Features

It might one day be possible to expose babies delivered by cesarean section to the colonies of good bacteria in the birth canal that help build the immune system and ward off disease, a small experiment suggests. 

During a vaginal delivery, microbes present in the birth canal colonise the baby’s skin, mouth and gut, forming their so-called microbiomes. These maternal bacteria are believed to play many roles in babies’ health, ranging from aiding digestion and metabolism to supporting brain development and bolstering the immune system. 

“Cesarean delivery, as well as other disruptors of early microbiota assembly — for example antibiotic use and formula feeding — have been associated with conditions emerging later in life including asthma, allergies, type 1 diabetes and obesity,” lead study author Maria Dominguez Bello of New York University said by e-mail. 

To test out whether it might be possible to give C-section babies some help building their microbiomes despite the circumstances of their delivery, researchers swaddled four of these infants in gauze soaked in their mothers’ vaginal fluids. 

All of the C-sections were scheduled, making it possible for researchers to place gauze in the mother’s vagina for an hour before the surgery and then wrap the infants in the gauze right after birth. 

One month after delivery, researchers collected more than 1,500 samples from the babies’ bodies to see what types of bacteria made up their microbiomes.

The C-section babies exposed to birth fluids had microbiomes that were more similar to their vaginally delivered peers than to C-section infants who didn’t get this exposure, researchers report in the journal Nature Medicine. 

There are a lot of caveats to the findings beyond just the small size of the experiment, chief among them that it’s impossible to say whether swaddling C-section babies in vaginal fluids has any short-term or long-term health benefits.

In addition, this intervention might carry an infection risk, and might not work for emergency C-section surgeries that leave no time to have women soak the gauze before babies arrive, the authors note. 

“If we demonstrate that there is a health benefit, and that is of course a big ‘if’, I think this has the potential to become common practice in scheduled C-sections,” senior study author Jose Clemente of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York said by e-mail. “As with any other intervention, there will be cases where this procedure will not be advisable and should not be performed.”

The potential is important to explore, however, because C-section rates are surging in many developed countries despite the fact that the World Health Organisation recommends this surgery for only the 10 per cent to 15 per cent of births when the health of the mother or baby is in danger, Dr Alexander Khoruts of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis notes in an accompanying editorial. 

Still, research on the role of the gut microbiome in human health is still in its infancy, Khoruts said by e-mail. 

“It is reasonable to wonder how alterations in the gut microbiota composition can affect human physiology, and whether the changes caused by antibiotics, altered diet and practices during the earliest years of life contribute to the rise of many diseases that seem to be more prevalent in the developed world,” Khoruts added. 

“However, these speculations are still mere hypotheses.”

A more powerful and focused addition to the Korean manufacturer’s popular D-segment saloon car range, the Kia Optima GT has the performance and dynamic abilities to match its now sharper more muscular design. Succeeding the previous generation US market Optima Turbo the GT is the first — and very welcome — performance-biased Optima introduced to the Middle East.

Quick, composed, comfortable and confident, the GT is the range-topping model in a new fourth generation optima range, first unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show late last year. Evolutionary in nature, the new Optima is aesthetically more assertive, but also features structural and dynamic improvements, better refinement and more contemporary infotainment and driver assistance systems.

Aggressive evolution

An evolutionary design that is subtly but distinctly more aggressive and muscular, the new Optima features a more sculpted bumper section, side sills and body surfacing. With noticeably blistered fog lamp/side gill housings, more swept back yet heavily browed grille and headlamps, side ports, sharply angled slim rear lights and built-in bootlid spoiler, the Optima a wider more purposeful presence.

Rakishly angled with coupe-like roofline, tautly pulled back sheet metal and flowing waistline line stretching from the headlights to the rear lamps, the new Optima both visually more dramatic and slightly larger. Roomier in all directions, and with 10mm longer wheelbase, the new Optima features 25mm more rear legroom and slight shoulder and headroom increases front and rear. 

Driven with the largest available 235/45R18 footwear filling in its bulgy wheel-arches, the sportier Optima GT is distinguished by a yet more aggressive bumper design with slatted metallic side gill slats and long lower intake slat. The GT also features black gloss side sills and aggressive rear diffuser section with integrated dual exhaust ports.

Quick and confident

Powered by a 2-litre turbocharged direct fuel injection four-cylinder engine driving front wheels through a smooth shifting six-speed automatic gearbox, the Optima GT produces 241BHP at 6000rpm and 258lb/ft torque throughout an early arriving and flexibly broad 1400-4000rpm. Though down from the previous non-Middle East Optima Turbo’s 274BHP and 269lb/ft, the new GT does however deliver better low and mid-range responses and improved fuel efficiency.

A welcome addition to Kia’s regional line-up, the Optima GT offers performance more in tune with its decidedly aggressive design. With quick spooling twin scroll turbo, the GT virtually eliminates turbo lag and is responsive off-the-line. Welling up muscularly to an effortlessly punchy and accessible wide and versatile mid-range, the Optima GT felt decidedly more athletic than headline figures suggest.

Eager spinning to redline and maximum power, and underwritten by generous torque, the GT felt urgent yet refined, with useful real world performance and little torque steer, despite the absence of electronic torque vectoring to tidily channel power to the driven front wheels. Covering the 0-100km/h sprint in 7.4 seconds and capable of 240km/h, it also returns 8.5l/100km combined cycle fuel efficiency.

Composed and committed

Using 150 per cent more advanced high strength steel, the new Optima benefits from 50 per cent enhanced structural rigidity, which pays dividends in terms of crash safety, ride refinement and handling precision. Meanwhile, wider suspension subframe mountings improve stability and the use of four — rather than two — front bushing mounts, more robust wheel bearings and dual rear lower control arms.

Collectively improving lateral stiffness, steering response and precision, cornering traction and agility, the sportier Optima GT, however, also receives firmer high-performance dampers for better responses and body control. An altogether tauter more connected driving experience, the Optima GT felt stable at speed and settled on rebound, yet eager, poised and committed into and through corners.

Despite limited opportunities to fully explore its dynamic envelope during test drive in Oman, the Optima GT felt tidy and direct on turn-in, with good front and rear grip under load and through corners. Tauter damping provided a sportier and more reassuring drive, with noticeably improved body roll control and a more buttoned down feel over imperfections.

Classier comfort

Tauter and more connected than other Optima models, the GT’s sportier handling abilities better reflects its assertive design, and finds a good balance between keen handling and ride comfort. Supple yet stable riding, the new Optima also benefits from improved acoustic and vibration refinement owing to improved aerodynamics, window seals, dashboard insulation under-floor cover and larger cross member bushings.

Better refined, classier and roomier inside, the new Optima features a cleaner less cluttered design with horizontal emphasis. More upmarket in appearance and feel, it gains more soft textures and improved materials, and features unified metallic accent tone and texture throughout the cabin. Supportive and comfortable, the GT-specific sports seats featured rich red leather and contrasting dark grey stitching.

Well equipped with standard and optional infotainment, convenience and safety and driver assistance systems, the Optima GT features optional 10-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, up to 8-inch infotainment display, Bluetooth connectivity and wireless phone charging. Also available are 360° around view parking camera, sensors and assistance, and rear cross traffic, blind spot and lane keeping alerts.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 2-litre, transverse, turbocharged 4 cylinders

Bore x stroke: 86 x 86mm

Compression ratio: 10:1

Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC, direct injection

Gearbox: 6-speed automatic, front-wheel drive

Gear ratios: 1st 4.766:1; 2nd 2.946:1; 3rd 1.917:1; 4th 1.420:1; 5th 1:1 6th 0.772:1

Reverse/final drive: 3.393:1/2.885:1

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 241 (245) [180] @6000rpm

Specific power: 120.6BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 154BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 258 (350) @1400-4000rpm

Specific torque: 175Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 223.6Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: 7.4 seconds

Top speed: 240km/h

Fuel consumption, urban/extra-urban/combined: 12.3-/6.3-/8.5 litres/100km

CO₂ emissions, combined: 191g/km

Fuel capacity: 70 litres

Length: 4855mm

Width: 1860mm

Height: 1465mm

Wheelbase: 2805mm

Track, F/R: 1607/1614

Overhang, F/R: 965/1085mm

Ground clearance: 135mm

Headroom, F/R: 1020/970mm

Legroom, F/R: 1155/905mm

Shoulder-room, F/R: 1475/1432mm

Hip room, F/R: 1423/1422mm

Luggage volume: 510 litres

Kerb weight: 1,565kg

Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion

Lock-to-lock: 2.78 turns

Turning circle: 10.9 metres

Suspension, F/R: MacPherson struts/double wishbones, coils, anti-roll bars

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs, 320mm/discs, 284mm

Tyres: 235/45R18

One of the Middle East’s biggest auto exhibitions, the annual Qatar Motor Show is undoubtedly an important national event for carmakers to showcase their latest products to a particularly wealthy market. Held for the sixth year running, the Qatar Motor Show is, however, gaining influence on a regional level. If not quite the full-blown regional auto expo headline event that is the Dubai Motor Show, Qatar — along with Abu Dhabi — is among the next two most influential such events.

Held for the first time at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre — giving the show a more central locale. Meanwhile, the event itself seems to be maturing somewhat, with less glitzy exotics and overly elaborate niche cars, but more mainstream exhibitors. With exhibitor numbers rising from last year’s 35 to 40, the 2016 Qatar Motor Show has even attracted a small number of regional production and concept car premiers, along with expected national debuts, following on from the Dubai and recent international events. 

Despite notable absences from more exotic brands like Lamborghini, Bentley and Bugatti, the 2016 Qatar Motor Show’s strongest showing came from the Volkswagen group in general and Audi in particular, all of which were represented at a regional office level, rather than just by local importers, as most other manufacturers were. Premiering in Doha following its recent Frankfurt global unveiling was the Audi S8 Plus high-performance luxury saloon. Its’ Audi A8 L Security armoured car sister — already available to high-end clientele — however made its regional motor show stand debut.

In an interview with Audi Volkswagen Middle East Managing Director Benoit Tiers commented that the “Qatar Motor Show is important for Qatar and it is also important for the region, but I don’t see a fight against Dubai. I see an opportunity for us as a group to show the best of our products, to a country where we have specific need”. Voicing support for the event, and that there is more than one show in such a big region, Tiers added that Audi is “happy to introduce such sporty models to the Qatar Motor Show, because those are the sort of cars Qataris like”.

And while the S8 Plus regional premiere and R8 supercar national debut perhaps took centre stage for Audi, Qatar also played host to the regional premiers for the Ingolstadt manufacturer’s compact sports SUVs: the compact high performance RS Q3 and sporty mid-size SQ5. A sentiment echoed at other group brands, Volkswagen took the opportunity to introduce the latest incarnation of the compact Tiguan crossover to the region. Porsche, meanwhile, unveiled the Macan GTS version of its compact sports SUV to the Middle East, alongside regional debuts for three Turbo S, Carrera 4S and Targa 4S variants of its long-standing and distinctive rear-engine 911 sports car.

Fellow German rival BMW introduced high-performance SUVs, including the large and practical X5M and its less-practical but more dramatic sloped roof X6M sister model. While Audi, Volkswagen and Porsche were with luxury and high-performance cars well represented at the Qatar auto expo, Mercedes-Benz featured the C450 AMG Sport to debut a new AMG Sport line of performance cars bridging the gap between garden variety and full high-performance AMG models. At the more exotic end of the automotive spectrum, Maserati, Ferrari and Rolls Royce were also present.

Concept cars at the Qatar Motor Show included the radical Toyota FT-1 and Qatar’s very own first supercar concept. Designed by Abdul Wahab Ziaullah and financed by the Qatar National Research Fund, the Elibriea prototype is a work in progress and not yet road worthy. With initial road testing and development performed, the sharp and radical looking Elibriea is currently powered by a 525BHP General Motors sourced engine, but is envisioned to produce 800-1000BHP, should development continue to production.

Audi S8 Plus

Understated, luxurious and supercar swift with re-assuring four-wheel drive roadholding, the high-tech S8 Plus is a full-fat road rocket evolution of the already ample high-performance S8 version of the A8 full-size luxury car range. Unlocking an additional 84BHP from the S8’s 4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, the Plus version develops 597BHP and 553lb/ft torque with an increased 305km/h top speed limit. With four-wheel drive Quattro traction and light weight aluminium construction, the S8 Plus’ delivers segment-leading 3.8-second 0-100km/h acceleration.

Audi RS Q3

Audi’s quick and compact RS Q3 high-performance skunkworks crossover SUV Sportback is muscular and agile, and benefits from Quattro four-wheel drive roadholding and a slick automated dual clutch gearbox. Harking back to Audi’s most celebrated 1980-91 Quattro, the RS Q3 is powered by a turbocharged 5-cylinder engine producing 335BHP and 332lb/ft torque, which allows for brisk 4.8-second 0-100km/h acceleration and a governed 250km/h to speed.

Audi SQ5

Less brutal but more practical than the RS Q3, the larger sporty performance SQ5 version of Audi’s mid-size SUV also features Quattro driveline mated to a smooth and swift 8-speed automatic gearbox. Power comes courtesy of a 3-litre supercharged V6, the SQ5 offers responsiveness and consistent delivery with a broad sweet spot. Developing 349BHP and 346lb/ft, the well-equipped and efficient SQ5’s delivers 5.3-second 0-100km/h acceleration and is expected in Middle East showrooms in the third quarter of 2016.

Audi A8 L Security 

Luxurious plush and impenetrable to VR9 level ballistic and explosive armour rating, the A8 L Security is Audi’s most secure car ever. Unique among head of state level armoured cars are the A8’s relatively low weight and Quattro four-wheel drive, which adds another level of roadholding and power distribution ability. Benefiting from the stock A8’s aluminium construction and high tech low weight armour plating, the A8 L Security may be portly in absolute terms at just over 3.6 tonnes, but is trim by comparison to competitors.

Offering the benefit of a holistic and integrated factory approach to security, the A8 L Security also offers optional fresh air supply and unique explosive emergency exit doors. Priced from 400,000 euro upwards, the A8 L security is powered by a choice of 4-litre twinturbo V8 developing 429BHP and 442lb/ft or a naturally aspirated W12 engine producing 493BHP and 461lb/ft, and features run-flat capability at 80km/h for up to 80km, and a governed 210km/h top speed.

Cancer screening for women, as it is for men, is extremely important. It allows for detection of cancer at an earlier stage. 

Detecting cancer at an earlier stage means a better prognosis, and a more effective treatment for the affected individuals.

For example, in stage one breast cancer, the percentage of individuals cured may reach up to 100 per cent; however, for stage 4 breast cancer it is only around 20 per cent. 

It is precisely in these percentages that the difference lies.

Screening tests exist for four types of cancers in women: breast cancer, colorectal cancer, cervical cancer and lung cancer (in a specific group of smokers).

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in females and it holds the highest percentage for most cancer cases in Jordan (around 20 per cent of all cancer cases).

At the age of 20, all women should start breast self-examination and report any new breast symptoms to their physician. It is preferable that women between the ages of 20 and 40 undergo a clinical breast exam (a breast exam carried by a healthcare professional) once every three years. 

At the age of 40 all women should start having a yearly mammogram.

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer in females. Screening for colorectal cancer should start at the age of 50. There are several colorectal cancer screening tests; however, the most common are a colonoscopy once every 10 years (best colorectal cancer screening test), and a yearly stool test.

As for cervical cancer, women aged 21 and above should consult their gynaecologist to discuss screening on an individual basis.

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer deaths in Jordan. Screening for lung cancer is not necessary for all women, only for a specific group of smokers. A woman should screen for lung cancer if she is between 55-74 years of age and in good health, an active or former (must have quit within the past 15 years and not before) smoker with 30 “pack years’’ (discussed below) of smoking. People who fit these criteria should undergo a yearly lung CT scan from the ages of 55 to 74. Of course one could simply avoid screening for lung cancer altogether by not smoking.

As I have discussed in a previous article, “Pack years” is a figure that incorporates two things: the number of years a person has smoked, and the number of packs a person smokes per day. Both numbers are multiplied, and the product of their multiplication is the pack years. Say, for example, a woman smoked two packs per day for 15 years, she would have 30 pack years, which is the same as an individual who smoked 1 pack per day for 30 years.

To sum up, all women should screen for cancer. Screening, in general, is an integral part of health as it allows a person to remain in constant sync with one’s own body. Cancer screening, specifically, is crucial because it allows for the earlier detection of cancer and thus bettering the prognosis.

Women should consult with their healthcare professionals to discuss the frequency and timeline for screening; some may need to start the screening process earlier than that discussed, depending on certain factors, such as a family history with the disease.

The writer is an MD currently working on cancer screening awareness and general health screening campaign. He contributed this article to The Jordan Times.

Islamic State: The Digital Caliphate
London: Saqi Books, 2015
Pp. 256 

In this book, London-based, Palestinian journalist Abdel Bari Atwan connects the dots of daily news reports to give a comprehensive picture of what he calls Islamic State [Daesh] — its origins, leaders, mode of operation, funding and the keys to its success. Ranking high among the latter is inventive use of the Internet: “Without digital technology it is highly unlikely that Islamic State would ever have come into existence, let alone been able to survive and expand.” (p. ix)

While Al Qaeda has used the internet, it is the new generation of jihadists, who are attracted to Daesh, that pioneered in harnessing the outreach offered by social media and virtual private networks for the purpose of propaganda, recruitment, battlefield logistics, procuring funds, and more.

It seems equally unlikely that Daesh would have come into existence without the chaos and sectarian strife created by war, which it was ready and able to exploit to its advantage. Relying on hard facts gleaned from extensive research and interviews with key players, Atwan traces the origins of Daesh to the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, highlighting the role of failed US policy. “Two 2006 studies, one by the Saudi government and one by an Israeli think tank, found that most foreign fighters [in the Iraqi resistance] were not jihadists before the 2003 invasion of Iraq but had been radicalised by the American occupation.” (p. 50) 

A pivotal moment, in Atwan’s view, came in 2008, when the US handed over the Sons of Iraq Sunni tribal forces it had trained, to the sectarian Maliki government that dismissed them without compensation. “Many were absorbed back into the insurgency… In 2014, they then became the backbone of Islamic State’s army. Having been trained by American personnel and having fought alongside them, they had invaluable insight into the modus operandi of the ‘enemy’.” (p. 53) 

This is only one example where Atwan faults the West for contributing to the rise and expansion of extremism, first via unwarranted intervention and later, as in Syria, via hesitation. It is noteworthy that Atwan doesn’t resort to simplistic conspiracy theories, but patiently reconstructs the sequence of events: At a time when Al Qaeda was in retreat owing to the US invasion of Afghanistan, the US destruction of Iraq’s infrastructure and victimisation of its people created nurturing conditions for the renewed extremist upsurge which now threatens people across the region. Since then, “the tech-savvy cyber jihadists have been able to attract frustrated, marginalised and vulnerable young people to its ranks and to convince them of its world vision, predicated on reviving the golden age of Islamic conquest, resisting American hegemony and pitting the ‘believers’ against the ‘infidels’ and ‘crusaders’. The West’s own actions continue to feed into this narrative.” (p. 218)

Reports of this trajectory are not new, but the value of Atwan’s book is that it synthesises scattered details into a coherent whole that suggests ways of defeating Daesh. One of the basics is ending sectarianism, for as Atwan contends, “sectarian conflict is now the main driver for Islamic State’s expansion, fomented by the Sunni extremists and sustained by Shi’a Iran on one hand and Sunni Saudi Arabia on the other”. (p. 224)

An especially interesting part of the book is Atwan’s analysis of the ideological battle within the jihadist movement, which he sees partly as a generational conflict, dating back to Osama Ben Laden’s and Ayman Al Zawahiri’s disagreements with Abu Musab Al Zarqawi. While the older leaders were more ascetic and scholarly, Atwan profiles Zarqawi as “a worldly, tattooed, Jordanian street-thug-turned-jihadist… [with] a Rambo-style obsession with physique”. (p. 61)

Reportedly, Zarqawi’s masterminding of the triple hotel bombings in Amman was the breaking point. Ben Laden and Zawahiri felt that this terrorist act would alienate potential supporters. 

While the whole jihadist movement reveres Ben Laden, according to Atwan’s account, it is Zarqawi who presaged Daesh by glorifying extreme violence and the takfir doctrine of purging those who do not adhere to a particular interpretation of Islam, i.e., sectarian cleansing. The book gets a bit terrifying as it names the many former Al Qaeda branches and new jihadist groups across the region and internationally that have signed on to the new ultra-extremist trend represented by Daesh. 

While Atwan is clearly horrified and condemning of Daesh’s ideology and atrocities, he doesn’t waste time on rhetoric or haranguing. The book is a sober assessment of what Daesh really is, its strengths and weaknesses — unfortunately, the former seem to predominate — and the dangers it poses. In his succinct summation of a wide-ranging, complicated phenomenon, Atwan clearly intends to inform those wishing to devise a workable counter-strategy. As such, this book is a must-read for the public and policymakers around the world.

Oversharers, rejoice. Facebook is now offering you a way to share even more of your life on the social network — for those times when a photo or recorded video won’t suffice.

The company Thursday introduced the ability for its US users on iPhone to broadcast video live from their smartphones to friends (or the broader public) on the service. The launch expands a late 2015 test of the feature to a more widespread audience, and pits Facebook directly against live-streaming app Periscope, which is owned by Twitter.

The new broadcast option appears as a live video icon at the bottom of the update status box in the Facebook for iPhone app. While streaming video, broadcasters can see a count of live viewers, the names of friends who are watching and any comments. Live broadcasts are then saved to users’ Timelines (aka profiles), just like recorded videos.

Facebook’s live video push pairs nicely with its broader ambitions to rival YouTube and others in the digital video realm. The company, which increasingly promotes video to users in News Feed, announced Wednesday that 500 million people are now watching more than 100 hours of video on the social network each day.

Though live video is not a new concept in social media, Facebook has the power to turn the relatively fringe behaviour into something far more commonplace.

“The release of live-video streaming in the main Facebook app is a significant step forward for this fledgling and new type of self-expression,” said Brian Blau, a Gartner analyst who tracks the social media industry. “Facebook will reshape the live video landscape, which could be good for competitors as more attention will come to live video. But it’s also daunting in that Facebook has such as large presence with consumers who may only choose one live video service to use.”

That could spell trouble for Twitter’s Periscope smartphone app, which has dominated the live video arena since its release in March of last year. Periscope attracted 10 million users in the first four months after its launch, and the app recently added the ability to broadcast from some GoPro devices, which could give it an edge with extreme sports enthusiasts.

Facebook, meanwhile, said it had nearly 1.6 billion monthly users as of December 31, 2015. The company plans to roll out the live-streaming feature to users outside the US in the coming weeks.

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple could soon face one of its biggest challenges to date: Peak iPhone.

Most analysts believe Apple surpassed its own record by selling more than 74.5 million units of its flagship product in the final three months of 2015. But there are signs that iPhone sales in the first three months of 2016 will — for the first time ever — show an abrupt decline from the same period a year earlier.

That could mark a pivotal moment for the Silicon Valley giant. Apple is the world’s biggest company, in terms of stock value, thanks to the iPhone’s surging popularity around the world. In business terms, Apple makes most of its money from iPhone sales.

But concerns about slowing growth have sent the stock into a months-long slump, fuelling debate about what kind of company Apple will be in the future.

The iPhone contributed nearly two-thirds of Apple’s $234 billion in revenue last year. None of the other new products Apple has launched in recent years have emerged as blockbusters. That’s led some critics to suggest Apple has lost its innovative touch, while others say it’s evolving to depend on a broader base of related tech products and services.

One thing is clear, said analyst Angelo Zino at S&P Capital IQ: “Last year was an unprecedented year for Apple and the iPhone.... You’ll never see that type of growth from the iPhone again.”

When CEO Tim Cook reports Tuesday on Apple’s sales for the last three months of 2015, investors will be watching closely for any hints about how Apple’s signature smartphone is faring in the current quarter. Sales usually fall somewhat after the holiday shopping season. But analysts say it appears Apple has cut production orders from key suppliers in recent weeks, suggesting it’s lowered its own forecasts.

Apple hasn’t commented on iPhone sales since last fall, when Cook struck an upbeat tone. In part, Zino and other experts say, the company is suffering from its own success. Apple sold 61 million iPhones in the March quarter of 2015, or 40 per cent more than it did a year earlier. To match that growth rate, Apple would need to sell more than 85 million in the current period. Instead, analysts are expecting around 55 million.

An estimated 500 million people own iPhones now, which means Apple can rely on a significant number to upgrade each year. But some have put off buying a new model because they didn’t see a strong reason to upgrade.

Despite some new features, “people are feeling like there hasn’t been anything that’s really new” in the latest iPhone models, known as the 6S and 6S Plus, which came out last fall, said market researcher John Feland of Argus Insights.

Apple will likely make significant changes in the next major iPhone release, expected in September, which could fuel another surge in sales. Some tech blogs have reported a new model might even be coming this spring.

The company went through a similar cycle a few years ago, when iPhone sales growth slowed to 7 per cent in the final months of 2013. The next year, Apple introduced new models with significantly bigger screens. That sent sales skyrocketing, especially in Asia, where consumers had previously flocked to buy big-screen phones from rival Samsung.

But there may no more equally dramatic changes left to jump-start sales like that again. “Apple really pulled the big lever they had left un-pulled, up to then,” said tech analyst Jan Dawson of Jackdaw Research. “That was sort of a one-off event.”

While iPhone sales may be slowing, Apple has launched other products and services tied to the iPhone — from the Apple Watch to the digital payments service known as Apple Pay, the subscription-based Apple Music and “smart home” software that lets users control their lights and appliances with Siri, the voice-enabled digital assistant on the iPhone and iPad. These are designed to make the iPhone itself more useful, while producing a steady stream of new revenue.

None of those new products have sold like the iPhone itself, however. Sales of the iPad have been declining for two years.

“Apple still has a lot of value, a lot of cash flow, so it’s not to say the company is in trouble. But it’s difficult to say that it’s on the cutting edge,” said Murillo Campello, a finance professor at Cornell University who follows Apple closely.

Others say it’s premature to count Apple among former tech giants, like Hewlett-Packard, that have struggled for relevance as their pace of growth and innovation declined.

Apple is working on a wide range of future products, from streaming video to virtual reality and even self-driving cars, said FBR Capital Markets’ analyst Daniel Ives in a recent note to clients.

“Apple’s often surprised us with what they end up doing,” added Dawson.

Infants and preschoolers who gain weight rapidly may have higher-than-average high blood pressure later in childhood, a US study suggests.

The relatively small differences in blood pressure linked to rapid weight gain for youngsters in the study may be tied to an increased risk of other health problems in young adulthood, such as high cholesterol or elevated blood sugars, say the authors of the study. 

The researchers tracked changes in weight and height for 957 babies up to age four and found the children who gained excessive weight for their height, as reflected by higher body mass index (BMI), tended to have higher blood pressure than peers at ages 6 to 10 years. 

Each additional increment of BMI gained as an infant or toddler was linked to an increase of about 1 to 1.5mmHg (millimetres of mercury) in systolic blood pressure.

“Previous studies have emphasised the importance of rapid weight gain in early infancy in determining later blood pressure; the current study adds to emerging data that weight gain during the preschool years is at least as important as infancy weight gain in relation to blood pressure,” said senior study author Dr Mandy Belfort of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. 

Linear growth — when children add pounds at a steady pace — doesn’t appear to be a problem for childhood blood pressure, Belfort added by e-mail. Instead, the culprit may be sudden surges in weight that aren’t matched by increases in height. 

“Our finding that gain in body mass index (BMI), not linear growth, predicted later blood pressure suggests that more rapid accumulation of fat may be important,” Belfort said. “Our research does suggest that more is not always better when it comes to weight gain in babies.”

Belfort and colleagues reviewed data from medical records starting when babies were born. On average, the kids were around eight years old at the mid-childhood checkup, with average systolic blood pressure (the top number) of 94.4mmHg and average diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) of 54.3 mmHg. 

While ideal blood pressure for children at any given age varies by gender and height, this average for eight-year olds would be in a range generally considered healthy. 

High blood pressure is harder to detect in children than in adults. In adults, 140/90 or greater is considered high. There’s no single cut-off in children, however. In general, children with blood pressure higher than 95 per cent of children of the same gender, age and height can be diagnosed with high blood pressure. Since children’s blood pressures will vary greatly based on these factors as they’re growing up, there is no set range that defines normal or high.

Kids in the study who experienced unusually large surges in BMI before six months of age or between ages two and three years had higher systolic blood pressure in mid-childhood then their peers who experienced steadier growth throughout those periods. 

The magnitude of the increase in systolic blood pressure was larger for the preschoolers than the infants, the study also found. 

Birth size didn’t appear to influence the results.

One limitation of the study is that it can’t prove that rapid increases in BMI directly caused higher blood pressure, only that there was a connection between the two things, researchers acknowledge in the journal Hypertension. 

Still, the findings support recommendations that mothers breastfeed infants until age six months because this is linked to less weight gain than formula feeding, noted Caryl Nowson, a diet and nutrition expert at Deakin University in Australia who wasn’t involved in the study. 

Once young children move on to solid food, parents should avoid giving kids soft drinks and limit consumption of fruit juice, both of which can contribute to weight gain, Nowson added by e-mail. 

There’s a good solution for practically every single aspect of IT today, except for one perhaps, which is to print top quality photos at home. It is strange that such an otherwise justified need is not well addressed by the industry.

Not that there aren’t home photo printers in the market, quite the opposite actually, there are countless models around. However, most provide average or just acceptable quality output, or are limited to small size paper or are very expensive, or are terribly slow. Some can take up to eight minutes for one single printout.

A photo printer that would produce true high quality prints, that can handle paper up to for example A5 size (half of A4) in a reasonable time, and that would cost less than say JD300, simply is not available, by any brand or manufacturer.

This is true whatever the technology, be it laser, dye sublimation or inkjet, the three main ones found today. There’s always a limitation, a “but” somewhere. If you are demanding and accept nothing less than real photo quality, you either have to bear the hassle of going to the lab and ask them to print the picture you would have saved on some digital media like a USB flash drive or CD, or spend unreasonable money to own a high-end photo printer. Unreasonable money is in the range of JD600 to JD1,000, not taking into consideration prohibitive ink cost — definitely too much for most homes. 

The dilemma is here. Laser printers by design do not produce true photo quality and are rather made for large volume printing. Dye sublimation printers produce a very pleasant “continuous tone” result, very close to the real thing, but affordable models only handle 10cm by 15cm paper, or smaller. If you are satisfied with this limitation dye sublimation technology could be a viable solution for you. But then again, these printers are only good at printing photos, not text; not a very versatile solution for home users.

Inkjets can generate top quality photos, and on rather large size paper, but only the models that use eight ink cartridges are able to produce the entire gamut of colours required to make your print great; skin tones in particular. Moreover, these high-end beauties are not only very expensive to buy and to maintain, but also take several minutes to make a good print.

Contrary to all other IT equipment, home photo printers have not really evolved in the past five years or so. The technical characteristics are more or less the same and prices haven’t gone down in any significant manner.

The reason for such stagnation could be an impossibly difficult technical challenge, combined with not-so-important market demand, the trend being obviously to share and enjoy photos on smartphones, tablets, TVs, and on electronic displays and monitors of all kinds in a general manner. It’s understood, we print less than ever.

Epson is still the leader in inkjet photo printing technology. Sony and HiTi, followed by Canon and then Polaroid have excellent reputations when it comes to dye sublimation models, whereas Hewlett-Packard remains the undisputed king of laser printers.

When older drivers stop getting behind the wheel, they may be more likely to feel depressed and to develop other health problems than their peers who remain on the road, a research review suggests.

Giving up the car keys was linked to an almost doubled risk of depression, the analysis found, a connection the researchers believe might be at least partly due to the social isolation or lack of independence that can ensue when elderly people can no longer get around by car.

“The decision to stop driving is not trivial but has significant implications for the patient’s health, well-being and life expectancy,” said senior study author Dr Guohua Li of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York City. 

There are 39.5 million adults aged 65 and older in the US, and most have driver’s licences, Li and colleagues report in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 

Because driving requires good vision and reflexes as well as decent physical and mental health, getting behind the wheel may become unsafe for some older individuals, the authors note.

For their new research, they reviewed 16 previously published studies examining a range of medical outcomes in people 55 and older who stop driving. 

A pooled analysis of results from five of the studies found former drivers were 91 per cent more likely to experience depressive symptoms than their peers who remained on the road. 

Older adults who stopped driving were also more likely to report poor health, according to four studies that looked at results from quality of life surveys. 

One Finnish study, for example, found that 59 per cent of drivers rated their health as good, compared with just 43 per cent of ex-drivers. But it’s possible the drivers had stopped driving because of poor health, the authors note.

Five studies found declines in physical health linked to driving cessation, although in three of these it’s possible medical problems forced people off the road. 

Some studies also linked driving cessation to declines in social health, which appeared more pronounced for women than men. One of these studies, for example, found ex-drivers had a 51 per cent reduction in their social network of friends and relatives over 13 years. 

Two studies linked driving cessation to mortality. One found ex-drivers four to six times more likely to die over three years than continuing drivers, while the other found the five-year mortality risk 68 per cent higher for non-drivers. 

None of the studies were designed to show whether giving up driving caused the problems, or vice versa. 

Another limitation is that the studies used a wide variety of measures to assess health and often relied on surveys or symptoms reported by patients, the authors note. 

All but one of the studies exploring the connection between depression and driving cessation was based on self-reported symptoms, not a clinical diagnosis. 

The findings highlight the need for more research to pinpoint how taking car keys away from elderly adults may influence both physical and mental health, the authors conclude. 

“We do not know how much the observed declines are due to driving cessation versus the extent that the physical and mental declines themselves contributed to driving cessation in the first place,” noted Raymond Bingham of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute in Ann Arbor. 

A sudden change in health, a stroke, or a more gradual shift in driving abilities all might signal the right time to drop driving, Bingham, who wasn’t involved in the study, added by e-mail.

When that time comes, maintaining mobility and social connections may help avert depression or other adverse health effects, Bingham added. 

If cessation of driving increases social isolation and access to goods and services, “then it’s no surprise that health declines follow,” Bingham said.