Anger over GM loophole – Independent Online
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Independent Online | Anger over GM loophole Independent Online Both the African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) and SA Freeze Alliance on Genetic Engineering (SAFeAge) have “cautiously welcomed” the mandatory labelling regime for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the act's final regulations, which were released ... Genetically Modified Organisms in baby formula and what's for dinner tonightHULIQ |
Can we capture all of the world’s carbon emissions?
By Dr. Matthew Watson
In 2011, the world will emit more than 35 billion tons of carbon dioxide. Every day of the year, almost a hundred million tons will be released into the atmosphere. Every second more than a thousand tons – two million pounds – of carbon dioxide is emitted from power plants, cars, trucks, ships, planes, factories, and farms around the world. The average citizen of the world will account for the release of four and a half tons – 9,000 pounds – of CO 2 this year. The average American will be responsible for four times as much, almost 18 tons, or 36,000 pounds of carbon dioxide this year, roughly a hundred pounds of carbon dioxide emissions for every day of the year.
While humans emit far less carbon dioxide than nature, the amount we emit exceeds the capacity of plants and oceans to absorb on top of the amount they’re already absorbing from natural sources. As a result, most of the carbon dioxide we emit remains in the atmosphere. Year over year, the atmospheric concentration of CO 2 creeps up. It will rise only half a percent in 2011, a seemingly tiny change. Yet tiny changes add up. Over the 50 years since 1960, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen nearly 25%. Since the start of the industrial revolution it has risen by 45%, putting it at a level not seen in millions of years.
New Drugs for Hepatitis C on the Horizon
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Some 3.2 million Americans have chronic hepatitis C , an infection that can linger in the body for years before producing symptoms. It can eventually lead to serious liver scarring and cancer. And most infections in the U.S. are the disease's particularly tough breed, known as genotype 1, which has a cure rate of less than 40 percent with the best current treatment. [More]
Is There A Genius Gene?: Implications of Genetic Engineering Explored in … – NewsReleaseWire.com (press release)
By Dr. Matthew Watson
NewsReleaseWire.com (press release) | Is There A Genius Gene?: Implications of Genetic Engineering Explored in ... NewsReleaseWire.com (press release) Paul refuses until Yates reveals Catherine was the prototype for his genetic engineering efforts--the original 'Frankenstein child' and claims she is actually his own daughter. He provides Paul with incontrovertible proof and Stephen threatens to ... |
Recent 52-Week High Exceeded in Shares of iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology Index (IBB) – Benzinga
By Dr. Matthew Watson
ETF Daily News (blog) | Recent 52-Week High Exceeded in Shares of iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology Index (IBB) Benzinga Shares of iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology Index (AMEX: IBB) traded at a new 52-week high today of $100.86. Approximately 59000 shares have traded hands today vs. average 30-day volume of 406000 shares. iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology Index is currently ... ISHARES NASDAQ BIOTECHNOLOGY INDEX'S SHARES CHANGING HANDS AT HIGHER PRICES ON ...Zacks.com |
‘Use of biotechnology vital for rapid agricultural uplift’ – The News International
By Dr. Matthew Watson
DAWN.com | 'Use of biotechnology vital for rapid agricultural uplift' The News International “The use of biotechnology is vital for rapid agricultural development and healthcare in the country, while the potential of biotech crops for the future is enormous”.This was the crux of the lecture delivered by Director International Centre for ... Biotech vital for rapid agriculture growthDAWN.com |
Biotechnology Stocks Advancing On Cephalon Takeover Offer – RTT News
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Sydney Morning Herald | Biotechnology Stocks Advancing On Cephalon Takeover Offer RTT News (RTTNews) - Biotechnology stocks have shown a strong upward move on Wednesday, with Cephalon (CEPH) leading the way higher after receiving a hostile takeover offer from Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX). The strength among biotech stocks is reflected by ... Analyst: Valeant might pay more than $5.7B for CephalonBizjournals.com (blog) Former OC Drug Maker Valeant Makes Waves With Hostile Bid for CephalonOrange County Business Journal |
Proactiveinvestors Completes First European Presentations with NeoStem and International Stem Cell Corp
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Proactiveinvestors completed its first investor forums in mainland Europe, in partnership with Milestone Media, last week, hosting presentations in Zurich and Munich with US listed companies NeoStem (AMEX:NBS) and International Stem Cell Corporation (OTC:ISCO).
Both investor forums were a great success, with notable attendees including Infidar Investment Advisory, BB Bellevue Asset Management, Centrum Bank, Taylor Wessing, BVMW and UBS Global Asset Management.
NeoStem’s CEO and Chairman Robin Smith updated investors on the company’s adult stem cell operations in the U.S., network of adult stem cell therapeutic providers in China, and recent acquisition of a 51% interest in a profitable Chinese generic pharmaceutical manufacturing company.
The company is focused on accelerating the development of proprietary cellular therapies and becoming a single source for collection, storage, manufacturing, therapeutic development and transportation of cells for cell based medicine and regenerative science globally.
NeoStem was recently given an initial "outperform" rating from US equity research firm Cowen, based on recent acquisitions and tie ups strengthening the company's adult stem cell banking capabilities.
Ken Aldrich, Chairman and Co-Founder of International Stem Cell Corporation also had plenty to introduce to European audiences. The California-based biotechnology company is focused on the therapeutic applications of human stem cells and the development and commercialization of cell-based research and cosmetic products.
The company’s core technology, Parthenogenesis, results in creation of pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized oocytes. This technique avoids ethical issues associated with the use or destruction of viable human embryos and can be a source of therapeutic cells that minimize or eliminate immune rejection after transplantation into the patient.
What do Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL) mean?
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Opposite to good carbohydrate (= "Slow Carbs”), bad carbohydrates – in neo-German also known as “Fast Carbs“ – cause the blood sugar level to rise quickly.
The faster – and thus the higher concentrated – carbohydrates are, the more insulin our body will produce in order to lower the blood sugar level.
As a consequence thereof, the blood sugar level will drop below normal, the appetite – in particular for sweets – will increase, and fat burning will be restricted during this «insulin fattening».
Therefore, GI and GL were invented, to facilitate distinction between «bad» and «good» carbohydrates.
Glycemic Index (GI)
The glycemic index – in short GI – is exclusively applied to foods containing carbohydrates. The GI does not rate foodstuffs with respect to their carbohydrate content but provides figures on their respective blood sugar level increasing effects. Read more...
After Meteoric Run-Up, Prana Biotechnology (PRAN) Sells Stock – StreetInsider.com (subscription)
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Everything Gold (blog) | After Meteoric Run-Up, Prana Biotechnology (PRAN) Sells Stock StreetInsider.com (subscription) After skyrocketing 150 percent over the past two sessions, Prana Biotechnology Ltd. (Nasdaq: PRAN) is down 13 percent in pre-open action after announcing plans to raise $6.2 million in a private placement. Under the terms of the offering, ... Small Cap Biotech Wakes UpWall Street Pit Prana shines in drug-stock tradingMarketWatch SHARES OF PRANA BIOTECH UP ALMOST 50% (PRAN)Zacks.com TheStreet.com (blog) -Investor's Business Daily -Barron's all 36 news articles » |
Smaller, cheaper, faster: Does Moore’s law apply to solar cells?
By Dr. Matthew Watson
The sun strikes every square meter of our planet with more than 1,360 watts of power. Half of that energy is absorbed by the atmosphere or reflected back into space. 700 watts of power, on average, reaches Earth’s surface. Summed across the half of the Earth that the sun is shining on, that is 89 petawatts of power. By comparison, all of human civilization uses around 15 terrawatts of power, or one six-thousandth as much. In 14 and a half seconds, the sun provides as much energy to Earth as humanity uses in a day.
The numbers are staggering and surprising. In 88 minutes, the sun provides 470 exajoules of energy, as much energy as humanity consumes in a year. In 112 hours – less than five days – it provides 36 zettajoules of energy – as much energy as is contained in all proven reserves of oil, coal, and natural gas on this planet.
Law of the land can help or destroy the Pharmacovigilance system
By Dr. Matthew Watson
U.S. Supreme Court, ruling allows shareholders to sue Pharma and biotechnology companies for failing to report adverse drug events/ dangerous side effects.
Maker of homeopathic remedies Matrixx Initiatives, was sued by investors once it came to know their marketed nasal spray linked to a string of instances in which people using the treatment lost their sense of smell. The adverse events were reported back to the company by several medical professionals and patients, but never amounted to a statistically significant group. Matrixx argued it wasn’t responsible for reporting scattered and unreliable anecdotal evidence of adverse events. But the supremed court said No
Compare that to the Indian Law System
Madras High Court in India allowed a stay on immediate withdrawal of drugs banned due to Severe Side Effects. The pediatric doses of pain reliever nimesulide and anti-cold medicine phenylpropanolamine banned in market due to harmful side effects, Indian Drugs Manufacturers Association & Confederation of Indian Pharmaceutical Industries put revenue loss to industry above safety of patients & managed to get a reversal of the ban.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/hc-stayimmediate-withdrawalbanned-drugs/429458/
Gorillas need greens, not processed food
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
The leading cause of death for male gorillas in zoos is heart disease. Sadly, animals that live in close contact with (and fed by) humans end up with human chronic diseases.
Gorillas are the largest of the primates, and they are one of the four species of great apes (great apes make up the Hominidae superfamily, which includes chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, and gorillas). Following chimpanzees, gorillas are the closest living relatives to humans, differing in only about 3% of our genetic makeup.
Gorillas are herbivores that live in the forests of central Africa, where they can eat up to 50 pounds of vegetation each day, mostly leaves and fruit. Although most gorillas have a preference for fruit, they also eat large amounts of leaves, plus herbs and bamboo, and occasionally insects. In the wild, gorillas spend most of their day foraging and eating.1
In the wild, gorillas eat an extremely high fiber diet, and derive a significant proportion of caloric energy from the fermentation of fiber by bacteria in the colon, producing short-chain fatty acids. The approximate proportions of macronutrients in a wild gorilla’s diet is 2.5% of calories from fat, 24.3% from protein, 15.8% (non-fiber) carbohydrate, and up to 57.3% from short chain fatty acids derived from bacterial fermentation of fiber.2
In contrast, the standard diet for gorillas in captivity is usually not made up of natural leaves, herbs, and fruits – it is a diet of nutrient-fortified, high-sugar, high-starch processed food. Read more...
Immunice for Immune Support
Being just overweight, not obese, still shortens lifespan
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Deana Ferreri, Ph.D.
It is becoming more widely known that obesity can lead to a premature death – but what about those who fall in between healthy weight and obese? A new study suggests that even “a few extra pounds” can be dangerous.
This comes just a few months after a large study that concluded that waist circumference was associated with risk of death from all causes. These two studies used different methods of measurement, but they agree on a very important point – even a small amount of excess weight increases the risk of death. In the waist circumference study, even people who had a normal body mass index (BMI; calculated based on height and weight) were at greater risk of death if they had a 4-inch larger waist compared to others in their BMI category – that four extra inches of abdominal fat translated into a 16% (men) and 25% (women) increase in mortality risk over a nine year period. Read more...
Ayurtox for Body Detoxification
Fixodent denture cream can cause nerve damage, says report
By Dr. Matthew Watson
A recent ABC News investigation has identified a connection between the use of the popular denture cream Fixodent and permanent neurological disorders. Some Fixodent users allege that regular use of the cream has caused them to develop serious, debilitating nerve damage, which has sparked a class-action lawsuit against Proctor and Gamble (P&G), the maker of Fixodent.
"I started getting tingling in my fingertips," said Mark Jacoby, a Fixodent victim, to ABC News' 20/20 anchor Chris Cuomo. "I started getting weaker and, you know, I couldn't walk right, off balance and I'm at this point now."
The Fixodent ingredient in question is zinc, which unless taken along with copper, can rob the body of the necessary mineral over time and cause irreversible nerve damage. And since denture users affix zinc-containing creams to their gums every single day, their long-term absorption rates of zinc are much higher than normal than an average person's. Read more...
To Partner, or Not to Partner: Exploring the New Paradigm in Biotechnology … – Minyanville.com
By Dr. Matthew Watson
Minyanville.com | To Partner, or Not to Partner: Exploring the New Paradigm in Biotechnology ... Minyanville.com Traditional wisdom holds that biotechnology companies benefit from collaborations with their larger pharmaceutical peers. But the industry has changed. Editor's note: This article was originally published at ... To Partner or Not to Partner: That is the QuestionSeeking Alpha |
Spectrum Pharma Shares Hit New High on Q4 Results – International Business Times
By Dr. Matthew Watson
International Business Times | Spectrum Pharma Shares Hit New High on Q4 Results International Business Times The Irvine, California-based biotechnology company reported fourth quarter earnings of $4 million or 8 cents a share, down from $10 million or 20 cents a share last year. The quarterly results included, among other things, loss related to change in ... Spectrum Pharmaceuticals to Present at the 23rd Annual ROTH OC Growth Stock ...Business Wire (press release) Spectrum Pharma Q4 Profit Drops - UpdateRTT News |
Call for smokers to be offered cancer risk test – New Zealand Herald
By Dr. Matthew Watson
TopNews New Zealand | Call for smokers to be offered cancer risk test New Zealand Herald Auckland University Associate Professor of Medicine and Molecular Genetics Robert Young has called for a test where smokers can find out if they have a moderate, high or very high risk of cancer to be widely available. He was making a submission on the ... A Test to Detect Cancer Risk in SmokersTopNews New Zealand |
A New Colon Cancer Project Worth €25.8 million – TopNews New Zealand
By Dr. Matthew Watson
TopNews New Zealand | A New Colon Cancer Project Worth €25.8 million TopNews New Zealand A new five-year project to develop and evaluate new biomarkers for colon cancer has been launched by OncoTrack and managed by Bayer and the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics. The project will aim at developing personalized medicine for the ... OncoTrack Consortium Launches $35.6M Colon Cancer InitiativeGenomeWeb Daily News OncoTrack: A new International consortium launches project in the area of ...The FINANCIAL Bayer leads massive industry/academia consortium for colon cancer researchThe Pharma Letter Zenopa all 7 news articles » |
Clinical Research Sites Struggle With Increasing Trial Complexity yet most depend on, Google (or other search sites) as the primary information tool
By Dr. Matthew Watson
A new survey of 500+ clinical research site professionals outlines the impact of complex, clinical trials in clinical trial sites. The survey focused on 3-year trial trends and found key challenges in subject recruitment/retention and tracking and reporting data. Increased complexity also impacted trial financials– especially negotiating contracts and managing profitability.
The December, 2010 survey was conducted among investigators, study coordinators and other clinical site professionals from large organizations, such as Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins, hospitals like Rush Presbyterian and the Hospital for Sick Children, as well as multi-specialty and private practices. Clinical Research Site Training (CRST), conducted the survey.
Analysis of the survey findings shows that
- 66% of large organizations report an increase in trials conducted
- 60% of trial sites report increasing difficulty in managing trial profitability
- 40% report increasing difficulty in recruiting and retaining subjects
- Training remains a major issue, even though over 50% report an increase in training
- 80%+ of nurses want more QA training
- 60%+ of all respondents want more FDA Audits training
The survey also explored sites’ Web use for work information. In spite of increased specialized Web content about the clinical research site “world”, awareness and usage were both relatively low.
- Google (or other search sites) was the primary information tool
- Only the NIH and Clinical Trial Network sites have over 50% awareness among all site professionals
- Usage of major specialized sites averaged less than 40% for nurses and less than 20% for doctors
CRST suggest that clinical research sites should:
- Increase training on financial management, site QA, subject recruitment/retention and FDA inspections;
- Manage the convergence of increased and more complex trials by improving both new staff recruitment and experienced staff retention;
- Reach out on the Web for new/improved ways of working from both formal information sites and clinical research site communities.”
Full results of the survey are available on the CRST website http://www.crstnet.com
Contacts
CRST
Lester Levine, 484-798-7503
President
Fax: 215-477-2522
lester.levine@crstnet.com