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Are iron infusions safe?

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Iron infusions are a widely administered medical procedure and are given to a broad range of people who may have low iron levels. Increasingly, there is some concern about the safety of these procedures, with occasional media reports gaining attention where things have gone wrong. These are worrying for anyone who has the procedure suggested to them as a treatment for iron deficiency.

Are there potential side effects and can they be long-lasting?

Iron infusions may be a relatively common practice, but they remain little understood. As with any medical procedure they are not without their risk. How high are these risks? Should they make us think twice about having the procedures, and what happens if something goes wrong?

Firstly, let’s take a look at exactly what iron infusions are.

What is an iron infusion?

Iron infusion is a procedure where iron is delivered to the body intravenously and is carried out when there is an urgent need to increase the amount of iron in someone’s body. Iron is one of the principal minerals that are found in the human body. It’s a key component of haemoglobin and a substance that’s vital to red blood cells. They help the blood carry oxygen around the body. Iron is also a key component of enzymes that help to manufacture energy in muscles.

Serious illness can develop if you don’t have enough iron in your body.

How is it administered?

A doctor or healthcare specialist, such as a nurse, will use a needle to insert a small tube (known as a cannula) into the vein. It’s usually inserted into the arm or the hand. The cannula is attached to a long tube, which is attached, in turn, to an IV bag of iron, which has been diluted with saline solution. The solution is then either pumped into the vein or uses gravity to slowly drip down the tube into the vein. The patient will be given the full dose over a specific amount of time, and this could take from anywhere from ten to sixty minutes, and in some circumstances, even longer.

What can lack of iron mean?

As well as low haemoglobin leading to iron deficiency anaemia, low iron levels can have all kinds of impacts. Symptoms can include fatigue, tiredness, and exhaustion. It can create difficulties sleeping, poor thought processing, mind fog and anxiety. It can also impact upon hair thickness, and even create restless legs.

These milder symptoms would not normally be treated by iron infusions. Instead, they’re probably best addressed through dietary changes. A nutritionist would be able to recommend appropriate changes to be made to help increase your body’s natural supply of iron.

Iron infusions help to counteract low iron levels, preventing serious illness and aiding recovery.

When are iron infusions given?

Iron infusions are a relatively common procedure. They’re used when someone isn’t producing enough iron, and as a result they have reduced haemoglobin levels in their system. This can lead to them developing anaemia.

In advanced cases, anaemia can lead to reduced oxygen carrying capacity in the blood. This can cause the sufferer shortness of breath and palpitations, as well as all the milder symptoms of iron deficiency listed above. Sometimes, people struggle with these conditions for many years, with changes in their diet and oral iron supplements failing to address the issue. In that case, a doctor may recommend iron infusions.

There are a numerous reasons why someone may suffer from an iron deficiency:

  • Blood loss – this can have various causes including cancer, ulcers and monthly periods.
  • A diet that doesn’t include enough iron.
  • Medications that reduce the body’s ability to absorb iron, such as aspirin, heparin and coumadin.
  • A body’s increased need for iron, such as during pregnancy, or for someone who is suffering from kidney failure.

Untreated iron deficiency anaemia can lead to a range of problems:

  • It can put you at higher risk of illness and infections, as a lack of iron will have a detrimental impact on your immune system.
  • May increase your risk of developing serious health complications. These could include an abnormally fast heartbeat, or heart failure.
  • It can cause a range of complications before and after birth.

Iron infusions are generally safe

When administered correctly by a trained professional who is following all the necessary safety protocols, the procedure is generally safe. Countless iron infusion procedures are administered every day across the UK with no problems, other than mild side effects.

What are the mild side effects?

Around 10% of iron infusion cases will result in mild side effects. These include:

  • Allergic reactions. These have been shown to affect less than 1 in 100 people and can result in a shortness of breath, a rash similar to a nettle rash, or hives and other itching. Itching skin can become red and flushed.
  • Temporary changes in taste.
  • A headache.
  • Feeling sick or vomiting.
  • Muscle and joint pain.
  • Changes to blood pressure or pulse.
  • Burning sensation and swelling at the infusion site.
  • Irritation of the skin around where the infusion is given.

These are mostly temporary, and while being unpleasant, soon pass. The benefits of the treatment usually outweigh the brief discomfort they cause.

That said, it’s important that these potential side-effects are explained to anyone who is having the treatment.

Are there any potentially serious side effects?

Around 1% of all iron infusion treatments can lead to more serious side-effects. This is not a negligible number, and these potential side effects and the risks involved should be made clear before anyone begins the treatment.

If a patient has not had it made clear that there are potentially serious side-effects in a small number of cases, then they could be able to make a claim for medical negligence.

These more serious side-effects include:

  • Bloating or swelling of the face, arms, hands, lower legs, or feet.
  • Dizziness, faintness, or light-headedness when getting up suddenly from a sitting or lying position.
  • Gastrointestinal pains such as nausea or cramps.
  • Problems with breathing.
  • Skin problems, including rashes.
  • Chest pains.
  • Low blood pressure.
  • Anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction that can include difficulty breathing, itching, or a rash that can cover the whole body).

Extravasation injury

As well as bodily reactions to the treatment, intravenous treatment can sometimes carry the risk of extravasation injury. This is when damage is caused to the surrounding tissue to the injection site as the solution leaks from the vessel into neighbouring tissue space.

This can cause immediate pain, and the skin turning orange.  Shortly after, the skin can take on a bruised look. In some cases, patients have been reassured that it is only temporary bruising. However, it can develop into permanent staining and in some cases it can be substantial and cause significant emotional distress.

Medical negligence and iron infusions

The number of medical negligence claims being brought as a result of iron infusion procedures going wrong is on the increase.

Lisa Musgrave, an experienced Medical Negligence solicitor at Mark Reynolds Solicitors recently resolved a case relating to a client who attended hospital for a routine iron infusion. As a result of an extravasation injury, the client was left with permanent staining to their arm. The hospital where the procedure was carried out failed to explain the risks and obtain proper consent from the client. They then failed to undertake the appropriate checks while the procedure was being carried out.

Thanks to the work of Ms Musgrave, the client was seen by both a camouflage make-up expert, and a clinical psychologist. Both these professionals were able to provide a range of strategies to help the client with her ongoing rehabilitation. The ongoing costs of both a lifetime of camouflage make-up and regular psychology appointments was covered by the medical negligence payout the client received. In this case, the settlement amount was £30,000.

Unfortunately, this story is not an isolated one. Failure to exercise due diligence and adhere to the proper protocols on behalf of medical professionals is leading to similar cases, some of which make it into the media.

This, in turn, damages public confidence in the procedure and may result in people who could benefit from an iron infusion being cautious about agreeing to have one.  As well as gaining compensation for the damage and pain caused when a procedure goes wrong, medical negligence claims also prompt health providers to address the issues they raise.

Anyone who has found themself a victim of an iron infusion gone wrong or feels that they weren’t properly made aware of the associated risks, should contact a medical negligence solicitor for confidential advice.

IP And Government Outsourcing Law Will Be Reconsidered

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There will be an article by article review of the initiative to reform the Law on Subcontracting or outsourcing , as agreed by the private sector with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador ; and after a week, they will return to the National Palace to present what was agreed with their cabinet, informed Carlos Salazar Lomelín, president of the Business Coordinating Council (CCE).

Without anticipating modifications to the bill sent by the Executive to the Chamber of Deputies, he pointed out that there is dialogue and they will be in “permanent session” with the officials in charge of the initiative.

“I cannot assure it (a modification) until we sit down with the cabinet and see article by article what is being proposed as we suggest,” he said at the end of the meeting, which lasted a little more than an hour. and a half and to which the presidents of the Confederation of Industrial Chambers of Mexico (Concamin) and the Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce, Services and Tourism (Concanaco Servytur), both legitimate representatives of the national secondary and tertiary sectors, also attended.

“We made a commitment, here next week, and we will already reach the agreement that we will have seen with the cabinet,” said the leader of the highest business leadership.

This Monday, in his morning conference, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador left the door open for a possible modification to the proposal to extinguish the labor subcontracting mechanism known as outsourcing, and summoned representatives of the private sector “to explain” the initiative sent to the Chamber of Deputies.

He explained that as part of the violations of the rights of subcontracted workers, every year there is a cyclical fall in employment in December.

He pointed out that “due to the maneuver” made by the entrepreneurs in December 2019, 382,210 jobs and 378,560 jobs were lost in the same month of 2018.

Flexibility to changes
The president accepted that a way could be found to allow this outsourcing practice under certain conditions.

“They have to prove that it is not this, because we would not allow… we would look for a way, even also a call to employers, because as in everything there are employers who treat their workers well, who guarantee their benefits and others who act improperly ”Said the chief executive.

By instructions of the president, his cabinet is in “permanent session” together with representatives of the private sector to exchange opinions and concerns, said Luisa María Alcalde, Secretary of Labor.

“We are in ‘permanent session’ to be able to listen to each other, to be able to give our reasons, to see what the effects have been on the workers, the public finances, the social security institutions, and we will also listen to the employers. What is going to take place is dialogue, “he said at the end of the meeting at the National Palace.

Among business leaders there was optimism as they left the meeting at least for the opportunity to be heard in their concerns.

“We believe that the meeting went very well. He asked us to stay in ‘permanent session’. They are going to listen to all our concerns, ”said Salazar Lomelín.

“We spoke with the president and the cabinet that has to do with work and it was declared in ‘permanent session’ to reach an agreement in order to have confidence,” said Francisco Cervantes, president of Concamin, who confirmed that the next meeting It is for Monday, November 30.

Infrastructure Plan Advances
The meeting between the private initiative and the Executive with his cabinet focused on the issue of the outsourcing reform initiative. The subject of the second package of infrastructure projects in which private investment can participate was not touched; However, Salazar Lomelín announced that progress is being made in its formation.

“Progress continues in the infrastructure plan and it is most likely that very soon we will be announcing the second stage,” he said.

Sports Betting in Kenya: The Best Bookies’ Bonuses in Kenya

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Online betting is a great way to start making some online quid. That’s one of the main reasons we created this list with some of the best Kenya betting sites with great bonuses out there.

In this article, we’ll list more than five bookmakers that grant Kenyan bettors some lovely bonuses. We made sure to also include Kenya-based bookies, as it’s always good to rely on such companies. In this article, we’ll be taking an in-depth look at the following:

  • Eight bookmakers that offer interesting bonuses for Kenyan wagers
  • General explanation on the mentioned bookies

Betway

Founded in 2006, Betway entered the market of sports betting in Kenya five years ago. Since then, they not only focused on offering a good online betting service but also helped develop some sports in the country.

For those who want to begin laying their wagers on the website, they offer a good welcome bonus for Kenyan bettors. In your first deposit, which you can make by M-Pesa or Airtel, you get a 50% bonus up to KSH.5,000 to start betting.

22Bet

From 2019, 22Bet is offering Kenyan bettors a great option in the online betting market for the football fans. They entered the local market wanting to provide a transparent and customer-oriented service for the native audience.

In case you are a fan of international and local football leagues and want to start laying your wagers online, for fun or to make some money, 22Bet is another good option. For Kenyan bettors, they offer a welcome bonus up to KSH.15.000. All you have to do is make your first deposit at their site, which can be done by both M-Pesa or Airtel in local currency.

OdiBets

One of the most common betting companies in Kenya, OdiBets is constantly improving their betting experience in order to better serve their customers. This year, they have announced the creation of their app for both Android and iOS mobile devices.

The best news is that, alongside the app, they have brought a special bonus. New Kenyan customers will receive a free bet of KSH.30 after they make their first deposit. The only payment method accepted by OdiBets is M-Pesa.

Mozzart Bet

Mozzart Bet’s specialty is certainly providing bonuses and prizes for its customers. On their “Mozzart Daily Jackpot” promotion, bettors can win up to KSH.10.000.000. In order to win this amazing prize, you will have to predict correctly the result of 13 matches chosen by the company.

Apart from that, they also offer many bonuses and offers through their twitter and Facebook accounts. On what they call “happy hours” you can win up to 1000% bonuses for deposits and other functions in their site.

1XBet

In the local market since 2017, 1XBet has become one of the most famous betting sites in Kenya. In order to prove their dedication to the native customers, they started not only accepting Airtel as a payment method but also provided Swahili as one of the languages of their website.

For those who want to start betting at 1XBet, they offer an exclusive welcome bonus of up to KSH.10.000 for your first deposit. An amazing way to start placing your sports bets online.

BetYetu

Even with a market full of options, BetYetu was able to secure their place as has become one of the favorite betting sites for Kenyan bettors. Providing service for many other African countries apart from Kenya, BetYetu provides its customers with an easy and simple platform, as well as apps for Android and iOS mobile devices.

For new Kenyan bettors who want to start placing their bets in BetYetu, the bookmaker offers a welcome bonus of 100%. You can win up to KSH.5.000. All you have to do is make your first deposit and the good news is they accept both M-Pesa and Airtel as payment methods.

SportPesa

The first Kenyan betting site, SportPesa offers a very friendly layout and an amazing experience for its customers. And, in order to provide an even better experience, they have started offering bonus codes for bettors who want to join their platform. All you have to do is complete your registration in SportPesa using a code to guarantee a bonus after your first deposit.

Apart from that, they also offer amazing jackpots.

Powerbets

Known as a true Kenyan betting site, Powerbets offers great odds for the Premier League and the Champions League. They also have one of the best and fastest live experiences in the country, being one of the favorites of the local bettors.

If you are thinking about starting betting at Powerbets, they offer a good welcome bonus. You can win up to KSH.1.000 with a 100% bonus in your first deposit and also win a free bet of KSH.20. They accept M-Pesa as a payment method.

It’s exceptionally good to see that there are lots of bookies that are looking at the Kenyan market. Throughout this article, we tried to keep a balance between global and local bookies. Obviously, we couldn’t go in-depth in all of them, and that’s why we recommend you to check out Mighty Tips. There, you can check out some of these Kenyan bookies and much more, as they count on a team of specialists who can show you the big picture on betting sites for Kenyans!

Should IT Support Always Be Handled In-House? Are There Other Options?

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While we may think of IT support as someone solving a simple login problem, or the internet going down, that’s just one part of the whole. For SMEs, they often have issues with their information technology that baffles their in-house team, costs considerable time attempting to fix it, and ultimately requires help from outside the business.

In this article, we consider whether it’s sensible to provide IT support within the business or if essential IT services should be handled by someone else.

In-House is Familiar

It’s fair to say that having a computer department in-house is something that’s at once familiar and accessible. It’s possible to speak to them often, check how things are going, and demystify information technology a little bit along the way.

It may work well for companies with larger workforces that can hire the best and build out a substantial, diversified team of IT professionals. This means supporting a variety of different requirements within the department including network security, mobile security, software, and hardware provisioning, onboard and offboarding staff, and many other responsibilities.

However, for smaller businesses, this poses a problem. Unlike with other departments, should the IT department be understaffed or have too few resources available to it, then their performance will notably suffer. This is where it’s worth considering whether there are other options available to them.

Outside IT Contractors

To bridge a short-term gap from within the computer department, it’s possible to pull in a part-time IT contractor. Usually, they will be a specialist, able to get stuck into whatever the issue is. Depending on how serious the problem is and how reoccurring it may be, they might be back and forth a few times to bridge the considerable gap in the capabilities of a small IT team.

Staff may find the lack of consistency with different contractors coming in and out to be disruptive to their workflow. The same person won’t be available all the time when help is needed, and often a different person will be required depending on the IT issue that has arisen. So, there’s no consistency, and IT systems needed to explain the issue to new contractors, which delays any resolution.

IT Consultants

IT consultants are another breed altogether. Some people purely provide advice under the “Consultant” job title, but do little more. Others provide a far more expansive service but will come up against limitations in one area or another because no one can know everything in IT and stay current with recent changes too. That’s just impossible to do.

The level of quality from IT consultants is all over the shop. You don’t know what you’ll be getting unless the same person is requested, which isn’t always possible or useful for all circumstances. Often, they operate more in an advisory capacity and aren’t always hands-on in the manner that companies expect either. Also, they may make recommendations that are difficult to implement successfully.

IT Support Through Managed IT Services

Fortunately, finding an IT support London area provider isn’t difficult. There are plenty of them, but it’s important to look at what they provide. For instance, they may offer helpdesk support, Office 365 support, or a provision for infrastructure or network support should it fail during a workday. There is a gulf of difference between someone available to answer problematic login issues and remotely connect to the company’s server to resolve that, versus a team with complete oversight.

IT companies in London that can provide IT maintenance of the infrastructure and cloud management of internet-based software solutions, as well as ensure all staff can access the services, are entirely different. It provides a comprehensive, reliable solution whenever a business or an employee hits an IT snag and then needs help.

How Do Managed IT Services Companies Differ?

With London IT support services, they may aim to cover companies within London or further afield. Alternatively, they could offer remote IT support, which enables them to provide IT services far and wide. Companies that are worth looking at provide a broader range of services than boutique providers that have limited services available. The difficulty when opting for a smaller provider is that eventually the business will need something that they don’t yet provide and aren’t capable of doing so either. And then your business has hit another snag.

Totality Services is an IT Support London based provider that, as the name suggests, has a wealth of experience within their team. Their list of services is considerable and serve companies well – both large and small. With Totality Services, it’s highly unlikely that another provider will be required due to their immense capability, and that’s reassuring to business leaders.

Do Managed IT Services Use Outside Service Providers?

In terms of essential services, not all of them are provided directly through the provider; it depends on what the service is. For instance, companies may run their website on a shared, dedicated, or cloud server through a commercial web host. It’s not necessarily the case that hosting needs be transferred to be under the control of the managed IT services provider.

Nevertheless, with access to the webserver remotely through FTP, SSH, and other communication protocols, they can troubleshoot (or work with the web host’s support team) to resolve any issues that arise with the website. This avoids your company having to deal with confusing web hosting jargon when discussing an issue with the host’s technical team. The managed services team can then translate what has happened into plain English and work to get the site back online again.

Other providers may be used when they offer a unique or superior service to customers. If it’s a service worth using, then a high-quality managed provider will likely recommend it to their clients. They know when something goes wrong – they’re the first to hear about it. So, what they’re most interested in is reliability and keeping their clients happy.

Is There a Point Where IT Services Should Be Outsourced?

While it’s tempting to have someone perform IT-related duties in addition to their regular role, this is less than ideal. A mini computing department can be created, but it will immediately run into difficulties because of a lack of knowledge. It’s impossible for one or two people to know everything that’s required to run servers, configure staff computers, install software, and handle all security aspects on their own. That isn’t their fault; it just comes down to the nature of how complex information technology has become over the years.

Therefore, unless the company plans to considerably expand its investment in a computing department, then it’s best to accept that and find a third-party partner at this stage. Also, it’s worth pointing out that even larger IT departments will often use managed IT providers to double-check their work or to fill in for existing knowledge gaps within their team. No one should feel bad about needing to do that either.

Information Technology is now such an essential part of what most companies rely upon that it’s not a good idea to compromise. Often, when you try to do everything in-house, that’s what ends up happening. It’s only when there has been a recent hack or an infrastructure failure that company leadership becomes convinced that another way should be found. Obviously, it’s best not to wait that long.

Unbelievable advances in gaming technology: Which have been most amazing?

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One sector which makes great use of technology to innovate is gaming. Since the early days of gaming in the 1980s, a constant flow of new tech and ideas has allowed it to appeal to more people. This has seen it become more and more popular over time and a mainstream form of entertainment. Whether it is hyper-casual games on your mobile phone or playing on the latest console, a lot of people love to relax in their spare time with games. Without the biggest and best tech advances to power it though, this way of staying amused would not be as attractive to many.

The way tech has pushed this sector forward is obvious when you look back at the impact it has made over the years. But which advances have been most fabulous for gaming fans?

Online casinos

When it comes to looking at the biggest and best advances in gaming tech, online casinos have to be mentioned. In the dark days of the past, you had to physically get ready, go out of your house and find the nearest land-based casinos to visit. That was not always convenient, and a lot of people did not actually like the atmosphere at land-based casinos.

The internet boom helped solve this issue by enabling online casino sites to be created. These sites offer more games, more promotions and all from the comfort of your own home. Mobile play is also something that is very popular now in this sector. As shown on the Gambling Metropolis site, big bonuses at mobile casinos make them great places to play games.

Virtual reality

VR is one awesome gaming advance. It was first spoken about in the early 1990s and has been on a long road since then to the present day. The last few years have seen VR in gaming really take off though. This has been down to the technology which powers it giving a better gaming experience and top names like Sony getting more involved with it and the price of VR kit coming down for gamers.

Hardware like the Oculus Quest 2 headset offers a gaming experience like no other and all at an affordable price point. VR takes players into a totally digital world where they can interact with their virtual environment and be totally immersed in the game world. Due to this next-level gaming experience, the future for VR tech looks bright.

Facial recognition

Many games now allow you to create your likeness in the game world. Consoles will also allow you to do this when you set up an account. A major advance in gaming technology has been facial recognition, which enables your likeness to be accurately recreated when doing this. 3D scanning in gaming systems uses face recognition software to make this happen.

There is also the Intel RealSense 3D camera which could be the next big breakthrough in this area for gaming. Already developed, it looks likely to be included in next-gen consoles and constantly scans over 70 points on your face as you play. This will allow the computer or console to tweak game settings, depending on how you are reacting to what is going on.

Cloud and on-demand gaming

Gaming is a sector where tech plays a hugely important role. This is very true when it comes to our next unbelievable advance – Cloud-based gameplay. Instead of having to constantly buy systems with more memory and power, Cloud gaming opens up the whole online world to play on instead. This gives players the chance to head online (via their console, PC or smartphone) to play huge multi-player titles. These titles would be too large in many cases for standard game systems to cope with.

On-demand gaming is a recent offshoot of this which is impressive. This basically allows players to stream games direct from the internet, when they fancy playing them. It is like Netflix for gamers! Streaming games on-demand eliminates the need to buy physical copies and means you always have a huge range of games to play at your fingertips. Google Stadia is a great example of this idea in action.

Gaming tech has come a long way

Looking at the above advances in technology, one thing is clear – how far gaming has come. From playing disk-based games offline on something like a Commodore Amiga, to what modern consoles offer is a different world. Of course, the great thing is that new advances are always on the horizon – gamers only have to sit back and enjoy what comes next.

Jackpot Games for Newbies

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With millions of players choosing to play at online casinos, it can be a little overwhelming as a beginner to just select a game and start playing. Most people just play for fun, whilst others have their eyes set on bagging the best bonuses – for example, Betfair Casino Sign Up bonus – or aiming for those big jackpot wins.

We have selected the most popular games for newbies wanting to hit the ground running with their gaming, that include the potential for massive jackpots to be won. Continue reading to find out how you could be in with a chance of claiming potential winnings of over £100,000!

Age of Gods: Ruler of the Seas

Take to the seas and test your mettle against ancient Gods in this action-packed Slot. This game features 30 paylines, with gameplay starting from as little as £0.10. There are a number of symbols to look out for when playing, but to put it simply – the lowest value symbols are playing cards, and the higher value symbols include Poseidon, Medusa and a Cyclops. If you manage to spin in a five yellow Poseidon symbols onto the same payline, you will be rewarded with a payout of a 100x win multiplier.

The game’s wild symbol is text-based and can substitute for any other symbols except the trident, which is the scatter symbol, to enhance your winnings. If you spin in the scatter symbol you will trigger bonus features such as respin rounds and free games.

The respin features and free games are activated automatically when the corresponding symbols are landed on, so you don’t need to worry about anything other than watching your winnings increase. Age of Gods: Ruler of the Seas features a four-tier progressive jackpot that can be activated at any time, so players of all levels will have the chance to win the massive jackpot of over £180,000. The game has a Return to player (RTP) of 95.38% – 96.37%.

AP McCoy: Sporting Legends

Few riders have had the same success as Sir AP in the world of horse racing. It is now possible to sit at the winners table with this dynamic Slots game, that keeps gameplay simple and the potential winnings robust. The game features standard symbols when playing, with the exception of the wild symbols that appear as the written word ‘wild’, which can be used to substitute all symbols other than the scatter.

The scatter symbol is a multi-coloured wheel that can appear in over reels one, three and five only. Landing on the scatter symbol will trigger the Bonus Wheel feature, when spun, you are able to win a variety of rewards, including wild multipliers, win multipliers, free spins and cash prizes.

The opportunities to win in this game are seemingly endless, and the game also featuring a progressive jackpot of over £750,000 to be won. AP McCoy: Sporting Legends has a 93.03% – 97.17% RTP.

With massive jackpots to be won by players of all levels, what could you possibly be waiting for? Get started and be in for a chance to win big with these games now!

Improve Your Strategy at The Blackjack Table with These Top Tips

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When it comes to playing Blackjack, there’s a combination of skill, strategy, timing and luck that can help you not only enjoy this fantastic game but also play to your strengths in order to win more. Because of the way in which this unique casino game works, there are several ways that you can improve your potential when playing. We’ve put together the top tips, tricks and strategies that can improve how you play online Blackjack and reduce the house edge.

  • There is Always an Element of Luck

The first thing to remember when preparing a strategy for Blackjack is that luck is a big factor. The majority of the time, it is luck that determines whether you win or lose. So, with any technique applied, it won’t be a dead cert that you will win every time. The outcome of a round will always be random, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t give yourself a bit of an edge with certain strategies that are proven statistically to be highly effective. 

  • A Blackjack Chart is a Basic Strategy to Start With

A Blackjack chart will tell you which move to take depending on the given situation of the table. This a logical strategy comprising of a sheet of rows and columns that outline your hand compared to the dealer’s up card, and the best move to take accordingly – also taking into account the number of decks in play. It is a basic way to tell you when to hit, stand, split or double down. As a player you can either memorise the chart or have one on hand when playing. A Blackjack chart will always give you the best option to take, but can’t always guarantee a win as there will always be an unknown variable – the cards in the deck yet to be dealt.

  • You Don’t Have to Get 21 To Win

As the game of Blackjack is also sometimes known as 21, plenty of beginners believe that they have to get a score of 21 each time in order to win. Although 21 is the best score and the number to aim for, it is not always the winning hand. There are other ways to win including having a hand that’s total is closer to 21 than that of the dealer’s – or if the dealer goes bust before you. It’s worth knowing the different ways you can win to improve your Blackjack strategy, and influence the moves you make to achieve the best outcome.

  • You Can Never Count Cards with Online Blackjack

Although possibly one of the most famous strategies for Blackjack, and portrayed countless times in TV and Film, the counting cards technique cannot be used when playing online Blackjack. A land-based casino relies on a dealer and a shoe to shuffle the single or multiple decks, and the cards are continuously dealt until the deck is re-shuffled, allowing the playing to have a running count on the game. However, online Blackjack games shuffle multiple decks using a random number generator (RNG), so the outcome is always completely random. This means that you cannot keep track of the card deck and count cards in any shape or form.

  • The Toughest Hand in Blackjack Is 16

16 is possibly the hardest hand to have in Blackjack due to its value being both potentially low or high. 16 is quite close to 21 – the score being aimed for – so could be a winning total, but it is also likely that another card dealt would cause you to go bust. So, do you hit or stand? Both moves could work depending on the situation and what the dealer’s hand is, so at this point it is worth consulting a Blackjack chart, where you can cross consult the hands at play and see which move is best and hopefully lead to a win.

These are just some of the top tips to help improve your strategy when playing online Blackjack, but it’s all about finding a playing style that suits you. As always, the luck of the deal is in play, but it’s also handy to have some guidance for how you move along the way.

What the Financial Industry Really Wants From You to Succeed by Alexey Khobot

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For the financial industry, the dream of making money out of just a two hours of work every single week is completely unrealistic. A lot of people might assume and start out thinking like this, thinking that they can get rich quick because they know the industry that they are in already. The truth is there are a lot more ideas and plans out there to make a fortune in any industry than you think. If you’ve never heard of any of them, then make sure that you become informed and careful. As I, Alexey Khobot, tell my clients, all it takes is a little education, a plan of action and some focused action on the tasks that you need to do to achieve big results. For those who actually know something that they think could be a future six-figure income earner, the key is to break the cycle by having a mindset of a true entrepreneur.

I’m going to therefore try to develop some of the good ideas you will need to get you if you are really serious about starting your own business.

Educate you on the area you want to work in. If you choose to sell online, you have to understand the ins and outs of the business. Will you be targeting people in the US or international and what does that mean. Also, understanding the competition you are going up against is also vital information. You need to know if you are going to be able to survive the competition or not. A major piece of the puzzle is educating yourself about the industry in which you want to work in. Know the difference and how it can affect the way that you operate and market. Understand that the amount of money you make is directly related to the quality of work you put in.

One of the first tasks that you will need to be able to do is the basics explains Alexey Khobot: The basics are the very easy things to do in which you must do. You want to educate yourself about the 6Ps in which you want to be educating yourself in. These are to be interesting, the product is far more important than the way you go about explaining it. You need to know how to entice your audience as well as attract the ones that want to buy what you are offering. The rest of the program will come along after you’ve spent some time inundating yourself with the basics. So start out with the basics and then when you want to spend money or learn more advanced pieces of the puzzle.

Anyway, the basics are so feel free to do as you please. You are just concentrating on the part where you want to go out and write it down in a notebook. You will find that this becomes a fundamental process. After you have written down your general picture of your business, you now start to become more familiar with what you will ultimately be doing.

Now is the time to participate in your new business enthuses Alexey Khobot. Even if it seems that there is no plan or document, it is important to develop a vision for your future. How it’s going to look, how much it’s going to cost you and how you’re going to go about achieving that goal. Some people do all of this a natural way while others take it to another level and map out exactly how they’re going to achieve each goal. Regardless, it is important to have some kind of plan or document in place.

So you see, it really does started out with educating yourself and as you go along, you will learn a lot whether it’s simply going down the simple route of educating yourself on what is available. Right now we have outlined some of the important parts that you need to be able to convey to people who are interested in what you have to say. You won’t know what to tell the people that will be answering your questions. It might be okay if you get an email or two from them but eventually they will start to throw you the information that you need. Today it’s the “yes tomorrow” scenario. You won’t work out what you will say in future. Now, it’s up to you because we’ve still got the education that you need. Remember though that if you want to succeed and be a small business person, you will have to work plan a business and not a way of life. You have to spend with discipline, take risks and captivate the customers to achieve the type of lifestyle that you desire.

7 Best Ways to Protect your Fleet Business Against Financial Risks

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Your business is your lifeline, so you want to ensure your fleet is protected against any financial risks. When choosing your HGV fleet insurance provider, you want a policy that covers you for breakdowns, legal issues, public liability, goods in transit insurance and employer’s liability. You may be thinking that this sounds like a lot to manage, but there are ways to easily manage your insurance policies and keep the price down at the same time.

Implementing a protective maintenance plan is a smart way to drive down your insurance premiums whilst also minimising the financial risk to your business should the worst happen. To form your protection plan, there are a number of steps you can take.

Install Telematics

Telematics technology allows you to monitor information relating to your business fleet vehicles all from a remote central portal. You can access a manager web dashboard to give you a broad overview of any erratic driving, speeding, harsh braking or other dangerous road activity that could cause accident or injury.

This information can be used to improve driver training for best practice so that risk is minimised within your business fleet. This data can also be shared with insurance providers to demonstrate safety measures your business is taking which could lead to a reduction in your HGV fleet insurance premiums.

Introduce driver training courses

By establishing regular driver training courses, you can help reduce the risk of damage to your business vehicles whilst simultaneously lowering your insurance premiums. Drivers who feel confident and skilled-up on their driving ability will be much safer on the roads.

This will not only benefit your business efficiency but reduce potential risk of accidents and claims against your insurance policy. Prioritising driver training will also encourage a company culture of good driver behaviour and encourage high-calibre employees to remain loyal to your business.

Improve security measures

To protect your business from the financial implications of having a vehicle stolen or vandalised, you can make sure they are parked overnight in a secure location. The cost to you would be severe if one or several of your vehicles were stolen, so having a CCTV monitored car park or locked garages will lower the financial risk to you considerably.

You can also install immobilisers inside your vehicles to further reduce the risk of them being broken into and stolen. These security measures will lower your insurance premiums as well as giving you peace of mind.

Make use of dash cams

Dash cams can be fitted to the front and rear of fleet vehicles to record footage from all angles in the event of a road collision. This provides invaluable evidence in the event of claiming against your policy or any possible legal disputes. Not only this, but installing dash cams across your fleet can lower insurance premiums right from the offset.

Using dash cams won’t just keep your business financially secure in the event of an accident, but will also save you pennies in the long run.

Take on more experienced drivers

Employing experienced drivers with clean driving records over the age of 25 can reduce the cost of haulier’s liability insurance for businesses in the UK. Drivers in the over 25 age bracket are considered to be more experienced on the road and therefore safer behind the wheel. Although, this doesn’t mean that hiring younger drivers is out of the question. You can implement measures such as, limiting their mileage or allowing them to only drive accompanied or during day light hours.

All of these things will not only lower the risk of potential costly accidents, but can also lower your fleet insurance premiums.

Maintain regular vehicle maintenance

Keep your vehicles in tip-top condition to reduce the risk of a blown-out tyre or engine fault which could impact your business activity. Having a vehicle stuck in the garage for several days awaiting a major repair is less than ideal, especially when regular maintenance could prevent this from happening altogether. Having a full MOT and service history for your fleet can evidence that you are taking the proper measures to lower risks for insurance providers as well. This can lower the cost of your premiums, whilst also protecting your business from an unexpected mechanics bill.

Getting adequate cover

Another way to protect your business finances is to make sure you are adequately insured. Getting fleet insurance will enable cover on multiple business vehicles under one policy to keep things simple as well as secure. There are multiple layers of cover that you can add on to your policy to make sure you are covered for every scenario. Employer’s liability is compulsory in the UK in the event of an employee becoming injured as a result of their work. This will cover any legal fees, compensations costs including loss of income as well as any medical fees. Skipping out on this would not only leave your business finances vulnerable should the worst happen, but could also land you with some hefty fines so it is essential to make sure this is sorted.

Public liability is an important add on to minimise risk to your business, especially for those working with heavy machinery in the event of causing injury to a member of the public or their property. It will cover medical costs, legal fees and any damage repair costs which would quickly mount up without appropriate cover.

Another add on is goods in transit cover, especially for those business transporting goods for other companies such as, courier service fleets. Should a roadside accident occur and goods become damaged or broken, this will cover the cost of replacing goods. Without goods in transit insurance, replacing a truck-load of goods could be very costly and leave you out of pocket, so it may be worthwhile adding to your policy.

There are many measures you can put in place to minimise financial risks to your fleet business within a protective maintenance plan. Insurance providers reward businesses that use risk management strategies, so don’t miss out on potential savings for your business.

These 7 measures are key to keeping your business fleet financially secure.

Questions Have Raised About The Astrazeneca Vaccine

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The news reached Sarah Gilbert on Saturday night that the COVID-19 vaccine she developed with AstraZeneca seemed to work, but the Oxford University professor hoped for a key number: Was it more than 90 percent effective, as have been others, or less?

Instead, when his colleague Andrew Pollard called with the results, he wanted to show him slides instead of simple figures . “I really didn’t understand why we had to go through slides,” he recalled. “But then it became clear: because it is much more complicated in our test.”

That complexity has led to uncertainty surrounding one of the pioneers along with Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna in the ‘race’ for a dose to end the pandemic. Questions about the most effective dose of the vaccine, its safety record, and partners’ approach to testing it have cast doubt on whether the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will endorse it.

AstraZeneca and Oxford reported the results early Monday after 131 trial participants in the UK and Brazil contracted COVID-19. The average prevention efficacy of 70 percent sounded good , within analyst expectations, and above the 50 percent standard the FDA had set for COVID vaccines.

The study also found 16 serious cases, all among people who received vaccine from AstraZeneca , according to Moncef Slaoui, the exinvestigador of GlaxoSmithKline who runs the program Operation Warp Speed US. It was good news for Astra’s vaccine program that had been on hold for six weeks in that country while regulators reviewed a serious adverse event that the company never gave details about. Oxford will report the details of these adverse events in its efficacy study which it will present for review in the coming weeks.

Shares of AstraZeneca rose as much as 2.4 percent early Tuesday morning in London after falling 3.8 percent on Monday.

The puzzling part of Astra’s results was that the larger doses were less effective. The vaccine was only 62 percent effective in a group that received two full doses about a month apart, but among about 2,700 people who received a half dose followed by a full one , the effectiveness rose to 90 percent.

Positive data from another vaccine of substantial efficacy with potential advantages in storage, transportation and affordability will be welcome , said Jesse Goodman, a former chief of the FDA’s office of vaccines who later became the agency’s chief scientist.

“What is not yet clear is whether this effect is a chance observation or reflects that the higher dose can negatively affect the immune response ,” he said in an interview. “We need more details to begin to understand it.”

Geoffrey Porges, an analyst at SVB Leerink, was among the most critical voices, calling the data “premature and insufficient” in a note to clients and predicting that the vaccine would “never be licensed in the US.”

Arm yourself with patience
AstraZeneca and Oxford are conducting trials of the vaccine in different parts of the world , and are currently only studying two full doses of the dose in their US study, which is expected to include 30,000 volunteers. But the company is still recruiting participants and could add another analysis for further studies of the half-dose regimen, explained Ruud Dobber, executive vice president and president of biopharmaceuticals at AstraZeneca.

“Let’s be a little more patient and see how the FDA reacts before making such harsh statements,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg TV .

The UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has already started its analysis based on the data it has received in ongoing review, Chief Executive June Raine said in a statement.

It may interest you: Why the AstraZeneca vaccine, which will be packaged in Mexico, may be the best option?

Low- and middle-income nations are looking to the injection, priced much lower than Pfizer and Moderna, as a way out of the pandemic. The lower efficacy number of the two full-dose regimens reached the World Health Organization benchmark, according to chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan.

Still, Swaminathan warned in an interview Tuesday with Bloomberg Television that more comprehensive data is needed to understand possible discrepancies between doses.

“We really need to wait for bigger numbers, longer follow-up, to see if these differences really continue into the future,” he said.

That a lower dose produced a better result left even Gilbert scratching his head . The researchers tested a starting half-dose regimen to find the smallest amount that could still elicit a strong immune response , Gilbert said, not to increase effectiveness.

“I was surprised,” he said in an interview. “I really didn’t expect that.”

Its superiority over two full doses could be good news, as it would allow the company to perform more inoculations with the same total volume of vaccine . That could be important with the need to vaccinate billions of people around the world.

The vaccine uses a harmless chimpanzee adenovirus , the cause of some common colds, as a vector that is then inserted with the coronavirus spike protein to elicit an immune response.

What could have caused these results?
In theory, it is possible that a full initial dose raised antibodies against the adenovirus vector itself, which could have limited the immune response to the peak protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, Gilbert said, but his team measured antibodies against it. adenovirus in previous studies and found only a small effect.

“I’m not really sure if that’s the complete answer. We’ll look into it a bit more, but it may be a bit more subtle in terms of inducing a high-quality immune response by giving just the right amount of vaccine antigen in the first dose and then expanding it with the second dose, “he added.

One possible explanation for the variable results is that the lower starting dose does a better job of breaking through the body’s defenses , allowing the vaccine to infect cells and create the immune response, said Michael Kinch, an expert in drug development and Associate Vice Chancellor at Washington University in St. Louis.

Another theoretical reason is more complex: the immune system can become immune to the initial high dose of vaccine and then ignore the subsequent dose, a phenomenon known as immune tolerance or desensitization. Either one would have the potential to mitigate the effects of the vaccine.

“The 90 percent number may ultimately prove correct,” Kinch said, “but the dose-response reversal could be a sign of concern.”

The Oxford team is still analyzing their data to better understand how the vaccine works. Gilbert noted that he is confident that the higher efficiency number will stick around as more data arrives.

“It could go up or down a bit,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to change massively, but it may differ from that initial 90 percent in either direction when we get to a little bigger analysis.”

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