EC call for 'universal' broadband

Regions of some European nations cannot currently get broadband

Brussels is considering making broadband access available for all.

The fast growth of broadband has led the European Commission to bring forward a review of the basic telecoms services Europeans can expect.

Current statistics suggest about 36% of households in EU member nations have high-speed net access.

When a majority of EU citizens are using a telecoms service, EC rules dictate that it becomes one every European should be able to enjoy.

Basic access

"High-speed internet is the passport to the Information Society and an essential condition for economic growth," said Viviane Reding, EU Telecoms Commissioner in a statement announcing the review.

"This is why it is this Commission's policy to make broadband internet for all Europeans happen by 2010."

The EC's Universal Service Obligations (USO) demand that all citizens who want them should be able to get access to basic telephone services.

It covers the production of a telephone directory, availability of payphones, specific measures for people with disabilities or those on low incomes and fixed phone access for local, national and international voice calls.

The obligations also include a clause demanding that the fixed line be of sufficient quality to "permit functional internet access". In the UK this has been interpreted to mean a line that can support a dial-up speed of 28.8 kilobits per second.

Ethernet cable, Eyewire

Broadband speeds around the world

The EC reviews the USO every three years and in its report kicking off the latest overhaul, it said broadband was growing at a pace that would mean more Europeans were using it than not.

Figures from the EC suggest that from 2003-2007 broadband use in member nations tripled to 36% of households and had an annual growth rate of 20%.

Despite this, said the EC, there were "striking gaps" among member states and the coverage their citizens enjoyed.

In nations such as Denmark, Luxembourg and Belgium, 100% of the population can get broadband if they want it. By contrast, 60% of Romanians cannot get broadband access.

Even in nations such as Germany and Italy, which have booming broadband sectors, about 12% of the population is not covered by high-speed access.

The review aims to find out if the USO needs to be re-written to force telecoms firms to extend broadband to those areas competition will leave bereft of it.

It will also find out if a narrow-band access, aka dial-up, is sufficient to "permit functional internet access" or if the pace of change online means higher speeds are the minimum needed.
The EC is inviting submissions from telecoms firms, governments and citizens with the aim of producing a communique in 2009 and perhaps legislation in 2010.
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Old Vic goes round for trilogy

The Old Vic - London's oldest theatre - has been transformed to create an intimate "in-the-round" stage for a new production at the venue.



Alan Ayckbourn’s comic classic, The Norman Conquests, is being staged in London for the first time since 1974.

Old Vic artistic director Kevin Spacey said it was an "exciting new chapter" in the theatre's history.

He said: "The space opens up numerous possibilities for future productions and we've found it really inspiring."

Ayckbourn's The Norman Conquests are in London for the first time since their 1974 premiere. It opens at the theatre on 6 October.

'Magical effect'

The trilogy - Table Manners, Living Together and Round and Round the Garden - were originally conceived to be performed in the round.

Jessica Hynes, of TV comedy show Spaced, Ben Miles, of Coupling, and Stephen Mangan, of Green Wing, star in the production.

The action of each play takes place simultaneously and follows the same six characters, revealing the frustrations that bubble beneath the surface of a family's relationship.

Director Matthew Warchus said: "I have always been excited by the magical effect that 'in-the-round' has on audiences, performers and design.

"Seeing Ayckbourn performed in this setting, compared to a conventional proscenium arch, can, I think, be revelatory."

The Grade II-listed theatre was originally built in 1818 as the Royal Coburg.

Andrew Todd, the architect who advised on the refurbishment, said: "The Old Vic was a corseted Victorian lady who, whilst perfectly pretty and serviceable, perhaps wasn’t living life to the full.

"With this modification, we've found a dynamic new central stage which promises to release new levels of excitement and intimacy."
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Cosmetic surgery ad 'clampdown'

Breast augmentation is the most popular cosmetic procedure

Cosmetic surgery clinics have been criticised by industry leaders for using misleading sales techniques.

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons said they were "increasingly concerned" with some of the standards in advertising.

Use of models with "anatomically impossible" breasts and offers of "lunchtime facelifts" create unrealistic expectations they warned.

Advertising regulators said any move to promote good practice was welcome.

Delegates at the BAAPS annual conference were shown a range of adverts with dubious marketing practices, such as offering financial incentives to undergo surgery.

We are particularly worried about younger, vulnerable readers of magazines who are being targeted very heavily Douglas McGeorge, BAAPS president

One offered a £250 discount to customers as an incentive to have the surgery quickly.

Another offered a "lunchtime facelift", which BAAPS surgeons said cannot be done and falsely raises expectations.

BAAPS represents around one third of cosmetic surgeons in the UK but is not a regulatory body and so has no powers to take action against clinics.

But the association is launching its own advertising campaign to promote better choices about where people should have surgery.

Serious decision

Douglas McGeorge, president of BAAPS and a consultant plastic surgeon, said: "Surgery is a serious undertaking which requires realistic expectations and should only proceed after proper consultation with a reputable and properly qualified clinician in an appropriate clinical setting."

He added: "It is very difficult to regulate these adverts.

"We are particularly worried about younger, vulnerable readers of magazines who are being targeted very heavily."

Many clinics have signed up to the Independent Healthcare Authority's code of practice, which states marketing materials should be designed to safeguard patients from unrealistic expectations and should use real life models.

However this is voluntary.

Adam Searle, a former president of the organisation, said: "Plastic surgery, when used well, is the most powerful tool to improve patients' well-being.

"What it should not be used for is to make money.

"It is the patient who should benefit not the surgeon."

A spokesman for the Advertising Standards Authority said they supported any attempts by organisations to promote codes of good advertising practice.

"We look into all complaints and make an adjudication.

"This is not something we are inundated about but there are more adverts of that nature out there now so we you might expect more complaints."

Source: BBC News

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Baby paracetamol asthma concern

Paracetamol is an effective treatment for high fever

Use of paracetamol in babies increases the risk of developing asthma five years later, a study of more than 200,000 children suggests.

Those given the painkiller for fever in the first year of life had a 46% increased risk of asthma by the age of six or seven, The Lancet reported.

Researchers do not know if the drug directly increases asthma risk or another underlying factor is to blame.

Experts said parents should still use the drug for high temperatures.

Increasing use of paracetamol in children has coincided with rising cases of asthma over the past 50 years, the researchers said.

This underlines the importance of a current recommendation that paracetamol should not be used regularly in young children and should be reserved for times when they have a fever of 39°C or more and are in obvious discomfort or pain Professor Jeffrey Aronson

The latest study, carried out in 31 countries, is the largest to date looking at paracetamol use and childhood asthma.

Parents of children aged six and seven were asked questionnaires about symptoms of asthma, eczema and related allergic conditions in addition to details on paracetamol use for fever in the child's first year of life and the past 12 months.

The results also showed that higher doses and more regular use of the drug are associated with a greater risk of developing asthma.

Analysis of current use in 103,000 children showed those who had used paracetamol more than once a month in the past year had a three-fold increased risk of asthma compared with those who had not taken the drug in the past 12 months.

Use of paracetamol was also associated with more severe asthma symptoms.

And risk of eczema and hayfever was also increased.

Cause and effect

One explanation for the findings is that paracetamol may cause changes in the body that leave a child more vulnerable to inflammation and allergies.

Another is that the use of paracetamol in children may be a marker for something else which is causing increased rates of asthma, such as lifestyle issues or the underlying infection causing the fever, experts said.

Study leader Professor Richard Beasley from the University of Auckland said: "We stress the findings do not constitute a reason to stop using paracetamol in childhood.

"However the findings do lend support to the current guidelines of the World Health Organization, which recommend that paracetamol should be reserved for children with a high fever (38.5C or above)."

Professor Jeffrey Aronson, president of the British Pharmacological Society, said the dose relationship with paracetamol and asthma suggested there was a real association between the two.

"This confirms previous findings and underlines the importance of a current recommendation that paracetamol should not be used regularly in young children and should be reserved for times when they have a fever and are in obvious discomfort or pain."

Leanne Male, Asthma UK's assistant director of research, said: "Despite a great deal of research being carried out, we still don't know how important different lifestyle and genetic factors are in affecting the development of asthma.

"If we can establish the mechanisms behind how paracetamol might affect it, this could go some way towards helping to prevent the condition in the first place.

"At this stage however, the use of paracetamol should not be a concern for parents or carers who are worried about the development of asthma in their children."

Source: BBC NEWS

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Worldwide survey seeks MS answers

BY Jill McGivering BBC News

Women are twice as likely as men to develop MS

A major new study that hopes to answer key questions about the neurological disease multiple sclerosis (MS) is being unveiled on Thursday.

This first worldwide study is the work of the WHO and the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF).

It remains unclear what causes MS but the study says there may be many more sufferers than the estimated 1.3m.

Survey organisers urge governments to invest more in education and services to improve sufferers' quality of life.

Specialist equipment

MS is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system. It typically emerges in young adults and can lead to severe disability.

Click to see a map showing the worldwide spread of MS

Symptoms often include aching, loss of balance, muscle spasm and paralysis and general fatigue.

But there are still many mysteries surrounding MS.

It is not clear what causes it or why women are twice as likely as men to develop it. Or why it is so much more common in colder countries than warmer ones.

There must be many people out there who we just don't know about Peer Baneke, MSIF

The study has found that although most cases occur in the developed world, every country that took part in the survey, rich or poor, had some instances.

Peer Baneke, the chief executive of the MSIF, says the rough estimate of 1.3m cases worldwide is probably a big underestimation.

"The diagnosis of multiple sclerosis is very difficult," he said. "You really need neurologists who have the knowledge to distinguish it from other things."

It also needs specialist equipment which poorer health systems simply cannot access. MRI scanners, for example, are in short supply in the developing world.

"There must be many people out there who we just don't know about," said Mr Baneke.

Stigma

The survey also looks at the experiences of people with MS. In many countries, they face stigma and misunderstanding.

Kanya Puspokusumo, a 36-year-old Indonesian, was diagnosed in 2001.

She said that some people thought MS was similar to Aids. Even though she explained it was not transmitted from one person to another, many still excluded her socially.

Dr Hithaishi Weerakoon is a doctor in Sri Lanka who was diagnosed with MS more than a decade ago.

Many families do not acknowledge MS, she says, and keep affected family members hidden away.

Others say, wrongly, that it has developed as a condition because of sins in a past life.

Those associated with the study say this is an important start - but that far more research needs to be done, especially in developing countries where the process of identifying cases systematically and collecting data is still at a very early stage.

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Chamomile tea 'may ease diabetes'

The tea appeared to inhibit key enzyme

Drinking chamomile tea daily may help prevent the complications of type 2 diabetes, such as loss of vision and nerve and kidney damage, a study says.

UK and Japanese researchers fed a chamomile extract to diabetic rats.

The extract appeared to cut blood sugar levels and block activity of an enzyme associated with the development of diabetic complications.

Charity Diabetes UK cautioned against patients acting on the findings until further research had been carried out.

However, researchers say the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry study raises hope of a new anti-diabetes drug.

More research would be needed before we can come to any firm conclusions about the role chamomile tea plays in fighting diabetes-related complications Dr Victoria King Diabetes UK

Cases of type 2 diabetes, many of which are linked to obesity, are on the increase throughout the developed world.

Chamomile, also known as manzanilla, has been used for years as a medicinal cure-all to treat a variety of medical problems including stress, colds and menstrual cramps.

Researchers from University of Toyama, led by Atsushi Kato, fed chamomile extract to a group of diabetic rats for 21 days and compared the results with a group of control animals on a normal diet.

Enzyme inhibition

Blood glucose levels - high levels of which are a sign of diabetes - were significantly lower in the animals fed the extract, which appeared to inhibit production of the sugar in the liver.

Tests also showed reduced activity of an enzyme called aldose reductase in tissue samples from the extract group.

This enzyme helps change glucose into a sugar alcohol called sorbitol.

In people with type 2 diabetes, the activity of aldose reductase increases as glucose levels rise in the blood.

However, sorbitol does not move easily across cell membranes and it can collect in excess quantity, particularly in eye and nerve cells, where it can cause serious damage.

Dr Victoria King, of the charity Diabetes UK, said: "More research would be needed before we can come to any firm conclusions about the role chamomile tea plays in fighting diabetes-related complications.

"Diabetes UK wouldn't recommend people with diabetes increase their chamomile tea intake just yet.

"Eating a healthy balanced diet, taking regular physical activity and adhering to any prescribed medicines remain key ways to effectively control blood glucose levels, blood pressure and blood fats.

"Good diabetes management will help reduce the risk of serious complications such as heart disease, stroke and blindness." Read more

Clean living 'slows cell ageing'

Healthy eating may boost telomerase

Taking more exercise and eating the right foods may help increase levels of an enzyme vital for guarding against age-related cell damage, work suggests.

Among 24 men asked to adopt healthy lifestyle changes for a US study in The Lancet Oncology, levels of telomerase increased by 29% on average.

Telomerase repairs and lengthens telomeres, which cap and protect the ends of chromosomes housing DNA.

As people age, telomeres shorten and cells become more susceptible to dying.

It is the damage and death of cells that causes ageing and disease in people.

Several factors such as smoking, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are associated with shorter-than-average telomeres.

This might be a powerful motivator for many people to beneficially change their diet and lifestyle The study authors

Professor Dean Ornish, from the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in California, and his team wanted to find out if improvements in diet and lifestyle might have the opposite effect.

They asked 30 men, all with low-risk prostate cancers, to take part in a three-month trial of comprehensive lifestyle changes.

These consisted of a diet high in fruit and vegetables, supplements of vitamins and fish oils, an exercise regimen and classes in stress management, relaxation techniques and breathing exercises.

Telomerase activity was measured at the beginning of the trial and again at the end.

Among the 24 men who had sufficient data for analysis, blood levels of telomerase increased by 29% on average.

Increases in telomerase activity were linked with decreases in "bad" LDL cholesterol and decreases in one measure of stress - intrusive thoughts.

The researchers say it is too early to tell if the boost in telomerase levels will translate to a change in telomere length.

But there is evidence to suggest that telomere shortness and low telomerase activity might be important risk factors for cancer and cardiovascular disease.

"This might be a powerful motivator for many people to beneficially change their diet and lifestyle," they told The Lancet Oncology.

Professor Tim Spector, from King's College London, who has been researching ageing and telomeres, said: "This work builds on what we already know.

"Lifestyle can affect your telomeres. It would be interesting to find out whether it is diet, stress or both that is important."

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Oceans are 'too noisy' for whales

By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News website

Noise from oil exploration is implicated in the plight of gray whales near Sakhalin

Levels of noise in the world's oceans are causing serious problems for whales, dolphins and other marine mammals, a report warns.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) says undersea noise blocks animals' communication and disrupts feeding.

Naval sonar has been implicated in the mass deaths of some cetaceans.

In some regions, the level of ocean noise is doubling each decade, and Ifaw says protective measures are failing.

"Humanity is literally drowning out marine mammals," said Robbie Marsland, UK director of Ifaw.

"While nobody knows the precise consequences for specific animals, unless the international community takes preventive measures we are likely to discover only too late the terrible damage we're causing."

In its global assessment of cetacean species, released last month, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) concluded that ocean noise posed a significant threat.

Across the spectrum

Whales and dolphins use sound in ways that are clearly important to their survival, though not completely understood.

Baleen whales, such as blue and humpback whales, produce low frequency calls that can travel thousands of kilometres through water.

Dolphins and toothed whales generate higher frequency clicks used to locate prey.

Noise generated by ships' engines and propellers, and by seismic airguns used in oil and gas exploration, produce a range of frequencies that can interfere with both these groups of species, Ifaw concludes.

Its report - Ocean Noise: Turn it down - cites research showing that the effective range of blue whales' calls is only about one-tenth of what it was before the era of engine-driven commercial shipping.

Movements of large ships on the open ocean are largely unrestricted

It also notes that high-energy military sonar systems have driven the mass strandings and deaths of beaked whales.

The sonar is thought to disrupt the animals' diving behaviour so much that they suffer a condition rather like "the bends" which human divers can contract if they surface too quickly.

Pressure from conservation groups has led to restrictions on the use of sonar by the US Navy.

In some places, companies involved in oil and gas exploration limit their use of seismic airguns.

But Ifaw argues these restrictions are not enough.

The use of high-energy sonar and seismic airguns should be completely prohibited in sensitive areas, it says. National legislation, such as the UK's Marine Bill, should comprehensively restrict the exposure of cetaceans to noise.

The UK branch of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) has sounded alarm bells recently over oil and gas exploration in the Moray Firth, home to a small population of bottlenose dolphins.

The Ifaw report is not the first to raise the threat posed by ocean noise, and it will not be the last.

The problem is that most of the activities causing the problem - commercial shipping, mineral extraction - are part and parcel of the modern, interconnected economy.

A further obstacle to legislation is that much of the noise is generated on the high seas, which are largely unregulated.

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Breast cancer vaccine hope raised

Some breast cancers do not respond to treatment

A new vaccine has completely eliminated a type of breast cancer tumour in tests on mice, say researchers.

The vaccine targets breast cancer caused by an excess of a protein called HER2 - and even destroyed tumours resistant to current drugs.

The US team said it might also be used to prevent initial development of the tumours in cancer-free women.

But UK experts warned the vaccine was at a very early stage, and it was not known if it would work in humans.

This is very early research that has only been carried out in mice so we don't actually know if it could be used in women. Dr Sarah Rawlings Breakthrough Breast Cancer

The study, by Wayne State University, appears in the journal Cancer Research.

HER2 receptors promote normal cell growth, and are found in low amounts on normal breast cells.

But HER2-positive breast cells can contain many more receptors than is typical, promoting a particularly aggressive type of tumour that affects up to 30% of all breast cancer patients.

There are drugs to treat this form of the disease, including Herceptin, but they do not work for a significant proportion of patients.

The new vaccine contains genes that produce the HER2 receptor, and a compound which stimulates the immune system.

Electrical pulses

The researchers used electrical pulses to deliver the injected vaccine into leg muscles in mice.

Once there, the vaccine produced a huge quantity of HER2 receptors which triggered a reaction by the animals' immune systems, and primed them to fight cancer.

The researchers also used an agent that, for a while, suppressed the activity of regulatory T cells, which normally keeps the immune system from over-reacting.

In the absence of regulatory T cells, the immune system responded much more strongly to the vaccine.

Then, when the researchers implanted HER2-positive breast tumours in the animals, the cancer was eradicated.

There were no sign of any side-effects.

Lead researcher Professor Wei-Zen Wei said: "The immune response against HER2-positive receptors we saw in this study is powerful.

"Both tumour cells that respond to current targeted therapies and those that are resistant to these treatments were eradicated.

"This may be an answer for women with these tumours who become resistant to the current therapies."

The researchers have previously developed a similar vaccine which is currently in early clinical trials.

They say this time they have fine tuned the process, and hope the new vaccine will be more effective.

However, Dr Sarah Rawlings, of the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: "This is very early research that has only been carried out in mice so we don't actually know if it could be used in women.

"Much more research is needed to find out if it works, to either treat HER2 positive breast cancer or prevent the disease, and if there are any side effects."

Several other groups are also working on breast cancer vaccines that target HER2.

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China to punish baby milk makers

Babies have been suffering kidney stones - rare in young children

China has launched a nationwide investigation into all baby milk powders, saying those producing tainted powder "will face serious punishment".

A contaminant was found in one brand of formula and one infant died this week.

State media said the inquiry would seek to discover if the tainted formula led to the baby's death and caused kidney stones in dozens of other babies.

The new scare revived memories of a fake formula scandal four years ago in which at least 13 babies died.

One baby died on Wednesday in north-western Gansu province from kidney stones, a rare complaint in infants. More than 50 others have developed kidney stones there and in other provinces this year.

"[Authorities] in collaboration with local governments will determine the cause and the responsibility and severely punish those responsible," the health ministry said, according to state news agency Xinhua.

The Administration of Quality, Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine was responsible for the probe, it said.

Product recall

Investigations so far showed that most of the babies had drunk Sanlu brand formula and the company was recalling milk formula made before 6 August, Xinhua said.

One formula is suspected to have been contaminated with a toxic chemical

It added that about 700 tonnes of powder contaminated with melamine - a toxic chemical used in plastics, fertilizers and cleaning products - were believed to be in circulation.

Correspondents' calls to the Hebei province-based dairy producer went unanswered. But a statement from the New Zealand-based dairy product company Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd, a part-owner of Sanlu, confirmed the recall.

The company "has advised us that they have recalled product in China and have put new milk quality testing procedures in place," Fonterra said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press.

Melamine was "highly suspected" to have contaminated batches of Sanlu milk formula, China's Ministry of Health said late on Thursday.

Melamine has been used by Chinese suppliers of animal feed components to make them appear to have more protein. It was linked to the formation of kidney stones and kidney failure in pets in the United States last year, leading to thousands of deaths and illnesses.

A fake milk powder scandal in 2004 killed at least 13 babies in the eastern province of Anhui.

Investigators found that the milk given to these babies had no nutritional value, and the resulting scandal triggered widespread investigations into food safety.

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Broccoli 'may help protect lungs'

Sulforapane is found in broccoli and brussel sprouts

A substance found in broccoli may limit the damage which leads to serious lung disease, research suggests.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often caused by smoking and kills about 30,000 UK residents a year.

US scientists found that sulforapane increases the activity of the NRF2 gene in human lung cells which protects cells from damage caused by toxins.

The same broccoli compound was recently found to be protective against damage to blood vessels caused by diabetes.

Brassica vegetables such as broccoli have also been linked to a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Cell pollutants

In the latest study, a team from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine found significantly lower activity of the NRF2 gene in smokers with advanced COPD.

Writing in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, they said the gene is responsible for turning on several mechanisms for removing toxins and pollutants which can damage cells.

We know broccoli naturally contains important compounds but studies so far have taken place in the test tube and further research is needed to find if you can produce the same effect in humans Spokeswoman, British Lung Foundation

Previous studies in mice had shown that disrupting the NRF2 gene caused early onset severe emphysema - one of the conditions suffered by COPD patients.

Increasing the activity of NRF2 may lead to useful treatments for preventing the progression of COPD, the researchers said.

In the study, they showed that sulforapane was able to restore reduced levels of NRF2 in cells exposed to cigarette smoke.

"Future studies should target NRF2 as a novel strategy to increase antioxidant protection in the lungs and test its ability to improve lung function in people with COPD," said study leader Dr Shyam Biswal.

A spokeswoman for the British Lung Foundation said: "This is an important study for the 3 million people in the UK with COPD because of its findings about the imbalance of oxidants and antioxidants in the lungs.

"We know broccoli naturally contains important compounds but studies so far have taken place in the test tube and further research is needed to find if you can produce the same effect in humans."

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