Light Bulbs Could Help Fight Tumors

Tests show them to be an effective, cheap alternative to laser surgery. Scientists in Israel say they hope to use highly concentrated light from commercial light bulbs to fight tumors, providing an effective and cheap replacement for laser surgery. “We used off-the-shelf technology as an alternative to laser beams,” said Jeffrey Gordon of Ben-GurionUniversity in southern Israel, lead researcher in a new study on the subject. The study, recently published in the Journal of Biomedical Optics, showed that light from an ultra-bright commercial bulb, similar to that used in movie projectors, could be concentrated by a special optical system to burn away healthy tissue in rats. “For the first time ever we were able to kill tissue using the non-laser lamp,” Gordon said on Tuesday.He said the tests would be repeated on cancerous tissue in larger animals and eventually in humans in the next few years, in the hope of producing similar results with malignant tumors. Laser systems currently used to treat tumors can cost up to $100,000. Gordon said the new light bulb systems may eventually be sold for about $1,000. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited

HEALTH TIP: Avoid the common cold: WASH YOUR HANDS!!!

This includes: before eating, when preparing food, even after using someone else's phone at work.

Recognizing Frostbite

(Health Day News) –With the cold whether coming our way, it is important to keep a close eye on children and the elderly. With the temperatures dropping, frostbite is a common occurrence in the winter months. Making sure they are properly dressed, and not exposed to the cold for long periods on time, and insuring the have access to  a warm place will help prevent the risk of frostbite. Frostbite occurs when the skin has been exposed to dangerously cold temperatures. Most common on the nose, cheeks, lips, chin, ears, fingers and toes, it can cause permanent skin damage. Here are some warning signs of frostbite, courtesy of the University of Virginia Health System:

1. Redness of the skin.
2. Very painful skin or numbness.
3. White or gray/yellow skin.
4. Very firm or waxy-feeling skin.

Biologists Seek Safer Whooping Cough Vaccines

Current shots could trigger neurological problems in infants. Biologists at Mississippi State University are studying safer vaccines for whooping cough, which can sometimes lead to brain damage or death. Lakshmi Pulakat and Nara Gavini head up a research team that discovered a mechanism in current vaccines that may trigger neurological damage among whooping cough patients."Our research has unraveled a new physiological and biochemical role for a protein whose exact role in neuronal functions is still unclear," said Gavini, former head of the MSU Biological Sciences Department. Gavini now works on a temporary basis as a program director for the National Science Foundation. Whooping cough or pertussis is a highly contagious disease that affects about 30-50 million people worldwide, and causes more than 300,000 deaths a year. Children younger than 1 years old are often most vulnerable to the disease and developing countries account for 90 percent of all cases reported. Whooping cough is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, which produces various toxins upon infection, said Mary Hetrick, a member of the MSU research team and a biological sciences doctoral student."Neurological damage is a dangerous after-effect among patients suffering from whooping cough, and also seems to affect infants vaccinated with DPT vaccine or acellular vaccine," said Hetrick. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press