Walnut lowers breast cancer risk

Tue Sep 6, 2011

A new study conducted at the Marshall University suggests that women who eat a handful of walnuts on a regular basis are at lower risk of developing breast cancer.

Researchers found that female mice fed with daily walnuts were more than two times less likely to develop breast cancer compared to the ones on a typical diet.

According to the report published in the journal, Nutrition and Cancer, the average size of breast tumors was almost smaller in walnut eating mice which developed breast cancer during the trial period.

"These reductions are particularly important when you consider that the mice were genetically programmed to develop cancer at a high rate," said lead researcher Dr. Elain Hardman.

"We were able to reduce the risk for cancer even in the presence of a preexisting genetic mutation," she added.

Genetic analysis showed that the walnut-containing diet changed the activity of multiple genes relevant to breast cancer in both mice and humans.

Previous findings had shown that walnuts contain many beneficent nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and gallic acid that are effective in lowering the risk of high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease and cancers.

"The results of this study indicate that increased consumption of walnut could be part of a healthy diet and reduce risk for cancer in future generations," Hardman said.

Although more investigations are needed to confirm the study's findings, researchers recommended that eating at least 2 ounces (57 grams) of walnuts each day can have the same preventive effect against breast cancer in humans as well.

"Dietary changes could prevent one-third to two-thirds of all cancer," added Hardman saying that a healthy diet, combined with regular exercise, a sensible weight, and avoiding alcohol and tobacco could prevent breast cancer, as well as other common cancers.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/197730.html.

Human colon stem cells identified

Wed Sep 7, 2011

An international team of scientists have successfully isolated and grown human colon stem cells from fresh biopsy samples in a lab-plate for the first time.

Led by Professor Eduard Battle from Barcelona's Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), and Toshiro Sato at University Medical Center Utrecht in The Netherlands, the team managed to identify and localize human colon stem cells (CoSCs).

According to the article published in Nature Medicine, CoSCs renew the epithelial cells lining the large intestine, which their malfunction and changes may cause diseases such as colorectal cancer.

Researchers also developed a method to obtain the newly found stem cells through biopsy and isolate and grow them outside the body in lab-plates.

“This is the first time that it has been possible to grow single CoSCs in lab-plates and to derive human intestinal stem cell lines in defined conditions in a lab setting,” said study author Peter Jung from IRB, Barcelona.

“For years, scientists all over the world have been trying to grow intestinal tissue in lab-plates; testing different conditions; using different nutritive media. But because the vast majority of cells in this tissue are in a differentiated state in which they do not proliferate, they survived only for a few days,” he added.

The new findings may lead to further understandings about many complicated intestinal disease and new effective treatments.

The discovery can also provide grounds for future studies about stem cell therapies, organ development and regenerating defected intestine for patients.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/197899.html.

Libyan envoy: New government to buy back weapons from rebels

Sep 7, 2011

Paris - Libya's transitional authorities plan to disarm the rebels who toppled Moamer Gaddafi's regime by buying back their weapons and inviting them to join the national army, the National Transitional Council's envoy to Paris, Mansour Saif al-Nasr, said Wednesday.

Libya is awash with weapons, including large amounts of shoulder-fired aircraft missiles snatched from the regime's stockpiles over the course of the six-month civil war.

Some such missiles have reportedly found their way across the border into Mali, raising fears among neighboring states and Western governments that they could fall into the hands of the Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) terrorist group. AQIM has bases in northern Mali.

'Once security is established, we will recover all the weapons,' Al-Nasr told the German Press Agency dpa, saying there was 'a plan to buy back the arms.'

Already, a commission in Tripoli is registering weapons and issuing the bearers with permits, he said.

For those young fighters who were loathe to disarm, 'we will offer to them to join the army,' he said.

The NTC's first priority however is to convince remaining pockets of Gaddafi loyalists in the towns of Bani Walid, Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte and the southern town of Sebha to surrender.

The whereabouts of the fugitive strongman himself is unknown.

A military spokesman for the rebels said he was 'trapped in a 60-kilometre radius area surrounded by forces of the (rebels') Transitional National Council.'

Al-Nasr would not be drawn on his whereabouts but said he believed he was still in Libya.

NTC leaders Mustafa Abdul Jalil and Mahmoud Jibril would move to Tripoli 'in the coming days, maybe even this week,' he said.

Meanwhile, the NTC would demand from Niger that it confiscate and hand over assets siphoned away by fleeing regime members, he said.

Al-Nasr reiterated claims that large sums of cash and gold had been 'stolen' from the Central Bank in Tripoli and in Sirte, possibly by regime members that fled to Niger in recent days.

Libya's neighbor to the south has admitted that Abdullah Mansoor, said to be Gaddafi's internal security chief and Mansour Daw, a senior army member, are both in Niger. Reports of a convoy of as many as 200 vehicles arriving from Libya Monday have yet to be confirmed.

Al-Nasr said Niger had given assurances that 'all those who arrive in Niger will be disarmed and placed under surveillance so that they do nothing to disrupt the revolution.

Niger had also assured that any regime members sought by the International Criminal Court would be dealt with 'according to the conventions in place,' he said. Niger is a signatory to the treaty that established the ICC.

Source: Monsters and Critics.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/africa/news/article_1661461.php/Libyan-envoy-New-government-to-buy-back-weapons-from-rebels.

Italians brace for anti-austerity strike

Tue Sep 6, 2011

Millions of Italians are set to go on a general strike in the capital Rome to protest fresh austerity measures adopted by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government.

The day-long strike will be held against a 45.5-billion-euro package of spending cuts and tax hikes introduced by the Berlusconi administration.

The protest action has been called by CGIL, Italy's biggest trade union, which demands from Rome to take measures to protect public jobs and punish tax evaders, the BBC reported Tuesday.

The strike is expected to disrupt public transportation, including train and bus services, and lead to the closure of some government offices.

Italian airline Alitalia has also announced that the action will force it to reduce the number of its domestic flights.

The Italian parliament is due to vote for a controversial austerity package that was compiled in early August under pressures from Italy's eurozone partners and the European Central Bank (ECB).

On Monday, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano called for swift action to reinforce the economic austerity plans while warning of clear signs that markets have lost confidence in Italy.

The strike comes as Berlusconi's popularity rating has plummeted to an all-time low.

Italy's budget deficit currently stands at 3.8 percent of the country's GDP. The government introduced a 48-billion-euro austerity package in July to balance the budget.

However, analysts say the Italian government needs an additional 20-billion-euro cut in spending to achieve a balanced deficit by 2013.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.com/detail/197658.html.

Spaniards protest austerity measures

Tue Sep 6, 2011

Thousands of Spaniards have launched rallies in the Spanish capital Madrid against their government's austerity measures, Press TV reported.

The three-day protest starting on Tuesday was initiated by Spain's two largest trade unions, the Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) as well as the Unio'n General de Trabajadores (UGT).

Tensions are running high as unions are battling a constitutional reform that consists of a controversial budget cap.

The protesters are now demanding a referendum before the Constitution is changed.

Possible clashes between protesters and security forces as well as traffic disruptions expected, as the protest organizers anticipate the rally to grow by Thursday.

Meanwhile, thousands of Italians have stated a general strike in the capital of Rome, protesting against their government's recently adopted austerity measures.

The strike is expected to disrupt public transportation, including train and bus services, and lead to the closure of some government offices.

Italian airline Alitalia has also announced that the action will force it to reduce the number of its domestic flights.

On Monday, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano called for swift action to reinforce the economic austerity plans while warning of clear signs that markets have lost confidence in Italy.

The strike comes as Berlusconi's popularity rating has plummeted to an all-time low.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.com/detail/197780.html.

'Libya's frozen assets in China $15bn'

Wed Sep 7, 2011

Libya's frozen assets in China are worth about USD 15 billion, a professor of international relations at China Foreign Affairs University says.

The Chinese professor, Gong Shaopeng, also stated that unfreezing Libya's frozen assets should be a gradual process, Chinese newspaper China Daily reported on Tuesday.

He added that the assets already unfrozen are enough for Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) to operate for eight months until a general election is held.

Last week, NTC chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil said that China had obstructed the release of some of Libya's frozen assets.

In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Beijing had "no difficulty in principle" with the release of such assets.

Some countries recently filed an application to the United Nations Security Council's Sanctions Committee to release the frozen assets of the Libyan government.

"In the spirit of being responsible to the Libyan people, China and some other members of the United Nations Security Council maintain that the use of the assets and supervision mechanism be further specified," Jiang said.

"After some applicant countries submitted more information, the application was approved by the United Nations Security Council's Sanctions Committee," she noted.

He Wenping, an expert on African studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, also said that a supervision mechanism is vital for the assets to be used in a proper way.

"It will be irresponsible if the assets are released without supervision. That may open the door for corruption," said the expert said.

Tens of billions of dollars in additional Libyan state funds have also been frozen by a number of Western governments, which have expressed reservations about releasing them despite NTC's repeated pleas for funds to run the interim government.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.com/detail/197868.html.

Iran to launch new space mission soon

Tue Sep 6, 2011

Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi has announced the forthcoming launch of a bio-capsule into space carrying a live creature.

Iran's domestically-built satellite carrier, Kavoshgar 5, is tasked with carrying the bio-capsule into space with a live creature over the next few days, IRIB quoted General Vahidi as saying on Tuesday.

Reports indicate that the launch could take place as early as Wednesday.

In March, Iran successfully launched Kavoshgar 4 rocket, capable of sending satellites and carrying live creatures into space.

As part of a plan to develop its space program, Iran successfully launched a satellite, dubbed Rassad (Observation), into the earth's orbit on June 15.

The Rassad satellite was the country's first space-based imaging device.

The country's Rassad satellite recently completed its mission following its launch in mid-June.

Iran launched its first domestically-built data-processing satellite, the Omid (Hope), into orbit in 2009.

The Islamic Republic is one of the 24 founding members of the United Nations' Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, which was set up in 1959.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/197676.html.