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HuckleB
HuckleB's Journal
HuckleB's Journal
November 21, 2015
It appears to be quite safe.
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2015/11/genetically_engineered_aquabounty_salmon_safe_fda_decides.html
November 21, 2015
"...
Until last month I was still pessimistic about our chances of avoiding the antibiotics nightmare. But that changed when I attended a workshop in Beijing on a new approach to antibiotic development based on bacteriocins – protein antibiotics produced by bacteria to kill closely related species, and exquisitely narrow-spectrum.
My research over 37 years involved the study of a number of bacteriocins that can kill a range of clinically important bacteria. I – and many other researchers – did not believe they could be useful clinically because injecting a “foreign” bacterial protein into a patient is likely to induce a severe immune response that would make the antibiotic inactive. There were therefore gasps of amazement in Beijing at data presented from several animal studies showing this was not the case.
If you consider a killing domain as a red Lego brick and a targeting domain as a yellow Lego brick, you can make hundreds of different hybrid proteins consisting of one red and one yellow brick to make what I refer to as a series of novel bacteriocin-derived antibiotics (BDAs). In fact, several BDAs have already been designed to kill target bacteria, fungi and even tumour cells.
The ability to use the BDA system to continually make novel antibiotics significantly de-risks the development of antibiotics process and in my opinion offers a significant ray of hope in the present gloom. It is now for governments and health organisations to make sure they make the most of this unexpected breakthrough."
I believed we would face an antibiotics apocalypse - until now ... by Richard James
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/20/antibiotics-apocalypse-research-resistance-threat-breakthrough"...
Until last month I was still pessimistic about our chances of avoiding the antibiotics nightmare. But that changed when I attended a workshop in Beijing on a new approach to antibiotic development based on bacteriocins – protein antibiotics produced by bacteria to kill closely related species, and exquisitely narrow-spectrum.
My research over 37 years involved the study of a number of bacteriocins that can kill a range of clinically important bacteria. I – and many other researchers – did not believe they could be useful clinically because injecting a “foreign” bacterial protein into a patient is likely to induce a severe immune response that would make the antibiotic inactive. There were therefore gasps of amazement in Beijing at data presented from several animal studies showing this was not the case.
If you consider a killing domain as a red Lego brick and a targeting domain as a yellow Lego brick, you can make hundreds of different hybrid proteins consisting of one red and one yellow brick to make what I refer to as a series of novel bacteriocin-derived antibiotics (BDAs). In fact, several BDAs have already been designed to kill target bacteria, fungi and even tumour cells.
The ability to use the BDA system to continually make novel antibiotics significantly de-risks the development of antibiotics process and in my opinion offers a significant ray of hope in the present gloom. It is now for governments and health organisations to make sure they make the most of this unexpected breakthrough."
November 21, 2015
"Step 1: Get a cheap umbrella
If you are like me, you have no umbrella, because you left your last one in a bar or a restaurant or on a train or in a taxi cab or on the counter at the bank or the post office. So: it should not be an expensive umbrella.
Buy a cheap one, one that you can use just for today, because you won’t have it for a long time. Because when it’s raining, and you have this one single extra thing to think about and remember to pick up before leaving your current location for the next, your over-cluttered, feeble mind will, apparently, not be able to handle it, as ridiculous as this has seemed for your entire adult life. No sense losing an expensive umbrella.
Step 2: Open umbrella
Wait until you are outside of the room where you were just standing. Wait until you are all the way outside, if you are superstitious (which is an unhealthy way to live, but that’s for another essay about a different set of operating instructions). At the very least, wait until you are in a foyer or a doorway. Remember: it is difficult to walk through a door with an umbrella!
Your umbrella should be affixed with a small slide or button on its stem near the handle. Slide or press this device while pushing the umbrella away from yourself and any potential passersby. Do not point the umbrella towards your face or the face of any other human being while attempting to open it. Umbrellas can be dangerous if aimed thoughtlessly.
..."
It seems so simple, and yet...
BTW, why don't we have an umbrella smiley?
How to use an umbrella without being a public safety menace
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/20/how-to-use-an-umbrella-without-being-a-public-safety-menace"Step 1: Get a cheap umbrella
If you are like me, you have no umbrella, because you left your last one in a bar or a restaurant or on a train or in a taxi cab or on the counter at the bank or the post office. So: it should not be an expensive umbrella.
Buy a cheap one, one that you can use just for today, because you won’t have it for a long time. Because when it’s raining, and you have this one single extra thing to think about and remember to pick up before leaving your current location for the next, your over-cluttered, feeble mind will, apparently, not be able to handle it, as ridiculous as this has seemed for your entire adult life. No sense losing an expensive umbrella.
Step 2: Open umbrella
Wait until you are outside of the room where you were just standing. Wait until you are all the way outside, if you are superstitious (which is an unhealthy way to live, but that’s for another essay about a different set of operating instructions). At the very least, wait until you are in a foyer or a doorway. Remember: it is difficult to walk through a door with an umbrella!
Your umbrella should be affixed with a small slide or button on its stem near the handle. Slide or press this device while pushing the umbrella away from yourself and any potential passersby. Do not point the umbrella towards your face or the face of any other human being while attempting to open it. Umbrellas can be dangerous if aimed thoughtlessly.
..."
It seems so simple, and yet...
BTW, why don't we have an umbrella smiley?
November 20, 2015
-- Rhiannon Giddens
A rather fine cover, in fact.
Rhiannon Giddens Sings La Vie En Rose "for Paris, and Beirut, and Kenya, and Charleston, and..."
"This is for Paris, and Beirut, and Kenya, and Charleston, and so many others; for countless innocent people devastated by terrorism- which is just a word for organized hatred and inhumanity. We have to keep seeing the world in shades of rose- we have to keep hoping for peace and working for change and believing that with our art, our love, our knowledge, and most of all, our empathy and understanding for our fellow human beings, we can make a difference."-- Rhiannon Giddens
A rather fine cover, in fact.
November 20, 2015
"As discussed numerous times on the pages of Science-Based Medicine, children are increasingly a target of chiropractors, with some even pushing for recognition as primary care practitioners. Despite a thoroughly inadequate training, and a lack of experience with ill pediatric patients, they believe that they have what it takes to recognize and manage common pediatric conditions or refer to an actual pediatric medical professional when they deem it appropriate. While a significant percentage of pediatric illness is self-limited, and thus might appear to respond to chiropractic manipulation, I have seen many deteriorate quickly and with little warning. The idea of an ill child suffering at the hands of a charlatan is terrifying.
Many chiropractors are of course more than happy to see pediatric patients without acting as their PCP. They love to claim that children are at risk of developing misalignment of the bones of the skull and spine, chiropractic subluxations, and numerous other conditions unique to alternative medical reality, particularly during the first few years of life. They tell caregivers that these insults can be subtle, or even silent for years, and that regular maintenance care is required to prevent severe problems, even going so far as to blame SIDS and “shaken baby syndrome” on these fictional entities.
Many chiropractors are also quick to claim that they can prevent or cure some of the most common conditions seen by pediatricians and family healthcare providers, such as viral infections of the upper respiratory tract, asthma, bedwetting, and ear infections to name just a few. By simply improving the function of the nervous system, chiropractors believe that they can “boost” the immune system’s ability to fight infections, improve control over bladder function, and even reduce airway inflammation and bronchoconstriction. If you think that sounds like nonsense, you’re right!
I’d like to focus on ear infections in the pediatric population in this post, and to contrast a science-based understanding and approach to treatment, warts and all, with that of the chiropractic profession. As you’ll see, the chiropractic understanding is overly simplistic, and its management makes no sense. And the research base is a house of cards toppled by the slightest breeze of skeptical evaluation.
..."
Separating Fact from Fiction in Pediatrics: Ear Infections Should Not Be Treated By Chiropractors
https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/separating-fact-from-fiction-in-pediatric-medicine-ear-infections/"As discussed numerous times on the pages of Science-Based Medicine, children are increasingly a target of chiropractors, with some even pushing for recognition as primary care practitioners. Despite a thoroughly inadequate training, and a lack of experience with ill pediatric patients, they believe that they have what it takes to recognize and manage common pediatric conditions or refer to an actual pediatric medical professional when they deem it appropriate. While a significant percentage of pediatric illness is self-limited, and thus might appear to respond to chiropractic manipulation, I have seen many deteriorate quickly and with little warning. The idea of an ill child suffering at the hands of a charlatan is terrifying.
Many chiropractors are of course more than happy to see pediatric patients without acting as their PCP. They love to claim that children are at risk of developing misalignment of the bones of the skull and spine, chiropractic subluxations, and numerous other conditions unique to alternative medical reality, particularly during the first few years of life. They tell caregivers that these insults can be subtle, or even silent for years, and that regular maintenance care is required to prevent severe problems, even going so far as to blame SIDS and “shaken baby syndrome” on these fictional entities.
Many chiropractors are also quick to claim that they can prevent or cure some of the most common conditions seen by pediatricians and family healthcare providers, such as viral infections of the upper respiratory tract, asthma, bedwetting, and ear infections to name just a few. By simply improving the function of the nervous system, chiropractors believe that they can “boost” the immune system’s ability to fight infections, improve control over bladder function, and even reduce airway inflammation and bronchoconstriction. If you think that sounds like nonsense, you’re right!
I’d like to focus on ear infections in the pediatric population in this post, and to contrast a science-based understanding and approach to treatment, warts and all, with that of the chiropractic profession. As you’ll see, the chiropractic understanding is overly simplistic, and its management makes no sense. And the research base is a house of cards toppled by the slightest breeze of skeptical evaluation.
..."
November 20, 2015
It's not his field. He didn't do any research. It's a pay to play journal.
These pieces cover this quite well.
http://foodscienceinstitute.com/2015/11/10/do-gmos-accumulate-formaldehyde/
http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/gmos-and-making-up-your-own-science/
http://www.thefarmersdaughterusa.com/2015/07/that-time-fran-drescher-tweeted-about-gmos.html
The OP really should take this down. It's not any different than conspiracy theory stuff.
November 19, 2015
"There is no clear evidence that natural therapies are effective, a government review says, prompting calls for taxpayers and private health insurers to stop paying for them.
A Department of Health review of 17 therapies covered by private insurance released on Monday stated it could not conclude that any worked.
While there was "low to moderate quality" evidence that some therapies – for example, massage therapy, yoga and tai chi - may have some health benefits, overall "there was not reliable, high-quality evidence available to allow assessment of the clinical effectiveness of any of the natural therapies for any health conditions", the report, by Chief Medical Officer Chris Baggoley, said.
..."
Natural therapies: no clear evidence of health benefits, Australia government review finds
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/natural-therapies-no-clear-evidence-of-health-benefits-government-review-finds-20151116-gl07cp.html"There is no clear evidence that natural therapies are effective, a government review says, prompting calls for taxpayers and private health insurers to stop paying for them.
A Department of Health review of 17 therapies covered by private insurance released on Monday stated it could not conclude that any worked.
While there was "low to moderate quality" evidence that some therapies – for example, massage therapy, yoga and tai chi - may have some health benefits, overall "there was not reliable, high-quality evidence available to allow assessment of the clinical effectiveness of any of the natural therapies for any health conditions", the report, by Chief Medical Officer Chris Baggoley, said.
..."
November 18, 2015
"The Truth About Cancer: A Global Quest is billed as “the documentary series the mainstream media refused to air.” It consists of eleven episodes and is produced by Ty Bollinger, an outspoken supporter of natural treatments for cancer. Episodes 1 and 2 are currently available online.
...
He says “You are about to learn the best treatments and preventions to cancer, protocols that won’t harm your body, from the world leading doctors across the globe.” He promises to show viewers science and documented evidence. He promises to expose the lies of conventional cancer treatment. He thinks he has information that will eradicate cancer once and for all. He couldn’t be more wrong.
...
Bollinger doesn’t tell us about the patients who almost certainly could have been cured of cancer but who died because they rejected proven conventional treatments in favor of unproven natural treatments and outright quackery. He presents unconventional treatments as having been proven to work; they haven’t. If they had, they would be mainstream treatments and every oncologist would be using them.
Bollinger’s approach is as unfair as a trial where the prosecution is given carte blanche and no defense is allowed. This is a very unfortunate series, filled with misinformation, slickly produced, appealing to emotion, and likely to mislead scientifically-naïve viewers and even some scientists who ought to know better. I predict that Bollinger will have blood on his hands: people will die because they believed this was “the truth about cancer” and were persuaded to reject lifesaving treatment."
------------------------------------------
“The Truth About Cancer” Series Is Untruthful About Cancer
https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-truth-about-cancer-series-is-untruthful-about-cancer/"The Truth About Cancer: A Global Quest is billed as “the documentary series the mainstream media refused to air.” It consists of eleven episodes and is produced by Ty Bollinger, an outspoken supporter of natural treatments for cancer. Episodes 1 and 2 are currently available online.
...
He says “You are about to learn the best treatments and preventions to cancer, protocols that won’t harm your body, from the world leading doctors across the globe.” He promises to show viewers science and documented evidence. He promises to expose the lies of conventional cancer treatment. He thinks he has information that will eradicate cancer once and for all. He couldn’t be more wrong.
...
Bollinger doesn’t tell us about the patients who almost certainly could have been cured of cancer but who died because they rejected proven conventional treatments in favor of unproven natural treatments and outright quackery. He presents unconventional treatments as having been proven to work; they haven’t. If they had, they would be mainstream treatments and every oncologist would be using them.
Bollinger’s approach is as unfair as a trial where the prosecution is given carte blanche and no defense is allowed. This is a very unfortunate series, filled with misinformation, slickly produced, appealing to emotion, and likely to mislead scientifically-naïve viewers and even some scientists who ought to know better. I predict that Bollinger will have blood on his hands: people will die because they believed this was “the truth about cancer” and were persuaded to reject lifesaving treatment."
------------------------------------------
November 18, 2015
"It is shaping up to be a good year for those of us advocating more effective regulation of supplements and unproven therapies in the US. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reviewing its regulation of homeopathy, and recently also announced it is taking public comment on its regulation of the term “natural.” The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is also reviewing the claims made by the homeopathy industry, and even gave a nudge to the FDA to fix its regulation.
Now the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is getting in on the fun:
USPlabs, which sold the best-selling workout supplement Jack3d, and six of its executives face criminal charges for the unlawful sale of nutritional supplements, the U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday in announcing a larger probe by federal agencies aimed at stemming the sale of unproven products.
This action by the DOJ raises the stakes to a new level – criminal charges. While the FDA and FTC do the best they can, they often lack teeth when it comes to supplements. The FDA might issue a polite request and then escalate to a stern warning when companies step out of line. The FTC can issue fines which amount to little more than a slap on the wrist – the cost of doing business. Both agencies are playing whack-a-mole and losing.
As an aside, homeopathy is different because legally it is regulated as a drug, meaning the FDA has much more regulatory power and could effectively shut down the industry if they wanted. All they have to do is require evidence of efficacy for any homeopathic product and the entire industry would evaporate.
..."
-----------------------------------
US Department of Justice Goes After Supplements
https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/us-department-of-justice-goes-after-supplements/"It is shaping up to be a good year for those of us advocating more effective regulation of supplements and unproven therapies in the US. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reviewing its regulation of homeopathy, and recently also announced it is taking public comment on its regulation of the term “natural.” The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is also reviewing the claims made by the homeopathy industry, and even gave a nudge to the FDA to fix its regulation.
Now the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is getting in on the fun:
USPlabs, which sold the best-selling workout supplement Jack3d, and six of its executives face criminal charges for the unlawful sale of nutritional supplements, the U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday in announcing a larger probe by federal agencies aimed at stemming the sale of unproven products.
This action by the DOJ raises the stakes to a new level – criminal charges. While the FDA and FTC do the best they can, they often lack teeth when it comes to supplements. The FDA might issue a polite request and then escalate to a stern warning when companies step out of line. The FTC can issue fines which amount to little more than a slap on the wrist – the cost of doing business. Both agencies are playing whack-a-mole and losing.
As an aside, homeopathy is different because legally it is regulated as a drug, meaning the FDA has much more regulatory power and could effectively shut down the industry if they wanted. All they have to do is require evidence of efficacy for any homeopathic product and the entire industry would evaporate.
..."
-----------------------------------
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