In Short

A round-up of today's other stories in brief...

A round-up of today's other stories in brief...

Drug cocktail may halt prostate cancer

A combination of two widely prescribed drugs for arthritis and high cholesterol may have the power to halt prostate cancer, research suggests.

Researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey found that treating mice with the anti-inflammatory drug Celebrex and the statin Lipitor prevented early prostate cancer switching to a more aggressive and invasive state.

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They hope the same strategy will be saving human lives within five years. The drug combination appears to keep the cancer dependent on the male sex hormone testosterone for growth. In human patients, early prostate cancer can often be held at bay for years with anti-hormone therapy which lowers production of testosterone or blocks its action on tumours.

Visitors curtailed at Limerick hospital

Severe restrictions on visiting have been introduced at the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick because of an outbreak of the winter vomiting bug.

The HSE said yesterday there were seven confirmed cases of the bug in the hospital. The restrictions mean that visiting is only being allowed in the case of critically ill patients and paediatrics.

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"It is a real shame because it is such a lovely story"

A spokeswoman for Guinness World Records confirming that it will not be including part-time valet Buster Martin who completed the London marathon at the weekend in its records because there is not enough evidence to verify his age, claimed to be 101.