News Clippings

[Bastian]

Just a thread to paste quotes of whatever interesting news you hear...

Vesko has reminded me that "one should not post entire articles but just what is most interesting, unless the article is very short". And that is a good recommendation too. I am not sure how much one is allowed to quote from an article before it infringes on their copyright.. a bit like asking 'how long is a piece of string'.

Secondly I would ask that people write a very short summary of what the quote is about as I am expecting this to grow into a long thread. This will help readers to browse and find relevant articles later on..

I will probably have to go through and shorten some of the quotes later, and that includes my own posts.

[Bastian]

Gigantism in fish, just like Michel warned us about..

quoted from: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=58638
Tuna 'size of a cow' sets record off NZ
10:28 AEST Tue Aug 23 2005
AAP

A fish the "size of a cow" that took five people to haul onboard a boat has set a new world game-fishing record for a New Zealand angler.

Business broker Michael Hayes thought he was going to be dragged overboard when he tried to land the 268kg bluefin tuna off the West Coast.

He was fishing with 60kg breaking-strain line on a reel borrowed from an Australian about 50km west of Greymouth last Thursday.

Now, he is waiting for the results of a DNA test to confirm that the fish is a Pacific bluefin tuna and a new International Game Fishing Association record.

"I got it to the boat but then it took five of us to get it into the boat," Hayes said.

"It was a hell of a big fish. It's the size of a cow."

The fish was caught using a soft-squid plastic lure on an Australian mate's reel, which was made to handle black marlin that could weigh up to 500kg.

It took two hours to land and was one of four bluefin tuna, all heavier than 200kg, caught by anglers on the boat.

A Justice of the Peace had attended the weighing and certified scales had been used, according to rules. The fish is now frozen in Greymouth until the DNA testing can be completed.

Hayes will have the fish mounted for his game fishing club at Whangaroa in Northland near the Bay of Islands.

©AAP 2005

[Bastian]

There are many causes of cancer and one of them is viral infection

quoted from http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=58539
Common virus linked to breast cancer
19:44 AEST Sun Aug 21 2005
AAP
A common virus might explain the high rates of breast cancer in developed countries, a New Zealand researcher says.

Otago University's Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences associate professor Ann Richardson and colleagues recently received a $NZ30,000 ($A27,800) grant from the Canterbury Medical Research Foundation to delve into a possible link between breast cancer and two viruses which strike most New Zealanders after childhood.

The viruses - cytomegalovirus (CMV) and epstein-barr virus (EBV) - generally produce no symptoms, but occasionally cause glandular fever.

People in developed countries have as much as five times the risk of developing breast cancer than people in developing countries.

Richardson became suspicious of a link when she learned that Japan, a country where children were exposed to viruses early in life, had very low levels of breast cancer.

"If you look at countries with low risk those are countries where people tend to be exposed to viruses very young."

In Japan people were also exposed to viruses at a younger age than in New Zealand or other Western countries, Prof Richardson said.

It was already known that breast cancer in mice was caused by a virus, she said.

"It's not a wildly implausible idea that it can be caused by a virus in humans.

"What we are suggesting is that maybe it matters when you are exposed to this virus."

It was possible that when the virus struck later, such as during breast development, it triggered cancer.

The research money will help fund a study of blood samples taken from women before they developed breast cancer.

The samples will come from the Janus Serum Bank in Norway, which has been collecting blood for research since the 1970s.

Blood taken years ago can be matched with the donor, so scientists can analyse the blood of people who went on to develop breast cancer.

An earlier US study revealed high rates of breast cancer among Americans of recent Japanese descent, suggesting environmental factors played a significant role in the disease, Prof Richardson said.

Other cancers, such as cervical cancer, are also known to be triggered by viruses.

[Bastian]

Video games lead to aggression..

quoted from http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=58540
Video games linked to aggression in boys
20:10 AEST Sun Aug 21 2005
AAP

Most studies done on violence and video games support the conclusion that violent video games can increase aggressive behaviour in children and adolescents, especially boys, researchers say.

An analysis of 20 years of research shows the effects can be both immediate and long-lasting.

"The majority of the studies would suggest there are effects," said Jessica Nicoll of Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, Florida, who worked on the study.

One study showed that children who played a violent game for less than 10 minutes and then took a mood assessment test rated themselves with aggressive traits and aggressive actions shortly after playing.

Teachers of 600 8th and 9th graders, aged 13 to 15, said children who spent more time playing violent video games were more hostile than other children and more likely to argue with authority figures and other students.

The findings, presented at an annual meeting of American Psychological Association, prompted the group to adopt a resolution recommending that all violence be reduced in video games and interactive media marketed to children and youth.

"Additionally, the APA also encourages parents, educators and health care providers to help youth make more informed choices about which games to play," the Association said in a statement.

Video games set a bad example and may be particularly influential because a player takes on the roles of heroes and villains, violent and otherwise, the APA said.

Perpetrators of violence go unpunished 73 per cent of the time in all violent scenes, the group said. "Showing violent acts without consequences teach youth that violence is an effective means of resolving conflict," said psychologist Elizabeth Carll, who helps direct the group's Committee on Violence in Video Games and Interactive Media.

Nicoll said in an interview that "only a handful" of the studies she and colleagues examined found no connection between violence and violent video games.

The findings are similar to those seen for violent television shows. Joaquim Ferreira of the University of Coimbra in Portugal and colleagues studied more than 800 youngsters aged from 9 to 14 and found the biggest factor linking television violence and actual aggression was the child's understanding of the violence.

"It is the way you perceive the violence and how you deal with the kids and help them understand reality," Ferreira, who also presented his findings to the APA meeting, said in an interview.

Parents can sit with children and explain cartoons or television shows to them - something the APA and other groups recommend doing. But this is more difficult to do with video games, Ferreira said.

"You are part of the thing," he said. "You get involved in the violence because you are doing it."

©AAP 2005

[Bastian]

quoted from: http://cis.nci.nih.gov/fact/3_20.htm
What are human papillomaviruses, and how are they transmitted?

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are a group of more than 100 types of viruses. They are called papillomaviruses because certain types may cause warts, or papillomas, which are benign (noncancerous) tumors. The HPVs that cause the common warts which grow on hands and feet are different from those that cause growths in the throat or genital area. Some types of HPVs are associated with certain types of cancer.

Of the more than 100 types of HPVs, over 30 types can be passed from one person to another through sexual contact. Although HPVs are usually transmitted sexually, doctors cannot say for certain when infection occurred. Most HPV infections come and go over the course of a few years. However, sometimes HPV infection persists for many years, with or without causing cell abnormalities.
[...]
What is the association between HPV infection and cancer?

HPVs are now recognized as the major cause of cervical cancer. Studies also suggest that HPVs may play a role in cancers of the anus, vulva, vagina, and some cancers of the oropharynx (the middle part of the throat that includes the soft palate, the base of the tongue, and the tonsils). Data from several studies also suggest that infection with HPV is a risk factor for *** cancer (cancer of the penis).
[...]

quoted from: http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm
The surest way to eliminate risk for genital HPV infection is to refrain from any genital contact with another individual.

For those who choose to be sexually active, a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner is the strategy most likely to prevent future genital HPV infections. [...]

HPV infection can occur in both male and female genital areas that are covered or protected by a latex condom, as well as in areas that are not covered. While the effect of condoms in preventing HPV infection is unknown, condom use has been associated with a lower rate of cervical cancer, an HPV-associated disease.