Yearly Archives: 2013

Questions and Answers About Cannabis – National Cancer Institute

"The use of Cannabis for medicinal purposes dates back at least 3,000 years. It came into use in Western medicine in the 19th century and was said to relieve pain, inflammation, spasms, and convulsions. Studies in mice and rats have shown that cannabinoids may inhibit tumor growth by causing cell death, blocking cell growth, and blocking the development of blood vessels needed by tumors to grow. Laboratory and animal studies have shown that cannabinoids may be able to kill cancer cells while protecting normal cells." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingQuestions and Answers About Cannabis – National Cancer Institute

New Study Finds THC Kills Stomach Cancer Cells

"A new study conducted by the the Catholic University of Korea, College of Medicine, and published in the journal Anticancer Research, has found promising evidence that THC may be the best medicine available to treat stomach cancer, especially when traditional medicine has been ineffective. During the study researchers used cancer cells that were resistant to chemotherapy, and dosed the cells with a synthetic form of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Researchers noted a drastic reduction in the survival rate of the cells that were exposed to the synthetic THC. Larger doses of THC led to higher rates of cancer cell death." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew Study Finds THC Kills Stomach Cancer Cells

Four cancer breakthroughs clear way for drugs that block tumor growth

"Researchers at the University College London announced Sunday in a study published by the journal Nature Cell Biology that they’ve observed for the first time ever how cancer spreads throughout the body and metastasizes, which causes about 90 percent of all cancer deaths. Meanwhile, another major breakthrough in recent days should give hope to breast cancer patients. Scientists at the Duke Cancer Institute announced on Saturday that a drug already on the market in Europe, approved to treat osteoporosis, has the added benefit of stopping late-stage breast cancer growth in its tracks." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFour cancer breakthroughs clear way for drugs that block tumor growth

Doctor claims breakthrough in race for spinal cord injury ‘cure’

"After progress in a second round of tests using stem cells to regrow nerve fibres, the China Spinal Cord Injury Network (ChinaSCINet) has applied for regulatory approval in China for a third and final phase, which it hopes to start in the autumn. 15 out of 20 patients in the Chinese city of Kunming, who received umbilical cord blood cell transplants and intensive walking therapy, were on average able to walk with minimal assistance seven years after complete spinal cord injury. The treatment involves injecting umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells into patients’ damaged spines to help regenerate nerves, while lithium is used to promote the growth of the nerve fibres." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDoctor claims breakthrough in race for spinal cord injury ‘cure’

Scientists switch off chromosome that causes Down’s syndrome

"Gene scientists on Wednesday said that in lab-dish cells, they had found a way to switch off the rogue chromosome that causes Down’s syndrome. The breakthrough opens up the tantalising goal of therapy for Down’s, they said, cautioning that years of work lie ahead before this aim is reached — if, in fact, it is attainable. Down’s syndrome is the world’s leading genetically caused mental disease, accounting for around one in 600 live births in the United States. It is the first time that correction has been achieved for an entire chromosome, a coil of DNA that is studded with hundreds of genes, the protein-making codes to build and sustain life." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingScientists switch off chromosome that causes Down’s syndrome

Bunnies glow green in the dark, join lots of other glowing animals

"Earlier this week, a litter of bunnies were born in Istanbul. Scientists were pleased. That’s because two of the bunnies have been successfully genetically engineered to glow in the dark, a feat that the team of scientists from the University of Hawaii and a Turkish lab say demonstrates advanced genetic modification. These are not the first glow-in-the-dark rabbits: In 2000, artist Eduardo Kac commissioned a French lab to create for him a luminescent rabbit, Alba, also using borrowed genes from jellyfish. He called that rabbit art. The scientists called it science. A philosophical tussle ensued. And then a legal one. The glowing rabbit died before the matter was settled." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBunnies glow green in the dark, join lots of other glowing animals

Woman drives 190 miles asleep at the wheel on sleeping medication

"Told that the woman had been sleep-driving 10 months previously and had a fondness for the beach, police ordered patrol cars to keep a lookout for her silver hatchback and began tracking her via her mobile phone. They said data showed the phone was on and she was sending texts as she drove from her Hamilton home to the beachside town of Mount Maunganui via Auckland, a distance of almost 300 kilometres (190 miles). After five hours on the road, she was finally found slumped over the wheel of her car in the driveway of a house she used to live in, with no recollection of her sleepy sojourn." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWoman drives 190 miles asleep at the wheel on sleeping medication

‘Safe’ sugar levels in humans are toxic to mice

"Sugar is toxic for mice in dosages that in humans would equal a 'safe' diet that includes three cans of soda per day, scientists said Tuesday. Mice fed a diet in which sugar contributed a quarter of their daily calories did not become obese or ill, yet died younger and had fewer babies than animals on a healthy diet, said the team — raising red flags about 'added sugar' levels some consider safe for humans. 'Added sugar' is a term used for the refined stuff that is added to sweet drinks, baked goods and candy rather than the natural sugars found in fruit, vegetables and milk products. Sugar consumption in the American diet had increased by 50 percent since the 1970s." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Safe’ sugar levels in humans are toxic to mice

Footage of distressed cows stir questions about growth drugs

"Tyson Foods Inc declared it would no longer accept cattle that had been fed the most popular brand of the feed additive, called Zilmax, a powerful and fast-selling product from pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. The debate over Zilmax follows a similar dispute over ractopamine. China and Russia have banned the import of meat from ractopamine-fed animals, and the U.S.-based pork giant Smithfield Foods in May announced it will stop feeding ractopamine to half its pig herd, a move seen as an effort to recapture the lucrative China market. The FDA has deemed beta-agonists safe both for farm animals and for human health." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFootage of distressed cows stir questions about growth drugs

Taking pills for unhappiness reinforces the idea that being sad is not human

"I was trouble at school. Thank God this was in the early 80s, otherwise I bet someone would have suggested Ritalin. For, since the mid 80s, society has decided that adolescent trouble-making is some sort of medical condition. We have given it a scientific-sounding classification, ADHD, securing a sense that a messy adolescence is pathological, some sort of chemical imbalance. Thus the scientists are called in to reinforce generally conservative norms of appropriate behaviour. In the US, between 1987 and 2007, there was a 35-fold increase in the number of children being classified as having some form of mental deficiency." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTaking pills for unhappiness reinforces the idea that being sad is not human