Cancer-detecting dogs approved for NHS trial
(Records) Animals at specialist charity will undergo evaluation at Milton Keynes hospital after proving 93% effective in detecting odour of prostate tumours
Daisy at the trial test (the guardian.com)
Dogs capable of sniffing out cancer have been approved for use in a trial by the NHS.
The charity Medical Detection Dogs has gained approval from Milton Keynes University Hospital for further trials, after an initial study showed specially trained dogs can detect prostate tumours in urine in 93% of cases.
It is hoped canine testing could help show up inaccuracies in the traditional Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test, used to determine if men need a biopsy. The test has a high “false positive” rate, and many men are unnecessarily referred for the invasive procedure.
Iqbal Anjum, a consultant urologist at the hospital, said the study was “an extremely exciting prospect”.
He added: “Over the years there have been many anecdotal reports suggesting that dogs may be able to detect cancer based on the tumour’s odour. It is assumed that volatile molecules associated with the tumour would be released into the person’s urine, making samples easy to collect and test.”
Medical Detection Dogs was co-founded in 2008 by Dr Claire Guest, who was the training director of the first study programme to train dogs to identify cancer in 2003.
Dr Guest’s experienced the apparent ability of dogs to sniff out the disease herself, when her dog Daisy made her aware she was suffering from breast cancer in 2009.
The normally gentle dog refused to get in the car, and began prodding Dr Guest in the chest. When she felt the patch, Dr Guest realised it was bruised. Tests revealed she had a benign tumour near the surface, and a deeper malign growth, which could have been severe if not for the early diagnosis.
Dr Guest said the incident gave her the “impetus to really believe this could be life-changing for people”.
She added: “Britain has one of the worst rates of early cancer detection in Europe. The NHS needs to be bolder about introducing new innovative methods to detect cancer in its early stages.
“Our dogs have higher rates of reliability than most of the existing tests. We know their sense of smell is extraordinary. They can detect parts per trillion - that’s the equivalent of one drop of blood in two Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Source: theguardian.com
VIETNAM BOOK OF RECORDS - VIETKINGS
(Records) The Ho Chi Minh municipal authorities will develop high-tech agriculture in an effort to boost agricultural production despite shrinking farmland
(Records) Intel Products Vietnam heralded a grand opening of the largest solar power station in Vietnam at the Saigon High-Tech Park on April 23.
(Records) Marines are known for risking their lives on the battlefield, but more and more, robot technology is helping to avoid those dangers and save lives.
(Records) Vietnam has become the world's 10th country to successfully applying nanotechnology to produce Nano Curcumin - a substance that can help cure cancer, announced the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology.
(Records) BEAVERTON, Oregon – Matthew Walzer, 19, said putting on shoes was nearly impossible. He has cerebral palsy, and often had to ask his parents to help him get dressed.
(Records) Vietnam has become the 37th country and the fifth in the Western Pacific meeting requirements to produce vaccines for the global market, the World Health Organization said.
(Records) The Institute of Plant Protection Research has recently announced its success in producing caterpillar fungus (Ophiocordyceps sinensis), a rare medicine with the potential to increase the capacity of the body against cancer.
(Records) The Russian Army has been showcasing state-of-the-art military equipment in the city of Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula, boasting its Platform-M combat robot which can be used both for patrolling and attacks
(Records) As told by representatives of Vympel Shipyard (Russia) on 29/6, the companies hope to soon sign a contract to Vietnam closed Molniya 4 more ships with new equipment.
(Records)The Air Defense-Air Force of Vietnam has successfully upgraded the Russian-made air defense missile system S-125-2TM Pechora after a recent test launch in Hanoi, government website chinhphu.vn reported.
(Records) New camouflage suits will be made from special metamaterial which interacts with light and can make soldiers practically invisible, the German magazine Focus reported.
(Records) DNA-programmed blotting paper could soon be giving doctors a simple disease test that will reveal an infection in 30 minutes for just a few pence.
(Records) Farmers in the Mekong River Delta have invented boats that can run smoothly with no noise or pollution to the environment, and are especially suitable to serve ecotourism
(Records)Though Vietnam has never been considered a hi-tech power, locally made hi-tech brands have become popular with consumers