New-look strategy Maribyrnong Leader, Australia - Fiona Macrae, spokeswoman for Roads Minister Tim Pallas, said the Government was making "significant investments" in road infrastructure in the West, ...
Equity launches insureblue for male cancer sufferers Insurance Daily, UK - Jun 15, 2008 Insureblue is aimed at the 55000 men diagnosed with prostrate and testicular cancer each year and according to Fiona Macrae, spokeswoman at Equity, ...
Insurers to help sick take cover Mirror.co.uk, UK - Jun 11, 2008 After facing this problem, cancer survivor Fiona Macrae last year started a "pink" travel insurance policy specifically for women diagnosed with the ...
Tain women retain Ross-Sutherland team trophy Northern Times, UK - Jun 19, 2008 Golspie's fourth player was Fiona More whose net 75 (handicap 21) was not required. Royal Dornoch were runners-up with a net 208. Scorers: Moira Rennie (19) ...
Victorian toll drivers to face crackdown NEWS.com.au, Australia - Jun 17, 2008 "The current system has been in place since CityLink opened and we do not envisage any changes to the current system," Fiona Macrae said.ASX:CEU - ASX:TCL
Lynas's Six Degrees wins Royal Society award guardian.co.uk, UK - Jun 17, 2008 ... Dr Brian Cox, Royal Society University Research Fellow, University of Manchester and CERN; Fiona Macrae, science correspondent, the Daily Mail; ...
Could Mossie pull on the green jersey? Borders Today, UK - Jun 26, 2008 By Fiona Scott BORDERS rugby clubs have been bolstered by the biggest allocation of pro-players Scotland has seen. Hawick, Melrose and top flight newcomers ...
Blas 2008 heads for the strath Strathspey Herald, UK - Jun 4, 2008 Locally there will be performances from the acclaimed Fiona Mackenzie Band; Meantime; Andrea Beaton and Kimberley Fraser; MacRimmon to the Power of Three; ...
Reciprocal Consomic Strains to Evaluate Y Chromosome Effects - … FJ Carr, JS Clark, B Jeffs, NH Anderson, IM Macrae … - Hypertension, 2001 - Am Heart Assoc ... Martin W. McBride ; Hillary VO Carswell ; Delyth Graham ; Fiona J. Carr ; James
S. Clark ; Baxter Jeffs ; Niall H. Anderson ; I. Mhairi Macrae ; Anna F ...
Enzyme therapy for management of coeliac disease - HJ Cornell, FA MacRae, J Melny, CJ Pizzey, F Cook, … - Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, 2005 - ingentaconnect.com ... HUGH J. CORNELL 1 , FINLAY A. MACRAE 2 , JOY MELNY 2 , CATHERINE J. PIZZEY 2 , FIONA
COOK 2 , SANDRA MASON 3 , PRITHI S. BHATHAL 4 & TEODOR STELMASIAK 5 ...
Added value: its nature, roles and sustainability - L de Chernatony, F Harris, FDO Riley - European Journal of Marketing, 2000 - emeraldinsight.com ... Leslie de Chernatony and Fiona Harris Open University Business School, The Open
University ...Macrae (1991, p. 86) proposed a typology of six prominent added value ...
Microbial Keratitis and Vision Loss with Contact Lenses. - BA Holden, DF Sweeney, PR Sankaridurg, N Carnt, B … - Eye & Contact Lens: Science and Clinical Practice, 2003 - claojournal.org ... Nicole B.Optom.; Edwards, Katie B.Optom.; Stretton, Serina Ph.D.; Stapleton, Fiona
Ph.D ... keratitis during extended wear with low-Dk soft lenses from Macrae et al ...
[PDF]Occupational segregation, gender gaps and skill gaps - L Miller, F Neathey, E Pollard, D Hill - Institute for Employment Studies Working Paper, 2004 - eoc.org.uk ... gaps and skill gaps Linda Miller, Fiona Neathey, Emma Pollard and Darcy Hill Institute
for Employment Studies ... Marian Macrae (Highlands and Islands Enterprise). ...
Strategies against NSAID-induced gastrointestinal side effects. Part 1 F MACRAE, L MACKENZIE, K MCCOLL, D WILLIAMS - Pharmaceutical journal(1933), 2004 - cat.inist.fr Part 1. FionaMACRAE, Lisa MACKENZIE, Kenneth MCCOLL, David WILLIAMS Pharmaceutical
journal(1933) 272:72867286, 187-189, Pharmaceutical journal, 2004.
Microarray Analysis of Rat Chromosome 2 Congenic Strains - MW McBride, FJ Carr, D Graham, NH Anderson, JS … - Hypertension, 2003 - Am Heart Assoc ... Martin W. McBride ; Fiona J. Carr ; Delyth Graham ; Niall H. Anderson ; James S ... Anderson
N, Gratton J, Brosnan MJ, Gauguier D, Reid JL, Macrae IM, Dominiczak A ...
[CITATION] New Humanitarianism: Does It Provide a Moral Banner for the 21st Century? - F Fox - Disasters, 2001 - Blackwell Synergy ... As Joanna Macrae from the Overseas Development Institute has noted: ?in short people
feel that if humanitarian aid has the power to do so much ...Fiona Fox 280 ...
[PDF]Gendered School Experiences: the impact on retention and achievement in Botswana and Ghana - M Dunne, F Leach, B Chilisa, T Maundeni, R … - Education Series Research Report, 2005 - dfid.gov.uk ... Research Team M?ir?ad Dunne and Fiona Leach, University of Sussex ... No.32 SECTOR WIDE
APPROACHES TO EDUCATION. M Ratcliffe, M Macrae (1999) ISBN: 1 86192 131 4 ...
Source: Google Scholar
Baldness breakthrough: Stem cells coaxed into growing hair
Fiona MacRae
It could be the answer to the prayers of millions of men. Scientists have coaxed stem cells into growing hair for the first time.
At present, there are 7.4 million Britons affected by baldness. If they are unhappy about their appearance they are limited to choosing between a comb-over, a toupee or a transplant.
But within a decade, advances in stem cell science could help them to regrow their own hair where it has been lost.
The breakthrough could also lead to new treatments for other conditions, such as alopecia, in which hair is lost in patches.
Article continues below and (thank you)
Writing in the journal Nature, the scientists described how they had shown that adult mammals are able to grow new hair follicles.
It had been thought that follicles, the tiny structures responsible for hair growth, were always formed before birth, with their gradual death leading to baldness.
The discovery that it is possible to develop new follicles later in life paves the way for new hair loss treatments.
Scroll down for more
The answer to the prayers of millions of men: Stem cells coaxed into growing hair
The University of Pennsylvania researchers made their discovery when studying the process of wound healing in mice.
They found that as the wound heals, new hair follicles form underneath the new skin – allowing new hair to sprout.
Close examination showed that the follicles were formed from stem cells – master cells capable of turning into different cells and tissues.
Key to the process was a protein called wnt, which is usually active only in the womb. If levels of the protein are increased, more hair grows. Without wnt, no hair grows.
Adding wnt also helped the wounds to heal better. It is thought that when the skin heals itself, it returns to a state similar to that found in the developing foetus, allowing new, fully functional follicles to form.
Although all work so far has been carried out in mice, the researchers are hopeful a similar technique could lead to treatments for humans.
Because wounding appears essential to the process, it is likely the skin would be grazed in the area to be treated, and a wnt-based drug given.
So far, all hair produced has been white, suggesting new hair would have to be dyed to make it look more natural. The first human trials are, however, at least two years away – and any cure for baldness is not expected for a decade.
Experts have described the breakthrough as "remarkable".
Dr Denis Headon, a developmental biologist from Manchester University, said: "Up to now we thought that the number of hair follicles we have is set before we were born and can only go downhill from there.
"This work shows that new hair follicles are made in adult skin, at least when it is healing a wound. The implication is that it might be simpler than we thought to make new hair follicles as a treatment for hair loss."
Other remedies may appear on the market more quickly, with British scientists believing it may be possible to restore hair growth via a series of injections.
5 people have commented on this story so far.
Here's a sample of the latest comments published.
This is great! It's nice to see progress being made. Solutions may be just a few years away. Until then, I'll continue to shave my head and keep myself in good shape. My girlfriend seems to like me this way. That helps me to stay positive about all this.
- Paul, Indiana, USA
Why 10 years!?
These things take so long!
- Dan Holt, Amsterdam, Netherlands
As a slaphead myself I have to ask the question, what's wrong with being bald? It's a natural process for at least a third of adult men and nothing to be ashamed of or to hide with a 'highland jig' or Bobby Charlton comb over, or this new promised treatment.
Pollutants, food ingredients, solvents may all cause harm, researchers say.
By Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, May 14 (HealthDay News) -- A detailed analysis of hundreds of completed breast cancer studies has linked disease development with environmental exposure to more than 200 chemical compounds.
The finding is part of an effort to build a free, online breast cancer database for researchers and the public.
Described as "the most comprehensive of its kind," the database will highlight growing concern about environmental carcinogens such as pollutants, food contaminants, and organic solvents. The scope of the project will also extend to work that explores risk-related lifestyle factors such as diet, levels of physical activity, smoking/drinking habits and body mass.
"This compilation is a great effort, because it summarizes all the evidence and gives us hints of what to look for next," explained researcher Leslie Bernstein, a professor of preventive medicine with the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
The results are outlined in a supplement to the May 14th online issue of Cancer. The database is already accessible at either www.silentspring.org/sciencereview or www.komen.org/environment.
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), carcinogens are defined as agents that instigate abnormal cell division or harmful changes in the structure of a cell's DNA. They include chemicals, radiation, or infectious agents, among other things.
The ACS also notes that with the exception of skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women. This year, almost 179,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with the disease, and about 40,000 will die.
The International Agency of Research on Cancer has already classified 90 or so compounds as human carcinogens, according to the ACS. But Bernstein's team said that most of the chemicals to which people are routinely exposed have not undergone any testing for carcinogenic risk. An estimated 80,000 chemicals are registered in the United States for commercial use, according to the researchers.
For more than two years, Bernstein worked alongside colleagues from Harvard University, the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and the Silent Spring Institute to amass and sort through approximately 900 national and international breast cancer studies focused on carcinogens.
The team honed in on 460 human breast cancer studies, of which more than 150 looked at specific environmental carcinogens among breast cancer patients. Most of those studies were conducted in the 1990s.
The remaining studies involved animal or laboratory research. The researchers pointed out that animal studies are valid references, because all known human carcinogens have also triggered tumors in animal subjects.
In the animal studies alone, evidence surfaced that linked 216 chemicals to the onset of breast tumors. These included 36 industrial chemicals, 6 chlorinated solvents, 18 products of combustion, 10 pesticides, 18 dyes, four type of radiation, 47 pharmaceuticals, and 17 hormones.
Of these compounds, the researchers isolated 73 that can be found in either human food or consumer products.
They noted, for example, the lingering hazards associated with polychlorinated biphenyls (or PCBs), which were typically used in the production of electrical equipment until federally banned in 1979. PCBs continue to pose a risk via contaminated rivers, fish, and pre-existing building construction, the researchers warned.
In addition, the authors categorized 35 compounds as carcinogenic air pollutants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (or PAHs), which are byproducts of combustion.
The team also drew attention to another group of 25 organic compounds, including dioxins, which are produced by waste incineration and manufacturing. These carcinogenic chemicals are present in many American workplaces and place more than 5,000 women at an increased risk for breast cancer, the researchers said. These include women working in machine shops, dry cleaners, hairdressers, glass manufacturers, and aircraft maintenance facilities, all of which use harmful organic solvents.
Furthermore, among the identified carcinogens, 29 are produced in large amounts -- upwards of one million pounds or more per year.
The database project did not set strict guidelines as to how to limit exposure to carcinogens. But the authors said they encouraged research and government oversight into the problem. They advised that people do try and limit their exposure to PCB-contaminated fish, gasoline-generated air pollution, chlorinated tap water, non-stick coated cookware, and detergents containing fluorescent whiteners.
Just how carcinogenic, in terms of breast cancer risk, are these and other compounds on the list? The jury is still out on that question, Bernstein said.
"Women are terribly concerned about environmental causes of breast cancer," she said. "But it's really very difficult to study. Often the only way we've been able to look at some of these things is during occupational exposures or accidents -- what we usually call disasters."
"So, this work is a very useful tool for those of us who want to try to understand what we've missed in breast cancer. Now, it's up to us to do something with all this information," Bernstein said.
Janet Gray, a professor of psychology and the director of the program in science, technology and society at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., called the new database "an enormous contribution."
"Its greatest value is just the sheer comprehensive nature of the work, which allows both the public and researchers to have access to huge amounts of information in one place," she said. "I think this effort will really move us forward."
Known and Probable Carcinogens
Including Industrial Processes, Occupational Exposures, Infectious Agents, Chemicals, and Radiation)
What Is a Carcinogen?
Cancer is caused by abnormalities in a cell’s DNA (its genetic "blueprint"). These may be inherited from parents, or they may be caused by outside exposures to the body such as chemicals, radiation, or even infectious agents.
Substances that can cause changes that can lead to cancer are called carcinogens. Some carcinogens do not act on DNA directly, but lead to cancer in other ways, such as causing cells to divide at a faster rate, which could increase the chances that DNA changes will occur.
Carcinogens do not cause cancer in every case, all the time. Substances classified as carcinogens may have different levels of cancer-causing potential. Some may cause cancer only after prolonged, high levels of exposure. And for any particular person, the risk of developing cancer depends on many factors, including the length and intensity of exposure to the carcinogen and the person’s genetic makeup.
How Do We Determine if Something Is a Carcinogen? Scientists get much of their data about whether something might cause cancer from laboratory (cell culture and animal) studies. Although it isn’t possible to predict with certainty which substances will cause cancer in humans based on animal studies alone, virtually all known human carcinogens that have been adequately tested produce cancer in lab animals. In many cases, carcinogens are first found to cause cancer in lab animals and are later found to cause cancer in people. Because there are far too many substances (natural and manmade) to test each one in lab animals, scientists use knowledge about chemical structure, other types of lab tests, and information about the extent of human exposure to select chemicals for testing.
Most studies of potential carcinogens expose the lab animals to doses that are higher than common human exposures. This is so that cancer risk can be detected in relatively small groups of animals. For most carcinogens, it is assumed that those that cause cancer at larger doses in animals will also cause cancer in people. Although it isn’t always possible to know the relationship between exposure dose and risk, it is reasonable for public health purposes to assume that lowering human exposure will reduce risk.
Another important way to identify carcinogens is through epidemiologic studies, which look at human populations to determine which factors might be linked to cancer. While these studies also provide useful information, they also have their limitations. Humans do not live in a controlled environment. People are exposed to numerous substances at any one time, including those they encounter at work, school, or home; in the food they eat; and the air they breathe. And it is usually many years (often decades) between exposure to a carcinogen and the development of cancer. Therefore, it can be very hard to single out any particular exposure as having a definite link to cancer.
By combining data from both types of studies, scientists are able to make an educated assessment of a substance’s cancer-causing ability. When the available evidence is compelling but not felt to be conclusive, the substance may be considered to be a probable carcinogen.
How Are Carcinogens Classified?
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
The most widely used system for classifying carcinogens comes from the IARC, which is part if the World Health Organization (WHO). In the past 30 years, the IARC has evaluated the cancer-causing potential of about 900 likely candidates, placing them into one of the following groups:
Group 1: Carcinogenic to humans
Group 2A: Probably carcinogenic to humans
Group 2B: Possibly carcinogenic to humans
Group 3: Unclassifiable as to carcinogenicity in humans
Group 4: Probably not carcinogenic to humans
Perhaps not surprisingly, most of the agents are of probable, possible, or unknown risk. Only about 90 are classified as "carcinogenic to humans."
National Toxicology Program (NTP)
In the United States, the NTP releases the Report on Carcinogens about every 2 years. The NTP is formed from parts of several different government agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The Report on Carcinogens (RoC) identifies 2 groups of agents:
"Known to be human carcinogens"
"Reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens"
Unlike the IARC’s list, the RoC does not list substances that have been studied and found not to be carcinogens. Below are the lists of known and probable human carcinogens from both groups.
Known Human Carcinogens
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) "Carcinogenic to Humans" (Group 1)
Agents and Groups of Agents
Aflatoxins (naturally occurring mixtures of)
4-Aminobiphenyl
Arsenic and arsenic compounds (Note: This evaluation applies to the group of compounds as a whole and not necessarily to all individual compounds within the group)
Estrogens, nonsteroidal (Note: This evaluation applies to the group of compounds as a whole and not necessarily to all individual compounds within the group)
Estrogens, steroidal (Note: This evaluation applies to the group of compounds as a whole and not necessarily to all individual compounds within the group)
Ethylene oxide
Etoposide in combination with cisplatin and bleomycin
Formaldehyde
Gallium arsenide
Gamma radiation
Helicobacter pylori (infection with)
Hepatitis B virus (chronic infection with)
Hepatitis C virus (chronic infection with)
Herbal remedies containing plant species of the genus Aristolochia
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (infection with)
Human papillomavirus type 16
Human papillomavirus type 18
Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I
Melphalan
8-Methoxypsoralen (Methoxsalen) plus ultraviolet A radiation
MOPP and other combined chemotherapy including alkylating agents
Mustard gas (Sulfur mustard)
2-Naphthylamine
Neutrons
Nickel compounds
Opisthorchis viverrini (infection with)
Oral contraceptives, combined (Note: There is also conclusive evidence that these agents have a protective effect against cancers of the ovary and endometrium)
Oral contraceptives, sequential
Phosphorus-32, as phosphate
Plutonium-239 and its decay products (may contain plutonium-240 and other isotopes), as aerosols
Radioiodines, short-lived isotopes, including iodine-131, from atomic reactor accidents and nuclear weapons detonation (exposure during childhood)
Radionuclides, alpha-particle-emitting, internally deposited (Note: Specific radionuclides for which there is sufficient evidence for carcinogenicity to humans are also listed individually as Group 1 agents)
Radionuclides, beta-particle-emitting, internally deposited (Note: Specific radionuclides for which there is sufficient evidence for carcinogenicity to humans are also listed individually as Group 1 agents)
Radium-224 and its decay products
Radium-226 and its decay products
Radium-228 and its decay products
Radon-222 and its decay products
Schistosoma haematobium (infection with)
Silica, crystalline (inhaled in the form of quartz or cristobalite from occupational sources)
Solar radiation
Talc containing asbestiform fibers
Tamoxifen (Note: There is also conclusive evidence that this agent (tamoxifen) reduces the risk of contralateral breast cancer)
2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin
Thiotepa
Thorium-232 and its decay products, administered intravenously as a colloidal dispersion of thorium-232 dioxide
Treosulfan
Vinyl chloride
X- and Gamma radiation
Mixtures
Alcoholic beverages
Analgesic mixtures containing phenacetin
Areca nut
Betel quid with tobacco
Betel quid without tobacco
Coal-tar pitches
Coal-tars
Mineral oils, untreated and mildly treated
Salted fish (Chinese-style)
Shale-oils
Soots
Tobacco products, oral tobacco products
Wood dust
Exposure Circumstances
Aluminum production
Arsenic in drinking water
Auramine, manufacture of
Boot and shoe manufacture and repair
Coal gasification
Coke production
Furniture and cabinet making
Hematite mining (underground) with exposure to radon
