Breast cancer death rates continue to decline more than 2 percent annually, a long-running trend that can be traced to early detection and better treatments, according to a new American Cancer Society report.

However, the death rates are not declining as quickly among black women as among white and Hispanic women.

In 2007, about 178,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in American women, and another 62,030 cases of localized breast cancer will be found. About 40,460 women are expected to die from the disease this year, second only to lung cancer, the report said.

The decline in overall reported breast cancer cases, beginning in 2000, is believed to be related to two factors. One is the decreased use of hormone replacement therapy, which has been linked to a multitude of health risks, including breast cancer. Read more » »

A lung cancer patient has gone to court to stop his bank contacting him about repayment of a loan after he was called 762 times in ten months.

David Lloyd, 61, and his partner, Annette Edwards, 57, owe the Halifax about £5,000. Because of Mr Lloyd’s illness, which is now in remission, they ran up an overdraft and got into arrears with their repayments.

The couple, from Manchester, claim that they were called 184 times in August last year and 169 times in September – an average of more than five calls a day.

When they changed their number the bank turned its attention to Ms Edwards’s daughter. She received between 60 and 100 calls on her mobile phone in four months. Read more » »

Generations of studies on vitamin E may be largely meaningless, scientists say, because new research has demonstrated that the levels of this micronutrient necessary to reduce oxidative stress are far higher than those that have been commonly used in clinical trials.

In a new study and commentary in Free Radical Biology and Medicine, researchers concluded that the levels of vitamin E necessary to reduce oxidative stress — as measured by accepted biomarkers of lipid peroxidation — are about 1,600 to 3,200 I.U. daily, or four to eight times higher than those used in almost all past clinical trials.

This could help explain the inconsistent results of many vitamin E trials for its value in preventing or treating cardiovascular disease, said Balz Frei, professor and director of the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, and co-author of the new commentary along with Jeffrey Read more » »

Recent research results have challenged conventional understanding of the oxidation of the “radical scavenger”, vitamin E. Cutting-edge analysis methods have revealed that the intermediates commonly believed to be involved in the process do not occur. This surprising finding has been systematically documented and published as part of a project supported by the Austrian Science Fund FWF. The new findings are also extremely important for a follow-up project that is focusing on the synthesis of “super antioxidants” based on a polymeric vitamin E.

Vitamin E is one of the most important naturally occurring antioxidants, and has become widely known as a “radical scavenger” and anti-ageing product. It is perhaps precisely this high profile that has caused scientific interest in vitamin E to focus on optimizing its usage, while aspects relating to the basic chemistry have received less attention. However, in their work to develop new potential applications, chemists are revisiting these basics - and are radically rewriting a great deal of accepted teaching as they do so. Read more » »

The project was backed by 1.2 million USD in non-refundable aid from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) through the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

It will benefit more than 1.8 million children in the 13 northern mountain provinces of Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Hoa Binh, Cao Bang, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Ha Giang, Lang Son, Nam Dinh, Tuyen Quang, Bac Can, Thai Nguyen, Son La and the five Central Highlands provinces of Ninh Thuan, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dak Nong and Dak Lak.

Under the scheme, 27,498 communal medical stations in cooperation with volunteers and local social organisations will deliver vitamin A and vermiguge to the children.

The project aims at reducing the rate of vitamin A insufficiency by 50 percent, the rate of anaemia sufferers by 70 percent and the rate of parasitic disease sufferers among children under Read more » »

TRENTON, New Jersey_In a disappointing setback, a promising experimental AIDS vaccine failed to work in a large international test, leading the developer to halt the study.

Merck & Co. said Friday that it is ending enrollment and vaccination of volunteers in the study, which was partly funded by the National Institutes of Health.

It was a high-profile failure in the daunting quest to develop a vaccine to prevent AIDS. Merck’s vaccine was the farthest along, considered the most promising and was closely watched by experts in the field.

Officials at the company, based in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, said 24 of 741 volunteers who got the vaccine in one segment of the experiment later became infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. In a comparison group of volunteers who got dummy shots, 21 of 762 participants also became infected. Read more » »

An Giang has been one of the hardest hit provinces in the region with 42 areas affected. Tens of kilometres of river banks have collapsed. In Tan Chau District, about one hectare of land along Hau River was struck by landslides.

The landslides have stretched 20 metres inland, forcing local authorities to quickly evacuate tens of households from affected areas.

In several river sections in Cho Moi District, An Giang Province, landslides following torrential rains in the last few days have threatened human lives and property.

Local weather officials predict that rising floodwater in the coming days may cause sudden landslides in Cho Moi District. River sections spanning five kilometres in length may break oft, leading to the collapse of 140 houses and ten fish rafts. Read more » »