MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'alan'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:55:13 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174597&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FFiy1IQMguDM%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThe White House has announced that it is nominating Alan Krueger, a professor at Princeton, to be the new Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. In a Freudian copy-editing slip, the Fox News story (at least as of 8:44 a.m.) says “Krueger’s job will be to provide policy prescriptions on ways to spur unemployment.” That’s obviously tailor-made for a joke about the Obama Administration not needing any help when it comes to stimulating joblessness. On a more serious note, though, I’m worried about Krueger’s sympathy for a value-added tax (VAT). Here’s what he wrote back in 2009. …a 5 percent consumption tax would raise approximately $500 billion a year, and fill a considerable hole in the budget outlook. In addition, a... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174597 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 14:00:06 +0100 5174597 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158872&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fquis-custodiet-ipsos-custodes-redux.html Revised HHS Rules for Conflict of Interest Fall Short This morning NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins announced revisions to the existing 1995 regulations on objectivity in research that is funded by the Public Health Service. The focus is on significant financial interests (SFI) and on financial conflicts of interest (FCOI). The regulations illustrate the 3-way dance involving academic institutions (the grantees), NIH (the grantor) and academic scientists (the investigators). Thanks to Senator Grassley (R-Iowa) and his investigator Paul Thacker, headlined revelations in recent years about unacceptable management of FCOI at places like Stanford (Alan Schatzberg), Emory (Charles Nemeroff) and Harvard (Joseph Biederman) forced these revisions of the NIH regulations. The general initial react... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158872 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 23:10:00 +0100 5158872 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159697&cid=t_112872_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fdear-alan%2F You’re 67 today. In the last year you’ve moved home, bought a bike, and (almost) got used to living with a dog. You’ve started the research for the book you’ve been talking about writing for as long as we’ve known each other. You’ve built on your knitting-based vocabulary and started to learn some spinning words. You’re supporting me through some tricky times and helping me to figure out just what it means to thrive after cancer. You’re lovely, and I don’t know what I’d do without you. But you know that, because…. well, because you know everything that’s important to me. Happy birthday, darling. Here’s to many more. (Source: Bah! to cancer) Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159697 Sat, 20 Aug 2011 07:52:34 +0100 5159697 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008575&cid=t_112872_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fcancer-free-friday-flash-bang-wallop%2F Recently I was asked to provide a photgraph of Alan and I for an event. Easy, I thought, so I started going back through the photos on my computer. And there are lots of pictures of me. I’m showing off knitting, showing off hair, showing off scars and new bras, standing or sitting in nice places…. generally showing off, actually. And there are lots of pictures of Alan. Quite often holding a beer, or wearing a hat, or just looking nice and relaxed. (He’s much better at having his photo taken than I am.) But pictures of both of us, in which we both agree that we both look neither too mad nor too multi-chinned? Few and far between. In fact, we had to go back to a wood near the Welsh border and one of those self-taken pics before we were happy with a photo choice. August 2010... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008575 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 07:56:30 +0100 5008575 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952793&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FDGqSypCChvo%2F By Mark A. CalabriaI almost hesitate to suggest that anyone actually read Alan Blinder’s defense of Keynesian economics in today’s Wall Street Journal, except that the piece lays out clearly in my mind why Blinder is so wrong.  The only part you really need to read is: In sum, you may view any particular public-spending program as wasteful, inefficient, leading to “big government” or objectionable on some other grounds. But if it’s not financed with higher taxes, and if it doesn’t drive up interest rates, it’s hard to see how it can destroy jobs. So in Blinder’s world, deficits are explicitly not future taxes, despite what I believe is a fairly strong consensus among economists that some form of Ricardian equivalence holds (see John Seater&#... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952793 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:40:22 +0100 4952793 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934367&cid=t_112872_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F13%2Ftanya-chartrand-on-social-mimicry%2F From The Human Spark: Obvious mimicry can be maddening – as the “Stop copying me!” refrain screamed by generations of siblings can attest. But in this Web-Exclusive Video, Alan Alda learns that subtle mimicry in social situations can actually lead to positive emotions and behaviors. Duke University psychologist Tanya Chartrand enlists Alan as a participant in her research. Watch this clip to learn about social mimicry – and why you can’t expect an actor not to always have the best interests of the camera in mind! Related Situationist posts: The Embodied Situation of Power “The Situational Power of Appearance and Posture,” “The Situation of Imitation and Mimickry,” “The Situation of Trust,” “The Situation of Body Image,” “The (Unconscious) Situation of... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934367 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 04:01:48 +0100 4934367 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893829&cid=t_112872_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fcancer-free-friday-hidden-treasure%2F The downside of moving, as well documented on this blog (particularly here) is that you end up carting a load of stuff you don’t need, and haven’t needed for years, around. But where there’s a down side, there’s an up side too, and the upside of the junkorama that is the aftermath of moving is that you also find treasures that you’ve forgotten about. There was a time in early 2003 when I was unable to stop reading Fingersmith, and Alan was rediscovering his artistic talent. Looking for paper for mind-mapping the new book recently, I unearthed the results of that unlikely artistic collaboration. I took them to be framed, picked them up on Monday, and they are going to grace our bedroom wall as soon as one of us remembers to take the hammer upstairs. (I hope ... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893829 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 08:02:19 +0100 4893829 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862514&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FBrZgMjl4-q0%2F By Mark A. CalabriaThere’s a great piece in the spring issue of The Independent Review on Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke by San Jose State Professor Jeffrey Rogers Hummel.  Although a bit long, its well worth the read for anyone wanting to understand both Bernanke’s thinking and his actions during and since the financial crisis. First, Prof. Hummel discusses the differences between Bernanke’s and Milton Friedman’s explanations for the Great Depression.  Those that debate whether Bernanke’s actions, especially the quantitative easings, would be approved of by Friedman will get a lot out of this discussion.  From this comparison, you get the point that Friedman was concerned about overall credit conditions and liquidity, whereas Bernanke is less focuse... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862514 Tue, 24 May 2011 19:15:18 +0100 4862514 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813259&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FfnX39ECsn84%2F By Jim HarperAs I noted earlier, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law held a hearing this morning entitled: “Protecting Mobile Privacy: Your Smartphones, Tablets, Cell Phones and Your Privacy.” In it, Sentor Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) engaged in a fascinating colloquy with Google’s Alan Davidson. Blumenthal pursued Davidson about the year-old incident in which Google’s Street View cars collected data on the location of WiFi nodes and mistakenly gathered snippets of “payload data”—that is, the data traveling over open WiFi networks in the moments when their Street View cars were passing by. Some payload data may have contained personal information including passwords. Google has meekly been working with data protect... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813259 Tue, 10 May 2011 18:36:13 +0100 4813259 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775566&cid=t_112872_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fstratford-again%2F This weekend was the weekend of our annual pilgrimage to Stratford, to go to a rather lovely dress-up lunch and remember Mr Shakespeare on his birthday. (Except his birthday – and the day he died – was 23 April, but that was Easter, so lunch was delayed by a week. I hope that after four centuries a week won’t matter too much to the old bard.) Last year I was so excited to have hair that I wore a little blue feathery fascinator; the year before was a great big hat designed to hide my patchy pate and balance my chins. (Here’s the post about last year.) What was lovely about this year’s hat - - apart from its delightful campery of course, and the fact that I knew it was unique because I broke one of the two twiddly curls on top that it originally had – is ... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4775566 Mon, 02 May 2011 09:55:19 +0100 4775566 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704956&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FPhLfP23_6gY%2F File this under The Case of The Missing Book. When last seen, Scientific Therapeutics Information was at the center of an ongoing controversy over an allegedly ghostwritten book - yes, an entire book - that was published in 1999 by the American Psychiatric Association. Funding came from a grant provided by SmithKline Beecham, which is now part of GlaxoSmithKline (back story). The listed co-authors were Charles Nemeroff, who chairs the psychiatry department at the University of Miami medical school, and Alan Schatzberg, who until recently chaired the psychiatry department at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Both men were at the center of a long-running probe by the US Senate Finance Committee into undisclosed conflicts of interest among academic researchers. They were also regul... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704956 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 12:13:27 +0100 4704956 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704589&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fthem-or-your-lying-eyes.html …THEM OR YOUR LYING EYES? A few days ago I discussed stonewalling by the American Psychiatric Association over charges that they were partners in a ghostwritten textbook. The issue resonated with many people, including Daniel Carlat, John Nardo, the POGO blog, Alison Bass, Ed Silverman, and others. The APA has not seen its way clear to releasing key documents that might clear up the charges. By stonewalling, the APA just does more damage to its image and credibility. They come across as uninterested in transparency, and they appear to be fighting a rearguard action to defend the indefensible. What kind of key documents could the APA have released? In our letter last January we suggested several, including the contract involving the American Psychiatric Press, the medical communications c... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704589 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 04:18:00 +0100 4704589 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704726&cid=t_112872_109_f&fid=38951&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarlatpsychiatry.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fnew-smoking-gun-in-apa-textbook-fiasco.html (Source: The Carlat Psychiatry Blog) The Carlat Psychiatry Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704726 Mon, 11 Apr 2011 20:47:00 +0100 4704726 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684445&cid=t_112872_109_f&fid=38951&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarlatpsychiatry.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Flike-bad-penny-nemeroffschatzberg.html (Source: The Carlat Psychiatry Blog) The Carlat Psychiatry Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684445 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:00:00 +0100 4684445 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676731&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fwho-you-gonna-believe.html WHO YOU GONNA BELIEVE? Ghostwriting Charges and Stonewalling at the American Psychiatric Association The American Psychiatric Association came under a searchlight this past December over allegations of ghostwriting. The story originated with a public letter from Project on Government Oversight (POGO) to the Director of NIH, and it was picked up by Duff Wilson writing in the New York Times. The book was Recognition and Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders: A Psychopharmacology Handbook for Primary Care. The named authors were Charles Nemeroff, now chairman of psychiatry at the University of Miami, and Alan Schatzberg, formerly chairman of psychiatry at Stanford University. Both are well known for ethical controversy – see here and here. Soon, these allegations were being dissected in the bl... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676731 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 04:44:00 +0100 4676731 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4670336&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FCtZxAGEWEqs%2F You read it here first. Despite the decision today by KV Pharma to lower the price of its Makena drug for premature births by 55 percent - to $690 (see this), the March of Dimes has ended a decade-long corporate relationship in which the drugmaker contributed some $1 million to help support various activities, such as a neo-natal family intensive care program. The move comes after the organization met earlier this week with the embattled drugmaker, which has faced a storm of protest after initially charging $1,500 for Makena, a form of progesterone that, for many years, was offered by compounding pharmacies. KV was granted marketing exclusivity because approval was made under the Orphan Drug Act and the drugmaker threatened to take compounding pharmacies to court. To mollify critics, KV su... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4670336 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 21:10:12 +0100 4670336 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4658625&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FywfQAM3CoRc%2F Earlier this month, controversy erupted after KV Pharmaceuticals began charging $1,500 for an injection of its Makena drug for preventing premature births. Why? Makena is actually a form of progesterone that has been available for decades from compounding pharmacies at roughly $10 to $20 a week (read this and this). Now, though, KV Pharma has a lock on the market, because Makena is the only drug approved by the FDA for this purpose. Two US senators, however, asked the US Federal Trade Commission to investigate and various patient groups are pressuring KV to lower its price. We spoke with Alan Fleischman, medical director at the March of Dimes, which has received some $1 million in donations from KV over the past decade, but issued a harsh condemnation (see this). This chat occurred just be... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4658625 Wed, 30 Mar 2011 12:22:30 +0100 4658625 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4606049&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FCjndVwqn8V0%2F Last week, AstraZeneca agreed to pay $68.5 million to 36 states and the District of Columbia to resolve litigation charging the drugmaker with illegally marketing its Seroquel antipsychotic, failing to sufficiently disclose potential side effects and withholding negative safety and effectivness info (back story). But seven states were not among them, including South Carolina, which has a pending lawsuit against the drugmaker. Now, though, AstraZeneca has filed a counterclaim. The drugmaker alleges Attorney General Alan Wilson is violating its constitutional due process rights by prosecuting a “law enforcement action akin to a criminal proceeding” dressed up as a civil suit, The National Law Journal writes. And AstraZeneca accuses him of reaching an “unlawful” agreem... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4606049 Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:32:07 +0100 4606049 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4544945&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F7DYMODlxezk%2F By Michael F. CannonJudge Roger Vinson of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida has just responded to the Obama administration's "motion to clarify" his prior ruling, which declared ObamaCare unconstitutional and void.  That "motion to clarify" essentially asked Vinson, "Didn't you really mean that we can keep implementing ObamaCare while we appeal your ruling?"  Today, Vinson answered, "No." The attorneys representing the plaintiffs, who include Florida and 25 other states, argued that the administration's "motion to clarify" was actually a veiled request to have Vinson stay (i.e., set aside) his original order blocking implementation.  Vinson agreed, and therefore treated the Obama administration's "motion to clarify" as a motion to stay, which he granted.  Vin... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4544945 Thu, 03 Mar 2011 19:32:21 +0100 4544945 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4360954&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F42qI9a9xN4g%2F In this study, which I humbly offer Drum, I explain how the great advantage of a free market is that it would minimize the number of people falling through the cracks. ‘There’s Only a Free Market Solution If You’re Willing to Let Lots of Poor People Get Sick and Die’ is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4360954 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 19:27:10 +0100 4360954 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4343112&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F9tQhjWMDZi0%2F By Roger PilonToday POLITICO Arena asks: Post-Tucson will campaign trail rhetoric change in any discernible way? Should it change? What phrases or words should be considered out of bounds? Or is that approach a way of silencing legitimate criticism of political candidates? My response: Post-Tucson campaign trail rhetoric won’t change because, as Charles Krauthammer put it brilliantly in yesterday’s Washington Post, fighting and warfare are routine political metaphors for obvious reasons: “Historically speaking, all democratic politics is a sublimation of the ancient route to power — military conquest. That’s why the language persists,” why we speak of “battleground states” or “targeting” opponents. That doesn’t mean that no charge is “out of bounds.” It�... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4343112 Thu, 13 Jan 2011 15:42:55 +0100 4343112 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4343331&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FMzN0NGIvnh4%2F In 2008, the US Senate Finance Committee charged that Stanford University failed to properly monitor alleged conflicts of interest involving Alan Schatzberg, the former chair of its psychiatry department, who owned a substantive amount of stock in Corcept Therapeutics, which was studying the development of mifepristone, or RU-486, for treating psychiatric depression. Beyond his stock holdings, Schatzberg was also listed as a co-patent holder for the drug, which is best known for inducing abortion, and he received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to oversee the research. The allegation was part of a lengthy probe into the wider issue of taxpayer-funded research and undisclosed and unmonitored conflicts involving universities, academic researchers and the pharmaceutical industr... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4343331 Thu, 13 Jan 2011 14:26:00 +0100 4343331 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4300508&cid=t_112872_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fhypothermia-expert-dr-alan-steinman-explains-medical-risks-cold-water-plunges%2F Former Coast Guard physician Dr. Alan Steinman explains the body’s various physiological responses when a person plunges into icy-cold water such as the Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge or the Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plungefest. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4300508 Fri, 31 Dec 2010 05:51:43 +0100 4300508 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4298620&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fabout-patient-autonomy%2F2010.12.29 Recently, I was involved in a discussion on an email list serve and decided to takes some of my comments on patient autonomy and blog about them. This arose following a debate about whether the term “patient” engendered a sense of passivity and, therefore, whether the term should be dropped in favor of something else, like “client” or something similar. Having participated in the preparation and dissemination of the white paper on e-patients, I don’t see the need for “factions” or disagreements in the service of advancing Participatory Medicine. As Alan Greene aptly stated: “This is a big tent, with room for all.” I want all of my patients to be as autonomous as possible. In my view, their autonomy is independent of the doctor-patient r... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4298620 Wed, 29 Dec 2010 22:00:00 +0100 4298620 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4265742&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fintegrative-medicine-as-the-butt-of-a-hoax%2F2010.12.16 In 1996, Alan Sokal got a bogus paper published in the journal Social Text. It was a parody full of meaningless statements in the jargon of postmodern philosophy and cultural studies. The editors couldn’t tell the difference between Sokal’s nonsense and the usual articles they publish. Now a British professor of medical education, Dr. John McLachlan, has perpetrated a similar hoax on supporters of so-called “integrative” medicine. He reports his prank in an article in the British Medical Journal (BMJ). After receiving an invitation to submit papers to an International Conference on Integrative Medicine, he invented a ridiculous story about a new form of reflexology and acupuncture with points represented by a homunculus map on the buttocks. He claimed to have done studies showing ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4265742 Thu, 16 Dec 2010 17:00:20 +0100 4265742 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4253210&cid=t_112872_109_f&fid=38951&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarlatpsychiatry.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fnote-to-nemeroff-and-schatzberg-admit.html Two famous psychiatrists ought to understand the defense mechanism called "projection." People use projection when they feel guilty about something--instead of admitting their guilt, they find somebody else to accuse. This is the key to explaining the latest twists in the scandal involving Charles Nemeroff and Alan Schatzberg. POGO (the Project on Government Oversight) has posted letters from Nemeroff and Schatzberg's attorneys here . Ironically, the two letters are verbatim replicas of each other, and yet are signed by two different attorneys--in other words, at least one of the letters was ghostwritten! Someone should complain to the American Bar Association. At any rate, the letters are not completely devoid of merit. Both POGO and the New York Times appear to h... The Carlat Psychiatry Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4253210 Mon, 13 Dec 2010 15:19:00 +0100 4253210 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4241687&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fimpeachment-its-about-institution-not.html IMPEACHMENT: IT’S ABOUT THE INSTITUTION, NOT THE PERSONThe impeachment trial of Judge G. Thomas Porteous of Louisiana this week was a lesson in civic ethics. The lessons of the Porteous trial apply to academic medical centers, professional medical societies, medical journals, and granting agencies like NIH. The Porteous trial is a straightforward case of bribes, kickbacks and corruption involving a Federal judge. The most enlightening arguments came from prosecutor Rep. Adam Schiff, D-California, laying out the case for impeachment in the Senate. He gave a lucid presentation of the logic and the historical origins of the impeachment process. The key points are these: impeachment serves to protect the dignity, honor, and credibility of the office more than to punish the wayward office hol... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4241687 Wed, 08 Dec 2010 09:21:00 +0100 4241687 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4230193&cid=t_112872_109_f&fid=38951&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarlatpsychiatry.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fnemeroff-and-schatzbergs-textbook.html This article was eventually cited by ACCME as being blatantly biased in favor of EMSAM, and the company that produced it promptly went out of business.Not only did Nemeroff and Schatzberg omit data about Paxil's drug interaction dangers, they also neglected to discuss data available in 1999 showing that Paxil caused more sexual dysfunction, more weight gain, and more sedation than other SSRIs.To sum up, in 1999, Nemeroff and Schatzberg published a textbook called "Recognition and Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders: A Psychopharmacology Handbook for Primary Care." It was funded by SmithKline Beecham with a $120,000 "unrestricted educational grant." Documents posted on the internet hint strongly that the book was ghostwritten by a PR firm hired by the drug company. And an analysis of the boo... The Carlat Psychiatry Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4230193 Fri, 03 Dec 2010 16:14:00 +0100 4230193 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4251169&cid=t_112872_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2010%2F12%2F01%2Femr-safety-event-reporting%2F The PDR Network in partnership with the iHealth Alliance has launched a new reporting system for adverse EHR events called EHREvent.org. Some of these adverse EMR events might include: software problems, inadequate user training, security breaches and near-misses. Here’s a short quote from the press release about the new website: Using a standardized online format, EHRevent will collect reports from physicians and other health care providers who use EHRs, and create reports that medical societies, professional liability carriers and government agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will use to help educate providers on the potential challenges that EHR systems may bring. The form breaks out the EHR safety events into 4 categories: Incident: An EHR event that re... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4251169 Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:21:10 +0100 4251169 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4219791&cid=t_112872_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F12%2F01%2Fnemeroff-schatzberg-lend-names-to-ghostwritten-textbook%2F According to the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) and The New York Times, Dr. Charles B. Nemeroff, chairman of psychiatry at the University of Miami medical school since 2009 and Emory University before that, and Dr. Alan F. Schatzberg, the chairman of psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine from 1991 until 2009 co-wrote a psychiatric textbook intended for primary care physicians — or did they? The book, Recognition and Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders: A Psychopharmacology Handbook for Primary Care, has their names on it. But according to documents unearthed by the Project on Government Oversight, a Washington advocacy group, it was allegedly actually ghostwritten — at least in part — by a company called Scientific Therapeutics Information, Inc. ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4219791 Wed, 01 Dec 2010 12:23:58 +0100 4219791 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214206&cid=t_112872_109_f&fid=38951&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarlatpsychiatry.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fits-textbook-its-ad-its.html Drs. Nemeroff and Schatzberg are back in the limelight, once again dragging the good name of psychiatry through the mud. According to today's New York Times, in 1999 SmithKline Beecham, the maker of Paxil, funded and ghost-wrote a textbook for which this ethically-challenged duo took credit.What were they thinking?I imagine the conversation went something like this.N: "Let's write a textbook for primary care doctors."S: "Sounds good. But I don't have the the time."N: "Neither do I."S: "Hmmm."N: "Hmmm."S: "So what do we do?" [N grins.] "Wait, you're not seriously considering--"N: "Why not? What are you, suddenly Dr. Holier Than Thou?"S: "All right, don't remind me about Corcept and your 60,000 shares. What's your plan?"N: "Simple. We know that SmithKline Beecham's Paxil is losing market sha... The Carlat Psychiatry Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214206 Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:28:00 +0100 4214206 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214484&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FKbQkUHfA3xs%2F When is a book written independently by an author and when might it be a marketing message under the guise of an unrestricted grant? Take the example of “Recognition and Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders: A Psychopharmacology Handbook for Primary Care,” which was published in 1999 with a grant provided by SmithKline Beecham, now part of GlaxoSmithKline. However, the grant paid for Scientific Therapeutics Information, which is based in Springfield, NJ, to develop an entire content outline and text for the authors. STI, which has been targeted previously by the US Senate Finance Committee over ghostwriting activities (see here). STI also provided drafts directly to the drugmaker for comments and sign-off, as well as status reports and page proofs to the credited authors. John Romankiewi... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214484 Tue, 30 Nov 2010 13:12:42 +0100 4214484 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4065367&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-reality-of-participatory-primary-care%2F2010.10.13 No matter where one stands on appropriateness and advantages of each patient being involved in self-diagnosis and treatment of their own medical problems there are two inevitable conclusions: •    First of all, self diagnosis and treatment are as natural as breathing and as impossible to extinguish as thought itself. •    Secondly, given today’s healthcare system, there always will exist a dynamic tension between self-determination of the individual patient and the powerful healthcare system which often insists on patients falling back in line and complying with orders. Few would argue against the need for a powerful alliance that embraces the benefits brought to the table by both the practitioner and the patient. Simplistically, the physician would carry the role of healthcare... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4065367 Wed, 13 Oct 2010 14:00:06 +0100 4065367 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4036646&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fintegrating-wellness-into-a-primary-care-practice%2F2010.10.06 I often am asked how I incorporate wellness in our family medical practice, and I must admit that I’ve mixed feelings when it comes to the question because it implies that I’m not already trying to practice wellness simply by practicing medicine. I feel that the two are synonymous. To those who want to know more about wellness and primary care, here’s my approach: • I never try to sell anyone on a “wellness” program. • I follow specific guidelines on certain chronic illnesses, mostly adhering to evidence-based guidelines and not expert opinion or opinion by committee. • I offer the best advice I can to patients and try to guide them in the right direction when I feel they are taking pathways that worry me and that could be harmful (e.g. like using megavitamin an... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4036646 Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:00:16 +0100 4036646 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3998964&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FMrvqPlXVYpk%2F By Justin LoganUSA Today runs an interesting article about the DREAM Act, which Senate Republicans torpedoed this week, and which would have paved the way for many illegal immigrants to become legal. As journalist Alan Gomez notes, the “less publicized part of the [DREAM Act] is that the Pentagon is pushing for it as a means to staff the armed forces.” When the Department of Defense published its three-year strategic plan, it listed the DREAM Act as a way it could replenish its ranks. “If we needed to expand the pool of eligible youth, the (DREAM) initiative would be one of several ways to do it,” spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said in an e-mail. Retired Army lieutenant colonel Margaret Stock says a “crisis in military manpower” is looming as the population a... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3998964 Thu, 23 Sep 2010 16:07:50 +0100 3998964 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3993909&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhow-i-a-doctor-came-to-build-an-emr%2F2010.09.22 My desire for integrating the power of technology with primary care started nearly two decades ago. It was then, when working as a family physician in a busy medical practice, that I began experimenting with typing my notes and using computers in front of my patients. In 2001, I launched a new medical practice DocTalker, focusing on access of medical care to patients, and almost immediately I started searching in earnest for an EMR solution to fit my needs. However, I was not happy with the systems I looked into and tested and felt that they didn’t do what I needed them to.  Some of my discontent came from the way my medical practice consults with patients, which is primarily via telephones and emails and house calls (in addition to the common office visit). Because of our ability to of... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3993909 Wed, 22 Sep 2010 12:00:11 +0100 3993909 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3946455&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdoctors-wanted-for-hazardous-journey%2F2010.09.08 “MEN WANTED FOR HAZARDOUS JOURNEY. SMALL WAGES, BITTER COLD, LONG MONTHS OF COMPLETE DARKNESS, CONSTANT DANGER, SAFE RETURN DOUBTFUL. HONOR AND RECOGNITION IN CASE OF SUCCESS.” With this want ad, circa 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton recruited 28 souls with an unimaginable challenge: To cross the unexplored Antarctica on dogsled. The polar explorer knew exactly what human characteristics he needed to pull off such a feat and understood that straight talk would resonate with a few select men. Shakleton and his crew boarded their ship, the “Endurance,” and sailed the world’s most dangerous oceans straight into harms way — still considered one of the world’s greatest survival stories. Amazingly, all men survived against unimaginable odds. Their story reminds us that we a... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3946455 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:00:38 +0100 3946455 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3943028&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fgy2YlHI1sNw%2F The ongoing probe of undisclosed conflicts of interest by the US Senate Finance Committee uncovered numerous instances involving academics, who simultaneously had ties to drugmakers while also conducting research that was funded by the National Institutes of Health. And a common thread among many of those who were probed was their work concerning psychiatric drugs, such as antidepressants and antipychotics (look here). So it probably should not come as a surprise that some of these people continue to pop up in various settings where they can hob-knob if they so choose. For those wishing to keep track of such things, Alan Schatzberg, who last week retired as chair of the psychiatry department at Stanford University (see the goodbye note here), is scheduled to appear during the Grand Rounds ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3943028 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:01:05 +0100 3943028 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3899329&cid=t_112872_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F08%2Forthopedic-surgeon-dr-alan-yasko-died%2F Prominent orthopedic surgeon Dr. Alan W. Yasko, 51, has died his family has announced. The cause of death was described as a pulmonary embolism. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3899329 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 02:29:23 +0100 3899329 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3896063&cid=t_112872_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2010%2F08%2Fa-mystery-solved%2F A guest blog post by Alan Butland * Six weeks ago – Stephanie: Keep your birthday and the next day free please. One week before: Do I need to do anything to prepare? (No) One day before: Please pack for easy travelling and smart casual for the evening. On the day (20 August): 8.30 Breakfast (croissant and pain au chocolat) Many birthday messages and lovely birthday presents from Stephanie, Ned and Joy 12:00 We leave for the Northern line 12.30 Stockwell for the Victoria line (Euston? Kings Cross? St Pancras? Victoria?) 12:35 Pimlico – are we getting off at Victoria? Y 12:36 Is there anything special about the train? N Not lunch on the Orient Express – didn’t pack the right clothes (Stephanie adds: I did look at this at an option, but the price made my bank account bleed. Alan... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3896063 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 06:27:28 +0100 3896063 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3885524&cid=t_112872_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2010%2F08%2Fbirthday-boy%2F Alan is 66 today. (It doesn’t seem like a year since this post, does it?) Whenever I write about Alan I want to invent a whole new vocabulary: there aren’t words for how I feel about him, how lovely he is, how much we love being together and how utterly, utterly blessed I feel by our relationship. There definitely isn’t a word for what it’s like to have such a loving, caring, strong man at your shoulder through a dance with cancer. So I’ll just say: Happy birthday, darling. You know what I mean. And you know what you mean to me. We are off to do something secret. (Well, secret from Alan. Not spying or anything.) See you later. (Source: Bah! to cancer) Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3885524 Fri, 20 Aug 2010 06:43:55 +0100 3885524 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3885347&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ftestosterone-for-anti-aging-in-men-a-medical-fraud%2F2010.08.19 On the car radio, I have several times happened upon “infomercial” programs touting the benefits of testosterone replacement therapy for men, broadcast by doctors who specialize in prescribing the drugs. They have lots of wonderful stories about men who feel younger, happier, and more vigorous because of their macho remedies. It’s a tribute to the power of the placebo. I have been reviewing John Brinkley’s goat gland scam for a presentation on medical frauds. In an era before the isolation of the hormone testosterone, Brinkley transplanted goat testes into human scrotums in an attempt to treat impotence and aging. We are more sophisticated today — but not much. Longevity clinics and individual practitioners are offering testosterone to men as a general pick-me-up and anti-agi... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3885347 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:00:29 +0100 3885347 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3858159&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fleaving-the-organization-but-not-the-practice-of-medicine%2F2010.08.11 I confess ignorance. I know nothing about interviews with vampires. However, last week on my drive to a house call to see a sick patient, I experienced a sudden respect for author Anne Rice. I listened to a stranger completely off my radar screen being interviewed on NPR saying and making me feel the meaning of the phrase “Evil needs but one thing to grow. It is for good people to do nothing,” and reminding me that throughout history there have been numerous times where groups, organizations, and governments have acted even in ways that don’t represent our values or feel wrong minded or appear short sighted. This statement was her simple explanation for a recent blog posting announcing she was resigning from Christianity. She remained a believer in God and in Christ, but no long... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3858159 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:00:30 +0100 3858159 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3833405&cid=t_112872_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F08%2Fmedical-oncologist-dr-alan-venook-reports-patient-longer-afford-lifesaving-meds%2F Medical oncologist Dr. Alan P. Venook of the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center reports in the New England Journal of Medicine that some patients of his can no longer afford medications to keep their cancer at bay. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3833405 Sun, 08 Aug 2010 05:46:25 +0100 3833405 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3776381&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-%25e2%2580%259ci-get-it%25e2%2580%259d-moment-in-direct-pay-primary-care%2F2010.07.21 After seven years, my wife has finally stopped asking me for “The Power of DocTalker” story of the day. Now when I start with the details of the latest case report justifying the model, she stops me with “I get it, I get it! Go write the case report up and post it on your website for others to ‘get it,’ too.” Case reports center on the mission of our medical practice, with points regarding care that include quality, accessibility, convenience, affordability, empowerment, trust, and price transparency. Because our patients pay us directly for the service and don’t necessarily expect any insurance “reimbursement,” we are a very unique practice. We adhere to the points in our mission and also outperform all our local competition — i.e. medical ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3776381 Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:00:32 +0100 3776381 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3772196&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=34470&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehealthcareblog.com%2Fthe_health_care_blog%2F2010%2F07%2Fop-ed-make-it-simple-please.html By ALAN WEIL, JD The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act creates a continuous set of coverage options for every American with income below 400 percent of the federal poverty level, or about half of the nation’s population. Sounds simple,... (Source: The Health Care Blog) The Health Care Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3772196 Mon, 19 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3772196 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3753827&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-canary-and-the-primary-care-physician%2F2010.07.14 The vexing problem with “truth” when it comes to healthcare is to understand its limits. Let’s start with two  popular notions. The first: canaries are harbingers for detecting chemical leaks. The second: primary care specialists claim higher salaries for their work will prevent their extinction. Both claims sound plausible, but then come the conditions, the nuances, the variables and empirical testing and observation — the so called threads of truth. Notion 1, The Canaries: In 1972 my brother passed through the military’s basic training and was Vietnam bound until a perfect score on a standardized test, his Phi Beta Kappa and a chemistry degree from college rerouted his destiny to a remote patch of the Utah desert. Instead of being a foot soldier, he gave back to his count... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3753827 Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:00:59 +0100 3753827 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3733296&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FKt1cB4vPm9Q%2F Last week, the American Journal of Cardiology published a paper that carried a curious title: “Linguistic Analysis of In-Office Dialogue Among Cardiologists, Primary Care Physicians, and Patients With Mixed Dyslipidemia.” In short, this examined the discussions between 24 doctors - 12 cardiologists and 12 primary care physicians - and 45 patients who were diagnosed with high cholsterol. The subject of their chat? Treatment with Niaspan, a drug sold by Abbott Labs. The paper found docs didn’t do well discussing the problem and their patients are poor listeners. And the study made an interesting observation - that only one doc noted Niaspan will improve HDL and offer protection from heart blockages or development of plaque in the arteries. However, as CardioBrief pointed ou... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3733296 Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:55:19 +0100 3733296 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3733088&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-win-win-referral%2F2010.07.07 One of my patients is an elderly woman who is completely bedbound due to osteoarthritis. Since she’s considered “too old,” she isn’t considered a surgical candidate for a knee replacement. Her son, George, is her caregiver. George had been referred to our practice through word-of-mouth from a geriatric care consultant. When he called me for an initial visit, his mother had a spot on her left forearm that was growing rapidly. The nodule was red and tender. Both of them wanted a doctor to look at and remove it, and at the house if possible. (more…) (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3733088 Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:00:55 +0100 3733088 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3710742&cid=t_112872_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2FYnHV7rNK7QI%2F Today (June 23, 2010) would have been Alan Turing’s 98th birthday—if he had not died in 1954, at the age of 41. via Wolfram|Alpha Blog : Happy Birthday, Alan Turing. Filed under: electronic life Tagged: Alan Turing, birthday, computer science, math (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3710742 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:27:37 +0100 3710742 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3690841&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmy-brothers-keeper-revisited%2F2010.06.23 A few weeks back, I had introduced a patient who was willing to let her religious beliefs stand in the way of receiving the proper medical treatment she needed to stay alive. I want to revisit with you this dying patient, who hadn’t known me or any doctor for over 30 years. As the rest of the family, who were not as committed to a religious path, stood by her expectantly, I said to her: “I had a brother who was a true believer in the power of God and that faith could heal all things or be called God’s will. Like you, he was a competent adult in charge of his decisions. He wouldn’t listen to anyone else — not his wife, father, mother, children, brother — not even me, the doctor. He died two years ago, leaving behind 10 children and a wife who depended on him. We all bel... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3690841 Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:00:11 +0100 3690841 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3659155&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F8fG5oNlG4M0%2F Under scrutiny for relationships with drugmakers, the American Psychiatric Association has issued its long-awaited code of conduct, although specifics are lacking. For now, the APA says financial relationships between developers of continuing medical education programs and research activity and outside organizations must be “clearly stated;” APA educational programs must follow ACCME standards (see this) and advertising in APA publications, meetings, or websites does not include endorsements of any particular medicine or drugmaker. More than some other specialties, psychiatry has been singled out as part of a US Senate Finance Committee probe into financial conflicts of interest among academic psychiatrists who accept federal funding while simultaneously maintaining relationshi... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3659155 Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:28:28 +0100 3659155 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3633422&cid=t_112872_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F06%2Flouisiana-officials-alan-levine-peggy-hatch-urge-osha-involvement-bp-oil-spill%2F Louisiana Health and Hospital Secretary Alan Levine and Environmental Quality Secretary Peggy Hatch are urging the US Occupational and Safety Health Administration to become more involved in monitoring the health of the thousands of workers cleaning up the BP oil spill. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3633422 Sat, 05 Jun 2010 18:33:21 +0100 3633422 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3621682&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmy-brother%25e2%2580%2599s-keeper%2F2010.06.02 Today my brother Arthur helped someone stay alive a little bit longer. He wouldn’t be happy with how I used his story, but he’s dead enough to not hear it. Art had an enormous IQ which helped him dance through school, standardized testing, and academic awards like a hot knife through butter. But life requires many skill sets, genius being just one. My brother’s biography in many ways mirrors that of the Unabomber’s — move for move — until one decisive moment when Jesus walked into Art’s life. Forever and irrevocably from that moment forward, Art became God’s logic pugilist. Heretofore, all of his training in science and math was used to prove that the truth in the Bible could be found only in literal interpretation. (more…) (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3621682 Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:00:25 +0100 3621682 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3577402&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fanother-look-how-small-ongoing-adjustments-done-via-telemedicine-make-a-big-difference%2F2010.05.19 Last week we examined how, in a typical practitioner’s day, he or she often needs to make adjustments in patients’ care to keep them on the path to getting –- or staying — healthy. Usually a face-to-face physical exam isn’t necessary to make accurate changes to a patient’s care regiment. Instead, all discussions can be done via a form of telemedicine, such as a phone call, email, or video-conferencing. Unfortunately, it’s become standard that face-to-face time is required between patient and doctor, creating more hassle for the patient while not impacting the quality of the outcome. I’d like to visit the case of a particular patient, Mrs. EE, and discuss how telemedicine allowed me to make small, ongoing adjustments to her medical regiment quickly and easily... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3577402 Wed, 19 May 2010 12:00:23 +0100 3577402 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3556372&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FSyPtQtSWdQ4%2F Japan’s largest drug maker, which employs about 5,000 people in the US, is cutting back as part of a restructuring in response to declining sales and looming generic competition for its Actos diabetes drug in two years. About 28 percent of the 1,300 employees who work US headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois, will be eliminated, according to The Chicago Tribune. And 20 percent of the 840 positions at the Global Research and Development Center are also going. “The business environment for the pharmaceutical industry is changing dramatically, with the pharmaceutical industry as a whole facing barriers to technological innovation that have halted progress in breakthrough novels drugs, stricter approval processes for new drugs in advanced nations, and radical upheaval in healthcare ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3556372 Wed, 12 May 2010 13:43:04 +0100 3556372 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3556094&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhow-to-mirco-tweak-diagnosis-and-treatmen%2F2010.05.12 A common problem in healthcare is the number of times that small adjustments are needed in a person’s care. Often for these little changes, a physical exam and face-to-face time have nothing to do with good medical decision making. Yet the patient and doctor are locked in a legacy-industrialized business model that requires the patient to pay a co-pay and waste at least half of their day driving to and from the office, logging time in a waiting room, and then visiting five minutes with their practitioner for the needed medical information or advice. Today I’d like to visit the case of a patient I’ll call “DD,” who I easily diagnosed with temporal arteritis (TA) through a 15-minute phone call after she’d spent four weeks as the healthcare system fumbled her time wit... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3556094 Wed, 12 May 2010 12:00:14 +0100 3556094 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3475808&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FX1T41JksHM0%2F By Tim LynchUpon sentencing a 24 year old to 27 years in federal prison on a drug charge, the Federal Judge Alan Bloch lamented, “I was basically taking the rest of his life away.” Go here to read about that case, which is coming before the Supreme Court for review.  For related Cato scholarship on sentencing, go here and here (pdf).  For Cato work on the drug war, go here. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3475808 Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:47:01 +0100 3475808 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3453870&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fread-it-like-a-man-conspiracy-theory-books%2F photo: Thinkstock Patrick Sauer is funny. This is his second “Read It Like a Man” weekly column for Blisstree. Read the first installment here. Chapter 2: Conspiracy Theories The Overton Window is a political theory that goes something like this: Previously unaccepted theories become more mainstream when ideas from the fringe are thrown out, thus making the previously stated ideas seem less radical and extreme. (It’s also the title of Glenn Beck’s upcoming novel, natch.) The Overton Window explains why conspiracy theories are no longer the provenance of loons and how they root themselves in mainstream thought. In a word, the Internet. Remember a year ago when everyone believed in global warming? HOAX! So, conspiracy theories are everywhere, but they’re losing... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3453870 Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:02:52 +0100 3453870 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3398863&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F03%2Fdr-pangloss-as-nih-institute-director.html DR. PANGLOSS AS NIH INSTITUTE DIRECTORJAMA is out today with a Commentary by Dr. Thomas Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health. Using indirection, Dr. Insel has risen to the defense of seven academic psychiatrists on whom an ethical searchlight has been trained for the past several years by Senator Grassley and others. With ludicrous optimism and a series of straw man discussions, Dr. Insel makes the case that things are not really as bad as they seemed to be or, if they were, then other specialty physicians were doing much the same things. Dr. Insel needs to recalibrate his ethical compass.Why is an NIH Institute Director issuing this apologia for the corruption of academic psychiatry? Does he not have better things to do, such as ensuring that longstanding NIH regulat... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3398863 Wed, 24 Mar 2010 02:42:00 +0100 3398863 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3311652&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FmALQ7TiE9tE%2F By Chris Moody Republicans and Democrats are both missing the point of true health care reform: “Health care reform cannot just be about giving more stuff to more people. It should be about actually ‘reforming’ the system. That means scrapping the current bills, and crafting the type of reform that makes consumers responsible for their health care decisions.” Alan Reynolds: If people looking for individual health insurance policies were allowed to shop in any state, the number of uninsured could drop by 11.1 million … or more. And the winner for the worst idea for health care reform goes to… Something you might want to brush up on: The Reconciliation Rulebook. In case you missed it, Cato health policy experts live-blogged part of Thursday&#821... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3311652 Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:20:08 +0100 3311652 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3251189&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FAFF9EqrtsAk%2F By Ilya ShapiroI previously blogged about the NRA’s misbegotten motion, which the Supreme Court granted, to carve 10 minutes of oral argument time away from the petitioners in McDonald v. Chicago.  Essentially, there was no discernable reason for the motion other than to ensure that the NRA could claim some credit for the eventual victory, and thus boost its fundraising. Well, having argued that petitioners’ counsel Alan Gura insufficiently covered the argument that the Second Amendment should be “incorporated” against the states via the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause, the NRA has now filed a brief that fails even to reference the four biggest cases regarding incorporation and substantive due process.  That is, the NRA reply brief contains no ment... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3251189 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:13:12 +0100 3251189 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3223239&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Ft6EPABdthh0%2F By Alan ReynoldsAt the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, sociologist Michael Leachman claims “some of the most effective job-creation and job protection measures” in last year’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are excluded from the job figures to be released on recovery.gov on January 30.   He explains that, “Most of ARRA’s distributed dollars to date have gone directly to individuals (including greater jobless benefits and food stamps) and states (including greater federal support for Medicaid).  Although these dollars are likely protecting or creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, none of the aid for individuals or the Medicaid support are [sic] reflected in the January 30 jobs data release.” In particular, Leachman claims Recovery Act funds to extend unemplo... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3223239 Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:05:20 +0100 3223239 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3194016&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FrMwmpyevORk%2F In his ongoing probe of conflicts of interest involving academic researchers, US Senator Chuck Grassley is now asking the National Institutes of Mental Health director Tom Insel to provide phone records, email and calendar since early 2009, along with correspondence from NIMH staffers in response to Grassley’s investigations. For the past two years, Grassley has pursued conflicts in which academic researchers accept funding from the NIH and industry, and instances where their universities have failed to monitor or report payments. According to current NIH regulations, payments above $10,000 should be reported. In his Jan. 20 letter, Grassley cites several examples… The psychiatry chair at Emory University, Charles Nemeroff, failed to report hundreds of thousands of dollars in p... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3194016 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:11:26 +0100 3194016 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3126688&cid=t_112872_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fextension-center-model-health-system-transformation A recent New Yorker article by Atul Gawande skillfully draws an analogy between today’s health care crisis and the food crisis our country faced a century ago. Whereas the heath care system currently consumes about 17% of the U.S. economy, Americans spent more than 40% of their income on food at the turn of the last century. (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3126688 Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:20:32 +0100 3126688 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3092670&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fiux8TkE4uBY%2F By Chris Moody The top five most unbelievable lines from the health care reform debate this year. Alan Reynolds: Hey, leave Lieberman alone. “Human interest stories are sure to get readers’ sympathy. But emotion is no substitute for common sense.” The money behind climate science. Podcast: “Trouble for the Race to the Top Fund.” Cato Weekly Video: Is there a contradiction between Christianity and capitalism? (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3092670 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:11:02 +0100 3092670 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3071130&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FNZ7UqXUUQ-o%2F By Tad DeHavenHuge deficit spending, a supposed stimulus bill, and financial bailouts by the Bush administration failed to stave off a deep recession. President Obama continued his predecessor’s policies with an even bigger stimulus, which helped push the deficit over the unimaginable trillion dollar mark. Prosperity hasn’t returned, but the president is persistent in his interventionist beliefs. In his speech yesterday, he told the country that we must “spend our way out of this recession.” While a dedicated segment of the intelligentsia continues to believe in simplistic Kindergarten Keynesianism, average Americans are increasingly leery. Businesses and entrepreneurs are hesitant to invest and hire because of the uncertainty surrounding the President’s agenda for higher... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3071130 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:04:42 +0100 3071130 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2999501&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FoLDCE2IdLZg%2F Alan Gura, who successfully defended the individual right to keep and bear arms under Second Amendment in District of Columbia v. Heller has now filed his brief in the case that seeks to apply that right to the states, McDonald v. City of Chicago.  (Cato earlier filed a brief supporting Alan’s cert petition, the background to which you can read about here.) The question presented in this case is: Whether the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms is incorporated as against the States by the Fourteenth Amendment’s Privileges or Immunities or Due Process Clauses.  Remarkably, only 7 of the brief’s 73 pages are devoted to the Due Process Clause, which is the constitutional provision by which almost all the the Bill of Rights has been “incorporated” agai... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2999501 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:54:47 +0100 2999501 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2984779&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUPeuK9WidMo%2F Today’s episode of “Hagar the Horrible” could be an epigraph for the new Fall 2009 issue of Cato Journal. This issue includes Greek economists Michael Mitsopoulos and Theodore Pelagidis on “Vikings in Greece: Kleptocratic Interest Groups in a Closed, Rent-Seeking Economy” as well as Peter Leeson, author of The Invisible Hook: The Hidden Economics of Pirates, writing (with David Skarbek) on the effects of foreign aid. As for taxes, well, editor Jim Dorn has assembled a number of useful papers: Andrew T. Young on taxing, spending, and “fiscal illusion” Michael J. New on the “starve the beast” hypothesis Alan Reynolds on Paul Krugman’s misunderstanding of the monetary and fiscal lessons of the Great Depression and Japan’s l... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2984779 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:44:22 +0100 2984779 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2857399&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F_Uyj3oXiUxo%2F My colleague Chris Edwards called the government’s “Cash for Clunkers” program the “Dumbest Program Ever.”  Given that Chris is familiar with more than a few dumb government programs, that’s quite a statement. Today, the Washington Post provides more evidence that he might be right: After the shopping binge inspired by the government’s “Cash for Clunkers” incentive program ended, U.S. auto sales plunged in September and the industry sunk back to the depths from which it started, figures released Thursday showed… The results raised doubts from some economists about the effectiveness of the $3 billion federal program as a stimulus. Alan Blinder, a Princeton professor who was among the first to push an auto sales incentive program i... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2857399 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:15:33 +0100 2857399 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2859105&cid=t_112872_136_f&fid=39027&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lrdlc.dreamhosters.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fmy-foundation-dads-response%2F Not too long ago, I wrote about my father. He called me yesterday and asked if I was ready to hear his response yet. I said, “Sure.” I was curious. He actually read this to me over the phone. Can you say emotional? Between him choking up and me reaching for tissues…well, I’ll let you read it. He left this as a comment on the blog yesterday, but I’m elevating it to full-on blog post, baby! My comments are in GREEN. His reply: Hi mi hijo, After I read “My Foundation” I was crying for awhile, and so many memories to to my mind and heart. I remember how many of my plans (as a dad) for you suddenly collapsed right before my eyes. I figured maybe you would be a great soccer player. But, most of all, a martial artist that I could be teaching and coaching. (My Dad... Cancer, life, and me blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2859105 Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:12:51 +0100 2859105 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2766117&cid=t_112872_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fsocial-media-disruptive-force-medicine Before the Obama administration set aside billions to accelerate the dissemination of EHRs, providers were slow to adopt them. As recently as 2 years ago for example, a study published in the NEJM revealed that only 4% of non-hospital based providers had fully implemented an EHR, and only 13% more had a partial installation. By contrast, the growth of social media including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs and virtual communities like Sermo and Physician Connect, has been explosive. (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2766117 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:26:17 +0100 2766117 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2757731&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FixQzP3RhJ68%2F Will Afghanistan become Obama’s Vietnam? Why America’s experience in Bosnia and Iraq offers ample warning against taking the mission too far in Afghanistan. Will Japan remain pacifist? Paul Krugman claims a victory for Big Government, which he says “saved” the economy from an economic depression. Alan Reynolds debunks his claim and shows why bigger government  produces only bigger and longer recessions. Podcast: Johan Norberg explores the causes of the financial crisis. For more, don’t miss his new book, Financial Fiasco: How America’s Infatuation with Homeownership and Easy Money Created the Economic Crisis. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2757731 Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:49:28 +0100 2757731 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2859108&cid=t_112872_136_f&fid=39027&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lrdlc.dreamhosters.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fmy-foundation%2F I’m a newbie dad (about 7 years experience so far). Each day that goes by I am reminded of the strength and determination of one man: My father. He started out as a newbie dad once. He had five kids in all: 3 girls and 2 boys. He was poor, but I didn’t really know it or feel it. He worked his ass off in a factory. His children could have gone to public school for free, but he knew the value of education, so each one of them attended private schools through high school. His income went to food, rent, school, and clothes. He was also a young father. He wasn’t perfect by any means (but in my memory he comes damn close), but still he worked for all of us: Mom, Grandma, May, Jess, Thani, Alan and I. I see his sacrifice in retrospect and frankly, it floors me. Then one day he w... Cancer, life, and me blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2859108 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:38:16 +0100 2859108 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2703815&cid=t_112872_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D2073 Conservatives in the USA have been lying about the NHS on a massive scale. As Simon Hoggart comments today “There are few tribes more loathsome than the American right”. In the forefront has been a far-right lobby group, Conservatives for Patients’ Rights (CPR).  Even I was surprised to read in the Washington Post “The campaign is being coordinated by CRC Public Relations, the group that masterminded the “Swift boat” attacks against 2004 Democratic presidential candidate, John F. Kerry” CRC Public Relations is a conservative PR firm previously known as Creative Response Concepts. ‘Creative’ appears to mean ‘lying’, but I guess that is what PR is all about. The founder of CPR, Rick Scott, has an interesting background.... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2703815 Sat, 15 Aug 2009 16:16:31 +0100 2703815 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2703809&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Flabour-can-win-next-general-election.html Elsewhere, Dr Crippen discusses the now real prospect of Labour winning the next general election. And, as always, the NHS is central to the arguments. (Source: NHS Blog Doctor) NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2703809 Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:29:00 +0100 2703809 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2653667&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQ4z1dyFGzS4%2F ABC News reports that the “Cash for Clunkers” scheme, a government program that offers a rebate to people who trade in vehicles with low gas mileage for more fuel efficient cars, is  gaining popularity: The program is off to a fast start. In less than a week, 8,000 cars have been traded in for new ones — deals that might not have happened if Washington were not offering people $3,500 to $4,500 to get their aging gas guzzlers off the road. In June, Cato senior fellow Alan Reynolds explained  how you can use that money to buy the muscle car or truck you always wanted: Consider how easy it would be to game this giveaway program by using that $4,500 voucher to buy a big SUV or V-8 muscle car. First of  all, with Chrysler and GM dealerships folding, it should be easy to buy... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2653667 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:21:57 +0100 2653667 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2626227&cid=t_112872_135_f&fid=35274&url=http%3A%2F%2Facidrefluxweb.com%2F%3Fp%3D3830 Mae West: You know I used to be ashamed about the way I lived my life. Actor: You mean to say you’ve reformed? Mae West: No, I stopped being ashamed. For some reason I really laughed when I heard this on a documentary on comedians and how they’ve pushed boundaries in society. Most likely there are a few times in my life when I could relate to that. Day 9 off coffee and I’m managing to make my way through. I woke up yesterday with absolutely no desire to write anything. So I didn’t. The Canine alan-on therapy continues as Buster rebels as he fights the fact that he is no longer the leader in our relationship. He even sleeps with his back towards me in the bed in his crate. He’s pissed and he’s shunning me. Hopefully he’ll get used to this epiphany... acidrefluxweb.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2626227 Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:48:38 +0100 2626227 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2859118&cid=t_112872_136_f&fid=39027&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lrdlc.dreamhosters.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fa-sick-boys-guilt%2F If I could have said this then, I would have. Better late than never: Sisters: I am sorry for all the playtime you lost because of me. You must have wasted so many hours in boredom, on my behalf. I am sorry for worrying you. I am sorry for any tears I caused you. Little brother: I am sorry for stealing your spotlight. You were the baby, and you should have been spoiled. Instead, it was me everyone worried about. If I had it my way, I would have chosen invisibility over disability. I am sorry for not being there to play catch with you. I am sorry I couldn’t be the big, strong one to teach you ropes. Mom and Dad: I am sorry for the sleepless nights you had because of me. I am sorry for the massive strain I added to your already heavy load. I wish it could have been easier for you. I wi... Cancer, life, and me blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2859118 Thu, 09 Jul 2009 01:18:27 +0100 2859118 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2580437&cid=t_112872_135_f&fid=35274&url=http%3A%2F%2Facidrefluxweb.com%2F%3Fp%3D3750 Last week my dog Buster graduated from Canine- Alan-on Intensive Therapy. I had to, with three dogs I couldn’t have him trying to control me by his neurosis, and more importantly constant pissing. His graduation was almost a week ago. He’s calm. He is capable of sleeping in a crate without pissing in it. He is heel trained, meaning that eventually with me he will require no leash and will shadow my foot. With three dogs of various sizes, this will come in handy. Nearly a week into the work, I get a call from the trainer. “Hey Brian, how’s it going I’ve got some good news and some bad news for you.” Immediately I knew what that was going to be. “The good news is that Buster doesn’t have separation anxiety, and the bad news is that you’re the one f.ing him up.” Ok, he... acidrefluxweb.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2580437 Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:40:11 +0100 2580437 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2458083&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fbaron-and-barrow-boy.html Unelected leaders :  the "sinister minister" and the "business czar"The British Constitution is (largely) unwritten and, unlike the American Constitution, it is not entrenched. The British legislature, the Queen in Parliament, remains supreme. In theory, an Act of Parliament could be passed tomorrow taking us out of the EC, abolishing the Act of Settlement, even abolishing the monarchy. The beloved political doctrine of the separation of powers has little reality in the UK. The executive controls the legislature and, with a working majority and the veiled powers of patronage, can pass any legislation it wishes. Do not underestimate the influence of patronage. There would have been no feminist diatribe from Caroline “give the girls a job” Flint if she had been offered the Home Office.O... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2458083 Sat, 06 Jun 2009 09:51:00 +0100 2458083 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2452455&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fold-amstrad-will-not-save-gordon-brown.html The old Amstrad 1640 (the upmarked 1512) was my first real computer. It must be nearly 25 years since I bought it. I loved it. Two disc drives, but no hard disc. Who needed data storage then? After a few months I bough a 32 megabyte card. I used Wordperfect. I had a dot matrix printer. It all worked well and Alan Sugar deservedly made his fortune. I do not know what Alan Sugar does now, except appear on The Apprentice. More "theatre of cruelty" television. Britain's got Talent in a suit. I do not watch it.The Amstrad 1640 is yesterday's computer, and Alan Sugar, television star though he may well be, is last year's entrepreneur. He won't be able to save Gordon Brown and his appointment to whatever he has been appointed to may grab a headline, and may appeal to watchers of The Apprentice, b... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2452455 Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:55:00 +0100 2452455 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2375958&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F04%2Finstitute-of-medicine-report-on.html Today we saw a new marker laid down in the arena called Conflict of Interest (COI). The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences issued a report of its Committee on Conflict of Interest in Medical Research, Education and Practice. The report is comprehensive, even exhaustive, running to 353 pages. Gardner Harris in the New York Times today calls it “scolding,” “stinging,” and “damning.” The recommendations go well beyond any proposed in the recent past by medical schools or by other professional organizations. The NYT quoted David Rothman, president of the Institute on Medicine as a Profession at Columbia University: “With the I.O.M.’s endorsement, issues that were once controversial now are indisputable. Conflicts of interest in medicine are no longer acce... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2375958 Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:40:00 +0100 2375958 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2349509&cid=t_112872_136_f&fid=37846&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthinfoispower.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F20%2Fnovogens-nv-128-targets-mtor-pathway-to-block-differentiation-and-induce-cell-death-in-ovarian-cancer-stem-cells%2F “Data just presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Denver has demonstrated that NV-128, a Novogen, Limited (ASX: NRT NASDQ: NVGN) synthetic isoflavonoid compound, not only induces cell death in Ovarian Cancer Stem Cells (OCSCs), but also blocks their differentiation into structures which are required to support tumor [...] (Source: Libby's H*O*P*E*) Libby's H*O*P*E* blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2349509 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:50:41 +0100 2349509 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2259390&cid=t_112872_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F0bxU3lcEAoE%2F Today we continue the conversation with Maggie Jackson, author of Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age. You can read part 1 here. Q - In your Harvard Management Update interview, you said that "When what we pay attention to is driven by the last email we received, the trivial and the crucial occupy the same plane." As well, it seems to be that a problem is our culture's over-idealization of "always on" and "road warrior" habits, which distract from the importance of executive functions such as paying attention to one's environment, setting up goals and plans, executing on them, measuring results, and internalizing learning. How can companies better equip their employees for future success? Can you offer some examples of companies who ha... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2259390 Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:18:30 +0100 2259390 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2013691&cid=t_112872_140_f&fid=35448&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseemedlikeagoodideathetime.com%2F2008%2F12%2F04%2Fyeah-but%2F …does the average patient even know to check, or what it means? I’ll take this very sad example as a “no” “I don’t care at all. I really, truly don’t,” said Judith Ursitti of Dover, Mass., whose son, Jack, 8, has autism. “When I take Jack to a specialist, I research their level of knowledge and how [...] (Source: bipolar chicks blogging) bipolar chicks blogging blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2013691 Fri, 05 Dec 2008 02:33:16 +0100 2013691 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1947754&cid=t_112872_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.law.harvard.edu%2Fmedia%2F2008%2F10%2F29%2Fdean.rm Emily Dupraz wrote a nice summary (for the front page of the Harvard Law website) of Situationist contributor Jon Hanson’s recent lecture at Harvard Law School. Here are some excerpts (as well as a link to the webcast of the lecture). * * * Individual free choice, an idea that permeates common sense and legal theory, assumes that actions reflect the stable preferences of individual actors. Individuals are responsible for their actions (that is, their preference-driven choices), and laws can therefore be designed on that assumption. But if that assumption is wrong, says Harvard Law School Professor Jon Hanson, then laws built upon it may not be advancing the ends they purport to serve. And Hanson’s view, steeped in interdisciplinary study in the mind sciences, is that the assumption... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1947754 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 04:58:45 +0100 1947754 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1915145&cid=t_112872_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2F29%2Fhanson-to-give-situationist-chair-lecture%2F This evening, Situationist contributor and co-creator, Jon Hanson will deliver his lecture, “The Human Animal, Ideology, the Law and other Situational Characters” in honor of his appointment as the Alfred Smart Professor of Law (one day to the the Alan Stone Professor of Law) at Harvard Law School. This event will take place in Harvard Law Library’s Caspersen Room beginning at 5:00 p.m. with a reception immediately following the talk. For more information about the lecture, click here. Alan A. Stone is the Touroff-Glueck Professor of Law and Psychiatry at Harvard University. He graduated from Harvard College in 1950 with a degree in psychology, and earned his M.D. from Yale Medical School in 1955. Becoming interested in the intersection of law, psychology, and psychiatr... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1915145 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 04:01:09 +0100 1915145 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1888454&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F423938434%2F A former global patent director for the drugmaker has been sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison for possessing child pornography. Alan Hesketh, a 61-year old British citizen, was sentenced Friday in federal court in Bridgeport, Connecticut after pleading guilty in July to one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography. Authorities had arrested him last March and charged him with posing as a 28-year-old female named “Suzibaby” while trading hundreds of images of children engaged in sexual acts (back story). “I’m ashamed and embarrassed to be sitting here today,” he told the Court, according to The Day. “I make no excuses for what I have done and I have enormous regret.” Hesketh used Google’s now-defunct “Hello” program to ex... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1888454 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 18:21:10 +0100 1888454 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1871104&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F416746621%2F For the past several months, the US Senate Finance Committee has been investigating undisclosed conflicts of interest involving academic researchers who receive NIH grants and pharma funding. At issue is whether universities are fulfilling their requirements to adequately monitor these disclosures in an effort to maintain scientific integrity and objectivity (back story here, here, here, here and here. Nature Medicine spoke with Chuck Grassley, the ranking Republican on the committee, about the probe. This is an excerpt… Nature Medicine:What are you hoping to accomplish? Grassley: NIH gives $24 billion worth of grants…The law requires the universities to have their researchers report outside income. We found out the law wasn’t being followed. The universities were not doi... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1871104 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:23:26 +0100 1871104 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1853828&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F412282361%2F For several years, Charles Nemeroff assured Emory University, where he chaired the psychiatry department, that he wouldn’t accept more than $10,000 in consulting fees from Glaxo, since he was the primary investigator on an NIH-funded grant for research into a Glaxo drug. Why? Since 1995, an NIH regulation has required scientists to report to their universities any “significant financial interests” they hold in research projects financed by the agency. Those are defined as income or equity interest of $10,000 from a company or 5-percent ownership of its stock. The universities, in turn, are required to tell the NIH whether they were able to manage or eliminate the conflicts in order to avoid bias in the research findings (here are the rules). And anxious Emory officials, who condu... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1853828 Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:37:31 +0100 1853828 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1852738&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F410375229%2F Why was Charles Nemeroff, the well-known psychiatry department chair at Emory University, anxious about an e-mail from The New York Times in August? Could it be that word had leaked Emory was concerned about an ongoing probe by the Senate Finance Committee into disclosures of NIH and pharma funding to academic researchers? Was Nemeroff next? By then, the committee was investigating Stanford University’s Alan Schatzberg, Harvard University’s Joe Biederman, Brown University’s Martin Keller, University of Texas’ Karen Wagner and John Rush, and Melissa DelBello at the University of Cincinnati. Yesterday, we noted Nemeroff wrote an angry memo to the associate dean at Emory’s School of Medicine, who questioned pharma ties to an annual event he runs for psychiatry re... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1852738 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:55:23 +0100 1852738 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1851212&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F409343727%2F The ongoing investigation by the Senate Finance Committee seems to be making some universities a bit, well, sensitive to the activities undertaken by faculty members. You may recall that Chuck Grassley, the commitee’s ranking Republican, is probing pharma and NIH funding given academic researchers - particularly psychiatrists - and whether any conflicts are properly disclosed. So far, the committee has singled out Stanford University’s Alan Schatzberg, Harvard University’s Joe Biederman, Brown University’s Martin Keller, University of Texas’ Karen Wagner and John Rush, and Melissa DelBello at the University of Cincinnati. Charles Nemeroff, the well-known psychiatry chairman at Emory University, has not made the list, but the school appears, nonetheless, to be ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1851212 Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:19:44 +0100 1851212 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1837488&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F405499147%2F Such a busy pharma world and so little time to keep up, yes? Like you, we always poke around for items of interest, and so we thought we would point out a few you may enjoy from the past week. Think of it as a little bit of catching up. Meanwhile, we hope your weekend is enjoyable and look forward to seeing you again tomorrow… The droll Jim Edwards points out that Sanofi-Aventis has become the latest drugmaker to get into the online video game business, or advergames. This one is for the ubiquitous Ambien Cr sleeping pill, and the game is called “Silence Your Rooster.” You can check it out here. By striking a deal to fill certain generics for free as part of a trial with Caterpillar, Wal-Mart is subtly undermining the economic model used so well by pharmacy benefit manage... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1837488 Sun, 28 Sep 2008 23:34:00 +0100 1837488 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1788922&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F389612650%2F This time, the ranking Republican on the US Senate Finance Committee is fingering Karen Wagner, a researcher at the University of Texas who worked on a National Institutes of Health study involving Glaxo’s Paxil antidepressant, who allegedly did not disclose more than $150,000 in consulting and speaking fees she received from the drugmaker, according to The Wall Street Journal. Grassley cited Wagner after comparing records from Glaxo and the university. Between 2000 and 2008, she was involved in an NIH study on the use of Paxil to treat teenage depression and another study on teen anxiety, the paper writes. The university’s legal counsel tells the paper they will look for any discrepancies in Wagner’s disclosure reports, Wagner did not respond to the paper’s request... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1788922 Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:27:17 +0100 1788922 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1779680&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F386609971%2F For the first time since Stanford University last month reassigned his National Institutes of Health grant to another principal investigator (look here), the chair of the school’s psychiatry department is responding to the episode, which actually began earlier this year when the US Senate Finance Committee named him as an example of federally funded academics with conflicts of interest. You may recall that Schatzberg, who is also president-elect of the American Psychiatric Association, owns about $6 million in stock in Corcept Therapeutics, which is studying the development of mifepristone for treating psychotic depression. He is also a co-patent holder for the drug and he received an NIH grant to oversee the research. Stanford insisted he had no role in dealing with patients or anal... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1779680 Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:50:15 +0100 1779680 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1675137&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F352794956%2F The Senate Finance Committee is intensifying its investigation into research grants and conflicts of interest are managed by the National Institutes of Health and universities, whose academic researchers receive both NIH funding and have ties to drugmakers. Yesterday, though, Stanford University and its psychiatry department chair, Alan Schatzberg, came under special scrutiny - again. You may recall Schatzberg owns about $6 million in stock in Corcept Therapeutics, which is studying the development of mifepristone for treating psychotic depression. He is also a co-patent holder for the drug and he received an NIH grant to oversee the research. In response to the charges that Schatzberg failed to properly disclose this tangled web, Stanford issued a statement defending Schatzberg by saying,... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1675137 Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:47:22 +0100 1675137 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1668704&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F350601005%2F Last month, the US Senate Finance Committee charged that Stanford University failed to properly monitor alleged conflicts of interest involving Alan Schatzberg, who chairs the psychiatry department and owns about $6 million in stock in Corcept Therapeutics, which is studying the development of mifepristone, or RU-486, for treating psychotic depression. In addition to his stock holdings, Schatzberg is also a co-patent holder for the drug, which is best known for inducing abortion, and he received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to oversee the research. In response to the charges that Schatzberg failed to properly disclose this tangled web, Stanford issued a statement defending Schatzberg by saying, among other things, that all conflicts were properly disclosed. Schatzberg &#8... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1668704 Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:40:27 +0100 1668704 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1655670&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F345833615%2F The ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee wants the National Institutes of Health to revoke grants to academic scientists who fail to report financial conflicts of interest to their institutions, the Iowa Senator tells The Chronicle of Higher Education. His remarks come after targeting Harvard University, Stanford University and the University of Cincinnati, because some academics underreported their own financial interests in research projects supported by the NIH. Institutions are required by federal regulation to report the existence of those conflicts to the agency. Grassley is seeking info from 20 other institutions about financial conflicts among their scientists, including Brown University’s Martin Keller, and the American Psychiatric Association. Since 1995, an N... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1655670 Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:01:05 +0100 1655670 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1622999&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F335299832%2F Among the 30 or so physicians at two dozen universities that the Senate Finance Committee is probing concerning disclosure of grants from drugmakers is Martin Keller, a psychiatrist at Brown University who is a controversial figure for his role in studying Glaxo’s Paxil antidepressant. The committee, according to sources familiar with the investigation, sent a letter to Brown as part of its investigation. We are awaiting a reply from Brown and will update you shortly. In recent weeks, the committee has acknowledged focusing on three academic psychiatrists - Harvard University’s Joe Biederman, Stanford University’s Alan Schatzberg and the University of Cincinnati’s Melissa DelBello. Last week, Chuck Grassley, the ranking Republican on the committee, also asked the Am... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1622999 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:09:11 +0100 1622999 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1561298&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F324104221%2F Last week, the Senate Finance Committee targeted yet another academic for failing to fully disclose potential conflicts involving research funding provided by drugmakers and other financial holdings. The example, which singled out Stanford University’s Alan Schatzberg, is part of a larger investigation into academics who receive funding from both the NIH and pharma for possible violations of federal regulations. At issue are whether universities and NIH are adequately policing disclosures in an effort to maintain scientific integrity and objectivity. In response to the probe, the NIH disclosed it would tighten oversight, but the story is just beginning. Eric Campbell, an associate professor at the Institute for Health Policy, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School,... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1561298 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:36:45 +0100 1561298 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1543925&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F319993115%2F In response to sustained public pressure, the National Institutes of Health is now getting set to tighten its oversight on grants awarded academic researchers, whose institutions are required to report any conflicts of interest. Recent examples uncovered by the Senate Finance Committee, however, have embarrassed the NIH and several universities, most notably Harvard University. Over the past several months, the committee has disclosed instances where academic researchers at Harvard, Stanford University and the University of Cincinnatti accepted funding from both the NIH and various drugmakers, but failed to fully disclose industry payments. Universities are supposed to monitor researchers and the NIH is supposed to monitor the universities for conflicts involving payments exceeding $10,000... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1543925 Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:03:01 +0100 1543925 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1543928&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F319828349%2F The US Senate Finance Committee charges that Stanford University failed to properly monitor alleged conflicts of interest involving Alan Schatzberg, who chairs the psychiatry department at Stanford University and who owns about $6 million in stock in Corcept Therapeutics, which that participates in a National Institutes of Health study he oversees. This is the latest such case involving high-profile academics, who receive funding from both the NIH and industry, to be investigated by Chuck Grassley, the ranking committee Republican, for possible violations of federal regulations. At issue are whether universities are adequately policing disclosures in an effort to maintain scientific integrity and objectivity. Earlier this month, he targeted three Harvard University psychiatrists, including... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1543928 Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:34:27 +0100 1543928 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1466289&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F296662894%2F In an effort to keep a lid on rising prescription-drug costs, the health ministry in Canada’s British Columbia convened a special task force to examine the process by which the provincial government agrees to cover medications through its Pharmacare program. And the results, which the government accepted, are drawing criticism. Of the many recommendations (here’s the report), one particular notion is being counterproductive - scrapping the Therapeutics Initiative, an independent group that evaluates meds and issues reports to Pharmacare for coverage decisions. The task force would like to ensure the watchdog group has no future role in coverage, a recommendation that Alan Cassels, a drug policy researcher affiliated with the School of Health Information Sciences at the Universi... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1466289 Fri, 23 May 2008 16:11:29 +0100 1466289 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1371906&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F04%2Fdestruction-of-nhs.html Professor Alan MaynardUp in York, Alan Maynard, Professor of Health Economics, is forever keeping his beady eye on the the government’s real NHS agenda. In 2005 he wrote a paper entitled “Physician Productivity in the UK NHS”. It was presented in Australia and, perhaps because of that, did not get as much publicity as it deserved. I am grateful to the Witchdoctor for drawing my attention to it.“Radical reform in the roles of the workforce other than physicians is taking place. Pharmacists and nurse prescribers are to be given the right to prescribe the full formulae, although medical groups (e.g. the Committee on the Safety of Medicines) are now questioning the safety of such policy. Nurses are being trained to carry out endoscopy, anaesthetics and minor surgery.These reforms are p... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1371906 Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:15:00 +0100 1371906 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1334569&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F259797220%2F Federal agents have charged Pfizer’s global patent director with receiving, distributing and possessing child pornography and are holding him without bond, The Day reports. Alan Hesketh, who lives in Stonington, Connecticut, is accused of posing as a 28-year-old female while trading hundreds of images of children engaged in sexual acts. He allegedly traded the images with a man from Buffalo, while chatting with him online between June 2006 and May 2007. The two men discussed, “among other things, the sexual molestation of children involving the use of human defecation,” according to a court document, cited by the newspaper. Hesketh allegedly used the screen name “Suzibibaby” during the online sessions. Federal agents say Hesketh, who is a vice president and global head of pat... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1334569 Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:53:33 +0100 1334569 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1271812&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fspray-on-condoms-one-size-fits-all.html The German Institute for Condom Consultancy is seeking Condom Testers with a penis length from 9 to 12 cm and 15 to 20 cm. Men between 13 to 14 cm are apparently welcome too, so we presume there must be some other qualification ‘cos that includes just about everyone. Video (in German) here. (Impact Lab) The plan is to make the product ready for use in about five seconds and offer a more effective contraceptive that fits better than standard one-size fits all condoms and hence does not slip. That’s the trouble with the one size fits all approach to anything. Slippage. Seepage. The increasingly demented Alan Johnson says that the days of a "one-size-fits-all" NHS are over. So, the DoH will soon be looking for volunteers to trial their own personal spray on HCP – no waiting, ready in fi... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1271812 Sun, 02 Mar 2008 11:44:00 +0100 1271812 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1175046&cid=t_112872_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F222354207%2F As indicated a few weeks ago, we like to try something different on this evolving site. And so once again, we are presenting what amounts to a guest column. Why? We like the idea of livening up the usual menu of items with input from a loyal reader, but also one who has experience in the trenches and a refreshing point of view. This piece offers some interesting predictions about Vytorin prescription trends, for instance. Will we do this again? Probably. We do not wish to be flooded with requests, but we are open to suggestion. Meanwhile, we hope you enjoy this little contribution… Vytorin Prescribing Decline Continues, And May Be Understated By Alan Braverman, general managing director at ImpactRx, a market research firm that tracks prescription drug trends. He heads the firm’s W... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1175046 Thu, 24 Jan 2008 15:37:22 +0100 1175046 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1154133&cid=t_112872_122_f&fid=36506&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FBrainSciencePodcastBlog%2F%7E3%2F217297452%2F The Philosopher’s Zone is one of the excellent Australian podcasts that I listen to regularly. The episode of January 12, 2007 is especially relevant to our recent discussion of embodied intelligence. Host Alan Saunders interviews Matt Carter, author of Minds and Computers: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence. Their conversation is a good brief introduction to some of the issues of philosophy of mind, the relevance of the computational theory of the mind (introduced in Brain Science Podcast #15), and the importance of embodiment to the field of artificial intelligence. If anyone has already read this book, I would love to hear your feedback and impressions. (Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell) the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1154133 Tue, 15 Jan 2008 23:03:46 +0100 1154133 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=835443&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=34867&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thediabetesblog.com%2F2007%2F08%2F31%2Fvegetable-fiber-a-first-rate-diabetes-defense%2F Filed under: Type 2, Diet, Research, Daily NewsWe could all benefit from added fiber in our diets. However, it seems the type of fiber consumed is important too. A new study concludes that vegetable fiber is a good defence against type 2 diabetes. The study comes courtesy of researchers at the University of Sydney, Australia, who found that adults eating five grams of vegetable fiber daily were 24 percent less likely than other adults to develop the disease. People over the age of seventy enjoyed a thirty-one percent risk reduction.The study tracked the eating habits of more than two thousand people over a ten year period. Wow. The researchers also reported that those whose diets contained fiber from mainly cereal or fruit sources did not fare so well - they had a higher risk for type 2 di... The Diabetes Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=835443 Fri, 31 Aug 2007 04:00:00 +0100 835443 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=755634&cid=t_112872_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2007%2F07%2Fso-many-amendments-so-little-concern.html UPDATE: We have video! (Courtesy of OwellianNation)You know, there should be some political blowback for this. The 74-year-old retired mathematician who is fighting Kensington officials over his right to sell buttons urging President Bush's impeachment was arrested yesterday at a farmers market and charged with trespassing.Alan McConnell, who had been selling his "Impeach Him" buttons at the Howard Avenue market for about a half-hour without a permit, lay down on the pavement after Montgomery County police asked him to come with them. After McConnell failed to respond to a request that he "please stand up," four officers each grabbed one of his limbs and carried him to the front seat of a squad car.Now, many have dismissed this as a non-issue from a common-sense viewpoint. These people wer... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=755634 Tue, 24 Jul 2007 04:00:00 +0100 755634 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=830142&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=36069&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffrankiespeakingfrankly.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F07%2Falan-johnston-what-man.html A lot has been happening in the UK news recently, that again I couldn't let this wonderful moment go without comment. The release of Alan Johnston was welcome news - hearing him talk to the press shortly after his release a precious moment exemplifying the human spirit as it should be - if you didn't catch it, I recommend you watch a snapshot and learn from the wisdom he demonstrated throughout his experience.The moment that brought a tear to my eye was when he spoke with humility about other people that in his opinion were facing an ordeal worse than his own:There are people who have been told they have nine months to live and most of those people handle that with grace. I told myself that I was waiting to live my life again and it would be shameful if I couldn't do it with dignity. (Sour... Frankie Speaking Frankly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=830142 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 12:33:00 +0100 830142 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=713974&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F07%2Falan-johnson-safe-madeleine-mccann.html Alan Johnston releasedI woke up this morning, as always, to the sound of the Radio 4 Today programme and, as always, dozed for a while until the words “Alan Johnston” and “free” brought me rapidly to full consciousness.Wonderful, wonderful news. Not much more to be said.114 days in captivity, days during which we often feared the worst. Days that were unspeakable awful for Alan Johnston. Days that were, in a way, even more awful for his parents, waiting helplessly at home. I cannot begin to imagine the horror of seeing my own son, in captivity, with an ammunition belt tied round his waist.Alan Johnston’s safe release is wonderful news indeed.And then Mrs C asked, “How long has Madeleine McCann been missing now?”Madeleine McCann has been missing for 62 days, just over half the... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=713974 Wed, 04 Jul 2007 09:16:00 +0100 713974 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=700666&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F06%2Fgordon-brown-to-appoint-alan-johnson-to.html Alan JohnsonGordon Brown is the new prime minister.Really.No definitive news as to cabinet appointments as yet (10.30 pm on Wednesday 27th June) but the word is that Patricia Hewitt has resigned to spend more time with her elderly parents in Australia. No crocodile tears about that.And it seems that Alan Johnson is to take over at the Department of Health.I hope that is true.Alan Johnson has always struck Dr Crippen as a sensible, down to earth man and, by all accounts, he is good at getting on with people. He may have the skills (that Hewitt lacked) to get the doctors and nurses on side.I hope that is true too.As always at times like this it is fascinating to watch the orderly transfer of power in a democracy. To watch Gordon Brown leaving the Palace in the bullet proof Jaguar and minutes... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=700666 Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:12:00 +0100 700666 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=551266&cid=t_112872_87_f&fid=34865&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecancerblog.com%2F2007%2F04%2F18%2Feat-your-vegetables-fend-off-cancer%2F Filed under: Research, Diets, Cancer prevention foods, Daily news, Head and Neck cancerIf your mom was one to harp on you about eating your vegetables, it was likely because she knew how good veggies are for the body. Moms everywhere now have research on their side.A large study of 500,000 American retirees has shown that increasing consumption of fruits or vegetables is enough to reduce the risk of head and neck cancer. Specifically, eating six servings of fruit and vegetables per day per 1,000 calories cut the risk of these cancers by 29 percent compared to eating one and a half servings. "It may not sound like news that vegetables protect from cancer, but there is actually some controversy in the literature," says Dr. Alan Kristal, associate head of the cancer prevention program at Fre... The Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=551266 Wed, 18 Apr 2007 04:00:00 +0100 551266 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=528266&cid=t_112872_109_f&fid=34875&url=http%3A%2F%2Fballoonballoon.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F04%2Fupdates-final-kathy-sierra.html [UPDATE: April 6, 2007: Here are the final results of the one and only Kathy Sierra poll, conducted here at Surreal and Paranoid Life from March 28 to April 6. Here is the poll question, along with the percentages of the answers:What's the bottom line with this Kathy Sierra fiasco?1. Kathy is working hard with the authorities and will prosecute. = 30.3% (40)2. Kathy is watching the publicity she is getting and loving it. = 25.8% (34)3. Something other. If so, write what it is in the "Hang in there" comments = 22.7% (30)4. Kathy is really offended and will blog no more. = 13.6% (18)5. Kathy is actually one of the "meankids", and they're all having a good laugh. = 7.6% (10)6. Kathy will be killed or harmed by the perpetrators of this mess. = 0% (0)total votes: 132 individuals[UPDATE: April 5... American Center for Surreal and Paranoid Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=528266 Sat, 07 Apr 2007 12:19:00 +0100 528266 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=518920&cid=t_112872_109_f&fid=34875&url=http%3A%2F%2Fballoonballoon.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F04%2Fupdates-kathy-sierra_04.html Please take a moment and do the Kathy Sierra poll you see in the sidebar at the right of this post. Thanks.(See continuous updates on the Kathy Sierra saga below)[UPDATE: April 3, 2007: Well, here it is -- a YouTube video of the CNN segment. And it's unbelievable. From watching this video, I would say Kathy Sierra has perhaps lost (or is losing) her mind. And both Chris Locke and Kathy Sierra look like ghoulish cast members of a strange horror movie. Nothing is worth looking like that on television in front of so many people. Was that for real, or did television just do them in?][UPDATE: April 2, 2007: Not much of a big bang after all the CNN hype. See some reactions to the CNN gathering here (read the comments section for some good information), and here (for a micro summary), and here (w... American Center for Surreal and Paranoid Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=518920 Wed, 04 Apr 2007 05:04:00 +0100 518920 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=551389&cid=t_112872_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2007%2F04%2Freality-based-republican.html This article is illustrated with a beautiful Gays in the Military design kindly provided by The Last Straw, an extremely gay shop featuring a variety of patriotic and flag designs.You can syndicate this site using our atom feed. (Source: Graphictruth) Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=551389 Mon, 02 Apr 2007 04:00:00 +0100 551389 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=512398&cid=t_112872_109_f&fid=34875&url=http%3A%2F%2Fballoonballoon.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F03%2Fupdates-kathy-sierra.html Please take a moment and do the Kathy Sierra poll you see in the sidebar at the right of this post. Thanks.[UPDATE: March 30, 2007, 4PM:] Rageboy says, "I met Kathy Sierra last night for the first time -- on camera. This email just hit my inbox from CNN: The segment is scheduled to debut on our [April 2, Monday] morning show "CNN American Morning" which airs between 6am to 9am. If there is breaking news of a serious status, it will not run.[UPDATE: March 30, 2007:] There's now an Update over at Kathy Sierra's "as-i-type" post where she says, in part, "Yes, I should have known that when I posted, and had I known the firestorm that would be created, I probably would have stayed silent. But my words here still stand." (read more...)[UPDATE: March 29, 2007:] Last night Kathy Sierra decided to ... American Center for Surreal and Paranoid Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=512398 Sat, 31 Mar 2007 06:29:00 +0100 512398