Potatoes, tomatoes and aubergines could hold the key to fighting cancer, experts believe.

Polish researchers say studies suggest glycoalkaloids, naturally occurring chemicals also found in peppers, goji berries and blueberries, may possess some cancer-fighting properties.

And they believe bioactive compounds in vegetables may also help patients avoid the brutal side effects of existing treatments.

Scientists say glycoalkaloids — naturally occurring chemicals found in potatoes — have cancer-fighting properties that might stall cancer-causing chemicals

Although chemotherapy is very effective at killing cancer cells, it can trigger a number of uncomfortable side effects, including hair loss, nausea, and fatigue.

This is because the drugs accidentally kill healthy cells elsewhere in the body while also targeting the cancerous cells.

Magdalena Winkiel from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and colleagues said this makes it worthwhile to re-examine the properties of medicinal plants.

Her team reviewed the evidence for glycoalkaloids — compounds that are abundant in the nightshade family of plants, which includes potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant.

In the right dosages, these chemicals can be “powerful clinical tools,” Ms Winkiel’s team said.

They focused on five glycoalkaloids – solanine, chaconine, solasonine, solamargine and tomato – which Ms Winkiel believes could be used to develop drugs in the future.

The results, detailed in Frontiers in Pharmacology, show that solanine has been shown to prevent potentially cancer-causing chemicals — known to cause cancer — from being converted into carcinogens in the body.

Studies on a certain type of leukemia cells also showed that solanine kills them in small doses.

Meanwhile, chaconin has anti-inflammatory properties, with the potential to treat sepsis, the team said.

Solamargin can stop liver cancer cells from reproducing, according to research.

Researchers say it could be a crucial adjunctive treatment because it targets cancer stem cells, which are thought to play a significant role in anticancer drug resistance.

Solasonine is thought to work in a similar way.

The tomato supports the body’s regulation of cell cycles and helps the body kill cancer cells, the results show.

However, how the chemicals can fight cancer in human cells, one of the earliest stages of research, has not yet been studied.

Ms Winkiel said these tests are vital to confirm which glycoalkaloids are “safe and promising enough to be tested in humans”.

She added: “Scientists around the world are still searching for drugs that are deadly for cancer cells but safe for healthy cells at the same time.

“Despite advances in medicine and the strong development of modern treatment techniques, it is not easy.

“Therefore, it might be worth resorting to medicinal plants that were successfully used years ago to treat various ailments.”

Ms Winkiel noted that if the chemicals “cannot replicate the cancer drugs used today, a combination therapy will potentially increase the effectiveness of the treatment”.

Plants have been used to fight cancer for decades, such as the chemotherapy drug taxol, which is made from tree bark.

But there’s no research to say that simply eating five a day kills cancer cells, even though a healthy diet can help prevent tumors in the first place.

They are not a substitute for cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery, which can cure people of the disease if caught early enough.

dr Charles Evans, Research Information Manager at Cancer Research UK said: “Plants produce a huge and varied range of interesting and understudied chemicals.

“Some of these chemicals show anti-cancer effects in laboratory tests, and some, like Taxol, have even become drugs that we use today to treat cancer.

“It is important to emphasize that many of these compounds are not suitable as drugs, either because they are not effective enough or because they are not safe enough to administer to humans.

“It’s critical that we explore all possible avenues to discover new treatments, which is why it’s critical that researchers study these chemicals to see if they have the potential to become new medicines.”

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the world, affecting more than two MILLION women each year

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the world. There are more than 55,000 new cases in the UK each year and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it strikes 266,000 and kills 40,000 each year. But what causes it and how can it be treated?

What is breast cancer?

Breast cancer develops from a cancer cell that develops in the lining of a milk duct, or lobule, in one of the breasts.

When breast cancer has spread to surrounding breast tissue, it is called ‘invasive’ breast cancer. Some people are diagnosed with “carcinoma in situ,” where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobe.

Most cases develop in women over the age of 50, but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, although this is rare.

Staging means how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.

Cancer cells are ranked from low, meaning slow growth, to high, meaning fast growth. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after being treated first.

What Causes Breast Cancer?

A cancerous tumor starts from an abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. Something is thought to damage or change certain genes in the cell. This causes the cell to become abnormal and multiply “out of control”.

Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance of developing breast cancer, such as: B. Genetics.

What are the symptoms of breast cancer?

The usual first symptom is a painless breast lump, although most breast lumps are noncancerous and are fluid-filled cysts that are benign.

The first place where breast cancer usually spreads is in the armpit lymph nodes. If this occurs, you’ll develop a swelling or lump in an armpit.

How is breast cancer diagnosed?

• Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests like a mammogram, a special X-ray of breast tissue that can indicate the possibility of tumors.
• Biopsy: In a biopsy, a small sample of tissue is taken from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.

If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, further tests may be needed to determine if it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound of the liver, or a chest X-ray.

How is breast cancer treated?

Treatment options that may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormone treatment. A combination of two or more of these treatments is often used.

• Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or removal of the affected breast, depending on the size of the tumor.
• Radiation therapy: A treatment that uses high-energy rays focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells or stops cancer cells from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to the operation.
• Chemotherapy: A treatment for cancer through the use of anti-cancer drugs that kill or stop cancer cells from multiplying
• Hormone Treatments: Some types of breast cancer are influenced by the “female” hormone estrogen, which can stimulate cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments that lower the levels of these hormones or stop them from working are often used in patients with breast cancer.

How successful is the treatment?

The outlook is best for those diagnosed when the cancer is small and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumor at an early stage can then offer good chances of recovery.

The routine mammogram offered to women in their 50s and 70s means more breast cancer is being diagnosed and treated at an early stage.

For more information visit breastcancernow.org or call toll free on 0808 800 6000

Countries should close Chinese consulates until the communist regime shuts down its network of illegal police operations, a former deputy national security adviser said after nearly 50 additional stations were reportedly found.

“China’s overseas police stations are one of several ways Beijing is eroding our national sovereignty and specifically stripping ethnic Chinese of their rights as citizens of democracies,” Matt Pottinger, chair of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ China program, told Fox News. “Democracies should close China’s consulates until Beijing withdraws its illegal and extraterritorial law enforcement from our borders.”

Safeguard Defenders, a pan-Asian human rights organization, on Monday released an investigation titled “Patrol and Persuade” which reported that in addition to the 54 the group identified in September, another 48 Chinese police departments were operating overseas. Reported locations span 53 countries, including four US-based stations: two in New York City, one in Los Angeles and one set up by the Nantong Public Security Bureau at an undisclosed location.

SEE MORE FOX NEWS DIGITAL ORIGINALS HERE

“We know that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has increased its transnational repression efforts around the world in recent years,” Laura Harth, Safeguard Defenders campaign manager, told Fox News. “And that the United Front Work networks associated with these stations have long been involved in foreign influence and interference operations.”

“The stations appear to be just the latest iteration of such growing practices,” she said.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

These overseas police stations allow Chinese authorities “to conduct police operations on foreign soil” and have supported a CCP campaign to crack down on overseas citizens who are alleged to have committed “fraud and telecommunications fraud,” Harth said. Since the campaign launched in April 2021, 230,000 Chinese nationals have been “persuaded to return” to face prosecution for alleged crimes, according to China’s Ministry of Public Security.

The story goes on

Safeguard Defenders also linked the reported foreign police network to activities by China’s United Front Work Department, a Communist Party organization tasked with spreading its influence and propaganda abroad.

“The best evidence of the scale of the secret police operations carried out by the [People’s Republic of China] Authorities come from their own official statements and work reports,” Harth said. Beijing has touted the success of Operation Fox Hunt, a campaign that Harth said has brought over 11,000 high-value refugees back to China since 2014.

REPUBLICANS DEMAND ANSWERS FROM BIDEN OFFICIALS TO REPORT CHINA OPENED POLICE ARMY IN NYC

Through its “110 Overseas” campaign, China’s Foreign Ministry for Security has persuaded over 230,000 overseas Chinese suspects to return to the mainland and face criminal charges.

“The numbers and scale speak for themselves,” she said. “Particularly when combined with the framework of illegal methods used … which include threats, harassment, detention of family members at home; the use of undercover agents, embassy personnel, persons attached to the foreign stations, or hired agents to “convince” the target abroad. right on foreign soil and even kidnappings.”

China’s Foreign Ministry has denied it operates undeclared police forces, saying the sites provide services for expatriate citizens, such as ID and driver’s license renewals.

However, the newly reported stations were established back in 2016, according to Safeguard Defenders’ investigation, and deny China’s claims that operations began in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

WHITE HOUSE TELL US CHINA’S DIPLOMATIC CHANNELS CAN GO TO BIDEN, XI. MEETINGS TO BE “EXTENDED”.

Even more worrying than China’s expanding operations, Harth said, is that “the vast majority of target countries appear unaware of the CCP’s police networks operating on their prey,” underscoring “the urgent need for a coordinated response within the democratic alliance.” emphasizes”.

According to Safeguard Defenders, at least 13 countries, including Canada, Germany and the Netherlands, have launched investigations into these police stations after their existence was first reported. The US has also been added to the list, but it’s not clear what steps the government is taking to investigate the issue.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

FBI Director Christopher Wray said at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing in November that he was aware of the stations’ existence and found the problem deeply concerning, but refused to back the bureau’s investigative work into the matter to explain in detail.

“But to me it’s outrageous to think that the Chinese police would try to set up a business, say, in New York, without proper coordination,” Wray said. “It violates sovereignty and bypasses the usual processes of judicial and criminal cooperation.”

Harth said it was “extremely encouraging to see the response from some governments,” but recommended that all countries hosting either of these stations “take action to counter this common national threat and assault on fundamental freedoms and territorial sovereignty.” .

Published on: 07/12/2022 – 06:12

This is the epilogue to the midterm elections in the United States, where the final seat of the senator in the state of Georgia was at stake. It is won by outgoing Democrat Raphaël Warnock. President Joe Biden’s party consolidates its majority.

With our correspondent in Washington, Guillaume Naudin

This time the tension did not last for several days. Although the victory of Raphael Warnock is short, it arrived in the evening this second round between the two African American candidates. As is so often the case, it was the Democrat who initially took the lead thanks to early voting before things evened out. The Republican Herschel Walker They even fell into the lead at times as the count progressed, but the mostly Democratic urban districts in and around Atlanta eventually made the difference.

The former American football star failed to convince black voters in particular. Despite the Supporting Donald Trumpnor is he getting the results expected in traditional Republican strongholds.

► To listen: to Senators in Georgia, ‘the stakes are high for both parties’

Encouragement for Biden

Raphaël Warnock will serve as Georgia Senator for the next six years. And that’s no small feat in such a competitive country. This will make it a little more convenient for Democrats to impose their views without relying on the goodwill of any of their own.

► also read : in the United States: the first lessons from the midterm elections

Despite narrowly losing a majority in the House of Representatives, it is the first time since 1962 that the presidential party has broadened its majority in the Senate in the midterm elections. Joe Biden, who is considering a new candidacy, will take that as encouragement. On the other hand, Republicans fared significantly worse than expected. And they probably aren’t done with the reckoning yet.

► Also to listen to: Democrats limit breakup in US midterm elections

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, head of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, has high expectations: she expects nothing less than a “Paris moment for the protection of species”. Canadian Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault also expected a “historic event” in advance. “We have momentum on our side now,” he said on Tuesday.

An agreement is urgently needed: the planet is currently experiencing “the greatest loss of life since the dinosaurs”, according to the United Nations World Environment Program (UNEP) website. “A million species of plants and animals are now threatened with extinction.” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged participating states to “make peace with nature”. “With our bottomless appetite for uncontrolled and uneven economic growth, humanity has become a weapon of mass destruction,” Guterres said at the opening of the summit.

policeman

COP stands for “Conference of the Parties” and is the highest body of an international convention. A COP can be devoted to a wide variety of topics, such as biodiversity or climate protection.

many goals played

In short, a comprehensive framework agreement for global species protection for the next ten years will be negotiated at the Montreal conference. While the Paris Agreement was needed as a follow-up to the Kyoto Protocol, which expired in 2020, Montreal is expected to provide a follow-up agreement to the Nagoya Protocol adopted at the UN Conference on the Conservation of Species in Aichi, Japan, in 2010.

Experts hope for a more effective deal this time around and complain that none of Aichi’s targets have been achieved. A similar fate should be avoided in Montreal through more specific requirements and greater commitment. However, even in the run-up to the Montreal conference, all 21 points of the planned final document are at least partially contested.

Protection for 30% of land and sea surface?

This includes targets to combat overexploitation, pollution and unsustainable agricultural practices, as well as funding. In addition, the rights of indigenous peoples must be protected and the influx of plastic waste reduced. A solid financial foundation for global species protection also plays an important role in the forthcoming negotiations.

Another goal is to protect at least 30% of the world’s land and sea areas by 2030. So far, only a fraction of these areas are protected. And, as with climate protection, all states must also submit national strategies and action plans (NBSAP) for protecting biodiversity.

debate

Biodiversity: how to combat the destruction of nature?

A conference in two acts

These should be improved regularly based on reports from the World Biodiversity Council (IPBES). The basis is the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) concluded in 1993 with currently 196 contracting parties. In principle, the agreement is intended to be a step towards Vision 2050. Thus, by 2050 the world must live in harmony with nature.

The two-week consultations in Montreal are formally the second part of the UN conference, which began in Kunming, China, in 2021 – purely virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic. The conference was originally planned for 2020, but the pandemic caused several delays. The frequently requested presence of heads of state and government was dispensed with, although this time probably more ministers of the environment will participate than at previous CBD conferences.

Gewessler sees “difficult conditions”

Among others, Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) will participate with an Austrian delegation – in Montreal, the EU will appear as one at the UN climate conferences. However, in a statement to the APA, Gewessler saw no simple signs.

While the EU represents ambitious goals that must now be anchored globally, “but there are also many brakes – which continue to promote the relentless exploitation of our nature. And oblivious to the future, destroying their own livelihood. These are difficult prerequisites for an agreement”, he evaluated.

PIK/Wang-Erlandsson et al 2022/ORF.at

Austria as an “EU laggard”?

But there are also criticisms of Austria. After the Austrian government created a biodiversity strategy based on EU specifications, it was asked in an open letter a week ago by the Austrian Council on Biodiversity, the Commission for Interdisciplinary Ecological Studies (KIÖS) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, to implement this strategy even before it begins to be decided at a conference in the Council of Ministers.

Arno Aschauer, WWF’s Head of Species and Habitats, also criticized Austria as an “EU latecomer in nature conservation”. According to an assessment by the EU Environment Agency, Austria would rank second to last in an EU comparison in terms of biodiversity. With 15% of the country’s area covered by Natura 2000 protected areas, Austria is also well below the EU average (19%).

And the EU as a whole? Global 2000 measures the EU’s position on species protection against the legal framework it establishes for it: Helmut Burtscher-Schaden, Global 2000 environmental chemist, refers to two legislative proposals to protect biodiversity being negotiated in the European Parliament and Council of Member States become – more about this at science.ORF.at.

devastating image

WWF often referred to the fatal swing in the development of biodiversity, the NGO failed to see any positive trend reversals in the development of populations of many vertebrate species in the 14th edition of its “Living Planet Report of the WWF” last October. According to the index, its shares have dropped 69% between 1970 and 2018.

In the run-up to the conference, Greenpeace was strongly against paying compensation. “Mere eye drops, such as compensation payments, will get us nowhere. The destruction of valuable natural areas must finally be stopped. This is the only way to stop the dramatic extinction of species and secure our long-term livelihoods,” said Ursula Bittner, species protection specialist at Greenpeace Austria.

“Come to Montreal with an open mind and flexibility, ready to make concessions,” urged Mrema just before the start of the multi-day conference. The next challenge, however, is implementation. “A nice document that we can use to decorate our shelves” turns out to be nothing. According to organizers, NGOs and experts, this applies to both Montreal and Paris.