Aristolochic acid (AA), a plant compound used in herbal remedies since ancient times, is among the leading causes of kidney failure and upper urinary tract cancer (UUC).

In a study of 151 UUC patients in Taiwan, Arthur Grollman, professor of pharmacological sciences, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, and a team of scientists, concluded that exposure to AA is a primary contributor to UUC in Taiwan, where its incidence is stated to be the highest in the world.

This finding holds broad implications for global public health, as individuals treated with herbal preparations available worldwide that contain Aristolochia are at significant risk of developing chronic kidney disease or UUC, the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science reports.

"We believe our latest research highlights the importance of a long-overlooked disease that affects many individuals in Taiwan, and, by extension, in China and other countries worldwide, where Aristolochia herbal remedies traditionally have been used for medicinal purposes," says Grollman.

Aristolochic acid is recognized by the US health department as a powerful nephrotoxin and human carcinogen linked with chronic kidney disease and UUC, according to a Stony Brook statement.

The dual toxicities and target tissues were originally revealed when a group of healthy Belgian women developed renal failure and UUC after ingesting Aristolochia herbs to lose weight. Other cases of aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN) and UUC were subsequently reported worldwide.

Most recently, Grollman and colleagues proved AA to be the causative agent of endemic nephropathy in the Balkans, solving a 50-year-old medical mystery that pointed to the ingestion of Aristolochia clematitis, or birthwort, contained in wheat.

Using their previous work in the Balkans as a guide, Grollman and colleagues looked toward other areas where Aristolochia might be consumed and in which there was a high incidence of kidney disease and UUC. Taiwan appeared to demonstrate exactly that connection.

The death toll in a swine flu outbreak in India since the beginning of this year has risen to 21, officials say.

Most of the deaths have been reported from the western state of Maharashtra. Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have also reported deaths.

Over 300 others have been infected with the virus, and many of them admitted to hospitals.

The cause of the sudden outbreak is not clear. The virus killed more than 450 Indians when it first emerged in 2009.

Health officials say the rise in new cases could be a "short spurt".

"There is no need to panic. People need to exercise precautionary measures to ward off the infection," health ministry official Avdesh Kumar was quoted as saying by The Times of India newspaper.

The western Indian city of Pune is the worst hit. Most of the deaths have happened since March.

More than 450 people died of swine flu in India when it first broke out in 2009. More than 13,000 people were infected with the virus.

The states with the highest number of swine flu deaths in 2009 included Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat.

The virus is thought to have killed more than 1,200 people around the world.

The swine flu (H1N1) virus first emerged in Mexico in April 2009 and has since spread to many countries.

A vaccine that kills 90% of cancers using the body's natural defence mechanisms could be widely available within six years, scientists say.

Experts say the treatment has already freed patients of the disease after just two doses.

They hope the treatment could provide a universal injection to help millions of sufferers fight a range of cancers, including those of the breast and prostate.

The vaccine ImMucin works by triggering the immune system to seek out and destroy tumours, the Daily Express reported.

Cancer cells often flourish because they are not seen as a threat by the body ?
unlike bacteria or viruses.

But the new vaccine uses a molecule called MUC1, found in 90% of cancers, to train the immune system to recognise the rogue cells.

Scientists have found that by injecting the right level of MUC1 it can also trigger the body to fight them.

In a trial at the Hadassah Medical Centre in Jerusalem, 10 patients suffering a form of blood cancer were injected with ImMucin. After two to four courses of treatment, seven saw their immune system strengthened and three were left free of the disease.

The vaccine is designed for patients with cancer rather than as a preventative jab.

It is believed it could be most effective fighting tumours that are detected early or to help prevent the return and spread of the disease where patients have been in remission.

The trials are now to be extended to more patients and different types of cancer.

They are being run by drug company Vaxil Biotherapeutics and scientists at Tel Aviv University.

A company spokesman said the first trial "generated a robust and specific immune response in all patients which was observed after only two to four doses of the vaccine out of a maximum of 12 doses".

Cancer charities gave the vaccine a cautious welcome.

Dr Kat Arney, of Cancer Research UK, said, "There are several groups around the world investigating treatments that target MUC1 as it's a very interesting target involved in several types of cancer.

"These are very early results that are yet to be fully published, so there's a lot more work to be done to prove that this particular vaccine is safe and effective," Dr Arney added.

A vaccine that can train cancer patients' bodies to seek out and destroy tumour cells has been developed by scientists.

The therapy, which targets a molecule found in 90% of cancers, could provide a universal injection that would allow patients' immune systems to fight off common cancers including breast and prostate cancer.

Preliminary results from clinical trials have suggested that the vaccine can trigger an immune response in patients and reduce levels of disease.

The scientists behind the vaccine hope to conduct more extensive trials in patients to prove it can be effective against a range of cancers.

They believe it could be used to fight small tumours if they are detected early enough or to help prevent the return and spread of disease in patients who have undergone other forms of treatment such as surgery.

Cancer cells usually evade a patient's immune system because they are not recognised as a threat. While the immune system usually attacks foreign cells such as bacteria, tumours are formed of the patient's own cells that have malfunctioned.

However, scientists have discovered that a molecule called MUC1, which is found on the surface of cancer cells, can be used to help the immune system detect tumours.

The new vaccine, ImMucin, has been developed by the drug company Vaxil Biotherapeutics and researchers at Tel Aviv University. It uses a section of the molecule to prime the immune system so it can identify and destroy cancer cells.

Vaxil Biotherapeutics said: "ImMucin generated a robust and specific immune response in all patients which was observed after only two to four doses of the vaccine out of a maximum of 12 doses. In some of the patients, preliminary signs of clinical efficacy were observed."

The results are still to be published formally, but if further trials prove to be successful the vaccine could be available within six years.

As a therapeutic vaccine it is designed to be given to patients to help their bodies fight cancer rather than to prevent disease in the first place.

Cancer cells contain high levels of MUC1, as it is thought to be involved in helping tumours grow. Healthy cells also contain MUC1, but in levels that are too low to trigger the immune system after vaccination.

When a vaccinated patient's immune system encounters cancer cells, however, the larger concentration of MUC1 causes it to attack and kill the tumour. As MUC1 is found in 90% of cancers, the researchers believe it could be used to help fight the growth and spread of a wide range of cancers.

In a safety trial at the Hadassah Medical Centre in Jerusalem, 10 patients suffering from multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, have received the vaccine.

Seven have finished the treatment and Vaxil reported that all had greater immunity against cancer cells compared with before they were given the vaccine. Vaxil added that three patients were free of detectable cancer following the treatment.

The findings support research published in the journal Vaccine, which suggested that the treatment induced "potent" immunity in mice and increased their survival from cancer.

Cancer charities have given the vaccine a cautious welcome. Dr Kat Arney, the science information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: "These are very early results that are yet to be fully published, so there's a lot more work to be done to prove that this particular vaccine is safe and effective in cancer patients."

Older adults who experienced any level of psychological distress were more than four times more likely to experience functional limitation than those who did not, researchers from Australia have found.

Led by Gregory Kolt, Ph.D., of the University of Western Sydney, School of Science and Health, researchers analysed data from nearly 100,000 Australian men and women, aged 65 and older, who participated in the 45 and Up Study. Information was sought on self-reported physical activity engagement, physical function, psychological distress, age, smoking history, education, height, and weight.

Psychological distress scores determined by researchers indicated that 8.4 per cent of all older adult participants were experiencing some level of psychological distress, and older adults who experienced a moderate level of psychological distress were the most likely group to experience a functional limitation-almost seven times more likely than those who did not report psychological distress.

Psychological distress has previously been linked to reduced physical activity and increased functional limitation across a range of age groups.

A separate study also indicated that approximately 30 per cent of reductions in physical activity, and increases in psychological distress over time, are due to functional limitations and chronic health problems.

"Our findings can influence the emphasis that we place on older adults to remain active," Kolt noted. "With greater levels of physical activity, more positive health gains can be achieved, and with greater physical function (through physical activity), greater independence can be achieved," he added.

Results also revealed that older adults who were more physically active were less likely to experience functional limitations.