Author Archives
In short, I review clinical research on an almost daily basis. What I post tends to be articles that are relevant to the readers in addition to some curiosities that have intriguing potential.
As a hobby, I truly enjoy the puzzle-solving play that statistics and programming as in the python language bring to the table. I just do not enjoy problem-solving, I love problem-solving and the childlike inspiration and exploration of that innocent exhilaration of discovering something new.
Enjoy ;-)
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Cyprus: arrest warrant issued for former Central Bank head
27 September, 14:39 (ANSAmed) – NICOSIA, SEPTEMBER 27 – An arrest warrant has been issued against a former Governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus who failed to show up at a court hearing this morning, ad Famagusta Gazette online… Read More ›
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Japan to raid Novartis over alleged data fabrication
27 Sep 2013 Tokyo (AFP) Japanese authorities are preparing to raid the local arm of Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis over data fabrication claims, reports said Friday. A health ministry panel of experts has concluded that Novartis Pharma KK should be held… Read More ›
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First scoop of Mars soil contains 2 percent water: study
27 Sep 2013 Washington (AFP) The first scoop of Martian soil analyzed by NASA’s Curiosity rover held about two percent water, offering hope for hydrating humans who someday explore the Red Planet, scientists said Thursday. “We saw Mars as a very… Read More ›
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Hormone disruptors are regenerating themselves in darkness / casting doubt on environmental risk assessments
Hormone disruptors rise from the dead Broken-down pollutants reform in the dark, casting doubt on environmental risk assessments. Mark Peplow 26 September 2013 The vast amounts of steroids that are fed to cattle in some countries end up in farm… Read More ›
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Nazis offered peace with the Allies in 1941… but only if they were allowed to invade Russia
The high-ranking Nazi was carrying out orders from the Fuhrer Offered the British a deal that would see Germany pull out of Western Europe – so long as the fascists could attack the USSR without intervention By Anna Edwards PUBLISHED:… Read More ›
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Matchstick-sized sensor can record your private chats ( From far away )
26 September 2013 by Jim Nash Magazine issue 2936. A sensor previously used for military operations can now be tuned to secretly locate and record any single conversation on a busy street EVERYONE knows that to have a private… Read More ›
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Militant Sunnis add Pakistani Christians to hit list
Deadly attack on church signals shift in fight against rival Muslims AP Sep 25, 2013 Article history Online: Sep 25, 2013 Print: Sep 26, 2013 Last Modified: Sep 25, 2013 ISLAMABAD – A Sunni militant group known for targeting rival… Read More ›
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Cold War documents show NSA spied on US senators ( “Minaret ” )
26 Sep 2013 Washington (AFP) The National Security Agency eavesdropped on civil rights icon Martin Luther King and heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali as well as other leading critics of the Vietnam War in a secret program later deemed “disreputable,” declassified documents revealed… Read More ›
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Revealed: Qatar’s World Cup ‘slaves’
Exclusive: Abuse and exploitation of migrant workers preparing emirate for 2022 Pete Pattisson in Kathmandu and Doha The Guardian, Wednesday 25 September 2013 12.46 EDT Link to video: Qatar: the migrant workers forced to work for no… Read More ›
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Why ARE so many people being labelled bipolar? More and more celebrities say they have it, but here a top psychiatrist warns the disorder is far too readily diagnosed, leaving many trapped on ‘zombie’ pills
What it means to be bipolar has undergone a transformation Once seen as rare and disabling, it now vaguely refers to ‘mood swings’ The drugs used to treat the condition are powerful, harmful – and profitable By Dr Joanna Moncrieff… Read More ›
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Foot Cream Kills HIV by Tricking Cells to Commit Suicide
Ciclopirox is currently approved by the FDA as a topical antifungal cream (Credit: Fougera) A common drug that dermatologists turn to treat nail fungus appears to come with a not-so-tiny side effect: eradicating HIV . Ciclopirox is currently approved by… Read More ›
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Google chiefs travel on YOUR tax dollars after NASA sell them cut price fuel for their private jets
Investigation finds firm owned by Google execs keeps jets at Nasa facility There it buys fuel at prices from a half to nearly a fifth of market rate Planes used to jet off to exotic locations across the planet Google… Read More ›
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Warning of Potential Side Effects of a Product Can Increase Its Sales
Sep. 24, 2013 — Drug ads often warn of serious side effects, from nausea and bleeding to blindness, even death. New research suggests that, rather than scaring consumers away, these warnings can improve consumers’ opinions and increase product sales when… Read More ›
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American women’s wages won’t be equal to those of American men for another 45 years, says a recent study
Women earned 77 cents for every dollar men earned last year Most full-time employed women will be retired by the time wages are equal between women and men Stagnant wages may have to do with poor family and medical leave… Read More ›
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Scientists find ‘black holes’ at sea: The ocean whirlpools from which nothing can ever escape – not even water
Eddies are so tightly surrounded by water paths that nothing can escape Scientists have found they are mathematically equivalent to black holes The findings may help explain the spread of pollution in the world’s oceans It could also help better… Read More ›
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Tinfoil hat brigade say every PC is on mobile networks, even when powered down ( zero-power-consumption on-chip 3G )
‘Occupy’ affiliate claims Intel bakes SECRET 3G radio into vPro CPUs Tinfoil hat brigade say every PC is on mobile networks, even when powered down By Richard Chirgwin Posted in Security, 23rd September 2013 02:29 GMT Intel has apparently turned up… Read More ›
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Angelina Jolie fears she has only 3 years to live: Reports
Sun, Sep 22, 2013 Lollipop Angelina Jolie is very concerned about her mortality, and is reportedly worried that she will die at a very young age due to her family history. According to an article on Asian Town, reports reveal… Read More ›
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Factories ablaze as Bangladesh garment workers protest
23 Sep 2013 DHAKA (AFP) Angry Bangladeshi garment workers blocked roads, set factories alight and clashed with police for a third day on Monday as protests demanding a minimum monthly wage of $100 spread outside the capital Dhaka. Abdul Baten, police… Read More ›
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Saudi Arabian women activists to get back behind the wheel / They will defy ban on driving October 26
23 September, 17:40 (ANSAmed) – DUBAI – Saudi women will once again be getting behind the wheel in the ultra-conservative, oil-rich kingdom in a month, in an act of defiance against the law that bans them from driving. The… Read More ›
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Three American psychos join Islamic attack on Nairobi mall – VIDEO
EEV: Waiting 2nd Confirmation from another Independent source By Grae Stafford 5:19 PM 09/22/2013 According to CNN: “Three of the alleged attackers are from the United States, two are from Somalia and there is one each from Canada, Finland, Kenya… Read More ›
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Three of alleged attackers at Nairobi mall are US citizens
EEV: Requesting 2nd Confirmation Photo: EPA Three of suspected attackers at Nairobi massacre are from US, reports CNN citing sources within terror group Al-Shabaab. 0There are 10 to 15 gunmen involved, official reports say. 0Sources within Al-Shabaab told CNN… Read More ›
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Wealthy Chinese seek U.S. surrogates for 2nd child, green card
Source: Reuters – Sun, 22 Sep 2013 09:03 PM Author: Reuters By Alexandra Harney Sept 23 (Reuters) – Wealthy Chinese are hiring American women to serve as surrogates for their children, creating a small but growing business in $120,000… Read More ›
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Romania’s Powder Keg
Mine Project Launches Protest Movement By Luke Dale-Harris The Rosia Montana mine in Romania is currently one of Europe’s most controversial projects. Plans by Bucharest to push through approval for the large-scale mining that would eliminate an entire town have… Read More ›
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Twin suicide bombing kills 78 at church service in Pakistan
More than 100 wounded, many critical, in the deadliest attack on Christians in Pakistan Monday, 23 September, 2013 [Updated: 2:47AM] Agence France-Presse in Peshawar, Pakistan Relatives try to comfort each other after the bombing attack at a church in… Read More ›
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Power corrupts but it also plays with your mind: Lloyd George, Chamberlain and Thatcher all suffered from ‘hubris syndrome’
Ex-foreign secretary, Lord Owen, tells conference that condition leads to disastrous decision-making Alison Boulton Sunday, 22 September 2013 If we are to understand – and more crucially – prevent disasters such as the global financial crisis or escalation of conflict… Read More ›
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How Discovering the Americas Transformed the World ( European colonists brought along with chickens, malaria and the common cold )
SPIEGEL ONLINE 09/20/2013 05:53 PM The ‘Columbian Exchange’ By Johann Grolle Columbus’ arrival in the Americas sparked the globalization of animals, plants and microbes. A recent book takes a closer look at how items from the New World, such as… Read More ›
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Russian oligarch Berezovsky had £500m when he hanged himself in his ex-wife’s mansion in March… just a WEEK after cutting her out of his will
Oligarch had a portfolio of ‘trophy properties’ in the south of France Theories suggested he had killed himself because of unpayable debts Police found no evidence to counter suicide verdict By Aaron Sharp PUBLISHED: 06:41 EST, 22 September 2013 | … Read More ›
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Special forces sniper who claimed SAS assassinated Diana by shining light into her driver’s face ‘has fled Britain’
Solider N was due to be interviewed by Scotland Yard for new investigation Said to have left the country on Monday and Tuesday and maybe in the UAE Comes after his claims that the crash was a ‘hit’ ordered by… Read More ›
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Suicide bombers kill 60 Christians outside Pakistan church
A pair of suicide bombers blew themselves up outside a 130-year-old church in Pakistan after Sunday Mass, killing at least 60 people in the deadliest attack on Christians in recent history. A Pakistani man carries an injured woman on her… Read More ›
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Origins of Genomic ‘Dark Matter’ Discovered
A duo of scientists at Penn State University has achieved a major milestone in understanding genomic “dark matter” — called non-coding RNA. This “dark matter” is difficult to detect and no one knows exactly what it is doing or why… Read More ›
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Harvard seeks $8.1 billion in record fundraising drive
Sunday, September 22, 2013 – 10:36 Reuters BOSTON – Harvard, the richest university in the United States, said on Saturday it would seek to raise some $6.5 billion in donations to fund new academic initiatives and bolster its financial aid… Read More ›
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164th Health Research Report 21 SEP 2013 ( Synopsis )
http://www.healthresearchreport.me In this Issue: 1. Amino acid with promising anti-diabetic effects 2. Substance that gives grapefruit its flavor and aroma could give insect pests the boot 3. New study discovers copper destroys highly infectious norovirus 4. Codeine could… Read More ›
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Could dog food additive prevent disabling chemotherapy side effect?
Contact: Stephanie Desmon sdesmon1@jhmi.edu 410-955-8665 Johns Hopkins Medicine Johns Hopkins researchers find, in mice, that common preservative may thwart pain and damage of peripheral neuropathy Working with cells in test tubes and in mice, researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered… Read More ›
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Disarming HIV With a “Pop”
PHILADELPHIA, September 19, 2013 The DAVEI molecule is comprised of two main pieces: Membrane Proximal External Region (MPER), which attaches to the viral membranes, and cyanovarin (CVN), which binds to the sugar coating of the virus’s protein spike. Pinning down… Read More ›
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Can vitamin B supplements help stave off stroke? ( 7% reduction in 6 months )
Contact: Rachel Seroka rseroka@aan.com 612-928-6129 American Academy of Neurology MINNEAPOLIS – New evidence suggests that taking vitamin B supplements may help reduce the risk of stroke. The research appears in the September 18, 2013, online issue of Neurology®, the medical… Read More ›
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Young breast cancer patients often overestimate benefit of having healthy breast removed (unlikely to improve their chance of survival )
Contact: Robbin Ray robbin_ray@dfci.harvard.edu 617-632-4090 Dana-Farber Cancer Institute BOSTON — Young women with breast cancer often overestimate the odds that cancer will occur in their other, healthy breast, and decide to have the healthy breast surgically removed, a survey conducted… Read More ›
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Obese stomachs tell us diets are doomed to fail
Public release date: 16-Sep-2013 [ Contact: Amanda Page amanda.page@adelaide.edu.au 61-882-225-644 University of Adelaide The way the stomach detects and tells our brains how full we are becomes damaged in obese people but does not return to normal once they lose… Read More ›
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‘It’ll be anarchy’: Gordon Brown discussed putting troops on the streets as banking crisis worsened, former spin doctor Damian McBride reveals
Heather Saul Saturday, 21 September 2013 Gordon Brown considered putting troops onto the streets and enforcing a curfew as the severity of the banking crisis began to sink in, his former spin doctor has revealed. Mr Brown’s fears… Read More ›
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French carbon tax to yield 4 bln euros in 2016 – PM
Source: Reuters – Sat, 21 Sep 2013 03:53 PM * French PM says carbon tax to be ramped up after 2014 start * Ayrault says zero impact on households from fuel in 2014 * PM also flags nuclear power levy… Read More ›
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Music Score May Lead to Nazi Gold
By Björn Hengst and Benjamin Dürr After some initial digs, a Dutch filmmaker believes he may have found the site of buried Nazi treasure long rumored to exist. He was led to the Bavarian town of Mittenwald after cracking a… Read More ›
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Turkey: blasphemy; pianist Fazil Say sentenced to 10 months
20 September, 12:26 (ANSAmed) – ISTANBUL – World-renowned Turkish pianist Fazil Say, who was sentenced to 10 months in prison for blasphemy in April, was again sentenced to 10 months by an Istanbul court today in a retrial, Hurriyet online… Read More ›
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Russian Muslim clerics warn of unrest over ban of translation of Koran
Source: Reuters – Fri, 20 Sep 2013 09:13 PM Author: Reuters * Local court rules Russian translation of Koran should be outlawed * Muftis’ Council sound alarm in letter to Putin, say will appeal decision * Experts say case illustrates… Read More ›
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Leaky microwaves can power your kitchen gadgets
17:45 20 September 2013 by Paul Marks For similar stories, visit the Energy and Fuels Topic Guide If you are fed up with replacing the batteries in your kitchen gadgets why not use the energy that leaks from your… Read More ›
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How Many Die from Medical Mistakes in U.S. Hospitals? ( between 210,000 and 440,000 patients each year )
An updated estimate says it could be at least 210,000 patients a year, more than twice the number in a frequently quoted Institute of Medicine report By Marshall Allen and ProPublica | Friday, September 20, 2013 | ULTIMATE MALPRACTICE: An updated… Read More ›
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Tunisia’s ‘sex jihadis’ who were sent to Syria to have sex with 100 rebels EACH are coming home pregnant with their children
Tunisian government minister reveals women who travelled to Syria to comfort Islamist opposition fighters in sexual jihad are returning pregnant Lotfi ben Jeddou said women return home after ‘having sexual relations with 20,30,100’ front-line fighters Minister insisted border security has … Read More ›
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UK’s GCHQ blamed for cyber attack on Belgian telecoms company
The agency was named in the latest revelations from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden Cahal Milmo Friday, 20 September 2013 Britain is facing a damaging public clash with a European ally after GCHQ was blamed for a cyber attack on Belgium’s… Read More ›
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Golden Rice Not So Golden for Tufts / Study Irregularities
2013-09-18 17:15 Golden Rice Humanitarian Board Worth its weight in gold? Golden rice (right) protects against vitamin A deficiency in children. A study in which Chinese children were fed a small amount of genetically modified rice violated university and U.S…. Read More ›
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Individuals have a right to participate in risky research trials, which might harm their health or even kill them
Patient participation in high-risk research could benefit novel drug trials Published on September 19, 2013 at 2:47 AM · Individuals have a right to participate in risky research trials, which might harm their health or even kill them, and institutional… Read More ›
Engineering Evil 