By Deborah Frenkel 
Chinese tradition refers to the reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) as 'the lucky fungus', for its powers in alleviating complaints such as arthritis, insomnia and chest tightness. And 2,000 years after its first use, the ancient remedy is still proving somewhat of a charm, after researchers from the University of Haifa announced their success in preliminary efforts to slow the growth of prostate cancer cells using reishi extracts.
The scientists, led by Dr Ben-Zion Zaidman of the university's Institute for Evolution, found that molecules extracted from Ganoderma lucidum blocked the action of androgen - the male sex hormone - upon cancerous cells. Without intervention, said Zaidman, the hormone otherwise works as a chemical 'switch', stimulating the cells - especially in early stages of the disease - to multiply uncontrollably into tumor tissue.
"These results give rise to hope about developing new medications to treat prostate cancer," said Zaidman.
While the research is still in the petri-dish stages, stresses Zaidman, one day it could lead to a new way to combat the disease, which every year is diagnosed in nearly 700,000 men worldwide, including Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Existing drugs, such as Flutamide, also work by interfering with ...   more »

By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID
WASHINGTON (AP) - When Shakespeare called sleep the "chief nourisher of life's feast," he may have been well ahead of his time, medically at least. Researchers at the University of Chicago Medical Center report that disrupting sleep damages the body's ability to regulate blood sugar levels, potentially raising the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
More than 18 million Americans have diabetes and the most common form is type 2, in which the body either becomes resistant to insulin or doesn't produce enough of it to regulate sugar in the bloodstream.
In a small experiment, researchers led by Dr. Esra Tasali, an assistant professor of medicine, found that disrupting the deepest sleep periods of volunteers rapidly resulted in reduction in their ability to regulate blood-sugar levels.
The findings are reported in Monday's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The researchers studied the sleep patterns of nine volunteers, five men and four women, all of normal weight, in good health and aged 20 to 31.
Normal sleep is divided into several stages, with the so-called slow-wave sleep considered the deepest.
Whenever the volunteers went into slow-wave sleep the researchers made noise - enough ...   more »

HOUSTON (AP) - Two Baylor College of Medicine researchers in Houston are working on a cocaine vaccine they hope will become the first-ever medication to treat people hooked on the drug. "For people who have a desire to stop using, the vaccine should be very useful," said Dr. Tom Kosten, a psychiatry professor who is being assisted in the research by his wife, Therese, a psychologist and neuroscientist. "At some point, most users will give in to temptation and relapse, but those for whom the vaccine is effective won't get high and will lose interest."
The vaccine, currently in clinical trials, stimulates the immune system to attack the real thing when it's taken.
The immune system - unable to recognize cocaine and other drug molecules because they are so small - can't make antibodies to attack them.
To help the immune system distinguish the drug, Kosten attached inactivated cocaine to the outside of inactivated cholera proteins.
In response, the immune system not only makes antibodies to the combination, which is harmless, but also recognizes the potent naked drug when it's ingested. The antibodies bind to the cocaine and prevent it from reaching the brain, where it normally would generate the ...   more »

By LOLITA C. BALDOR
WASHINGTON (AP) - The military's reliance on unmanned aircraft that can watch, hunt and sometimes kill insurgents has soared to more than 500,000 hours in the air, largely in Iraq, The Associated Press has learned. And new Defense Department figures obtained by The AP show that the Air Force more than doubled its monthly use of drones between January and October, forcing it to take pilots out of the air and shift them to remote flying duty to meet part of the demand.
The dramatic increase in the development and use of drones across the armed services reflects what will be an even more aggressive effort over the next 25 years, according to the new report.
The jump in Iraq coincided with the build up of U.S. forces this summer as the military swelled its ranks to quell the violence in Baghdad. But Pentagon officials said that even as troops begin to slowly come home this year, the use of Predators, Global Hawks, Shadows and Ravens will not likely slow.
"I think right now the demand for the capability that the unmanned system provides is only increasing," said Army Col. Bob Quackenbush, deputy director for Army ...   more »

 A Dubai TV Special
Following are excerpts from a TV program dealing with healing by means of Koranic water. The program aired on Dubai TV on December 13, 2007:
"It Has Been Scientifically Proven that Water is Affected by What is Recited Over It"
Akran Al-Hashemi, Iraqi journalist: "I survived an assassination attempt in Iraq. I was hit by bullets - more than 70 bullets. I used oils, lotions, and all sorts of medicine, but unfortunately, nothing helped. I happened to meet Hajja [Samiya], and she said: 'I can heal you. I will recite Koranic verses over olive oil for you - the Al-Fatiha chapter, the Al-Kursi verse, and the Al-Ma'wiztein.' From the very first night, I felt a difference, and after one week I started walking normally."
[...]
Interviewer: "Hajja Samiya, it was you who recited Koranic verses over the oil, which he rubbed on his leg, and Allah has used you as a means for his healing."
Hajja Samiya: "Allah be praised, he was healed the very next day. To be honest, I myself was surprised. I'm not the one who needs to be thanked - I feel that God has given me a gift. I still don't ...   more »

The Factors that Divide the Pope from the Muslims
The contrast is not only one of faith. It also concerns the achievements of the Enlightenment : from religious freedom to equality between men and women. The Catholic Church has made these its own, but Islam has not. Will they be able to discuss this, when Benedict XVI and the Muslims of the letter of the 138 meet together ?
by Sandro Magister
ROMA, January 2, 2008 – For the Vatican, the new year brings a meeting that cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the pontifical council for interreligious dialogue, has pre-announced as « historic, » in an interview with « L’Osservatore Romano » on December 30.
The meeting is scheduled for the spring. And it will take place between Benedict XVI and a delegation of the 138 Muslim authors of the open letter « A Common Word between Us and You » addressed to the pope and to other Christian leaders last October.
In addition to the pope, the Muslim representatives will also meet with other Vatican authorities, and will hold working sessions at institutes like the PISAI, the Pontifical Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies.
What cleared the way for ...   more »