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New Cancer Drug Announced in Melbourne

A new cancer drug has been announced by Cancer Therapeutics CRC in Melbourne. CTx-294886 is to be used in conjunction with another medication, Avastin. Furthermore, a new type of scanning has been developed by the same company. It will identify protein homeostasis, a new pathway in cancer treatment. CTx-0294886 stops tumour growth by inhibiting Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 3 (VEGFR3). This with Avastin reduces angiogenesis, slowing tumor growth in breast cancer. Examination of effects in head, neck and cervical cancers is ongoing. The company has already developed a primary anti-cancer medication, CTx-294945). Both drugs can now be used to prolong life when dancer is detected. Research was done with the assistance of Australian and international institutions. http://www.adventure--australia.blogspot.com/ http://www.tysaustralia.blogspot.com/ http://www.feeds.feedburner.com/AdventureAustralia http://www.technorati.com/blogs/ htt

Mysterious Circles in Africa

Bare circles of earth ringed with tall grass are found all over Africa. They have been a mystery with all kinds of stories told about them. Now a partial explanation has been found. Walter Tschinkel has been studying the phenomenon since 2005. At first he thought they were caused by termites which poisoned and killed off the grass. He realized his mistake when he analyzed satellite images - the circles were alive! The circles would disappear then appear somewhere else. However, for the most part circles remain in one place for up to 75 years. The average life was 41 years. Rain tends to be the main factor leading to formation of a new circle. Tschinkel has not discovered the real cause. If fertile earth is put inside a circle grass still will not grow. Something is going on in a chemical or "living" sense. Locals do not want the mystery solved. They make a living out of them. For a fee tourists "adopt" a circle, then keep up-to-date by viewing it on Go

Staying Out of the Sun Prevents Skin Cancer but Not Osteoporosis

Australians are so obsessed about staying out of the sun to prevent skin cancer that the number of people getting osteoporosis is increasing. This is a sad consequence of a positive behavior change. Osteoporosis would not be a problem if more people took calcium tablets with vitamin D each day. Unfortunately, many would rather spend their money on other things. The disease affects young people as well as the elderly. The Nepean Consensus Statement meeting has been praised for making the disease more widely known. However, money spent on such activities is wasted, considering you can treat yourself without actually being diagnosed with the disease. Developing "fancy" management practises is unnecessary. Giving calcium and vitamin D to the elderly who already suffer with osteoporosis is a waste of time, because once you have the disease it cannot be cured. A person need not adopt a calcium rich diet: calcium and vitamin D in tablet form are easily absorbed by the body. Eve

Alzheimer's Can Now Be Diagnosed When No Symptoms Are Present

New findings on Alzheimer's have been released in Australia. The build up of beta-amyloid plaque is thought to be the main cause of Alzheimer's and it is also responsible for cognitive decline over the long term. The presence of plaque in the brain enables diagnosis of Alzheimer's even in people who show no immediate symptoms. This was announced by Dr Christopher Rowe, professor of nuclear medicine at Melbourme's Austin Hospital. A patient can now know years in advance that he/she will develop Alzheimer's. Whether this is a good thing is debatable, though it does give time for a person to get their things in order. Depression could be the result of making such an emotive discovery. Eighteen million people suffer from Alzheimer's worldwide. With the large segment of the population moving into the elderly group this is expected to reach 34 million by 2025. A new drug to fight plaque has been approved in the US. Hopefully, a medication can be found that

World Will Lose Greek Heritage

The culture of Greece is at risk and this is where democracy was born, Surely, funding can be found from other countries. National cuts have reduced the archaelogical workforce to a dangerous low level. Up to 50 per cent of workers in total will be dismissed, Just maintaining ancient structures is expensive. Of more immediate threat are museum pieces, not fixed ancient buildings though illegal diggings are threatening these. museum security guards have been laid off. Armed robberies are increasing. Offical research projects funded from other countries are continuing. but all local digs have ceased as the money is stopped. Work on ancient walls built in the time of Pericles located under the metro rail line, no longer takes place. The dig is important to understand how the access way from Athens to the sea affected the way the fleet of ships was used during the Peloponnesian War. There will be a real loss of experienced specialists as they take early retirement. Those left spend

Evolution is Faster in the Tropics

It seems that with climate change we will lose some species but gain new ones - or have new "changed" species. Some species living at high altitudes have been changing as mountain tops become warmer with climate change. It was believed that accelerated evolution only occurs in cold regions, but it has been discovered that it also happens in the tropics. While it has been accepted for a long time that plants and marine protists evolve faster, the process has only recently been recognized in mammals. What is unusual is that mammals are not directly affected by a warming climate because they naturally maintain a steady body heat. It is now believed that evolution in the tropics is even faster that in temperate regions. There is a greater diversity of species in the tropics. This faster evolution and more species means that adaptation to changing conditions is rapid. The faster evolution actually makes for many more types of animals. There must be something else, however, t

Dog Reads Cat News

"I'm going to find out all I can about these pesky cats." http://vistacomputersolutions.blogspot.com/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Funny Animal Photos