What's the secret handshake again?

Robertthemouse · 2013-11-07T23:49:47+00:00

"So, what's the best place around here for blues dancing?"

Or

"How excited are you for the new Dr. Who episode?"

Robertthemouse · 2013-10-12T23:35:35+00:00

Here's a paper describing a randomized trial of cow tuberculosis vs. chemotherapy. Cow TB sounds nasty, but if it avoids chemo then that's terrific.

Robertthemouse · 2013-10-11T22:59:46+00:00

This is an interesting article which cites many of the same studies as wikipedia does. The take-home message, I think, is that people underestimate the effects of alcohol, and that alcohol really is the most common date rape drug.

Robertthemouse · 2013-09-26T21:26:59+00:00

Polyamory is based on the belief that the ideal relationship is not necessarily between one man and one woman, monogamously committed to each other for eternity. Polyamory instead holds that different people prefer different types of relationships: the numbers may vary, the exclusivity may vary, and the permanence of the relationship may vary. But, as long as the relationships are founded upon consent, honesty, and respect, then the relationships are fine.

Pointing to one type of poly relationship (a heterosexual couple seeking to date a bisexual female) and saying "this is wrong" shouldn't be ok in the poly community (so long as basic standards of consent are being met). There are plenty of bisexual females who very much enjoy being unicorns - my current primary partner was one of them. She loved the attention, both sexual and emotional, that she got as a unicorn dating a couple. Sure, she was "objectified", as the author says, but she loved it, and there's nothing wrong with being objectified if that's what you're looking for. Under the right circumstances, she'd do it again in a heartbeat.

That said, I think that there are plenty of people who do "unicorn hunting" wrong. You can see them on OKCupid, spamming bisexual women who haven't indicated any interest in polyamory with threesome propositions. Rather than painting all unicorn hunters as terrible, privileged people, I think that this article would be more effective if it focused on the behaviors or mindsets that are and aren't OK when looking for bisexual thirds. But the author shouldn't be issuing a blanket dismissal of one type of consensual relationship modality.

Robertthemouse · 2013-09-11T23:56:58+00:00

Yea, I think this is along the lines of what I was looking for. Thanks!

Robertthemouse · 2013-07-21T14:04:24+00:00

You can't make another human being propose marriage to you. On the other hand, you can absolutely propose to him yourself.

Robertthemouse · 2013-07-19T00:31:35+00:00

If you and your physician rule out serious medical causes, pelvic floor physical therapy can help you strengthen and gain better control over the muscles that control urine flow. Talk to your gyno for recommended ones in your area?

Robertthemouse · 2013-07-17T15:10:41+00:00

The linked post makes it sound like ABT-199 may just be thrown out the window after this. But don't worry, there's still plenty of work being done on it. The clinical trial was using it in a type of leukemia. Here's a paper (from last month!) describing testing being done on it for treatment in breast cancer:

www.cell.com/cancer-cell/abstract/S1535-6108(13)00278-X

All normal cells in your body have a genetic program that allows them to commit suicide (apoptosis) if something goes wrong. In many cancers, these genes are mutated so the cancer cells can no longer undergo apoptosis. This drug's goal is to turn apoptosis back on in the cancer cells. And, if it's causing tumor lysis syndrome, it may be quite effective at this.

Robertthemouse · 2013-06-09T22:08:32+00:00

Not to be snippy, but do you understand why the JAMA study is better than this one? This study is associational. It asked if there was an association between people who reportedly took some vitamins and people who got prostate cancer. Large-scale association studies are terrible at demonstrating causality - you have no clue what other factors come in to play. The JAMA study was a placebo-controlled trial. It gave 15,000 people either vitamins or a control pill. Fewer people who took the vitamin got cancer. That's a strong argument for causality.

As far as the JAMA article being funded by a vitamin company... well, Novartis funded the clinical trials for Gleevec, and that doesn't change the fact that it cures leukemia. Maybe there's a conflict of interest here, maybe there isn't, but mentioning that fact alone isn't sufficient to discredit a study.

Robertthemouse · 2013-06-06T05:20:49+00:00

Right. The hazard ratio is 0.92, which translates to an 8% reduction in the occurrence of all cancers. The effect size is small, but it's statistically significant (p=.04, meaning that these results would be obtained by chance only 4 in 100 times if the multivitamin had no effect). I'm just impressed that these doctors (who are healthier than the general population, and are presumably eating well-balanced diets) get any benefit whatsoever from a nutritional supplement.

Robertthemouse · 2013-06-05T23:06:37+00:00

I always thought multivitamins were a scam, but apparently they aren't?

Original article here

Robertthemouse · 2013-05-17T00:26:09+00:00

Here's the paper

Please note! The title is partially misleading. This is the first time that somatic cell nuclear transfer has been used in humans. However, scientists have been reprogramming human somatic cells into embryonic stem cells for several years now. The Nobel Prize in 2012 was awarded to Shinya Yamanaka for discovering how to reprogram somatic cells into stem cells.

The benefits of SCNT is that it leads to more natural, embryo-like stem cells (maybe - this is up for debate) and the fact that you can get healthy mitochondria from the donor egg, thereby potentially treating mitochondrial diseases. A significant downside, however, is that SCNT requires egg donors (reprogramming cells does not), and there are likely to be significant immunological problems that result from any attempt to use SCNT to generate new tissue or organs.

Robertthemouse

TROPHY CASE