Clone cell cancer 'cure' hailed

Scientists claim they have cured advanced skin cancer for the first time using the patient's own cells cloned outside the body.The 52-year-old man involved was free of melanoma two years after treatment.

US researchers, reports the New England Journal of Medicine, took cancer-fighting immune cells, made five billion copies, then put them all back.
Scientists in the UK warned that further trials would need to be done to prove how well the treatment worked.
US researchers, reports the New England Journal of Medicine, took cancer-fighting immune cells, made five billion copies, then put them all back.
Scientists in the UK warned that further trials would need to be done to prove how well the treatment worked.
The body's immune system plays a significant role in the battle against cancer, and doctors have been looking for ways to boost this tumour-killing response.
The 52-year-old man had advanced melanoma which had spread to the lungs and lymph nodes.
Scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle concentrated on a type of white blood cell called a CD4+ T cell.
From a sample of the man's white blood cells, they were able to select CD4+ T cells which had been specifically primed to attack a chemical found on the surface of melanoma cells.
These were then multiplied in the laboratory, and put back in their billions to see if they could mount an effective attack on the tumours.
Two months later, scans showed the tumours had disappeared, and after two years, the man remained disease-free.
The new cells persisted in the body for months after the treatment.

'Immune power'While claiming this as a world first, the study authors pointed out that their technique applied only to a patient with a particular type of immune system and tumour type, and could work for only a small percentage of people with advanced skin cancer.
Dr Cassian Yee, who led the project, said: "For this patient we were successful, but we would need to confirm the effectiveness of therapy in a larger study."
Professor Karol Sikora, a cancer expert at Imperial College in London, described the research as "pretty exciting" with potentially wide application.
He said the researchers had focused on melanoma because the disease was well understood compared with other cancers, but other cancers could potentially be targeted.
He said: "I think we will be able to harness the power of the immune system. Eventually we will learn how to control cancer, in other words we will suppress it.
"Patients will live with their cancer, and die with their cancer, but not of their cancer - it will be like diabetes today."
A spokesman for Cancer Research UK also said more research would be needed, adding: "This is another interesting demonstration of the huge power of the immune system to fight some types of cancer.
"Although the technique is complex and difficult to use for all but a few patients, the principle that someone's own immune cells can be expanded and made to work in this way is very encouraging for the work that ourselves and others are carrying out in this field."
(http://news.bbc.co.uk)

Fight to allow gay blood donors

A petition by gay rights campaigners against what they believe is discrimination over who can give blood is to be considered by MSPs.The LGBT Network said safe sex practices meant men who have had sex with other men could give blood.
The group stressed that there were no restrictions on heterosexual people who have unprotected sex giving blood.
The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service said it had a duty to make sure patients got the safest blood possible.
A spokesman for the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) Network said: "The blanket ban on gay and bisexual men giving blood is an outdated policy that was put in place decades ago when people believed Aids was an exclusively gay disease. We now know that this is far from the case.
"There is no clinical reason for the blanket ban on gay and bisexual men giving blood.
"It is a policy from a bygone era, which unfairly discriminates.
"The SNBTS should instead focus on all donors' unsafe sexual practices, rather than single out gay and bisexual men."
But Dr Brian McClelland, from the Scottish blood service, said: "Even the highly sensitive tests for hepatitis and HIV that are performed on every donation cannot completely exclude all risk of infection, so an essential first step - and a requirement of UK law - is to avoid collecting donations if there is evidence that the risk of blood-transmissible infections may be raised.
"The Blood Services of the UK, like those in most European countries, USA and Canada, do not accept donations from men who report that they have had sex with another man.
"Over 60% of all the HIV diagnoses where the infection was likely to have been acquired in the UK were in gay men.
"Other infections that are sexually transmitted and also transmitted by blood, such as hepatitis B and syphilis, are also increasing among men who have sex with men. Syphilis increased 117% from 2002 to 2006."
Dr McClelland said research continued to show that removing the current bar on donations by men who have sex with men would lead to an increase in the very small risk of HIV transmission due to infections in the very early stage that may be impossible to detect.
He added that donor selection rules were kept under regular review by the UK national advisory committee and any anticipated developments in testing and processing would be taken into account in these reviews.
The issues are to be examined by the Scottish Parliament's petition committee on Tuesday.
(http://bbc.co.uk)

Smoking link to hearing problems

Teenagers who smoke, or whose mother smoked in pregnancy, are at higher risk of hearing problems and understanding what is being said, a US study says.In tests on 67 teenagers, Yale University found those exposed to smoke had trouble focusing and interpreting sounds when there was a distraction.
And the team said scans showed exposure changed the brain's white matter, responsible for transmitting messages.
The findings were reported in New Scientist magazine.
The team carried out brain scans on the teenagers and found those exposed to smoke were more likely to have more white matter.
Previous research has shown that children with overdeveloped white matter have problems transmitting and interpreting sound because the white matter it is out of sync with the rest of the brain.
The researchers believe the over-production of the white matter is caused by nicotine stimulating a chemical compound called acetylcholine.
Further evidence was also provided by the computer tests the teenagers, aged 13 to 18, completed where they were asked to recognise words while being distracted by visual images or background noise.
Among the boys who were tested, those exposed to smoke got 77% right, whereas those not exposed got 85% right.
In girls, the breakdown was 84% to 90%. The researchers said the results were "quite significant".ProblemsLead researcher Leslie Jacobsen said: "Individuals affected will have problems in settings where there is a distraction.
"This could certainly be the case in classrooms where there may be other people talking and lots of things going on.
"Coupled with other conditions, such as behavioural disorders, this may tip a pupil towards failing at school."
David McAlpine, director of the Ear Institute at University College London, agreed the findings were interesting.
He added: "The fact that smokers show changes in this pathway means they may be less able to hear what's being said."
Richard Todd, from Washington University, added the effect on the white matter was "pretty remarkable".
"It seems the brain remains vulnerable long into adolescence."
(http://news.bbc.co.uk)

Single brain cell's power shown

There could be enough computing ability in just one brain cell to allow humans and animals to feel, a study suggests.
The brain has 100 billion neurons but scientists had thought they needed to join forces in larger networks to produce thoughts and sensations.
The Dutch and German study, published in Nature, found that stimulating just one rat neuron could deliver the sensation of touch.
One UK expert said this was the first time this had been measured in mammals.
The complexity of the human brain and how it stores countless thoughts, sensations and memories are still not fully understood.
Researchers believe connections between individual neurons, forming networks of at least a thousand, are the key to some of its processing power.
However, in some creatures with simpler nervous systems, such as flies, a single neuron can play a more significant role. The latest research suggests this may also be true in "higher" animals.
The team, from the Humboldt University in Germany and the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands, stimulated single neurons in rats and found this was enough to trigger a behavioural response when their whiskers were touched.
A second research project from the US suggests the computational ability of the brain cell could be even more complex, with different synapses - the many junctions between neurons and other nerve cells - able to act independently from those found elsewhere on the same cell.
This could mean that, within a single neuron, different synapses could be storing or processing completely different bits of information.
Computing power
Dr Douglas Armstrong, the deputy director of the Edinburgh Centre for Bioinformatics, said the research did not mean all neurons had an individual role to play but that, in some instances, they might be capable of working alone with measurable results.
He said: "The generally accepted model was that networks or arrays make decisions and that the influence of a single neuron is smaller - but this work and other recent studies support a more important role for the individual neuron.
"These studies drive down the level at which relevant computation is happening in the brain."
(http://news.bbc.co.uk)

Stronger drinks put many at risk

Experts are warning that many more people than thought may be putting their health at risk by excessive alcohol consumption.
The Office for National Statistics has revamped its assessment method to take account of bigger glasses, and the increased strength of alcoholic drinks.
As a result average UK consumption for 2005 has been recalculated at 14.3 units a week, up from 10.8 units.
The figures suggest many more women than previously thought may be at risk.
This is because they tend to drink wine, the strength of which was particularly under-estimated under the old assessment system.
Using the new system, the average woman is estimated to have drunk 9.4 units a week in 2005 - a 45% increase on the old figure from 6.5 units a week.
For men, the new figure is 19.9 units a week - a 26% increase on the old figure of 15.8 units a week.
Men are advised to drink no more than 21 units a week, and women no more than 14.
The report warns that the strength of wine has increased sharply in recent years, with most table wines now 11.5% to 13.5% alcohol by volume (ABV).
This has been mirrored by many types of lager and beer.
In addition, research suggests the average size of a wine glass used in pubs and bars is now 169ml, compared to the 125ml measure previously used in the calculations.
Old assumptions
When drinking surveys were first carried out in the 1970s it was assumed that a glass of table wine, a single measure of spirits or half a pint of beer equalled one unit of alcohol.
Now the ONS will assume that a glass of wine equals two units, while a large can of strong beer (6.5%) will count as three units.
An Alcohol Concern spokesman said the government and the drinks industry had to work harder to improve consumer awareness.
"There's always been big gap between how much people think they drink and how much they actually drink, but with changes in alcoholic strength this has clearly gotten worse.
"Current confusion may mean that large numbers of people are drinking at harmful or hazardous levels and aren't aware that they are putting themselves at risk in the long run."
Dr Vivienne Nathanson, of the British Medical Association, said: "This doesn't come as a surprise. Poor labelling, variations in glass size, and rising alcoholic percentages - especially in wine - all make it hard for people to know how much they're drinking, and to control it."
Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said the government was committed to tackling the problem of excessive alcohol consumption.
"The government is planning a major new multi-million pound campaign in the spring to coincide with the introduction of new labelling on all bottles and cans that will show the government's sensible drinking message and the alcohol unit content."
(http://news.bbc.co.uk)

Cell transplant for heart attack

Transplanting genetically engineered cells into the heart may reduce the risk of a fatal condition which occurs after heart attack, research suggests.
Ventricular tachycardia - an unusually fast heart rhythm - is the main cause of sudden death after heart attack.
In mice, transplants of skeletal muscle cells engineered to produce a specific protein prevented the condition.
Experts said the study in Nature should help to direct research on using stem cells to treat heart attacks in humans.
The German researchers tested a variety of cells in mice who had been induced to have heart attacks.
They found that heart cells taken from 15-day-old embryos reduced the risk of ventricular tachycardia but other implanted cells, such as skeletal muscle cells, did not.
It was found that a protein present in embryonic heart cells but not the other cells - connexin 43 - was the key.
By engineering skeletal muscle cells, which are more readily available than embryonic cells, to produce connexin 43, the researchers found the cells were equally effective in preventing heart arrhythmia.
Tests on the ability of the implanted cells to conduct an electrical current - an important function of heart cells - found the signal was passed between implanted and existing heart tissue.
Clear drop
Study leader Dr Bernd Fleischmann, from the University of Bonn, said more research would have to be done before the technique could be used in humans but the study was important.
"The incidence of ventricular tachycardia dropped by 60%.
"We clearly showed these cells improved electrical stability.
"The nice thing about skeletal muscle is it has adult stem cells so you can take a biopsy of the thigh muscle and grow millions and millions of cells in culture."
He said there were ongoing clinical trials using skeletal muscle and bone marrow cells to try and restore pump function of the heart but this was the first study to look at arrhythmias.
Current treatment for patients who develop ventricular tachycardia after a heart attack is for a defibrillator to be implanted under the skin.
The expensive device gives a painful electric shock if it detects a fast heart beat.
Dr Tim Chico, an expert in vascular development at the University of Sheffield, said the study was preliminary.
But he added: "If it can be repeated in humans it would be a breakthrough in the treatment of patients with heart disease and could save thousands of lives."
British Heart Foundation medical director, Peter Weissberg, said: "This is a vital insight, only possible from animal studies, which should help direct current research using stem cells to prevent the dangerous consequences of heart attacks in people.
"However, application of this technique to people with heart disease is still a long way off."
(http://news.bbc.co.uk)

'Burned foods' linked to cancers

Women who eat crisps or chips every day may double their chances of ovarian or womb cancer, say scientists.
The fears surround acrylamides, chemicals produced when you fry, grill or roast a wide range of foods.
Dutch researchers quizzed 120,000 people on their eating habits, and found that women who ate more acrylamide appeared more at risk.
UK experts say other factors could be to blame, and urged women there was not need to panic.
Laboratory tests highlighted as a possible danger five years ago, but the University of Maastricht study, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, is the first to find a link between acrylamides in the diet and cancer risk.
Food which has been coloured or burned by cooking is far more likely to contain acrylamides.
Food experts say it is virtually impossible to eliminate them from our diets altogether.
The Dutch study followed the 120,000 volunteers - 62,000 of whom were women - for 11 years after their initial questionnaire, during which time 327 of them developed endometrial (womb) cancer, and 300 developed ovarian cancer.
Analysis of these findings suggested that those who ate 40 micrograms of acrylamide a day - equivalent to half a pack of biscuits, a portion of chips or a single packet of crisps - were twice as likely to fall prey to these cancers compared with those who ate much less acrylamide.
Despite the size of the study, the researchers said that the results needed to be confirmed by other research.
Golden brown
In the UK, there are approximately 6,400 cases of womb cancer, and 7,000 cases of ovarian cancer a year.
A spokesman for the Food Standards Agency urged people to try a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables.
"This new study supports our current advice, which already assumes that acrylamide has the potential to be a human carcinogen.
"Since acrylamide forms naturally in a wide variety of cooked foods, it is not possible to have a healthy, balanced diet that avoids it."
Experts at the EU said that food should not be overcooked.
An EU spokesman said: "General advice, resulting from this project, is to avoid overcooking when baking, frying or toasting carbohydrate-rich foods.
"French fries and roast potatoes should be cooked to a golden yellow rather than golden brown colour."
However, Dr Lesley Walker, from Cancer Research UK said that it was hard to be sure that the extra cancers were due to just acrylamides, rather than some other unhealthy component of the women's diets.
"Women shouldn't be unduly worried by this news. It's not easy to separate out one component of the diet from all the others when studying the complex diets of ordinary people."
The food industry says it has made efforts to reduce the acrylamides within processed foods in recent years.
A study published in 2005 found no evidence that acrylamide increased the risk of breast cancer.
(http://news.bbc.co.uk)