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Biotech / Medical : Ligand (LGND) Breakout! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Hippieslayer who wrote (16675)	3/7/1998 8:20:00 AM
From: Arthur Radley	Respond to of 32384

>>>>this may clip a point off ligand's price>>> HAVE NO FEAR! It says you actually have to exercise and with the number of people spending 24 hours a day posting to this thread, there will always be enough candidates for Ligand's drugs.(:>)

To: Hippieslayer who wrote (16675)	3/7/1998 8:45:00 AM
From: Henry Niman	Respond to of 32384

Diet should do the same thing: Thursday March 5 6:17 PM EST One Third Of Cancers May Be Due To Diet LONDON (Reuters) -- A panel of British scientists and physicians have concluded in a new report that diet may play a role in the development of about one third of all cancers -- but also caution that there is insufficient evidence to establish a causal link between diet and cancer, as exists between smoking and lung cancer. The experts, who comprise the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy (COMA), published their findings on Thursday in the government report, "The Nutritional Aspects of the Development of Cancer." "Clearly, smoking poses the most significant risk of cancer, but evidence suggests that diet could contribute to a third of all cancers," said Chief Medical Officer Sir Kenneth Calman in a statement accompanying the release of the report. "It is important that the report's recommendations are followed in the context of wider advise from COMA," added Calman. "Eat a healthy balanced and varied diet, one which is rich in cereals and contains at least five portions of fruits and vegetables a day." Calman said that adults who eat more than an average amount of red and processed meat -- such as those who eat 12 to 14 portions of meat per week, or 140 grams (about 5 ounces) per day -- should reduce that consumption. Adults who eat the average amount -- about 90 grams (about 3.2 ounces) or less per day needn't change their habits. The committee also recommended that consumers keep a healthy body weight and increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables, both in amount and in variety. They also advise against taking beta-carotene supplements as a means of protecting against cancer, and advise caution about taking high doses of mineral supplements and purified vitamins. These latter products "...cannot be assumed to be risk free," the committee says. "In particular, the unexpected finding of an increased incidence of lung cancer in those taking beta-carotene supplements in two intervention trials in people at high risk raises the possibility that a change in the usual balance of carotenoids in the diet (for instance by high-dose purified supplements) might lead to potentially adverse perturbations in their absorption, metabolism or function," the researchers state. The study, which has been in preparation for five years, originally was set to be published in September, 1997. However, its release was deferred until Thursday by UK Health Secretary Frank Dobson to allow the committee more time to consider its recommendations. The study's conclusions are more conservative than those of a similar body of research published last September by the World Cancer Research Fund. This group advised consumers to shift to a more plant-based diet and said that meat, if eaten at all, should be limited to less than 80 grams (less than 3 ounces) per day. In a summary of its research, COMA said that consumers who increase their intake of vegetables could lower their risk of colorectal cancer. And those who increase their intake of fruits and vegetables could lower their risk of stomach cancer. But the report also says that there was weak evidence that a higher intake of fruits and vegetables would reduce the risk of breast cancer. The committee notes that these cancers together represent about 18% of cancers in men and about 39% in women in the UK. But the panel also concluded that there is not enough evidence to quantify an optimum consumption of fruits and vegetable, nor to recommend particular types. The committee did find that there is "moderate evidence" for an association between the consumption of red and processed meat and colorectal cancer. However, there is not enough evidence to show that reducing consumption of preserved meat as prepared in the UK would reduce the risk of gastric cancer. And evidence associating lower meat consumption and a reduced risk of breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer and pancreatic cancer is weak, the committee concluded.

To: Hippieslayer who wrote (16675)	3/7/1998 8:47:00 AM
From: Henry Niman	Respond to of 32384

How about Diet and Exercise: Friday March 6 6:30 PM EST A Third Of Breast Cancers Due To Lifestyle NEW YORK (Reuters) -- One third of breast cancer cases in Italy are due to factors that women can control, including diet, exercise, and alcohol intake, a report indicates. Dr. Maura Mezzetti, of the European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy, and others conclude that "...it is conceivable, at least in principle, to prevent an appreciable proportion of breast cancer cases by changing a few selected lifestyle factors." Mezzetti and her colleagues analyzed data from 2,569 patients hospitalized with breast cancer and 2,588 women hospitalized with other diseases. They attributed 10.7% of the breast cancer cases to high alcohol intake and 11.6% to insufficient physical activity. Among postmenopausal women, 10% of breast cancer cases were attributable to excessive weight. The researchers also studied the subjects' intake of beta-carotene and vitamin E, because high levels of these nutrients indicate a diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables. They attributed 15% of breast cancer cases to low intake of beta-carotene and 8.6% to low intake of vitamin E. When Mezzetti's team studied combinations of risk factors, they determined that "...vitamin E, beta-carotene, and physical activity accounted for 31% of the cases, while beta-carotene plus alcohol and physical activity accounted for 33%." The research team found that the proportion of breast cancer cases attributable to diet and exercise was about the same as the proportion attributable to family history of the disease, reproductive factors, and hormonal factors. The investigators caution that their findings apply only to the regions they studied in Italy. But other research shows that US women are even more likely than Italian women to be overweight and to consume insufficient quantities of fruits and vegetables. Therefore, the researchers speculate that the proportions of breast cancer cases attributable to these lifestyle factors may be even higher in the United States. "Translation of the present findings into preventive strategies is not without difficulties," Mezzetti's group acknowledges. "Long-term dietary modifications are possible, but not easy," and it is also uncertain "whether a long-term adequate level of physical activity is attainable for preventive purposes." SOURCE: Journal of the National Cancer Institute (1998;90:389-394)

To: Hippieslayer who wrote (16675)	3/7/1998 11:06:00 AM
From: tonyt	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 32384

Rumors are flying! Speculation: "Did ligand take the money and run or did they select a drug? Some seemed to be confident that we'd learn of their decision this week. I guess not." exchange2000.com Response: "Watch what happens on Monday!" exchange2000.com Clarification: --"Watch what happens on Monday! as in something great is going to happen or as in cover your head cuz the sky is going to fall?" exchange2000.com --"The former." exchange2000.com And denial: "there is nothing specific on Monday for LGND that I know about." exchange2000.com