websites, you?ll probably be getting insurance solicitation calls for weeks.? Always check the site?s Privacy statement before giving your information to it to determine whether or not your contact info will be shared with other agents.
How to Apply for Life Insurance
After getting quotes using our form on the right, select the policy you think fits your needs the best and select ?Request Application?.? We will contact you to be sure the policy you have selected meets your insurance needs and that you can qualify for the policy at a price that is acceptable to you.
We can then take the application over the phone, by mail, or send it via email to you.? Most of our policies require a short medical exam, which costs you nothing (paid for by the insurance company), although we do also offer no exam policies.? If you have any further questions about how to buy life insurance, call us at 877-966-9383.
DENVER ? President Barack Obama recalled his struggles with student loan debt as he unveiled a plan Wednesday that could give millions of young people some relief on their payments.
Speaking at the University of Colorado Denver, Obama said that he and his wife, Michelle, together owed more than $120,000 in law school debt that took nearly a decade to pay off. He said that sometimes he'd have to make monthly payments to multiple lenders, and the debt meant they were not only paying for their own degrees but saving for their daughters' college funds simultaneously.
"I've been in your shoes. We did not come from a wealthy family," Obama said to cheers.
Obama said it's never been more important to get a college education, but it's also never been more expensive. Obama said his plan will help not just individuals, but the nation, because graduates will have more money to spend on things like buying homes.
"Our economy needs it right now and your future could use a boost right now," Obama said.
Obama's plan will accelerate a measure passed by Congress that reduces the maximum required payment on student loans from 15 percent of discretionary income annually to 10 percent. He will put it into effect in 2012, instead of 2014. In addition, the White House says the remaining debt would be forgiven after 20 years, instead of 25. About 1.6 million borrowers could be affected.
He will also allow borrowers who have a loan from the Federal Family Education Loan Program and a direct loan from the government to consolidate them into one. The consolidated loan would carry an interest rate of up to a half percentage point less than before. This could affect 5.8 million borrowers.
Student loans are the No. 2 source of household debt. The president's announcement came on the same day as a new report on tuition costs from the College Board. It showed that average in-state tuition and fees at four-year public colleges rose $631 this fall, or 8.3 percent, compared with a year ago. Nationally, the cost of a full credit load has passed $8,000, an all-time high.
Student loan debt is a common concern voiced by Occupy Wall Street protesters. Obama's plan could help him shore up re-election support among young voters, an important voting bloc in his 2008 election. But, it might not ease all their fears.
Anna Van Pelt, 24, a graduate student in public health at the University of Colorado Denver who attended the speech, estimates she'll graduate with $40,000 in loans. She called Obama's plan a "really big deal" for her, but said she still worries about how she'll make the payments.
"By the time I graduate, my interest rate is going to be astronomical, especially when you don't have a job," Van Pelt said. "So it's not just paying the loans back. It's paying the loans back without a job."
The White House said the changes will carry no additional costs to taxpayers.
Last year, Congress passed a law that lowered the repayment cap and moved student loans to direct lending by eliminating banks as the middlemen. Before that, borrowers could get loans directly from the government or from the Federal Family Education Loan Program; the latter were issued by private lenders but basically insured by the government. The law was passed along with the health care overhaul with the anticipation that it could save about $60 billion over a decade.
The change in the law was opposed by many Republicans. At a hearing Tuesday, Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., who chairs a subcommittee with oversight over higher education, said it had resulted in poorer customer service for borrowers. And Senate Republicans issued a news release with a compilation of headlines that showed thousands of workers in student lending, including those from Sallie Mae Inc., had been laid off because of the change.
Today, there are 23 million borrowers with $490 billion in loans under the Federal Family Education Loan Program. Last year, the Education Department made $102.2 billion in direct loans to 11.5 million recipients.
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Hefling reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Kristen Wyatt contributed to this report.
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Kimberly Hefling can be followed at http://twitter.com/khefling
NEW YORK ? The Dow Jones industrial average surged nearly 340 points Thursday after European leaders agreed on a deal to slash Greece's debt load and prevent the crisis there from engulfing larger countries like Italy. The Standard & Poor's 500 index is close to having its best month since 1974.
Commodities and Treasury yields soared as investors took on more risk. The euro rose sharply against the dollar.
Europe's sweeping agreement, reached after an all-night summit meeting, is aimed at preventing the Greek government's inability to pay its debt from escalating into another financial crisis like the one that happened in September 2008 after the collapse of Lehman Brothers.
Banks agreed to take 50 percent losses on the Greek bonds they hold. Europe will also strengthen a financial rescue fund to protect the region's banks and other struggling European countries such as Italy and Portugal.
"This seems to set aside the worries that there would be a massive contagion over there that would have brought everything down with it," said Mark Lamkin, head of Lamkin Wealth Management.
Stronger U.S. economic growth and corporate earnings also drove markets higher. The government reported Thursday that the economy grew at a 2.5 percent annual rate from July through September on stronger consumer spending and business investment. That was nearly double the 1.3 percent growth in the previous quarter.
The Dow Jones industrial average soared 339.51 points, or 2.9 percent, to 12,208.55. All 30 stocks in the Dow rose, led by Bank of America Corp. with a 9.6 percent gain. It was the first time the Dow closed above 12,000 since Aug. 1
The Dow is up 11.9 percent for the month so far. With only two full days of trading left in October, the Dow could have its biggest monthly gain since January 1987. The Dow's jump was its largest since Aug. 11th, when it rose 423.
The S&P 500 rose 42.59, or 3.7 percent, to 1,284.59. The gain turned the S&P positive for the year for the first time since Aug. 3, just before the U.S. government's debt was downgraded. The index is up 13.5 percent for the month, its best performance since a 16.3 percent gain in October 1974.
The Dow and S&P have both fallen for the previous five months.
The Nasdaq composite jumped 87.96, or 3.3 percent, to 2,738.63.
Small company stocks rose more than the broader market. That's a sign investors were more comfortable holding assets perceived as being risky but also more likely to appreciate in a strong economy. The Russell 2000 index jumped 5.3 percent.
Raw materials producers, banks and stocks in other industries that depend on a strong economy for profit growth led the way. Copper jumped 5.8 percent to $3.69 a pound and crude oil jumped 4.2 percent to $93.96 a barrel.
The euro rose sharply, to $1.42, as confidence in Europe's financial system grew. The euro was worth $1.39 late Wednesday and had been as low as $1.32 on Oct. 3. European stock indexes also soared. France's CAC-40 rose 6.3 percent and Germany's DAX jumped 6.1 percent.
Investors sold U.S. Treasury notes and bonds, an indication they were moving away from safer investments. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which moves in the opposite direction of its price, rose to 2.38 percent from 2.21 percent late Wednesday.
European leaders still have to finalize the details of their latest plan. French President Nicolas Sarkozy spoke with Chinese President Hu Jintao amid hopes that countries with lots of cash like China can contribute to the European rescue.
Past attempts to contain Europe's two-year debt crisis have proved insufficient. Greece has been surviving on rescue loans since May 2010. In July, creditors agreed to take some losses on their Greek bonds, but that wasn't enough to fix the problem.
Some analysts cautioned that Europe's problems remained unsolved. "The market keeps on thinking that it's put Europe's problems to bed, but it's like putting a three-year old to bed: you might put it there but it won't stay there," said David Kelley, chief market strategist at J.P. Morgan Funds. Kelly said that Europe's debt problems will remain an issue until the economies of struggling nations like Greece and Portugal grow again.
Worries about Europe's debt crisis and a weak U.S. economy dragged the S&P 500 down 19.4 percent between April 29 and Oct. 3. That put it on the cusp of what's called a bear market, which is a 20 percent decline.
Since then, there have been a number of more encouraging signs on the U.S. economy. Despite the jitters over Europe, many large U.S. companies have been reporting strong profit growth in the third quarter.
Dow Chemical rose 8.2 percent after its profit last quarter rose 59 percent on strong sales growth from Latin America. Occidental Petroleum Corp. jumped 9.7 percent after reporting a 50 percent surge in income.
Citrix Systems Inc. rose 17.3 percent. The technology company's revenue rose 20 percent last quarter, and it forecast growth of up to 13 percent for 2012. Akamai Technologies Inc., whose products help speed the delivery of online content, jumped 15.4 percent after the company reported earnings that beat analysts' expectations.
Avon Products Inc. fell 18 percent, the most in the S&P 500, after the company said the Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating its contacts with financial analysts and Avon's own probe into bribery in China and other countries.
Nine stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was heavy at 6.5 billion shares.
BAGHPAT, India (TrustLaw) ? When Munni arrived in this fertile, sugarcane-growing region of north India as a young bride years ago, little did she imagine she would be forced into having sex and bearing children with her husband's two brothers who had failed to find wives.
"My husband and his parents said I had to share myself with his brothers," said the woman in her mid-40s, dressed in a yellow sari, sitting in a village community centre in Baghpat district in Uttar Pradesh.
"They took me whenever they wanted -- day or night. When I resisted, they beat me with anything at hand," said Munni, who had managed to leave her home after three months only on the pretext of visiting a doctor.
"Sometimes they threw me out and made me sleep outside or they poured kerosene over me and burned me."
Such cases are rarely reported to police because women in these communities are seldom allowed outside the home unaccompanied, and the crimes carry deep stigma for the victims. So there may be many more women like Munni in the mud-hut villages of the area.
Munni, who has three sons from her husband and his brothers, has not filed a police complaint either.
Social workers say decades of aborting female babies in a deeply patriarchal culture has led to a decline in the population of women in some parts of India, like Baghpat, and in turn has resulted in rising incidents of rape, human trafficking and the emergence of "wife-sharing" amongst brothers.
Aid workers say the practice of female foeticide has flourished among several communities across the country because of a traditional preference for sons, who are seen as old-age security.
"We are already seeing the terrible impacts of falling numbers of females in some communities," says Bhagyashri Dengle, executive director of children's charity Plan India.
"We have to take this as a warning sign and we have to do something about it or we'll have a situation where women will constantly be at risk of kidnap, rape and much, much worse."
SECRET PRACTICES
Just two hours drive from New Delhi, with its gleaming office towers and swanky malls, where girls clad in jeans ride motor bikes and women occupy senior positions in multi-nationals, the mud-and-brick villages of Baghpat appear a world apart.
Here, women veil themselves in the presence of men, are confined to the compounds of their houses as child bearers and home makers, and are forbidden from venturing out unaccompanied.
Village men farm the lush sugarcane plantations or sit idle on charpoys, or traditional rope beds, under the shade of trees in white cotton tunics, drinking tea, some smoking hookah pipes while lamenting the lack of brides for their sons and brothers.
The figures are telling.
According to India's 2011 census, there are only 858 women to every 1,000 men in Baghpat district, compared to the national sex ratio of 940.
Child sex ratios in Baghpat are even more skewed and on the decline with 837 girls in 2011 compared to 850 in 2001 -- a trend mirrored across districts in states such as Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
"In every village, there are at least five or six bachelors who can't find a wife. In some, there are up to three or four unmarried men in one family. It's a serious problem," says Shri Chand, 75, a retired police constable.
"Everything is hush, hush. No one openly admits it, but we all know what is going on. Some families buy brides from other parts of the country, while others have one daughter-in-law living with many unwedded brothers."
Women from other regions such as Jharkhand and West Bengal speak of how their poor families were paid sums of as little as 15,000 rupees ($300) by middle-men and brought here to wed into a different culture, language and way of life.
"It was hard at first, there was so much to learn and I didn't understand anything. I thought I was here to play," said Sabita Singh, 25, who was brought from a village in West Bengal at the age of 14 to marry her husband, 19 years her elder.
"I've got used to it," she says holding her third child in her lap. "I miss my freedom."
Such exploitation of women is illegal in India, but many of these crimes are gradually becoming acceptable among such close-knit communities because the victims are afraid to speak out and neighbours unwilling to interfere.
Some villagers say the practice of brothers sharing a wife has benefits, such as the avoidance of division of family land and other assets amongst heirs.
Others add the shortage of women has, in fact, freed some poor families with daughters from demands for substantial dowries by grooms' families.
Social activists say nothing positive can be derived from the increased exploitation of women, recounting cases in the area of young school girls being raped or abducted and auctioned off in public.
UNABATED ABORTIONS
Despite laws making pre-natal gender tests illegal, India's 2011 census indicated that efforts to curb female foeticide have been futile.
While India's overall female-to-male ratio marginally improved since the last census in 2001, fewer girls were born than boys and the number of girls under six years old plummeted for the fifth decade running.
A May study in the British medical journal Lancet found that up to 12 million Indian girls were aborted over the last three decades -- resulting in a skewed child sex ratio of 914 girls to every 1,000 boys in 2011 compared with 962 in 1981.
Sons, in traditionally male-dominated regions, are viewed as assets -- breadwinners who will take care of the family, continue the family name, and perform the last rites of the parents, an important ritual in many faiths.
Daughters are seen as a liability, for whom families have to pay substantial wedding dowries. Protecting their chastity is a major concern as instances of pre-marital sex are seen to bring shame and dishonour on families.
Women's rights activists say breaking down these deep-rooted, age-old beliefs is a major challenge.
"The real solution is to empower girls and women in every way possible," says Neelam Singh, head of Vatsalya, an NGO working on children's and women's issues.
"We need to provide them with access to education, healthcare and opportunities which will help them make decisions for themselves and stand up to those who seek to abuse or exploit them."
(TrustLaw is a global news service on women's rights and good governance run by Thomson Reuters Foundation. For more information see www.trust.org/trustlaw)
NEW YORK ? The Dow Jones industrial average surged nearly 340 points Thursday after European leaders agreed on a deal to slash Greece's debt load and prevent the crisis there from engulfing larger countries like Italy. The Standard & Poor's 500 index is close to having its best month since 1974.
Commodities and Treasury yields soared as investors took on more risk. The euro rose sharply against the dollar.
Europe's sweeping agreement, reached after an all-night summit meeting, is aimed at preventing the Greek government's inability to pay its debt from escalating into another financial crisis like the one that happened in September 2008 after the collapse of Lehman Brothers.
Banks agreed to take 50 percent losses on the Greek bonds they hold. Europe will also strengthen a financial rescue fund to protect the region's banks and other struggling European countries such as Italy and Portugal.
"This seems to set aside the worries that there would be a massive contagion over there that would have brought everything down with it," said Mark Lamkin, head of Lamkin Wealth Management.
Stronger U.S. economic growth and corporate earnings also drove markets higher. The government reported Thursday that the economy grew at a 2.5 percent annual rate from July through September on stronger consumer spending and business investment. That was nearly double the 1.3 percent growth in the previous quarter.
The Dow Jones industrial average soared 339.51 points, or 2.9 percent, to 12,208.55. All 30 stocks in the Dow rose, led by Bank of America Corp. with a 9.6 percent gain. It was the first time the Dow closed above 12,000 since Aug. 1
The Dow is up 11.9 percent for the month so far. With only two full days of trading left in October, the Dow could have its biggest monthly gain since January 1987. The Dow's jump was its largest since Aug. 11th, when it rose 423.
The S&P 500 rose 42.59, or 3.7 percent, to 1,284.59. The gain turned the S&P positive for the year for the first time since Aug. 3, just before the U.S. government's debt was downgraded. The index is up 13.5 percent for the month, its best performance since a 16.3 percent gain in October 1974.
The Dow and S&P have both fallen for the previous five months.
The Nasdaq composite jumped 87.96, or 3.3 percent, to 2,738.63.
Small company stocks rose more than the broader market. That's a sign investors were more comfortable holding assets perceived as being risky but also more likely to appreciate in a strong economy. The Russell 2000 index jumped 5.3 percent.
Raw materials producers, banks and stocks in other industries that depend on a strong economy for profit growth led the way. Copper jumped 5.8 percent to $3.69 a pound and crude oil jumped 4.2 percent to $93.96 a barrel.
The euro rose sharply, to $1.42, as confidence in Europe's financial system grew. The euro was worth $1.39 late Wednesday and had been as low as $1.32 on Oct. 3. European stock indexes also soared. France's CAC-40 rose 6.3 percent and Germany's DAX jumped 6.1 percent.
Investors sold U.S. Treasury notes and bonds, an indication they were moving away from safer investments. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which moves in the opposite direction of its price, rose to 2.38 percent from 2.21 percent late Wednesday.
European leaders still have to finalize the details of their latest plan. French President Nicolas Sarkozy spoke with Chinese President Hu Jintao amid hopes that countries with lots of cash like China can contribute to the European rescue.
Past attempts to contain Europe's two-year debt crisis have proved insufficient. Greece has been surviving on rescue loans since May 2010. In July, creditors agreed to take some losses on their Greek bonds, but that wasn't enough to fix the problem.
Some analysts cautioned that Europe's problems remained unsolved. "The market keeps on thinking that it's put Europe's problems to bed, but it's like putting a three-year old to bed: you might put it there but it won't stay there," said David Kelley, chief market strategist at J.P. Morgan Funds. Kelly said that Europe's debt problems will remain an issue until the economies of struggling nations like Greece and Portugal grow again.
Worries about Europe's debt crisis and a weak U.S. economy dragged the S&P 500 down 19.4 percent between April 29 and Oct. 3. That put it on the cusp of what's called a bear market, which is a 20 percent decline.
Since then, there have been a number of more encouraging signs on the U.S. economy. Despite the jitters over Europe, many large U.S. companies have been reporting strong profit growth in the third quarter.
Dow Chemical rose 8.2 percent after its profit last quarter rose 59 percent on strong sales growth from Latin America. Occidental Petroleum Corp. jumped 9.7 percent after reporting a 50 percent surge in income.
Citrix Systems Inc. rose 17.3 percent. The technology company's revenue rose 20 percent last quarter, and it forecast growth of up to 13 percent for 2012. Akamai Technologies Inc., whose products help speed the delivery of online content, jumped 15.4 percent after the company reported earnings that beat analysts' expectations.
Avon Products Inc. fell 18 percent, the most in the S&P 500, after the company said the Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating its contacts with financial analysts and Avon's own probe into bribery in China and other countries.
Nine stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was heavy at 6.5 billion shares.
BY Nelly Gupta ? POSTED October 27 2011 AT 11:52 am
Nelly Edmondson Gupta is a breast cancer survivor and health writer. She has written for many national publications, including the Ladies? Home Journal, Weight Watchers, the New York Times and Health Monitor Network.
Breast cancer. I feel numb; afraid? I wrote those words in my journal just hours after getting the diagnosis.
During the following weeks, I found myself pouring out my fears on paper: I?m so scared. I feel as if a bowl has covered my life, shutting me in, shutting out light?
As I moved through treatment, I wrote daily. Often, after pages of dark musings, something lighter would break through?today, the sun is shining and I am aware of a feeling of pleasure. Life is fragile and tenacious. Maybe accepting that duality is key to integrating cancer into my life?
By the time I finished treatment, I?d filled two notebooks. I also learned from researchers like James Pennebaker that getting my thoughts and feelings down on paper could improve my health and even strengthen my immunity.
Then I wanted to share what I had learned. ?Wouldn?t it be useful,? I said to friends, ?if there were a place people with cancer could go ? people who don?t make writing a regular habit ? to get the tools they need to tell their stories and explore their feelings??
It occurred to me that with my 20-plus years of experience as a health writer and editor, perhaps I could create such a place.
Three months later, I was at a cancer support organization leading my workshop, Write On! Twelve people had gathered with notebooks and pens. As they called out words ? nouns and action phrases that described their cancer experience, I wrote them on a large newsprint pad: Tumor, Biopsy, and Undergo surgery. I was surprised when some of the offerings were more upbeat: Courage, Gratitude and Pray.
Next, I instructed everyone to write the word or phrase that felt most personally meaningful at the top of a clean notebook page. ?Using that as a starting point,? I said, ?Write for 10 minutes. Don?t edit yourself, or worry about grammar or neatness. Just keep your pen moving, and trust yourself to go where you need to go.?
As I looked around the room and saw people battling the darkness with words, I realized that none of us has been destroyed. In some ways, in fact, we were stronger than ever.
Writing your cancer journey
You don?t have to be a ?good writer? to use writing as a healing tool. All you have to do is write. Here are some suggestions:
* Carry a notebook and pen in your pocketbook or briefcase so you can jot down experiences and feelings as they occur.
* During chemo sessions or when you?re waiting for appointments, use the time to write.
* Use your notebook to write down questions for your doctors ? and their answers.
CONNECT THE DOTS
To find out more about the benefits of expressive writing, check out the American Psychological Association, and this article from Advances in Psychiatric Treatment. You may also be interested in the healthymagination article, ?Journaling for Health and Peace of Mind.?
TUESDAY, Oct. 25 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. health authorities on Tuesday recommended that young males be vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus that causes most cervical cancers, as well as anal cancer and some cancers of the throat and mouth.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday morning that its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has approved "recommendations for routine vaccination of males 11 or 12 years old with three doses of HPV4 (vaccine)" to shield against the virus.
At this point the recommendation is limited to Gardasil, made by Merck. Another HPV vaccine, GlaxoSmithKline's Cervarix, is not yet included in the advisory.
"The vaccination could begin as young as age 9, and boys and young men 13 to 21 years of age who hadn't received the vaccine should also be vaccinated," Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the U.S. National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, said in an afternoon press briefing.
The current level of use of the HPV vaccine among girls is "disappointing," Schuchat noted, and since the virus is passed via sexual conduct, "there is the potential that vaccinating boys will reduce the spread of HPV from males to females and reduce some of the HPV burden women suffer from."
An HPV vaccine has been available since 2006, but until now the CDC had only recommended inoculation for females between the ages of 9 and 26 to limit their risk of cervical cancer.
According to Schuchat, the new recommendations were based on the effectiveness of the vaccine in males. She noted that while the numbers of cervical cancers has been decreasing, head and neck cancer and anal cancers -- which affect both genders -- have been on the rise.
One expert agreed with the CDC panel that vaccinating boys should help prevent cancers in both genders.
"In a perfect world, immunization of all girls might be the most cost-effective way of preventing HPV disease in women," said Dr. Kenneth Bromberg, chairman of pediatrics and director of the Vaccine Research Center at The Brooklyn Hospital Center, New York City. "However, since we do not live in a perfect world, a very strong argument can be made for immunizing boys in order to prevent genital warts in males and the prevalence of HPV-related cancers in both boys and girls. The increasing awareness of the role HPV plays in other diseases, such as head and neck cancers and, possibly, heart disease, would be yet another reason to consider universal immunization."
Vaccination against HPV is pricey, with the three-shot series for the Gardasil vaccine typically costing about $390.
The vaccine has been controversial with some parents who contend it could encourage young women and men to engage in sexual relations at an early age.
HPV is widespread among men. An international study published in March in The Lancet found that half of all adult males in the United States may be infected with the virus.
More than 40 strains of HPV exist, and all are passed along by skin-to-skin contact, usually during sexual relations, according to the CDC.
The most well-known strain of HPV causes genital warts. But other strains show no obvious symptoms and clear up on their own with no medical treatment, Dr. Jean Bonhomme, an assistant professor at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, told HealthDay.
"Because it normally causes no symptoms, men and women can get it and pass it on without even knowing they have it," Bonhomme said.
Since the virus spreads through skin contact, normal protections that prevent the spread of disease through body fluids won't work, Bonhomme said.
"Diseases like herpes and HPV cannot be completely prevented by condoms because they are both spread by contact with skin," Bonhomme said. "If the virus comes into contact with the scrotum or thighs, you can still be infected."
Men don't have the screening tools for HPV-related cancers that are available to women. A Pap test can detect cervical cancer in women, Bonhomme said, but there's no comparable test for penile or anal cancer in men. As a result, many men don't realize they have these cancers until they begin showing late-stage symptoms.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the HPV vaccine Gardasil for use in women in 2006. Three years later, the FDA approved a second HPV vaccine, Cervarix. Vaccination is recommended for 11- and 12-year-old girls and for young women ages 13 through 26 who have not yet been vaccinated.
"The idea is to vaccinate before they become sexually active," said Debbie Saslow, director of breast and gynecologic cancer programs for the American Cancer Society. "Afterward, it's much less effective."
Saslow and Bonhomme, who is also president of the National Black Men's Health Network, said that beyond the direct health risks, there are other compelling reasons to extend HPV vaccinations to males.
For one thing, it would be simpler to vaccinate everyone than to have separate guidelines for boys and girls, Saslow said. There's also an argument for gender equity, in that only women are being vaccinated for a disease that affects both sexes, she added.
Another strong argument in favor of male HPV vaccination, Bonhomme said, is that by only immunizing half the population, health officials are not attacking the problem with full force.
"Where are women getting the virus from?" he asked. "If you don't vaccinate the guys, then you aren't helping the women."
HPV has been shown to increase a man's chances of contracting penile and anal cancer, particularly for gay males. Men who have sex with men are about 17 times more likely to develop anal cancer than straight men, according to the CDC.
About 1 percent of sexually active men in the United States have genital warts at any particular time, according to the CDC. Annually, about 800 U.S. men contract HPV-related penile cancer and about 1,100 men get HPV-related anal cancer.
"These are relatively rare cancers," said Saslow. "However, for men who have sex with other men, their risk is significantly higher than the general population."
Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston reported Monday that HPV may increase a woman's chances for heart disease, even if she doesn't have any recognized cardiovascular risk factors.
More information
The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more on HPV.
Yes, Jennifer Lopez really did break down during a concert in Connecticut on Saturday night. But not for the reason many outlets are reporting.
Because the incident took place following a rendition of "Until It Beats No More," and because Lopez talked a lot about love before and after the tears flowed, most people have been assuming J. Lo was lamenting her recent split with Marc Anthony.
But sources tell TMZ the water works were NOT a result of any break-up. Instead, the jumbotron at Mohegan Sun flashed THIS PHOTO of Jennifer and her twins and it was just too much to take. Consequently, we were treated to a rare moment of raw emotion from a celebrity. Watch it unfold below:
UPDATE: In a new interview with Extra, Jennifer said she cried because she saw her mom in the audience. Either way, what a sweet, emotional glimpse at the star.
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Public release date: 28-Oct-2011
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