Inadequate sleep puts women at risk for breast cancer

Too little sleep can contribute to the recurrence of breast cancer among women, according to a recent study published in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. The researchers surveyed 412 women diagnosed with pre-menopausal breast cancer about their average length of sleep each night.

Their analysis of participants' responses and medical records uncovered a link between duration of slumber and cancer recurrence, as well as aggressive tumours. Women who slept an average of six hours or less each night were more susceptible to cancer recurrence than women who had a restful night.

The researchers speculate that efforts to increase duration and improve quality of sleep could reduce women's risk of developing more aggressive and recurrent breast cancers.

TrainFit hike and fun day

More than 200 persons participated in TrainFit Club's third annual Hike and Fun Day on June 23, walking 4.5 kilometres through Red Light district in St Andrew. Starting at the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) main office in Half-Way Tree, the hike took participants through the mountainous terrain.

"The annual hike aims to get participants to come out and experience the advantages of physical wellness," said Stokely Rose, owner of TrainFit Club. "We want the hikers to form strong bonds with each other, while becoming healthier individuals."

Ricardo Dystant, manager, eChannels and Discount Business at JNBS, said they agreed to be the main sponsor for the event, with more than 30 employees participating, as the organisation saw the benefits of having healthier employees who also enjoyed wholesome lifestyles.

e-petition in the fight against cervical cancer

On June 25, the Caribbean Cancer Alliance launched an e-petition aimed at Caribbean heads of government asking for accessible and affordable cervical cancer screening for all Caribbean women.

The Jamaican e-petition was launched in Parliament and signed by most Cabinet ministers, including Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer related deaths among Jamaican and Caribbean women. Currently, there are more than 60,000 newly diagnosed cases each year within Latin America and the Caribbean with approximately 31,700 women dying annually from this disease.

The Alliance was formed out of a meeting of cancer organisations across the Caribbean in St Maarten in March to discuss cancer-control and prevention strategies.

To sign the e-petition, Jamaicans are asked to visit the Jamaica Cancer Society website jamaicacancersociety.org and Facebook page.

Contact lenses with telescopic vision

Researchers have created contact lenses which, when paired with special spectacles, bestow telescopic vision on their wearers. The contact-lens-and-spectacles combination magnifies scene details by 2.8 times. Polarising filters in the spectacles allow wearers to switch between normal and telescopic vision. The telescopic sight system has been developed to help people suffering age-related blindness.

"The most difficult part of the project was making the lens breathable. If you want to wear the lens for more than 30 minutes, you need to make it breathable," said Dr Eric Tremblay from Switzerland's EPFL, who along with Joseph Ford at UC San Diego led the research.

Gases have to be able to penetrate the lens to keep the parts of the eye covered by the contact, especially the cornea, supplied with oxygen, he said. The team has solved this problem by producing lenses riddled with tiny channels that let oxygen flow through.

However, said Dr Tremblay, this made manufacturing the lenses much more difficult. "The fabrication tolerances are quite challenging because everything has to be so precise," he said.

Despite this, gas-permeable versions of the telescopic lens are being prepared that will be used in clinical trials in November, he said. Eventually it should be possible for those with age-related sight problems to wear the telescopic lenses all day.