Mobile phone cancer link rejected

20 October 2011 Last updated at 21:11 ET By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News

Further research has been published suggesting there is no link between mobile phones and brain cancer.

The risk mobiles present has been much debated over the past 20 years as use of the phones has soared.

The latest study led by the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology in Denmark looked at more than 350,000 people with mobile phones over an 18-year period.

Researchers concluded users were at no greater risk than anyone else of developing brain cancer.

The findings, published on the British Medical Journal website, come after a series of studies have come to similar conclusions.

'Reassuring'

But there has also been some research casting doubt on mobile phone safety, prompting the World Health Organization to warn that they could still be carcinogenic.

In doing so, the WHO put mobile phones in the same category as coffee, meaning a link could not be ruled out but could not be proved either.

The Department of Health continue to advise that anyone under the age of 16 should use mobile phones only for essential purposes and keep all calls short.

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

These results are the strongest evidence yet that using a mobile phone does not seem to increase the risk of cancers of the brain or central nervous system in adults?

End Quote Hazel Nunn Cancer Research UK

The Danish study, which built on previous research that has already been published by carrying out a longer follow-up, found there was no significant difference in rates of brain or central nervous system cancers among those who had mobiles and those that did not.

Of the 358,403 mobile phone owners looked at, 356 gliomas (a type of brain cancer) and 846 cancers of the central nervous system were seen - both in line with incidence rates among those who did not own a mobile.

Even among those who had had mobiles the longest - 13 years or more - the risk was no higher, the researchers concluded.

But they still said mobile phone use warranted continued follow up to ensure cancers were not developing over the longer term, and to see what the effect was in children.

Hazel Nunn, head of evidence and health information at Cancer Research UK, said: "These results are the strongest evidence yet that using a mobile phone does not seem to increase the risk of cancers of the brain or central nervous system in adults."

Prof Anders Ahlbom, from Sweden's Karolinska Institute, praised the way the study was conducted, adding the findings were "reassuring".

Prof David Spiegelhalter, an expert specialising in the understanding of risk who is based at the University of Cambridge, said: "The mobile phone records only go up to 1995 and so the comparison is mainly between early and late adopters, but the lack of any effect on brain tumours is still very important evidence."

And Prof Malcolm Sperrin, director of medical physics at Royal Berkshire Hospital, said: "The findings clearly reveal that there is no additional overall risk of developing a cancer in the brain although there does seem to be some minor, and not statistically significant, variations in the type of cancer."

But the researchers themselves do accept there were some limitations to the study, including the exclusion of "corporate subscriptions", thereby excluding people who used their phones for business purposes, who could be among the heaviest users.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/health-15387297

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Markets Moving (TIME)

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Ruling 'threatens stem cell work'

18 October 2011 Last updated at 08:23 ET By Helen Briggs Health editor, BBC News website

Europe's highest court has ruled that stem cells from human embryos cannot be patented, in a case that could have major implications for medicine.

Scientists say the Court of Justice decision may impede European research into the use of stem cell therapies, or drive research abroad.

The ruling follows a challenge by Greenpeace over a patent for nerve cells from embryonic stem cells.

Embryonic stem cells have the ability to turn into any tissue in the body.

They offer the hope of one day being able to treat diseases such as Parkinson's, stroke, heart disease and diabetes, if technical hurdles can be overcome.

The ruling concerned a method invented by a German professor, Oliver Bruestle, for converting human embryonic stem cells into nerve cells.

The court's decision had been seen as critical for research into the use of stem cells as treatments for a range of diseases.

The European Court of Justice said in a statement: "The use of human embryos for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes which are applied to the human embryo and are useful to it is patentable.

"But their use for purposes of scientific research is not patentable."

It added: "A process which involves removal of a stem cell from a human embryo at the blastocyst [early embryo] stage, entailing the destruction of that embryo, cannot be patented."

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

To date there have been just two human clinical trials involving embryonic stem cells - the first in Europe was announced a few weeks ago. There are, by contrast, many successful therapies using adult stem cells derived from the patient themselves. But stem cell researchers fear the ruling could damage this whole field of research and drive much of it abroad - to America and Asia. Patents are important if pharmaceutical companies are to recoup their investment in clinical trials and turn a profit. Lawyers are already suggesting there may be a way round the ruling, by patenting the therapeutic process rather than the stem cells themselves.

Prof Pete Coffey of the Institute of Ophthalmology in London, who is researching the use of stem cell treatments for blindness, said the decision was "devastating".

He told the BBC: "This could really halt the progress of stem cell therapies for as yet untreatable diseases."

Prof Coffey is among several leading UK scientists who wrote a letter expressing "profound concern" over an earlier recommendation by the advocate-general of the court.

Scientists were concerned that the ruling would threaten the future of medical research, saying companies in Europe would be less likely to invest in research to develop therapies using embryonic stem cells.

But Greenpeace in Germany, which triggered the case, argued it was unethical to issue a patent based on cells from a human embryo, which was then destroyed.

The court ruled in the group's favour.

'Ridiculous'

Commenting on the decision, Prof Austin Smith of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Stem Cell Research, University of Cambridge, said: "This unfortunate decision by the court leaves scientists in a ridiculous position.

Continue reading the main story

Stem cells

• Stem cells are found in the embryo, the foetus, placenta, umbilical cord, and in many different tissues of the body
• There are three types: tissue (adult) stem cells, embryonic stem cells and engineered pluripotent stem cells
• Stem cells can be used to study development and disease, and have a host of potential medical applications, although there are many technical hurdles

"We are funded to do research for the public good, yet prevented from taking our discoveries to the marketplace where they could be developed into new medicines.

"One consequence is that the benefits of our research will be reaped in America and Asia."

Prof Bruestle, of Bonn University, who was initially awarded the patent, said: "With this unfortunate decision, the fruits of years of translational research by European scientists will be wiped away and left to the non-European countries.

"European researchers may conduct basic research, which is then implemented elsewhere in medical procedures, which will eventually be reimported to Europe. How do I explain this to my students?"

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/health-15350723

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95% Moneyball

All Critics (174) | Top Critics (39) | Fresh (164) | Rotten (9)

One of the most soulful of baseball movies -- it confronts the anguish of a very tough game.

The real protagonist of Moneyball, however, is Beane himself, played with great charisma by Brad Pitt.

[Pitt] provides ballast and a swaggering humor to a movie that, too often, strives to be The Social Network of baseball movies.

Pitt, who has a producing credit, is not the sole reason this tremendous -- yet intimate -- sports tale soars over the fences. The bench is deep. And the script has a powerful but finessed swing.

Moneyball turns an unlikely subject interesting, making a professional sport the nexus where past and future collide.

Moneyball is exactly like moneyball -- infused with intelligence, amusing in its attacks on false gods, but way easier to admire than to love.

Does a crowd-pleasing job of drawing out the drama, tension and subtle sideline shadings of a story that is essential built on a high-stakes game of numbers.

More closely resembles The Social Network than it does can-of-corn horsehide epics like Field of Dreams or The Natural.

I kept hoping for something about the film to surprise me. Very little did.

Brad Pitt is having a really good year.

Like a businessman settling into his recliner after a hard day's work, Brad Pitt has slid into middle age with an ease that's both pleasurable and enviable to watch.

...isn't really a baseball movie, or even a sports movie - it feels more like a smart procedural from the '70s.

One of the most fascinating star turns of the year.

unfolds smoothly as the kind of baseball movie that even those who couldn't care less about baseball will find engrossing

Moneyball is easy to admire, a bit more difficult to love. That's because the film, like its central character (well played by Brad Pitt), keeps its emotions in check so much of the time.

Tasteful, entertaining, but not entirely satisfying. 'How can you not be romantic about baseball?' Beane asks, twice. A more relevant question might be: How can you be romantic about sabermetrics?

Recognizes that sometimes, happily-ever-afters are more complicated than uplifting Hollywood films can manage.

Pitt is mesmerizing --- he's high-strung and laid-back all at once. It's an Oscar-worthy performance.

Don't be surprised when Brad Pitt's name is announced in the Best Actor category.

It is not easy to make a film about quiet courage and unassuming heroes like these, but this film rises to that challenge and hits one right out of the park.

Brad Pitt may be the big draw but it is Jonah Hill's performance that gives the film its flavor. And when they are both on screen the movie is at its best.

Immediately one of my favorite baseball films, as well as one of my favorite Pitt performances. Only time will tell if I can delete 'one of' from those sentences.

Moneyball is an impelling triple. It's smart, agile, and effective. But it's anti-climactic. Director Bennett Miller and writers Sorkin and Zaillian could swing for a home run, but instead they settle for a base on balls.

A tender reminder that the heart sometimes still matters even if we now live in a technology-driven, Digital Age where machines lead and humans follow.

More Critic Reviews

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/moneyball/

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Police: Missing Ariz. girl most likely kidnapped (Providence Journal)

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Markets edgy over EU debt crisis resolution (AP)

LONDON ? Skepticism over Europe's ability to deliver a comprehensive solution to its debt troubles weighed on market sentiment Tuesday, as did a warning from Moody's that it could soon review France's cherished triple-A credit rating for possible downgrade.

Over the past two weeks, stocks have recovered a large chunk of their losses for the year, while the euro and oil prices have surged as investors priced in the likelihood of a big European response to the debt crisis that has seen three countries bailed out and pushed Greece to the bring of default.

The expectation was that the 17 countries that use the euro, led by Germany and France, were preparing a three-pronged solution to the debt crisis. That would include measures to boost the firepower of the bailout fund, a recapitalization of a large part of the banking sector and a plan to get the banks to take a bigger hit on their Greek debt holdings.

However, hopes for such a plan were lowered on Monday when German officials, including the finance minister, cautioned investors against believing that Sunday's summit of eurozone leaders in Brussels would mark a definitive turning point in the crisis.

Coupled with a warning from Moody's that France may be put on notice for a possible credit rating downgrade after a three-month assessment, sentiment continued to sour on Tuesday.

"The positive momentum behind risk at the end of last week has faded as the realities in front of the EU counterbalanced the prior hope for a resolution to the region's difficulties," said David Watt, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets.

In Europe, France's CAC-40 index was 1.4 percent lower at 3,121, underperforming its main counterparts. Germany's DAX was only 0.2 percent lower at 5,845 while the Britain's FTSE 100 index was 0.9 percent lower at 5,387.

Wall Street was poised for modest losses at the open, too ? Dow futures were down 0.2 percent 11,284 while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 futures fell 0.1 percent to 1,192.

Investors will also monitor the next batch of U.S. corporate earnings. So far, they've been mixed. Among companies reporting quarterly financial results are Apple Inc., Bank of America Corp., Coca-Cola Co., Johnson & Johnson and Yahoo Inc.

Alongside the softer tone in stock markets, the euro fell as well, trading 0.4 percent lower at $1.3677. When investors are willing to take on more risk the euro usually rises, as it has in the previous two weeks.

Oil prices likewise dropped, with the benchmark rate for November delivery down 39 cents at $85.99 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

News that China is growing at its slowest rate in two years added to the unease in markets in the run-up to Sunday's meeting.

Though Chinese growth was running at a still strong rate of 9.1 percent in the three months through September, the slowdown comes at a time when other key pillars of the global economy, such as Europe and the U.S. have seen their growth rates slow down sharply as well.

"Given the European Union as a whole is China's largest trading partner, investors are justifiably questioning the ability of Europe to register enough growth to help alleviate its current debt crisis," said Geoffrey Yu, an analyst at UBS. "The soft data added to market woes initiated yesterday."

In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite Index dropped 2.3 percent to 2,383.49 while the smaller Shenzhen Composite Index lost 2.9 percent at 1,010.46.

Elsewhere in Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 lost 1.6 percent to close at 8,741.91. Hong Kong's Hang Seng plunged 4.2 percent to 18,076.46. South Korea's Kospi fell 1.4 percent to 1,838.90. Benchmarks in Singapore, Taiwan, Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines were also lower.

____

Pamela Sampson in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111018/ap_on_bi_ge/world_markets

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Obama seeks votes on jobs, piece by piece (AP)

FLETCHER, N.C. ? Railing against Republicans, President Barack Obama on Monday pushed for a jobs package that Congress is splintering into pieces, as Senate Democrats planned action first on a longshot plan to help states hire teachers, police and firefighters. In campaign mode on the road, Obama accused Republicans senators of saying no to helping Americans.

With the president's plan for one big bill now dead, the Senate began moving to take up parts of it. Yet given that the Senate is likely to be consumed this week with an overdue spending bill ? and then taking a vacation next week ? any votes may be not take place until November.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid planned to announce on Monday that the chamber would move first on the aid to states. Obama, on a bus tour through the politically crucial states of North Carolina and Virginia, made a coordinated push for that element of his bill and mocked Republicans for forcing a piece-by-piece approach to his jobs legislation.

Republicans in the Senate rejected consideration of his whole $447 billion plan last week.

"Maybe they just couldn't understand the whole thing at once, so we're going to break it up into bite-size pieces," Obama said from his first stop in Western North Carolina before getting on his black-tinted bus and heading east across the state.

Obama is pitching a $35 billion proposal of aid to states, one slice of his overall bill. White House spokesman Jay Carney said the White House anticipated action "very soon."

But the state aid package faces long odds on Capitol Hill.

It is a non-starter in the GOP-controlled House and is sure to face a vote-blocking filibuster in the Senate, which would require 60 votes to overcome. Last year, when Senate Democrats controlled 59 votes, moderate Republicans Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine voted with Democrats to pass a $26 billion state aid package. But with their numbers down to 53, Democrats appear stuck.

Outside Asheville, N.C. a supportive crowd in broke into a chant of "four more years" for Obama. Said the president in response: "I appreciate the four more years, but right now I'm thinking about the next thirteen months."

Republicans denounced the bus trip as nothing more than a taxpayer-funded campaign trip through two must-win states to try to bolster his standing for the 2012 election.

Obama kept up his strategy of taking his case to voters, saying that a recent poll showed public backing for his proposals.

He told his audience that when Republicans in the Senate voted against his bill, "essentially, they said no to you."

Obama spoke from an airport outside Asheville, N.C., that he said could benefit from his $50 billion proposal to help fix airports, roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

After his remarks and plenty of hand-shakes, Obama was headed east on his bus ? an impenetrable-looking vehicle painted all black with dark tinted windows.

Obama first used the custom-made bus during a similar road trip in August, when he traveled through Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois. The Secret Service purchased it for $1.1 million.

House Republicans also touted legislation due for a vote next week to repeal a law that would require the withholding of 3 percent of payments to government contractors. The measure was enacted in 2005 by a GOP-controlled Congress to try to ensure that contractors couldn't duck their taxes.

While Obama has pledged to travel the country pitching his plans to get Americans back to work, his stops have focused heavily on political swing states, underscoring the degree to which what happens with the economy is tied to Obama's re-election prospects.

Despite Obama's calls for urgency, it appears the lawmakers may not take up individual components of the president's bill until November, at the earliest. The Senate is set to debate appropriations bills this week, and lawmakers have a scheduled break at the end of the month.

The president will also speak at community colleges, high schools and a firehouse as he travels through North Carolina and Virginia this week.

Both North Carolina and Virginia are traditionally Republican leaning, but changing demographics and a boost in voter turnout among young people and African-Americans helped Obama carry them in 2008.

But nearly three years after his historic election, the president's approval ratings in both states are sagging, in line with the national trend.

A Quinnipiac University poll out earlier this month put Obama's approval rating in Virginia at 45 percent, with 52 percent disapproving. The same poll showed 83 percent of Virginians were dissatisfied with the direction of the country. In North Carolina, Obama has a 42 percent approval rating, according to an Elon University poll conducted this month. Most national polls put Obama's approval rating in the mid- to low-40s.

The conservative advocacy group American Crossroads planned to run television ads in both states during Obama's trip, criticizing the president's jobs proposals as a second round of stimulus spending.

___

Associated Press writers Ken Thomas, Andrew Taylor and Ben Feller in Washington, Bob Lewis in Richmond, Va., and Tom Breen in Raleigh, N.C., contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111017/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama

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