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Showing posts from January, 2013

New hopes for personalised cancer treatment

In the news today: A new multi million pound laboratory in west London is to be the first institute in Europe to sequence patients genomes in a matter of days for personalised cancer treatment. The Tumour Profiling Unit run by The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in Chelsea will use state-of-the-art techniques such as genome sequencing, epigenetics and imaging to identify a patient’s cancer at the start of diagnosis then track the cancer as it progresses, mutates and develops resistance to drugs throughout a patient’s course of treatment, writes our science reporter  Asha Tanna . In the next five to ten years tumour molecular profiling for cancer therapies should be "absolute routine practice" for every patient. The comment from ICR’s chief executive Alan Ashworth, professor of molecular biology went on: “Every cancer is different to every patient. But they are built from the same principles that they have to do certain things to clarify them as a cancer. “

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Mirror, Mirror on the wall

He came with such promise, style wit, and a walking  stick or 2. Always a walking stick or two. Strip back the layer to find an angry, manipulative  man. Genie, Genie in the bottle how can you survive in the bottle, Tailors hands, tailors fingers, tailors choking, Tailors pulling and dragging I ask you why???? Energetically. Why did you split the atom. I appreciate you, your sophistication and a  charm, I say you as a guru but found you as a shadow man, no strength , no beauty and no undying. I blog this today as I want to share that I am a woman who is prepared by womanhood. Can be seduced by someone so incrediibly dishonest and fundamentally untruthful. Thank god it was only 10 months, I have moved on and I have found an emotiionaley  rich and self satisfied man. All he brings to me is L O V E I wonder when I will be ready to receive  it, Keep you posted xxx #mirrormirror #green #iamstillawoman

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What a difference a year makes: Michael Douglas looks healthy and happy

What a difference a year makes: Michael Douglas looks healthy and happy celebrating anniversary of beating cancer with Catherine Zeta Jones and their children This time last year Michael Douglas announced he had beaten cancer. And a year on the Hollywood star looks happy and healthy enjoying a family holiday in Panama. Michael was seen with wife Catherine Zeta Jones and their two children son Dylan, 11 and daughter Carys, eight on the beach yesterday. Happy and healthy: Michael Douglas was looking in great shape as he enjoyed a day at the beach with his family in Panama yesterday The Wall Street star appeared relaxed as he wandered around the beach in a pair of board shorts and looked much younger than his 67-years. While the actor might have gone shirtless he protected his feet with a pair of black and green scuba shoes. Catherine, 42, covered up in an elegant animal red printed kaftan with animal print detail. Hand in hand: Michael and his wif

TV journalist Helen Fawkes 'has advanced cancer'

A television journalist has revealed she may die within six months after being diagnosed with cancer for a third time. BBC news correspondent Helen Fawkes was diagnosed with an advanced form of the disease on Christmas Eve, 11 years after she was first confirmed to have cancer. Having fought the disease twice before, Fawkes revealed she may be "dead by the summer". In an emotional entry to her blog at the weekend, she said: "I have advanced cancer, the kind you can never get rid of. "All I can do now is try to destroy each tumour every time I get one. I'm not terminally ill but I will die a lot sooner than I ever imagined. "The crazy thing is that I feel so well and yet I might be dead by the summer." Fawkes described the moment, during a check-up with medics, how she revealed slight pain near the scars of her previous cancer operations, prompting her consultant to immediately send the journalist for a scan. She was then called

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Why do I need to know about strangulation?

I need to share this: Why do I need to know about strangulation? If you have experienced strangulation, choking, or restriction of breathing, it is very important that you know more about what has happened to you and the consequences of this.  You are not alone about strangulation, many women report that this has happened to them and we take it very seriously.  The impact and injuries caused by strangulation (DOC) #iamstillawoman #domesticviolence #noneed What happens when someone is strangled? Strangulation has only recently been identified as one of the most lethal forms of domestic violence: unconsciousness may occur within seconds and death within minutes. When domestic violence perpetrators choke (strangle) their victims, not only is this very serious assault, but it may be an attempted homicide.  Strangulation is an ultimate form of power and control, it prevents a victim from breathing, in fact a perpetrator who uses strangulatio

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'Anti-cancer virus' shows promise

'Anti-cancer virus' shows promise By James Gallagher Health reporter, BBC News Modified vaccinia virus can target cancer Continue reading the main story An engineered virus, injected into the blood, can selectively target cancer cells throughout the body in what researchers have labelled a medical first. The virus attacked only tumours, leaving the healthy tissue alone, in a small trial on 23 patients,  according to the journal Nature . Researchers said the findings could one day "truly transform" therapies. Cancer specialists said using viruses showed "real promise". Using viruses to attack cancers is not a new concept, but they have needed to be injected directly into tumours in order to evade the immune system. Smallpox to cancer Scientists modified the vaccinia virus, which is more famous for being used to develop a smallpox vaccine. The virus, named JX-594, is dependent upon a chemical pathway, common in some cancers, in order to

Immune system 'booster' may hit cancer

Immune system 'booster' may hit cancer By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News Two white blood cells attacking a cancer Continue reading the main story Vast numbers of cells that can attack cancer and HIV have been grown in the lab, and could potentially be used to fight disease. The cells naturally occur in small numbers, but it is hoped injecting huge quantities back into a patient could turbo-charge the immune system. The Japanese research is published in the journal Cell Stem Cell. Experts said the results had exciting potential, but any therapy would need to be shown to be safe. The researchers concentrated on a type of white blood cell known as a cytotoxic T-cell, which can recognise telltale markings of infection or cancer on the surfaces of cells. If a marking is recognised, it launches an attack. Teams at the University of Tokyo and the Riken Research Centre for Allergy and Immunology used advances in stem cell technology to make more

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Kirsty Sword Gusmao battles breast cancer

. Kirsty Sword Gusmao battles breast cancer  Save HOME: Kirsty Sword Gusmao during her visit to Bendigo in April, 2008. Picture: BRENDAN McCARTHY Kirsty Sword Gusmao will have breast cancer surgery in Melbourne today. See your ad here The former Bendigo resident and wife of East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao received the early diagnosis of breast cancer during a holiday with her three children to visit her mother and grandmother in Melbourne recently. She will be undergoing surgery today at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Australia's only public hospital dedicated to cancer treatment. Mr Gusmao, has flown to Melbourne to be by her side. He is expected to head back to East Timor at a later date. In a media statement, Mrs Sword Gusmao and Mr Gusmao expressed their "special thanks to all their friends, colleagues and well-wishers from their homeland of Timor-Leste, and from all over, for the wonderful messages of support" they have rec

Types of intimate partner violence

Below are some of the forms that domestic violence may take: Physical  - If someone is hurting you, or threatening to hurt you, a loved one or a pet, then you will need to take some action. For more information about what physical abuse is, see  ‘What is physical abuse?’ Emotional  - This form of violence is often unrecognised and can be very hurtful. To find out more about emotional abuse, read  ‘What is emotional abuse?’ Economic  - Having money and being able to make decisions about it, is one means of being independent. If someone is controlling your money, keeping you financially dependent, or making you ask for money unreasonably, then this is a form of violence Social  – Social violence occurs in relationships that often include other forms of violence. If someone is insulting you or teasing you in front of other people, keeping you isolated from family and friends, controlling what you do and where you go, then they are being violent and you may need to take some action Spir

What is domestic violence?

This is a subject I was hoping I would never be exposed to. A very good friend of mine Lily she is 24 was hit last year and I realised that love may hold us to places where we feel we have to stay for one reason or another. Lily has stayed and been hit several times each time worse. Last Friday I was exposed to something I did not understand at all. I thought I should  share this information. Domestic violence, which is also known as  intimate partner violence , is a form of violence that can occur within any relationship. There are many  different types of domestic violence , including social, physical and emotional. Finding out  how you can keep yourself safe  and  organisations that can help you are important steps. This might help if you... are in an abusive relationship don’t know what to do about it don’t know where to go don’t know what your rights are need to know where to get help. What is domestic violence? Domestic violen