Cancer's can of worms
Scientists have cracked the genetic codes of breast and colon cancers, revealing 'the enemy's game plan' - and they don't like what they see. Johns Hopkins researchers analysed more than 13,000 genes in 11 breast cancers and 11 colon cancers, hoping to pinpoint a handful that trigger tumours - instead, they found about 200, WebMD reports. And not only are tumours of the same kind different, but each individual's cancer is different. 'I wasn't expecting it to be quite that diverse,' says team leader Will Parsons. Nonetheless, the ongoing research has been described as groundbreaking, in providing a foundation for gene-targeted therapies that may one day cure cancers.
China drunker on success
China's economic boom has been blamed for a significant rise in alcohol abuse during the past 20 years, with drink-driving now the No3 cause of traffic accidents. According to a WHO study by psychiatrist Wei Hao of Central South University, about 6.7 per cent of Chinese men over the age of 15 suffer alcohol dependency, and 3.7 per cent of the overall population. This is still lower than Japan or South Korea, but Wei predicts that China will rapidly pass them, AFP reports.
Fat index out
Asians are being hard hit by obesity-related health problems because diagnostic guidelines are based on one-size-fits-all western measures. Taiwanese academic Pan Wen-harn told an obesity conference in Sydney that World Health Organisation guidelines based on the body mass index missed a large number of people in Asia, AFP reports.
Thai wives No1 HIV victims