69261

Exercise and a healthy, nutritious diet should be on everyone's daily routine, which can serve as the first line of defense against several ailments. But many patients wake up to the perils of obesity fairly late when their excessive weight has led them to a series of complaints including diabetes and coronary disorders. They get easily dispirited, especially when faced with the rigors of the demanding exercise and diet regimens that won't give them the fast results they desire, and turn in for gastric bypass surgery.

But is gastric bypass surgery the magic bullet that can provide permanent freedom from the extra pounds?

The bypass surgery, or for that matter any bariatric surgery, is not a quick-fix. As the surgery carries its own risk, the surgery is not for all, but only for those morbidly obese persons whose BMI has crossed 40 and who cannot achieve significant weight through diet and exercise alone. It can be successful only for those who are disciplined and committed to the prescribed diet. people who suffer from depression, bipolar disease, or schizophrenia should consult and be under the care of a psychiatrist before gastric bypass, as weight loss can worsen these conditions.

How the gastric bypass surgery works is simple. The stomach is cut high up so that it is divided into two parts - a small upper part, a one 1 oz pouch, and a large lower part a 39 oz bypassed part. Three rows of staples secure the two pieces so that most of the time they don't leak. The pouch is then connected to the small intestines bypassing duodenum and part of the intestines (jejunum). The larger lower part of the stomach is just left lying idle. So you end up with a small stomach and a shorter intestines. This means that you will feel full more quickly and that you will absorb less of the food actually eaten (because of the shorter bowel). Food flows directly into the middle section of your small intestine, limiting absorption of calories.

You can begin regular activity within 4 to 6 weeks after your gastric bypass. You should be pain-free after 10 days or so. Fatigue is common, and can last from 3 to 4 weeks after your gastric bypass. The surgery alters your digestive system to make it impossible for you to eat much food at one sitting without suffering unpleasant side effects such as 'dumping syndrome' or rapid gastric emptying, which occurs when the undigested contents of your stomach are "dumped" into your small intestine too rapidly. Common symptoms include abdominal cramps and nausea .This digestive side effect acts as a brake on calorie intake, and can lead to significant loss of weight within 2 years after surgery.

Almost every gastric bypass patient suffers hair loss and hair thinning during the first six months. Once your weight stabilizes and you consume more protein, the hair will grow back. Hair treatments and permanents should be avoided.

Gastric bypass is a success when half of extra weight is lost and the loss is persistent for up to five years. The risk of mortality with a gastric bypass is about 1 in 100. Though the surgery is generally safe, it can lead to serious and potentially fatal complications. In a gastric bypass, the stitches and staples that help to bypass lower part of the stomach and reconnect to the intestines have the potential to tear in the first few weeks after surgery. This can lead to peritonitis and acid leak and bleeding. Intestinal blockage, due to scar tissue or intestinal twisting, is a possibility. The pouch may get stretched, with the result appetite may return and result in some patients' regaining 10 to 30 pounds of lost weight.

Since the operation causes food to bypass areas of the small intestine that are responsible for absorbing protein, calcium, and certain vitamins, nutritional deficiencies may occur. In addition, less iron is absorbed because of the small size of the new stomach pouch. So you will need to take daily vitamin and mineral supplements everyday for the rest of your life, including a multivitamin, calcium, vitamin B12, and iron. You will also need to increase the proportion of protein in your diet, since you'll be eating less food overall. Blood tests must be performed every three months for the first year to check your nutritional status.

Revision surgery is required in about 10 to 20 percent of patients, usually to correct abdominal hernias or pouch stretching and narrowing. Though technically reversing the surgery is possible, it is advised only under exceptional circumstances. The complications of gastric bypass surgery must be carefully weighed in consultation with the doctors before making the decision to undergo surgery.

Once the decision has been made, simultaneously build up the determination to follow the doctor's recommendation regarding diet and exercise. Yes, you can shed the extra pounds. And the low self image.

Uma Shankari is a Bangalore-based freelance journalist. She is passionate about writing. She writes regularly on development issues, health and fitness, yoga/meditation, life and relationships. Read some her articles on Here

posted by 10022  # 9:16 PM 0 comments

You know most of the time you find yourself downloading all kinds of stuff, including mp4s, mp3s and the like, but what about the technical end of it. What is MP4?

Mp4s or rather the term mpeg-4 was developed by ISO (International Organization for Standardization). It is a format specific for multimedia, the most common uses are for digital audio and video, and it is a certain type of container that holds all this information. It can contain other data as well such as subtitles and still images. You should also note that mpeg-4 is identical to QuickTime MOV format. In fact any kind of data can be inserted into MP4.

MP4 is getting more and more popular. In fact, it is now very popular to people who use the latest iPod players and PSP owners. This type of file compression is now providing a way to store dvd quality movies at a very small size. This type of file compression is known as the MPEG4 format.

Because most users may get confused at the initial concept of what MP4 is, it is what is in the MP4 that is even more confusing since the extension has been used primarily for music tunes and not movies. Therefore, what is stored in an MP4 is more than you can imagine for the most part. In addition, those other extensions have been used for MP4s, (which is audio from an iTunes store), to m4a (which includes such things as chapter markers, images, and hyperlinks). In addition, of course m4b (which has the ability to work with IPODs, where m4a files cannot. So most of the time when you find a file with the extension of mp4 or m4v, then they have both the audio and video aspects.

Let us not forget of course that they can contain codecs as well. Therefore, as you can see there is much to learn about what MP4 is, so let's summarize;

MP4 Can include and contain audio, video and also still images (like pictures), and all kinds of other data, making it a diverse file to use.

MP4 can contain other types of competing technology e.g. ogg, vob, ratdvd, divx media format, Matroska (mkv) and others to name a few.

In addition, how about some of the compatible hardware or software that mp4s can work with? Such as in software: Amarok, Banshee music player, 3ivx, foobar2000, GOM player, iTunes, media player classic, QuickTime player, Realplayer, VLC media player, and so forth, as for hardware: Kiss 1600, apple iPod, PSP (playstation portable), Playstation 3, xbox 360, Nokia.

Therefore, to answer the question what MP4 is, well, it is technology at its best!

Indeed, the MP4 technology can now make entertainment much more convenient than ever before. So, next time you think of downloading your favorite movies to your computer to transfer to your portable multimedia device, try thinking of MP4. just make sure that your multimedia devices are capable of reading the MP4 format.

Sandra Stammberger owns and operates http://www.mp4pros.com MP4

posted by 10022  # 5:22 PM 0 comments

As a result of problems related to the mass production of a key component of its Blu-ray dvd player, Sony (SNE) will delay the European launch of its next generation video game console, the PlayStation 3 (PS3). Sony will also reduce the number of PS3 units immediately available in both the U.S. and Japan.

In the U.S., the ps3 will launch on November 17th, with approximately 400,000 consoles available for sale. The U.S. launch will come almost a week after the Japanese launch which will consist of merely 100,000 units.

Sony's PlayStation 3 is the successor to the PlayStation 2, the world's most popular (and as recently as July, the world's best selling) video game console.

The Number That Really Matters

The fact that there will only be 400,000 ps3 units available for sale in the United States on November 17th is totally unimportant. The launch date itself is unimportant. What matters is how many units will be available for sale in mid to late December.

Sony claims it will have 1 million to 1.2 million consoles available for sale by December 31st. I think it's safe to assume they don't plan to have many arrive between December 26th and December 31st. So, let's assume there will be at least a million ps3 consoles available for sale in the U.S. by Christmas.

Will that be enough to put a PlayStation in the living room of every household that wants one?

No. There will almost certainly be many people who have to go without a ps3 for Christmas, despite being willing to pay the very high price Sony is asking. But, that's nothing new. Other consoles (including the Xbox 360) have been launched without an adequate number of units immediately available for sale.

This isn't like failing to get enough Glad trash bags on store shelves. Once the console has launched, limited availability shouldn't cause many people to switch their planned purchase. If they want it and it's out, they'll wait for it.

A delay is much worse than a mere shortage. There's a promise (and a tangible product) behind a console that has already launched. So, very few people in the U.S. or Japan who planned to buy a ps3 are likely to change their minds because of a Christmas shortage no matter how severe.

The Things That Really Matter

The success of any gaming platform is largely based on five factors:

Available Titles

Relative Launch Date

Price

Predecessor's Installed Base

Technology

Of these five, technology is by far the least important factor. The four most important factors (available titles, relative launch date, price, and predecessor's installed base) are difficult to separate. Clearly, having a predecessor with a large installed base (such as the PS2) can be tremendously beneficial, if you get satisfactory marks in the other three areas (titles, launch date, and price).

Predecessor's Installed Base

The PlayStation 3 dominates when it comes to having a predecessor with a large installed base. So, how does it score in the other three areas?

In terms of available titles, the ps3 scores as well as any of its competitors, if not better. However, none of the three consoles (Xbox 360, ps3, or Wii) does very well in this regard. Unfortunately, the titles are likely to be somewhat segregated by console. There will be quality games on each system; but, almost no one will buy all three. Simply put, there will be some games exclusive to each console that a lot of people would really love to play but can't.

Also, there's the danger that both the ps3 and the Xbox 360 will be seen as the more adult and less casual consoles. microsoft (MSFT) and Sony have Nintendo to blame for this but, let's put that issue aside for now.

Relative Launch Date

Returning to the list of factors that determine a console's success, let's consider the launch date issue. Sony clearly has a bit of a problem in Europe, because it will have one less Christmas season than both the Xbox 360 and the Wii. Some analysts think Sony will lose no more than a few hundred thousand console sales to substitutions. If that's true, lost revenue might be in the hundreds of millions rather than the billions.

Strong sales of the Xbox in Europe during the Christmas season would be a very bad indication for Sony. The combined price of an Xbox and a ps3 is prohibitively expensive. Furthermore, the two consoles are far more similar to each other than they are to the Wii. As a result, while some European Wii sales might be recoverable by Sony at a later date, because individuals will choose to buy the Wii first and the ps3 later, very few Xbox 360 sales would be recoverable. Essentially, every Xbox sold in Europe this Christmas is a ps3 that will never be born.

Three Separate Markets

The U.S., Japan, and Europe are really three very different markets. It's quite possible you could have a console that is very successful in one market and yet unable to get any real momentum in another.

Before this delay, I felt strongly that Europe was the market where the ps3 could come closest to duplicating the performance of the ps2 in terms of market share. There's a long-term danger that microsoft will gain market share in the U.S. and Nintendo will gain market share in both the U.S. and Japan.

Obviously, Europe isn't as well defined a market as either the U.S. or Japan. So, it's much harder to predict how a certain type of console or a certain type of game will go over there. The U.S. and Japan are very clearly defined game markets, largely because they have very clearly defined consumer cultures in general and entertainment cultures in particular.

So, what does the ps3 delay mean for Sony's future in Europe? It's hard to say. I'm more interested in seeing what the installed base of each next generation console will look like in the American and Japanese markets after Christmas 2007, when we'll have the first real chance to predict how this round of the console wars will play out.

Of course, there are some predictions that seem pretty safe even now. For instance, it seems safe to say Sony will lose worldwide market share. Simply put, the ps3 won't be able to duplicate the market share dominance of the ps2.

So, most likely we're talking about Sony's ps3 falling somewhere north of catastrophic failure and south of market share gains. Although I think both of these scenarios are extremely unlikely, catastrophic failure is more likely, simply because improving upon the PS2's market share seems a near impossibility given the much tougher competition this time around.

Is there a real risk that the ps3 might end up being a catastrophic failure? I don't think so, simply because of the number of ps2 systems still out there. Price combined with solid competition on both of Sony's flanks is the only thing that could cause such a failure. If the price prevents widespread acceptance of the system, third party publisher support would be a problem down the line. Nintendo doesn't need a lot of third party support. Sony does.

Although I do think Sony is doing serious harm to its PlayStation line by insisting upon including Blu-ray and charging a ridiculous price, I don't think any amount of managerial ineptitude is likely to cause the catastrophic failure of a successor to such a dominant console as the ps2.

Price

If price isn't the elephant in the room, it should be. Most of the articles I read about the recently announced ps3 delay / production scale-down didn't say much about the pricing of the ps3. That's a mistake especially, because several articles mentioned the laptop battery recall, which has nothing to do with the ps3 and very little to do with Sony (it has everything to do with lithium-ion batteries irrespective of their manufacturer).

The PS3's price is a big problem. One that might have manifested itself in poor Christmas sales, if the number of units available for sale had approached the expected demand. For now, Sony is planning on having so few units available in the U.S. by Christmas that the launch will go well even if the ps3 is ultimately a failure. Sony claims it will have 6 million units by the end of its fiscal year. A few analysts are skeptical, but Sony is sticking to that line.

In the weeks ahead, expect Sony to make a big deal about the fact that it will actually make more ps3 units available by the end of December than the number of Xbox 360s microsoft had made available by the same time the year before. It's a valid point. But, it omits two key facts. The ps3 is launching after the Xbox 360 and there are more ps2 owners out there who will want to trade up for the new system.

Since the ps3 is launching after the Xbox 360, no one is waiting around to see what the alternative will look like. They already know what the Xbox 360 is, what it can do, and what (some of) the games available for it are. As soon as the ps3 launches, the comparisons can begin. That wasn't possible when the Xbox 360 launched and everybody knew the ps3 was on its way.

The second reason why no parallel exists between the demand for Xbox 360s at launch and the demand for PS3s at launch is simply that there are more PS2s out there. As a result, Sony having as many units available by Christmas as microsoft had the year before would be a lot like Gillette having as many new razors available as Schick had produced the year before. The difference in market share obliterates any possible comparison.

So, even though I think the ps3 is far too expensive going into the Christmas season, I'm quite sure that fact won't be evident in the sales numbers, because there will be a severe ps3 shortage throughout 2006. Even if the PlayStation 3 is too expensive, it will look like it's selling well, because there simply won't be enough of them produced in 2006.

Why am I so convinced the ps3 is priced too high?

The ps3 is too expensive to be a Christmas gift. Around Christmas, a lot of these consoles are bought by parents as gifts for their kids. Parents are willing to pay a lot for them, because they're a huge one-time item for the kid (and the parents have been hearing about it since well before the launch). But, the prices likely to be charged in 2006 for the ps3 are simply beyond what parents are willing to spend.

It's not an issue of how much consumers have to spend versus the value they're getting. It's an issue of being psychologically unprepared for paying this kind of price for any gift.

It may be a price older gamers are willing to pay to get a ps3 for themselves. But, it's not a price parents will be willing to spend on their kids.

Geoff Gannon writes a daily value investing blog and produces a twice weekly (half hour) value investing podcast at: http://www.gannononinvesting.com

posted by 10022  # 2:30 AM 0 comments