Feds Try to Deny Viagara to Sex Offenders

""We are going to make every effort to see what the states or federal government can take to address this problem without harming people who have a legitimate need for this drug, such as men who had prostate cancer and diabetes," she said. "We want to see what remedies there are to address this problem."" - Associated Press

 

This statement makes it sounds as if Viagra is used for anything other than erectile dysfunction, which it isn't. So, if the perceived problem is government funding of a chemical which could increase risk of or facilitate sex reoffenses, why would it matter whether the dysfunction is physically or mentally sourced?

Drug Used for Symptoms Attacks Disease Too

"But the big surprise was that signs of the genetic mutation fueling the disease diminished in 81 patients and vanished in 51.

"The chromosome abnormality completely disappeared [my emphasis added], something we've never seen before" from a drug aimed just at boosting red blood cells, List said." - Associated Press

What are the implications for all disorders with a chromosomal component? They've been treated as irreversible because they're genetic. While we know environmental factors can cause genetic mutation (e.g., radiation), perhaps we haven't paid enough attention to the idea that there might be substances that could cause genetic healing. Or just plain healing. Perhaps having a chromosomal variation that fits with variations held by others is just a marker for having the disease, one that will go away if the disease is successfully cured. How many people are left untreated for genetic diseases, such as Down or Williams syndrome, only being given care for the symptoms that are deemed manageable within the bounds of current medical knowledge?

And what are the implications for the variety of addictive behaviours that have been suggested to be genetic, particularly alcoholism?

CDC's words, not mine

I am reposting, as their website says I can, some of the CDC's charts and statistics for this flu season. Pay close attention:









For more information or a closer look at these graphs, go to this CDC website.

"There have been 31 influenza-associated pediatric deaths reported to CDC this season [2004--05]."

Keep this in mind when you look at the number of pediatric deaths from last season:

"During the 2003--04 influenza season, 153 pediatric deaths associated with influenza infection were reported from 40 states, whereas only nine such deaths have been reported so far this season [posted in November]." - MMWR Weekly, March 4, 2005

So the pediatric death rate is slashed by 80% during the year there is a vaccine shortage. Hmmm.

Uncertainties Dominate Flu Vaccine Summit

"GlaxoSmithKline is seeking U.S. approval of its Fluarix vaccine, and an FDA inspection of its plant in Dresden, Germany, went well, company official Dr. Vincent Ahonkhai said. U.S. licensing would add about 10 million doses to the market, he said." - Associated Press

 

However, according to this CDC report, the U.S. government has already invested in 1.2 million doses of this as of yet unapproved (by the FDA) vaccine.

 

"In response to this season's influenza vaccine supply shortage, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has purchased 1.2 million doses of 2004--05 inactivated influenza vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The GSK vaccine is produced, licensed, and distributed globally but is not licensed for use in the United States; therefore, it will be administered in the United States under an Investigational New Drug (IND) protocol." - CDC

Gay Men Respond Differently to Pheromones

Sure. And walk a smoker into a smoky bar, see how they respond to the smell of cigarettes as compared to a non-smoker. Perhaps I was born a smoker. Ah, science.

Scientists Boycott Kan. Evolution Hearings

I wondered what the deal was with all the evolving animals making "news" this past week. Then I saw this story.

South Africa Defends AIDS Progress

Keep an eye on how the media prefers to report word-for-word the statements of people whose views they wish to ridicule, when those statements contain grammatical errors.

""Raw garlic and a skin of the lemon - not only do they give you a beautiful face and skin, but they also protect you from disease," she said, adding that beet root was also a vital ingredient in any diet." - Associated Press

Custard Customer Refuses to Let Finger Go

This happened just north of us.

Documents Show Vioxx Sales Tactics

I've been saying this, yet I can't believe I'm reading it:

"Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., the committee chairman, said the new documents raise questions about Merck's handling of Vioxx. But he said he was not prepared to criticize the company without more information, noting that Merck made public results of its own studies that raised the concerns - data subsequently widely published, in medical journals and newspapers.

"A wide-awake physician would have obviously known about this?" Davis asked.

"That is correct," Erb responded.

But another witness, Dr. Michael Wilkes, vice dean for medical education at the University of California-Davis, said physicians are busy and look for shortcuts to get information. "Doctors don't read the medical literature," he said, and often rely on the salesman they meet in their office." - Associated Press