Ann Richards, who was the Governor of Texas from 1991 to 1995, succumbed to esophageal cancer. She passed away at the age of 73. Earlier this year in March, she revealed that she was being treated for esophageal cancer. She was the second woman in history of Texas, to hold that position.

Ann Richards seemed to be a spunky lady. When Ann was nearing sixty she rode a Harley-Davidson motorcycle because she said “I thought I needed to do something kind of jazzy.” Ann didn’t start her political career until she was in her 40’s. She won a seat on the Travis County commission in Austin in 1976. The 1988 Democratic National Convention is when Ann burst onto the scene. At the keynote address she famously described the syntax-challenged Republican presidential nominee, George H.W. Bush, this way: “Poor George. He can’t help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth.” She eventually was defeated for the re-election of Governor by Bush’s son, and future president, George W. Bush. That was the last time she ran for office. She then worked as consultant and commentator and she served on corporate boards.

One quote she liked that she said summed up the aspiration of women in politics: “Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels.”

ISLAMABAD: People with low levels of zinc in their tissues may be at increased risk for developing cancer of the esophagus, according to research reported in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

In the study, investigators determined zinc levels in esophageal biopsy samples obtained from 132 residents of Linzhou, China in 1985. Of these subjects, 60 subsequently developed esophageal cancer and 72 did not.

People in the highest quartile of zinc levels were 79 percent less likely to develop esophageal cancer than those in the lowest quartile, Dr. Christian C. Abnet, from the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues report.

This finding supports studies conducted in animals showing that zinc deficiency enhances the effects of certain nitrosamines, which act as esophageal carcinogens in rodents. While the current findings are interesting, their applicability to US or European populations is unclear, the authors warn. “We did this study in a population that is at extremely high risk for esophageal cancer,” Abnet told. “Also, these subjects in China probably have fairly low zinc intake and tissue levels compared with a US population.” He said his group is interested in conducting a similar study in populations with a lower risk of esophageal cancer and higher zinc levels. “We don�t have any data regarding an association with esophageal cancer in a zinc-sufficient population,” Abnet commented. “It�s possible that once you get above a certain threshold, tissue zinc levels are no longer associated with cancer risk.”

Source:  PakTribune