Monday, July 03, 2006
Elder of ZiyonDiscovering ways that may stop the spread of cancer:
Potential solution for world hunger:JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Scientists at an Israeli university have found a promising new way to stop the growth and spread of cancer cells while carrying out research to boost the size of peaches and nectarines, the university said on Sunday.
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem scientists found that a protein similar to one researched in their project had the effect of blocking blood supply to tumors.
"By blocking the blood supply to the tumors, actibind halted the ability of malignant cells to move through the blood stream," the university said.
"Their approach has been shown to inhibit the malignant cells without affecting normal cells and without the severe side effects of traditional treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy," it said.
Imagine what it would mean for the world hunger problem if farmers could grow wheat and other crops on land considered unsuitable for agriculture.Helping stroke victims:
That day may be coming soon, after Israeli researchers from the Institute of Evolution of the University of Haifa, have succeeded in isolating a gene that withstands salinity.
"The research will contribute to a significant increase in the amount of arable land available for agriculture," said the institute's director Professor Eviatar Nevo, who initiated and spearheaded the pioneering research.
Of the earth's 57 million square miles of land, approximately 12 million square miles are arable - meaning land that can be used for growing crops. However, arable land is being lost at the rate of over ten million hectares per year.
Nevo's research will make it possible to grow plants, including crops, in saline earth, a development that will contribute in the future to a true revolution in saline agriculture throughout the world.
Most people are only joking when they refer to "retail therapy" - as if shopping could truly cure what ails them.Humor helps conception rate using IVF:
But Israeli researchers have actually developed a virtual shopping center that helps stroke victims improve their cognitive functioning and recover strength in their upper bodies.
The "virtual mall", which was developed by University of Haifa Occupational Therapy student, Debbie Rand, who is studying for her doctorate, allows stroke patients to wander virtually through a range of stores, picking out and paying for purchases, just as they would on a real shopping trip.
The patient stands in front of a large TV screen, and a small camera set in front displays the person's image within the virtual environment. No other accessories are necessary.
"The patient operates the environment by moving his body," says 37-year-old Rand. "They move their arms and hands to take things from the shelves and put them in the basket. As they 'shop' they can watch themselves and receive feedback about their movements."
A little levity can go a long way, especially if you're a woman trying to conceive via in-vitro fertilization (IVF). That's the lesson that's been gleaned from a first-of-its kind study conducted in Israel that showed that using humor to alleviate the stress of the patients almost doubles their chances of conceiving from the treatments.And their expansionist aims include cyberspace!
A team led by fertility expert Dr. Shevah Friedler at the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center studied 186 women aged 25 to 40 over 10 months, all of whom were undergoing embryo transfer treatment. While half were simply given the treatment and nothing else, the other group was entertained by a clown for up to 15 minutes as they recuperated in bed after the treatment.
The results? 33 of the women who 'clowned' around became pregnant, compared to only 18 women in the control group. For the 60,000 American women who undergo IVF treamtent annually, the message is: don't worry, be happy.
Israel designs newest Intel chips:
Israel has again moved to the forefront of a new chip revolution as Intel Corp., the world's largest maker of semiconductors, launched its server-oriented next generation microprocessor series, which offers increased performance with lower power consumption and promises to be the fastest ramping product in the company's history.
"Simply put, the Core microarchitecture is a technical marvel that is driving a new era of power efficiency without compromising on what can only be described as eye-popping dual-core 64bit performance," said Pat Gelsinger, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Digital Enterprise Group.
Intel said it expected this server family to be the fastest-ramping product in the company's history. More than 200 server and workstation models are planned from more than 150 manufacturers with initial orders starting Monday.
