At the same time, global growth also appears to have entered a constrained patch as excessive debt levels weigh on the US, Europe and Japan.

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He said in a statement that he had used a medically prescribed patch that helps normalise testosterone levels after surgery in 2001 to remove one of his testes because of concerns over cancer.

BBC: SPORT | Other Sport | Paralympics | Connor out of Games

The levels of estradiol from the patch are about 60 percent higher than in women taking the typical oral contraceptive pill, she says.

NPR: FDA Orders Label For Contraceptive Patch

En route to Australia, Plastiki will sail through the infamous North Pacific Gyre, now home to "The Great Garbage Patch, " named due to the high levels of waste that have been drawn there by ocean currents.

CNN: Boat of plastic to set sail with environmental message

Without the patch, post-2009 AMT exemption amounts would have plummeted to their 2001 levels.

FORBES: AMT Patch Nicely Embroidered