Drug useful in some early breast cancers
VIENNA, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Austrian scientists say they've found the drug Zometa is effective in reducing the risk of early breast cancer re-occurrence or death in premenopausal women.
The research by the Austrian Breast & Colorectal Cancer Study Group is said to be the first large, randomized, Phase III clinical trial to show Zometa (zoledronic acid) offers significant protection against the return of early breast cancer in premenopausal women.
The scientists said Zometa, along with post-surgery hormonal therapy, provided a reduction in risk of recurrence or death that was 36 percent beyond that achieved with hormone therapy alone.
The researchers said prior laboratory studies suggested Zometa might have direct anti-cancer effects, including helping to protect against the return and spread of cancer before it reaches an advanced stage-two.
"It is encouraging to see a significant reduction in risk of recurrence in these patients from a therapy that was also well-tolerated," said David Epstein, president of Novartis Oncology, the manufacturer of the drug. "The findings of this landmark trial substantiate the strong anticancer effect of Zometa beyond the well-established benefit of this treatment in preventing bone complications in advanced cancers."
The research, led by Dr. Michael Gnant of the Medical University of Vienna, appears in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Ancient 70-foot rise in sea level found
WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they have found proof that Earth's sea level was more than 70 feet (21 meters) higher 400,000 years ago than it is now.
Storrs Olson, a zoologist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, and geologist Paul Hearty of the Bald Head Island Conservancy said they discovered sedimentary and fossil evidence in the walls of a limestone quarry in Bermuda that documents the rise in sea level during an interglacial period of the Middle Pleistocene.
Although Hearty and colleagues published preliminary evidence of the sea-level rise nearly a decade ago, they said the new fossil find provides unequivocal evidence of the timing and extent of the event.
The scientists said such a rise in sea level would have ramifications well beyond geology and climate modeling.
"These findings are incredibly important and have major relevance because of their potential predictive value since this sea-level rise took place during the interglacial period most similar to the present one now in progress," Olaon said. "It thus becomes essential that the full extent and duration of this event be more widely recognized and acknowledged."
The findings are reported in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews.
New type of 3-D microscope is developed
SEATTLE, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they have developed a new kind of microscope to visualize cells in 3-D, possibly advancing the field of early cancer detection.
University of Washington Associate Professor Eric Seibel and colleagues say the technology might bridge a widening gap between cutting-edge imaging techniques used in research and clinical practices.
The scientists, collaborating with VisionGate Inc. that owns the patents on the new microscope, said the technology -- known as "Cell-CT" -- works by rotating a cell under the microscope's lens while taking hundreds of pictures per rotation and digitally combining them to form a single 3-D image.
The 3-D visualizations, said the researchers, could lead to big advances in early cancer detection, since clinicians identify cancerous cells by using 2-D pictures to assess the cells' shape and size.
"It's a lot easier to spot a misshapen cell if you can see it from all sides," Seibel said. "A 2-D representation of a 3-D object is never perfectly accurate -- imagine trying to get an exact picture of the moon, seeing only one side."
University of Washington bioengineering doctoral student Qin Miao presented the research this week in Orlando, Fla., during a medical imaging conference.
Automatic car crash call system created
STATESBORO, Ga., Feb. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they are creating a Java-enabled car accident reporting system that would call for help automatically after a crash occurs.
Often in a rollover accident, the driver and passengers are unable to call for help, the researchers said. So, unless the accident occurs on a busy road, rescue is unlikely to arrive quickly.
Now Debopam Acharya and colleagues at Georgia Southern University are developing a system that will determine the nature of an accident and automatically call emergency medical services for possible action.
"Prompt communication is crucial during life-threatening events, such as fire, floods, explosions and traffic accidents, and is especially true for vehicle rollovers and crashes," Acharya said, noting such situations can be even more dangerous for military personnel during training or maneuvers off-road and in remote locations.
The system called SAVE uses inexpensive sensor technology, including an inclinometer to detect rollover, and powerful wireless technology to assess vehicle conditions. The researchers said it can monitor vehicle incline, temperature, deceleration and airbag deployment. SAVE is also coupled to a global positioning system device so emergency services can locate the accident quickly.
The research is detailed in the International Journal of Intelligent Defense Support Systems.
