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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U.S. hospital ICU admissions up 50 percent since 2002
Published: May 15, 2013 at 10:25 PM WASHINGTON, May 15 (UPI) — Admissions to U.S. hospital intensive care units jumped 50 percent from 2002 to 2009, but researchers are not sure why. Lead author Peter Mullins of George Washington University’s… Read More ›
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François Hollande calls for ‘European political union’ within two years; Calls for a more federal Europe
John Lichfield Thursday, 16 May 2013 A beleagured President François Hollande went on the offensive today calling for an “economic government” for the Eurozone and “political union” in Europe within two years. Stung by accusations that he has been too… Read More ›
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‘Frankly, I’d just as soon not use this’: Emails show the then CIA-chief David Petraeus objected to Obama administration’s version of Benghazi terror attack events
The White House on Wednesday released 100 pages of emails detailing discussion inside the administration over last year’s deadly attacks on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya Among the details, the documents show that then-CIA Director David Petraeus objected… Read More ›
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Source thinks embarrassed Putin faked the CIA spy arrest (poorly)
Posted By Christopher Bedford On 1:28 PM 05/15/2013 In World | No Comments The Tuesday Russian arrest and deportation of a career U.S. diplomat accused of being a CIA officer was a “staged … political, domestic display” by the government… Read More ›
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Health Research Report 10 May 2013
Topics: Magnesium more Important than Calcium for Bones Chalk, Glue and Paper may trigger milk allergies Sucking on your childs pacifier may prevent children from developing allergies Cholesterol Drugs (Statins) Proven to Mutate Brain Neurons, Damaging Memory
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Do ‘environmentally friendly’ LED lights cause BLINDNESS?
Spanish research has shown that blue LED light can irreparably damage the cells in the eye’s retina This is not the first time energy-saving bulbs have been criticised – fluorescent bulbs emit dangerous UV light By Rachel Reilly PUBLISHED: 08:13… Read More ›
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US attorney general defends AP seizure citing major security threat to public
Eric Holder says story related to subpoena of phone records was ‘very, very serious’ while Obama faces scrutiny on press rights Ewen MacAskill in Washington The Guardian, Tuesday 14 May 2013 14.33 EDT US attorney general Eric Holder pauses… Read More ›
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Mayan pyramid bulldozed by road builders
Tuesday, 14 May 2013 A construction company has essentially destroyed one of Belize’s largest Mayan pyramids with backhoes and bulldozers to extract rock for a road-building project. The head of the Belize Institute of Archaeology says the destruction… Read More ›
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US tax dollars promoted Monsanto’s GMO crops overseas – report
Source: Reuters – Tue, 14 May 2013 12:59 PM Author: Reuters Plant specialist Nancy Brumley ties up a soybean stalk in a greenhouse at the Monsanto Research facility in Chesterfield, Missouri, Oct. 9, 2009. REUTERS/Peter Newcomb * Report critical of… Read More ›
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Monsanto pressing ahead with GMO crop amid USDA scrutiny
Source: Reuters – Wed, 15 May 2013 12:40 AM Author: Reuters By Carey Gillam St. Louis, Mo. May 14 (Reuters) – Monsanto Co. is pushing on with plans to introduce a controversial new type of herbicide-tolerant crop, and last week’s… Read More ›
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BP and Shell raided over allegations of petrol price-fixing
Oil giants targeted by European Commission in probe into suspected market manipulation Tom Bawden, Oliver Wright Tuesday, 14 May 2013 The European Commission today raided the offices of BP and Shell on suspicion that they are playing a central role… Read More ›
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‘A massive and unprecedented intrusion’: Associated Press condemns US government for seizing journalists’ telephone records without explanation
John Hall Tuesday, 14 May 2013 The Associated Press news agency has condemned the US government for the unexplained seizure of records of telephone calls made by its journalists. Describing the seizure as “a massive and unprecedented intrusion”, AP’s… Read More ›
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High Court Won’t Chuck Farmer’s Monsanto Debt – A WARNING to all Farmers!
By BARBARA LEONARD WASHINGTON (CN) – An Indiana farmer owes Monsanto more than $84,400 for infringing its patent by saving genetically engineered seeds, the Supreme Court ruled Monday. In addition to selling a glyphosate-based herbicide called Roundup to farmers who… Read More ›
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Red-faced Bloomberg admits ‘inexcusable’ privacy breach
Gideon Spanier Monday, 13 May 2013 Bloomberg was today forced to issue a grovelling apology to clients for its “inexcusable” decision to let its journalists use internal customer information in a scandal that has rocked Wall Street and the… Read More ›
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IRS targeted 298 nonprofit US groups critical of government and involved in political activities
Statue of Liberty © Photo: Voice of Russia The US Internal Revenue Service singled out for scrutiny groups with “tea party” or “patriot” in their names as well as nonprofit groups that criticized the government and sought to educate Americans… Read More ›
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Drugs giants used Communist East Germany for ‘illegal’ trials
Several patients died in tests made possible by massive payoffs to Communist regime Tony Paterson Sunday, 12 May 2013 Leading Western pharmaceutical companies paid millions of pounds to former Communist East Germany to use more that 50,000 patients in state-run… Read More ›
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Russia pursues hypersonic weapon research
Photo: Voice of Russia Russia is developing a hypersonic weapon program. It involves more than 60 companies and is scheduled for completion this summer. Launched in the former USSR, hypersonic weapon research was resumed in post-Soviet Russia in 2009 under… Read More ›
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The Obama administration’s State Department had a direct hand in revising the official story on the 2012 Benghazi terror attack, new documents show
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland objected to the CIA’s summary, which concluded that terrorists killed four Americans Attack came in the weeks before the 2012 election, as President Obama was campaigning on the strength of having defeated al Qaeda White… Read More ›
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Cholesterol-drugs cause unusual swellings within neurons resulting in cognitive disturbances
Contact: La Monica Everett-Haynes leverett@email.arizona.edu 520-626-4405 University of Arizona Research reveals possible reason for cholesterol-drug side effects University of Arizona researchers have identified a clue to explain the reversible memory loss sometimes caused by the use of statins, one of… Read More ›
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Markets erode moral values
Contact: Dr. Armin Falk armin.falk@uni-bonn.de 49-228-739-240 University of Bonn Researchers from the Universities of Bamberg and Bonn present causal evidence on how markets affect moral values Many people express objections against child labor, exploitation of the workforce or meat production… Read More ›
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Could eating peppers prevent Parkinson’s?
Contact: Dawn Peters sciencenewsroom@wiley.com 781-388-8408 Wiley Dietary nicotine may hold protective key New research reveals that Solanaceae—a flowering plant family with some species producing foods that are edible sources of nicotine—may provide a protective effect against Parkinson’s disease. The study… Read More ›
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Bacteria adapt and evade nanosilver’s sting
08 May 2013 Researchers from UNSW have cautioned that more work is needed to understand how micro-organisms respond to the disinfecting properties of silver nano-particles, increasingly used in consumer goods, and for medical and environmental applications. Although nanosilver has effective… Read More ›
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Restless legs syndrome, insomnia and brain chemistry: A tangled mystery solved? (Excessive Glutamate)
Contact: Stephanie Desmon sdesmon1@jhmi.edu 410-955-8665 Johns Hopkins Medicine Johns Hopkins researchers believe they may have discovered an explanation for the sleepless nights associated with restless legs syndrome (RLS), a symptom that persists even when the disruptive, overwhelming nocturnal urge to… Read More ›
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Study: Using anticholinergics for as few as 60 days causes memory problems in older adults
caisen@iupui.edu 317-843-2276 Indiana University INDIANAPOLIS — Research from the Regenstrief Institute, the Indiana University Center for Aging Research and Wishard-Eskenazi Health on medications commonly taken by older adults has found that drugs with strong anticholinergic effects cause cognitive… Read More ›
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Parents who suck on their infants’ pacifiers may protect their children against developing allergy
Contact: Agnes Wold agnes.wold@microbio.gu.se 46-734-028-750 University of Gothenburg Swedish researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, report that a simple habit may give significant protection against allergy development, namely, the parental sucking on the baby’s pacifier. Allergies are… Read More ›
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High home ownership can seriously damage your labour market
Government policies that boost the amount of home ownership in a country are likely to inflict severe damage on the labour market, new research from the University of Warwick suggests. Professor Andrew Oswald from the University of Warwick and Professor… Read More ›
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Do-it-yourself invisibility with 3-D printing
Contact: Richard Merritt richard.merritt@duke.edu 919-660-8414 Duke University DURHAM, N.C. – Seven years ago, Duke University engineers demonstrated the first working invisibility cloak in complex laboratory experiments. Now it appears creating a simple cloak has become a lot… Read More ›
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The nocebo effect: media reports may trigger symptoms of a disease
Expectation of negative effects can increase likelihood of experiencing symptoms / Media needs to be more responsible when warning about health risks 06.05.2013 Media reports about substances that are supposedly hazardous to health may cause suggestible people to develop symptoms… Read More ›
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Anti-depressant link to Clostridium difficile infection
Contact: Hilary Glover hilary.glover@biomedcentral.com 44-020-319-22370 BioMed Central Certain types of anti-depressants have been linked to an increase in the risk of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) finds a study in BioMed Central’s open access journal BMC Medicine. Awareness of this link… Read More ›
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Plants ‘talk’ to plants to help them grow
Contact: Hilary Glover hilary.glover@biomedcentral.com 44-020-319-22370 BioMed Central Having a neighborly chat improves seed germination, finds research in BioMed Central’s open access journal BMC Ecology. Even when other known means of communication, such as contact, chemical and light-mediated signals, are blocked… Read More ›
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Flame retardants may be toxic to children
Contact: Debbie Jacobson djacobson@aap.org 847-434-7084 American Academy of Pediatrics Lower intelligence, hyperactivity seen in children whose mothers were exposed to the chemicals during pregnancy WASHINGTON, DC – Chemicals called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been used for decades to reduce… Read More ›
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90 percent of pediatric specialists not following clinical guidelines when treating preschoolers with ADHD
Contact: Terry Lynam tlynam@nshs.edu 516-465-2600 North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Health System Some prescribe medication too soon; others not even as a second-line treatment NEW HYDE PARK, NY – A recent study by pediatricians from the Cohen Children’s Medical Center… Read More ›
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Gang stole $45m from cash machines across globe in hours, say prosecutors
‘Virtual criminal flash mob’ used bogus swipe cards loaded with data from hacked bank databases to commit thousands of thefts Associated Press in New York guardian.co.uk, Friday 10 May 2013 05.38 EDT Seven people are being held in connection with… Read More ›
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US government orders Cody Wilson and Defense Distributed to remove blueprint for 3D-printed handgun from the web
Last week Wilson printed and fired the “Liberator” handgun James Legge Friday, 10 May 2013 The US government has demanded the removal of online files which allow users to 3D-print their own unregistered gun at home. The blueprint has so… Read More ›
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Just in Time for Mother’s Day
By CAMERON LANGFORD ShareThis GALVESTON, Texas (CN) – An 80-year-old woman sued one of her sons, saying he swiped her house from under her, claiming it as “compensation” for losing two vehicles to his siblings. Lydia Gracia sued Joseph… Read More ›
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Greece: youth unemployment reaches a grim record of 64.2%
Overall February unemployment at 27%, against 21.9% in 2012 09 May, 16:31 (by Patrizio Nissirio) (ANSAmed) – ROME, MAY 9 – While Greek Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras assures that ”Greece is on the right path” and that recovery and new… Read More ›
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US officials blocked rescue effort while Benghazi burned, Congress told
Diplomat Gregory Hicks accuses State Department of cover-up in evidence that may yet hurt Hillary Clinton’s White House bid Dan Roberts in Washington guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 8 May 2013 22.00 EDT Gregory Hicks claimed he was scolded for giving… Read More ›
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China refuses to confirm Okinawa Island belongs to Japanese
Bloomberg — May 09 China refused to confirm that Okinawa belongs to Japan after two Chinese scholars suggested re-examining the ownership of the archipelago that includes the island, adding to tensions over a separate territorial dispute. Agreements between… Read More ›
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US Air Force stripped 17 officers controlling intercontinental nuclear missiles
© Photo: ru.wikipedia.org US Air Force stripped an unprecedented 17 officers of their authority to control – and, if necessary, launch – nuclear missiles after a string of unpublicized failings, including a remarkably dim review of their unit’s launch skills…. Read More ›
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Military Sex Crimes Investigator Arrested as Congress Cracks Down
By ADAM KLASFELD (CN) – The sexual battery arrest of the U.S. airman who heads the Sex Assault Prevention and Response Unit shook up the coincidentally timed hearing Tuesday of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. Lt. Col…. Read More ›
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European Commission to criminalize nearly all seeds, plants not registered with Govt
Tuesday, 07 May 2013 Europe is rushing towards the good ol days circa 1939, 40… A new law proposed by the European Commission would make it illegal to “grow, reproduce or trade” any vegetable seeds that have not been… Read More ›
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Cash deposits of former Nicolas Sarkozy aide come under fresh scrutiny
The former Interior Minister, Claude Guéant, denies money laundering Anne Penketh Tuesday, 7 May 2013 An investigation into the alleged use of slush funds by former French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2007 presidential election campaign took a new twist… Read More ›
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Report: Nearby US special forces blocked during Benghazi attack, told ‘you don’t have authority to go’
Posted By Vince Coglianese On 1:11 PM 05/06/2013 In World | As the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate and CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya raged on for more than seven hours, a team of U.S. special forces in… Read More ›
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France ends Austerity measures
Tuesday, 07 May 2013 Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici says French austerity measures are at an end, instead opting for growth. This further complicates the strained relationship between the eurozone’s two largest economies. “We’re witnessing the end of the dogma… Read More ›
Engineering Evil 