Urine ‘scent’ test can detect bladder cancer

“The new device, called ODOREADER, contains a sensor that responds to chemicals in gas emitted from urine, said the study in the US scientific journal PLoS ONE. It analyzes the gas and reports on the chemicals contained in urine, which scientists can then read on a computer screen in order to diagnose cancer of the bladder. ‘We looked at 98 samples of urine to develop the device, and tested it on 24 patient samples known to have cancer and 74 samples that have urological symptoms, but no cancer,’ said Probert. ‘The device correctly assigned 100 percent of cancer patients.’ The next step is to expand trials to a wider sample of patients.” Continue reading

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Gene therapy promises to wipe out rare childhood diseases

“A new type of gene therapy has shown promise in wiping out two rare childhood diseases, apparently without the risks of causing cancer, international researchers said Thursday. The method used an HIV virus vector and the patients’ own blood stem cells to deliver a corrected version of a faulty gene, said the report in the US journal Science. As a result, six children are doing well, 18 to 32 months after their operations, said lead scientist Luigi Naldini of the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy in Milan.” Continue reading

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US, EU kick off Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership talks despite Snowden revelations

“The main goal is to agree on removing bureaucratic, regulatory and protectionist barriers to more open trade and investment to create what would be the world’s largest free-trade area, involving 820 million people. Key focuses of the talks ahead include agricultural trade, cross-border investment, intellectual property rights and regulatory harmonization. To avoid stalling the talks, separate US-EU discussions on the NSA activities were held quietly this week at the Department of Justice. Washington will push Europe to open up to US biotechnology products like genetically modified foods, which many European consumers consider dangerous.” Continue reading

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Germany stops Icelandic whale meat shipment to Japan in environmentalist victory

“Six containers of whale meat are on their way back to Iceland after German authorities removed the controversial cargo from a ship bound for Japan, Icelandic media reported on Friday. The batch was first stopped by German customs in Hamburg, where the containers were unloaded and then sent back via Rotterdam in the Netherlands. ‘Transportation of products between Iceland and Japan is in accordance with international law,’ Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson told RUV. Iceland ‘will now consider how to react to the transport of whale products being stopped and will stand firmly on Icelandic interests in this matter,’ he added.” Continue reading

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Paul Rosenberg: 9 Plagues That Are Collapsing Capitalism

“Our marginally capitalist, partly-free market systems are approaching a massive collapse. Not because of what capitalism is, mind you, but because the powers that be have bastardized it. Capitalism can bear many distortions and abuses, but it is not indestructible. And, make no mistake, the ‘capitalist’ system we have today has been massively corrupted, so much so that it’s sagging under the load… and will continue to do so until the proverbial straw breaks its back.” Continue reading

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College Girls, Bottled Water and the Emerging American Police State

“Public outcry has gone viral over an incident in which a college student was targeted and terrorized by Alcohol Beverage Control agents (ABC) after she purchased sparkling water at a grocery store. The girl and her friends were eventually jailed for daring to evade their accosters, who failed to identify themselves or approach the young women in a non-threatening manner. What makes this particular incident significant is the degree to which it embodies all that is wrong with law enforcement today, both as it relates to the citizenry and the ongoing undermining of our rule of law.” Continue reading

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Virginia health centers get $2.5M to ‘promote Obamacare on taxpayer dime’

“Virginia health centers will receive 22 federal grants totaling more than $2.5 million to enroll clients in Obamacare, part of a $150 million national campaign. The largest recipient is the New Canton-based Central Virginia Health Services, which will get $266,020. On a per-capita basis, the 51 new hires in Virginia would be paid an average of $49,000. Skeptics say the overhead costs are emblematic of the Obamacare program. ‘There are over 1,200 community health centers throughout the country who are getting a chunk of $150 million in outreach funding for the rollout of Obamacare,’ said Ben Domenech at the conservative Heartland Institute.” Continue reading

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Pixar inspires graphic comment on NSA surveillance

“Living in the emotional Switzerland of my blissful neutrality, as I do, it’s warming when people are inspired to create art to express dissent. So here is a very simple piece of animation, designed to emote a certain frustration with goings-on in the secret areas of government. It was delivered to me in an anonymous e-mail — address snowdenhatesrussianfood@gmail.com — that seemed to have been encrypted by goats. However, I understand it was first posted to Reddit and has now taken on a life of its very public own, with almost 1 million views on YouTube. It depicts the alleged regress of morning in America to night.” Continue reading

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