Study Finds NO LINK Between Cooked Potatoes, Cancer
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A study conducted in Europe has failed to turn up an association between eating fried or baked potatoes and an increased risk of cancer, according to an international team of researchers.Swedish scientists sparked a worldwide food scare last year when they found high levels of acrylamide, a suspected human carcinogen, in high-carbohydrate foods including crackers, certain cereals and cooked potatoes.
The new study provides "reassuring research evidence for the lack of an important association between consumption of fried and/or baked potatoes and cancer risk," according to the report in the International Journal of Cancer.
However, the findings may not be applicable to all countries, which may have different eating habits than the population studied, the researchers say.
In the study, Dr. Claudio Pelucchi, of the Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche in Milan, Italy, and colleagues re-examined a series of studies conducted in the 1990s involving more than 7,000 Italian and Swiss men and women with various types of cancer.
All of the men and women answered questions pertaining to diet and, specifically, how often each week they ate fried and/or baked potatoes and how large a portion. In each study, cancer patients were compared to a larger group of healthy people.
The team reports that they found no evidence for an interaction between fried or baked potato consumption and cancer.
Even so, Pelucchi and colleagues say their findings are limited to southern European populations that use different cooking processes and cooking oils than northern Europeans and Americans do.
"There is no indication, however, that the (cooking oil) used is a crucial factor in the generation of acrylamide during frying or baking of potatoes," the authors write.
Cancer types among those with the disease included cancer of the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, larynx, colon, rectum, breast or ovary.
Acrylamide is a colorless compound labeled as a probable carcinogen based on data from animal research.
Scientists believe acrylamide is formed during the cooking process, when starchy foods like potatoes, rice and cereals are fried or baked at high temperatures.
sursa: http://news.softnews.ro/news/2/2003/July/3805.shtml
NEWS
-
ilici
- newbie
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2003 8:31 am
MONDAY, July 7 (HealthDayNews) -- Abstaining from sex before fertility treatment doesn't help men become more potent.
So says a study presented recently at the annual meeting of the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology in Madrid, Spain.
The new research by Israeli fertility experts challenges the current medical opinion that it's beneficial for men to refrain from sex for two to seven days before undergoing some forms of fertility treatment.
The scientists tested more than 7,200 semen samples for semen volume, sperm concentration and shape, and the percentage and total amount of active and moving (motile) sperm. The samples were collected from about 6,000 men who had abstained from sex for up to two weeks.
More than 4,500 of the samples had normal sperm counts. The remainder had varying count levels, from mild to severe.
While the volume of semen increased up to 11 to 14 days of abstinence, the shape and form of the sperm gradually deteriorated, whatever the sperm count.
In the samples taken from men with reduced sperm counts, the proportion of motile sperm fell significantly from the second day onward of abstinence, reaching a low at the sixth day and remaining low, the study found.
from http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... owstronger
So says a study presented recently at the annual meeting of the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology in Madrid, Spain.
The new research by Israeli fertility experts challenges the current medical opinion that it's beneficial for men to refrain from sex for two to seven days before undergoing some forms of fertility treatment.
The scientists tested more than 7,200 semen samples for semen volume, sperm concentration and shape, and the percentage and total amount of active and moving (motile) sperm. The samples were collected from about 6,000 men who had abstained from sex for up to two weeks.
More than 4,500 of the samples had normal sperm counts. The remainder had varying count levels, from mild to severe.
While the volume of semen increased up to 11 to 14 days of abstinence, the shape and form of the sperm gradually deteriorated, whatever the sperm count.
In the samples taken from men with reduced sperm counts, the proportion of motile sperm fell significantly from the second day onward of abstinence, reaching a low at the sixth day and remaining low, the study found.
from http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... owstronger
Codru-i frate cu romanul.
-
originaltup
- elder
- Posts: 1749
- Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2003 11:52 am
- Location: Ohio
-
originaltup
- elder
- Posts: 1749
- Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2003 11:52 am
- Location: Ohio
Advisers urge school sex lessons for five-year-olds
Compulsory sex education for five-year-olds will be demanded today by government advisers on teenage pregnancy, as an essential step towards halving the under-18 concep tion rate by 2010.
The teaching of sex and relationships in primary schools is not progressing fast enough to prepare children for the earlier onset of puberty, the Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy will warn ministers in its annual report.
The advisers have been encouraged by a 10% reduction in the teenage conception rate since 1998, and they attribute part of this improvement to more confident teaching of personal, social and health education (PSHE) in secondary schools.
But the government-appointed group is expected to say: "We are disappointed this new confidence is not reflected in primary schools."
It will call for PSHE to be made part of the statutory curriculum at all key stages of education from five to 16, with regular checks by Ofsted, the schools inspectorate, on the competence of teaching.
Under the current rules, most state schools provide PSHE, but only the study of citizenship in secondary schools is compulsory. Ofsted reports on the emotional, spiritual and moral development of pupils, but there has been no thorough study of sex and relationship education.
Gill Frances, deputy chairwoman of the advisory group, said: "We know this is not properly assessed across all schools." But it was important to start education about sex and relationships in the early years at primary school.
Encouraging children to start talking about feelings and relationships developed emotional skills that helped them to avoid teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted infection and drug taking, she said.
The advisory group will ask ministers to give statutory force to sex education guidelines prepared by Ofsted. They say pupils by the age of seven should be able to compare the external parts of the human body, share their feelings and use simple rules for resisting pressure from strangers.
By 11 they should be able to express opinions about relationships and bullying, recognise their changing emotions, discuss moral questions and know how to resist unwanted physical contact.
They should understand the physical changes that take place in puberty, the need for love in stable relationships and the safe routines needed to avoid the spread of viruses including HIV.
Ms Frances said the report would advise ministers to leave schools some discretion over the pace of the sex curriculum: "There is no point in pushing schools to do more than parents and the local community can stand."
The advisory group is expected to call on the government to do more to change the behaviour of hard-to-reach groups.
Proposals include a national information campaign targeted at boys and young men, particularly from black and ethnic minorities, and an advert to ensure under-16s know they have the same rights to confidentiality as adults when they seek advice.
sursa: http://news.softnews.ro/news/2/2003/July/3859.shtml
Compulsory sex education for five-year-olds will be demanded today by government advisers on teenage pregnancy, as an essential step towards halving the under-18 concep tion rate by 2010.
The teaching of sex and relationships in primary schools is not progressing fast enough to prepare children for the earlier onset of puberty, the Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy will warn ministers in its annual report.
The advisers have been encouraged by a 10% reduction in the teenage conception rate since 1998, and they attribute part of this improvement to more confident teaching of personal, social and health education (PSHE) in secondary schools.
But the government-appointed group is expected to say: "We are disappointed this new confidence is not reflected in primary schools."
It will call for PSHE to be made part of the statutory curriculum at all key stages of education from five to 16, with regular checks by Ofsted, the schools inspectorate, on the competence of teaching.
Under the current rules, most state schools provide PSHE, but only the study of citizenship in secondary schools is compulsory. Ofsted reports on the emotional, spiritual and moral development of pupils, but there has been no thorough study of sex and relationship education.
Gill Frances, deputy chairwoman of the advisory group, said: "We know this is not properly assessed across all schools." But it was important to start education about sex and relationships in the early years at primary school.
Encouraging children to start talking about feelings and relationships developed emotional skills that helped them to avoid teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted infection and drug taking, she said.
The advisory group will ask ministers to give statutory force to sex education guidelines prepared by Ofsted. They say pupils by the age of seven should be able to compare the external parts of the human body, share their feelings and use simple rules for resisting pressure from strangers.
By 11 they should be able to express opinions about relationships and bullying, recognise their changing emotions, discuss moral questions and know how to resist unwanted physical contact.
They should understand the physical changes that take place in puberty, the need for love in stable relationships and the safe routines needed to avoid the spread of viruses including HIV.
Ms Frances said the report would advise ministers to leave schools some discretion over the pace of the sex curriculum: "There is no point in pushing schools to do more than parents and the local community can stand."
The advisory group is expected to call on the government to do more to change the behaviour of hard-to-reach groups.
Proposals include a national information campaign targeted at boys and young men, particularly from black and ethnic minorities, and an advert to ensure under-16s know they have the same rights to confidentiality as adults when they seek advice.
sursa: http://news.softnews.ro/news/2/2003/July/3859.shtml
-
originaltup
- elder
- Posts: 1749
- Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2003 11:52 am
- Location: Ohio
Miniature Biolab Embedded On Silicon Chip
NEW YORK ? July , 2003 -- Researchers from Cornell University have developed a miniaturized DNA-based biological testing system that fits on a silicon chip and can be customized to detect a wide variety of microorganisms. They present their research today at the American Society for Microbiology's (ASM) Conference on Bio- Micro- Nano-systems.
The chip consists of two areas. The first area captures the DNA from the sample and purifies it. The second is a reaction chamber where a process called polymerase chain reaction is performed to rapidly replicate the selected segment of DNA, which can then be tested.
"Other people have developed real-time PCR on silicon chips, but nobody has really done the purification of the DNA sample on the same chip," says Nathan Cady, one of the researchers on the study. "As near as we can tell, we are one of the first groups to incorporate the purification step into the chip."
Cady and his colleagues are currently working on incorporating a 3rd step to the process that uses fluorescence technology where an added dye would glow green to, indicate a positive sample.
The chip itself is 2 cm x 4 cm in size. Because PCR requires a precise series of specific temperatures at specific times, it fits into a tiny device (5 cm x 5 cm x 3 cm) that handles the cycling of the temperature. Once they have finally incorporated the fluorescence, Cady expects they will have a device roughly the size of a shoebox that will be capable of real-time automated detection of biological agents.
"Part of the reason we put these functions on a chip is that it simplifies the process," says Cady. "You can hand this to someone in the field, someone who is not a trained lab technician, and they can do it."
Another advantage of this system is that it has a very broad range in what organisms it can be used to detect. That makes it very useful for a variety of purposes from monitoring food and water supplies to detecting agents of biological warfare.
"We can detect pretty much any organism as long as we have the PCR primers for it," says Cady.
sursa: http://news.softnews.ro/news/2/2003/July/3863.shtml
NEW YORK ? July , 2003 -- Researchers from Cornell University have developed a miniaturized DNA-based biological testing system that fits on a silicon chip and can be customized to detect a wide variety of microorganisms. They present their research today at the American Society for Microbiology's (ASM) Conference on Bio- Micro- Nano-systems.
The chip consists of two areas. The first area captures the DNA from the sample and purifies it. The second is a reaction chamber where a process called polymerase chain reaction is performed to rapidly replicate the selected segment of DNA, which can then be tested.
"Other people have developed real-time PCR on silicon chips, but nobody has really done the purification of the DNA sample on the same chip," says Nathan Cady, one of the researchers on the study. "As near as we can tell, we are one of the first groups to incorporate the purification step into the chip."
Cady and his colleagues are currently working on incorporating a 3rd step to the process that uses fluorescence technology where an added dye would glow green to, indicate a positive sample.
The chip itself is 2 cm x 4 cm in size. Because PCR requires a precise series of specific temperatures at specific times, it fits into a tiny device (5 cm x 5 cm x 3 cm) that handles the cycling of the temperature. Once they have finally incorporated the fluorescence, Cady expects they will have a device roughly the size of a shoebox that will be capable of real-time automated detection of biological agents.
"Part of the reason we put these functions on a chip is that it simplifies the process," says Cady. "You can hand this to someone in the field, someone who is not a trained lab technician, and they can do it."
Another advantage of this system is that it has a very broad range in what organisms it can be used to detect. That makes it very useful for a variety of purposes from monitoring food and water supplies to detecting agents of biological warfare.
"We can detect pretty much any organism as long as we have the PCR primers for it," says Cady.
sursa: http://news.softnews.ro/news/2/2003/July/3863.shtml
-
originaltup
- elder
- Posts: 1749
- Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2003 11:52 am
- Location: Ohio
Un articol f interesant, pt pasionati. Cititi-l ca merita.
Forget Science Fiction. Here´s the Science.
Forget Science Fiction. Here´s the Science.
By Brendan I. Koerner
1
Eric Sirey
For decades, young horndogs have been duped into buying X-ray specs, little more than plastic frames with shapely silhouettes painted on the lenses. The next generation of tweens may be luckier, thanks to the sonic flashlight, invented by Carnegie Mellon engineer George Stetten. This handheld scanner uses ultrasound to penetrate barriers. Unlike older devices, it doesn´t require a bulky monitor; the image is displayed on a 2-inch mirror that surrounds the device´s tip. The only downside is that, because ultrasound doesn´t travel well through air, the scanner must be pressed up against an object or surface.
A miniature version could someday send images not to a tiny display but straight to the user´s eyeballs. Already, retinal implants are being used to transform video signals into electrical current that stimulates the optic nerve. "The challenge is to take information from a camera and convert it into neural code," says Mark Humayun, a University of Southern California researcher working on such implants. Last May, the USC team restored limited vision to blind test subjects.
Once fitted with an implant, you could simply switch from the camera to the sonic flashlight when you wanted to look through walls. Getting cyborged might be too much trouble for 13-year-olds who merely want to see through skirts, but not for law enforcement and other moneyed snoops.
02 * REGENERATION
Eric Siry
Newts do it. Tadpoles do it. Even zebrafish do it. So what´s to stop human beings from regenerating damaged organs? Not much, says Anthony Atala, director of tissue engineering at Children´s Hospital Boston. His team has pioneered a technique to help terminal patients regrow healthy bladders or kidneys.
The process begins with a biopsy of the diseased organ, which results in a cross-section containing three types of cells: muscle, epithelial, and collagen. The first two are grown on a tissue plate for four weeks or so. Meanwhile, an artificial collagen "scaffold" is created, shaped with the help of CT scans of the patient.
"When we have enough cells, we layer them on the collagen scaffolding, like building a cake," Atala says. The regrown organ is placed in an incubator, for a week, after which it´s ready for transplantation. The researchers are waiting for FDA clearance to use the procedure on patients.
Harvard biologist Mark Keating is studying the zebrafish, which can regrow its spine, retinas, and heart. He has found the enzyme that appears to trigger muscle regeneration when the organ is damaged. The challenge now is to figure out what genetic factors kickstart the process. The same mechanism may enable the human body to perform similar restorative feats.
03 * TOTAL RECALL
Eric Siry
Quick: What did you have for dinner on June 17, 1986? You´re stumped because of all the protein phosphatase 1 coursing through your brain. PP1 is an enzyme that plays a crucial, albeit little understood, role in memory. The less you have, it seems, the more likely you are to remember your spouse´s birthday or the names of your boss´s kids.
Or, if you´re a mouse, how to navigate a maze. Last year, researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich disabled the gene responsible for PP1 production in a number of mice. Compared with their untweaked peers, the engineered rodents performed far better at memory-intensive tasks. If humans could be similarly modified, our corresponding brains might become extraordinarily retentive.The next step is to identify the PP1 gene in humans and find a way to shut it down.
Meanwhile, Memory Pharmaceuticals is working on a drug that slows the destruction of the molecule cyclic-AMP. This compound helps activate proteins that strengthen connections between neurons, which in turn spark memory formation. The company, founded by Nobel laureate Eric Kandel, is looking to boost the body´s c-AMP production. Flood your brain with enough of the stuff, and perhaps you´ll be able to rattle off pi to a zillion decimal places - or at least find your car keys.
04 * TELEPORTATION
Eric Siry
The ability to atomize objects and reconstitute them elsewhere was always one of sci-fi´s most far-fetched conceits - until June 2002. That´s when Australian physicist Ping Koy Lam teleported a laser beam, a first, tiny step toward beaming humans to and fro.
Starting with a beam made of billions of photons, Lam´s team set out to measure each particle´s spin and polarization, then reproduce those conditions in an equal number of photons nearby. The problem is that it´s impossible to gauge these quantum attributes precisely; the more you know about one, the less you can know about the other. To solve this conundrum, Lam and company relied on a mysterious state called quantum entanglement. For reasons that aren´t fully understood, entangling the photons negated the weirdness and allowed the scientists to pinpoint their characteristics, destroying them in the process. The researchers encoded their measurements in radio waves, zapped them to a receiver a meter away, and applied them to the new photons.
It was a dramatic achievement, but photons are just the start: Lam predicts that within five years, someone will successfully teleport a single atom or molecule. Alas, teleporting people is a different story. A human body comprises some 1027 atoms, a seemingly insurmountable number at present. Then again, Leonardo da Vinci couldn´t get his flying machines off the ground, either.
05 * WEATHER CONTROL
Eric Siry
The phrase weather modification is so 1960s, harkening back to an age when the dubious technique of cloud seeding was cutting-edge science. Today, those who dare to fool with Mother Nature prefer disaster mitigation, since their efforts are focused on slowing hurricanes and tornadoes. It´s no small challenge, as MIT´s Kerry Emanuel can attest.
Weather scientists believe that tropical storms derive their force from evaporated water, which transfers heat into the atmosphere. To stave off evaporation, Emanuel proposes coating the sea in a hurricane´s path with an oily film just a few microns thick. Early tests have been disappointing; the coating won´t stay put in a gale.
Ross Hoffman, chief scientist at R&D firm Atmospheric and Environmental Research, is also working the anti-hurricane angle. Taking his cue from chaos theory, Hoffman believes the right jolt of energy can knock a hurricane off course or even dissipate it before landfall. "One way to get energy down through the atmospheric column is with microwave downlinks from satellites," he says. Field tests are in the works.
06 * FORCE FIELDS
Eric Siry
Energy capable of blocking incoming projectiles would come in handy on the battlefield. Just ask any tank crew:
A $10 rocket-propelled grenade can shred even the hardiest tank armor.
To defeat such giant-killing ordnance, Britain´s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory has developed a grenade-frying force field. Researchers have found that rocket-propelled grenade is most lethal right after impact, when it shoots forward a jet of molten copper at 1,000 miles per hour. The key is to stop the searing metal before it reaches the tank´s hull.
DSTL´s "electric armor" consists of two metal plates constructed of top-secret alloys and separated from the tank by insulation. The plates are connected to a high-energy capacitor fed by the tank´s power supply. The outer plate is grounded, while the inner plate is charged. When the copper stream pierces the first layer and touches the second, it completes the circuit. The liquid metal is instantly vaporized by thousands of amperes of electricity.
The system passed initial testing in spring 2002, when an electrified troop carrier survived a rocket attack with nary a scratch. It may not be the invisible, impermeable bubble of Hollywood (and Washington) fantasy, but it could one day protect everything from missile batteries to humvees.
07 * UNDERWATER BREATHING
Eric Siry
For those who dream of life under the sea, water must seem a cruel joke: It´s replete with oxygen, yet humans lack the physiological equipment to extract that life-giving element. Meanwhile, fish happily pump H2O through their gills, which separate the precious O from the extraneous H.
Gill envy, however, may be facing its last gasp. Taking a cue from the breathing mechanisms of dogfish and carp, researchers at Tokyo´s Waseda University are perfecting an artificial gill designed to allow divers to stay submerged indefinitely. The device´s exterior is woven from silicone strands, which protect a membrane filled with a concentrated hemoglobin solution. The brew draws oxygen through the membrane while keeping out the superfluous hydrogen. When heated, the hemoglobin releases its cargo, which then can be funneled into the swimmer´s windpipe through a scuba mouthpiece.
The Waseda team has been working on the gill since the mid-1990s and only recently created a version compact enough for field tests. The trick now is to figure out how to get a breathable amount of oxygen out of the hemoglobin solution. Once that´s ironed out, it shouldn´t be too long before humans and fish swim side by side for hours on end - which should finally prod science into solving the age-old riddle of wrinkled fingertips.
08 * SUPER STRENGTH
Eric Siry
Take all the anabolic steroids and human growth hormone you can stomach, and you still won´t be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. No, to pull that off you´ll have to slip into one of the battle suits designed by MIT´s Institute of Soldier Nanotechnologies. Funded by a $50 million Army grant, the institute is working on clothes fitted with artificial "exomuscles." Made of polymers that contract and expand in response to electrical charges, these devices mimic the twitch of human muscle fibers, though at a much slower rate. Ultimately, researchers hope their exomuscles will be 100 times stronger than the human analog.
With a working battle suit a decade or more away, some scientists are tinkering with genes instead. Se Jin-Lee, a molecular biologist at Johns Hopkins, is the progenitor of Mighty Mouse, a rodent altered to block expression of the gene that codes for myostatin, a protein that limits muscle growth. This creature is ripped beyond belief, a four-legged version of Arnold Schwarzenegger at his Pumping Iron peak.
Doing the same to a human embryo would, of course, be a legal and ethical nightmare. But don´t be surprised if it happens anyway. Some parents will stop at nothing to ensure Junior a spot in the NFL.
-
originaltup
- elder
- Posts: 1749
- Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2003 11:52 am
- Location: Ohio
An aspirin a day keeps Staphylococcus aureus away
In the July 15 issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation, Ambrose Cheung and colleagues at Dartmouth School of Medicine in New Hampshire, USA, report that salicylic acid (SAL), the major metabolite of aspirin, downregulates two Staphylococcus aureus genes key to this organism's pathogenesis.
Over 100 years have passed since S. aureus was first described as the organism responsible for causing sepsis and abscesses. Today it remains a leading cause of serious infections such as endocarditis, pneumonia, and septicemia and requires intensive antibiotic therapy, which is often unsuccessful due to the rise of antibiotic resistant strains.
Aspirin has previously been shown to reduce the virulence of S. aureus in models of endocarditis. In an earlier study, this same group found that while administration of aspirin or its metabolite, SAL, was capable of reducing the ability of S. aureus to attach to host cells, the effect was significantly enhanced following SAL administration.
In this issue of the JCI, Cheung and colleagues extend these earlier findings and report that treatment with SAL induced activation of the S. aureus stress response gene sigB, resulting in downregulation of regulons sarA and agr, which control the expression of the genes encoding a-hemolysin and fibronectin. This downregulation resulted in decreased ability of the bacteria to adhere to host cells, and reduced S. aureus toxin-mediated hemolysis and thrombolysis of host cells.
"The establishing of a straightforward, unequivocal strategy to downregulate staphylococcal virulence using a cheap, simple, relatively non-toxic, resorbable compound such as SAL may be seen as major progress in the development of intervening strategies in addition to antimicrobial drugs" stated Professor Mathias Herrmann, Director of the Department of Bacteriology and Hygiene at the University of Saarland, Germany in his accompanying commentary. The report is the first description of aspirin-mediated genetic effects against S. aureus and represents an exciting new prospect for this widely used and established drug.
In the July 15 issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation, Ambrose Cheung and colleagues at Dartmouth School of Medicine in New Hampshire, USA, report that salicylic acid (SAL), the major metabolite of aspirin, downregulates two Staphylococcus aureus genes key to this organism's pathogenesis.
Over 100 years have passed since S. aureus was first described as the organism responsible for causing sepsis and abscesses. Today it remains a leading cause of serious infections such as endocarditis, pneumonia, and septicemia and requires intensive antibiotic therapy, which is often unsuccessful due to the rise of antibiotic resistant strains.
Aspirin has previously been shown to reduce the virulence of S. aureus in models of endocarditis. In an earlier study, this same group found that while administration of aspirin or its metabolite, SAL, was capable of reducing the ability of S. aureus to attach to host cells, the effect was significantly enhanced following SAL administration.
In this issue of the JCI, Cheung and colleagues extend these earlier findings and report that treatment with SAL induced activation of the S. aureus stress response gene sigB, resulting in downregulation of regulons sarA and agr, which control the expression of the genes encoding a-hemolysin and fibronectin. This downregulation resulted in decreased ability of the bacteria to adhere to host cells, and reduced S. aureus toxin-mediated hemolysis and thrombolysis of host cells.
"The establishing of a straightforward, unequivocal strategy to downregulate staphylococcal virulence using a cheap, simple, relatively non-toxic, resorbable compound such as SAL may be seen as major progress in the development of intervening strategies in addition to antimicrobial drugs" stated Professor Mathias Herrmann, Director of the Department of Bacteriology and Hygiene at the University of Saarland, Germany in his accompanying commentary. The report is the first description of aspirin-mediated genetic effects against S. aureus and represents an exciting new prospect for this widely used and established drug.
-
originaltup
- elder
- Posts: 1749
- Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2003 11:52 am
- Location: Ohio
Masturbating Lowers Prostate Cancer Risk
LONDON (Reuters) - Frequent masturbation, particularly in the 20s, helps prevent prostate cancer later in life, according to new research.
Australian scientists have shown that the more men masturbate between the ages of 20 and 50, the less likely they are to develop the disease that kills more than half a million men each year.
They suspect that frequent ejaculation has a protective effect against the cancer because it prevents dangerous carcinogens from building up in the gland.
"The more you flush the ducts out, the less there is to hang around and damage the cells that line them," Graham Giles, of the Cancer Council Victoria in Melbourne, told New Scientist magazine on Wednesday.
In a survey of 1,079 prostate cancer patients and 1,259 healthy men, Giles and his team discovered that men who ejaculated more than five times a week in their 20s were a third less likely to develop an aggressive form of the disease.
The findings contradict previous studies which suggested that having a variety of partners or frequent sexual activity could increase the risk of prostate cancer by 40 percent.
But Giles said the earlier research concentrated on intercourse, whereas his study focused on masturbation. Infections caused by sexual activity could account for the different findings.
"Men have many ways of using their prostate which don't involve women or other men," he added.
=======================
Can masturbating keep the doctor away?
IT WILL make you go blind. It will make your palms grow hairy. Thankfully, such myths about masturbation are largely a thing of the past. But the latest research has even better news for young men: frequent self-pleasuring could protect against the most common kind of cancer.
A team in Australia led by Graham Giles of The Cancer Council Victoria in Melbourne asked 1079 men with prostate cancer to fill in a questionnaire detailing their sexual habits, and compared their responses with those of 1259 healthy men of the same age. The team concludes that the more men ejaculate between the ages of 20 and 50, the less likely they are to develop prostate cancer.
The protective effect is greatest while men are in their twenties: those who had ejaculated more than five times per week in their twenties, for instance, were one-third less likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer later in life (BJU International, vol 92, p 211).
The results contradict those of previous studies, which have suggested that having had many sexual partners, or a high frequency of sexual activity, increases the risk of prostate cancer by up to 40 per cent. The key difference is that these earlier studies defined sexual activity as sexual intercourse, whereas the latest study focused on the number of ejaculations, whether or not intercourse was involved.
The team speculates that infections caused by intercourse may increase the risk of prostate cancer. "Had we been able to remove ejaculations associated with sexual intercourse, there should have been an even stronger protective effect of other ejaculations," they suggest. "Men have many ways of using their prostate which don't involve women or other men," Giles adds.
Giles accepts the possibility that the men who completed the questionnaires could have lied about their habits. But he doubts this skewed the results, since questions about masturbation are unlikely to evoke the same macho exaggeration as questions about, say, number of sexual partners.
But why should ejaculating more often cut the risk of prostate cancer? The team speculates that ejaculation prevents carcinogens building up in the gland. The prostate, together with the seminal vesicles, secretes the bulk of the fluid in semen, which is rich in substances such as potassium, zinc, fructose and citric acid. Generating the fluid involves concentrating these components from the bloodstream up to 600-fold- and this could be where the trouble starts. Studies in dogs show that carcinogens such as 3-methylcholanthrene, found in cigarette smoke, are also concentrated in prostate fluid. "It's a prostatic stagnation hypothesis," says Giles. "The more you flush the ducts out, the less there is to hang around and damage the cells that line them."
His findings suggest an intriguing parallel between prostate cancer and breast cancer, as recent studies indicate that lactating reduces a woman's risk of breast cancer, perhaps because this also flushes out carcinogens. Alternatively, ejaculation might induce prostate cells to mature fully, making them less susceptible to carcinogens. "All these mechanisms are totally speculative," cautions breast cancer expert Loren Lipworth of the International Epidemiology Institute in Rockville, Maryland.
But if the finding is confirmed, future health advice from doctors may no longer be restricted to diet and exercise. "Masturbation is part of people's sexual repertoire," says Anthony Smith, deputy director of the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society at La Trobe University in Melbourne. "If these findings hold up, then it's perfectly reasonable that men should be encouraged to masturbate."
LONDON (Reuters) - Frequent masturbation, particularly in the 20s, helps prevent prostate cancer later in life, according to new research.
Australian scientists have shown that the more men masturbate between the ages of 20 and 50, the less likely they are to develop the disease that kills more than half a million men each year.
They suspect that frequent ejaculation has a protective effect against the cancer because it prevents dangerous carcinogens from building up in the gland.
"The more you flush the ducts out, the less there is to hang around and damage the cells that line them," Graham Giles, of the Cancer Council Victoria in Melbourne, told New Scientist magazine on Wednesday.
In a survey of 1,079 prostate cancer patients and 1,259 healthy men, Giles and his team discovered that men who ejaculated more than five times a week in their 20s were a third less likely to develop an aggressive form of the disease.
The findings contradict previous studies which suggested that having a variety of partners or frequent sexual activity could increase the risk of prostate cancer by 40 percent.
But Giles said the earlier research concentrated on intercourse, whereas his study focused on masturbation. Infections caused by sexual activity could account for the different findings.
"Men have many ways of using their prostate which don't involve women or other men," he added.
=======================
Can masturbating keep the doctor away?
IT WILL make you go blind. It will make your palms grow hairy. Thankfully, such myths about masturbation are largely a thing of the past. But the latest research has even better news for young men: frequent self-pleasuring could protect against the most common kind of cancer.
A team in Australia led by Graham Giles of The Cancer Council Victoria in Melbourne asked 1079 men with prostate cancer to fill in a questionnaire detailing their sexual habits, and compared their responses with those of 1259 healthy men of the same age. The team concludes that the more men ejaculate between the ages of 20 and 50, the less likely they are to develop prostate cancer.
The protective effect is greatest while men are in their twenties: those who had ejaculated more than five times per week in their twenties, for instance, were one-third less likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer later in life (BJU International, vol 92, p 211).
The results contradict those of previous studies, which have suggested that having had many sexual partners, or a high frequency of sexual activity, increases the risk of prostate cancer by up to 40 per cent. The key difference is that these earlier studies defined sexual activity as sexual intercourse, whereas the latest study focused on the number of ejaculations, whether or not intercourse was involved.
The team speculates that infections caused by intercourse may increase the risk of prostate cancer. "Had we been able to remove ejaculations associated with sexual intercourse, there should have been an even stronger protective effect of other ejaculations," they suggest. "Men have many ways of using their prostate which don't involve women or other men," Giles adds.
Giles accepts the possibility that the men who completed the questionnaires could have lied about their habits. But he doubts this skewed the results, since questions about masturbation are unlikely to evoke the same macho exaggeration as questions about, say, number of sexual partners.
But why should ejaculating more often cut the risk of prostate cancer? The team speculates that ejaculation prevents carcinogens building up in the gland. The prostate, together with the seminal vesicles, secretes the bulk of the fluid in semen, which is rich in substances such as potassium, zinc, fructose and citric acid. Generating the fluid involves concentrating these components from the bloodstream up to 600-fold- and this could be where the trouble starts. Studies in dogs show that carcinogens such as 3-methylcholanthrene, found in cigarette smoke, are also concentrated in prostate fluid. "It's a prostatic stagnation hypothesis," says Giles. "The more you flush the ducts out, the less there is to hang around and damage the cells that line them."
His findings suggest an intriguing parallel between prostate cancer and breast cancer, as recent studies indicate that lactating reduces a woman's risk of breast cancer, perhaps because this also flushes out carcinogens. Alternatively, ejaculation might induce prostate cells to mature fully, making them less susceptible to carcinogens. "All these mechanisms are totally speculative," cautions breast cancer expert Loren Lipworth of the International Epidemiology Institute in Rockville, Maryland.
But if the finding is confirmed, future health advice from doctors may no longer be restricted to diet and exercise. "Masturbation is part of people's sexual repertoire," says Anthony Smith, deputy director of the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society at La Trobe University in Melbourne. "If these findings hold up, then it's perfectly reasonable that men should be encouraged to masturbate."
-
originaltup
- elder
- Posts: 1749
- Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2003 11:52 am
- Location: Ohio
Sleep disorder 'damages brain'
Scientists have uncovered evidence of a link between a common sleep disorder and brain damage.
It is usually men who are affected by sleep apnoea.
Sleep apnoea occurs when the airways become blocked by the tongue or soft palate, depriving the person of oxygen and briefly waking them.
New Scientist magazine says it leads to a loss of brain cells, potentially explaining the memory and learning problems linked to the condition.
But experts say more work is needed to confirm there is permanent damage.
Up to 2% of adult males - around 300,000 people - in the UK have sleep apnoea.
Researchers from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College, London, carried out Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans of seven patients with sleep apnoea and seven healthy patients.
They looked at the patients' brain density.
It was found the sleep apnoea patients had less brain density in the left hippocampus, where the storage of memory is co-ordinated.
Treatments
Mary Morell, who led the study, said: "What I found surprising was such a clear-cut result in such a small number of people."
In rats, it has been shown that a lack of oxygen at night was linked to problems in learning and memory.
Dr Ronald Harper at the University of California, Los Angeles, said: "There is now more ample evidence that the brain is affected by obstructive sleep apnoea.
"Therapies and preventative treatments must therefore consider brain damage, in addition to the usually treated breathing problems."
But Professor John Stradling, of the Oxford Centre for Respiratory Medicine, who has seen the Imperial College researcher, told BBC News Online they had only found subtle differences,
"I would only ever regard this as a pilot study.
"The thing about sleep apnoea is that even when you get low oxygen, it's back again in a minute."
He added: "There is an argument that it's the return of the oxygen to the area that causes the damage."
But Prof Stradling added: "It's unproven that sleep apnoea causes permanent, long-term, damage.
"If you have treatment for sleep apnoea, you tend to go back to normal."
The research is also due to be published in the journal Sleep Medicine.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3077954.stm
Scientists have uncovered evidence of a link between a common sleep disorder and brain damage.
It is usually men who are affected by sleep apnoea.
Sleep apnoea occurs when the airways become blocked by the tongue or soft palate, depriving the person of oxygen and briefly waking them.
New Scientist magazine says it leads to a loss of brain cells, potentially explaining the memory and learning problems linked to the condition.
But experts say more work is needed to confirm there is permanent damage.
Up to 2% of adult males - around 300,000 people - in the UK have sleep apnoea.
Researchers from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College, London, carried out Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans of seven patients with sleep apnoea and seven healthy patients.
They looked at the patients' brain density.
It was found the sleep apnoea patients had less brain density in the left hippocampus, where the storage of memory is co-ordinated.
Treatments
Mary Morell, who led the study, said: "What I found surprising was such a clear-cut result in such a small number of people."
In rats, it has been shown that a lack of oxygen at night was linked to problems in learning and memory.
Dr Ronald Harper at the University of California, Los Angeles, said: "There is now more ample evidence that the brain is affected by obstructive sleep apnoea.
"Therapies and preventative treatments must therefore consider brain damage, in addition to the usually treated breathing problems."
But Professor John Stradling, of the Oxford Centre for Respiratory Medicine, who has seen the Imperial College researcher, told BBC News Online they had only found subtle differences,
"I would only ever regard this as a pilot study.
"The thing about sleep apnoea is that even when you get low oxygen, it's back again in a minute."
He added: "There is an argument that it's the return of the oxygen to the area that causes the damage."
But Prof Stradling added: "It's unproven that sleep apnoea causes permanent, long-term, damage.
"If you have treatment for sleep apnoea, you tend to go back to normal."
The research is also due to be published in the journal Sleep Medicine.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3077954.stm
-
eugen
- Site Admin
- Posts: 687
- Joined: Sat Jul 05, 2003 10:42 pm
- Contact:
O mica firma de biotehnologie din Londra sustine ca a dezvoltat o tehnica gratie careia s-ar putea revolutiona intreaga medicina, rasturnind dogma stiintifica. Potrivit specialistilor companiei “TriStemâ€, aceasta tehnica este capabila sa transforme singele obisnuit in celule capabile sa regenereze tesuturi bolnave sau vatamate, indiferent cit de afectate si de specializate ar fi ele. Anuntul a stupefiat comunitatea stiintifica, multi cercetatori privindu-l cu neincredere. Tehnica “TriStem†implica prelevarea unei jumatati de litru de singe de la o persoana, extragerea celulelor albe si transformarea acestora in stadiu de celule stem (primordiale) in numai citeva ore. Acest din urma tip de celula “primordiala†poate deveni practic orice alt fel de celula specializata, de la neuroni la cele care alcatuiesc muschii sau oasele.
Desi aceasta tehnologie a fost anuntata de citiva ani, abia de curind “TriStem†a oferit si citeva dovezi ca ar fi functionala. Chiar daca tot ce poate tehnologia TriStem este sa inlocuiasca maduva spinarii, performanta ar reprezenta o mare realizare. Firma britanica sustine insa ca poate transforma leucocitele in absolut orice fel de tip de celula, desi inca nu a publicat dovezi care sa demonstreze aceasta afirmatie. Potrivit dogmei stiintifice, celulele specializate nu pot reveni la starea “primordialaâ€, nespecializata, sau sa fie convertite dintr-un tip in altul, noteaza “New Scientistâ€.
Desi aceasta tehnologie a fost anuntata de citiva ani, abia de curind “TriStem†a oferit si citeva dovezi ca ar fi functionala. Chiar daca tot ce poate tehnologia TriStem este sa inlocuiasca maduva spinarii, performanta ar reprezenta o mare realizare. Firma britanica sustine insa ca poate transforma leucocitele in absolut orice fel de tip de celula, desi inca nu a publicat dovezi care sa demonstreze aceasta afirmatie. Potrivit dogmei stiintifice, celulele specializate nu pot reveni la starea “primordialaâ€, nespecializata, sau sa fie convertite dintr-un tip in altul, noteaza “New Scientistâ€.
-
tulip
- senior
- Posts: 346
- Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2003 10:32 am
- Contact:
-
eugen
- Site Admin
- Posts: 687
- Joined: Sat Jul 05, 2003 10:42 pm
- Contact:
Femeile care fumeaza prezinta un risc dublu fata de barbatii fumatori de a se imbolnavi de cancer pulmonar, potrivit unui studiu prezentat luni, cu ocazia congresului anual al Societatii Nord-Americane de Radiologie, desfasurat la Chicago, transmite Rompres. Femeile prezinta acest risc indiferent de cat de mult fumeaza, de varsta, de marimea sau textura nodulilor descoperiti in plamanii lor, afirma Claudia Henschke, unul dintre autorii studiului, profesor de radiologie la Centrul Medical Cornell din New York. Printre cercetatori nu exista insa un consens cu privire la explicatia acestui fenomen constatat statistic. Studiul reprezinta o sinteza a cercetarilor intreprinse timp de 10 ani prin procedeul tomografiei computerizate, pe un esantion de 2968 de persoane de ambele sexe. Cancerul pulmonar este principala cauza a deceselor provocate de diferitele forme de cancer in randurile populatiei americane.
-
eugen
- Site Admin
- Posts: 687
- Joined: Sat Jul 05, 2003 10:42 pm
- Contact:
solutii radicale anti-sforait!
O noua tehnica dezvoltata in premiera de un doctor austriac, specialist ORL la un spital din Viena, promite sa redea o viata normala persoanelor care sufera de apnee cronica sau sforaie in fiecare noapte. “Operatia nu e mare lucru. Ia aproximativ o ora, dar imbunatateste considerabil calitatea vietii pacientilorâ€, spune doctorul Michael Arnolder de la Spitalul Wilhelminen.
“Se insereaza un fir de nylon dintr-o parte in cealalta a limbii pacientului, si un alt fir se leaga de osul limbii - care este de fapt un os in forma de U, situat intre mandibula inferioara si laringeâ€, explica expertul austriac. “Ambele fire sint apoi atasate unui surub din titan, de numai un milimetru grosime si patru milimetri lungime. Acest surub se fixeaza in maxilarul inferior. Firele trebuie strinse in asa fel incit limba sa se afle intr-o pozitie care sa impiedice apneea si sforaitulâ€, a adaugat Arnolder. El subliniaza ca “desi suna dureros sa ai permanent fire si suruburi in gura, dupa o vreme pacientii nici nu-si mai dau seama de prezenta acestoraâ€. “Ei sint capabili sa respire, sa vorbeasca, sa manince si sa bea normal ca si inainte - cu avantajul suplimentar ca vor dormi mai bineâ€, a asigurat Arnolder.
sinistru, totusi..
O noua tehnica dezvoltata in premiera de un doctor austriac, specialist ORL la un spital din Viena, promite sa redea o viata normala persoanelor care sufera de apnee cronica sau sforaie in fiecare noapte. “Operatia nu e mare lucru. Ia aproximativ o ora, dar imbunatateste considerabil calitatea vietii pacientilorâ€, spune doctorul Michael Arnolder de la Spitalul Wilhelminen.
“Se insereaza un fir de nylon dintr-o parte in cealalta a limbii pacientului, si un alt fir se leaga de osul limbii - care este de fapt un os in forma de U, situat intre mandibula inferioara si laringeâ€, explica expertul austriac. “Ambele fire sint apoi atasate unui surub din titan, de numai un milimetru grosime si patru milimetri lungime. Acest surub se fixeaza in maxilarul inferior. Firele trebuie strinse in asa fel incit limba sa se afle intr-o pozitie care sa impiedice apneea si sforaitulâ€, a adaugat Arnolder. El subliniaza ca “desi suna dureros sa ai permanent fire si suruburi in gura, dupa o vreme pacientii nici nu-si mai dau seama de prezenta acestoraâ€. “Ei sint capabili sa respire, sa vorbeasca, sa manince si sa bea normal ca si inainte - cu avantajul suplimentar ca vor dormi mai bineâ€, a asigurat Arnolder.
sinistru, totusi..
-
originaltup
- elder
- Posts: 1749
- Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2003 11:52 am
- Location: Ohio
Herbal Drug Is Embraced in Treating Malaria
more: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/10/health/10MALA.html?th
After years of hesitation, world health agencies are racing to acquire 100 million doses of a Chinese herbal drug that has proved strikingly effective against malaria, one of the leading killers of the poor.
The drug, artemisinin (pronounced are-TEM-is-in-in), is a compound based on qinghaosu, or sweet wormwood. First isolated in 1965 by Chinese military researchers, it cut the death rate by 97 percent in a malaria epidemic in Vietnam in the early 1990's.
It is rapidly replacing quinine derivatives and later drugs against which the disease has evolved into resistant strains.
more: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/10/health/10MALA.html?th
"There is a big difference between knowing the path, and walking the path"
-
originaltup
- elder
- Posts: 1749
- Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2003 11:52 am
- Location: Ohio
Study Finds Equal Success in Treatments for Cancer
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/13/science/13colon.html
A decade-long study comparing conventional colon cancer surgery with laparoscopic surgery found identical success rates, disproving fears that tumors would be more likely to return if surgeons did not open up the patient's belly for a full view.
In conventional surgery, doctors remove a cancerous colon segment through an eight-inch cut down the abdomen. In laparoscopic surgery, they operate with a laparoscope, or tiny video camera, and miniaturized surgical instruments that are inserted through half-inch incisions. The diseased section of colon is removed through a two-inch cut.
The biggest comparison of the two procedures to date, involving 48 hospitals in the United States and Canada, found the same rates of survival, tumor recurrence and surgical complications. In addition, patients who had laparoscopic surgery had less pain and less time in the hospital.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/13/science/13colon.html
"There is a big difference between knowing the path, and walking the path"
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests