The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| Princeton joins Harvard atop US News college list Posted: 14 Sep 2011 06:10 AM PDT WASHINGTON, Sept 14 — Princeton joined Harvard University atop the annual US News & World Report rankings of US colleges released yesterday, with the University of Maryland-Baltimore County named as the "up-and-coming" college. The elite Ivy League had five schools in the magazine's top 10 with Harvard and Princeton tied at No. 1 and joined by Yale and Columbia University at third and fourth, respectively, while the University of Pennsylvania shared fifth with California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and the University of Chicago.  The elite Ivy League has five schools in the magazine's top 10 with Harvard and Princeton tied at No. 1. — flickr.com pic The magazine, whose rankings were published as many high school students prepare to apply for college, said Williams College and Amherst College were the top two liberal arts colleges that offer at least half their degrees in liberal arts studies. The rankings, compiled annually by the magazine since 1985, are based on a combination of survey responses and data provided by colleges. The magazine looks at factors such as tuition, total enrolment, acceptance rate, average freshman retention rate, graduation rate, class size, and SAT/ACT percentiles. US News rated the University of Maryland-Baltimore County as the "up-and-comer" among colleges "making the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty, and student life." The Maryland school, a public institution founded in 1963, has in-state tuition and fees of US$9,171 (RM28,219) for 2011-2012, according to US News. The school ranked No. 157 in the best colleges category. Harvard had tuition and fees of US$38,849 for 2011-2012. Harvard, Yale and Princeton also were ranked as the top three in the "best value" category, based on the 2012 rankings and the 2010-2011 net cost of attendance for a student getting the average level of need-based financial aid. "The higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal," US News said. At the top three schools, at least 56 per cent of students received need-based grants. That "best value" category has become increasingly important. The US Department of Education released data on Monday showing the national student loan default rate rose to 8.8 per cent in fiscal year 2009 from seven per cent in fiscal year 2008. The full list, along with other categories, can be found here. — Reuters |
| Fish oil may hinder chemotherapy Posted: 14 Sep 2011 03:24 AM PDT  A study says fatty acids found in fish oil supplements may block chemotherapy from attacking tumours. – Photo by zmkstudio/shutterstock.com Fish oil supplements of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are sold worldwide, and are touted by manufacturers as a way to boost heart and brain health. However, researchers at The Netherlands' University Medical Center Utrecht report in the journal Cancer Cell that two types of fatty acids, known as platinum-induced fatty acids or PIFAs, were shown to block one type of chemotherapy from working in animal tests. "Whilst waiting for the results of further research, we currently recommend that these products should not be used whilst people are undergoing chemotherapy," said Professor Emile Voest, a medical oncologist at UMC Utrecht. Voest supervised the research, which showed that a form of chemo called cisplatin, often used to treat lung, bladder, ovarian and testicular cancer, was rendered impotent by these two PIFAs, which are made by stem cells in the blood and are also present in fish oil supplements. In tests on mice with tumours under the skin, researchers found that animals injected with the fatty acids, described as "normal amounts of fish oil," became insensitive to chemotherapy. "Where resistance to chemotherapy is concerned, we usually believe that changes in the cancer cells themselves have occurred. Now we show that the body itself secretes protective substances into the blood that are powerful enough to block the effect of chemotherapy," said Voest. "These substances can be found in some types of fish oil." – AFP |
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