Mother can pass on cancer in womb

October 13 - Scientists have proved that it is possible for a mother's cancer cells to be passed to her unborn child.

There are very rare cases where a mother and child appear to share the same cancer, but in theory the child's immune system should block the cancer. However, an analysis by a British-led team of one such case shows the cells which caused leukaemia in the child could only have come from the mother.

The study appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Whether it is possible for a mother to "infect" her unborn child with cancer have puzzled scientists for 100 years. In theory any cancer cells that manage to cross the placenta into the baby's bloodstream should be targeted for destruction by the child's immune system.

But there are records of 17 cases of a mother and baby appearing to share the same cancer - usually leukaemia or melanoma. The latest study focused on a Japanese woman and her baby, who both developed leukaemia.

The researchers used an advanced genetic fingerprinting technique to prove that the leukaemia cells found in the baby had originated from the mother. They showed that both patients' leukaemic cells carried an identical mutated cancer gene.

However, they also showed that the child had not inherited this gene from its mother - meaning it could not have developed this type of leukaemia in isolation.

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Next, the researchers examined how the cancer cells could have neutralised the baby's immune system. They found that the cancer cells lacked some DNA which played a crucial role in giving them their own specific molecular identity. Without this telltale molecular sign, the child's immune system was unable to recognise the cells as foreign, and thus was not mobilised to attack them.

Lead researcher Professor Mel Greaves, of the Institute of Cancer Research , said: "It appears that in this and, we presume, other cases of mother-to-offspring cancer, the maternal cancer cells did cross the placenta into the developing foetus and succeeded in implanting because they were invisible to the immune system.

"We are pleased to have resolved this longstanding puzzle. But we stress that such mother-to-offspring transfer of cancer is exceedingly rare and the chances of any pregnant woman with cancer passing it on to her child are remote."

source : bbc news

Technology News : The dangers of social media sites

October 13 - Security researchers are warning that Web-based applications are increasing the risk of identity theft or losing personal data more than ever before.

The best defense against data theft, malware and viruses in the cloud is self defense, researchers at the Hack in the Box (HITB) security conference said. But getting people to change how they use the Internet, such as what personal data they make public, won't be easy.

People put a lot of personal information on the Web, and that can be used for an attacker's financial gain. From social-networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook to the mini-blogging service Twitter and other blog sites like Wordpress, people are putting photos, resumes, personal diaries and other information in the cloud. Some people don't even bother to read the fine print in agreements that allow them onto a site, even though some agreements clearly state that anything posted becomes the property of the site itself.

The loss of personal data by Sidekick smartphone users over the weekend, including contacts, calendar entries, photographs and other personal information, serves as another example of the potential pitfalls of trusting the Cloud. Danger, the Microsoft subsidiary that stores Sidekick data, said a service disruption almost certainly means user data has been lost for good.

Access to personal data on the cloud from just about anywhere on a variety of devices, from smartphones and laptops to home PCs, shows another major vulnerability because other people may be able to find that data, too.

"As an attacker, you should be licking your lips," said Haroon Meer, a researcher at Sensepost, a South African security company that has focused on Web applications for the past six years. "If all data is accessible from anywhere, then the perimeter disappears. It makes hacking like hacking in the movies."

A person who wants to steal personal information is usually looking for financial gain, Meer said, and every bit of data they can find leads them one step closer to your online bank, credit card or brokerage accounts.

First, they might find your name. Next, they discover your job and a small profile of you online that offers further background information such as what school you graduated from and where you were born. They keep digging until they have a detailed account of you, complete with your date of birth and mother's maiden name for those pesky security questions, and perhaps some family photos for good measure. With enough data they could make false identification cards and take out loans under your name.

source : yahoo news