Yuvraj Singh tweeted: After first cycle of treatment tumour almost gone

Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh on Tuesday revealed that the malignant lung tumour, for which he is undergoing chemotherapy in the Unites States, is "almost out of his system" after the first cycle of treatment.

"Got very good news from dr lawrence today! The tumor is almost way out of the system After reading my to days scan !Second cycle has started," Yuvraj, being treated at the Boston Institute of Cancer Research, wrote on his twitter account.

The 30-year-old, who went to US last month, has gone bald during the treatment, which will go on till the last week of March before the process of rehabilitation starts in April.

The dashing batsman had earlier got a message from US cycling legend Lance Armstrong, whose own inspirational triumph over cancer is well-documented, wishing him a speedy recovery.

"Message from @lancearmstrong makes me feel better! Thank you lance means a lot hope we can meet," tweeted Yuvraj. A photo of the Armstrong's message, posted by Yuvraj, read: "Yuvi, I want you to know that the entire LIVESTRONG team is here for you.”

"We say it all the time, and truly believe in it: Knowledge is power, Unity is strength, and Attitude is everything. Please know that we are here to help you and your family in any way possible. Go Yuvi!! Livestrong."

Yuvraj was named Player of the Tournament in the World Cup, scoring 362 runs and grabbing 15 wickets in nine matches. He has so far scored 8,051 runs in 274 one-dayers and 1,775 runs in 37 Tests since making his international debut in 2000.

After being diagnosed with the illness, Yuvraj has not played competitive cricket since taking part in two of three home Tests against the West Indies in November.

Chemo drugs may lead to cancer relapse

Chemotherapy drugs, vital for putting the cancer into remission, may contribute to relapse of the disease in patients by damaging DNA, a new study has revealed.

Chemotherapy is known to damage the DNA of both cancer cells and healthy cells. But until now, scientists have had little direct evidence to suggest that chemotherapy itself helps shape the evolution of cancer cells and may contribute to disease recurrence.

The researchers suspect this phenomenon is not unique to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and may occur in other cancers as well.

"The mutations in AML patients who have relapsed are different from those present in the primary tumour, and they are more likely to have a telltale signature of DNA damage," said senior author John F. DiPersio, MD, PhD, the Virginia E. and Sam J. Golman Professor of Medicine and chief of the division of oncology.

"This suggests that mutations in the relapse cells are influenced by the chemotherapy drugs the patients receive."

According to co-author Timothy J. Ley, MD, the Lewis T. and Rosalind B. Apple Professor of Oncology, chemotherapy drugs are absolutely necessary to get leukemia patients into remission, but `we also pay a price in terms of DNA damage`.

"They may contribute to disease progression and relapse in many different cancers, which is why our long-term goal is to find targeted therapies based on the mutations specific to a patient`s cancer, rather than use drugs that further damage DNA," Ley said

For the current study, scientists at Washington University`s Genome Institute sequenced the genomes - the entire DNA - of cancer cells before and after relapse in eight patients with AML and compared the genetic sequences to healthy cells from the same patients.

The data essentially allowed them to map the evolution of cancer cells in each patient.

All the patients received cytarabine and an anthracycline drug to induce remission plus additional chemotherapy in an attempt to keep the cancer from returning.

Using technology developed at the Genome Institute, the researchers isolated the DNA segments that contained every mutation in the samples of cancer cells and sequenced those regions nearly 600 times each, far more than the usual 30 times each, which substantially increased the statistical accuracy of the results.

The researchers found that the relapsed cancer cells did not contain a large number of new mutations, as some had predicted. In fact, while the relapsed cells in all the patients had gained some mutations, the percentage was relatively small compared to the number of mutations in the primary tumour.

Wine dregs improve cow milk, cut methane emissions

Feeding dairy cows the stems, seeds and skins from wine grapes boosts milk production and dramatically cuts the animal's methane emissions, Australian researched published .

Scientists found that supplementing the cows' feed with grape marc -- the leftover material from wine-making -- reduced cow emissions by 20 percent and increased milk production by five percent.

It also led to more healthy fatty acids in their milk, the research by Victoria's Department of Primary Industries found.

Scientist Peter Moate said researchers were stunned by the results, with the cut to methane emissions thought to represent the largest reduction of its kind ever attained through the use of a feed supplement.

"We've managed to utilise what is currently a waste product for the wine industry and turn it into a very valuable feed source," Moate said.

The scientists supplemented the diet of dairy cows with five kilograms of dried grape marc over 37 days and compared the results with other animals fed conventional fodder.

Moate said the research showed that fatty acids in the grape marc milk were six times higher than with standard autumn feed.

"These particular fatty acids are extremely potent in their ability to benefit heart health and are also known to help fight cancer, diabetes and arthritis," he said.

Moate added there were also indications that cows fed grape marc produced milk with higher levels of healthy anti-oxidants and further tests were being conducted to verify this.

The research is part of a wider programme looking at the use of feed supplements to reduce methane emissions, including brewers' grains and cold-pressed canola meal.

The dairy industry in Victoria state provides than 85 percent of Australia's dairy exports, producing 5.9 billion litres of raw milk each year from a herd of around one million cows.