U.S. agencies join in bid to speed drug development

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – With an aim of getting experimental new drugs to people quicker, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health announced a plan on Wednesday to work more closely together.

Under the new arrangement, the NIH will better design some of its basic research so that potential new drugs can get into the FDA approval process more quickly, the agencies said.

“This is a significant bringing together of two major agencies in the government that have different but complementary roles to play in terms of speeding up treatments,” NIH director Dr. Francis Collins said in a telephone interview.

Both NIH, which conducts and funds medical research, and the FDA, which regulates some food and most drugs, fall under the Department of Health and Human Services.

“We’ve all been following the remarkable advances in biomedical sciences led by the NIH with great enthusiasm for years,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement.

“However, much more can be done to speed the progress from new scientific discoveries to treatments for patients. Collaboration between NIH and FDA, including support for regulatory science, will go a long way toward fostering access to the safest and most effective therapies for the American people.”

NIH often does the ground-floor research that leads to the eventual development of drugs. NIH researchers discovered that Pacific yew trees could yield a compound used to make Taxol and related cancer chemotherapy drugs, for instance.

REGULATORY NEEDS

But Collins said this research is rarely done with an eye to meeting the needs of the FDA, which must decide if a drug can be tested in people and whether, once it has, it is safe and effective.

“You can have all of that vast scientific planning in the world (but) if you have not thought carefully about the data that the regulators are going to need and the study design you should have adopted, you will just have to start over again,” Collins said.

The two agencies will establish a joint leadership council to do this.

“In addition, the NIH and the FDA will jointly issue a request for applications, making $6.75 million dollars available over three years for work in regulatory science,” they said in a joint statement.

Collins said the NIH may do more to bring drugs to market itself but will also continue to work closely with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Usually, the NIH does the ground-floor work and licenses the most promising compounds to a company for further development.

Collins said he and the new FDA commissioner, Dr. Margaret Hamburg, came up with the idea soon after both were appointed by President Barack Obama.

(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61O3VU20100225

[Via http://thewere42.wordpress.com]

THE PILL AND THE PLACEBO

When people talk of unlocking of the value in things, in the earth, in our homes, in the air, in our mind, they are speaking of monetisation or encashing of the demand for things, for our behaviour, rather performance, or for our attitude. We drill out coal from the earth, and thereby unlock the value in the earth. We shed our shyness, err gown, and striptease, thus monetising our attitude. We lug out our grandfather’s cot to the urban marketplace, among the wowing glitterati, and we would have encashed the admired ethnicity in the stupid rot. We arrive before the chief does and leave later, work or no work, and our behaviour converts into money. Smart folks in remote mountains offer the  ’ crisp air ‘  and are surprised by the greenbacks it rains.

The speed of this  ’ unlocking ‘  juggernaut, as it is,  would knock you senseless, wherever in the world you might be. Guess what the smart ones in business would do with the discovery of this endurance enhancing pill for males. Sure, they would commercialise it. It’s burning rubber that would choke us all. First, it would have to be on the grandest scale … volume enough to inundate the market, because anything less is non viable in view of opportunity costs. So too is delay ;  it has got to be done in the shortest span of time.

No, the rush wouldn’ t be because of a fad or obsession for super efficiency. It would be because of the huge expense base these grand and speeding corporates have from before, on which a mountain more would have piled on account of research over the years, cost of capital invested, production costs proportionate to the bulk of scale, and massive marketing and promotion expenses before income flows in.

What for ? For a pill to enable men to push on a little longer in bed ? Because it spells profit for the company and its owners ? Hundreds of millions in money, tens of thousands of employees, years of application and occupation of media resources, space and voice, to orienting people values globally to carnal needs that serve no public good ?

Apart from serving to establish such misplaced and warped priorities in public arena world wide, likely social and ethical problems arise when money bags buy their stiffness and strut about like confident studs, rich in psychological capital compared to those who cannot afford the astronomically priced pill. What does one announce in public space to promote such inequity, and how, without triggering a social collapse ? What happens with our women, some privileged with abundant sexual gratification while others deficient look upon their men with shame, criticism, moan or protest ? How do these two females, rather class of women, watch the same advertisement for the miracle pill without reflecting upon this deeply meaningful difference in their sexual well being ? And, the men, some with new found power and the despondent rest ?

$      $

The placebo has been a cause for intense rivalry for a long time now between the big allopathy pharma mainstream and alternate medical systems, especially in respect of antidepressants, one of the most prescribed medications globally. Double blind studies have revealed a relatively small difference, 18 to 25 %, between manufactured ‘ drugs ‘ and dummy pills, not all of the differential effect positively attributable to the former. A provocative headline in the Washington Post, in 2002,  said it all : Against Depression, a Sugar Pill Is Hard to Beat !

The fact is : antidepressants like Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft work. And so do sugar pills. Thank God, for the poor of the world. The fierce opposition from the mainstream lobbyists is understandable. But why should our governments be partial to them ?

Suddenly, the debate is no longer about people interests and welfare, the likes of us. It is about this nexus that big money has established globally between the rich and the powerful, leaving commoners high and dry !

In this debate, the real spotlight is on mind versus matter, the psychology of physical well being.

[Via http://vamadevananda.wordpress.com]

A crass prediction.

My husband and I were discussing an acquaintance who was recently diagnosed with a chronic disease.  The specifics aren’t important but he commented that we seem to be hearing about more people having more diseases.  I replied, “everyone has something.”

It’s true.  We will probably each be diagnosed with at least one chronic health condition if not more.  Part of this is the modern desire to label everything.  In the past, people just accepted the aches and pains of aging with little complaint unless they grew debilitating.  Now we can and do detect more symptoms and diagnose more disease and prescribe more treatments.

“Rare” diseases will most likely become increasingly less rare in the future.  Why?  Natural selection is being circumvented by modern medicine.  Most diseases have a genetic component; at the very least, a genetic predisposition to develop a given disease.  In the past, detrimental traits would affect the “success” of an individual with the disease.  Biological “success” means that an organism survives to reproduce and pass on its genetic material.  Today almost everyone survives to reproduce.  Bad disease?  We’ll fix it.  Infertility?  We’ll fix it.  Disease which causes early death?  Bank your eggs/sperm and your spouse can use them after your death.  Can’t take care of yourself?  You can still have children which the government will support.

Yep.  I’ve been called crass.

[Via http://becausenooneasked.com]

More Medical Mayhem!

It’s a really good thing I’m such a med geek.  Otherwise, I don’t think a so-called “normal” person would be able to handle this anymore.  And that’s what I told her: “I’m a med geek.”  Her, being my new Instructor for, this, my next course.  The continuing “Med Mayhem” is now crossing over to school, and not just remaining within the confines of my own body.

However, before we move on to that, the ongoing, ever painful (literally, not just for you reading), saga of my body.  When I went to bed last night after taking my meds, I was suddenly teleported back several years ago.  Back to the time when I became so sick with my gastro problems in the first place (which has nothing to do with my URI that I have right now!)  What was it? Extreme gastroenteritis and then immediate diarrhea.  Where did this come from?! This hasn’t been a Sx. at all over the past three weeks! I have a Upper Respiratory Infection!!!

I was up for about two hours waiting for the pain to end, but also fearing going to sleep, lest I shit the bed in the night! I have done this before being so gravely ill.  And obviously, I am not ashamed to admit it.  People, we are talking about medicine here.  There is no need to be ashamed of our bodies–in any realm.  HA! Although, a lot of the times we are anyway.  I know.  It’s hard.  It sucks.

Waking up, I was still a disaster in the morning. I could only handle a few sips of water until I got home.  I have now had some noodles and broth.  We’ll see, but so far so good? YIKES!

EDIT: All okay.  Have now moved on to frozen yoghurt to see if lactose is the culprit.

School.  Oh, dear! Mayhem, indeed! But I love our new Instructor! If I can announce to her that I’m a med geek right on the first day? Well, that says it all! However, I was a little bit worried as I was running late due to a transit delay.  I had called but still, first impressions? Also, a large part of Clinic Rotation is punctuality!!! I’m not joking.  It’s being taken into account for our marks.

I arrived about five minutes or so behind.  I opened the door.  They were talking about the Female Reproductive System, and I only heard something about a fertilized egg, a fallopian tube and the word “not.” Then she asked: “What is likely to happen? What would that be called?” There was silence.  I dropped my rucksack and while taking off my coat, blurted out: “Ectopic pregnancy.”  She just looked at me and said, “Right!”

Yes, I am a dork.  In case you did not know that already.

As I sat down, one of the other girls who is positively nuts called out: “Ohhh, yeah! You go, PA!” I started to laugh as it was pretty funny, I guess.  I shot her a smile, yet because I’m so sick, I probably looked more like a narcoleptic, crackhead who had Bell’s Palsy (but who did just tell the funniest joke on the planet!)

Everything is completely up in the air, with this class.  We should have learned things we haven’t.  Clinic is not sorted or settled yet (and it’s going to start on Friday.)  I’m sick with some deadly who-knows-what, so I’ll be in whatever protective gear required (gloves, gowns, masks.)  That’s fine.  I used to work in an HIV/AIDS Hospice so I’m used to the procedures.  We still have to get out scrubs ordered.  Yep! You read that right!

W00t! A great, big one, too! PA gets to wear scrubs in Clinic!!! …Scrubs Slut…Scrubs Slut… *laughing*

God, what else? I’m sure there’s more as this was only the first day.  The poor woman was running back and forth, trying to get things confirmed and then changing things up, down, back and then forth…  She now has to overhaul our entire lessons.  Unreal.  She is great though and said that we’ll all make it through.  No matter what! Hey, as long as I make it through…in one piece? That’s all I want right about now.

[Via http://patientanonymous.wordpress.com]

10 new tracks - 40+ minutes of music...

Ahhh, the illuminating light coming off the giant iMac screen can mean only one thing… drum tracking is wrapped for Feb!  I really went into this month skeptical if I could do 2 back to back at all without having them sound like copies of each other, I hope I made that achievement.  Drums sound fantastic this time around, messed with the placement of the overhead mic and used my old Pearl Piccolo snare (13″) this time.  Adds nice crack and some interesting reverberations from the room.  Also, I think I did a much better job compressing the bass drum this time.. but only my car stereo can know for sure.

I’ll spend the rest of this weekend finishing up the bass and guitar and try to save the whole final week for vocal.  February is a short month and I didn’t realize how much those extra 2 or 3 days help!

www.holisticmedicineproject.com

[Via http://wonderguy24.wordpress.com]

Arthritis Doctors in St. Luke's Global

AZ asked for physician referrals in St. Luke’s Global City, for

her arthritis, which she said was acting up due to the weather.  Ortho KB referred us to the head Dr. Canlas, and also Drs. Tabera and Tanchuling.

Photo taken on January 21, 2010, when I consulted my endo, Dr. Joy Fontanilla.

I went up the escalator, to see my endo at the Endocrine Center

A pianist was playing when I was there. Like it.

DSdR, also our SLG referror, asked me why I was taking photos.

Didn't occur to me then that I would be using these photos.

I told Dr. Fontanilla that it was so relaxing there, now that there are still no clinics.

When I went to St. Luke’s Global, a maintenance guy told me that I should see the huge suite.  He offered to take my photo.  I agreed.  I complained to him and to Dr. D that there are only four ladies’ cubicles on the ground floor, that there should be like twenty when the place goes full-blast.

The Endocrine Center charged me

P 200+ facilitation fee, that’s aside from the doctor’s professional fee.  My endo would not charge me at Medical City, where she used to be based.  When I went to St. Luke’s Global, I had a driver.  I think that it’s too far now, that I’ll probably switch endos just because of the distance, to my parents’ endo, Dr. Ruby Go, at Cardinal Santos Medical Center.  Also, I can keep an eye on my parents’ health that way.  I had stuck with Dr. Fontanilla because she’s just so nice and easy to talk with.  Aside from her curing/alleviating my hyperthyroidism.  Her secretary, Bernadeth, is extra-friendly without being presumptious.  A perfect team that I would have a hard time finding elsewhere.

I got two texts from the Endocrine Center yesterday, asking me if I was still showing up for my appointment with Dr. Fontanilla, which I forgot!  One of the texters, Thierry, texted in dizzying mixed case.

Efren tells me that St. Luke’s Global will only have fine dining facilities, no lower-end food places.  Does anyone have any confirmed info on this?

One Cardinal doctor complained that the accredited contractors were charging P 350,000 to P 700,000 for labor, and that when her clinic was supposedly ready for turnover, that the flooring was not yet done, and that her door was made of plywood, not solid wood as stipulated in her contract. Maybe this is what another doctor from St. Luke’s Medical Center-Quezon City meant when she said that the St. Luke’s Global contract is one-sided.

All roads seem to lead to Bonifacio Global City these days, with the move of PhilPlans and Philhealth Care, Inc. from the Philamlife Bldg. on United Nations Avenue. Incidentally, isn’t Philhealth confusing with the government entity?

General Milling has also moved from Makati to Bonifacio Global City, around last year.

My friend in General Milling, MF’s sis E also works in Bonifacio Global City. E used to work in Makati.

My clients who live there are related to each other.  One used to be based in the US.

[Via http://sanjuanmakati.wordpress.com]

Faith in cheese

Image via Wikipedia

When you think about it, we all have folk remedies that we might use when we have a cold, a bug bite, a bee sting and the like. We all have heard of castor oil, witch hazel and mustard plasters. We continue to use them because we are convinced that they work. Whether that faith comes from the opinion of a much loved relative – such as a grandmother – or medical science, we do it because we have faith that it will help us.

Such is the case with Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn and cheese. According to an article in CNN Health, Vonn has been wrapping her injured shin in cheese. Austrian cheese to be exact, Topfen. According to Vonn her trainer began doing this and she believes that it helps.

The article explains that sometimes it is not the method utilized for these home remedies that work, but rather the faith that the person receiving the remedy places in the remedy itself. Basically, the power of positive thinking.

The internet is replete with various home remedies and reasons why they work. The most important reason why they seem to work is that the recipient believes that it will work. The power  of faith – even if it is faith in cheese.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Lindsey Vonn Using Cheese, Painkillers For Injured Shin (huffingtonpost.com)
• Skier spreads cheese on leg to heal injury (cnn.com)
• Painful injury could cloud Vonn’s Olympic dream (olympics.thestar.com)
• Vonn using painkillers, cheese to treat shin (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Lindsey Vonn Shin Update: Vonn To Train Thursday (huffingtonpost.com)

[Via http://tammyheff.wordpress.com]

Arslankuyruğu kalp, tiroit

BİTKİLERLE MODERN TEDAVİ

Dr. Ahmet Toptaş

 

ARSLANKUYRUĞU

(Leonurus cardiaca L.)

 

         Alman resmi gazetesinde 13.03.1986 tarihinde yayınlanarak ( Heftnummer:50) modern tıbbi tedavide kullanılmaya başlanmıştır.

Bitki: Anadolu ve Avrupa’da suni gübre kullanılmayan bölgelerde kolaylıkla yetişen çok yıllık bir bitkidir. Boyu 1-1,5 m yüksekliğindedir. Yaprakları saplı, 5-7 derin dişli, her iki yüzeyi kısa, sık tüylerle kaplıdır. Haziran – ağustos ayları arasında çiçeklenir, çiçekleri pembe, açık kırmızı veya koyu kırmızı renklidir.

İlaç etkili kısmı: Çiçeklenme döneminde toplanıp kurutulmuş toprak üstü kısımlarının tamamıdır. Bitki alkaloidler (stachydrin, betonicin), flavanoidler, acı madde glikosidleri, bufenolid ve % 5-9 tanen ihtiva eder.

Etkisi: Kalp çarpma sayısını hafif azaltır (negativ chronotrop), kan basıncını hafif düşürür ve sakinleştirici (sedativ) etkisi vardır.

Kullanıldığı yerler: Sinirsel kalp rahatsızlıklarında kullanılır. Tiroit bezinin aşırı çalışmasına bağlı kalp şikayetlerinde de destekleyici ve koruyucu olarak uygulanır.

Kullanılmaması gereken haller: Yok.

İstenmeyen Etkileri: Yok.

İlaçlarla uyumsuzluğu: Yok.

Kullanım miktarı: Ortalama günlük kullanım miktarı 4,5 gr kurutulmuş aslankuyruğu otudur.

Kullanım şekli: Hazır ilaç veya çay olarak kullanılır. İnce kıyılmış 1-2 çay kaşığı aslankuyruğu otu üzerine kaynar su (150 ml) ilave edilerek 10 dakika demlenir, süzülür, tatlandırmadan içilir. 2-4 hafta boyunca günde 2-3 defa çayı belirtildiği gibi hazırlanarak içilebilir. Çay soğuk da hazırlanabilir. Aslankuyruğu otu yukarıda verilen ölçülerde soğuk su içinde 12-24 saat bekletilir, süzüldükten sonra ılıtılarak tatlandırmadan içilebilir.

Kullanım süresi: 2-4 hafta.

Kaynak:

Alman Kanunlarına Göre

Düzenlenip İzin Verilen

BİTKİLERLE MODERN TEDAVİ

Pratik Uygulamalar

Dr. Ahmet Toptaş

Gonca Yayınevi, İstanbul 2009

ISBN: 978-9944-790-31-4

0212 5285076-5286005

[Via http://w2q3.wordpress.com]

St John (NZ) CPR iPhone/iPod Touch app

As important as knowing how to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is, many people either gradually forget what they have learned about performing CPR, or they can go blank when faced with a sudden emergency situation.  If you own a iPhone or an iPod Touch then the CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) app by St John (NZ) is an absolute must have.  Although it’s an excellent CPR guide in an emergency (even provides a periodic beep to help you time the chest pumps), it’s obviously not a substitute for proper First Aid training.

Other interesting links:

• St John Every Day Hero – has interactive tests with scenarios
• First Aid Tips

[Image source: itunes.apple.com]

[Via http://childoftheocean.wordpress.com]

Post-op 2 & 3

The second day went pretty well. I didn’t really have any problems. In the first 24hrs I wasn’t supposed to spit so I was wondering how to do wudhu. Just took a little bit of water each time and tried to let it out by simply opening my mouth. And swallowed the rest. Then I tried to keep my wudhu for the rest of the day. I didn’t want the clot dislodging and getting a dry socket (a complication of the procedure which results in severe pain). In order to prevent your muscles from stiffening up, you have to keep opening and closing your mouth. It was pretty easy the 2nd day but for some reason it became harder the 3rd day and today. It needs a few tries before I can open my mouth fully. And I feel a little click in my jaw when I do. Hope that smooths out.

I had some mild discomfort yesterday but not much of a problem. I’m on antibiotics so not that worried but it just feels a little weird. I wonder if it’s the stitches. I still can’t make out how many there are. They look like a clump with maybe a little bit of blood clot there too which I can taste every now and then.

Good thing is fasting is usually pretty easy for me so not eating a lot of food isn’t too bad. Day 2 I had ice cream, peach, very small pieces of an apple and at night, cool daal soup since I am not allowed hot things. Day 3, I had muttar paneer, peach, half a banana, raita, yogurt, and biryani. I’m actually enjoying the variety.

So, until I have to go back to that dentist and get my stitches removed (which should normally be painless but I don’t seem to trust him at all at this point), all iz well.

[Via http://hijabfiles.wordpress.com]

Pharma eMarketing Roundup 020510

It’s that time again – a quick collection of links of interest for pharma marketers who are tracking the eMarketing and Social Media space. Here we go:

What’s the Point of Health 2.0? (Path of the Blue Eye project), in which Fard Johnmar expands on Susannah Fox’s thoughts. Also, for the same blog – What Good is Social Media Transparency?

The Seven (soon to be Nine) Uses of Social Media in Business. From the thoughtful and prolific Jon Richman.

New web 2.0 site from Hungary: ScienceRoll

Social Media Forums and the Pharma Industry, from eyeforpharma.

Fascinating data from Silja Chouquet on Pharma Twittersphere – who’s following you? (Part 1 and Part 2). WhyDot Pharma blog.

The Pixels and Pills folks have rolled out a neat tool called The Health Tweeder. Here’s a review from Andrew Spong. Pixels and Pills, by the way, will be sponsoring a Tweetup in Philly this coming Monday evening in conjunction with the ePharmaSummit.

My take – Apple’s iPad and eHealth – game changer? You can see a variety of other perspectives over on KevinMD’s blog.

———-

Subscribe to the Impactiviti blog via e-mail (which will bring you Impactiviti Daily – a brief of the day’s top pharma news)

Sign up for the Impactiviti Connection twice-monthly e-newsletter (see sample)

Connect with Steve Woodruff

[Via http://impactiviti.wordpress.com]

this i do not love

February is the month of love. But now I have a cold. And it sucks. I thought I was going to make it through the whole year without getting sick. I did all the right things: vitamin C, iron, tea, fruit, exercise, water; it was all to no avail. Sickness got the best of me. Did I mention that it sucks? On average, you will get over a cold in a week if you take medicine, it’ll take about seven days if you don’t. That is a joke, in case you didn’t catch it. Don’t catch colds, though. They suck. I’m going to go the no medicine (besides tea, ricola, and water) route because I’m poor and don’t have the money to spend on medicine, plus I prefer not to put extra chemicals in my body. Spicy food and chai tea clear the sinuses pretty well, anyway. I think I should get some rest.

[Via http://fauxswissmiss.wordpress.com]

So I Did Seize After All!

I now know this because I am post-“ick”tal©.  Although, I didn’t know this when I woke up.  Nor did I know (for sure?) if I seized last night.  Or, even if I had a nocturnal seizure.  I’ll get to that.  Due to being post-“ick”tal©, I’m quite cognitively impaired, plus I have taken some Gravol/Dimenhydrinate for my nausea.  Therefore, I am circling some planet in our solar system (not sure which one), so this blog post may be incredibly confusing, filled with grammatical errors, be lacking in cohesiveness, so on and so forth!

Okay, what happened–and what’s ticking me off about it.  My seizure patterns and manifestations seem to, or may have changed a bit.  Any Simple Partial stuff seems to be really vague, and then take forever to lead up to anything else.  Now, this could appear as a good thing: my Anticonvulsants are doing a good job of keeping things under wraps.  However, with me having Epilepsy and multiple types of seizures, if a Simple Partial is going to lead to another type, I want it to hurry up! Let’s have it over and done with!

On the way home last night.  More vague and prolonged Simple Partial crap and not a lot of it.  That’s what made it hard to tell what was happening.  Epigastric rising, DP/DR off and on, but definitely altered consciousness.  A bit of rapid eye blinking and blurred vision? However, when immediately post-“ick”tal©, what a headache! Ocular induced? Ocular area! Not a migraine as it went away eventually.

This morning.  I never know where I am when I get up first thing, anyway.  However, as the morning progressed, something’s not right here.  Initially, some mild cognitive impairment? But my legs.  I’m being more clumsy than usual! A lovely woman even offered up her seat to me on transit as I was stumbling around so much.  I politely declined.  All of this made me think: nocturnal motor seizure? No.  Now I just think it’s because I’m sick.

I arrive at school.  Oh, bloody hell! Nausea, definite cognitive impairment, headache.  The Instructor (who is a nurse and knows all of my head nuttiness), took one look at me and was WTF??? I knew I must have looked like zombie that was about to slip into a coma at any moment.  I told her I thought I was post-“ick”tal©.  She asked me if I wanted to go home.  I told her, no.  I said it was nothing and that I had been laid up in bed sick for 72 hours before!

Kind of funny in class with the other students, though.  They were all, “…post-“ick”tal©…what’s that…?” I desperately wanted to launch into a huge “Seizure Speech,” but we were busy doing other things–like schoolwork?

Had to pick up some scripts on the way home and finally remembered to buy my damn anti-nauseants that I keep running out of! I guess actually being sick while in store prompted me to do it? I have a nice, big stash now.  However, even after taking some, I’m still nauseous.  Oh, well.  They’re doping me up quite nicely, so even though I’m nauseous I can still sit here and feel like I’m completely stoned.  My head is hurting, though.  Photophobia, too (why am I on my computer…?) Phonophobia a bit (I am sitting in silence…)  The psychiatric disturbances are probably there as always–I’m just too zoned out to tell?  I do feel anxious, though.  Yes.

ASIDE: For those that don’t already know, when people with Epilepsy have pre-existing or comorbid psychiatric conditions, their/some psychiatric features can manifest when post-“ick”tal©.  I get depressed and anxious.

I think this whole post is really kind of stupid or pointless, maybe.  I don’t know.  I guess sometimes the posts may be of interest, or useful.  I always write about my seizures here to document them ASAP as I may not get around to putting them into my “Dossier.”

[Via http://patientanonymous.wordpress.com]

Lancet Retracts Statement that Vaccines cause Autism

(CNN) — The medical journal The Lancet on Tuesday retracted a controversial 1998 paper that linked the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism.

The study subsequently had been discredited, and last week, the lead author, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, was found to have acted unethically in conducting the research.

The General Medical Council, which oversees doctors in Britain, said that “there was a biased selection of patients in The Lancet paper” and that his “conduct in this regard was dishonest and irresponsible.”

The panel found that Wakefield subjected some children in the study to various invasive medical procedures such as colonoscopies and MRI scans. He also paid children at his son’s birthday party to have blood drawn for research purposes, an act that “showed a callous disregard” for the “distress and pain” of the children, the panel said.

After the council’s findings last week, The Lancet retracted the study and released this statement.

“It has become clear that several elements of the 1998 paper by Wakefield et al. are incorrect, contrary to the findings of an earlier investigation. In particular, the claims in the original paper that children were ‘consecutively referred’ and that investigations were ‘approved’ by the local ethics committee have been proven to be false. Therefore we fully retract this paper from the published record.”

-from CNN

What a great day for science, kids’ welfare, and parents.

[Via http://annaboh.wordpress.com]