The IVA Advisory Centre has encouraged struggling consumers to take advantage of the wide range of help available if they feel mounting bills are affecting their ability to keep up with their other essential costs. The comments come in response to a spate of price rises for consumers in recent months. Towards the end of last year, many saw their energy bills increase sharply - with further increases anticipated for this year by some analysts - and at the end of February, water industry regulator Ofwat announced that water bills would increase by an average of 4.6% from ...

ORLANDO, Fla. — The combination of two compounds that inhibit two of the most frequently mutated cancer pathways is showing promise in an ongoing Phase I trial, according to data presented at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011, held here April 2-6. The research, presented by Johanna Bendell, M.D., tests a combination of GDC-0973, which inhibits MEK1/2 and GDC-0941, which inhibits PI3K. Bendell, director of Gastrointestinal Oncology Research and associate director of the drug development unit at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville, said the RAS/RAF/MEK and ...

Many of the world's top tennis players will head to Spain for the Mutua Madrid Open, which begins on Friday April 29th. The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event is due to run until Sunday May 8th at the Spanish capital's new Caja Magica stadium, also known as the Magic Box. As the world's highest ranking tennis competition below the Grand Slams, the Masters Series is known for exciting events in which the sport's finest players can battle to become world number one. The Mutua Madrid Open has been going as a men's tournament since 1990, but received a major overhaul ...

ORLANDO, Fla. — Results of a study presented at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011, held here April 2-6, lend credence to the idea that improving quality of life affects stress-related biological markers and possibly the health of people with cancer. Researchers know that telomeres shorten and deteriorate with aging, but they are learning that stress also affects telomere length. "We are trying to understand the interconnections between the mind and the body; that is, how does the diagnosis and treatment of cancer impact patients not only psychologically, but also physiologically ...

ORLANDO, Fla. — Scientists have identified a biomarker for measuring the success of lung cancer chemoprevention, an emerging frontier in the fight against this disease that has long been stymied by a lack of measureable outcomes. These study results were presented at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011, held April 2-6. Paul Bunn, M.D., executive director of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer and the James Dudley endowed professor of lung cancer research at the University of Colorado Cancer Center at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, ...

Donald MacKenzie, an organist who specialises in accompanying silent films, is due to perform at the Torch Theatre next month. The Ayrshire-born musician is the house organist at the famous Odeon Cinema in London's Leicester Square, where he has been playing for various events since 1992. Mackenzie has broadcast from the Odeon on several BBC radio stations, as well as playing for the Queen at numerous royal film performances. His show at the Pembrokeshire venue will take place at 19:30 BST on Tuesday April 26th, when members of the audience are set to enjoy his ...

ORLANDO, Fla. — Using new genetic information, scientists have linked a commonly found human genetic variant with both longer telomeres and reduced risk of bladder cancer, according to findings presented at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011, held April 2-6, and simultaneously published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Jian Gu, Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, said the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs398652 on 14q21 was linked to both longer ...

In the single largest cancer genomics investigation reported to date, scientists have sequenced the whole genomes of tumors from 50 breast cancer patients and compared them to the matched DNA of the same patients' healthy cells. This comparison allowed researchers to find mutations that only occurred in the cancer cells. They uncovered incredible complexity in the cancer genomes, but also got a glimpse of new routes toward personalized medicine. The work was presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 102nd Annual Meeting 2011. In all, the tumors had more ...

A diverse line-up of musicians and plenty of family entertainment lies in store at this year's Cheltenham Jazz Festival. Jamie Cullum has been appointed guest director for the event, which will take over the Gloucestershire town from Wednesday April 27th to Monday May 2nd. The jazz-pop pianist is an enthusiastic supporter of the festival and is due to perform live in Cheltenham on May 1st, although tickets for that show are already scarce. However, the programme includes plenty of other highlights for contemporary jazz fans, including several of Cullum's favourite ...

Sade's performance in Prague later this year is set to provide a real treat for fans of sophisticated R'n'B and laidback soul. The award-winning British band, named after lead vocalist Sade Adu, will return to the Czech capital for the first time in many years on Saturday May 14th. Having ended a prolonged hiatus with last year's critically acclaimed new album Soldier of Love, the group are heading back out on the road for a series of shows across Europe. Fans of Sade, who have built up a devoted base of followers since the release of their debut LP Diamond Life ...

Berlin, Germany, Saturday 02 April 2011: Promising new viral hepatitis data presented today at the International Liver CongressTM show that entry inhibitors --a new mechanism of action for drugs to treat viral hepatitis -- could provide the first new hepatitis B and hepatitis D treatments for many years.1,2 Most current approved therapies directly target viral replication (e.g. nucleotide/side analogues), and can lead to the development of viral resistance or viral rebound after the end of treatment. Entry inhibitors prevent the virus from entering the cell and forming ...

Groundbreaking data presented today demonstrates, for the first time, in vitro infection and replication of swine hepatitis E virus (HEV) in human hepatocytes.1 This study also verifies that HEV is a zoonosis (infectious disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans), which has been suggested for a long time. HEV is a major cause of epidemic and acute sporadic hepatitis in many developing countries. It is also endemic in many industrialized countries, including the United States, European countries and Japan. Four major genotypes (genotypes 1-4) of HEV have ...

The Theatre by the Lake is preparing to stage a new production of Bouncers, the acclaimed play by John Godber. People in the audience at the Keswick venue will be drawn into the world of Lucky Eric, Judd, Ralph and Les - the group of doormen who keep a watchful eye on proceedings at the Mr Cinders nightclub. The bouncers observe a number of colourful characters as they go about their business, with the action set against a backdrop of flashing disco lights and pulsating music. First staged in 1977, the drama is one of the West Yorkshire-born playwright's most enduringly ...

As part of the study, which will follow 40,000 UK households over a number of years, young people aged between 10 to 15 years have been asked how satisfied they are with their lives. The findings indicate that a mother's happiness in her partnership is more important to the child than the father's. The findings are based on a sample of 6,441 women, 5,384 men and 1,268 young people. Overall, 60 per cent of young people say they are 'completely satisfied' with their family situation but in families where the child's mother is unhappy in her partnership, only 55 per cent ...

Berlin, Germany, 02 April 2011: Highly exciting new data presented today at the International Liver CongressTM found Pegylated Interferon-lambda (PegIFN-lambda) shows superior virological response in HCV patients of genotypes 1-4, with improved safety and tolerability, compared to Pegylated Interferon-alpha (PegIFN-alpha-2a), the current standard of care in chronic HCV.1 The study results are so important because they show PegIFN-lambda could provide relief for the 20% of HCV patients who have to undergo dose reduction, or cease treatment, on PegIFN-alpha-2a – a part ...

The world's top female surfers will be heading to Sydney in the coming weeks to face off at the 2011 Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic. Each of the Association of Surfing Professionals' (ASP's) top 17-ranked women will battle it out for a share of the AU$110,000 prize pot at the event. Among the stars set to compete are four-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore and up-and-coming world tour rookies Laura Enever and Tyler Wright. Gilmore is likely to start as one of the favourites, having taken last year's Beachley Classic title by beating fellow Australian Sally ...

Berlin, Germany, Saturday 02 April 2011: Exciting new data presented today at the International Liver CongressTM 2011 show that quadruple therapy in chronic hepatitis C (HCV) patients suppressed the emergence of resistant variants and resulted in a 100% rate of sustained virological response - undetectable HCV RNA - 12 weeks after treatment (SVR12).1 In the quadruple therapy study, HCV patients were given four drugs in combination; pegylated Interferon-alpha (PegIFN-alpha); ribavirin (RBV); and two different direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) BMS-650032 (an HCV NS3 protease ...

ORLANDO - A common genetic variation links to both bladder cancer risk and to the length of protective caps found on the ends of chromosomes, scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported today at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting. These endings or tips, called telomeres, guard against chromosomal damage and genomic instability that can lead to cancer and other diseases. "We found a single point of variation in the genome strongly associated with a 19 percent decrease in bladder cancer risk. The same variant also is linked to longer telomeres, ...

Sports fans will have the chance to put their beach soccer skills to the test in a tournament on the Gold Coast next month. The game may be relatively new to Australia but it has a huge following overseas, having first been played on the sandy stretches of Rio de Janeiro more than 30 years ago. Flamboyant former Manchester United and France star Eric Cantona's love of beach soccer has helped bring it to a global audience in over 170 countries, making it one of the world's fastest-growing sports. Youngsters and adults have been invited to enter their own teams in ...

As spring begins, it is time to start clearing your garden of all the unwanted winter mess which has piled up over the previous months. It's not just the garden either, as the rest of your home is probably due a traditional 'spring clean', so why not let leading tool and equipment hire specialists, HSS Hire help you out? HSS Hire, the award-winning tool and equipment hire company, has an extensive range of items to help with a wide range of indoor and outdoor tasks. From carpet cleaners to lawnmowers, ladders to drills, HSS Hire is on hand to help. Starting outdoors ...

The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO) will pay tribute to Miles Davis with two performances in the South Australia capital in May 2011. One of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Davis was at the forefront of many major developments in jazz, including bebop, hard bop and jazz fusion. His ensembles also helped to launch the careers of many other well-known artists such as JJ Johnson, Kai Winding and Gerry Mulligan. Davis's career spanned 50 years, during which he released seminal albums like First Miles, Kind of Blue and Someday My Prince Will Come. Acclaimed ...

Antidepressant use has been linked to thicker arteries, possibly contributing to the risk of heart disease and stroke, in a study of twin veterans. The data is being presented Tuesday, April 5 at the American College of Cardiology meeting in New Orleans. Depression can heighten the risk for heart disease, but the effect of antidepressant use revealed by the study is separate and independent from depression itself, says first author Amit Shah, MD, a cardiology fellow at Emory University School of Medicine. The data suggest that antidepressants may combine with depression ...

WHAT: A special media phone briefing with leading infectious disease scientists and healthcare-associated infection experts who will headline the 2011 Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America's (SHEA) Annual Meeting WHO: Arjun Srinivasan, MD, Associate Director of Healthcare-associated Infection Prevention Programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Steven Gordon, MD, President, Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Makoto Jones, MD, Salt Lake City VA Healthcare System Dawn Terashita, MD, MPH, Los Angeles County Department of ...

Bingo Wonga will offer a new lotto results section which will feature all the latest UK Lotto draws including Lotto, Euro Millions, Thunderball, Plus 5, Daily Play and Hotpicks. The new section will also contain a history of results for each draw. Bingo Wonga was launched during May 2010 and in less than a year has become one of the most popular online bingo review sites. Unlike most other bingo review sites, Bingo Wonga only promote the very best UK bingo brands such as Sky Bingo, Sky Vegas and Virgin Bingo. Bingo Wonga also make available to their readers a large ...

Young adult patients with genetic heart diseases, such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), substantially benefitted from therapeutic hypothermia, which could further extend the role for this treatment strategy in new patient populations, according to a scientific presentation at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, April 1-3. In patients with HCM, despite rapid cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with defibrillation, survival following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest has been particularly unfavorable, explained the study authors. ...