Information for your health

Unsatisfying drug for anxiety reveals scientists a promising novel anti-cancer drug target.

Cancer cells have multiple ways to avoid apoptosis, programmed cell death the means by which organisms deal with defective cells. One defense is to produce quantities of phosphatic acid, a phospholipid constituent of cellular membranes.

Foodconsumer.org reports: About 123 college presidents want the government to lower the drinking age 18, news media report.

The college leaders argued that lowering drinking age can reduce incidence of binge drinking and make it easy for colleges to enforce the drinking law.

Currently, the federal drinking age is set at 21. Some states attempted to lower the drinking age, but did not seem to get enough support. The federal government has made it clear that states that pass any law to lower the drinking age will have their access to federal highway funds limited.

AHCC, a special mushroom preparation, may be used as a supplement to prevent and help treat cancer, according to a study presented at the 16th International AHCC® (Active Hexose Correlated Compound) Symposium held in Sapporo, Japan on July 26th and 27th.

A study led by researchers from Japan and Yale School of Medicine confirmed that AHCC significantly boosts the immune system in a way that may help older Americans prevent cancer.

Duke University chemists have patented an efficient technique for synthesizing a marine algae extract in sufficient quantities to now test its ability to inhibit the growth of cancerous cells while leaving normal cells unaffected.

The researchers also deduced that this molecule -- called largazole -- acts on cells through the same chemical mechanism as other anti-cancer compounds on the market or in clinical trials. "It's a very exciting molecule," said Jiyong Hong, a Duke assistant chemistry professor.

Neuroblastoma is one of the most devastating diagnoses a child can receive. The cancer's victims average 2 years old when the disease is detected, most often by a parent feeling a lump in a child's abdomen. By then, the disease has often reached an advanced stage, and advanced neuroblastoma kills more than 50 percent of the children in whom it develops, despite aggressive treatment with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

The decision by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) about the funding for drugs for kidney cancer in the NHS came as a great surprise.

It is a tragedy for the 5,000 patients who get this disease every year in Britain and also for their families. Kidney cancer is a killer, as it spreads quickly right round the body, and the only treatment available is interferon, which is ineffective for most patients and has profound side effects.

The implications of this decision will affect all cancer patients.

WASHINGTON -- While most of the country is trying to avoid salmonella by not eating jalapeno peppers, Dr. Neil Forbes is embracing the bacteria to help fight a deadly disease: cancer.

Dr. Forbes, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, is arming the toxin to burrow itself into tumors and eat cancer cells. A handful of other researchers across the country are using powerful bacteria, such as salmonella, to target tumors.

Attorney General Jerry Brown filed lawsuits in 2005 against H.J. Heinz, Frito-Lay, Lance Inc and Kettle Foods, together with Procter & Gamble PG.N and four fast-food chains: McDonald's, KFC, Burger King and Wendy's for selling food containing high levels of acrylamide, a chemical compound that is produced when foods, particularly potatoes, are cooked at high temperatures.

According to Brown’s statement, the corporations have reached an agreement to decrease the levels of the chemical that causes cancer and is found in their product.

Eradicating a common bug in people with stomach cancer can prevent the disease from recurring, research suggests.

Helicobacter pylori, proved to be the cause of most stomach ulcers, has also been linked with stomach cancer.

In a study of 550 people who had stomach cancer surgery, antibiotics which killed the bug cut the risk of a second cancer developing by two-thirds.

There will now be a trial of 56,000 British people to see if killing the bacterium stops the cancer developing.

WATSONVILLE - Santa Cruz County stands out on a statewide map of cancer statistics.
The rate of cancer among Latinos here is higher than in Monterey and San Benito counties, and much higher than the state average, according to the California Cancer Registry. For example, there are 439 cases of cancer per 100,000 people among Latinos in Santa Cruz County compared to 372 per 100,000 statewide.

That's not the only statistic troubling local health officials.

Death rates for Latinos with cancer are higher in Santa Cruz County than in neighboring counties.