Summit seeks to inform electrophysiologists on Riata ICD recall

Public release date: 3-Jan-2012
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Contact: Kristin Wincek
kwincek@mhif.org
612-863-0249
Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation

2 major health-care providers align to develop a consensus on recent Class I implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) recall

Cardiovascular leaders will gather in Minneapolis for a one-day summit on Jan. 20, to review data for Riata and Riata ST implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) leads, which recently underwent a Class I FDA recall. Physicians from the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation and Mayo Clinic have organized the summit to develop a consensus regarding the management of patients who have these leads.

Approximately 80,000 active patients have Riata or Riata ST ICD leads in the U.S. These leads, manufactured by St. Jude, have exhibited externalized cables whereby the cables appear outside the lead body on fluoroscopy. Leads with externalized cables may be functioning normally and electrically intact, or there may be signs of malfunction. Therefore, it is not clear how patients with these leads should be managed, which is why the physicians organized the one-day summit.

The summit directors are Robert G. Hauser, MD, senior cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, and David L. Hayes, MD, professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Both Dr. Hauser and Dr. Hayes are past presidents of the Heart Rhythm Society.

"This Class FDA recall will impact many patients throughout the United States, as well as the caregivers tasked with ensuring the best possible treatment for those patients," said Dr. Hauser. "Cardiac electrophysiologists, along with their fellow physicians and allied health personnel who take care of patients that have had Riata ICD leads should attend this summit."

The consensus on patient management strategies will seek to include follow-up and approaches to leads that have failed and require replacement. Similar ICD lead issues have occurred with other manufacturers and remain an ongoing challenge of the ICD industry.

"We are looking to gather together numerous U.S. and international caregivers to thoroughly review the data and form a unified opinion how to proceed with these patients," Dr. Hauser said. "If you're responsible for the care of these patients, then you should attend this summit."

Time & Place

Time: Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, 8:00 a.m.?:30 p.m. (CST)
Place: Minneapolis Airport Marriott (near the Mall of America)
2020 American Blvd. E, Bloomington, MN

###

For more information or to register, visit http://riata.eventbrite.com.

Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation

The Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (MHIF) is dedicated to creating a world without heart disease through groundbreaking clinical research and innovative education programs. MHIF's mission is to promote and improve cardiovascular health, quality of life and longevity for all.

Minneapolis Heart Institute

The Minneapolis Heart Institute is recognized internationally as one of the world's leading providers of heart and vascular care. This state-of-the-art facility combines the finest in personalized patient care with sophisticated technology in a unique, family-oriented environment. The Institute's programs, a number of which are conducted in conjunction with Abbott Northwestern Hospital, address the full range of heart and vascular health needs: prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.

Allina Hospitals & Clinics

Allina Hospitals & Clinics is a non-profit network of healthcare providers based in Minneapolis that serves St. Paul and the Twin Cities area, New Ulm, River Falls and other communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 3-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Kristin Wincek
kwincek@mhif.org
612-863-0249
Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation

2 major health-care providers align to develop a consensus on recent Class I implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) recall

Cardiovascular leaders will gather in Minneapolis for a one-day summit on Jan. 20, to review data for Riata and Riata ST implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) leads, which recently underwent a Class I FDA recall. Physicians from the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation and Mayo Clinic have organized the summit to develop a consensus regarding the management of patients who have these leads.

Approximately 80,000 active patients have Riata or Riata ST ICD leads in the U.S. These leads, manufactured by St. Jude, have exhibited externalized cables whereby the cables appear outside the lead body on fluoroscopy. Leads with externalized cables may be functioning normally and electrically intact, or there may be signs of malfunction. Therefore, it is not clear how patients with these leads should be managed, which is why the physicians organized the one-day summit.

The summit directors are Robert G. Hauser, MD, senior cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, and David L. Hayes, MD, professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Both Dr. Hauser and Dr. Hayes are past presidents of the Heart Rhythm Society.

"This Class FDA recall will impact many patients throughout the United States, as well as the caregivers tasked with ensuring the best possible treatment for those patients," said Dr. Hauser. "Cardiac electrophysiologists, along with their fellow physicians and allied health personnel who take care of patients that have had Riata ICD leads should attend this summit."

The consensus on patient management strategies will seek to include follow-up and approaches to leads that have failed and require replacement. Similar ICD lead issues have occurred with other manufacturers and remain an ongoing challenge of the ICD industry.

"We are looking to gather together numerous U.S. and international caregivers to thoroughly review the data and form a unified opinion how to proceed with these patients," Dr. Hauser said. "If you're responsible for the care of these patients, then you should attend this summit."

Time & Place

Time: Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, 8:00 a.m.?:30 p.m. (CST)
Place: Minneapolis Airport Marriott (near the Mall of America)
2020 American Blvd. E, Bloomington, MN

###

For more information or to register, visit http://riata.eventbrite.com.

Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation

The Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (MHIF) is dedicated to creating a world without heart disease through groundbreaking clinical research and innovative education programs. MHIF's mission is to promote and improve cardiovascular health, quality of life and longevity for all.

Minneapolis Heart Institute

The Minneapolis Heart Institute is recognized internationally as one of the world's leading providers of heart and vascular care. This state-of-the-art facility combines the finest in personalized patient care with sophisticated technology in a unique, family-oriented environment. The Institute's programs, a number of which are conducted in conjunction with Abbott Northwestern Hospital, address the full range of heart and vascular health needs: prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.

Allina Hospitals & Clinics

Allina Hospitals & Clinics is a non-profit network of healthcare providers based in Minneapolis that serves St. Paul and the Twin Cities area, New Ulm, River Falls and other communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/mhif-sst010312.php

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Egypt prosecution: Mubarak, aides ordered killing

Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak is wheeled into a van after attending a trial in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012. The chief prosecutor in Hosni Mubarak's trial accused the ousted Egyptian leader of imposing "tyrannical rule" and devoting the last 10 years of his three decades in power to ensure his son would succeed him. (AP Photo/Mohammed al-Law)

Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak is wheeled into a van after attending a trial in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012. The chief prosecutor in Hosni Mubarak's trial accused the ousted Egyptian leader of imposing "tyrannical rule" and devoting the last 10 years of his three decades in power to ensure his son would succeed him. (AP Photo/Mohammed al-Law)

CAIRO (AP) ? The prosecution in the Hosni Mubarak trial said on Wednesday it has concluded that Egypt's ousted president, his security chief and six top police officers were the "actual instigators" of the killing of more than 800 protesters during last year's popular uprising that brought down his regime.

Mubarak and his seven co-defendants are facing charges of complicity in the killings and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Wednesday's hearing coincided with the second day of voting in the third and final round of parliamentary elections that began on Nov. 28. Even before the final round, Islamists led by the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest political group, were assured of a majority in the new legislature. They are likely to bolster their gains in the final round, since many of the nine provinces voting have been traditional Islamist strongholds.

The elections, the fairest and freest in decades, have attracted a heavy turnout. Final results were due to be announced Jan. 13.

The military officers who have taken over from Mubarak when he stepped down on Feb. 11 say presidential elections will be held before the end of June, but they are yet to announce an exact date for the vote and for formally handing over power to a civilian administration.

Activists have been pointing to what they see as mounting signs of a confluence of interests between the Brotherhood and the ruling generals. They fear their understanding could lead to shelving reforms for greater democracy they hoped for after Mubarak's fall.

Activists accuse the Brotherhood of opportunism and a determination to seize power. The group initially stayed out of the anti-Mubarak uprising, though its disciplined followers later lent considerable street muscle to protesters' street battles against security forces and Mubarak loyalists. It has since largely stayed out of antimilitary demonstrations, arguing that it was relying on the democratic process, rather than protests.

The Mubarak trial brings out conflicting visions. Reformers and the victims' families clamor for a full measure of justice, while many others want the turbulence to end so that Egypt's battered economy can move toward stability.

On Wednesday, chief prosecutor Mustafa Suleiman said the defendants clearly authorized the use of live ammunition and a shoot-to-kill policy against peaceful protesters. He also complained that the prosecution had to launch its own probe after security authorities ignored the prosecution's requests for help in the inquiry. Prosecutors interviewed hundreds of witnesses, physicians and police officers to build its case.

Suleiman said the decision to use live ammunition was taken on Jan. 27 last year, just before the most violent day of the 18-day uprising that forced Mubarak to step down on Feb. 11.

Dubbed the "Friday of Rage," Jan. 28 also saw the deployment of army troops in Cairo and across much of the nation, as well as the yet to be explained disappearance of security forces. The objective, he said, was to kill enough protesters to force the rest to disperse.

Another prosecutor, Mustafa Khater, told the court that special police forces armed with automatic rifles targeted the heads, chests and eyes of protesters.

The prosecution also showed video of the violence taken by TV stations. They showed police officers loading up their weapons with live ammunition and police and fire engine trucks chasing protesters and running them over. One video showed a police officer perched on top of a police car and killing a protester with a gunshot to the head.

"The defendants before you in the cage are the actual instigators and are the ones who gave police officers the order to shoot," said Suleiman. He also said that the prosecution has evidence that the regime used "thugs" against the protesters.

"The protesters were peaceful, and it was the police that started firing on them," he said. Suleiman said the Interior Minister and the country's intelligence agency ignored or provided little data in response to the prosecution's requests for information on the circumstances surrounding the killings. He said widespread disarray in the state at the time of the probe ? around mid-February ? or the wish to protect their own may have been behind the lack of cooperation.

Khater told the court that Interior Ministry officials used thugs and hardened criminals to provoke the protesters into violence. The thugs, he said, pelted protesters with rocks, prompting them to act in self defense and appear not to be peaceful.

The hearings will resume on Thursday for the third and final day of the prosecution's opening statement.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-04-ML-Egypt-Mubarak-Trial/id-67a9bc90668d4956a70eca1ca851ca8c

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Windows 7 Ultimate - Ram

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Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5691152494

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Happy New Year! (Poliblogger)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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Tennessee coaches headed to Washington

SEATTLE (AP) ? Justin Wilcox is leaving Tennessee for a chance to be the answer to Washington's defensive woes.

Washington announced the hiring of Wilcox as the Huskies new defensive coordinator on Monday with the hope that Wilcox's return to the Pacific Northwest will equal a return to prominence for the Huskies defense. Wilcox will replace Nick Holt, who was fired Saturday after Washington surrendered 777 yards and 67 points in an Alamo Bowl loss to Baylor. It was the most yards ever allowed by Washington and the second-most points and came on a national staged that exposed all of the Huskies weaknesses.

It's now up to Wilcox to fix those holes.

"I'm grateful for this opportunity," Wilcox said in a statement. "Washington is a place where you can win big, and I'm excited to work with coach Sarkisian in developing a championship-caliber football program. Our first order of business is hitting the recruiting trail, and I can't wait to get started."

ESPN.com first reported Wilcox's hiring.

Wilcox isn't coming alone. Linebackers coach Peter Sirmon is leaving Tennessee as well to take the same job with the Huskies. Both Wilcox and Sirmon have significant Northwest ties ? each played at Oregon and Wilcox's big break came as defensive coordinator for Boise State.

Along with Holt, Washington also dismissed linebackers coach Mike Cox and safeties coach Jeff Mills. The moves came after Washington had the worst statistical defense in school history.

"I am excited to welcome Justin and Peter to Washington, as they are two of the brightest young coaches in the country," Sarkisian said. "Both are natives of the Northwest and have strong recruiting ties in the area which compliments their tremendous coaching abilities."

Wilcox and Sirmon are the latest in a string of departures from Tennessee, which is still struggling to rebuild after back-to-back coaching turnovers following the 2008 and 2009 seasons. Wide receivers coach Charlie Baggett and tight ends and special teams coach Eric Russell also have left the staff of Volunteers coach Derek Dooley.

Wilcox's defense was one of the bright spots in a disappointing 5-7 season for Tennessee. The Vols allowed 340.5 yards and 22.6 points per game, ranking them among the top 35 teams in the nation in both categories.

Wilcox, 35, was set to earn $700,000 at Tennessee in 2012. He and Sirmon were teammates and roommates Oregon, though Wilcox first made a name for himself in four seasons as defensive coordinator at Boise State, where his players lead the Western Athletic Conference in total defense and scoring defense from 2006-2009 and compiled a 49-4 overall record.

Sirmon, 34, a veteran NFL linebacker, spent the 2010 season as a graduate assistant for the Vols and was promoted to linebackers coach for 2011. He was set to earn $175,000 in 2012.

Washington officials said contract details had not been finalized for either Wilcox or Sirmon.

The pair will be stepping in to lead a defense with ongoing troubles that were highlighted in the loss to Baylor. The Huskies gave up 65 points, 446 yards rushing and 615 total yards to Stanford this season, then another 40 points and 426 yards to Southern California. Even when the Huskies held Oregon to under 400 total yards, it came in a 34-17 defeat.

Only four times in 13 games this season did Washington hold an opponent under 400 total yards, and just 11 times in Holt's 38 games in charge of the Huskies defense. Washington's 2011 defense set school records for most points allowed, total touchdowns, yards passing allowed and total yards allowed.

Holt's firing came almost three years to the day after he was introduced as the defensive answer to Washington's woes. He was wooed from Southern California by a contract that trumped that of some other head coaches in the conference and the autonomy to run the defense as he wanted. Holt was scheduled to make $650,000 in 2012.

Even though he's an Oregon grad, Washington fans might be enticed by what Wilcox was able to do against his alma mater while at Boise State. Wilcox was 2-0 against the Ducks, including the 2009 season opener when Boise State beat Oregon 19-8 and held the Ducks to 152 yards in a game that became more memorable for a postgame punch and not the Broncos defensive performance. It's one of just two games in the last 10 years that Oregon has been held under 200 yards of offense.

Wilcox left Boise State after the 2009 season when the Broncos finished 14-0 and beat TCU in the Fiesta Bowl.

___

AP Sports Writer Beth Rucker in Knoxville, Tenn. contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.seattlepi.com/sports/article/Tennessee-coaches-headed-to-Washington-2436905.php

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HTC Amaze 4G vs. Samsung Galaxy Nexus: The 4G Battle Tightens

The HTC smartphone, which has a 4.3-inch screen, comes with speeds of 42 Mbps over T-Mobile's network. The Amaze 4G, which is available in black and white, is priced at $299.99 with a 2-year T-Mobile contract.

The Amaze 4G, which runs on Google's Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread OS, has a dual-core 1.5 GHz Scorpion CPU, Adreno 220 GPU, 4.3-inch S-LCD capacitive display, 1GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory that can be expanded up to 32GB via a microSD card.

HTC has already confirmed the Amaze 4G will be getting Google Inc.'s latest smartphone operating system - the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich - in 2012. The HTC smartphone has an 8 megapixel dual-LED flash camera with 1080p video capture and a 2 megapixel front-facing camera for video chat.

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On the other hand, the Galaxy Nexus marks the commencement of the Android 4.0 era. The Ice Cream Sandwich operating system is a combination of two previous incarnations - the smartphone Gingerbread OS and the tablet Honeycomb OS. The features of Ice Cream Sandwich includes widgets in a new tab, a customizable launcher, Gmail with offline search and a two-line preview, a new action bar at the bottom, better voice integration, improved copy-and-paste functions and a new tabbed Web browser that allows up to 16 tabs.

The Galaxy Nexus, which is the first Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone, was also known as the Samsung Google Nexus Prime, the Samsung Google Galaxy Nexus I9250, the Samsung Google Nexus 3, the Samsung Google Nexus 4G and the Samsung Nexus Prime 4G LTE.

It comes with a 4.65-inch high-definition Super AMOLED Contour display, dual-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A9 CPU, TI OMAP 4460 chipset, PowerVR SGX540 GPU, 1GB of RAM, 16 or 32GB of internal memory, Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, 4G LTE support, a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera with 1080p video capture and a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera for video calls. On the flip side, the phone will not support Google Wallet.

Let's take a look at the specifications of both phones:

Display:?The Amaze 4G sports a 4.3-inch Super-LCD capacitive touch-screen with qHD resolution of 960 x 540 pixels with about 256 pixels per inch (ppi) density. On the other hand, the Galaxy Nexus sports a 4.65-inch high-definition Super AMOLED Contour display that will give a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels and about 316 ppi pixel density with oleophobic coating protection.

Size:?The Amaze 4G comes with 5.12 x 2.58 x 0.46 inches dimension and weighs 6.1 ounces. On the other hand, the Galaxy Nexus comes in 5.33 x 2.67 x 0.37 inches dimension and weighs 5.1 ounces.

Processor:?The Amaze 4G packs a 1.5 GHz Scorpion dual-core processor, Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 chipset, Adreno 220 GPU with 1GB RAM. On the other hand, the Galaxy Nexus features dual-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A9 CPU, Texas Instruments OMAP 4460 chipset, PowerVR SGX540 GPU with 1GB RAM.

Camera:?The Amaze 4G sports a rear-facing 8 megapixel dual-LED flash 3264x2448 pixels camera with 1080p HD video capture capability, while the Galaxy Nexus sports a 5 megapixel LED flash 2592x1936 pixels camera with 1080p video capture. The Nexus has an additional 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera for video calling while the Amaze 4G has a 2 megapixel camera for the same purpose.

Camera Features:?The Amaze 4G has geo-tagging, touch-focus, face-detection, SmartShot, BurstShot, SweepShot and ClearShot technologies. On the other hand, the Galaxy Nexus has touch focus, geo-tagging, face detection, top notch low-light performance and zero shutter lag

3G/4G:?Both smartphones come with HSDPA 21 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps and supports 4G LTE.

Operating System:?The Amaze 4G has the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system with the promise of an upgrade to Google Inc.'s latest smartphone OS, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The Galaxy Nexus, however, comes preloaded with Android 4.0 OS. Android Head of Engineering Mike Claren announced the new OS - Ice Cream Sandwich - as Google's "most ambitious release to date."

User Interface:?The Amaze 4G uses HTC Sense 3.0 version User Interface. On the other hand, the Galaxy Nexus uses Google's own user interface that starts at the new home screen outfitted with a 360 degree Action Bar and fresh interactive widgets in an exciting holographic environment.

WLAN/Bluetooth/USB:?Both smartphones have Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, DLNA, NFC and microUSB 2.0 versions. The Amaze 4G has Bluetooth 3.0 version with A2DP and EDR, while the Galaxy Nexus has Bluetooth 3.0 version with A2DP, Wi-Fi dual-band and Wi-Fi hotspot.

Storage:?The Amaze 4G has a fixed 16GB of internal storage, which is expandable via microSD card up to 32GB. However, the Galaxy Nexus has a fixed 16 / 32GB internal storage.

Battery:?The Amaze 4G comes with a standard Li-ion 1730 mAh battery that gives up to 6 hours of talk time and up to 265 hours of standby. Galaxy Nexus, on the other hand, comes with a standard Li-ion 1750 mAh battery that gives more than 8 hours of talk time and 270 hours of standby on 3G networks.

Pricing:?Amaze 4G is priced at $299.99 with a two-year T-Mobile contract while it is available at $199.99 in Best Buy and Amazon.com. The Galaxy Nexus is priced at $299.99 with a two-year Verizon Wireless contract.

Additional Features:?Galaxy Nexus has accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer sensors, Assisted GPS, Adobe Flash, active noise cancellation with dedicated mic, TV-out (via MHL A/V link), MP4/H.264/H.263 player, MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3 player, Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, and Picasa integration.

On the other hand, Amaze 4G has accelerometer, proximity, compass sensors, stereo FM radio with RDS, SRS sound enhancement, assisted GPS, Adobe Flash, active noise cancellation with dedicated mic, TV-out (via MHL A/V link), SNS integration, Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Google Talk, Picasa integration, MP3/AAC+/WAV/WMA player, and MP4/H.263/H.264/WMV player.

Editors' Rating:?Both the smartphones scored 4 out of 5 stars in PCMag editors' rating. CNET has a score of 4.5 out of 5 stars for Galaxy Nexus, much better than 4 stars for Amaze 4G.

Editors' Review of Galaxy Nexus:?"As the first U.S. phone with Ice Cream Sandwich, Verizon's Samsung Galaxy Nexus takes a coveted, solitary step forward. However, once other premium handsets receive the updated Android OS, the Galaxy Nexus will lose some of its competitive edge," CNET says.

"With Ice Cream Sandwich, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus for Verizon has the best software of any Android phone, but that doesn't make it the best phone there is," according to PCMag.

Editors' Review of Amaze 4G:?"The HTC Amaze 4G is a beautifully designed and fast Android smartphone, with some advanced camera features, but don't go ditching your point-and-shoot camera just yet," according to CNET.

"The HTC Amaze 4G has a big beautiful screen, a great camera, and fast HSPA+ 42 speeds, making it a top choice for Android smartphones on T-Mobile," according to PCMag.

To report problems or to leave feedback about this article, e-mail:
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Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/275243/20120102/htc-amaze-4g-vs-samsung-galaxy-nexus.htm

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Arab League says Syria monitors are helping (Reuters)

BEIRUT (Reuters) ? The head of the Arab League has said its peace monitors are helping to ease a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in Syria, but urged President Bashar al-Assad's government to carry out a peace plan in full.

Meanwhile army defectors whose armed insurgency has threatened to overshadow the peaceful popular uprising captured dozens of members of the security forces by seizing two checkpoints Monday, the opposition said.

Army defectors also clashed with security forces at a third checkpoint, killing and wounding an unspecified number of troops loyal to Assad, opposition activists said.

Assad is struggling to defeat a popular uprising and avoid becoming the latest leader to be toppled by "Arab Spring" revolutions, after those of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen.

After nearly 10 months of violence in which the United Nations says more than 5,000 people have been killed, mostly unarmed civilians, an Arab League monitoring mission has spent the past week assessing Assad's compliance with a peace plan.

Arab League Secretary General Nabil Elaraby said Monday that Syria's military had now withdrawn from residential areas and was on the outskirts of the cities, but gunfire continued and snipers were still a threat.

"The latest telephone report said there is gunfire from different places, which makes it hard to say who is shooting who," Elaraby said in Cairo. "Gunfire should be stopped and there are snipers."

"We call upon the Syrian government to fully commit to what it promised."

PEACE PLAN

The League's plan calls for Assad to pull troops and tanks from the streets, free detainees and talk to his opponents.

Elaraby said the monitors had secured the release of 3,484 prisoners and succeeded in getting food supplies into Homs, one of the centers of the violence. "Give the monitoring mission the chance to prove its presence on the ground," he said.

But many Syrian opposition activists are skeptical that the mission can put real pressure on Assad to halt the violence.

Sunday, the Arab Parliament, an 88-member committee of delegates from each of the League's member states, called for the monitors to leave Syria, saying their mission was providing cover for unabated violence and abuses by the government.

Two people were killed by gunfire in Homs Monday, and the bodies of another two were handed over to their families, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Security forces killed a farmer in Douma, on the northeastern edge of Damascus, as they carried out raids searching for suspects wanted by authorities, it said.

TAKING RISKS

Kinan Shami, a member of the Syrian Revolution Coordinating Union activists' group, said from Damascus that people were taking huge risks by gathering in cities where Arab League monitors were expected, in the hope of talking to them.

"People expected them in Daraya yesterday on New Year's Day and thousands went to the main square, raised the Independence Flag on a mast and gathered around it. Security forces shot at them and killed two protesters," Shami said.

"The people are trying to show the monitors the repression and are risking their lives to meet them because everywhere they go the monitors are surrounded by security... Other than getting arrested and beaten or killed, they could easily face endless counts of treason and communicating with foreign powers."

But Issam Ishak, a senior member of the main opposition Syrian National Council, said the monitors must be given a chance. "Their presence is helping further erode the fear factor and is encouraging the expansion of the protests."

The reported attacks on military checkpoints came three days after the anti-government Free Syrian Army said it had ordered its fighters to stop offensive operations while it tried to arrange a meeting with the Arab League delegates.

Rami Abdelrahman, director of the Observatory, said Monday's operation had taken place in the northern province of Idlib. It was not immediately clear how many people had been killed or captured by the rebels.

The government bars most foreign journalists from operating in Syria, making it difficult to verify witness accounts. Assad blames the unrest on foreign-backed armed Islamists who officials say have killed 2,000 security personnel.

The state news agency SANA said a worker at a school in the city of Hama had been killed by armed men who captured her three days ago after her husband, who worked at the same school, refused their demands that he leave his job.

SANA also said a journalist working for state radio had died Monday from wounds sustained when gunmen shot him several days ago in Daraya, in Damascus province.

(Additional reporting by Khaled Yacoub Oweis in Amman; writing by Mark Trevelyan and Kevin Liffey; editing by Jon Boyle)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120102/wl_nm/us_syria

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