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High Cancer Levels In Wildlife Should Concern Humans, Says WCS
While cancer touches the lives of many humans, it is also a major threat to wild animal populations as well, according to a recent study by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
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Importance Of 'Moral Values' Replaced By Economy, Health Care For Voters, Washington Post Columnist Says
Since the 2004 election, issues relating to the economic recession and health care have replaced "moral values" as the most important political topics in the U.S., columnist E.J. Dionne writes in a Washington Post opinion piece. He cites a survey released in May by the Pew Research Center that offered respondents the same list of issues that appeared on the 2004 exit poll and found that the importance of moral values had decreased by more than half. Dionne writes that concern over the economy and jobs had more than doubled on the survey, while issues such as health care and education also had "gained substantial ground." According to the survey, "The drop in concern over moral values was particularly sharp among older working-class voters who have been trending Republican for years," Dionne writes.According to Dionne, "Conservative moral values voters have become the heart of the Republican coalition, and if their ranks are shrinking, so is the GOP"s base." He writes that it "is no accident that President Obama takes every opportunity to shift the public debate to issues -- the economy, health care and education -- that the populist conservatives ... find appealing."According to Dionne, "[f]ew recent survey findings are more enlightening about what"s happening in American politics -- and what is likely to happen to the debate over the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor." He adds that it is "striking that while some antiabortion groups issued stinging press releases against Sotomayor, her views on abortion remain a mystery -- to the consternation of abortion-rights supporters." According to Dionne, "Both sides in the abortion debate want to have a confrontation that Sotomayor may not give them the opportunity to stage." He adds that the "vast majority of Americans are not clamoring for this particular battle" (Dionne, Washington Post, 6/1).
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MADIT-CRT Trial Meets Primary Endpoint
Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) and the University of Rochester Medical Center announced that the landmark MADIT-CRT trial has met its primary endpoint. Preliminary results show Boston Scientific cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-Ds) to be associated with a significant 29 percent reduction (p=0.003) in death or heart failure interventions when compared to traditional implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). High risk(1), asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class I and II(2) patients were enrolled in MADIT-CRT. The MADIT-CRT Executive Committee expects to present and publish the trial"s full results later this year.
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Light Therapy Offers New Hope For Breast Cancer Patients

A groundbreaking non-invasive breast cancer treatment will be unveiled at this year"s Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition . Scientists led by world-renowned breast cancer expert, Mr Mo Keshtgar, are the first to use photodynamic therapy (PDT) to treat what is now the most common cancer in the UK.* PDT uses light to destroy cancer cells, doing away with the need for invasive surgery, and possibly offering an alternative to radiotherapy in some cases. PDT works by giving the patient a drug that makes the target area sensitive to light. The drug is activated when light - a low power red laser - is beamed at the area. The process starves the cells of oxygen, causing them to die. Trials will be conducted at London"s Royal Free Hospital, where Mr Keshtgar has been working with a technical and scientific team that includes Professor Stephen Bown of the National Medical Laser Centre, University College London and Professor Tayyeba Hasan of Harvard Medical School, Boston USA. Mr Keshtgar says: "The key appeal of photodynamic therapy is that it attacks and destroys cancer cells while retaining the viability of the surrounding normal cells. Breast cancer can be particularly traumatic, with more invasive treatments leaving physical and emotional scars. Our treatment will keep the structure of the connective tissue intact meaning the breast does not become deformed or lose shape." The treatment is already available for skin cancer (non-melanoma), mouth cancer, and some other cancers. But the team is the first to apply it to breast cancer. Trials are also underway with PDT for prostate and bile duct and pancreatic cancer. The team will be exhibiting an array of breast cancer tools used and developed by clinicians and researchers at the Royal Free, UCL and University College Hospital, including an award-winning elastic scattering spectroscopy (ESS) scanner. ESS is an optical diagnostic technique which uses light to diagnose cancer in the lymph glands of breast cancer patients. The lymph glands drain and filter fluids from all parts of the body. The first lymph gland in the armpit to receive breast fluid from cancer is called the sentinel lymph node (SLN). Mr Keshtgar says: "Using the ESS scanner, we will be able to identify cancer in the SLN during operations and avoid second surgeries as well as further psychological trauma to patients. It will also have significant costs benefits to the NHS. We"re literally diagnosing cancer by shining flashes of light." The Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, which opens to the public at 10.00hrs today (Tuesday 30 June), showcases cutting edge research in science and engineering from across the UK. It runs until Saturday 4 July and is free and open to the public. The Exhibition is held annually at the Royal Society, the UK"s national academy of science. Notes * CancerStats Key Facts on Breast Cancer, Cancer Research UK (May 2009) - http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerstats/types/breast/ More information about the anniversary year can be found at http://www.seefurther.org. The Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition will take place from Tuesday 30 June - Saturday 4 July 2009 For further details and a full list of exhibits, please visit http://www.summerscience.org.uk Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition


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