Image copyrightAPTNImage captionThe Seine remained at 6m-high levels on Saturday morning
The levels of the River Seine in Paris have started dropping slightly after reaching a 34-year high on Friday.
The river level rose to 6.1m (20ft) above its normal height overnight.
Floods also forced parts of the metro system and major landmarks to close, while the Louvre and Orsay museums were shut while staff moved art to safety.
Despite the water level falling on Saturday morning, Paris remains under the second-highest alert, which warns of a "significant impact".
Forecasters had warned the river could reach as high as 6.5m above it normal level.
France's environment ministry said the floods now appeared to have peaked and would remain stable over the weekend before retreating further.
Prime Minister Manuel Valls said four people had died and 42 were injured across the country.
Media captionJames Reynolds reports from a bridge over the swollen River SeineImage copyrightAPImage captionA number of rail lines flooded in the French capitalImage copyrightAFP/GETTY IMAGESImage captionSome of the trains that did run passed very close to the high waters
At least 18 people have died across central Europe as heavy rainfall caused flooding from France to Ukraine.
A woman in her 60s drowned in France's central Loiret region, while a man in his 70s fell from a horse and drowned in a river south-east of Paris.
Eleven were killed in southern Germany as several towns were devastated. On Friday night, 51 people were injured by lightning strikes at the Rock am Ring music festival in western Germany.
Two more fatalities were reported in Romania and one in Belgium. Austria, the Netherlands and Poland have also been affected.
Tens of thousands of people have been forced from their homes.
While the waters in Paris appear to be dropping, the floods are still affecting transport in the capital, with four of the city's rail lines not running on Saturday morning.
Elsewhere, French media say the focus is shifting to communities further downstream on the Seine, including the northern city of Rouen. Some further rain is expected in central France.
Some 17,000 homes in and around Paris remain without electricity.
Image copyrightAPImage captionThe Zouave statue on the Pont d'Alma has acted as a measuring instrument during the floods
The flooding could cost French insurance companies more than €600m (£470m), according to the industry association AFA.
Bridges in Paris were closed and non-emergency boats were banned from the Seine as its rise forced the closure of museums, parks and cemeteries.
The Grand Palais exhibition hall also shut, as did two sites belonging to the National Library.
At the Louvre, curators scrambled to move 250,000 artworks to higher ground from basement storage areas at risk of inundation from what President Francoise Hollande called "exceptional flooding".
The Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay will remain closed until Tuesday.
Many locals have been checking the rise against the statue of a soldier, known as the Zouave, standing below the Alma bridge; his frame is currently submerged up to the waist.
The river reached 8.62m above its normal level that year, and has since reached 7.1m in 1955 and 6.18m in 1982.
Are you in France or Germany and been affected by the floods? Or run a business or project which has closed due to flood damage? How are your family and neighbours coping?
If you have an experience you would like to share, or pictures of the flooding where you are, then share it with us in the following ways:
"Muhammad Ali shook up the world. And the world is better for it," said US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle.
Former President Bill Clinton - husband of Democratic frontrunner Hillary - said the boxer had been "courageous in the ring, inspiring to the young, compassionate to those in need, and strong and good-humoured in bearing the burden of his own health challenges".
Republican presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump, meanwhile, tweeted that Ali was "truly great champion and a wonderful guy. He will be missed by all!"
George Foreman, who lost his world title to Ali in the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" fight in Kinshasa in 1974, called him one of the greatest human beings he had ever met.
American civil rights campaigner Jesse Jackson said Ali had been willing to sacrifice the crown and money for his principles when he refused to serve in the Vietnam war.
Media captionThe BBC's Joe Wilson looks back at the life and career of Muhammad Ali
Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Ali shot to fame by winning light-heavyweight gold at the 1960 Rome Olympics.
Nicknamed "The Greatest", the American beat Sonny Liston in 1964 to win his first world title and became the first boxer to capture a world heavyweight title on three separate occasions.
He eventually retired in 1981, having won 56 of his 61 fights.
Crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated and "Sports Personality of the Century" by the BBC, Ali was noted for his pre- and post-fight talk and bold fight predictions just as much as his boxing skills inside the ring.
But he was also a civil rights campaigner and poet who transcended the bounds of sport, race and nationality.
Asked how he would like to be remembered, he once said: "As a man who never sold out his people. But if that's too much, then just a good boxer.
"I won't even mind if you don't mention how pretty I was."
Ali turned professional immediately after the Rome Olympics and rose through the heavyweight ranks, delighting crowds with his showboating, shuffling feet and lightning reflexes.
British champion Henry Cooper came close to stopping Clay, as he was still known, when they met in a non-title bout in London in 1963.
Cooper floored the American with a left hook, but Clay picked himself up off the canvas and won the fight in the next round when a severe cut around Cooper's left eye forced the Englishman to retire.
Ali's boxing career
Image copyrightAPImage captionAli (R) knocked down George Foreman in the 1974 "Rumble in the Jungle"
Won Olympic light-heavyweight gold in 1960
Turned professional that year and was world heavyweight champion from 1964 to 1967, 1974 to 1978 and 1978 to 1979
Had 61 professional bouts, winning 56 (37 knockouts, 19 decisions), and losing five (4 decisions, 1 retirement)
In February the following year, Clay stunned the boxing world by winning his first world heavyweight title at the age of 22.
He predicted he would beat Liston, who had never lost, but few believed he could do it.
Yet, after six stunning rounds, Liston quit on his stool, unable to cope with his brash, young opponent.
At the time of his first fight with Liston, Clay was already involved with the Nation of Islam, a religious movement whose stated goals were to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African Americans in the United States.
But in contrast to the inclusive approach favoured by civil rights leaders like Dr Martin Luther King, the Nation of Islam called for separate black development and was treated by suspicion by the American public.
Ali eventually converted to Islam, ditching what he perceived was his "slave name" and becoming Cassius X and then Muhammad Ali.
Tributes to Ali
Image copyrightREUTERS
"It's a sad day for life, man. I loved Muhammad Ali, he was my friend. Ali will never die. Like Martin Luther King his spirit will live on, he stood for the world.'' - Don King, who promoted many of Ali's fights, including the Rumble in the Jungle
"Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest human beings I have ever met. No doubt he was one of the best people to have lived in this day and age." - George Foreman, Ali's friend and rival in the Rumble in the Jungle
"There will never be another Muhammad Ali. The black community all around the world, black people all around the world, needed him. He was the voice for us. He's the voice for me to be where I'm at today." - Floyd Mayweather, world champion boxer across five divisions
In 1967, Ali took the momentous decision of opposing the US war in Vietnam, a move that was widely criticised by his fellow Americans.
He refused to be drafted into the US military and was subsequently stripped of his world title and boxing licence. He would not fight again for nearly four years.
After his conviction for refusing the draft was overturned in 1971, Ali returned to the ring and fought in three of the most iconic contests in boxing history, helping restore his reputation with the public.
He was handed his first professional defeat by Joe Frazier in the "Fight of the Century" in New York on 8 March 1971, only to regain his title with an eighth-round knockout of George Foreman in the "Rumble in the Jungle" in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) on 30 October 1974.
Media captionAli speaks to the BBC before the Rumble in the JungleImage copyrightAPImage captionMuhammad Ali was crowned Sportsman of the Century in 1999
Ali fought Frazier for a third and final time in the Philippines on 1 October 1975, coming out on top in the "Thrilla in Manila" when Frazier failed to emerge for the 15th and final round.
Six defences of his title followed before Ali lost on points to Leon Spinks in February 1978, although he regained the world title by the end of the year, avenging his defeat at the hands of the 1976 Olympic light-heavyweight champion.
Ali's career ended with one-sided defeats by Larry Holmes in 1980 and Trevor Berbick in 1981, many thinking he should have retired long before.
He fought a total of 61 times as a professional, losing five times and winning 37 bouts by knockout.
Soon after retiring, rumours began to circulate about the state of Ali's health. His speech had become slurred, he shuffled and he was often drowsy.
Parkinson's Syndrome was eventually diagnosed but Ali continued to make public appearances, receiving warm welcomes wherever he travelled.
He lit the Olympic cauldron at the 1996 Games in Atlanta and carried the Olympic flag at the opening ceremony for the 2012 Games in London.
How Ali wanted people to remember him
"I would like to be remembered as a man who won the heavyweight title three times, who was humorous and who treated everyone right.
"As a man who never looked down on those who looked up to him...who stood up for his beliefs...who tried to unite all humankind through faith and love.
"And if all that's too much, then I guess I'd settle for being remembered only as a great boxer who became a leader and a champion of his people. And I wouldn't even mind if folks forgot how pretty I was."
ایسپرین کینسر، اسقاطِ حمل اور فالج جیسے خوفناک امراض سے بچاسکتی ہے۔ ماہرین، فوٹو؛ فائل
لندن: دنیا بھر میں ایسپرین کو جادوئی دوا کے طور پر استعمال کیا جاتا ہے اور اس کے بہت سے فوائد آئے دن دریافت ہوتے رہتے ہیں جب کہ عالمی ماہرینِ طب کے مطابق ایسپرین پر مزید مطالعے اور تحقیقات ہورہی ہیں اور اس کے حیرت انگیز نتائج برآمد ہوئے ہیں۔
اسپرین کو پہلے گٹھیا اور جوڑوں کے درد کم کرنے کے لیے تیار کیا گیا تھا پھر ہر قسم کا درد کم کرنے میں اس کے فوائد سامنے آئے ۔ یہ دوا درد پیدا کرنے والے کیمیکل تھرومبوکسینس کو روکتی ہے جو درد اور جلن کی وجہ بنتے ہیں لیکن اس کے درج ذیل فوائد اور طبی استعمال بھی اب تسلیم کیے جاچکے ہیں۔
مائیگرین میں بھی مفید:
آدھے سر کے درد کو مائیگرین اور میگرین دونوں ناموں سے پکارا جاتا ہے۔ اگر ایسپرین کو مائیگرین دور کرنے والی لیکن ڈاکٹر کی تجویز کردہ ’’سوماپٹریپٹان‘‘ کی جگہ استعمال کیا جائے تب بھی یہ آدھے سر کے درد میں مفید ثابت ہوتی ہے۔
برطانوی ماہرین کے مطابق ایسپرین نہ صرف دردِ سر کو ختم کرتی ہے بلکہ روشنی سے ہونے والے سر کے درد کو بھی کم کرتی ہے جو مائیگرین کی اہم علامت ہوتا ہے۔ ماہرین کا کہنا ہے کہ اگر آپ کو شدید مائیگرین کی شکایت ہے تو دن میں 2 مرتبہ ایسپرین کی 300 سے 600 ملی گرام مقدار کھائی جاسکتی ہے لیکن اس سے ذیادہ ایسپرین لینے سے گریز کیا جائے۔
دل کے دورے سے بچاؤ:
خون کے خلیات کے ننھے منے ٹکڑے پلیٹلٹس کہلاتے ہیں جو مل کر خون کے لوتھڑے بناتے ہیں۔ یہ لوتھڑے نہ صرف امراضِ قلب بلکہ فالج اور بلڈ پریشر کی وجہ بھی بنتے ہیں۔ تاہم ان امراض میں طرز زندگی، وزن، ورزش نہ کرنے جیسے دیگر عوامل بھی شامل ہوتے ہیں۔ خون کے لوتھڑے قلبی شریانوں کو بند کرکے دل کے دورے کی وجہ بن سکتے ہیں لیکن ایسپرین خون کے لوتھڑے بننے کے عمل کو بھی روکتی ہے۔
امریکی ڈاکٹروں کی ایک ٹاسک فورس نے تجویز کیا ہے کہ اگر آپ کی عمر 50 سے 59 برس ہے اور دل کے دورے کا خطرہ ہے تو آپ روزانہ ایسپرین کی ہلکی مقدار کھاسکتے ہیں جس کے فوائد حاصل ہوں گے۔ اگر بلڈ پریشر زیادہ رہتا ہے اور کولیسٹرول کی سطح زیادہ ہے تب بھی آپ ایسپرین کھاسکتے ہیں اس کے لیے 75 ملی گرام خوراک کافی ہوگی۔
کینسر سے بچاؤ:
اگرچہ یہ عمل مکمل طور پر نہیں سمجھا گیا لیکن خیال یہ ہے کہ ایسپرین سرطان جیسے موذی مرض سے بچاتی ہے۔ امریکا اور یورپ کے ماہرین نے کہا ہے کہ اگر 10 سال تک لوگ معمول کے تحت ایسپرین کھاتے ہیں تو اس سے کینسر کا خطرہ کم ہوجاتا ہے۔ اینلز آف اونکولوجی نامی جرنل میں 2014 میں شائع ہونے والی رپورٹ میں کہا کہ اگر طویل عرصے سے ایسپرین کھائی جائے تو پیٹ، ہاضمے کی نالی اور آنتوں کے کینسر کا خطرہ ایک تہائی رہ جاتا ہے۔
برطانوی طبی ماہر کے مطابق ایسپرین سے بریسٹ اور پروسٹیڈ کینسر کا خطرہ 10 فیصد تک ٹل سکتا ہے کیونکہ ایسپرین کینسر کو روکنے میں بہت معاون ثابت ہوسکتی ہے۔
اسٹروک اور فالج کے چھوٹے دوروں سے حفاظت:
بعض اوقات دماغ میں خون کے لوتھڑے پھسلنے سے فالج کے کم وقتی اور مکمل اپاہج کرنے والے دورے پڑسکتے ہیں۔ اگر کوئی معمولی فالج (اسٹروک) کا شکار ہوتا ہے تو اس کے بعد ایسپرین فالج کے مزید دوروں سے بچ سکتا ہے۔ آکسفورڈ یونیورسٹی کے سائنسدانوں نے 56 ہزار مریضوں پر ایسپرین کے 15 تجربات کا جائزہ لیا تو معلوم ہوا کہ ایسپرین دماغ میں رگوں کو کھلا رکھتی ہے اور خون کے لوتھڑے بننے کو روکتی ہے۔ اسی لیے فالج کے مریضوں کو ایسپرین دینے کے غیرمعمولی فوائد سامنے آتے ہیں۔
اسقاطِ حمل سے بچاؤ:
حاملہ خواتین میں خون کے لوتھڑے بننے کی کیفیت ہیوزسنڈروم کہلاتی ہے اور ایسی خواتین میں بار بار حمل ضائع ہوجاتا ہے۔ لندن کے وومن کلینک کے میڈیکل ڈائریکٹر کا کہنا ہے کہ ایسپرین خون کو پتلا کرتی ہے اور اس طرح اسقاطِ حمل کا خطرہ کم کم ہوجاتا ہے۔
ماہرین کے مطابق ایسے کئی مطالعات سے ثابت ہوا ہے کہ ایسپرین کو اگر خون پتلا کرنے والی دوا کو ہیپارن کے ساتھ دیا جائے تو اس سے حمل گرنے کا خدشہ 25 فیصد تک کم ہوجاتا ہے تاہم کوئی بھی حاملہ خاتون ڈاکٹر کی اجازت کے بغیر یہ دوا استعمال نہ کریں۔
گھٹنے پر چھوٹے مائیک لگا کر ان کی آواز ریکارڈ کی جاتی ہے اور ان کا تجزیہ کرکے ہڈیوں کی کیفیت کا جائزہ لیا جاتا ہے۔ فوٹو؛ فائل
واشنگٹن: ہمارے گھٹنے سے آنے والی آوازیں بھی ہمیں اس کی خرابی سے آگاہ کرسکتی ہیں اور اب ماہرین نے ایک نظام بنایا ہے جو اس کی آوازوں کو نوٹ کرکے گھٹنے کی صحت کے بارے میں بتاسکتا ہے۔
جارجیا ٹیک کے الیکٹرکل انجینیئرعمر آئنان کا کہنا ہے ہمارے گھٹنوں کی آواز میں اہم معلومات چھپی ہوتی ہیں اسے سن کر ہم گھٹنے اور جوڑوں کی کیفیت کا اندازہ لگاسکتے ہیں اور اسے مریضوں کی بحالی میں استعمال کیا جاسکتا ہے۔ انہوں نے ڈیفینس ایڈوانسڈ ریسرچ پروجیکٹ ایجنسی ( ڈارپا) کے مالی تعاون سے ایسے چھوٹے اور نفیس مائیکروفون تیار کیے ہیں جو ٹانگوں کی حرکت سے گھٹنوں میں ہونے والی معمولی آوازوں کو بھی نوٹ کرسکتے ہیں، یہ آواز گھٹنوں کی حرکت اور کرکری ہڈی (کارٹیلج) کی رگڑ سے پیدا ہوتی ہے۔
عمر آئنان نے باریک مائیکروفون اور سینسر کو ایک ٹیپ پر لگایا اور اسے کھلاڑیوں کو پہنایا جس سے معلوم ہوا کہ اگر ہڈیوں سے غیرہموار اور بے ترتیب انداز میں متواتر آوازیں آتی رہیں تو وہ ظاہر کرتی ہیں کہ ہڈی میں کوئی سنجیدہ مسئلہ پیدا ہوچکا ہے اور اس کا علاج کیا جانا ضروری ہے۔ اس نظام کو مریضوں کے گھٹنے کے آپریشن کے بعد ان کی بحالی کا جائزہ لینے کے لیے استعمال کیا جاسکتا ہے اور اس کے بہت سے فوائد حاصل ہوں گے۔
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