Breakfast -- Don't Leave Home Without It

By Suzanne Proulx, M.S., R.D., L.D.N.
Brigham and Women's Hospital

Breakfast Benefits
Quality Counts
Beating The Breakfast Blues
Tips And Ideas
No Time For Breakfast?
Not Interested In Traditional Breakfast Foods?
No Appetite In The Morning?
Eating a nutritious breakfast is a great way to jump-start the day, yet a tasty breakfast might not be finding its way onto your kitchen table. Rushed morning routines, trying to lose weight, and lack of appetite early in the morning are all reasons people skip breakfast. Nevertheless, mounting evidence supports the idea that breakfast may indeed be the most important meal of the day.

Breakfast Benefits

Studies examining eating habits suggest that the regular consumption of breakfast can:

Reduce risk of obesity and high cholesterol
Decrease insulin resistance (a condition that increases risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease)
Improve performance on memory-related tasks
Minimize impulsive snacking and overeating at other meals
Increase intake of essential nutrients that are rarely replenished by other meals of the day
Enhance school performance in children and young adults
Although it would seem to make sense that skipping breakfast would save calories, data suggest otherwise. In a study of nearly 3,000 adults who lost and kept off at least 30 pounds for longer than one year, close to 90 percent reported eating breakfast on most days of the week. Interestingly, the breakfast eaters and breakfast skippers consumed almost the same total daily calories; the breakfast skippers made up the missed breakfast calories throughout the day. In addition, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School found that breakfast skippers are 4.5 times more likely to be obese than are breakfast eaters.


Quality Counts

Before reaching for that doughnut or pastry, keep in mind that what you choose for breakfast is just as important as eating breakfast. Think of breakfast as the perfect opportunity to start accumulating the minimum five servings of fruits and vegetables and three servings of whole grains recommended for optimal health. Furthermore, the National Academy of Sciences recommends that adults consume 21 to 38 grams of fiber per day. This presents quite a challenge for those choosing low-fiber breakfast options or for those skipping breakfast altogether. Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds are the best sources of dietary fiber. High-fiber foods have the added benefit of warding off mid-morning snack attacks by creating a feeling of fullness. Likewise, adding some protein such as seafood, low-fat dairy products, skinless poultry, egg or egg substitute can also aid in suppressing hunger.


Beating The Breakfast Blues

Breakfast can be one of the most monotonous meals of the day, but with a little creativity, the first meal of the day can be one of the best. Variety can beat breakfast boredom, so don’t be afraid to include some unorthodox breakfast foods for a change of pace. Additionally, if you have abandoned breakfast due to a busy lifestyle, some of these breakfast ideas can be packed up and taken along for a delicious grab-and-go breakfast treat.


Tips And Ideas

No Time For Breakfast?

Wrap a whole-grain tortilla around peanut butter and a banana and serve with low-fat milk or soy milk.


Stuff a whole-wheat pita with low-fat cream cheese or low-fat cottage cheese and canned sliced peaches.


Plan ahead and place whole-grain cereal (at least 3 to 4 grams of fiber per serving) with dried fruit and nuts in a sealed bag. Grab in the morning along with a carton of low-fat yogurt or low-fat milk.


Try some whole-grain crackers, string cheese and grapes.


Mix instant plain oatmeal with dried fruit, nuts and a dash of cinnamon.


Spread peanut butter and jam on whole-grain bread and have with a piece of fruit and low-fat milk or soy milk.


Munch on a handful of unsalted mixed nuts served with an individual portion of low-sodium vegetable juice.


Top a whole-wheat English muffin with soy sausage patty and a slice of low-fat cheese.


Take along a piece of fruit, low-fat milk or soy milk and a homemade muffin made on the weekend and stored in the freezer. (Substitute at least half the flour in recipes with whole-grain flour and supplement the batter with vegetables, nuts and/or fruit.)
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Not Interested In Traditional Breakfast Foods?

Choose whole-grain varieties (check ingredient list for the words "whole" or "whole grain" in the first ingredient) of breads, tortillas, crackers, bagels or pita breads and top or stuff with any of the following:
Salmon spread made with low-fat cream cheese, canned salmon and your favorite herbs
Hummus with grated carrots and raisins
Leftover skinless chicken or turkey with light mayonnaise and cranberry chutney
Bean spread with lettuce, tomato and cucumber slices
Avocado, baby greens, roasted red pepper and a few chopped sun dried tomatoes
Low-fat feta cheese with walnuts and dates
Scrambled egg substitute or eggs with salsa
Freezer pops made from a mixture of low-fat yogurt, low-fat milk or soy milk mixed with 100-percent juice and fruit slices


Baked tortilla chips with salsa and cut-up vegetables


Grilled cheese sandwich made with whole-grain bread, low-fat cheese or soy cheese served with fruit. (For variety, stuff with grilled or sautéed vegetables made on the weekend and frozen as individual servings.)


Celery and sliced apple with peanut butter


Vegetables with low-fat dip and a hard-boiled egg


Soy hot dog or veggie burger in a whole-grain bun with lettuce, tomato, your favorite condiments and a side of baby carrots


Pizza made with whole-grain pita bread, spaghetti sauce and low-fat cheese served with fruit


A bowl of vegetable soup and whole-grain crackers. (Try low-fat pureed soups in a travel mug if eating on the run.)


No Appetite In The Morning?

A lack of appetite in the morning may be the result of a large meal or snack consumed the night before. Perk up your morning appetite by eating lighter and earlier in the evenings. If a large breakfast is still not appealing, perhaps a breakfast smoothie may be the answer. Try blending a mixture of either low-fat milk, low-fat yogurt or soy milk with fruit, 100 percent fruit juice and your favorite spices or flavor extract. Oat bran, wheat germ or ground flax seed can be added for extra fiber.


So start your day the healthy way by fueling up with a nutritious breakfast!

Suzanne Proulx M.S., R.D., L.D.N., is a senior nutritionist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She is also a group nutritionist for the Women's Health Initiative, which is a landmark research study designed to investigate some of the major causes of disease and death in postmenopausal women. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Boston College and a Master of Science degree in nutrition from Boston University.

Hearing Loss In Adults

What Is It?

Hearing loss is a decrease in the ability to perceive sounds. In adults, hearing loss can be partial or total, sudden or gradual, temporary or permanent. It can affect one ear or both. Currently in the United States, 28 million people over age 3 have some form of hearing loss. The condition affects approximately 3% of all adult men and women. In general, the risk of hearing loss increases with age. Between 24% and 40% of adults over age 65 have difficulty hearing. Thirty percent of people over age 85 are deaf in at least one ear.

To understand hearing loss and treatment, it helps to know how hearing works. Sound enters the ear and strikes the eardrum (tympanic membrane). This causes the eardrum to vibrate. The eardrum's vibrations are amplified through the middle ear by three tiny bones. Inside the ear, the vibrations are transformed into nerve impulses. These nerve impulses travel to the brain, where they are interpreted as sounds.

Because the outer ear and middle ear transmit (or conduct) sound, any injury to this part of the hearing pathway is called conductive hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss is injury to the inner ear, eighth cranial nerve and brain, which all deal with the production, transmission and interpretation of nerve impulses.

In adults, some of the most important causes of hearing loss are:

Middle ear disease — A bacterial infection of the middle ear can injure the eardrum, disrupt the middle-ear bones, or cause fluid buildup.


Noise — Without adequate ear protection (earmuffs or earplugs), loud sounds can injure delicate cells within the ear. This is a form of sensorineural hearing loss, and it is the most common cause of hearing loss among American adults. Noise-induced hearing loss can happen because of a single brief burst of an extremely loud sound, such as a gunshot or firecracker. It is more often the result of long-term exposure to loud sounds of slightly lower intensity, such as factory noise or rock music. Among U.S. workers, noise-induced hearing loss is the most common of all occupational injuries. It is a significant health problem among carpenters, miners, plumbers, factory workers, farmers, construction workers and workers exposed to aircraft, sirens or explosives. People can also develop noise-induced hearing loss from recreational activities, such as listening to very loud music, operating a personal watercraft (such as Jet Ski and WaveRunner) or snowmobile, shooting firecrackers or guns, or operating a loud lawnmower or leaf blower.


Otosclerosis — This conductive hearing loss involves the abnormal overgrowth of one or more bones in the middle ear. It prevents the small bones from moving normally. Otosclerosis often runs in families. It strikes 1% of American adults, and is especially common among white, middle-aged women.


Acoustic neuroma — This noncancerous (benign) tumor grows on part of the eighth cranial nerve, which carries signals to the brain. Because this tumor develops near parts of the body that help control balance as well as hearing, it often causes dizziness and equilibrium problems in addition to gradual hearing loss. Acoustic neuromas most often occur in adults between the ages of 30 and 60.


Ménière's disease — This typically causes dizziness, hearing loss, ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and a sensation of fullness or stuffiness in one or both ears. Although research suggests that Ménière's disease is related to a change in the volume of a fluid inside the ear, the reason for this volume change remains unknown. Ménière's disease currently affects three to five million Americans.


Trauma — Many types of accidents can cause hearing loss, including stab wounds, gunshots or being hit on the ear or skull. Hearing loss can come from a blast injury to the eardrum from the force of an explosion or simply from a cotton swab (Q-tip) that ruptures the eardrum during an attempt to clean the ear canal.


Sudden sensorineural hearing loss — This is a medical emergency. A person loses hearing over a period of three days or less. In 85% to 90% of cases, the cause is unknown, although many doctors believe that the underlying problem may be a viral infection. Doctors diagnose about 4,000 Americans with this type of heearing loss each year. In 90% of the cases, only one ear is affected.


Drugs — Many prescription and nonprescription medications can damage the ear and cause hearing loss. These include:


Antibiotics, such as erythromycin (several brand names), vancomycin (Vancocin), tetracycline (several brand names) and aminoglycosides, such as gentamicin (several brand names), streptomycin (Zanosar), tobramycin (Nebcin) and amikacin (Amikin)
Anticancer chemotherapeutic drugs, such as cisplatin (Platinol), 5-fluorouracil (Ancobon) and bleomycin (Blenoxane)
Aspirin
Antimalaria drugs


Age — Age-related hearing loss, also known as presbycusis, is not a single disease, but a category for the cumulative effects of aging on the ears. In most cases, hearing loss begins after age 60, and is usually more noticeable in men than women. Both ears are affected. It is typically harder to hear high-pitched tones (women's voices, violins) than low-pitched ones (men's voices, bass guitar). Because this usually occurs gradually over a period of years, the person may not realize that he or she has difficulty hearing. A family member may bring the problem to the person's attention.


Other causes — There are more than 100 different causes of hearing loss in adults. The most common reversible cause is severe buildup of earwax in the ear canal and acute infections of the external ear or middle ear.
Symptoms

If you have sudden, severe hearing loss, you will notice right away that your ability to hear has decreased dramatically or disappeared totally in the affected ear. For example, you may snap your fingers next to the affected ear and not hear it, or you may put the telephone receiver against your ear and hear nothing.

If your hearing loss is gradual, your symptoms may be more subtle. You may have difficulty understanding conversations, either in person or over the telephone. Family members may complain that you play the radio or TV too loudly. You may ask them to repeat what they say or frequently misunderstand what they are saying.

Some diseases and conditions that cause hearing loss may produce additional symptoms, including:

Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
Discharge or bleeding from the ear
Deep earache, or pain in the ear canal
Pressure or a "stuffy" feeling inside the ears
Dizziness or problems with balance or equilibrium
Nausea
Diagnosis

After you describe your symptoms, the doctor will ask if anyone in your family has had (or has) hearing loss. Your doctor will want to know if you have been exposed to loud noises, trauma of the ear or head, or ear infections. To rule out the possibility that medications may be the cause of your hearing loss, your doctor will review the prescription and over-the-counter drugs you take.

Your doctor will examine you, and look closely at your ears. This ear exam may include:

An examination of your ear canal and eardrum using a lighted instrument for looking inside the ears (otoscope)
The Rinne test, in which a vibrating tuning fork is placed on the bone behind your ear to test for conductive hearing loss
The Weber test, in which a vibrating tuning fork is placed in the middle of your forehead to help diagnose one-sided hearing loss
Audioscopy testing, in which the doctor uses a hand-held device to generate tones of various intensities to find out if you can hear them
If the results of your ear exam suggest that you have hearing loss, your doctor will refer you to an audiologist. The audiologist will test your hearing sensitivity (with audiometry) and check for middle-ear problems by measuring your eardrum's ability to reflect sounds (impedance testing). Further testing and treatment will follow.

Expected Duration

The duration of hearing loss depends on its cause. In general, sensorineural hearing loss tends to be permanent.

Prevention

You can help prevent hearing loss by taking the following steps:

Wear protective earplugs or earmuffs if you are often exposed to loud noise at work or during recreational activities. To help protect workers, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has developed regulations governing noise exposure on the job.
Never put cotton swabs or other foreign objects in your ears.
Wear a seatbelt while driving, and wear a protective helmet while riding a bicycle.
Be informed about the possible side effects of your prescription and nonprescription medications.
Treatment

Both age-related and noise-related hearing loss tend to be permanent. However, depending on the severity of your hearing loss, your doctor may recommend either a hearing aid or an implant to improve your ability to communicate with others. A hearing aid amplifies sounds electronically and is effective for many people with age-related hearing loss. Newer digital technology has produced smaller and more powerful devices. A cochlear implant is a device that translates sounds into electrical signals that can be carried by the eighth cranial nerve to the brain.

Certain other forms of hearing loss may be treated medically or surgically:

Otosclerosis — For mild cases, a hearing aid is usually the first option. In severe cases, one of the small bones is surgically replaced with a tiny piston-like prosthesis.


Acoustic neuroma — Treatment includes surgery or highly focused radiation therapy.


Ménière's disease — There is no cure. Some people with this disease improve with a personalized diet plan (such as limiting intake of salt, caffeine or alcohol), quitting smoking, or medications to reduce fluid retention in the ear. In some cases, surgery may be considered.


Traumatic hearing loss — A damaged eardrum can sometimes be repaired surgically by using tough, fibrous connective tissue (muscle fascia).


Drug-induced hearing loss — Stopping the problem medication may reverse hearing loss or prevent it from getting worse.


Sudden sensorineural hearing loss — In most cases, when the cause is unknown, this condition is treated with steroids.


Other — A dense plug of earwax can be dissolved or gently removed from your ear canal by your doctor; also, antibiotics can treat hearing loss caused by ear infections.
When To Call a Professional

Call your doctor immediately if you have sudden hearing loss. This is a medical emergency.

Also, make an appointment to see your doctor if:

You are an older adult, and hearing loss interferes with your quality of life.
You work in a high-noise environment, and you have trouble hearing.
You have hearing loss together with an earache, a discharge from your ears, tinnitus, dizziness or balance problems.
Prognosis

The prognosis is highly variable. However, even if your hearing loss cannot be treated with medications or surgery, your quality of life may improve significantly with a hearing aid. In some people who do not improve with a hearing aid, a cochlear implant may be an option.

Additional Info

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
National Institutes of Health
31 Center Drive, MSC 2320
Bethesda, MD 20892-2320
Phone: 301-496-7243
Toll-Free: 1-800-241-1044
Fax: 301-402-0018
TTY: 1-800-241-1055
Email: nidcdinfo@nidcd.nih.gov
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/

American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery
One Prince St.
Alexandria, VA 22314-3357
Phone: 703-836-4444
Email: info@entnet.org
http://www.entnet.org/

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
10801 Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852
Toll-Free: 1-800-638-8225
TTY: 1-800-638-8225
Fax: 301-571-0457
TTY: 301-897-0157
Email: actioncenter@asha.org
http://www.asha.org/

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
4676 Columbia Parkway
Mail Stop C-18
Cincinnati, OH 45226
Toll-Free: 1-800-356-4674
Fax: 513-533-8573
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/

American Tinnitus Association
P.O. Box 5
Portland, OR 97207-0005
Phone: 503-248-9985
Toll-Free: 1-800-634-8978
Fax: 503-248-0024
Email: tinnitus@ata.org
http://www.ata.org/

Coffee -- Grounds for Concern?

By Robert Shmerling,M.D.
Harvard Medical School

Do you find yourself looking forward to that first cup of coffee in the morning? How about the next cup? If it's part of your routine to drink coffee on a regular basis, you're not alone.

You also have company when it comes to concerns about the health effects of coffee — hundreds of studies have addressed coffee's effect on the body and whether or not caffeine causes harm. Perhaps you've heard it's good to drink coffee when you have a headache, or bad to drink it if you have stomach problems. So what is myth, and what is fact?

Coffee's Punch

The effects of coffee on the body fall into several categories:

Stimulant effects. Because one of its major ingredients is caffeine, coffee is a well-established stimulant, meaning that it stimulates the nervous system, including such diverse networks as the nerves controlling intestinal activity, blood pressure and airway size. As a result, any caffeine-containing food or beverage (including tea, cola and chocolate milk) may impair sleep, but avoiding coffee late in the day is usually an easy way to avoid this problem. Jitters and anxiety may also be related to caffeine's stimulant effects.


Heartburn. Even decaffeinated coffee can stimulate secretion of stomach acid, leading to heartburn.


Diuretic features. Caffeine is also a diuretic — it encourages the kidneys to produce urine so effectively that it may contribute to mild dehydration. In addition, the water contained in coffee also leads to frequent urination to rid the body of excess fluid.


Miscellaneous. Features of coffee may also have other effects on the body. For example, yellowed teeth are common among regular users of coffee. Injuries related to burns from hot coffee are not rare. And there is even a suggestion by some mental health professionals that occasional caffeine users, including coffee drinkers, should be considered dependent, addicted or struggling with substance abuse.
As for the overall health risks of coffee or caffeine use, concerns have been raised by studies over the past 50 years, including an association with stomach problems, pancreatic and bladder cancer, fibrocystic breast disease and gallbladder disease, among other conditions. When rigorously analyzed, these studies fall far short of implicating modest coffee consumption as a significant health risk, even among pregnant women and cardiac patients. A review from April 2007 examined the evidence that coffee consumption might increase the risk of stomach cancer or leukemia; the data were considered inconclusive and additional study was recommended.

One largely discredited study which found that coffee intake was associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, is often used as a model for how a flawed study design can lead to misleading research results. In that study, researchers analyzed a number of "exposures" among patients with pancreatic cancer, including coffee intake. Because of the number of factors examined, many scientific researchers call this sort of study a "fishing expedition." As reasonable as it may seem to examine many factors at once, the problem is that if you look at enough exposures, one or more will show an association just by chance. So there is a danger of generating misleading results if you cast too wide a net, and well-respected researchers avoid doing so, or they make statistical adjustments to account for analyzing many variables in a single study.

Coffee May Be Good for You

It may surprise you to learn that there are therapeutic uses of caffeine other than as a stimulant to avoid sleep (as in NoDoz, Vivarin and many others):

Newborns, especially those who are premature or have undergone surgery just after birth, may be treated with caffeine to stimulate their breathing.
Many over-the-counter headache or pain remedies include caffeine (such as Excedrin, which also contains acetaminophen and aspirin). The effectiveness of these agents may be related, at least in part, to the treatment of caffeine withdrawal, a common cause of headaches.
Studies have examined whether caffeine could be useful in the treatment of asthma, given its dilating effects on airways, and several have found modest benefits. In fact, some recommend that coffee intake be avoided before breathing tests because the abnormalities that breathing tests aim to detect may be diminished by caffeine intake.
Coffee has several effects on the intestinal tract. Although it increases stomach acid and gallbladder contractions, it has not been definitively linked to ulcer disease, it may protect against pain from gallstones and it may even act as a remedy for constipation.
A 1999 review (in the medical journal Gut) found a reduced risk of colon cancer among coffee drinkers compared with nonusers, although this association has not been widely accepted and has not led to any specific recommendations to encourage coffee's use.
Several studies published in 2003 suggest that coffee reduces the risk of Parkinson's disease. some research suggests that as little as one cup a day can reduce the risk by 50%. Why this may be the case is uncertain, and no clearly benficial effect of coffee has been demonstrated for people who already have Parkinson's disease.
At the American Society for Nutrition's annual conference, Experimental Biology 2007, researchers reviewed evidence that moderate intake of coffee (3 to 5 cups per day) might reduce the risk of diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, kidney stones, gallstones, and depression. Other potentially beneficial effects of coffee included a reduced risk of adenomas of the colon (a precursor of cancer), liver cancer and rectal cancer although the data on these were not conclusive.
Contrary to popular belief, coffee is not an effective way to reverse the effects of inebriation.

For the vast majority of coffee drinkers, the news is encouraging: the health risks are minimal if present at all. There are probably rare, high-risk patients who are better off avoiding the stimulant action of caffeine or the heartburn provoked even by decaffeinated coffee.

Perhaps the biggest problem of all for most coffee drinkers is its financial impact. The cost of a cup of coffee can be $3 or more at many specialty coffee shops now. It may be true that the best reasons to drink coffee or to avoid it have little to do with your health.

Robert H. Shmerling, M.D. is associate physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and associate professor at Harvard Medical School. He has been a practicing rheumatologist for over 20 years at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He is an active teacher in the Internal Medicine Residency Program, serving as the Robinson Firm Chief. He is also a teacher in the Rheumatology Fellowship Program.

BOCOG, sponsors join hands to fight ambush marketing

BOCOG issued a written proposal aimed at joint anti-ambush marketing work efforts Monday morning during a symposium on anti-ambush marketing for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Representatives of the Olympic worldwide partners and the partners and sponsors of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games enthusiastically accepted the proposal.

At the symposium, representatives of the BOCOG marketing and legal affairs departments discussed with those present the anti-ambush marketing work efforts over the course of 2007, including the thought processes and strategy. Representatives from the State Administration for Industry and Commerce also offered suggestions regarding the protection of intellection property rights.

Next year will be the decisive year of battle for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and brand protection remains a significant task. In the proposal, BOCOG explicitly states the following:

-- The Olympic worldwide partners and Beijing 2008 Olympic partners and sponsors do not engage in any kind of activity that would promote ambush marketing.

-- The various industry associations actively develop Olympic brand protection as well as activities and promotional efforts surrounding anti-ambush marketing education

-- Advertising agencies should increase their understanding of Olympic marketing regulations, respect professional ethics, and not engage in ambush marketing activities.

Some 30 Olympic worldwide partners and Beijing 2008 Olympic partners and sponsors as well as their relevant industry associations were invited to attend the symposium.

3,000 first-aid volunteers offer services for Beijing Olympics

Some 3,000 volunteers will offer special medical services at the Olympic venues during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games next year, Vice director Dai Jianping of the BOCOCG Games Services Department said at a medical conference on Sunday.

The Beijing Olympic medical treatment network consists of four basic service sectors of medical volunteers, medical treatment stations, ambulances, and designated Olympic hospitals.

Patients will be able to receive first aid from medical volunteers at the venues and be transported to one of 219 medical treatment stations immediately. Intensive care is available by taking the ambulance to the hospitals in the Olympic Village or to Olympic-designated hospitals in the city.

Lifetime driving ban for 119 drivers in Beijing

The Beijing Municipal Traffic Management Bureau recently added eleven new names to the list of those serving lifetime driving bans, bringing the total number of banned drivers to 119 since the traffic law took effect in 2004.

The third batch of drivers are all males who have committed crimes by running away from major accidents since May.

This group of drivers ranges in age from 30 to 45, some with as little as one year of driving experience and others with upwards of 19. Overall, 72.7 percent of them have been driving more than five years and 36.4 percent for over a decade.

The lifetime ban was given to a majority of the drivers for their numbness or carelessness in driving, which later caused traffic accidents.

Traffic law states that anybody who escapes after a serious traffic accident will be ineligible to ever drive again.

Beijing's population forecast to top 21.4 mln by 2020

Beijing's population is expected to top 19.5 million by 2015 and climb to 21.4 million by 2020, according to a research report released on weekend.

The figure is much more than the city's target of 18 million for 2020, according to the Strategic Report on Population of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei," released at the Beijing Population and Development Forum held in Beijing.

Qu Zhenwu, a professor of Institute of Population Research attached to Renmin University, attributed the rapid population growth in Beijing to continuous influx of migrants.

"Although Beijing saw zero growth in natural birth rate for the past five years, its population kept expanding as a result of a mass of migrants," he said.

The expert suggested that the population of Beijing be kept under 17 million while the total population in Beijing and its surrounding Tianjin Municipality and Hebei Province below 110 million.

Researchers called for closer cooperation in economic development in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei to narrow gaps among the three regions.

Beijing had 15.6 million permanent residents at the end of last year, a rise of 1.4 percent, or 220,000 people, from 2005, according to the city's family planning committee.

Growth in the capital's population over the past five years has been rapid. The population has increased by over 10 million, making it among the world's most populous cities.

Liu and Powell work toward Beijing golds

World record hurler Liu Xiang and 100 meters sprinter Asafa Powell are confident of picking up gold medals in their respective events at next year's Olympic Games in Beijing.

"We like each other very much and I think Powell is the greatest 100-meter sprinter in the world," Liu said yesterday. "I expect him to win every race because of his determination and his single-minded purpose as he speeds towards the line. This is the most important mindset for any athlete in a competition."

Powell said he liked Liu and enjoyed his sense of humor.

"I will have to train intensively from now on .... in fact I have already begun my preparations for the Games," the Jamaican said. "I will come to Beijing ahead of time next year to adapt to the climate."

Liu too said he was getting ready with his preparations.

"I will go to Beijing next week to begin my intensive training and I think we are both confident of winning medals," said Liu, who carries China's hopes for an athletic gold at the Olympics.

Shanghai-born Liu is the first Chinese to win a gold medal in an Olympic sprinting event. He clocked 12.91 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles at the Athens Olympics before smashing a world record 12.88 at the Super Grand Prix in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2006.

The track stars were in Shanghai for a promotion and to shoot for a TV commercial.

Netherlands takes half of Sunday's golds in UCI World Cup Beijing

Netherlands won titles in women's Keirin and men's individual in the 2007 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Beijing here on Sunday.

After winning men's team sprint with teammates Teun Mulder and Tim Veldt, Theo Bos took his second gold in Beijing after beating French Mickael Bourgain in men's individual pursuit final.

Sydney runner-up Kevin Sireau lost to Stefan Nimke of www.rad-net.de team in consolation final and failed to earn a medal.

Willy Kanis was crowned in women's Keirin in chaos for four of all six finalists fell just before the final track, including reigning world champion Victoria Pendleton of Great Britain, winner in World Cup Sydney in last week, and Natallia Tsylinskaya, bronze medalist in Sydney.

"I don't think I was lucky because I raced very well," said Kanis. "In the final I was in the leading position and then they crashed behind me."

The silver went to Christin Muche of Germany, who was the other one to finish the final.

Top-qualifying Ukrainian trio of Svetlana Galuk, Lesya Kalitovska and Lyubov Shulika beat russian's Eugeniya Romanyuta, Olga Slyusareva and Anastasiay Chulkova in the final of women's 3,000 meters team pursuit.

Official results were not immediately available due to problem with timing system, but Ukraine led throughout the 12-lap race and clocked three minutes and 33.360 seconds, one seconds less than their opponents did.

This was just the second time in World Cup history that women's team pursuit was contested. The first was last week in Sydney, Australia, in which Russia won.

"Now we were so excited to say anything about the achievement," said Galuk. "Maybe we should thank the audience in Laoshan Venue. Chinese people are very polite and ebullient. We can perceive the passion and the encouragement for us."

Jerome Neuville and Christophe Riblon took men' s Madison gold for France.

The French pair brought the final gold of the World Cup Beijing to France, leaving silver to T-mobile Track team's Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins.

The bronze went to Ukrainian cyclists Lyubomyr Polatayko and Volodymyry Rybin.

Joan Llaneras Rossello and Carlos Torrent Tarres of Spain, runner-ups in World Cup Sydney last week, only placed fifth.

Gold and ticket, a big harvest day for Chinese shooting corps

After several cloudy days, long-awaited sunshine in the gulf city of Kuwait finally brought the Chinese shooting squad a long-awaited ticket to the men's double trap at the 2008 Olympic Games.

"Finally we got this quota place, which has been almost in our reach for several times," said Sun Shengwei, a coach in the Chinese national shooting team.

In the just-finished men's double trap competition, Pan Qiang snatched the gold medal with his perfect performance that aroused hurrahs from the audiences.

The 22-year-old Pan, who chalked up the same score as his teammate Wang Zheng with 142 hits in the qualification round, was one hit behind Alshamsy Saif Alshamsy from the United Arab Emirates.

In the first pair of the final, Alshamsy missed one, backing to the same starting line with the Chinese duo.

After Wang Zheng's lapse, another miss of the arabic marksman in the ninth pair gave the Pan a chance, but the boy lost soon in the next pair.

In the 16th pair, Alshamsy missed one again. Pan led among the six finalists.

Alshamsy's fourth miss occurred 23th pair.

While Pan raised his gun for the 24th shot, he was cautioned by the judge to mind the limiting line. Stepping back a bit, he fired, but hit only one bird.

Fortunately, a good ending with both hits of the last pair secured him the crown.

"After I finished the competition, I looked back, seeing my coach smiling. I knew that I got another quota place for China in this event," said the champion.

Pan noted that he has great pressure competing in the shooting range, especially in the next-to-last pair, when his pace was disrupted by the accident.

"When I aimed for the last pair, my hands were shaking," he said. "I know that I am going to win, if I could down them both."

Zhang Huiqun, a coach with the national team who had been pacing anxiously outside the shooting range, dashed towards the boy after the final, taking his gun and giving him a big hug.

The waiting Sun rose up from his chair, letting out a sigh and patted Pan's sun-tanned face gently as praise. The first quota place was acquired by Chinese shooter Hu Binyuan in the World Cup Surl Fort.

"To win or to lose, this is our last chance (to get the other)," Sun said.

In the men's 25-meter rapid fire pistol event, world champion Zhang Penghui surged from the third place to nail down an "unexpected" gold medal with 779.4 points.

The 30-year-old shooter didn't do well in the first part of qualification round. Due to the influence of strong wind, he scored only 286 points.

Although he managed to edge into the final, Zhang's qualification score, 579, was two points behind Malaysian marksmanHasli lzwan Amir Hasan and four points behind his teammate Liu Zhongsheng.

In the four-set final, the champion of 2006 World Shooting Championships achieved a 50.4 in the first set. Despite a 47.5 point in the second set, he impressed audiences with the following two scores reported as 51.2 and 51.3, highest among all finalists.

Out of his expectation, Amir Hasan failed to keep his momentum in the final and collected only 195.6 points to bring back a silver.

Liu was worse, chalking up a startling 189.8 to surrender his medal to Republic of Korean Cha Sangjun, who got the bronze with 773.0 points.

Sunday saw eight gold medals distributed at the 11th Asian Shooting Championships, among which Chinese shooters seized seven. Men's 50-meter rifle prone event shall take place on Monday, when the Chinese corps is to vie for two quota places.

Newly-crowned Asian champion Pan returns to starting line

KUWAIT CITY, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Pan Qiang, who just presented China an Olympic quota place in men's doubles trap by winning in the event at the 11th Asian Shooting Championships here on Sunday, viewed the victory calmly.

"Now that the competition is over, it's time to forget it and return to the starting line," said the 22-year-old boy who just fired in international competition finals for the second time.

From east China's Shandong Province, Pan entered the final with 142 hits in the qualification round, the same score as his teammate Wang Zheng and one hit behind Saif Alshamsy from the United Arab Emirates.

In the first pair of the final, Alshamsy missed one and drew with the Chinese duo.

After Wang Zheng's lapse, another miss of the arabic marksman in the ninth pair gave Pan a chance, but the boy lost it soon in the next pair.

In the 16th pair, Alshamsy missed one again. Pan led among the six finalists.

Alshamsy's fourth miss occurred at the 23th pair.

While Pan raised his gun for the 24th shot, he was cautioned by the judge to toe the limiting line. Stepping back a bit, he fired, but hit only one bird.

Fortunately, a good ending with both hits of the last pair secured him the crown.

"After I finished the competition, I looked back, seeing my coach smiling. I knew that I got another quota place for China in this event," said the champion.

Pan noted that he has great pressure competing in the shooting range, especially in the next-to-last pair, when his pace was disrupted by the accident.

"When I aimed for the last pair, my hands were shaking," he said, "I know that I am going to win, if I could down them both."

The first time Pan shot in the final of international events was in the Lonato Fort of World Cup in Shotgun this past June, when he had a near miss with the quota place by finishing fifth.

"This time my luck is good," he said. "We have made plans for competing in windy days, but today is sunny."

Fighting shoulder by shoulder with his teammate Wang Zheng helped ease his nervousness. "Realizing that he is standing next to me, I was reassured."

Zhang Huiqun, a coach with the national team who had been pacing anxiously outside the shooting range, dashed towards the boy after the final, taking his gun and giving him a big hug.

The waiting Sun rose up from his chair, letting out a sigh and patted Pan's sun-tanned face gently as praise.

"I had been worried for him after the judge's caution, for fearit would disrupt his performance, but he managed to tide over," said Sun smilingly.

"This kid is a good shooter, as pure as a piece of white paper and always confident in competitions," he said.

It is still undecided whether Pan would show up in the Olympic arena.

Currently he was ranked fifth in the national squad in the discipline.

On top of the list was Hu Binyuan, who brought back to China the first quota place in men's double trap from the World Cup SurlFort.

After Hu was Wang Nan, Asian Games gold medalist who was ranked seventh in the qualification round this time and failed to dart into the final. His advantage against Pan Qiang is not distinctive.

Therefore, theoretically speaking, Pan still has the chance to compete in the Olympics.

But the quiet boy didn't seem to care about this too much.

"I got this quota place for my country," he said. "My task is to do my best in each competition."