Uterine Fibroids, also known as uterine leiomyomas or myomas are benign tumors of the uterus. They are commonly found in women in the childbearing age. Many women have uterine fibroids sometime during their lives. Your doctor may discover fibroids incidentally during a pelvic
exam or prenatal ultrasound.
It's not known what exactly causes the growth of fibroids, however a combination of genetics and estrogen and progesterone levels are known to play a role. Hormonal changes are also influenced by individual behavior and by our own metabolisms. This is why there could be some relationship between the fibroid growths and a disequilibrium in the metabolism.
A recent study looked at the Vitamin D status in women with Uterine Fibroids. The study concluded that Vitamin D is an emerging regulator of Uterine Fibroids development. Despite these promising findings, the authors suggest that bigger size studies are needed to confirm a
causal relationship between fibroids and Vitamin D level and to investigate the potential therapeutic
benefits of vitamin D supplementation.
The study: Overall, 128 women diagnosed with Uterine Fibroids were selected. Fifteen of
them (12%) reported a history of surgical myomectomy (operation for the removal of the Uterine Fibroids). These 128 affected cases were matched to 256
controls. Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (the most accurate way to measure how much vitamin D is in your body) were collected and were found to be significantly lower in women with fibroids than in controls. Based on this cross-sectional study, the frequency of Uterine Fibroids is up to 2-fold higher in women with a condition of vitamin D
deficiency.
This study did not focus on other risk
factors for the uterine fibroids, ie, BMI, diet, stress, and metabolic and
environmental factors which may deserve investigation, also it did not collected data behind the reasons for vitamin D deficiency. The authors concluded that vitamin D deficiency may play a role in the development of the fibroids more than on their growth. This is because vitamin D deficiency appeared to be correlated to the number and not to the
dimension of the lesions, however further evidence is required to draw this conclusion. Of relevance however was that the study confirmed a critical role of vitamin
D in disease susceptibility. Vitamin D supplementation could potentiality become a simple and economic means to prevent fibroids
development or growth.
In August we became home owners for the first time!
We purchased a semi-finished house that had a lot of work to do. From painting to the flooring and the garden. Lots of work!
Slowly, it's taking shape and it's starting to look like a home.
The first piece of furniture that I am buying is the lighting.
I had no idea it's so difficult! First, the house it's modern and new and I like very classy chandeliers. Secondly, I know a think about lighting or design.
Plus we chose to keep the house in white tones, deliberately. Now it's a very white house and it needs some thought on what we buy next.
I have a small budget and I want to pick energy saving solutions.
This privacy policy governs your use of the software application App Name (“Yet Another Air BLOwer (YABLO)") for mobile devices that was created by JogglingDroid.
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User Provided Information
The application does not collect any information on the user. It uses an internet connection to provide advertsement. Specifically, the application has the functionality to share a photo in a social network, but this is all user decided. Automatically Collected Information
No automatic information is collected.
Does the Application collect precise real time location information of the device?
This Application does not collect precise information about the location of your mobile device.
Do third parties see and/or have access to information obtained by the Application?
No third party have access to the information collected by the user.
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We do not retain any data in YABLO.
Children
There is no particular feature that would not be appropriate for children. However, adult supervision is needed when using the app to turn off fire.
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No data of the user is retained, the application is built using standard libraries and these do not provide any access to other data that may be independently stored in the phone by other applications.
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your information as set forth in this Privacy Policy now and as amended
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with another photo taken from the user that is also only stored locally.
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This privacy policy governs your use of the software application App Name (“YAC: Your annoying Alarm Clock") for mobile devices that was created by JogglingDroid.
What information does the Application obtain and how is it used?
User Provided Information
The application does not collect any information on the user. It uses an internet connection to provide advertsement. Automatically Collected Information
No automatic information is collected.
Does the Application collect precise real time location information of the device?
This Application does not collect precise information about the location of your mobile device.
Do third parties see and/or have access to information obtained by the Application?
No third party have access to the information collected by the user.
Data Retention Policy, Managing Your Information
We do not retain any data. The application works as an alarm clock that stops rigning when a photo matches a previously taken photo stored in the phone. The photos taken by the application stay on the phone in a folder that is private to the application. These are never transmitted anywhere, they stay local and private to the user. We have no access to these photos. Whenever the application is deleted, the photos are also deleted.
Children
There is no particular feature that would not be appropriate for children.
Security
No data of the user is retained, the application is built using standard libraries and these do not provide
any access to other data that may be independently stored in the phone by other applications.
Changes
You are advised to consult this Privacy Policy regularly for any
changes, as continued use is deemed approval of all changes.
Your Consent
By using the Application, you are consenting to our processing of
your information as set forth in this Privacy Policy now and as amended
by us. "Processing,” means simply storing the photo on the device and solely on the device, let the application use the photo for matching it with another photo taken from the user that is also only stored locally.
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I came across this experiment by navigating randomly some online content. There seemed to be a lot of mystery around the way m&m-s were reacting to the water. First, when the colors melt, they do not mix but rather stay in a clearly divided area. Secondly, the white m-letter printed on them does not melt! What is it made of that it will not melt with water? We wanted to find out ourselves, so we set up a little play experiment to find out more.
You Will Need:
16 m&m-s
4 small plates
water
oxygenated water
Procedure:
Label each plate with the type of water that you are going to pour in it: Hot, Warm, Cold and Oxygenated. Place 4 m&m-s in each plate. If you are using a large plate, you can also group several m&m-s of 1 color to create 4 or more groups of different colors (i.e. Create groups of 4 red, 4 yellow, 4 blue and 4 green placed with some distance within each other.) Pour hot, warm, cold and oxygenated water in the related plates. Try to pour it in the center of the plate and slowly.
Now you can observe what happens:
Observations:
1. Which type of water melts the colors first? Which one melts them more slowly?
2. How long it takes to melt the colors?
3. What happens to the colors? Do they mix?
4. How long it takes before they start mixing?
5. Has the m on each candy melted?
6. What type of liquid cannot melt the m?
7. How long you must wait so that all the m-s melt?
Conclusion:
The clearly separated areas of colors do not last very long. The colors start mixing after some time. The warmer the water is, the quicker this process is. Why the colors do not mix straight away may due to the water stratification caused by the carnauba wax. This wax it is generally used as a glazing agent and it is coated on the candies because it makes them shiny. The m&m's that we used were bought in the cinema and came with no labels on the package, so we cannot not confirm that they had it, however carnauba wax it is listed amongst m&m ingredients on other packages (see Tesco). This wax is also placed on top of apples (increase shelf life) and it is used in shoe polishes, furniture polish, automobile wax, coating of dental floss, pills and in many cosmetic products. In low doses this substance it is considered to be safe. And short term studies have found no particular consequences due to it's consumption.
The white m printed on the candies melts with warm water, so, whatever it is the shell made of, it reacts to hot temperatures. The cold water did not melt it (at least for the amount of time that we waited).
You can watch us do this experiment in this video:
We would love to know if you could replicate this at home? Did it work? What was your child more curious about?
This morning I woke up to the news that the Interior Minister of Italy (Alfano) is telling mayors to stop recognizing gay marriage. I am upset, but, my reaction is not specifically towards the minister. It is towards my Italian friends who are represented by him. He can take these measures or say those things because, in Italy, these things are culturally accepted.
On a side note, I am still puzzled as to why these old-good-techniques of generating a debate over a minority group still work. There are bigger problems in Italy right now, economy to say one. That is a real problem directly influencing 98% of the Italian population. Denying the rights to 1-2% of the population it is not!
We are pointing the finger to Italy, but here is a picture that summaries the world-wide situation. There is a green trend in there that will continue until nothing is holding it back! It all will look inevitably green and it is only a matter of time.
So here is what I wrote to my friends and I am sharing this with you too, because it is important that we all accept it, there is no debate that is human and that ends up with denying somebody's else rights!
To my Italian friends,
At first I did not want to say anything, but, I am thinking about those wonderful "gay" friends of mine and, I want to say something, despite there are many of you who may disagree.
You know how there is no escape and good judgement prevails? We call it progress and we know from history that it does not happen overnight. Once we fought about black people's rights, then women's rights and now gay rights..still? Some people are gay, and, even if in some countries has not been recognized yet (say #Italy), allowing them to marry is the right thing to do...along with all the privileges that a classic family has.
The discussion as to why yes and why not has little relevance to me, this is about somebody's else live, not yours. As you are reading this, if in your head you are thinking "No, No, No". Hold in there, don't say anything. We can resume this discussion in 10-20 years from now, when denying people's rights will not have worked, or when one of your children tells you that they are gay and you will have passed that initial rage phase and you will just want them to be happy :)! I am sure history will not let me down and it will repeat itself.
Live and let live!
One of my gay-friends saw my message and added this: I
am glad to be a Spanish (gay marriage is allowed in Spain) and I am
glad I have two families: the one I was born to and the one I chose.
By the way, if the comparison with interracial marriage in the US holds, same-sex
marriage should have been approved 30 years ago. Sometimes law
does not have to wait for public opinion to do the right thing.
I do not want to debate with you now, but, I would love to hear your story!
With Love Sara
I did a short video showing some beautiful clips of Shkodra which I will link in this page. Soon after a viewer told me: I am going there, what and where should I eat?
The cuisine in Albanian homes has a Turkish origin. There are many tasty dishes that combine vegetables, protein and carbohydrates in one single dish. The down side, they are very time consuming to cook, so not many restaurants present the type of traditional menus that Albanians eat at home.
So, back to the questions:
What to eat?
Buke e Qebap (Bread and Qebap): Qebap is a sort of meatball that is given cilyndric shape and grilled. Its very tasty and flavored. A must try every time I go back to Shkodra. You can find them in shops called "Qebaptore". I know there is one in the "Parruca" square, very close to the bakery! You can also ask for them in restaurants, many of them may offer this choice.
Byrek: Byrek is a type of salted pastry which is cheap and tasty. In my opinion, the best Byrek is sold in the so known as the "Ali Juka" shop. It is a very small pastry shop almost attached to another pastry shop so you cannot miss it. This shop too is located in the Parruca square. You need to ask the locals, they will show you. You will have the choice of the filling me djath (cheesy) or me mish (meat). I personally love the meat one (To be precise it contains onion and meat).
Akukllore me Boze (Icecream with Boze): In any pastry shop you can ask for "Akullore me Boze". Boze its a very refreshing drink made from cereal flour. It is not that sweet, thus, they olace one or two scoops of ice-cream inside. I remember drinking a good one in "Embeltore Rinia" It is located near the council as you leave Parruca and start walking towards the Pjaca square! As usual, locals know.
Pilaf: Pilaf is a very cheap plate. It is a rice prepared with meat broth and it is used as a breakfast dish. Do not be shy to ask for it at lunch time! Many restaurants offer it.
A Tave Dheu Dish
Njale ne tjegull (Eel): Shkodra is the best lace where to eat Eel because they are fresh from the lake. Ells have a stange shape and that may put you off from trying but it is a very very very tasty dish. If you like salmon, you will like eel as they are both quite fatty fishes. They cook in in alumin foil on a particular plate (called tjegull). This is mostly offered in restaurants near the lake.
Tave dheu: This dish is a kind of beef stew cooked in a sauce with tomato sauce ans a particular cheese. My Italian husband likes this one a lot!
Other Traditional dishes: My favorite traditional dishes are Speca te mbushur
(filled peppers), a dish made with rice, minced beef, onions and
peppers; Tave Kosi (stew with yogurt), a stewed and then baked dish made
with lamb meat, plain white yogurt and eggs; and, Japrak, this is a very
particular dish made with rice, minced beef and grape leaves, quite
particular, but if done well is very very tasty. Summer is the best time
to eat Japrak because the leaves are fresh.
Where to eat?
Restaurant Cocja Shkoder: It has been a while since last I eat there, but they used to have nice traditional dishes on top of more classical choices such as pizza. This is located near the orthodox church right behind the piazza square.
Cofte and Shish Qebap
Restaurants in Shiroka: Shiroka is a bit to far if you have to walk there. It is the area where the lake is and it is full of restaurants. They all cook pretty well. Fish can be very tasty in there because they cook it fresh. They offer also many traditional meat plates such as shish qebap (skewers) or qofte (meat balls).
I will update with more places as they come into my mind..
Have a great time! Let me know if you went there how it was and where you are well! Here is the video I mentioned in the beginning of the article! I would love for you to watch it!
