Philadelphia's Monell Center sampled the air directly above basal cell carcinomas and found it was different to similar samples from healthy skin. They told a conference it offered the chance of cheap and painless testing. Other scientists are trying to spot the "smell" of cancer, with a UK team using dogs to sniff out bladder tumours from urine samples. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7573060.stm

"Dr. Michael DeBakey, the father of modern heart surgery, died this week at age 99. He was integral to the development of pretty much everything in modern cardiovascular surgery: bypass (heart-lung machines that made open-heart surgery possible for the first time), coronary artery bypass surgery (he did the first one ever), carotid endarterectomey (again he performed the first one), the development of Dacron graft blood vessels, and the development of MASH units. He wa…[more]