by rakesh | Sep 2, 2006 | World News
Motions are also being tabled in the UK Parliament, the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly, and it is planned for other countries to follow suit.
This is believed to be the first time that a global animal protection campaign has been initiated in the US and European Parliaments on the same day, and signals an international drive to end non-human primate experiments.
The ADI campaign has the backing of Twiggy, Alexei Sayle, Jenny Seagrove, Carol Royle, and Uri Geller who this week have appeared online urging people to back a primate test ban. The call is also backed by over 150 animal protection groups around the world indicating how momentum is gathering on this especially sensitive area of animal research.
International Primate Day will be marked with activity in Europe and the USA, with a new report on non-human primate experiments being delivered to Tony Blair at 10.30am on Friday, 1 September. The new ADI report will highlight not only the similarities between humans and other primates, but the crucial differences that are so important in biomedical research, as well as the non-animal techniques that could be used instead.
Jan Creamer, Chief Executive of ADI: “Earlier this year, people in the UK were horrified by the terrible side effects suffered by human volunteers, caused by the test drug TGN1412. The drug had been given to monkeys in doses 500 times stronger without such side effects.”
The report is accompanied by a new video and photographs taken this summer inside Europe’s largest laboratory monkey supply facility. The facility in Camarles, Spain currently holds several hundred macaque monkeys from Mauritius but has a capacity for around 3,000. Europe currently uses a total of approximately 7,500 macaques a year, so ADI fear the centre could fuel an explosion in EU monkey experiments.
It’s time for change
The EU is currently considering plans to overhaul animal experimentation rules under EC Directive 86/609, including a possible ban on experiments on chimpanzees and a review of the future of experiments on monkeys in the EU. If the EU takes a stand as is hoped, then it would be logical for the US to do the same.
A Written Declaration is being sponsored in the European Parliament by UK MEPs David Martin, Vice-President of the European Parliament (Labour–Party of European Socialists); Robert Evans (Lab–PES); Sajjad Karim (Liberal Democrats–Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe); together with Portuguese MEP Paulo Casaca (PES), President of the Inter Group on Animal welfare and Swedish MEP Carl Schlyter (Green Party). The declaration supports International Primate Day and urges:
“… the Commission to propose an end to all non-human primate experiments in the revision process of Directive 86/609 EC on the use of animals in scientific procedures, specifically: to prohibit chimpanzee experiments and the use of wild-caught primates in the EU and phase out all non-human primate experiments in the EU over the next 6 years.”
Jan Creamer: “There is a genuine opportunity to end the suffering of primates in laboratories. The EU has recognised this and MEPs have before them the chance to take huge step forward. These animals are our closest relatives; almost all of the primate species share more than 90% of their genetic make up with us, with chimpanzees and humans differing by as little as 2% of DNA. The similarities in behaviour, emotions, and intellectual performance between ourselves and our fellow primates are striking. It is time for the European Union to take action to protect the primate nations.”
The motion before the US House of Representatives is being tabled by Nancy Pelosi (Democrat), the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives.
The motion before the Scottish parliament is being tabled by Chris Ballance (Green Party).
An Early Day Motion before the UK Parliament has been tabled by Colin Challen MP (Lab), and has the backing of fourteen MPs – Bob Russell, David Drew, Andrew Dismore, Derek Wyatt, Eric Illsley, Kelvin Hopkins, Greg Knight, Jeremy Corbyn, Ann Cryer, Andrew George, David Taylor, Rudi Vis, Betty Williams, Linda Riordan.
ADI’s London office will be rallying supporters in the UK to call on their MEPs to sign the declaration and ADI San Francisco will be doing the same in the US.
by rakesh | Sep 1, 2006 | India News
Sept. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ —
Cancer patients in the Indian state of Gujarat can now receive state-of-the-art image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) treatments using equipment from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR), with the opening of a new radiation oncology center at Apollo Hospital, Ahmedabad. On Thursday, August 24, clinicians delivered the first IGRT treatment at the center to a prostate cancer
patient in his 70s.
The new facility was established through an alliance between the Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center (CBCC) of Bakersfield, California,
USA, and Apollo Hospital Groups, one of the largest healthcare groups in South and South East Asia.
The CBCC facility at Apollo Hospital is the first treatment center in South Asia to offer IGRT using a treatment system that combines imaging and treatment technologies on a single machine. Radiation is delivered using Varian’s Clinac(R) iX linear accelerator equipped with an On-Board Imager(TM) device for imaging and tumor tracking.
“This is a great moment for cancer care in India,” said Gitesh Patel, CBCC’s vice president for business development. “We are offering Indian
cancer patients the same standards of care that we offer to our patients in the U.S. That meant outfitting the Indian center with Varian’s cutting edge
technology for efficient delivery of accurate and precise image-guided radiation therapy treatments,” said Ravi Patel, MD, founder of CBCC.
According to Vivek Bansal, MD, radiation oncologist at Apollo Hospital Ahmedabad, the first patient is continuing treatment with daily
radiotherapy sessions administered five days per week over a period of seven weeks. The treatment team uses the On-Board Imager prior to each
treatment to precisely locate a set of gold markers that have been implanted into the patient’s prostate gland in order to accurately account for any changes in tumor position from day to day.
“The prostate moves around constantly due to normal physiological processes,” Bansal said. “With the On-Board Imager, we can detect very small displacements and make appropriate corrections. We use it in radiographic mode to detect the gold marker seeds and reposition the
patient, and then we generate a three-dimensional cone-beam CT image to verify the accuracy of our positioning corrections.”
The treatment system also incorporates Varian’s respiratory gating technology for synchronizing treatment with the patient’s normal breathing pattern. This will enable Bansal to treat lung and other tumors that move
as the patient breathes. In addition, the center has installed Varian’s technology for delivering image-guided brachytherapy — a way of treating
cancer from inside by precisely placing tiny radiation sources in or near a targeted tumor.
“Working together with Apollo Hospitals, we are bringing an array of cancer treatment technologies, resources, and clinical capabilities to the people of Gujarat,” said Gitesh Patel, adding that clinicians at the new
radiation oncology facility were recruited locally. In addition to their medical training, he said, they have attended educational programs
sponsored by Varian Medical Systems at the company’s training facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The World Health Organization estimates that in India overall, there are over 800,000 new cases of cancer and nearly 600,000 cancer-related
deaths documented each year. “The Varian technology facilitates fast, accurate treatment,” Gitesh Patel said. “Despite being one of the most industrialized states in India, Gujarat is afflicted with one of the most
alarming cancer incidence rates per 100,000 people. We’re going to help a lot of them.”
by rakesh | Sep 1, 2006 | Business
ATI Technologies Inc. (TSX: ATY)(NASDAQ: ATYT) today announced Xilleon® 260, the first System-on-a-Chip that supports Full HD for worldwide DTV (digital television) standards including Europe, Japan, Korea and North America. Xilleon 260 is designed to help consumer electronics manufacturers meet and surpass the high quality video and audio expectations of home theater enthusiasts. ATI is showcasing DTV solutions at IFA from September 1 to 6, 2006 in Berlin, Germany.
Xilleon 260 follows the outstanding success of Xilleon® 240 currently found in TV solutions from leading consumer electronics manufacturers. Xilleon 260 includes an exceptionally powerful video pipeline for SD and HD content. Advanced features include HD deinterlacing, 3D comb filter, dynamic contrast, noise reduction, sharpness, and color control to deliver top quality end-to-end performance. Xilleon 260 also offers a full audio subsystem for home theater applications.
“Xilleon 260 addresses the needs of worldwide TV manufacturers for mainstream and high end applications,” said Dave Di Orio, Vice President & General Manager, DTV Group, ATI Technologies Inc. “Xilleon 260 incorporates all the key technologies in a single chip solution that help to reduce the overall TV design cost compared to traditional multi-chip solutions. We’re confident that Xilleon 260 reaffirms ATI’s technology leadership position in the DTV market.”
Xilleon 260 is currently sampling to customers.
About ATI Technologies
ATI Technologies Inc. is a world leader in the design and manufacture of innovative 3D graphics, PC platform technologies and digital media silicon solutions. An industry pioneer since 1985, ATI is the world’s foremost graphics processor unit (GPU) provider and is dedicated to deliver leading-edge performance solutions for the full range of PC and Mac desktop and notebook platforms, workstation, set-top and digital television, game console and handheld device markets. With fiscal 2005 revenues of US $2.22 billion, ATI has more than 3,400 employees in the Americas, Europe and Asia. ATI common shares trade on NASDAQ (ATYT) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (ATY).
by rakesh | Sep 1, 2006 | World News
A grant was made by TPRF to Yayasan Dian Desa (YDD), a disaster-relief organization in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, to rebuild damaged water wells and restore the supply of much-needed water to the people living in this area most affected by the earthquakes. Many water wells were blocked as debris from collapsed buildings obstructed the flow of water. YDD is undertaking the restoration and reconstruction of 100 wells with its team of volunteer engineers working hand-in-hand with earthquake survivors. This partnering approach enables the survivors to become part of restoring their quality of life and to gain a sense of ownership, pride, and responsibility for the work.
A grant had been given earlier to the Indonesian Development of Education and Permaculture (IDEP) Foundation to feed 900 people for three weeks as they began to recover from the earthquakes and resulting tsunami. Dr. Michael Ricos, coordinator of IDEP’s Disaster Management Department, reported: “An entire mountain village came out to see us, and people’s faces soon lit up at the sight of the food aid we had brought. Several people were moved to tears by the fact that someone has remembered them, and my hands were firmly grasped by an elderly lady with tears in her eyes and a smile that said it all.”
Immediately following the first earthquake on May 27, 2006, TPRF had made a generous contribution to the United Nations World Food Programme for food aid to tsunami victims. WFP was one of the first relief organizations on the ground bringing food aid to people in need.
The Prem Rawat Foundation provides clean water and food to people worldwide who are most in need. Prem Rawat has spent the last four decades traveling around the world with the message that each person can find fulfillment by discovering “a peace that is already within, waiting to be discovered.”
