Local chemotherapy has a stronger effect on reducing tumor growth, research suggests

Mar. 13, 2013 ? Reducing the growth of a tumor by localized delivery of cancer medication can be achieved by using a combination of ultrasound, temperature-sensitive nanoparticles and MRI. This is shown by Mariska de Smet in her PhD research at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and Philips Research. Her preclinical studies show that this local chemotherapy is more effective in reducing tumor growth than regular chemotherapy. In addition, the amount of medication reaching the tumor can be measured by adding an imaging marker to the chemo. De Smet defends her thesis on Thursday March 14th.

Using chemotherapy to treat cancer always has unpleasant side effects. The toxic effects of the medication also affect healthy cells, as well as those of the tumor itself. This leads to symptoms like nausea, hair loss or reduced effectiveness of the immune system. Scientists have been working for many years on image-guided administration of medication using 'delivery vehicles': particles that transport the medication through the body to the tumor, which can be imaged after drug release. This allows higher doses of medication to be used, while the rest of the patient's body remains unaffected.

Temperature-sensitive

TU/e and Philips Research have been carrying out research for a number of years into methods of this kind, in which temperature-sensitive liposomes (tiny fat-based spheres) act as delivery vehicles for the medication. The liposomes contain the medication and a contrast medium that is visible in an MRI scan. After injection into the blood, the liposomes transport the medication through the body. The location of the tumor is identified using MRI, after which the tumor is warmed by means of ultrasound. When the liposomes reach the tumor, the increased temperature causes them to open so that the medication and contrast medium are released.

Slowing down tumor growth

Mariska de Smet shows the effectiveness of this method in her PhD research at TU/e, in which she was supervised by prof.dr. Holger Gr?ll. Tumor growth was found to be reduced after treatment using this technique. In fact the effect was even stronger than with regular chemotherapy. De Smet also showed that the amount of contrast agent released was a good indicator of the extent to which tumor growth was slowed down; the more contrast medium visible, the greater the effect of the chemotherapy. Because the amount of medicine released can immediately be measured, this could enable physicians in the future to quickly decide whether to administer additional medication or to start a different form of treatment.

Clinical development

The research carried out by De Smet was of a preclinical nature. Before the therapeutic effects of the method can be investigated on patients, a number of practical obstacles still need to be overcome. De Smet expects that it will take 10 -- 15 years before the new technology is available for use on patients. Mariska de Smet will gain her PhD on the 14th March at Eindhoven University of Technology for her thesis entitled 'MR-HIFU mediated local drug delivery using temperature-sensitive liposomes'. Her supervisor is prof.dr. Holger Gr?ll (TU/e and Philips Research), and her copromotor is dr. Sander Langereis (Philips Research).

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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/dPTwVQduwKQ/130313123308.htm

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House Education Committee hears testimony on ways to strengthen ...

Earlier this morning the House Committee on Education and the Workforce,?led by Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.), held a hearing on college loans to look at how the government can simplify and strengthen its current federal aid programs to make college more obtainable for all young Americans.

Dr. Deborah J. Lucas, a Sloan Distinguished Professor of Finance at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, urged the committee to revisit how the interest rates on student loans are calculated.

?The current practice of setting fixed interest rates that extend many years into the future?rather than linking them by formula to prevailing market interest rate conditions?has adverse consequences for students, for taxpayers, and for the stability and control of budgetary costs,? Lucas said.

She added that having the government fix the interest rate results in government subsidies shrinking when students would benefit from them the most. It should be noted that the interest rate on the federal Stafford loan is set set to increase once again this summer.

Jason Delisle, the director of the Federal Education Budget Project for the New America Foundation, called on the committee to discuss the current flaws in the 2007 Income-Based Repayment plan and use that as the sole repayment option for future borrowers.

Not only are record numbers of Americans struggling to pay back college loan debts, but in just a few years there will be more Americans with outstanding student loans than receive social security or food stamps, according to Justin Draeger,?president and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. A media advisory released by the committee Monday noted that the average full-time undergraduate received $13,218 in student aid during the 2011-2012 academic year and that 73 percent of all student aid comes from the federal government.

?Given these numbers, it?s imperative that we get federal student loan policies right. We have a collective interest in ensuring that federal loans remain accessible, affordable, predictable, and fiscally sustainable,? he told the committee.

Draeger also suggested that the committee consider revising its loan counseling programs so that students and their families are better educated when it comes to the financial loan process.

Dr. Charmaine Mercer, the Vice President of Policy at the Alliance for Excellent Education, reminded the committee that they shouldn?t just focus on re-evaluating?the student loan process, but also federal grants and tax credits.

?The complexities of the federal student aid system require that it be examined in its entirety,?Mercer?said. ?Addressing any one aspect of this system is necessary but individually, each is not sufficient for true reform of postsecondary aid programs and promoting student success and completion.?

Source: http://redalertpolitics.com/2013/03/13/house-education-committee-hears-testimony-on-ways-to-strengthen-college-student-aid-programs/

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To Boost Music Subs, Deezer Turns On Affiliate Deals, Gaming APIs, And (Ahead Of Spotify) 3rd Party Apps On Mobile

Music streaming may not be making much money right now, but that's not stopping music streaming hopefuls from trying. The latest development comes from Deezer, which is announcing a series of new services based around its APIs to drive more users to its service. They include an affiliate marketing program; more social and gaming integration; and the ability to port apps made for the Deezer App Studio into Deezer's mobile apps for Android and iOS devices. This last point gives Deezer a leg up on Spotify, which has yet to incorporate third-party apps into its mobile platform -- although we spotted a while ago that Spotify seems to have laid the groundwork for this already.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/RYXsg2YtAhE/

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China river pig toll nears 6,000

13 March 2013 Last updated at 06:09 ET

Officials say the number of pig carcasses found in Shanghai's Huangpu River has risen to nearly 6,000.

In a statement, Shanghai authorities said that 5,916 dead pigs had been removed from the river by Tuesday.

But they said water from the river was safe, with water quality meeting government-set standards.

It is believed that the pigs may have come from Jiaxing in the neighbouring Zhejiang province, although the cause of their deaths is still not clear.

In a statement, the Shanghai municipal government said that the water in Huangpu River, which is a major source of drinking water for Shanghai, was safe. It also said that no diseased pork had been detected in markets.

However, the news has been met with scepticism by some users on weibo, China's Twitter equivalent, where the hashtag "Huangpu River dead pigs" has emerged.

"Cadres and officials, we are willing to provide for you, but please don't let us die from poisoning. Otherwise who will serve you? Please think twice," said netizen Shi Liqin.

"This river's colour is about the same as excrement, even if there weren't dead pigs you couldn't drink it," said another, with the username Yuzhou Duelist.

The general mood is of concern, rather than outrage or panic, reports the BBC's John Sudworth in Shanghai, as the Chinese public are well used to food scandals, such as the use of oil scraped from sewers for cooking, and plasticiser found in baby formula.

'Timely data'

The government statement said that the number of pigs being salvaged from the river appeared to be decreasing.

Laboratory tests have identified that some of the pigs had porcine circovirus, a common disease that affects pigs but does not affect humans.

Reports suggest the dead pigs may have been dumped from pig farms in Jiaxing, upstream of Shanghai.

"We don't exclude the possibility that the dead pigs found in Shanghai were from Jiaxing. But we are not absolutely sure," Jiaxing local government spokesman Wang Dengfeng told a news conference.

Whilst tags on the pigs' ears indicated that they were from Jiaxing, this only showed the pigs' place of birth.

"It is unclear where the dead pigs were raised," he said.

Jiaxing officials have also said that the pigs may have been killed by cold weather.

In an opinion piece, the state-run Global Times said that the pig scandal comes amid growing concerns about China's environment, including recent record smog levels in Beijing, and water and air pollution affecting villages.

"The country's citizens, including both ordinary people and officials, should bear in mind the necessity of protecting the environment," it said.

It called on officials to publish "timely data regarding the quality of drinking water to reassure the public".

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-21766377#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Heavy snow blankets Rocky Mountains

AP Photo/David Zalubowski

An overhead sign warns that Interstate 70 is closed to the east as a tractor trailer heads out of Aurora, Colo., as a late winter storm packing wet, heavy snow and high winds swept over the intermountain West on Saturday, March 9, 2013.

By F. Brinley Bruton, Staff Writer, NBC News

A powerful storm dumped snow on the Rocky Mountains on Sunday, after having forced the?cancellation?of hundreds of flights and the?postponement?of a Major League Soccer game.?

The fierce Pacific storm was moving east across the Plains into the Midwest, and blizzard conditions were possible?in parts of Nebraska and northwest Kansas,?The Weather Channel reported.

Forecasters also said that parts of the region could expect wind gusts of up to 50-miles-an-hour and white out conditions.

Meteorologists said there could be accumulations of 3 to 6 inches in portions of Iowa, Minnesota, central Wisconsin and northern Michigan as well on Sunday.

Snow pounded Denver, Colo., Saturday, falling at more than an inch per hour at times. Nearly 500 flights out of Denver International Airport had to be canceled. The Weather Channel's Mike Seidel reports.

The late-winter blast has already dumped up to 10 inches of heavy, wet snow in?the Denver metropolitan area, The Weather Channel reported.

More than 600 flights in and out of Denver International Airport were canceled on Saturday, according to the Associated Press.

"Many of the canceled flights are commuter flights that go to mountain towns," airport spokesman Heath Montgomery told Reuters, adding that the facility remained open.

Related:?How deep is it? Show us your snow photos #nbcnewspics

Looking ahead, passengers could expect delays of up to 30 minutes as crews de-iced departing aircraft, he said, according to Reuters.?

The Colorado Rapids postponed their Major League Soccer game against the Philadelphia Union until Sunday, the team said on its website.?

And as the storm moves farther east, rain is expected to move into western New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia on Monday, the Weather Channel reported.

Brennan Linsley / AP

A man walk struggles to walk as blizzard conditions set in at the U.S. Air Force Academy, in southern Colorado on Saturday.

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/10/17257054-heavy-snow-blankets-colorado-prompts-flight-cancellations?lite

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Pippa Middleton With No Makeup: Whoa!

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Republicans resume effort to repeal 'Obamacare' (Los Angeles Times)

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House Passes Six-Month Stopgap Bill to Fund Government

The House voted today to pass the continuing resolution and fund the federal government through the end of the fiscal year, making a shutdown later this month doubtful.

The continuing resolution, known around Washington as a CR, is subject to sequestration levels in its entirety, setting the top-line overall rate of spending at $982 billion, down from $1.043 trillion the previous fiscal year.

The vote on the CR passed 267-151 with mostly Republican votes, although once it became clear the bill would pass 53 Democrats decided to join the majority. Fourteen Republicans and 151 Democrats opposed the bill.

"Today, the House has taken the first step towards assuring the American people that the federal government will stay open, which President Obama agrees should be our shared goal," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said after the vote. "This legislation is straightforward and reasonable, protecting national defense and helping our veterans while maintaining the president's sequester, which Republicans continue to support replacing because there are better ways to cut spending."

The vote was moved up 24 hours because of a snowstorm forecast to strike the Washington metro area today, although the region has mostly dodged the brunt of the blizzard.

The measure kept the FY2012 spending level as a base for 10 out of 12 appropriations bills - but notably, the legislation includes a full-year defense appropriations bill, as well as a full-year military construction/veterans affairs appropriations bill. Those two measures, which were still subject to sequestration, enabled lawmakers to address the funding priorities of an agency rather than relying on existing spending plans that might have become outdated or impractical.

But that added flexibility still did not persuade most House Democrats to support the bill.

"This CR does nothing to address the irrational cuts to defense and non-defense that the sequester will require. It could be very harmful to our economy and to our national security and place the most vulnerable in America at great risk," said House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md. "I want to vote for appropriations bills that enable us to limit the negative impact of sequestration on our defense community and the most vulnerable in our society, but this CR does not do that. This vote will do nothing to lessen the effects of the sequester."

Nevertheless, the Senate must pass or amend the bill before March 27, when the current funding runs out, in order to avoid a government shutdown.

"The Senate should pass the House measure without delay so we can continue focusing on helping Americans get back to work and putting the country on a path to a balanced budget," Boehner said.

"As we try to get our fiscal house in order, it's important to come together on issues where we can agree - avoiding a government shutdown, providing our people with essential services and supporting our troops and veterans," said Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., the chairman of the House Appropriations committee. "This bill sets the stage for a meaningful - and needed - discussion on how we can best address our nation's finances."

Democrats, however, contend that the Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs are not unique to the funding challenges facing Washington. The Democrat-led Senate is now expected to take up the House-passed bill and tweak it before sending it back to the House for further consideration.

Insiders said the Senate could add a couple of its own full appropriations bills to the CR, such as homeland security or agriculture funding bills that were agreed to with broad bipartisan support during negotiations in the last session of Congress even though they did not become law.

The House-passed version of the CR also addressed an apparent need for increased security, identified after the attack in Benghazi, Libya, by including a provision to increase the current level for embassy security by about $2 billion. The CR also provided additional funding for federal prisons and included a provision requiring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement "to sustain the mandated capacity of 34,000 detention beds." It also extended the current pay freeze for federal employees, which includes members of Congress and senators, even though President Obama has issued an executive order implementing a 0.5 percent pay increase.

Here is the full list of Republicans who opposed the CR, including five freshmen and three members from the Peach State who could end up competing in a primary for Georgia's open U.S. Senate seat:

Justin Amash Jim Bridenstine Paul Broun Ron DeSantis Scott DesJarlais John Duncan Phil Gingrey Louie Gohmert Jack Kingston Thomas Massie Tom McClintock Bill Posey Matt Salmon Steve Stockman

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/house-passes-six-month-stopgap-bill-fund-government-210406791--abc-news-politics.html

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