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Showing posts from August, 2015

"Bio-detection" dogs in trial to be used for prostate cancer sniffing

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Many urologists agree that the PSA test for detecting prostate cancer is often unreliable, but it remains widely used because there are no other relatively inexpensive tests. Researchers in Britain say this method may soon be replaced with dogs trained to sniff out the type of cancer that, according to the American Cancer Society, affects one in every 7 men. VOA’s George Putic reports: It takes 6 months to train a dog to detect prostate cancer. According to the report, trained dogs can detect prostate tumors in urine in 93 percent of cases. "These dogs have the ability to screen hundreds of samples in a day; it's something they find very easy, they enjoy their work. To them it's a hunt game - they find the cancer." The alternative, "electronic nose" sensitivity is well below the one of a dog. A dog can find 1 part per trillion. An electronic nose is unable to find anything below 1 per million. References: Cancer sniffing dogs to aid British doctors. Reuters.

All about hair loss (alopecia) - Deutsche Welle expert interview

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Dr. Andreas Finner (Trichomed Praxis Berlin) talks about what everyone can do to keep a full head of hair and about the best methods for treating hair loss: Today's Hair-Loss Treatments: Drugs Minoxidil shampoo Patients can buy an OTC shampoo with an ingredient called minoxidil. Minoxidil (Rogaine) fights androgenic alopecia in both men and women. It's still not entirely clear how minoxidil works. Used properly -- twice a day, massaged deep into the scalp -- it slows new hair loss. Two-thirds of men do get acceptable hair growth. "It is not something a bald person would use, but someone starting to go bald would use it. The goal is to maintain the hair you have." An example from Amazon: Propecia pill Propecia (finasteride) works only for men. It keeps the male sex hormone testosterone from forming its DHT by-product. Many men use both minoxidil shampoo and Propecia pill for maximum effect. Today's Hair-Loss Treatments: Surgery Surgeons can transplant hair follicle