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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Delicious treat or disgusting mess? Chocolate eclair hot dog has foodies divided
Yes Engineered Evil..Some how Fascinating and yet So So Deadly ;-).. Engineering Evil PUBLISHED:14:31 EST, 31 August 2012| UPDATED:15:50 EST, 31 August 2012 Heston Blumenthal eat your heart out. Famed for his wacky culinary concoctions and taste bud fusions the… Read More ›
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The truth about Harry’s Vegas host: Steve Wynn was barred from running casino over ‘Mafia links’ and drug dealing (and don’t ask about the naked girl who died on his boat trip)
Encore Wynn owner Steve Wynn has never shaken off accusations that he was linked to the mobsters The tycoon is believed to be worth $2.5 billion Wynn himself has vigorously denied any involvement with the Mob By Tom Leonard PUBLISHED:16:15… Read More ›
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One in a hundred children are ‘psychopathic’, warn researchers – and they say there is nothing parents can do to control them
Scientists say affected children lie, cheat, manipulate and commit acts of remorseless cruelty Traditional punishments have no effect on their behaviour By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED:11:49 EST, 30 August 2012| UPDATED:15:22 EST, 31 August 2012 Around 1 per cent… Read More ›
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US ‘will return to gold standard’, says Euro Pacific Capital chief Peter Schiff
A major US investor has predicted the world’s leading economy will return to the gold standard, giving further weight to Republican moves to set up a commission to look at the issue By Andrew Trotman 2:22PM BST 31 Aug 2012… Read More ›
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Police admit to infiltrating Occupy Austin, may have acted as provocateurs
By Muriel Kane Friday, August 31, 2012 21:26 EDT When the local offshoot of Occupy Wall Street began a five-month encampment in Austin, Texas last fall, the Austin police assigned at least three undercover officers to infiltrate the group and… Read More ›
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Members of Congress Demand Answers for Homeland Security’s Unjust Domain Name Seizures
August 31, 2012 | By Trevor Timm This morning, a bipartisan group of Representatives, led by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), sent a pointed letter to Attorney General Eric Holder and the Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napalitano protesting the recent… Read More ›
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Malaria Cure? “Single-dose cure but might also be able to block transmission of the parasite from person to person”
African antimalarial research bears first fruit Promising new compound becomes the first stemming from an African–MMV collaboration to enter preclinical development 28 August 2012 A recently discovered compound from the aminopyridine class, code named MMV390048, caused quite a stir at… Read More ›
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Saturated Fats encourage the growth and invasiveness of harmful microbiota: Unsaturated fats—actually have strong antimicrobial properties
Why some fats are worse than others All dietary fats are not created equal. Some types of fats have been linked to ailments like heart disease and diabetes, while others, like those often found in plants and fish, have well… Read More ›
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One third less life on planet Earth
Contact: F.Ossing ossing@gfz-potsdam.de 49-331-288-1040 Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres New estimate of living biomass Previous estimates about the total mass of all life on our planet have to be reduced by about one third. This is the result of… Read More ›
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How a virus might make you diabetic later in life : Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
Contact: Hilary Glover hilary.glover@biomedcentral.com 44-020-319-22370 BioMed Central Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is one of the viruses that most infected people carry without ill effects. Once infected you are infected for life and, although it normally is dormant, it can become active again… Read More ›
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Mayo Clinic: Common blood pressure drug linked to severe GI problems: Celiac disease from Olmesartan/Benicar in the US, Olmetec in EU and Canada, WinBP, Golme in India, Erastapex in Egypt
Contact: Nick Hanson newsbureau@mayo.edu 507-284-5005 Mayo Clinic Patients in clinical trial taking Olmesartan had symptoms of celiac disease ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered an association between a commonly prescribed blood pressure drug, Olmesartan, and severe gastrointestinal issues… Read More ›
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WSU researchers discover mechanism leading from trichomoniasis ( protozoan parasite ) to prostate cancer “40 percent greater chance of developing prostate cancer”
Contact: John Alderete, WSU professor of molecular biosciences alderete@vetmed.wsu.edu 509-335-8125 Washington State University Finding could lead to better diagnosis and treatment PULLMAN, Wash.—Researchers have identified a way in which men can develop prostate cancer after contracting trichomoniasis, a curable but… Read More ›
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Pitt cancer researchers find key oncoprotein in Merkel cell carcinoma – Cancer Virus
Contact: Anita Srikameswaran SrikamAV@upmc.edu 412-578-9193 University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences PITTSBURGH, Aug. 15 – Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) have identified the oncoprotein that allows a common and usually harmless virus to transform… Read More ›
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Facebook co-founder sells ANOTHER 450,000 shares – and he’s been dumping 150,000-a-day for weeks
By Associated Press and Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED:19:30 EST, 30 August 2012| UPDATED:20:09 EST, 30 August 2012 Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz has been selling 150,000 shares of Facebook stock a day out of the hundreds of millions that he owns…. Read More ›
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Turning Chemistry Inside-Out: Self-Assembling Smart Microscopic Reagents to Pioneer Pourable Electronics
ScienceDaily (Aug. 29, 2012) — First place in an EU competitive call on “Unconventional Computing” was awarded to a collaborative proposal coordinated by Prof. John McCaskill from the RUB Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry. The project MICREAgents plans to build… Read More ›
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Prominent Academics Respond to the TPP
We asked several academics to let us know their thoughts about the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP). The TPP is a secretive, multi-national trade agreement that threatens to extend restrictive intellectual property (IP) laws across the globe and rewrite international rules… Read More ›
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Harvard University probes plagiarism outbreak involving 125 students
Half the students in Ivy League college’s Introduction to Congress class may have copied each other’s Paul Harri guardian.co.uk, Thursday 30 August 2012 19.59 EDT The scandal may be the largest cheating ring to have hit an elite Ivy… Read More ›
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Exclusive: U.N. patents body roiled by misconduct feud: U.N. Selling Computers to Iran and North Korea
Exclusive: U.N. patents body roiled by misconduct feud By Emma FargePosted 2012/08/30 at 10:50 am EDT GENEVA, Aug. 30, 2012 (Reuters) — Four months after a U.N. agency’s decision to send computer equipment to Iran and North Korea first stirred… Read More ›
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Mysterious Wiper malware possibly connected to Stuxnet and Duqu/ targeting infrastructure in the energy industry
By Lucian Constantin | IDG News Service August 30, 2012 Kaspersky security researchers present their findings about Wiper malware affecting servers at Iran’s oil ministry in April Security researchers from Kaspersky Lab have uncovered information suggesting a possible link between… Read More ›
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Chicago Breaking Business ComEd confirms smart meters involved in ‘small fires’ (U.S.)
A traditional electric meter, left, sits next to the smart meters that ComEd began installing in Naperville in 2009. (Chuck Berman/Tribune / August 30, 2012) By Gregory Karp Tribune reporter1:05 p.m. CDT, August 30, 2012 Commonwealth Edison confirmed on… Read More ›
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U.S. guard pleads guilty to planning to spy for China
By Agence France-Presse Thursday, August 30, 2012 17:44 EDT Topics: Bryan Underwood ♦ Underwood ♦ us justice department WASHINGTON — A former civilian guard at a US consulate in China pleaded guilty Thursday to charges that he planned to sell… Read More ›
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EFF Sues for Answers About Illegal Government Email and Phone Call Surveillance
August 30, 2012 Government Withholding Information About Unconstitutional Spying at NSA Washington, D.C. – The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) sued the Department of Justice (DOJ) today, demanding answers about illegal email and telephone call surveillance at the National Security Agency… Read More ›
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Chemical exposure in the womb from household items may contribute to obesity
Woodruff Health Sciences Center Aug. 30, 2012 Pregnant women who are highly exposed to common environmental chemicals – polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) – have babies that are smaller at birth and larger at 20 months of age, according to a study… Read More ›
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Environmental toxin Bisphenol A can affect newborn brain “poorer adaptation to new environments, as well hyperactivity as young adults” from a single exposure
Contact: Henrik Viberg henrik.viberg@ebc.uu.se 46-070-171-9060 Uppsala University Newborn mice that are exposed to Bisphenol A develop changes in their spontaneous behavior and evince poorer adaptation to new environments, as well hyperactivity as young adults. This has been shown by researchers… Read More ›
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Grapefruit compound may help combat hepatitis C infection ” may be able to block the secretion of hepatitis C virus “
Contact: Sue McGreevey smcgreevey@partners.org 617-724-2764 Massachusetts General Hospital MGH study reveals mechanism key to maintaining chronic infection, potential therapy target A compound that naturally occurs in grapefruit and other citrus fruits may be able to block the secretion of hepatitis… Read More ›
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Viruses for a healthy pregnancy
Contact: Lucy Goodchild l.goodchild@sgm.ac.uk 44-011-898-81843 Society for General Microbiology Sequences of DNA in the human genome that originated from ancient viral infections have some surprising effects on our bodies and are even essential for a healthy pregnancy, according to an… Read More ›
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Over-activity of the serotonin system may relate to mood disorders such as depression and anxiety
Contact: Mary Kohut Press@plos.org 415-568-3457 Public Library of Science Why serotonin can cause depression and anxiety Mood disorders could be caused by a loss of our inherent, reflexive avoidance of aversive events, according to a study published in PLoS Computational… Read More ›
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Over-the-counter eardrops may cause hearing loss or damage
Contact: Lisa Dutton lisa.dutton@muhc.mcgill.ca 514-412-4307 McGill University Health Centre The Montreal Children’s Hospital of the MUHC recommends these products be used with extreme caution MONTREAL, Jan 28, 2008 — A new study, led by researchers at The Montreal Children’s Hospital… Read More ›
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Sex hormones unrelated to prostate cancer risk
Contact: Liz Savage jncimedia@oxfordjournals.org 301-841-1287 Journal of the National Cancer Institute Sex hormones circulating in the blood do not appear to be associated with prostate cancer risk, according to data from 18 prior studies. The analysis will be published online… Read More ›
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24th Health Research Report 06 FEB 2008 – Reconstruction
Health Technology Research Synopsis 24th Issue Date 06 FEB 2008 Compiled By Ralph Turchiano Editors Top Five: 1. Sex hormones unrelated to prostate cancer risk 2. Over-the-counter eardrops may cause hearing loss or damage 3. Researchers investigate links between… Read More ›
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Regular marijuana use increases risk of hepatitis C-related liver damage
Contact: Aimee Frank media@gastro.org 301-941-2620 American Gastroenterological Association Bethesda, MD (Jan. 28, 2008) – Patients with chronic hepatitis C (HCV) infection should not use marijuana (cannabis) daily, according to a study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal… Read More ›
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Feds fund study of drug that may prevent radiation injury – Made from Rice
Contact: David Ruth druth@rice.edu 713-348-6327 Rice University Feds fund study of drug that may prevent radiation injury Defense department funds study of nanotube-based drug made at Rice The Department of Defense has commissioned a nine-month study from Rice University chemists… Read More ›
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Supplementary approach to malaria – Decreased the prevalence of malaria by 34%
Contact: Charlotte Webber press@biomedcentral.com 44-020-763-19980 BioMed Central Could a simple vitamin A and zinc supplement help protect young children from malaria” A randomized double blind trial reported in the open access publication, Nutrition Journal, would suggest the answer is yes…. Read More ›
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World’s richest woman says those who are jealous of her wealth should ‘stop drinking, stop smoking and work harder’
World’s richest woman urges Aussies to ‘spend less time drinking, smoking and socialising’ She has amassed wealth from $20 billion-plus mining empire inherited from her father By Frank Thorne PUBLISHED:08:40 EST, 30 August 2012| UPDATED:10:18 EST, 30 August 2012 The… Read More ›
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Russian channel to censor ‘The Simpsons’
By Agence France-Presse Thursday, August 30, 2012 12:21 EDT A Russian national channel said Thursday it would censor “The Simpsons” cartoon series to comply with a new law banning scenes of violence, drinking and smoking before a late evening watershed…. Read More ›
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Chipotle caught STEALING pennies from hapless customers nationwide in deceptive receipt rounding scandal
Chipotle restaurants routinely round up customer’s bills to a nickel Previously, did not warn customers at the register After public investigation, now they will only round down By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED:17:33 EST, 29 August 2012| UPDATED:17:41 EST, 29 August… Read More ›
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New ‘Heartland’ Virus Discovered in Sick Missouri Farmers
By Rachael Rettner, MyHealthNewsDaily Staff Writer Two men in Missouri who became severely ill after sustaining tick bites were found to be infected with a new type of virus, according to a study from the Centers of Disease Control and… Read More ›
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Neuroengineers silence brain cells with multiple colors of light
For Immediate Release:January 6, 2010 * Reposted for Filing contact: Jen Hirsch, MIT News Office email: newsoffice@mit.edu phone: 617-253-2700 New tools show potential for treating brain disorders CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Neuroscientists at MIT have developed a powerful new class of… Read More ›
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Live Vaccination against ( German Measles ) Rubella caused Signifigant Depression up to 10 weeks – Vaccines/ Bacteria Can Alter Mood and Behavior
Mood Disorders April 30, 2007 Norman Sussman, MD, DFAPA Editor, Primary Psychiatry and Psychiatry Weekly, Professor of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine There is growing interest in a suspected cause of some cases of depression: infection and inflammatory… Read More ›
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Sweetened drinks may be linked to premature births – “one sugary soda a day were up to 25% more likely to give birth prematurely”
By Natasja Sheriff | Reuters NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Women who drink a lot of sweet sodas during pregnancy may be more likely to give birth prematurely, a new study suggests. The study, of more than 60,000 pregnant… Read More ›
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Amazon tribe massacre alleged in Venezuela
Village of 80 people was firebombed from the air, say activists, by illegal gold miners based in neighbouring Brazil Virginia Lopez in Caracas and agencie guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 29 August 2012 21.13 EDT A massacre has taken place of Yanomami… Read More ›
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My doctor’s orders? Crisps, doughnuts and strictly no veg
*If we have a contest for worst medical advice EVER!!! I think we have a pretty good contender here – Engineering Evil By Jo Waters PUBLISHED:20:07 EST, 27 August 2012| UPDATED:20:07 EST, 27 August 2012 When Justin Hansen was told… Read More ›
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Only about 33% of Lead Nurses use Evidence-Based Patient Care – ” the longer nurses had been working in health care, the less interested they were in learning more about evidence-based practice.”
Nurse Leader Resistance Perceived as a Barrier to High-Quality, Evidence-Based Patient Care COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new national survey of more than 1,000 registered nurses suggests that serious barriers – including resistance from nursing leaders – prevent nurses from implementing… Read More ›
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Smart bio-weapons are now possible
* Repost for Filing David Hears The Guardian, Tuesday 20 May 2003 10.41 EDT Viruses and bacteria could be genetically engineered to evade the human immune system, to create a more effective biological weapon, a leading researcher into bio-weapons said yesterday…. Read More ›
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Study targets key molecule to reverse kidney damage in mice
Test likely to proceed to clinical trials BOSTON — In findings that may lead to clinical trials of a promising new drug for kidney disease, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and their colleagues have identified a key… Read More ›
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New study demonstrates bone protein can reverse kidney failure
Contact: Bonnie Prescott bprescot@bidmc.harvard.edu 617-667-7306 Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center BOSTON – A new study led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has shown that a protein used to heal fractured bones is effective in repairing and… Read More ›
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Give statins to all over-50s: Even the healthy should take heart drug, says British expert ( Misinformation/Propaganda ) With Data Rebuttal
Data Rebuttal posted at the end of the arrticle ,to their conflicting hypothesis. Were not going to let them off the hook so easy for this. Currently statins only given to around eight million high-risk patients But Professor Sir Rory Collins says… Read More ›
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Computer viruses could take a lesson from showy peacocks ” digital organisms evolve, just like living things”
Contact: Layne Cameron, Media Communications, Office: (517) 353-8819, Cell: (765) 748-4827, Layne.Cameron@cabs.msu.edu; Ian Dworkin, Zoology, Office: 517-432-6733, idworkin@msu.edu Published: Aug. 29, 2012 E-mail Editor ShareThis MSU researchers explore what would happen if computer viruses had to find mates in… Read More ›
Engineering Evil 