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 ;-)

• 60th Health Research Report 07 JUL 2009 – Reconstruction

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 23, 2012

  Editors Top Five: 1.Your Arteries on Wonder Bread 2.Report: Prostate cancer screening has yet to prove its worth 3. Doubts cast on credibility of some published clinical trials 4. Health food supplement may curb compulsive hair pulling 5. Acid-reducing medicines… Read More ›

• Scientists build ‘mechanically active’ DNA material

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 23, 2012

  Contact: Melissa Van De Werfhorst melissa@engineering.ucsb.edu 805-893-4301 University of California – Santa Barbara       Researchers at UC Santa Barbara designed a ‘smart’ material made of DNA that responds with movement when stimulated   Artificial muscles and self-propelled goo… Read More ›

• Video Comment in Regards to the AP article on Organics

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 23, 2012

  The American Academy of Pediatrics had a press release  that was interpeted differently by certain news services. This video clip reviews the event.

• Unemployed young cost Europe €153bln a year

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012

  Published: 22 October, 2012, 15:57 Edited: 22 October, 2012, 15:57 As many as 14 million young unemployed Europeans cost the region’s economy about 153 billion euro a year or 1.2% of the EU’s gross domestic product, according to the study… Read More ›

• Dutch Government Proposes Cyberattacks Against… Everyone

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012

  October 22, 2012 | By Eva Galperin  and Katitza Rodriguez  and Peter Eckersley Last week, the Dutch Minister of Safety and Justice asked the Parliament of the Netherlands1 to pass a law allowing police to obtain warrants to do the… Read More ›

• ‘Blue’ Light Could Help Teenagers Combat Stress

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012

  A new study shows that exposure to morning short-wavelength “blue” light has the potential to help sleep-deprived adolescents prepare for the challenges of the day and deal with stress, more so than dim light. (Credit: © Beboy / Fotolia) ScienceDaily… Read More ›

• Cash-strapped Cyprus plots Russian exit from austerity

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012

  It has been three years since I was last in Paphos, a resort on Cyprus’s west coast, and at first glance not much has changed. Fishing boats in Paphos Harbour, Pafos, Pafos District, Cyprus. Photo: Alamy <!– remove the whitespace… Read More ›

• American Academy of Pediatrics Weighs In For the First Time on Organic Foods for Children ( Actual Press Release from AAP)

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012 • ( 5 )

  10/22/2012 AAP report cites lower pesticides in organic produce and potentially lower risk of exposure to drug-resistant bacteria, but says the most important thing for children is to eat a wide variety of produce, whether it’s conventional or organic Article… Read More ›

• American Academy of Pediatrics’ clinical report highlights benefits of organic

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012 • ( 4 )

  Report provides guidance to pediatricians about organic foods in patient care WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A clinical report published online today by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) highlighting the many attributes of organic foods provides guidance to… Read More ›

• Same Report 2 Titles ( Organic fruit and vegetables are no better for children, pediatricians claim ) – ( American Academy of Pediatrics Reviews The Benefits of Organic Foods )

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012 • ( 2 )

  Article # 1 . 2nd article  at Bottom . 3rd and 4th  article link to the Actual PR release…From the OTA the Other the Original Release from the AAP . OTP Report . AAP Press Release . Organic fruit and… Read More ›

• Christian football fans outraged after LSU airbrushes out crosses painted on their chests

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012

    The Painted Posse are Christian football fans who attend every home game at the Louisiana college with their chests painted with the school’s colours and a small cross above their hearts. But in an email to the university’s students,… Read More ›

• Afghan ‘Woman of Courage’ hailed by Michelle Obama for defending women’s rights has actually JAILED 100 wives for ‘adultery’

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012 • ( 1 )

  More than 50% of women jailed for adultery  in Afghanistan come from province prosecuted by Ms Bashir –  which holds just 20% of the population By Eddie Wrenn   Last year she was hailed as one of the most  influential… Read More ›

• Analysts: China Adapting New Fighter for Carrier Operations

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012

  Oct. 22, 2012 – 12:15PM   | By WENDELL MINNICK  | TAIPEI — Just one month after China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was commissioned, photographs are appearing on the Internet of the Shenyang J-15 Flying Shark fighter jet operating… Read More ›

• DOCOMO launches real-time phone translation

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012 • ( 1 )

  TechnologyOct. 23, 2012 – 06:50AM JST( 5 ) TOKYO — Japan’s biggest mobile operator said Monday it will launch a translation service that lets people chat over the phone in several different languages. The application for NTT DOCOMO subscribers will… Read More ›

• World’s lowest paid workers: Indian cleaners get just £64 after 40 YEARS of scrubbing toilets without a day off (and they’ve never had a pay rise!)

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012 • ( 2 )

  Two women have applied to  the Guinness World Records for the lowest salary in the  world By Kerry Mcqueeney PUBLISHED:11:24 EST, 22  October 2012| UPDATED:12:59 EST, 22 October 2012     For more than 40 years they’ve toiled away,  meticulously… Read More ›

• EU’s top health official investigated in a tobacco-linked fraud probe

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012

  By Agence France-Presse Monday, October 22, 2012 15:07 EDT Topics: john dalli ♦ tobacco legislation A shady Maltese lobbyist, Sweden’s substitute for snuff, robberies against anti-smoking groups: the resignation of the EU’s top health official in a tobacco-linked “whodunnit” is… Read More ›

• Italy scientists sentenced to six years jail in quake trial

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012

  22Oct2012 L’AQUILA, Italy (AFP)  Six Italian scientists and a government official were found guilty on Monday in a watershed trial of multiple manslaughter for underestimating the risks of a killer earthquake in the town of L’Aquila in 2009. Judge Marco… Read More ›

• Health Research Report #2 ( Video ) 22 OCT 2012

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012

  Topics: Watercress and Skin Presentiment or “anomalous anticipatory activity” Vitamin C and Diabetes An I am still learning how to speak… As usual unedited single run 😉

• Can your body sense future events without any external clue?

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012

  Contact: Hilary Hurd Anyaso h-anyaso@northwestern.edu 847-491-4887 Northwestern University New Northwestern analysis focuses on ‘pre-feelings’ and ability to anticipate the near future EVANSTON, Ill. — Wouldn’t it be amazing if our bodies prepared us for future events that could be very… Read More ›

• Pesticide susceptibility in children lasts longer than expected: Some are 130 to 164 times more susceptible than others

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012

  2009 study posted for filing Contact: Sarah Yang scyang@berkeley.edu 510-643-7741 University of California – Berkeley Berkeley — Although it is known that infants are more susceptible than adults to the toxic effects of pesticides, this increased vulnerability may extend much… Read More ›

• Green tea may affect prostate cancer progression

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012 • ( 3 )

  2009 study posted for filing Contact: Tara Yates tara.yates@aacr.org 267-646-0558 American Association for Cancer Research PHILADELPHIA – According to results of a study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, men with prostate… Read More ›

• Eli Lilly and Zyprexa Under the Spotlight for criminal activity

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012

  2009 Report posted for filing   Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on June 14, 2009 Eli Lilly & Co.’s atypical antipsychotic medication, Zyprexa, was not only marketed to doctors for an unapproved, off-label use — the treatment of dementia… Read More ›

• Powerful nutrient cocktail can put kids with Crohn’s into remission

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012 • ( 1 )

  2009 study posted for filing Contact: George Hunka ghunka@aftau.org 212-742-9070 American Friends of Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University researcher promotes liquid nutrition to combat inflammatory bowel disease Treating children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) usually involves the same steroids-based… Read More ›

• Study finds autistics better at problem-solving

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012

  2009 study posted for filing Contact: Sylvain-Jacques Desjardins sylvain-jacques.desjardins@umontreal.ca 514-343-7593 University of Montreal University of Montreal and Harvard University research in Human Brain Mapping This release is available in French. Montreal, June 16, 2009 — Autistics are up to 40… Read More ›

• ‘Cannabis alters human DNA’ — new study

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012

  2009 study posted for filing Contact: Rajinder Singh 44-116-223-1827 University of Leicester Research at University of Leicester highlights cancer risk from cannabis smoke A new study published by University of Leicester researchers has found “convincing evidence” that cannabis smoke damages… Read More ›

• Bisphenol A exposure in pregnant mice permanently changes DNA of offspring

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012

  2009 study posted for filing Contact: Aaron Lohr alohr@endo-society.org 240-482-1380 The Endocrine Society Exposure during pregnancy to the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, found in many common plastic household items, is known to cause a fertility defect in the mother’s… Read More ›

• BPA may cause heart disease in women, research shows

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012

  2009 study posted for filing Contact: Katie Pence katie.pence@uc.edu 513-558-4561 University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center CINCINNATI—New research by a team of scientists at the University of Cincinnati (UC) shows that bisphenol A (BPA) may be harmful for the heart,… Read More ›

• Dioxins in Food Chain Linked to Breastfeeding Ills

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012

  2009 study posted for filing Exposure to dioxins during pregnancy harms the cells in rapidly-changing breast tissue, which may explain why some women have trouble breastfeeding or don’t produce enough milk, according to a University of Rochester Medical Center study…. Read More ›

• 59th Health Research Report 23 JUN 2009 – Reconstruction

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012

    Editors top five: 1. Eli Lilly and Zyprexa Under the Spotlight (criminal activity) 2. Dioxins in Food Chain Linked to Breastfeeding Ills 3. Children susceptible to pesticides longer than expected, study finds 4. ‘Cannabis alters human DNA’ — new… Read More ›

• Workers at Plant that Received $150m Stimulus Cash Play Cards, Board Games; Plant Hasn’t Produced a Single Battery

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 22, 2012

  By Eliana Johnson October 19, 2012 10:20 A.M. Add it to the annals of stimulus waste.  A local Michigan television station reports that workers at LG Chem, a lithium-ion battery plant that received over $150 million stimulus dollars, have so… Read More ›

• U.S. team to help defuse isle dispute

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 21, 2012

  Kyodo WASHINGTON — The U.S. government will send a group of former national security officials to Japan and China next week to encourage Tokyo and Beijing to mend diplomatic ties frayed by a territorial dispute, sources said. The U.S. team,… Read More ›

• Chest band may relieve a chronic cough

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 21, 2012

  Contact: Jennifer Stawarz jstawarz@chestnet.org 847-498-8306 American College of Chest Physicians A soft, extendible band fitted around the chest may help to relieve cough in patients with persistent dry cough. Over the course of 1 year, Japanese researchers evaluated the antitussive… Read More ›

• WHEN in Rome, you get a little hit of cocaine with every breath.

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 21, 2012

  20 October 2012 Magazine issue 2887. A study of psychotropic drug levels in ambient air from eight Italian cities found background levels of cocaine, cannabinoids – the active ingredients in marijuana – nicotine and caffeine in every urban centre. Turin… Read More ›

• Offsetting Global Warming: Targeting Solar Geoengineering to Minimize Risk and Inequality

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 21, 2012 • ( 1 )

  Sunset in the Arctic. A new study at Harvard explores the feasibility of using cautious and targeted solar geoengineering to counter the loss of Arctic sea ice. (Credit: NASA/Kathryn Hansen) ScienceDaily (Oct. 21, 2012) — A new study suggests that… Read More ›

• Geologists: Groundwater extraction caused earthquake in Spain

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 21, 2012

  By Agence France-Presse Sunday, October 21, 2012 21:05 EDT Topics: earthquakes ♦ Groundwater extraction Massive extraction of groundwater helped unleash an earthquake in southeastern Spain last year that killed nine people, injured at least 100 and left thousands homeless, geologists… Read More ›

• IMF’s epic plan to conjure away debt and dethrone bankers

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 21, 2012

  So there is a magic wand after all. A revolutionary paper by the International Monetary Fund claims that one could eliminate the net public debt of the US at a stroke, and by implication do the same for Britain, Germany,… Read More ›

• How Ben Goldsmith staged the craziest stag stunt ever! Held in a dawn swoop, a terrified bridegroom is close to tears as LA police tell him he’ll be in jail on his wedding day. Then his friends burst in…

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 21, 2012 • ( 2 )

  Engineering Evil: WOW, Just wow.. There are so many things wrong with this. It does not take a vivid imagination to see all the wonderful ways this luxury of creativity can be utilized in the future, by these pranksters. With this much… Read More ›

• New reports emerge of U.S. Secret Service agents hiring foreign prostitutes while investigation finds ‘culture of acceptance’ toward paid sex

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 21, 2012

  By Hayley Peterson PUBLISHED:23:00 EST, 19  October 2012| UPDATED:12:28 EST, 20 October 2012     Claim: Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan testified  before Congress in May that prostitute solicitation is not a widespread problem  within the agency An investigation into… Read More ›

• Dead Kadhafi son linked to French Riviera prostitution ring

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 21, 2012

  21 Oct 2012 MARSEILLE (AFP)  A hearing opens in a French court Monday in a case involving a high-end prostitution ring that was active during the Cannes Film Festival and possibly had ties to a son of slain Libyan dictator… Read More ›

• Chase Bank workers recovering after odd deposit at Modesto branch: (Unknown) BioHazard Event

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 21, 2012

  By Erin Tracy etracy@modbee.com Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012 By Erin Tracy      The Modesto Bee MODESTO — An investigation continued Saturday into the intent of a man who deposited money at a Chase Bank that is believed to… Read More ›

• Paedophiles could be ‘spotted and cured’ through MRI scans to detect brain abnormalities and low IQs

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 21, 2012 • ( 1 )

  Paedophilia  could ‘begin in the womb if the mother is stressed’ By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED:17:38 EST, 20  October 2012| UPDATED:17:38 EST, 20 October 2012     Paedophiles have a ‘mental illness’ that can  be spotted before they abuse anyone,… Read More ›

• Cyberbullying only rarely the sole factor identified in teen suicides

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 21, 2012

  Contact: Debbie Jacobson djacobson@aap.org 847-434-7084 American Academy of Pediatrics NEW ORLEANS – Cyberbullying – the use of the Internet, phones or other technologies to repeatedly harass or mistreat peers – is often linked with teen suicide in media reports. However,… Read More ›

• Now puberty starts at 9! Boys in U.S. reaching adolescence younger, study says

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 21, 2012

  By Associated Press Reporter PUBLISHED:18:57 EST, 20  October 2012| UPDATED:23:16 EST, 20 October 2012   When it comes to the birds and the bees, some  parents may want to have that talk with their boys a little sooner than they … Read More ›

• Brazilian newspapers give ‘freeloader’ Google News the boot

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 21, 2012 • ( 1 )

  Published: 21 October, 2012, 13:22 Over 100 of Brazil’s main newspapers have blocked internet giant Google’s news service from using their content. They say Google News has actually reduced their site traffic and benefits commercially from material it has refused… Read More ›

• By Ralph Turchiano on October 21, 2012

• Drones were circling above U.S. consulate during Libya attack but officials decided NOT to mount a rescue mission

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 21, 2012 • ( 3 )

  U.S.  Ambassador Christopher Stevens repeatedly pleaded with the State Department for  additional security personnel Republicans  say the Obama administration denied the request for political reasons The White  House says it had no role in procuring security detail for Stevens By… Read More ›

• Brain scans during sleep can decode visual content of dreams.

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 21, 2012

  Scientists read dreams   Mo Costandi 19 October 2012 Scientists have learned how to discover what you are dreaming about while you sleep. A team of researchers led by Yukiyasu Kamitani of the ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories in Kyoto, Japan, used… Read More ›

• Europeans (U.N.) to monitor US Elections

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 21, 2012

  Saturday, 20 October 2012 United Nations-affiliated election monitors from Europe and central Asia will be at polling places around the U.S. looking for voter suppression activities by conservative groups, a concern raised by civil rights groups during a meeting this… Read More ›

• Japan, U.S. to cancel drill to retake island

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 20, 2012

  National Oct. 21, 2012 – 06:45AM JST( 12 ) TOKYO  — Japan and the U.S. are dropping plans for a joint drill to simulate the retaking of a remote island from foreign forces amid a row between Tokyo and Beijing over… Read More ›

• Chinese ships spotted off disputed islands: prodding Japanese patrol boats to chase them

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 20, 2012

  NationalOct. 21, 2012 – 06:00AM JST( 0 ) TOKYO  — Five Chinese government ships were seen sailing close to Tokyo-controlled islands in the East China Sea Saturday, prodding Japanese patrol boats to chase them away from the disputed chain. It… Read More ›