For decades, government sponsored student loans have helped pave the way for millions to get a college education. Following graduation, the loans are repaid over a period of time, and usually with relatively little difficulty. But as tuition has increased in recent years to never-before-seen levels, and interest rates followed with it, and the economy tanked, many former students are finding it impossible to repay their loans. Many graduates have turned to bankruptcy to eliminate credit card balances and other types of debt, but these same graduates cannot expect to wash ...

Deciding to end a marriage is a difficult decision that many couples find themselves facing each year. The United States has the highest divorce rate in the world, with nearly 48 percent of marriages ending in divorce, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Those going through the process are often unsure about what will happen, and how they can emerge from the divorce in as best of shape as possible. In Texas, there are many requirements that must be satisfied before someone can file for divorce. In order to begin proceedings, you must have lived within ...

The stigma of a sex crimes conviction can be overwhelming. Merely being charged by authorities with public indecency, sexting, rape, molestation or another offense can severely disrupt a life, career and relationships. But imagine if the crime in question was based on accusations of knowingly infecting another person with AIDS? Criminalization of HIV transmission was recently the subject at a meeting of the American Bar Association's AIDS Coordinating Committee. One important topic was an examination of existing criminal laws in various African countries that make it ...

Northern Rock has added a new online easy access savings account to its range, e-saver (Issue 4). The account pays 3.00% gross* per annum for deposits from GBP10,000 to GBP100,000. E-saver (Issue 4) includes a bonus of 2.00% gross for the first 12 months from opening. Account holders can choose to have their interest paid either annually or month (monthly AER** is 2.74%). This product compliments Northern Rock existing online savings offer, e-Saver (Issue 3), which pays a flat 2.50% gross without any introductory bonus on balances of only GBP1. Withdrawals from ...

British Airways has announced that the US, Caribbean and Indian Ocean all feature heavily in its top ten destinations for 2011, but the pride of place goes to North African destination, Marrakech. Willie Walsh, British Airways' CEO, said: "The response we've had to the launch of routes like the Maldives, Las Vegas and Marrakech has been incredible. We've seen destinations in the Caribbean and Indian Ocean becoming even more popular with leisure travellers looking for sun and relaxation. Those after 24-hour cities are heading towards New York, Las Vegas and Japan." He ...

Topshop has launched its new Christmas fashion film, which highlights the key trends for this year's Christmas period and the party season. The festive fashion film is directed by Angelo Pennetta and features model Ashley Smith and stylist Francesca Burns showing off the hottest pieces for the Christmas period this year. The video helps Christmas party-goers create some beautiful looks, whether they plan to stay in with friends or head out on the town. Some of the keys trends this season include diamante scattered fishtail gown and sequin shift dresses which ...

The strain of cholera currently sweeping through post-earthquake Haiti originated in South Asia, conclude scientists who did a rapid genetic analysis of bacteria collected from Haitian patients. The finding supports the notion that the cholera bacteria fueling the outbreak arrived on the island via recent visitors. "The mostly likely explanation for the sudden appearance of cholera in Haiti is transmission of V. cholera by an infected human, food, or other contaminated item from a region outside of Latin America to Haiti," conclude Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) ...

MAYWOOD, Ill. -- A study of how medical students evaluate their professors is illustrating the critical importance of making a good first impression. Students in a physiology course at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine were asked to evaluate 16 professors who lectured during the course. Students had the option of evaluating each professor concurrently during the course, or waiting until the course ended. Students were allowed to change their minds before the evaluations were finalized at the end of the course. The study, published in the December, 2010 ...

LEBANON, NH - Kathy Niedzwiecki of Pelham, NH, and Ken Crowder of St. Louis are experiencing renewed life and health thanks to the generosity of two living kidney donors. Cathy Richard of Henniker, NH, had planned to donate to her sister-in-law, Ms. Niedzwiecki, and Rebecca Burkes of St. Louis had intended to be a living donor for her fiancé, Mr. Crowder – only to find that both were medically incompatible with their intended recipient. But in the first paired donation arranged through a national pilot program of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), ...

SAN ANTONIO — A combination of lapatinib, trastuzumab and paclitaxel significantly improved tumor response rates than either agent alone among patients with HER2-positive breast cancers, according to data presented at the 33rd Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 8-12. Full results were presented at the symposium during a press briefing on Dec. 10, 2010, at 8:00 a.m. CT. Reporters who cannot attend in person can participate using the following call-in information: U.S. and Canada: (888) 282-7404 International: (706) 679-5207 Access Code: ...

SAN ANTONIO — Researchers presented Phase III efficacy data from the GeparQuinto study, a head-to-head comparison of neoadjuvant lapatinib and trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy for patients with early breast cancer, at the 33rd Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 8-12. "We had a primary goal to compare the standard anti-HER2 neoadjuvant combination of chemotherapy, trastuzumab, with the new combination of chemotherapy and lapatinib," said Michael Untch, M.D., head of the multidisciplinary breast cancer department at Helios Clinic ...

SAN ANTONIO — The combination of pertuzumab and trastuzumab had superior antitumor activity in women with early HER2-positive breast cancer, according to Phase II study results of the NeoSphere neoadjuvant trial. Details of these study results were presented at the 33rd Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 8-12. "The findings establish that the addition of pertuzumab to trastuzumab and the chemotherapy drug docetaxel has an impressive rate of tumor eradication (46 percent), which is 50 percent more than achieved with docetaxel and trastuzumab, ...

SAN ANTONIO — The presence of one to four circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood of early-stage breast cancer patients almost doubled patient's risk of cancer relapse and death, and five or more CTCs increased recurrence by 400 percent and death by 300 percent, according to Phase III results of the SUCCESS trial. These cells were found in patients after surgery but before chemotherapy treatment. Results of this study were presented at the 33rd Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 8-12, 2010, and demonstrate the value of CTCs in early breast ...

SAN ANTONIO — A high level of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) — cells that have detached from a tumor and are circulating in the body through the blood — are an independent prognostic marker in metastatic breast cancer as first-line therapy. In addition, persistence of high CTC level during therapy was found to be an early marker of poor outcome. "This is the largest, prospective series validating the prognostic value of CTCs in first-line chemotherapy metastatic breast cancer, independently from serum tumor markers for overall survival," said Jean-Yves Pierga, M.D., Ph.D., ...

SAN ANTONIO — For patients with breast cancer and bone metastases, denosumab delayed skeletal-related side effects five months longer compared to those on zoledronic acid, according to results presented at the 33rd Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 8-12. "The average life expectancy of patients with metastatic breast cancer is approximately 2.5 years, so if you can prolong the time without a skeletal-related event by five months, you are substantially benefiting the patient," said Alison T. Stopeck, M.D., associate professor of medicine ...

SAN ANTONIO — Metastatic breast cancer patients who had circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in their blood before or after high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) followed by autologous stem cell transplantation had poor outcomes, according to researchers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Patients with CTCs in their blood before chemotherapy treatment had reduced survival and those with these cells in their blood after the stem cell transplant recurred faster and died earlier. These findings were presented at the 33rd Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer ...

SAN ANTONIO — Results of the GeparQuinto study, randomized Phase III efficacy data on the use of bevacizumab plus chemotherapy to treat women with early breast cancer will be presented at the 33rd Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Gunter von Minckwitz, M.D., Ph.D., managing director of the German Breast Group, and colleagues are conducting final analyses on efficacy data from this study, which will detail the early treatment of more than 1,900 patients with HER2-negative breast cancer treated with chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab. "So far, ...

Bees can see colours but they perceive the world differently to us, including variations in hue that we cannot ourselves distinguish. Researchers at Queen Mary, University of London and Imperial College London have developed FReD – the Floral Reflectance Database – which holds data on what colours flowers appear to be, to bees. The development of the catalogue, which has involved a collaborative effort between researchers at two Schools at Queen Mary is reported in the journal PLoS ONE. The work addresses the existing issue that records of flower colours do not take ...

Up to 20% of professional boxers develop neuropsychiatric sequelae. But which acute complications and which late sequelae can boxers expect throughout the course of their career? These are the questions studied by Hans Förstl from the Technical University Munich and his co-authors in the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2010; 107[47]: 835-9). Their evaluation of the biggest studies on the subject of boxers' health in the past 10 years yielded the following results: The most relevant acute consequence is the knock-out, which conforms ...

The small crater embedded in the northwestern rim of the Schiaparelli impact basin features prominently in this new image from ESA's Mars Express. All around is evidence for past water and the great martian winds that periodically blow. Schiaparelli is a large impact basin about 460 km in diameter located in the eastern Terra Meridiani region of the equator of Mars. The centre of the basin lies at about 3°S/17°E and is named after the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli (1835�). Although he also studied Mercury and Venus, he is best known for his observations ...

Despite threats of violence, imprisonment and death, writers around the world continue to fight to make their voices heard. The latest issue of Index on Censorship pays tribute to one of the world's longest running campaigns for free expression, English PEN's Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC). Founded in 1960, the WiPC supports and protects writers facing persecution around the globe. Contributors to Beyond Bars – including award-winning authors Margaret Atwood, Sir Tom Stoppard and William Boyd – highlight the vital role writers can play in supporting their colleagues. ...

As the U.S. policy makers renew emphasis on the use of nuclear energy in their efforts to reduce the country's oil dependence, other factors come into play. One concern of paramount importance is the seismic hazard at the site where nuclear reactors are located. Russell A. Green, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech, spent five years as an earthquake engineer for the U.S. Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board in Washington, D.C., prior to becoming a university professor. Part of his responsibility at the safety board was to perform ...

Iron furnaces that once dotted central Pennsylvania may have left a legacy of manganese enriched soils, according to Penn State geoscientists. This manganese can be toxic to trees, especially sugar maples, and other vegetation. The research, which quantified the amounts of manganese in soil core samples, was part of work done at the Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory funded by the National Science Foundation. "Our group's focus was to study the soil chemistry," said Elizabeth M. Herndon, graduate student in geosciences. "We saw excess manganese in the soil and ...

Children with ADHD can sometimes have more difficulties on math and reading tests compared to their peers. A new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, used identical and fraternal twins to look at the genetic and environmental influences underlying ADHD behaviors, reading, and math skills in children in an attempt to better understand the relationship among them. Sara Hart, of the Florida State University, and her colleagues used twins enrolled in a long-term study of reading and math. Hart says by focusing ...

Alexandria, VA – America has made great strides in recent years to reduce carbon emissions by increasing efficiency and turning to other, low or non-carbon energy sources. Meanwhile, carbon emissions in China have grown dramatically during that same time. EARTH looks at this disparity and asks the difficult questions about who is to blame when the coal China is burning is imported from "cleaner" countries and the emissions are produced to manufacture goods exported back to places with lower emissions. Learn more about this eye-opening subject in January's featured article ...