Curry chemical's ability to fight cancer put to the test
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17959521
6 May 2012

Does an ingredient in curry have a role in cancer prevention?

A chemical found in curry is to be tested for its ability to kill bowel cancer tumours in patients. Curcumin, which is found in the spice turmeric, has been linked to a range of health benefits. Studies have already shown that it can beat cancer cells grown in a laboratory and benefits have been suggested in stroke and dementia patients as well.

Now a trial at hospitals in Leicester will be investigating giving curcumin alongside chemotherapy drugs. About 40,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK each year. If the disease spreads around the body, patients are normally given a combination of three chemotherapy drugs, but about half will not respond. Forty patients at Leicester Royal Infirmary and Leicester General Hospital will take part in the trial, which will compare the effects of giving curcumin pills seven days before starting standard chemotherapy treatment.

'Difficult to treat'

Prof William Steward, from Leicester University, who is leading the study, said animal tests combining the two were "100 times better" than either on their own and that had been the "major justification for cracking on" with the trial.

He said: "Once bowel cancer has spread it is very difficult to treat, partly because the side effects of chemotherapy can limit how long patients can have treatment.

"The prospect that curcumin might increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapy is exciting because it could mean giving lower doses, so patients have fewer side effects and can keep having treatment for longer.

"This research is at a very early stage, but investigating the potential of plant chemicals to treat cancer is an intriguing area that we hope could provide clues to developing new drugs in the future."

Joanna Reynolds, from Cancer Research UK, said: "By doing a clinical trial like this, we will find out more about the potential benefits of taking large amounts of curcumin, as well as any possible side effects this could have for cancer patients."

Be prepared, spring is in the air: CSA Group seasonal safety tips for all your long weekends and the days in between

Toronto, May 15, 2012 /CNW/ - Spring and summer bring warmth and sunshine to the winter-wearied and renew our passion for the great outdoors. From camping to leisurely summer getaways, being outside and enjoying the tremendous weather with friends and family is a valued national past-time that many people embrace at every opportunity.

CSA Group, a leading certification and testing organization, wants to help everyone to stay and play safe during the coming long weekends and all season long by offering the following safety tips:

Outdoor Entertaining
Whenever cooking outdoors, a few basic safety tips are essential.

Gas Grills and Barbecues

• Make a clean start. Before firing up the grill for the first time this season, carefully inspect burners and burner tubes for blockages due to dirt, grease, insects or rust build-up. Clean or replace any blocked parts or have a certified technician make repairs.

• Blowing bubbles. To make sure there are no gas leaks, rub a 50/50 solution of soap and water onto the gas hose, fittings and connections and turn the gas on at the tank but not the burners. Any leaks will produce bubbles. Tighten the fittings if required and replace any damaged hoses or fittings.

• Take a pass on old gas! Propane cylinders must be inspected and requalified every 10 years in Canada and 12 years in the US. A date stamp on the cylinder indicates when it was last qualified. Do not use a rusty or damaged cylinder. If in doubt, have your tank replaced.

• Breathing fire. Keep grills and barbecues away from combustible materials such as fences, trees, buildings, awnings and carports. Never use a barbecue in a garage!

• Buy the Certification Flame. When purchasing or installing a gas barbecue, make sure that it carries the mark of an accredited certification agency such as the CSA Group Certification Flame or Star Mark indicating that it meets applicable national standards.
  Camping And Boating
  Visiting a camp site, cottage or lake? Remember these tips for a safer summer expedition.
  Camping Stoves and Lanterns

• Three meters from the tent. Fuel-burning camping equipment such as stoves, lanterns and outdoor cookers should only be lighted outdoors and at least three meters from tents, combustible materials and vehicles. Never light a stove or lantern indoors or in a tent or vehicle. Before use, carefully inspect parts for leaks, blockages or damage.

• Free the flame. To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, fuel-burning equipment should only be used in well-ventilated areas.

• Hot is not cool. Keep loose, flammable clothing away from open flames and carefully monitor children and pets around stoves and lanterns. Before packing up equipment, make sure it is completely turned off and cool to the touch.
  Boats and Cottages

• Boat smarts. Always wear a personal flotation device and never consume alcohol or intoxicants while operating a vehicle.

• Be alarmed. Ensure that certified carbon monoxide and smoke alarms are tested and properly installed outside all sleeping areas of your cabin, cottage or boat.

• Pest check. When opening your cabin, cottage or rustic retreat for the season, carefully inspect all appliances for damage from rodents or insects.

• Be prepared. Ensure boats and cottages are equipped with proper safety equipment in the event of an emergency, including first aid kits and fire extinguishers.

For more everyday consumer tips and safety advice, please visit www.csasafetytips.com 

Scientists hunt ways to stall Alzheimer's earlier
http://news.yahoo.com/photos/u-s--slideshow/health-human-services-secretary-kathleen-sebelius-speaks...
By Lauran Neergaard | Associated Press 

Washington (AP) — Look for a fundamental shift in how scientists hunt ways to ward off the devastation of Alzheimer's disease — by testing possible therapies in people who don't yet show many symptoms, before too much of the brain is destroyed.

The most ambitious attempt: An international study announced Tuesday will track whether an experimental drug can stall the disease in people who appear healthy but are genetically destined to get a type of Alzheimer's that runs in the family. If so, it would be exciting evidence that maybe regular Alzheimer's is preventable too.

A second study will test whether a nasal spray that sends insulin to the brain helps people with very early memory problems, based on separate research linking diabetes to an increased risk of Alzheimer's. The new focus emerges as the Obama administration adopts the first national strategy to fight the worsening Alzheimer's epidemic — a plan that sets the clock ticking toward finally having effective treatments by 2025.

"We are at an exceptional moment," with more important discoveries about Alzheimer's in the last few months than in recent years, Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, declared Tuesday. But a meeting of the world's top Alzheimer's scientists this week made clear that meeting the 2025 deadline will require developing a mix of treatments to attack the different ways that Alzheimer's damages the brain — much like it can take a cocktail of drugs to treat high blood pressure or the AIDS virus.

Perhaps more importantly, it will require testing possible drugs before full-blown Alzheimer's sets in, when it may be too late to do much good. After all, Alzheimer's starts ravaging the brain at least a decade before memory problems appear. And doctors don't wait until the worst symptoms appear before treating heart disease, cancer or diabetes, noted Dr. Reisa Sperling of Harvard Medical School.

"Once the train leaves the station of degeneration, it might be too late to stop it," Sperling said. "We need to define the critical window for intervention." Future therapy is far from the only goal of the first National Alzheimer's Plan. It's a two-pronged approach, promising to provide better and support for overwhelmed families along the way.

"A lot more needs to be done and it needs to be done right now, because people with Alzheimer's disease and their loved ones and caregivers need help right now," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in announcing the plan. Among the first steps: A new website — www.alzheimers.gov — that Sebelius called a one-stop shop for families offers easy-to-understand information about dementia and links to resources in their own communities. The government will offer free training to doctors and other health providers on how to spot the early signs of Alzheimer's and care for those patients. This summer, a campaign will begin to improve public awareness of Alzheimer's, important in reducing the stigma that helps fuel late diagnosis and the isolation that so many affected families feel.

Patient advocates applauded the move, and country music legend Glen Campbell, who has Alzheimer's, appeared on Capitol Hill to urge more research. Alzheimer's "has been in the shadows for far too long," said Eric J. Hall of the Alzheimer's Foundation of America. The plan "provides solid stepping stones toward substantial change."

Already, 5.4 million Americans have Alzheimer's or related dementias. Barring a research breakthrough, those numbers will jump by 2050, when up to 16 million Americans are projected to have Alzheimer's. There is no cure, and the five medications available today only temporarily ease some symptoms. Finding better ones has been a disappointing slog: Over the last decade, 10 drugs that initially seemed promising failed in late-stage testing, Sperling said.

Moreover, scientists still don't know exactly what causes Alzheimer's. The chief suspects are a sticky gunk called beta-amyloid, which makes up the disease's hallmark brain plaques, and tangles of a protein named tau that clogs dying brain cells. One theory: Amyloid may kick off the disease while tau speeds up the brain destruction.

Previous studies of anti-amyloid drugs have failed, but that new international study will test a different one, in a different way: About 300 people from a huge extended family in Colombia who share a gene mutation that triggers Alzheimer's in their 40s will test an experimental drug, Genentech's crenezumab, to see if it delays onset of symptoms. The study also will include some Americans who inherit Alzheimer's causing gene mutations.

Meanwhile, there are brain-protective steps that anyone can take that just might help, Dr. Carl Cotman of the University of California, Irvine, told Tuesday's NIH meeting.

"It's just a well-kept secret," he said.

The advice:
--Your brain is like a muscle so exercise it. Intellectual and social stimulation help build what's called "cognitive reserve," the ability to withstand declines from aging and dementia.
—Getting physical is crucial also. Clogged arteries slow blood flow to the brain, and people who are less active in middle age are at increased risk of Alzheimer's when they're older. "Any time your heart is healthier, your brain is healthier," said Dr. Elizabeth Head of the University of Kentucky.
--Don't forget diet, she added. The same foods that are heart-healthy are brain-healthy, such as the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish.

Health Canada has warnings for garage salers
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/story/2012/05/15/wdr-health-canada-grarage-sale.html

Just in time for summer, product safety officers with Health Canada are warning second-hand store owners and garage salers about safety regulations. They're also instructing border and customs agents about US products that don't meet Canadian safety ... Click here to read more

Report finds poor diet remains recipe for disaster as Canadians get older
http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Report+finds+poor+diet+remains+recipe...
Montreal Gazette
Study lead researcher Daniel Munro said the board came to its conclusions by analyzing statistical data on food choices compiled over the past 20 to 30 years by agencies such as Statistics Canada and Health Canada. Analyzing those trends, Munro said, ... Click here to read more

Most eye injuries can be prevented

Toronto, May 15, 2012 /CNW/ - A recent CNIB survey - released as part of Vision Health Month - revealed that each year an estimated 720,000 Canadians sustain an eye injury that requires medical attention.

"Many people think eye injuries only happen in industrial settings - where machines or chemicals are involved," said Dr. Keith Gordon, CNIB's Vice-President of Research. "But in reality, over two thirds of eye injuries occur outside of a work setting."

Eye injuries are some of the most frequently treated accidents in hospital emergency rooms. CNIB's study also estimated that about 100,000 people each year lose time off work as a result of an eye injury.

"Eye injuries can cause serious vision loss or even blindness, but most can be prevented," added Dr. Gordon. "People really need to think about protecting their eyes better not only at work, but also at home and while playing sports."

Eye injuries that cause permanent vision loss impact not only the person affected but their family and friends, too.

Canadians can do their part to minimize the significant social and personal costs associated with eye injuries by taking simple steps to protect their eyes at home, at work and at play. In addition to always wearing sunglasses, protective goggles or other eyewear, Canadians can follow the tips below to help protect their eyes from common hazards.

At home:

• Read and follow instructions when using chemicals

• Point spray nozzles away from you

• Use grease shields on frying pans

• Turn your face away when uncorking soda or champagne style bottles

• Pick up rocks and stones before mowing the lawn

• Trim low-hanging branches on trees in your yard

• Teach children how to safely handle knives, scissors and pencils

• Keep harsh chemicals, spray cans and glues out of a child's reach

At work:

• Read and follow safety instructions before using tools and chemicals

• Know the location of eyewash stations and First Aid equipment and how to use them

At play:

• Select toys and games suitable for a child's age

• Avoid toys that could be used as projectiles, such as darts, pellet guns and arrows

• Only allow certified professionals to handle fireworks

To learn more about eye safety and injury prevention, visit cnib.ca/eyesafety 

Why young people can’t get the jobs they want and the education they need
http://radicaled.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/e-book-why-young-people5.pdf
Martin Allen and Patrick Ainley

Already referred to as a „Lost Generation, after almost two years of Coalition government, young people now have even less to look forward to and are likely to end up worse off than their parents. This publication builds on, develops and updates arguments from our book Lost Generation? New strategies for youth and education (2010) and, in particular, those in our recent e-pamphlet Why young people can’t get the jobs they want (2011)

www.radicaled.wordpress.com