,healthy the World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) has embarked on a new project entitled World Health Organization Classification of Tumors. This is a continuation of the International Histological Classification of Tumors, which produced two series of WHO “Blue Books” between 1967 and the present. The new WHO series continues to standardize the classification of tumors and, in addition to providing histopathologic criteria, will include information on molecular genetics, which are increasingly important in the typing of human cancers and as predictive factors for response to therapy and for clinical outcome. International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-O) codes, diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, age and gender distribution, location, and clinical signs and symptoms are described in a strictly disease-oriented manner.

The first volume, entitled Pathology and Genetics of Tumours of the Nervous System,1 has recently been published and is available from IARC Press, Lyon, France (contact by It is the outcome of a collaborative effort by 106 neuropathologists and geneticists from 21 countries who met at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in July 1999 under the chairmanship of Dr. Paul Kleihues (Lyon) and Dr. Webster K. Cavenee (San Diego, CA). It was produced in collaboration with the International Society of Neuropathology (ISN), the International Academy of Pathology (IAP), and the Preuss Foundation for Brain Tumor Research.

The second volume is in preparation and covers the pathology and genetics of tumors of the digestive system. It is the outcome of a collaborative effort by an international working group of gastrointestinal pathologists, clinicians, and geneticists who met at IARC in November 1999 under the chairmanship of Dr. Stanley Hamilton (Houston, TX) and Dr. Lauri Aaltonen (Helsinki, Finland).

Rapid publication is an important and mandatory feature of the project because of the pace of progress, particularly in the field of tumor genetics. The aim of this project is to cover all tumor sites within the next 5 years. As series editors, we are committed to making the new WHO “Blue Books” the standard reference for tumor classification worldwide and a reliable basis for communication among pathologists, clinicians, and the basic cancer research community.

patches and nasal sprays that supply smokers with nicotine do not help people quit cigarettes over the long term any better than going it alone

Gums, patches and nasal sprays that supply smokers with nicotine do not help people quit cigarettes over the long term any better than going it alone, a US study said on Monday.

The research by the Harvard University School of Public Healthfollowed 787 adults in the state of Massachusetts who had recently quit smoking, and found that over time just as many relapsed afternicotine replacement therapy (NRT) as without -- about a third.

"This study shows that using NRT is no more effective in helping people stop smoking cigarettes in the long term than trying to quit on one's own," said lead author Hillel Alpert, a research scientist atHarvard.

Study participants were surveyed over three time periods: 2001-2002, 2003-2004, and 2005-2006.

Not only were relapse rates about the same among those who used NRT and those who did not, the study found that heavily dependent smokers who took NRT without professional therapy were twice as likely to relapse as those who did not use NRT.

"This may indicate that some heavily dependent smokers perceive NRT as a sort of 'magic' pill, and upon realizing it is not, they find themselves without support in their quitting efforts, doomed to failure," said the study in the journal Tobacco Control.

Although previous randomized controlled studies have shown NRT to be effective in helping smokers quit, the latest research shows the weakness of those trials among the general population in a real-life setting, the authors argued.

The study also showed that very few people follow the recommendations of using NRT for eight weeks, with many opting for shorter periods of use.

The NRT industry has boomed since nicotine gum was first introduced in 1984, according to background information in the article. Back then, NRT products were a $45 million industry in the United States.

Since over-the-counter sales of NRT were approved in 1996, the industry has soared to $800 million per year. On top of that, sales of prescription drugs to stop smoking reached $841 million dollars in 2007.

More public funds are also helping to subsidize stop-smoking therapies to low-income Americans, with 39 state Medicaid programs covering one or more kinds of NRT in 2011, compared to 17 states in 1996.

Meanwhile, rates of smoking in the United States have leveled off at about 20 percent of the population in the past five years after a steady period of decline.

"What this study shows is the need for the Food and Drug Administration... to approve only medications that have been proven to be effective in helping smokers quit in the long-term and to lower nicotine in order to reduce the addictiveness of cigarettes," said co-author Gregory Connolly, director of Harvard's Center for Global Tobacco Control.

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, whose US products include the NicoDerm CQ patch and Nicorette gum, responded to the study by saying "there remains strong support for NRT's efficacy and its positive impact on public health."

In a statement, it cited the World Health Organization, leading experts and world governments which "agree that NRT products have a crucial role to play in helping to reduce the devastating toll of disease caused by tobacco dependence."

It also referenced "numerous studies (that) show smokers who use NRT products per the dosing recommendations, combined with support, can double their chances of successfully quitting over 'cold turkey.'"

English football club Liverpool

English football club Liverpool apologized Sunday after an opposing team's player complained of being abused by supporters.
Oldham's on-loan defender Tom Adeyemi was visibly upset after an incident during Friday's FA Cup third-round tie at Liverpool's Anfield ground.
A statement on the club's website read: "Whatever the outcome of what is now a police investigation, all of us are deeply sorry for what happened on Friday night and players and our club pass on our sincere regrets to Tom Adeyemi for the upset and distress he suffered as a result of the matter at hand."
Merseyside police arrested a 20-year-old man from Aintree on "suspicion of a racially-aggravated public order offense" and he was bailed Sunday.
Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was last month banned for eight matches for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra, and his club made a big show of publicly defending the Uruguay international before finally accepting the punishment earlier this week.
Chelsea and England captain John Terry has been charged by police for allegedly racially abusing Queens Park Rangers player Anton Ferdinand, and will face a court case in February.
Before the arrest on Saturday, former Oldham player Reuben Hazell claimed on social networking website Twitter that it was a matter of racial abuse.
"After the game I went into the Oldham dressing room to catch up with my old mates and spoke to Tom Adeyemi directly about what the altercation with the fan was all about. He said he was racially abused by the fan. This is FACT," wrote Hazell, who now plays for Shrewsbury in the fourth division, one below that which Oldham competes in.
Adeyemi, who has Nigerian ancestry, is on the books of his hometown team Norwich but the 20-year-old has yet to establish himself at the Premier League side.
His loan at Oldham is due to expire this month, and he spent last season with fourth division Bradford.
Oldham captain Dean Furman said Adeyemi's treatment during the 5-1 defeat at Liverpool was unacceptable.
"He was abused and I'll leave it to Tom and the police to investigate that," Furman told BBC Radio Manchester.
"What happened should not happen in the game. It has been highlighted over the last few months and it is an absolute disgrace. "
In a separate development, a 21-year-old man was charged Saturday with racially abusing former Premier League star Stan Collymore on Twitter.
Collymore, 40, played for a number of top clubs, including Liverpool and now works as a broadcaster and football pundit. He also campaigns publicly against racism.
Northumbria Police said Joshua Cryer, of Jesmond, Newcastle, was charged with "a Section Five racial public order offense and a Section Five public order offense

strike in Nigeria over the elimination of a fuel subsidy

A general strike in Nigeria over the elimination of a fuel subsidy has brought the country to a standstill.

Shops, offices, schools and petrol stations around the country closed on the first day of an indefinite strike.
In Lagos and other cities, thousands marched against the removal of the subsidy, which has doubled fuel costs.
Police fired on protesters in Kano in the north, reportedly killing two and wounding many. Another demonstrator died in a clash with police in Lagos.

A general strike in Nigeria over the elimination of a fuel subsidy has brought the country to a standstill.

Shops, offices, schools and petrol stations around the country closed on the first day of an indefinite strike.
In Lagos and other cities, thousands marched against the removal of the subsidy, which has doubled fuel costs.
Police fired on protesters in Kano in the north, reportedly killing two and wounding many. Another demonstrator died in a clash with police in Lagos.
President Goodluck Jonathan has said the subsidy was economically unsustainable.

President Goodluck Jonathan has said the subsidy was economically unsustainable.

thierry Henry made the perfect return to Arsenal

Thierry Henry made the perfect return to Arsenal when he emerged as a substitute to score a late winner in the FA Cup third-round tie against Leeds United.

Henry, back in Arsenal colours for the first time since he left for Barcelona in 2007, scored his 227th goal for the club with 12 minutes remaining amid emotional scenes at the Emirates.
The 34-year-old - back at the club where he was recently honoured with a statue on a two-month loan from New York Red Bulls - had only been on 10 minutes when the magical moment arrived.
Henry took a pass from Alex Song in his stride in the area before steering a composed, angled, right-footed finished tantalisingly out of the reach of Leeds United keeper Andy Lonergan.
It finally broke the stubborn resistance of Leeds and was the signal for an outpouring of emotion as Henry pumped his chest in celebration after racing to hug his mentor Arsene Wenger on the touchline.
Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny raced the length of the field to join the celebrations while Henry later indulged in a spot of impromptu cheerleading as he urged the supporters who worship him to even greater backing for Arsenal in the closing stages.
It was the perfectly scripted finale to a contest that needed Henry's Midas touch against a Leeds side who battled in a manner that did manager Simon Grayson and their magnificent travelling support great credit.
At the final whistle, with the first task of his temporary return to the club completed, Henry raised his arms to the heavens before falling into the arms of his Arsenal colleagues and taking the acclaim of an elated crowd.
Henry's presence, even on the bench, enlivened the stadium when he came out to warm up and later when his name was announced to rapturous applause.
And the 45 minutes that followed only increased the appetite and anticipation for his return as Arsenal dominated but failed to breach a resilient and well-organised Leeds defence.
With leading scorer and captain Robin van Persie rested, attacking duties fell to Andrey Arshavin and Marouane Chamakh, the pair combining in the opening moments only for the Russian to fire wildly over the top.
Sebastien Squillaci then headed narrowly wide and Aaron Ramsey was unable to navigate a way around Lonergan after he was played into the area by Arshavin.
Leeds United's big chance, in a half they spent mainly on the retreat, came when Luciano Becchio found space in the box but shot wastefully off target.
Arsenal's defensive resources have thinned out in the face of mounting injuries - and they were depleted further before the interval when Francis Coquelin pulled up with a hamstring problem and was replaced by Nico Yennaris.
The momentum remained with Arsenal after the break as Lonergan saved well low to his left from Mikel Arteta after the Spaniard was set up by Chamakh, and Arshavin fired across the face of goal after picking up Zac Thompson's misplaced pass.
Henry's increasingly energetic sprinting along the touchline drew a loud reaction from Arsenal's fans and he was finally introduced with 22 minutes left, replacing Chamakh. Theo Walcott also came on for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Henry was given a hero's welcome as he set about the business of attempting to break down a Leeds side proving as stubborn as they had been here at the same stage of the FA Cup last season.
And the moment Arsenal had been waiting for came with 12 minutes left as Henry gathered Song's pass in his stride before sparking scenes of ecstasy on and off the pitch with a perfect finish.
Leeds refused to be distracted by the euphoria and almost snatched a replay in the closing stages as Szczesny saved well from substitute Mikael Forssell.
This, however, was Henry's night and Henry's story. Now Arsenal fans will hope he can write fresh chapters before returning to the United States.

lionel Messi has won the Fifa Ballon d'Or prize for the best player of 2011

Lionel Messi has won the Fifa Ballon d'Or prize for the best player of 2011, becoming only the fourth player in history to win the trophy three times.
The Argentine forward, 24, beat Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona team-mate Xavi to the prize.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson won an award for services to football, while Messi's boss Pep Guardiola was voted coach of the year.
"I think [Messi] is going to break all the records that exist," said Xavi.
Messi, who previously won the prestigious accolade in 2009 and 2010, was man of the match in Barca's 2011 Champions League final victory over Manchester United and also won the Primera Division, Spanish Supercopa, Uefa Super Cup and Club World Cup last year.
Dutchmen Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten, plus Frenchman Michael Platini, are the others to have won the award on three occasions.
And Messi joined them after gaining 47.88% of votes in the survey among national team coaches, captains and selected media, with Ronaldo taking 21.6% and Xavi 9.23%