XReminder: A Reminder app with quick gesture controls | AppSaga

XReminder – Quick & Powerful Reminder (4.5 stars with 35 Ratings) 
iPhone App

$1.99

Free Offer Ended. This app was free on October 29, 2013, but the offer has expired. Follow us on Twitter or Subscribe by email or RSS feed to get daily App Gone Free notifications so you won’t miss it next time. The following impression was made during the promotional period.

 

Looking for an easy-to-use reminder app with gesture controls?

At first glance, this may seem just like another countdown app, although that’s partially true, this app is more of a reminder app with quick and easy gesture controls. Simply drag down on the screen to create an item. Enter a title, time, any recurring options, and you are done. Swipe left or right to edit or delete it. If you are looking for a quick and easy app to set your reminders, try out XReminders.

App Screenshots

– See more at: http://appsaga.com/xreminder-a-reminder-app-with-quick-gesture-controls/#sthash.0vWnPyBM.dpuf

via XReminder: A Reminder app with quick gesture controls | AppSaga.

Bucatini with Butter-Roasted Tomato Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes

8 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed

2 anchovy fillets packed in oil

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes plus more for serving

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

12 oz. bucatini or spaghetti

Finely grated Parmesan (for serving)

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 425°. Combine tomatoes (crushing them with your hands), garlic, anchovies, butter, and ½ tsp. red pepper flakes in a 13×9” baking dish; season with salt and black pepper. Roast, tossing halfway through, until garlic is very soft and mixture is jammy, 35–40 minutes. Using a potato masher or fork, mash to break up garlic and tomatoes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking liquid.

Return pasta to pot and add tomato sauce and pasta cooking liquid. Cook over medium-high heat, tossing until sauce coats pasta, about 3 minutes. Serve topped with Parmesan and more red pepper flakes.

DO AHEAD: Tomato sauce can be made 4 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat before mixing with pasta.

via Bucatini with Butter-Roasted Tomato Sauce – Bon Appétit.

Genetic testing raises hope for lung cancer treatments

Lung cancer is one of the hardest cancers to treat

 

Offering genetic testing to lung cancer patients can potentially save lives, research suggests.

A study of 5,000 patients found genetic profiling of lung tumours boosted survival rates through better targeting of chemotherapy drugs.

The findings, reported in Science Translational Medicine, pave the way for personalised medicine.

Cancer Research UK said matching patients to a personalised treatment is still in its infancy.

The standard way to diagnose lung cancer is to look at cells from a tumour under the microscope.

On this basis, lung cancer can be classified into different tumour types, which helps doctors make decisions about the best treatment to offer.

However, in recent years scientists have made progress towards understanding how cancer can be better treated by matching drugs to the genetic make-up of a tumour.

A team led by Dr Roman Thomas, of the Max Planck Research Group in Cologne, Germany, carried out genetic testing on lung tumour samples from about 5,000 patients to spot genetic differences in lung cancer cells.

“

Our findings provide support for broad implementation of genome-based diagnosis of lung cancer”

Dr Roman ThomasMax Planck Research Group

They found that while some tumours look similar under the microscope, they actually belong to different subgroups.

Patients who received therapy based on genetic profiling of their tumours had a better prognosis, the study revealed.

Diagnostic genetic testing of lung cancer, combined with tailored treatment, may improve patient survival in the future, say the researchers.

“Our findings provide support for broad implementation of genome-based diagnosis of lung cancer,” they report in Science Translational Medicine.

Commenting on the research, Dr Sarah Hazell, Cancer Research UK’s senior science information officer, said the way scientists think about cancer is changing.

“This research highlights a growing trend of using drugs matched to the individual genetic profile of a tumour,” she said.

“For lung cancer though, it’s too early to claim a victory, as it’s still one of the hardest to treat cancers, and matching patients to a personalised treatment is still in its infancy. ”

Some 42,000 people have lung cancer diagnosed in the UK annually, with about 35,000 deaths from the disease.

Lung cancer is often diagnosed at a late stage, which makes it difficult to treat.

via BBC News – Genetic testing raises hope for lung cancer treatments.

Internet chatrooms can help those in distress, says study

The negative influence of the internet has received widespread coverage this year

 

Internet forums and chatrooms can have positive effects that should be more widely acknowledged, experts say.

The call comes after Oxford University researchers carried out an analysis of 14 different studies looking at how young people use the internet.

The review – published in the Plos One journal – said a number of studies had found a link between internet use and self-harm and suicide.

But it said others had found the internet could be a positive influence.

The dangers of internet use have received widespread coverage this year. In one case, in August, 14-year-old Hannah Smith from Leicestershire was found hanged after she had been sent abusive messages on a social networking site.

Since then research by the NSPCC has suggested a fifth of 11 to 16-year-olds have had negative experiences using the internet.

‘Socially isolated’

The Oxford University research highlighted a number of dangers from internet use, including the normalising of self-harm and the risk of bullying.

It also said there was a “strong link” between internet forums and an increased risk of suicide in particular.

“

Rather than concentrating primarily on ways of blocking and censoring such sites, we should think about online opportunities to reach out to people in emotional distress”

Joe FernsSamaritans

But the researchers said some studies had shown that internet forums could support and connect socially isolated people.

There were also examples where forum users encouraged positive behaviour, advised others to seek help and congratulated each other for not harming themselves.

Report author Prof Keith Hawton said: “Communication via the internet and other electronic means has potential roles in both contributing to and preventing suicidal behaviour in young people.

“The next step is going to be development of therapeutic interventions using these channels of communication, especially to access those who do not seek help from clinical services.”

Joe Ferns of the Samaritans added: “We should acknowledge that many people are using suicide forums and chatrooms to anonymously discuss their feelings of distress and despair, including suicidal thoughts, which may have a positive impact on the individual. They may be expressing feelings that they have never disclosed to anyone in their offline lives.

“Rather than concentrating primarily on ways of blocking and censoring such sites, we should think about online opportunities to reach out to people in emotional distress.”

via BBC News – Internet chatrooms can help those in distress, says study.

New York to raise cigarette sale age

The bill’s supporters say a higher age limit stops young people developing smoking habits

New York City Council has voted to raise the minimum age for buying cigarettes from 18 to 21.

New York will now become by far the most populous place in the US to impose such a high age limit, the Associated Press reports.

The new age limit includes electronic vapour cigarettes.

Across the US there is a minimum age for smoking of 18. Some states have raised the limit to 19 and at least two other towns have raised it to 21.

The bill’s sponsor, City Councilman James Gennaro, said it would “literally save many, many lives”.

Mr Gennaro, whose mother and father died from tobacco-related illnesses, said: “I’ve lived with it, I’ve seen it… but I feel good today.”

Critics of the measure have argued that young people may turn to the black market for cigarettes.

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who supported the bill, has 30 days to sign it into law. The measure would then come into effect after 180 days.

“We know that tobacco dependence can begin very soon after a young person first tries smoking so it’s critical that we stop young people from smoking before they ever start,” Mr Bloomberg said in a statement.

A plan by Mr Bloomberg to make shops keep cigarettes out of public view was shelved earlier this year.

via BBC News – New York to raise cigarette sale age.

HIV antibodies ‘have potent impact’

A potential new HIV treatment has a “profound and unprecedented” impact on the virus, according to animal studies published in the journal Nature.

 

Potent antibodies were able to wipe a hybrid of human and monkey immunodeficiency viruses from the bloodstream of monkeys within days.

The findings could “revolutionise” the search for an HIV cure, say experts.

The US researchers said trials in patients with HIV now needed to take place.

The immune system produces precisely targeted antibodies to take out HIV, but the virus is able to rapidly mutate to evade the immune assault.

“

The effect with these potent antibodies is profound and unprecedented. It’s probably as large an antiviral therapeutic effect as has ever been seen”

Prof Dan BarouchHarvard Medical School

However, some antibodies have been discovered that target the “conserved” parts of HIV – those that the virus struggles to change because they are vital for it to function.

‘Undetectable’

Two groups, from Harvard Medical School and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, performed the first trials of these antibodies.

They used rhesus macaques that had been infected with simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV), a blend of HIV and the monkey equivalent.

Data from the Harvard team showed that injection of the antibodies drove SHIV from the bloodstream until it reached undetectable levels after three to seven days.

The effect lasted for one to three months, but in three monkeys the virus did not return to the blood during the 250-day study.

Prof Dan Barouch told the BBC: “The effect with these potent antibodies is profound and unprecedented. It’s probably as large an antiviral therapeutic effect as has ever been seen.

“But we have to make sure we don’t overhype and the limitation is the study is in animals, not humans.”

The antibodies were also able to attack the virus in some tissues. Drugs can assault the virus in the blood during normal HIV treatment, but the virus can hide in other parts of the body.

These early findings raise the prospect of using antibodies to clear these tissues as well.

Similar results were produced by the team at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

‘Revolutionise’

HIV infection is incurable, although taking a daily dose of medication can keep the virus in check, giving patients a near-normal life expectancy.

The antibodies will be tested in human clinical trials and if successful they could be used alongside antiretroviral drugs as a treatment.

It may also be possible to devise a vaccine that could train the immune system to produce these antibodies.

However, both these ideas are dependent on human trials being successful.

Commenting on the findings, Prof Louis Picker and Prof Steven Deeks said: “The findings of these two papers could revolutionise efforts to cure HIV.”

However, they warned that HIV was so prone to mutation that it was “likely that some people will harbour viruses that are resistant to one or more” of the antibodies.

via BBC News – HIV antibodies ‘have potent impact’.

補鈣迷思！大骨湯加醋助鈣溶出？

在傳統的觀念中，認為在所謂的骨頭湯中加醋，確實幫助鈣質油離而出。但究竟要加多少醋，熬煮多久，幫助釋放得量有多少，沒有確切的研究。

 

網路上流傳在熬煮大骨湯、排骨湯時，在湯中加入一小匙醋，有助於骨頭中鈣質流出的說法。不過這個方式真的有效嗎？營養師表示，在傳統的觀念中，認為在所謂的骨頭湯中加醋，確實幫助鈣質游離而出。但究竟要加多少醋，熬煮多久，幫助釋放的量有多少，沒有確切的研究。

鹿港基督教醫院陳紋慧營養師指出，熬煮大骨湯的同時，加醋有助於鈣質溶出的方式，在理論上是合理、可行的。不過，實際執行卻不容易，到底能夠幫助溶出多少的量、加多少量才有效果，是否會影響湯品風味，不得而知。

另外傳統觀念認為多喝所謂的骨頭湯，能夠幫助人體從中吸收到較多鈣質的說法並不正確。事實上，民眾就算喝下10碗以上的骨頭湯，也不夠補足人體一天所需的鈣質。民眾想要達到每日鈣質的建議攝取量，還是要透過均衡的飲食來攝取。

補鈣首選　脫脂牛奶

陳紋慧營養師表示，為達到身體骨骼、機能的正常運作。成年人每天要攝取1000mg的鈣質，老年人、發育中青少年，由於鈣質流失速度快、成長需求等因素，則應攝取1200mg的鈣質。但依現在民眾普遍外食，營養攝取不均衡的情況下，要達到這樣的鈣質含量攝取並不容易。

每1c.c的牛奶，約有1mg的鈣質含量。換算之下，每天喝2杯牛奶就能輕鬆攝取500mg的鈣質。

 

因此，還是建議民眾每天喝1.5杯至2杯(每杯約200ml)的牛奶，來補足人體每日對鈣質的需求。根據衛福部提供的數據顯示每1c.c的牛奶，約有1mg的鈣質含量。換算之下，每天喝2杯牛奶就能輕鬆攝取500mg的鈣質，相較於吃下100g的小魚干、芝麻容易許多。

但要注意的是，成年人、中老人在選擇牛奶時，應挑選低脂或脫脂的牛奶飲用，才不會攝取過量的不飽和脂肪，以及熱量，增加心血管疾病發生的風險。只要把握以上原則，就能輕鬆達到補鈣的效果。

綠色蔬食　讓你輕鬆補鈣

另外，除了從牛奶中攝取所需的鈣質外，民眾也可以透過多食用鈣質含量高的綠色蔬食來補充鈣質的攝取。包括香椿、芥蘭菜、芹菜、莧菜、紅鳳菜、小白菜、黑木耳等，每100公克的含量也有100毫克的鈣質含量，民眾可以在日常多加攝取，都有助於增加鈣質的攝取。

而蔬菜自身當中的所含有的維生素D的成份，也會成為身體運輸鈣質的載體，幫助腸道對於鈣質的吸收，將食用的鈣質，有效吸收到人體內，幫助生理機能的正常運作。

【營養師小叮嚀】：

由於鈣質進入人體後，並不會馬上被吸收利用，而是需要經由維生素D轉化，才會被吸收儲存。所以，除了在日常多攝取含有鈣質的食物外，建議民眾每天曬10至15分鐘的太陽，來加速維生素D的產生。利用維生素D是鈣質吸收載體的作用，幫助攝取的鈣質能夠更有效的被吸收利用。

via 補鈣迷思！大骨湯加醋助鈣溶出？ | 20131031 | 華人健康網.

基礎代謝率UP 快補蛋白質胺基酸

僅靠運動有時無法持久，容易造成減重效果大打折扣。

 

成功減重不在於體重減少多少，而是在於脂肪是否有下降。想要使脂肪下降的關鍵，即在於提高基礎代謝率，以減少體內脂肪的堆積。僅靠運動有時無法持久，造成效果大打折扣，此時，適度補充運動後所需營養素，尤其是蛋白質與胺基酸，才能達到減重事半功倍效果。

補充蛋白質與胺基酸　減少體內脂肪

沒有蛋白質，肌肉不能生長，所有的蛋白質是由20幾種不同是胺基酸組成。學術界逐漸發現，不同種類的胺基酸，對身體健康有不容忽視的效果，包括增強運動能力、窈窕身型、養顏美容以及促進代謝循環…等，目前廣為生技及醫學營養界常用的胺基酸種類約有18-20種。

至於支鏈胺基酸補劑，一般稱為BCAAs，支鏈胺基酸包括纈胺酸、亮氨酸、異亮氨酸，組成幾乎1/3肌肉蛋白。BCAAs能減緩肌肉疲勞，加速恢復，降低運動時其他胺基酸從肌肉中的流失，並有助於機體吸收蛋白質。

營養師趙函穎表示，蛋白質與胺基酸對人體組織非常重要，也是必需的元素，不同結構的胺基酸組成對身體健康有不同的效果，以緊實線條而言，研究發現，補充蛋白質營養，尤其是補充BCAA支鏈胺基酸，可以幫助維持肌肉功能，進而幫助提高BMR基礎代謝率，減少體內脂肪的堆積，達到真正減重的效果。

蛋白質與胺基酸對人體組織非常重要，也是必需的元素。（攝影／黃曼瑩）

 

補充蛋白質與胺基酸　提升基礎代謝率

年過25歲以後，基礎代謝率就會開始下降，大約每10年約下降5-10%，如果不調整既有的飲食習慣並增加運動的頻率，中年以後，身材便會開始逐漸走樣，想要搶救變形的身材，往往必需花費許多金錢與時間。

BMR基礎代謝會隨著年齡的增長而有逐漸下降的趨勢，趙函穎進一步表示，除了運動之外，身體的肌肉比率增加，也能明顯提昇BMR基礎代謝率，補充蛋白質與胺基酸能幫助形成肌肉，還可以刺激活化脂肪酶(Lipase)燃燒體內的脂肪，降低體內脂肪率，間接提高體內的BMR基礎代謝率。

via 基礎代謝率UP　快補蛋白質胺基酸 | 20131031 | 華人健康網.

運動後速燃脂秘訣 補充蛋白質營養

運動後30-60分鐘內正確營養補充，才能達到燃燒脂肪的效果。

 

台灣肥胖人口正逐年增加，根據資料顯示，2012年國內成年男性肥胖率已占1/2、女性1/3、兒童則有1/4過重或肥胖。因此，減重也成為一大挑戰，營養師表示，靠運動減重還不夠，必需在運動後30-60分鐘內正確營養補充，才能增加肌肉量、提升基礎代謝，進而達到燃燒脂肪的效果。

肥胖對於身體健康的影響巨大，根據波仕特市調一項針對「國人減重及運動概念」調查發現，超過7成4的受訪者對自己目前的體重不滿意，超過6成的受訪者認為自己過重，受訪者中有5成6曾經有過減重經驗，而採取減重的方法中雖然以「運動」的方式為首選，但維持每周運動習慣的比例卻僅有4成6而已。

運動後補充蛋白質　能燃燒脂肪

對抗肥胖與過重，除了持續宣導運動之外，運動之後的飲食控制也是不可忽視的重要因素。營養師趙函穎表示，根據美國運動醫學會的營養專刊指出，運動後補充 4：1的碳水化合物：蛋白質，能快速有效的補充運動消耗的肝醣，這些熱量並不會被當成脂肪儲存，而是拿去修補損耗掉的能量與組織，維持強健的體能與體力。

運動後30-60分鐘內若能即時補充碳水化合物與蛋白質比例4 : 1的營養補充品，對幫助恢復肌肉流失的養份，增加肌肉量，提升基礎代謝進而達到燃燒脂肪，有不錯的效果。

營養師趙函穎表示，運動後應該補充 4：1的碳水化合物：蛋白質。（攝影／黃曼瑩）

 

中高強度有氧運動後　需營養補充

美國運動醫學會與美國膳食協會曾公開肯定「運動後營養補充」的重要性，尤其在中高強度的有氧運動後，身體非常需要恢復精力與修補肌肉的來源。超過5成比例民眾以為運動後補充一些熱量低的蔬果，或是運動飲料就可以了，但是忍住飢餓感，除了讓耗損的肌肉無法補充流失的養份，還會導致運動熱衷度下降，無法維持運動良好習慣。

運動後營養補充3重點：

1.補充因流汗而損失的水份和電解質。

2.補充運動中消耗的肝醣。

3.補充蛋白質以修復受傷的肌肉和組織。

如果無法在短時間內透過攝取一定比例的碳水化合物與蛋白質食物，運動營養補充品也是選擇之一，目前已有運動後均衡營養輔助系列，主要成分包括水解乳清蛋白與胺基酸，提供的均衡蛋白並添加多元胺基酸與複合纖維素，讓運動及健身後的肌肉能量修復，維持健康均衡與緊實的肌肉線條。

【營養師小叮嚀】：

營養師趙函穎表示，減少肥胖最好的方式就是預防肥胖發生，除了已經達到需要進行減重手術治療的人之外，對於目前仍保有健康體態的一般民眾，維持規律的運動習慣以及運動後正確的健康飲食概念，才是根本解決之道。

via 運動後速燃脂秘訣　補充蛋白質營養 | 20131031 | 華人健康網.

走路突然「鎖膝」 竟是半月板磨損

有1名30歲女性上班族逛街買鞋，彎腰試穿新鞋時，突然膝關節像是「鎖住」一般，感覺一陣疼痛無力，整個人無法動彈，如同「木頭人」，直到忍痛慢慢喬一喬膝蓋，大概半小時後，才能勉強移動雙腳。經過骨科門診檢查，赫然發現患者膝蓋半月板有磨損破裂情況，經過關節鏡手術修補後，膝關節不再卡卡疼痛。

半月板是一種韌帶纖維軟骨，在膝關節內有內側和外側兩個半月板，分別置於脛骨（小腿骨）上端平臺的關節面上。半月板磨損破裂的情況常發生在突然外力或扭轉，超過半月板所承受之時，即可能引起損傷。又可分為「急性破裂」與「慢性磨損」。前者則是退化性破裂、係指半月板破成一個洞，或破了一整片；後者則是退化性破裂，導致半月板邊緣磨耗、變薄。

突然急跳扭轉　恐釀半月板破損

半月板破損容易好發於籃球運動員，例如突然轉身跳躍投籃，或鐵餅運動員經常猛然旋轉身體投擲動作，在瞬時產生強大爆發力，造成膝蓋承受巨大壓力或扭傷；此外，喜歡跳國標舞、街舞與武術的人，也是高危險族群，以及例如農民年復一年的蹲位耕作，過度勞損造成半月板破損。

 

半月板是一種韌帶纖維軟骨，在膝關節內有內側和外側兩個半月板。（圖片提供／翁佩韋醫師）

 

半月板磨損　勿與退化性關節炎混談

經常有人誤將半月板磨損與退化性關節炎混為一談，主要是因為兩者同樣都會有關節僵硬、腫脹症狀，事實上，兩者的好發年齡、成因，以及部份症狀都不一樣，其中最大差異在於半月板破損的人會急性「鎖膝」突然彎不下去或伸不直的情況，而退化性關節炎患者則只是關節會卡卡不順；兩者治療方式也不同。半月板磨損可使用關節鏡手術，至於退化性關節炎治療，則包括止痛抗發炎劑、玻尿酸注射與人工關節置換。

新式半月軟骨縫合手術無須額外的傷口。（圖片提供／翁佩韋醫師）

 

半月板磨損VS退化性關節炎

 

 

傳統半月軟骨縫合手術需要在膝關節周圍額外劃一道傷口，利用穿針引線的方法，自關節腔內穿過破裂的半月軟骨進行縫合，將縫合的線結綁在皮下，手術花費時間較長，增加麻醉時間，也會有傷害到皮下或深層之神經及血管的風險。

 

半月板破損容易好發於籃球運動員，例如突然轉身跳躍投籃。（圖片提供／翁佩韋醫師）

 

新式半月軟骨縫合術　避免神經受損

新式半月軟骨縫合手術無須額外的傷口，係利用新式器械，只需在基本的關節鏡顯微傷口下操作，手術花費時間短，也減少傷害到皮下或深層之神經及血管的風險。

及早治療有助保住半月板，半月板受傷治療後，最好穿上膝關節支架，維持兩個月時間，在此期間注意膝蓋不要超過彎曲達90度以上，不能蹲跪；此外，術後軟骨沒有什麼變化，可以從事較安全的運動，包括適合游泳，其次是健走。如果走路、爬山時，一定要記得戴護膝保護膝蓋。

via 走路突然「鎖膝」　竟是半月板磨損 | 20131031 | 華人健康網.