] Lung cancer may be caused by a faulty repair mechanism
] triggered by smoking, according to a new study.
]
] US researchers have found that a primitive cell pathway,
] which is crucial for the development of lungs in the
] embryo, could be the major culprit in small cell lung
] cancer (SCLC).
]
] The pathway is found in all creatures, from worms to
] humans. It is called Sonic Hedgehog, after a mutant form
] in fruit fly embryos that leads to the sprouting of hairs
] all over their bodies.
]
] "The hypothesis was that smokers chronically injure their
] airways and pathways such as hedgehog get turned on to
] repair damage - but chronic injury results in persistent
] pathway activation, which leads to cancer," says Neil
] Watkins, team leader at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive
] Cancer Center, part of Johns Hopkins University in
] Maryland.
]
] The group's experiments showed that the Sonic Hedgehog
] pathway was indeed activated in half of 10 SCLC human
] tissue samples. Furthermore, they successfully stopped
] tumour growth in mice by blocking this pathway and
] believe this may lead to potential therapies in humans.

From Nanochick:
This article is particularily interesting to me for several reasons. One is that I am learning about this particular pathway in my Animal Development class (and learned a bit about it in other classes as well), so its just cool to see something in the news about it. Also, what makes this interesting is that lung cancer is the cancer that nobody has seemed to make much headway on in the way of cures...
At the end of this article, they talk about the cells differentiating into adult lung cells...and that means that this could be an important find for other areas of biology as well...such as organogenesis.

Me:

So, what are my chances of lung cancer being cured before I get it?

New Scientist - Faulty repairs blamed for lung cancer

] The CDC is still analysing the bacteria responsible for
] these outbreaks. But Bancroft says initial tests show the
] same strain is responsible for all the outbreaks in Los
] Angeles, and that it appears to be the same as a strain
] first isolated in New York in 1997. It may be more
] virulent because it has a gene called PVL, which codes
] for a potent toxin.

More info on the Superbug

New Scientist - Superbug strain hits the healthy

] A bacterial infection that overpowers most antibiotics
] has escaped the confines of hospitals and is showing up
] in alarming numbers among the general public in
] California, according to health officials.

For a long time now, this has been one of my pet issues.

Just in case you have not heard the line yet, unless you need them, I mean really need them, do not take antibiotics. You will be doing your fellow man a great disservice if you over use them. Also, (easy one) do not spend any more time in hospitals then is necessary. Remember, those germ things evolve faster then you do.

I didn't like the "Gay Men" slant of this article.. Left a bad taste in my mouth in reguard to how AIDS wasn't taken seriously till it started killing people enmass who were not gay.

Superbugs. Get used to that phrase.. You will have trouble finding someone skilled in the medical field who dosen't think we will see more of them..

The super-bugs have arrived!

] But there is one group of animals in which the peculiar
] combination of the contraction of these muscles and the
] closure of the glottis does serve a clear purpose:
] primitive air breathers that still possess gills, such as
] lungfish, gar and many amphibians.

Interesting. That also offers some explination as to why you get them when you are excited. Triggering when you need more oxygen. Shrug.

Hiccups a holdover from when we had gills

:P (|)

slurp!

Geek Pr0n (SFW)

] Now considerably revised and enhanced, the Atlas
] continues its mission of presenting human anatomy using
] color photos of cadavers, thus giving students a much
] more realistic experience of spatial dimensions than
] pleasantly colored drawings could ever accomplish. Each
] of eight chapters consists of two parts, the first
] describing the anatomical structure of the organs under
] consideration; the second depicting the regional anatomy,
] with desciption of the superficial layers followed by the
] deeper and deepest layers--thus gearing the work to
] complement dissection classes in medical and dental
] schools. Schematic drawings of nerves and vessels, the
] course of muscles, and the nomenclature of various
] regions enhance understanding of the details seen in the
] photographs.

No book collection is complete without a good book on human anatomy. This book is the one you want. Its utterly amazing. It shows the mechanics of the human body in gratuitous detail. Not color drawings, but the real deal.

Utterly captivating. Not for the squeamish.

Amazon.com: Books: Color Atlas of Anatomy: A Photographic Study of the Human Body

] Following in California's footsteps, New Jersey
] legislators are poised to approve a bill that would allow
] embryonic stem-cell research.

Wired News: Stem-Cell Research OK in N.J.?

TheHun, Wan Chai style..

uh-oh!

Cute *yum* raver *yum* girls *yum*

Raverporn.net | (RAVER + PORN) / RATTLE = SPOOGE

"Free our genetic data!" is the rallying cry of the biopunk. Let us do what we want with our own biology.

Hell yes! Its about time we get something fresh in the science scene. Expecially at the molment when Cyberpunk is wasted, old, and close to dead. I like to see passion science meet.

SFBG | Biopunk