New Drug Cuts Breast Cancer Risk in Half: Study

The drug Arimidex reduces the risk of developing breast cancer by more than 50 percent among postmenopausal women at high risk for the disease, according to a new study. The finding, scheduled for presentation Thursday at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in Texas, adds hope that Arimidex (anastrozole) might be a valuable new preventive option for some women. The research will also be published in the journal The Lancet. "Two other antihormone therapies, tamoxifen and raloxifene, are used by some women to prevent breast cancer, but these drugs are not as effective and can have adverse side effects, which limit their use," study lead author Jack Cuzick said in a new release from the American Association for Cancer Research. "Hopefully, our findings will lead to an alternative prevention therapy with fewer side effects for postmenopausal women at high risk for developing breast cancer," said Cuzick, head of the Cancer Research U.K. Centre for Cancer Prevention and director of the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine at Queen Mary University of London. About 80 percent of U.S. breast cancer patients have tumors with high levels of hormone receptors, and these tumors are fueled by the hormone estrogen. Arimidex prevents the body from making estrogen and is therefore used to treat postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. The study included more than 3,800 postmenopausal women at increased risk for breast cancer due to having two or more blood relatives with breast cancer, having a mother or sister who developed breast cancer before age 50, or having a mother or sister who had breast cancer in both breasts. About half the women took Arimidex for five years while the others took a placebo, or dummy drug. Those who took the drug were 53 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than those who took the placebo. Side effects among the women taking the drug included hot flashes and small increases in muscle aches and pains. The study received funding from the drug companies AstraZeneca and Sanofi-Aventis, and Cuzick is on the speaker's bureau for AstraZeneca. Two breast cancer experts in the United States expressed optimism about the new findings. "This is very exciting information," said Dr. Amy Tiersten, associate professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York City. She said that although tamoxifen and raloxifene can also cut a woman's odds for breast cancer, "these medications can slightly increase the risk of blood clots and uterine cancer." "It is great to have a less toxic option to offer patients in the preventative arena," she said of Arimidex. Dr. Stephanie Bernik, chief of surgical oncology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, agreed. "It is with open arms that we can add [Arimidex] to the medications that can be offered to postmenopausal women that are at high risk of developing breast cancer," she said. "Because [Arimidex] has less side effects, more women are likely to undergo preventive treatment," Bernik said. "This will eventually help decrease the incidence of breast cancer in women in this category." "We are planning to continue following the study participants for at least 10 years, and hopefully much longer," study author Cuzick said. "We want to determine if [Arimidex] has a continued impact on cancer incidence even after stopping treatment, if it reduces deaths from breast cancer, and to ensure that there are no long-term adverse side effects."

China Rejects More US Corn Amid Rising Trade Conflict

China has blocked the entry of another U.S. corn cargo, and three more may be turned away, after tests found a strain of unapproved genetically-modified corn. But some believe the rejection may have been prompted by other trade disputes between the two countries. The latest cargo of 59,100 tons was denied entry on Tuesday after quarantine officials in the eastern province of Zhejiang detected MIR 162, a GMO strain not yet approved for import by the agriculture ministry, a quarantine official said. Since the middle of November, quarantine authorities in China, the world's second largest corn consumer, have already turned away about 180,000 tons of the grain. "It is really causing big trouble and it seems to be related to bilateral trade conflicts," said a corn trader with a domestic trading house. U.S. government data show that China's appetite for corn remains strong. It was the top destination for U.S. supplies last week, which analysts say outweighs any concerns about the rejections of a few cargoes. The U.S. Agriculture Department said on Monday it inspected 17.6 million bushels of corn earmarked for China last week, which made up 44 percent of the total amount of corn the government inspected. "If they are still importing it, it makes us wonder if this is more of a political game that China is playing," said Terry Reilly, senior commodity analyst at Futures International. "As long as China is taking U.S. corn on a weekly basis ... we are not going to get bearish on this topic." About 2 million tons, or 78.736 million bushels, of U.S. corn is headed for China in ships and China has already committed to buying another 3 million tons of the U.S. grain. China last month fought back against accusations by the United States that it was blocking a World Trade Organization technology deal, with Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng calling the United States "irresponsible." This month, China also launched a trade dispute against the United States to challenge Washington's accusations of having dumped cheap exports on the U.S. market. Traders said another three cargoes had already tested positive for MIR 162, a GMO strain developed for insect resistance, and were expected to be turned away from ports in Guangdong and Fujian. Some are not even being unloaded, making it easier to ship them to other markets, including Japan. "Rejections will be frequent, following large arrivals in coming weeks," said one industry source who asked not to be identified, due to the sensitivity of the issue. "Some cargoes simply berth offshore and buyers are not unloading the cargoes before testing results are complete." The U.S. corn market appeared unaffected by China's rejection. Chicago Board of Trade March corn futures were up 2 cents at $4.29-1/2 a bushel late Wednesday morning. Prices have increased 4.2 percent since China's first rejection in November. Large volumes of the rejected corn have been snapped up by importers in other Asian countries, sometimes with price cuts, European traders said. China expects a record corn harvest this year and faces a massive glut due to weak consumption by the animal feed industry. Its corn output in 2013/14 is likely to rise 5.9 percent on the year to a record 217.7 million tons, surpassing consumption, seen at 197 million. The country's corn consumption fell 1.1 percent from the previous year, partly due to outbreaks of bird flu early in 2013, the China National Grain and Oils Information Center says. Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.moneynews.com/Markets/GMO-China-corn-reject/2013/12/11/id/541285#ixzz2nJ7lG8XZ Urgent: Should Obamacare Be Repealed? Vote Here Now!

What the Bible Says About Money (Shocking)

Most people know Sean Hyman from his regular appearances on Fox Business, CNBC, and Bloomberg Television, but what they don’t know is that Sean is a former pastor, and that his secret to investing is woven within the Bible. Perhaps that can explain why, despite his uncanny ability to predict precise moves in the stock market, Sean is often laughed at for his unique stance on investing. For example . . . a few months ago Sean appeared on Bloomberg Television. At that time, Best Buy (BBY) was dropping to all-time lows of $16 a share. Sean predicted the stock could go down to $11 a share, and would then quickly rebound to $25 per share, and after that would rally to $40 per share over the next year. Another commentator on the show actually mocked Sean for his stance, saying “$40 on Best Buy? If that’s the case Apple (AAPL) is going to $1,500. That’s the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!” (Editor’s Note: At the time, Apple was trading at $650 per share). Within a few weeks, Sean would receive the last laugh. Best Buy dropped down to $11.20 a share and has since rebounded up to $42 a share — a 360% gain — exactly as Sean predicted. (Ironically, Apple has dropped down to about $400 per share). During a recent private dinner with Sean, once he’d blessed the food, I wasted no time asking him what his secret is for investing so successfully. I expected Sean to say that it was his years of experience at Charles Schwab or perhaps one of the complicated algorithms he uses for timing the stock market. So when Sean responded that his secret to investing was the Bible, I was thoroughly shocked. Yes, I knew Sean was a Christian (anyone who spends more than 1 minute with him will pick that up!). However, people usually keep their faith separate from things like . . . investing. But not Sean. For Sean, the Bible is his FOUNDATION for investing. He explained to me how there is actually a “Biblical Money Code” woven into Scripture. Sean says it is this Biblical Money Code that took him from making a mere $15,000 a year to now giving away up to $50,000 a year. Sean also credits this code with helping him turn his father’s $40,000 retirement account into $396,000. Certain investment titans, Sean says, such as Warren Buffett and John Templeton, have already used this code to amass billions. What Sean had to say impressed me so much that I asked him to put a presentation together that reveals how anyone could use this “Biblical Money Code.” I’ve personally watched this presentation several times and it is already spreading virally. During the video, Sean uses the teachings of King Solomon, Jesus of Nazareth, and the Apostle Paul to show how anyone can get out of debt . . . make sound investments . . . and morally build substantial wealth. Sean even reveals a “debilitating ‘financial sin’ that blinds many . . . and could be costing you up to 41% of your life savings at this very moment.” What’s so deceiving about this sin is how innocent and safe it appears at first. And at the end, he finishes up with his “12-12-12 plan for investing.” This is a simple step-by-step plan to go from being a saver, to an investor, to a philantropist.

The Tigers have come to terms with free-agent reliever Joba Chamberlain, reports FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal. CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman has confirmed the deal. The contract is reported to be for one year at $2.5 million plus incentives. Detroit has already signed Joe Nathan to work as closer, but with Drew Smyly headed to the rotation and Joaquin Benoit unlikely to return, they're in need of bullpen depth. As for the 28-year-old Chamberlain, he's coming off a 2013 in which he logged 4.93 ERA and 1.46 K/BB in 42 relief innings for the Yankees. For his career, he owns a 3.51 ERA out of the bullpen. Chamberlain missed a month last season because of an abdominal strain, underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2011 and then suffered a serious ankle dislocation in March of 2012. As a rookie in 2007, Chamberlain was dominant in limited action. After the Yankees attempted to make him into a starter, however, his performance suffered, even after being returned to a relief role. A change of scenery and coaching might do Chamberlain well.

The Tigers have come to terms with free-agent reliever Joba Chamberlain, reports FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal. CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman has confirmed the deal. The contract is reported to be for one year at $2.5 million plus incentives. Detroit has already signed Joe Nathan to work as closer, but with Drew Smyly headed to the rotation and Joaquin Benoit unlikely to return, they're in need of bullpen depth. As for the 28-year-old Chamberlain, he's coming off a 2013 in which he logged 4.93 ERA and 1.46 K/BB in 42 relief innings for the Yankees. For his career, he owns a 3.51 ERA out of the bullpen. Chamberlain missed a month last season because of an abdominal strain, underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2011 and then suffered a serious ankle dislocation in March of 2012. As a rookie in 2007, Chamberlain was dominant in limited action. After the Yankees attempted to make him into a starter, however, his performance suffered, even after being returned to a relief role. A change of scenery and coaching might do Chamberlain well.

Mandela's body lies in state as thousands view casket

PRETORIA, South Africa -- World leaders and thousands of South Africans on Wednesday filed past the flag-draped casket containing the body of Nelson Mandela, having a final look at the anti-apartheid icon in the amphitheater where he was sworn in 19 years earlier as the country's first black president. Some made the sign of the cross, others simply gazed at Mandela's face through a glass bubble atop the coffin at the Union Buildings, the government offices in South Africa's capital, Pretoria.Mandela was dressed in a black and yellow patterned shirt, a trademark style that he adopted as a statesman. His eyes were closed. His white hair swept up from his forehead. Mandela family members and world leaders viewed the body Wednesday morning. By the afternoon, long lines had formed to see the casket but the government said the "cut-off" point had been reached, urging people instead to arrive early on the following two days to get their chance. Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, South African President Jacob Zuma and other leaders passed by the casket in two lines. Four junior naval officers in white uniforms kept watch. Celebrities including singer Bono of the band U2 also paid their respects. So did F.W. de Klerk, the last president of white rule who shared a Nobel Peace Prize with Mandela for ending the apartheid era. "I hope that his focus on lasting reconciliation will live and bloom in South Africa," de Klerk said