Cancer Cell Lung Small Therapy

Scientists from TGen and other research facilities and universities have identified a gene that may be linked to an aggressive form of prostate cancer, a finding that researchers say could advance the treatment of the disease. The research eventually could yield a simple blood test to help doctors and patients determine the best course of treatment for the disease, scientists say. That would be an important step because physicians now have no way of knowing whether a prostate tumor is dangerous, prompting many unnecessary radiation treatments and surgeries that can have harmful side effects. The scientists believe the gene, called DAB2IP, aids in suppressing tumor growth. When the gene takes on a variant form, the body's natural protection is stripped away, allowing prostate cancer to spread unchecked, researchers say.

Sangamo BioSciences Announces Presentation Of Data For ZFP Therapeutic ...

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGMO) announced the presentation of positive data in a mouse tumor model from its program to develop a novel cell therapy using its zinc finger DNA-binding protein nuclease (ZFN(TM)) technology for treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a progressive and usually fatal brain cancer. The data were presented at the 49th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) by Sangamo's collaborator Michael C.V. Jensen, M.D., Associate Chair, Division of Cancer Immunotherapeutics & Tumor Immunology, City of Hope.

"Working with Sangamo, we have succeeded in generating ZFN-modified engineered T-cells that can destroy glioblastoma cells in vivo in the presence of dexamethasone," said Dr. Jensen. "This is an important result in the progress of our efforts to create a cell-based product which can be used in combination with glucocorticoids such as dexamethasone to treat patients with GBM.

In French suburbs, same rage, but new tactics

We are a French family with roots in the immigration. My wife's father came from Sardinia before WWII, when Italy was still a poor country. I am very surprised by some comments that were posted that France is a racist country! This is too simple and really stupid a conclusion. Do you really think it was that easy for earlier waves of immigrants, Polish, Italian, Portuguese people? They didn't get any help from the State (no subsidized houses at that time, called HLM here), they were looked down by the rest of the population. When you are an immigrant everywhere in the word, you're looked a different way. This is true in Europe, in the States in the Arab world or Africa. You need to be really better than everyone, work harder! The current wave of immigration is no exception to this, those people work hard just like the earlier waves from Southern Europe.

Ethical living

The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have committed themselves to paying us 45p a unit for electricity from the solar panels on our roof, about 10 times the wholesale price paid to the large, coal-fired Drax power station, in North Yorkshire. Microgeneration may be fashionable, but it is an astonishingly expensive way of reducing emissions. Less glamorous, but more effective, would be a plan to put a £20 note in the centre of every roll of loft insulation. British houses are the worst insulated in northern Europe and subsidised insulation would cut emissions far more cheaply than encouraging wind turbines or solar photovoltaic panels

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Sitting down with Santa

I am the father who, after spending more than is practical, stays up all Christmas Eve putting together the bike, the doll house and toy train." At this point I was getting a little confused and I thought it was time to lighten up a bit, so I asked, "What's the hardest part of your job, Santa?" He threw his head back, thought a minute and with a chuckle, responded, "You mean besides convincing Mrs. Claus that I'm really going around the world in 24 hours on a vehicle powered by eight reindeer?"I guess it would be convincing the elves of the fickle nature of children. Just when we had the assembly line pretty much automated to produce a million Cabbage Patch dolls a week, we get the word that they are as out of style as Lincoln Logs and Roy Rogers Six-shooters. Suddenly, it's Game Boy III or some such new-fangled development.

Ponderings from PapaBear

Ten games into the NFL Season the Cleveland Browns are sitting at 6-2 and are...so far...the biggest Cinderella story of 2007. It seems to happen every year. Last year it was the New Orleans Saints who stunned the football world. Prior to that it was the San Diego Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals who came out of nowhere to post turn-around seasons. So, with six games left in the regular season the question is...Are the Browns for real and do they have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs? The Browns were competitive in three of their four losses this year. The opening game loss to the Steelers was a disaster, but I believe that embarrassing loss lit a fire under this team. Costly turnovers did the Brownies in against the powerful Patriots, but they were in that game most of the way. Missed field goals late in the game accounted for the other two losses at Oakland and Pittsburg.

Farrah Fawcett: Recovery is 'Ongoing'

Farrah Fawcett is finally opening up about her cancer battle, giving only “Extra" a candid and emotional interview about her recovery.

“Tiring, yes. I felt much better when I was sick!" she said.