One test May 'find many cancers'

Targeting just one chemical inside cancerous cells Could one day Lead to a single test for a broad range of cancers, researchers say.

The same system Could then be used to deliver precision radiotherapy.

Scientists Told the National Cancer Research Institute conference broke hadd been Able to find breast cancer in mice weeks befor a lump hadd been detected .

The same target chemical Was Also present in cancers of the lung, skin, Kidney and bladder, broke said.

The team, at the Gray Institute for Radiation Oncology and Biology at Oxford University, Were looking for a protein, called gamma-H2AX, Which is Produced in response to Damaged DNA. This tends to became one of the first Steps on the road to a cell Becoming cancerous

Forming tumours

The scientists used an Antibody That is the perfect partner to gamma-H2AX and Able to seek it out in the body.

This Was TURNEDâ into a cancer test by attaching small amounts of radioactive material to the Antibody. If the Radiation gathered in one place it would be a sign of a potential tumour.

The researchers trialled the test on genetically modified mice, which are highly-susceptible to forming tumours.

Prof. Katherine VALLIS said lumps Could be Felt When the mice Were about 120 days old, but "we detected changes priorities to dry at 90 to 100 days - Before a tumour is clinically apparent."

She Told the BBC that 'gamma-H2AX Was a "fairly general Phenomenon" and it "would be the dream" to Develop a single test for a wide range of cancers.

However this is still at a very EARLY stage.

Self-amplifying system

Adding more Radiation to the Antibody Could convert the test to a treatment.

Prof VALLIS said "it is attracted to DNA Damage", where it then delivers a dose of Radiation, causing more Damage and attracting not even more antibodies - it is a "self-amplifying system".

Eventually the doses of Radiation Should be so much Damage to the cancerous cells that broke would be killed.

She said: "This Early Research Reveals That tracking this IMPORTANT molecule Could Allow us to detect DNA Damage throughou the body.

"If larger studies Confirm this, the protein coulda provid a new route to detect cancer at its very earlies stage - When it is easier to treat successfully."

Dr Julie Sharp, from Cancer Research UK, said: "This Important Study Reveals that targeting this key molecule Could provid an exciting route for new Ways to detect cancer at an earlier stage - and help to deliver radiotherapy and monitor its effect on tumours."

Stem cell op may 'restore sperm'

Boys left infertile by childhood cancer treatment may one day be able to produce healthy sperm by using stored stem cells, monkey research suggests.

Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can kill tumours and the cells which make sperm.

A study, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, extracted sperm-producing stem cells before cancer treatment and later placed them back into the monkey.

Sperm which could fertilise an egg were produced, which experts labelled a "milestone" in research.

Most men who have cancer treatment which could affect their fertility can choose to freeze sperm before their treatment starts. This is not an option for patients who have not yet gone through puberty.

However, they do have the spermatogonial stem cells which would start to produce sperm in their teenage years.

The researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the Magee-Womens Research Institute took samples of the stem cells from macaques and stored them in a freezer.

The monkeys were then given a chemotherapy drug.

Their own stem cells were implanted back where they came from after the course of chemotherapy had ended. Nine out of 12 adult monkeys and three out of five prepubescent monkeys were later able to produce sperm again.

Separate experiments showed eggs could be fertilised with sperm produced after the procedure.

'Feasible'

Dr Kyle Orwig, from the department of obstetrics, gynaecology and reproductive medicine at Pitt School of Medicine, said: "This study demonstrates that spermatogonial stem cells from higher primates can be frozen and thawed without losing their activity, and that they can be transplanted to produce functional sperm that are able to fertilise eggs and give rise to early embryos."

He said there were still many challenges before this could be used in people: "Should we re-introduce the spermatogonial cells as soon as treatment is over, or wait until the patient is considered cured of his disease, or when he is ready to start a family? How do we eliminate the risk of cancer recurrence if we give back untreated cells that might include cancer cells?

"These are issues we still must work through, but this study does show us the concept is feasible."

Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield, told the BBC that the idea had been discussed repeatedly but "experiments have never come close to suggesting it might work in humans".

However, he said: "This report is a very useful step forward and clearly shows that the science of spermatogonial stem cells transplantation might one day work for humans. And, although the authors report relatively low efficiency so far, in the context of someone who does not have any banked sperm to fall back on, these odds are probably very encouraging to make this kind of approach worthwhile."

He also highlighted safety concern saying: "It would be a disaster to give the cancer back to someone because cancer cells are lurking in the transplant.

"But also we need to make sure that the genetics of sperm produced from transplanted spermatogonial stem cells is correct and leads to the birth of healthy offspring which themselves give rise to healthy grandchildren and great grandchildren."

Pierre Fouchet, a researcher at the CEA Institute of Cellular and Molecular Radiobiology in France, said the results: "Constitute a milestone in the field of reproduction and generate hope for restoring fertility in survivors of childhood cancer."

However, he said advances in fertility research needed "intense debate" about the social consequences.

Alzheimer's detected decades before symptoms

The shrunken brain of an Alzheimer's patient compared with a healthy one

Researchers have found some of the earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease, more than two decades before the first symptoms usually appear.

Treating the disease early is thought to be vital to prevent damage to memory and thinking.

A study, published in the Lancet Neurology, found differences in the brains of an extended Colombian family predisposed to develop an early form of Alzheimer's.

Experts said the US study may give doctors more time to treat people.

Alzheimer's disease starts long before anyone would notice; previous studies have shown an effect on the brain 10-15 years before symptoms.

It is only after enough brain cells have died that the signs of dementia begin to appear - some regions of the brain will have lost up to 20% of their brain cells before the disease becomes noticeable.

However, doctors fear so much of the brain will have degenerated by this time that it will be too late to treat patients. The failure of recent trials to prevent further cognitive decline in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease has been partly put down to timing.

Early start

A team at the Banner Alzheimer's Institute in Arizona looked at a group of patients in Colombia who have familial Alzheimer's. A genetic mutation means they nearly always get the disease in their 40s. Alzheimer's normally becomes apparent after the age of 75.

Brain scans of 20 people with the mutation, aged between 18 and 26, already showed differences compared with those from 24 people who were not destined to develop early Alzheimer's.

The fluid which bathes the brain and spinal cord also had higher levels of a protein called beta-amyloid.

The researchers said differences could be detected "more than two decades before" symptoms would appear in these high-risk patients.

Dr Eric Reiman, one of the scientists involved, said: "These findings suggest that brain changes begin many years before the clinical onset of Alzheimer's disease.

"They raise new questions about the earliest brain changes involved in the predisposition to Alzheimer's and the extent to which they could be targeted by future prevention therapies."

Prof Nick Fox, from the Institute of Neurology at University College London, said some of his patients had lost a fifth of some parts of their brain by the time they arrived at the clinic.

He told the BBC: "I don't think this pushes us forwards in terms of early diagnosis, we already have markers of the disease.

"The key thing this does is open up the window of early intervention before people take a clinical and cognitive hit."

However, he said this raised the question of how early people would need to be treated - if drugs could be found.

Dr Simon Ridley, the head of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "Although early-onset inherited Alzheimer's is rare and may not entirely represent the more common late-onset form, the findings highlight changes can take place in the brain decades before symptoms show.

"Mapping what changes happen early in the brain will help scientists to improve detection of the disease and allow potential new treatments to be tested at the right time.

"New drugs are being developed and tested to stop amyloid from taking hold, but studies like these show that timing could be crucial for whether these drugs are successful."

Gaza: Crocodile caught in sewage system

A crocodile Which Escaped from a zoo in the Gaza Strip two years ago faces finally been Captured, officials say.

Police enlisted the help of Fishermen to drain the pit and catch the reptile with shark Nets.

The animal, Which locals have accused of eating Their Livestock, has been Returned to the zoo.

The reptiles, Measuring 1.8m (6ft), hadd fled its Enclosur and crawled into a sewage pit near the northern town of Beit Lahi.

Wastewater Workers discovered the Fugitive animal in one of the sewage basins two months ago.

"He had a lot of spirit in him. He wanted to be free," Lt Col Samih al-Sultan, Who led the hunt, Told the Associated Press.

The animal's strength and Stubborn determinatio Earned it the nickname "Rock", the official added.

A team of six policemen and Fishermen sat in a boat in the pit for a fortnight, trying to catch the crocodile.

After Several failed attempts, broke eventually decided to drain the Pond and Managed to Snare the reptiles with shark Nets.

Locals have welcomed the capture of the crocodile, which broke-say encounters been eating Their ducks and goats.

"We Were afraid he would not eat us," said one farmer.

Zoo Workers said the crocodile hadd grown considerably over the last two years. It Remains unclear how the reptiles Managed to escape in the first place.

Sellafield nuclear Waste storage is 'Intolerable risk'

An "Intolerable Risk" is Being posed by hazardous Waste stored in run-down buildings at Sellafield nuclear plant, a watchdog has found.

The National Audit Office (NAO) Also said that 'for 50 years, the Operators of the Cumbria installation failed to Develop a long-term plan for Waste.

Costs of Decommissioning Plan meets Also spiraled out of control, it said.

Operator Sellafield Ltd, said it welcomed the report's findings and was "making improvements".

The plant is the UK's larges and most hazardous nuclear site, storing enough high and intermediate level radioactive Waste yarn to 27 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The NAO report states however, that owners of the station will not know how long It will take to build storage and treatment centers for the hazardous material or how much the final bill for Decommissioning the plant is likely to swear.

'Ripe for dithering'

It Also concluded that 'over the five decade It was open, Operators failed to plan how to dispos of the radioactive Waste and some of the older halls have "deteriorated so much that' Their contents pose Significant risks to people and the Environment".

A long-term plan to clean up the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority-Owned Was Agreed site last year After an earlier one stalled Because it was "unrealistic".

Margaret Hodge, who and chairs the Public Accounts Committee, said: "Projects of this length and ambition are Ripe for dithering and delay.

"I am dismayed to discover the clean-up of Sellafield is no different. The Authority's revised plan sees critical Milestones shunted back by up to seven years.

"Hazardous radioactive Waste is housed in buildings which pose-'Intolerable risks to people and the Environment'.

"My Concern is that unless the Authority holds Sellafield Ltd to a clear and rigorously benchmarked plan, timetables Will Continue to slip and Costs spiral."

'Historic neglect'

The NAO report concluded that 'progress in 12 of the 14 major buildings and Equipment Projects considered "critical" for reducing risk, qual range in cost from £ 21m to £ 1.3bn, also failed to achie what broke Were supposed to and hadd not Provided good value for money.

Dr Ruth Balogh, of West Cumbria and North Lakes Friends of the Earth, said: "The UK's failure to deal with highly hazardous nuclear Waste at Sellafield is a National scandal That poses a Significant risk to local people and the Environment.

"The government runs completely ignored the urgent need for interim Measures to deal with this radioactive Waste.

"We should not build any new nuclear reactors if we can not deal with the radioactive mess that's already been created."

Around 240 of Sellafield's 1,400 buildings are nuclear halls and so far 55 buildings on the site have been decommissioned.

Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, added: "Owing to historical neglect, the Authority faces a considerabl challenge in Taking forward Decommissioning at Sellafield.

"It is good that 'the Authority now faces a more robust lifetime plan in place but it can not say with certainty how long It will take to deal with hazardous radioactive Waste or how much it will cost."

Megaupload Sequel faces Gabon's suspension order setback

Efforts to Create a follow-up file-sharing service to Megaupload have been deal a blow After Gabon blocked access to its intended web address.

The West African nation said it WAS worried the Me.ga site would not host copyright infringing files.

Kim Dotcom - the tech Entrepreneur behind the scheme - said the move was a result of a "bad faith witch hunt" Being carried out by the U.S. government.

The 38-year-old faces Charges of money laundering and fraud, Which he denies.

He is currently living in New Zealand and engagede in a legal battle to Prevent historic extradition to the U.S., where he faces a Jail sentence of up to 20 years if found Guilty of earning about $ 175m (£ 109m) through illegal Means.

Defending Publishers

Mr Dotcom historic Detailed Plans to launch a Gabon-based service last week.

He said the product would be launched on 20 January, a year to the day since he Was Arrested alongside others who hadd worked at Megaupload.

He said that 'uploads to the site would be encrypted to ensur Their contents remained "Confidential", and hadd Suggested That basing the site at Gabon's. Ga domain, Rather than in the U.S., would "Avoid another takedown."

However Gabon's Communication Minister, Blaise Louembe, said he HAD ACTED to block the site BEFORE the service launched in order to "protect Intellectual Property rights."

"Gabon can not Serve as a platform for committing Acts aimed at type available Copyrights, nor became used by unscrupulous people," he said.

Back-up plan

Mr Dotcom Suggested the Decision hadd been taken as a consequence of pressure from the U.S. and the media group Vivendi.

"Do not worry. We have an alternative domain," he posted on Twitter .

In a later tweet, he ridiculed the move, Saying : "Gabon Minister used my machine to Analyze legality of the future Mega. Verdict: Cyber ​​crime! Gets $ 5 award from the FBI."

Although the Me.ga site is now offline, Mr Dotcom is still Providing information about historic Plans at an alternative site, at Which he Appeals for hosting Companies in Other Countries Who might 

Some measures to stop the expansion of veins

Preventive measures does not make sense to apply only for a certain time, but constantly, because it is the only way that enables the protection of the health of feet.

Although preventive measures can not eliminate all of the main causes that cause this disease, such as genetic predispositions, however, may be affected - either by prevention, mitigation, cessation or slowing of disease development.

measures:

More walking

Walking is very important. Physical activity is the simplest way with which stimulate blood circulation to the heart and eliminates the risk of interruption of the blood.

flexible hose

Transfer of flexible hose serves as a preventive measure, as well as for enhanced veins therapy, in cases where surgery is not necessary.

Sufficient food

Even the food is very important in the prevention of venous extended. Easily digested food and healthy helps prevent excessive weight, which is the cause of frequent venous enlargement. So, it is important to limit the introduction of sugar and fat in the body (especially of animal origin) and daily food enriched with food penjezor which helps digestion.

natural medicines

Against swelling of the feet can help some plants: wild chestnut, blueberry, red grape vine, and some other plants. There is evidence that components of those herbs strengthen the walls of blood vessels and capillaries.

Avoid bathing with hot water

Great heat is the enemy of veins: avoid shower with hot water. Water should always be lukewarm, no way hot. It would be good to shower after a short time to wash feet with cold water, becoming massage from the bottom-up, from the ankles towards the hips.