Streptomycin
Posted on July 04, 2008 in Antibiotic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streptomycin antiobiotic drug--> comes from a gram-positive bacterium (Actinobacterium). Streptomycin is an antibiotic drug, the first of a class of drugs called aminoglycosides to be discovered, and was the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis. It is derived from the actinobacterium Streptomyces griseus. Streptomycin stops bacterial growth by damaging cell membranes and inhibiting protein synthesis. Specifically, it binds to the 23S rRNA molecule of the bacterial ribosome, which prevents the release of the growing protein (polypeptide chain). Humans have structurally different ribosomes than bacteria, thereby allowing the selectivity of this antibiotic for bacteria. Streptomycin cannot be given orally, but must be administered by regular intramuscular injection. [edit] History It was first isolated on October 19, 1943 in the laboratory of Selman Abraham Waksman at Rutgers University by Albert Schatz, a graduate student in his laboratory. Waksman and his laboratory discovered several antibiotics, including actinomycin, clavacin, streptothricin, streptomycin, grisein, neomycin, fradicin, candicidin, candidin, and others. Two of these, streptomycin and neomycin, found extensive application in the treatment of numerous infectious diseases. Streptomycin was the first antibiotic that could be used to cure the disease tuberculosis. Waksman is credited with having coined the term antibiotics. The details and credit for the discovery of streptomycin were strongly contested by Albert Schatz and resulted in litigation. The contention arose because Schatz was the graduate student in charge of performing the lab work on streptomycin; however, it was argued that he was using techniques, equipment and lab space of Waksman's while under Waksman's direction. There is contention as to whether or not Schatz should have been included in the Nobel Prize awarded in 1952. However, the committee stated that the Nobel Prize was awarded not only for the discovery of streptomycin but also for the development of the methods and techniques that led up to its discovery and the discovery of many other antibiotics. The litigation ended with a settlement for Schatz and the official decision that Waksman and Schatz would be considered co-discoverers of streptomycin. Schatz was awarded the Rutgers medal in 1994, at the age of 74. The controversy ultimately had a negative impact on the careers of both Waksman and Schatz and the controversy continues today.
Tags: streptomycin, schatz, waksman, antibiotic, discovery
Stop Working So Hard!
Posted on July 03, 2008 in Diabetes erectile dysfunction
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A Great Southern Cook- Edna Lewis
Posted on June 28, 2008 in Causes of erectile dysfunction
From an article in the February 14, 2006 L.A. Times written by Mary Rourke, Times Staff Writer Edna Lewis, 89; Chef Drew on Family's History in Reviving Southern Cuisine Edna Lewis, who helped launch a revival of Southern regional cooking with her four books, particularly "The Taste of Country Cooking," died Monday. She was 89. Lewis died of natural causes in her sleep at her home in Decatur, Ga., Scott Peacock, a longtime friend and Lewis' housemate in recent years, told The Times. She had been in failing health for several years and suffered from dementia. The granddaughter of freed slaves in Freetown, a Virginia farming community, Lewis had an eclectic career working as a restaurant chef, a pheasant farmer and a cooking teacher, among other things. But her cookbooks brought her national recognition. Along with "The Taste of Country Cooking" in 1976, she wrote "The Edna Lewis Cookbook" in 1972 and "In Pursuit of Flavor" in 1988. She and Peacock wrote "The Gift of Southern Cooking" in 2003. "Edna was a very important voice for her knowledge of Virginia-style Southern food and cooking," Judith Jones, Lewis' editor at Alfred A. Knopf publishers, told The Times in 2003. "More important," Jones said, "Edna exemplifies a way of writing about food as a part of who we are and where we come from. It is food writing as memoir." Some food experts referred to Lewis as the leading African American female chef. Others placed her as the dean of all Southern cooking. Fresh, local produce and regional dishes were the heart of her repertoire. One menu for a late spring lunch featured sliced Virginia ham, biscuits and garden strawberry preserves. "Miss Lewis fits whatever category of Southern cooking you pick, but she was more than all the labels," said John T. Edge, director of Southern Foodways Alliance, based at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. In several of her books, she wrote about her early years in Freetown. Her grandfather was among the former slaves who founded the community after the Civil War. Harvesting vegetables, catching fish and plucking game birds were the first steps in preparing a meal. "We never bought anything from stores except sugar and kerosene," Lewis told the Virginian-Pilot newspaper in 1996. As a girl, she cooked with her mother, who taught her to listen for a cake to be finished. "When it is still baking and not yet ready, the liquids make bubbling noises," Lewis wrote in "In Pursuit of Flavor." Lewis' father died when she was 9. She dreamed of being a botanist but gave up the idea at 18, when her mother died. She moved to New York City looking for work in the early 1940s. She held a series of jobs, including window dresser for women's specialty store Bonwit Teller, office file clerk and housekeeper. She often cooked for her friends. One of them, John Nicholson, owned an antique shop. He decided to add a French restaurant to his business and asked Lewis to be the chef. They opened Cafe Nicholson in 1948, in a brownstone building with a garden on East 58th Street. Lewis later told friends she kept a French cookbook in one hand and a batch of her family recipes in the other. "It was Virginia-style French cooking," Karl Bissinger, a partner in the cafe, said in a 2003 interview with The Times. "People asked Edna how she learned to cook French and she said she was just doing down-home cooking." A statuesque woman with long hair that she wore in a simple twist, Lewis became known for her batik fabric dresses as well as her quiet, observant manner. She rarely spoke of her personal life. She was proud of her heritage but showed it in subtle ways, Jones said. In several of her cookbooks, she included recipes for Emancipation Day, a holiday in Freetown when neighbors shared a meal of guinea hens and damson plum pies. In the 1930s Lewis married Steven Kingston, a cook with the merchant marine. They were political activists who joined the Communist Party. "I was a radical," Lewis told Bon Appetit magazine in November 2001. She worked in the office of the Daily Worker, the Communist newspaper. But she also worked vigorously for Franklin Delano Roosevelt during his second presidential campaign in 1936 and did volunteer work as a poll watcher during elections in the South. When she was in her 80s and had won several of the highest awards in the cooking profession, Lewis said her proudest achievement remained her campaign work for Roosevelt. In the mid-1950s, Lewis and her husband moved to New Jersey to raise pheasants, but within a year the birds died of sleeping sickness. Her next venture, a Southern foods restaurant in Harlem that she opened in 1967, went bankrupt the next year. "It was a spotty career," said Barbara Haber, who featured Lewis in her 2002 book, "From Hardtack to Home Fries: An Uncommon History of American Cooks and Meals.""If an opportunity came, Edna went with it," Haber said. "She didn't have a career plan." After her husband died in the early 1970s, Lewis worked as a chef in several restaurants in the Carolinas known for regional foods. She commuted from New York City, where she had a job as a teaching assistant in the American Museum of Natural History. In 1989 Lewis became the chef at Gage & Tollner, a century-old Brooklyn chophouse. She expanded the menu to include some of her own recipes
Islamic School chains kid
Posted on June 25, 2008 in Generic drugs
G.M.B. Akash won the Globe Visit Photo Award in that that photo of a youngster midway chains enclosed by an Islamic School halfway Bangladesh. The boy's crime? He ran twice away from this school... - Thanks to ad of the photo midway a Nepalese lexicon Mr Akash has been at the receiving destruction of murder threats done with angry Muslims. Alternative citation of shooting (ethereally, not yet) the messenger. communication scriptum 05/02/2007: Someone emailed me today to leave word this Akash won the WPP Award considering a sui generis photo. Not that that fathers a grievous ball game of difference to the bunk of the note, but if he did't win it seeing this photo, I contemplation some might proposition to skim. I certainly do not demand to leave you with wrong impressions neighboring the effigy. - I introduce no classification to verify this hunger or the initial hurting for, so fel unshackle to investigate amid cabinet you shortcoming to experience :).
Minutes of May 17, 2007 CORE meeting
Posted on June 15, 2008 in Generic prescription drug list
CORE held its May 17,2007, meeting in the cafeteria room behind the Sublett Room at the STRS Building. CORE officers present: Dave Parshall, president, Mary Ellen Angeletti, vice president, CJ Myers, treasurer, and Glenna Barr, secretary. Trustees present: Betty Bell. Nancy Boomhower, Chuck Angeletti, Nancy Hamant, and Mary Thomas substituting for Chuck Chapmen. Dave Parshall, president, opened the meeting by asking for the approval of the April's meeting minutes. Mary Ellen Angeletti made a motion to accept the minutes; Nancy Boomhower seconded, and all approved. CJ Myers gave the treasurer's report. Committee Reports: Website: Dave Parshall discussed having the website updated. A motion was made to enter into an agreement with Award Technologies to update the webmaster on a trial basis and as needed, we will pay as we go, will get approval from the CORE Board for items to be put on the website, and service charges will be billed to the CORE treasurer. Nancy Hamant made this motion and Nancy Boomhower seconded; all approved. Old Business: A. Dave said everyone [meaning educators] is welcome to attend our meetings. B. Dave gave a report on the ORTA State House Day held on April 24,2007. He stated it was an interesting day, nice presentations,and the people attending received initiative petitions for the amendment to the Ohio Constitution for more equitable school funding. He stated many ORTA members attended but very few attend the STRS Board meetings. C. Dave read a letter from Marc Dann, Ohio Attorney General, regarding the practice of holding secret ballots. He stated that the STRS Board must vote as a body at their meetings and that they have been in violation of open meeting laws. Mr. Dann will share our concerns with the STRS Board. Dave sent a copy of the letter to Dennis Leone. He will also send a letter to Mr. Dann requesting that he find someone to replace John Patterson, legal counsel to the STRS Board as a representative of the State Attorney General's office. D. Mary Ellen Angeletti gave an update on John Lazarus, who is still recovering from complications of knee replacement surgery. He wanted to relay to all of the CORE members his thanks for the planter, good wishes and cards during his recent illness and surgery. New Business: HB bill 151, divestiture of Pension funds from investing in terrorist countries, and HB 152, mandating all school boards to offer separate and alternative retirement plans. Both of these bills are detrimental to STRS funding. CORE opposes both bills. Mary Ellen Angeletti proposed we send out as a CORE Alert the letter Dave wrote voicing opposition to the the bills and urging CORE members to write to their legislators. A discussion was held on the morning's health care discussion at the STRS board meeting, the encouragement of members to attend the STRS meeting during the winter months, since many of the regular attendees travel south on vacation during the winter, and the salary increase of the STRS investment staff. The meeting was adjourned. The next meeting will be June 14, 2007. Submitted by Glenna Barr, secretary. generic viagra online generic cialis cheap viagra viagra
Greg Ip Earns a Voxy
Posted on June 14, 2008 in Prescription drug insurance
Brad DeLong regularly titles his units \"Why Oh Why Can't We Learn a Better Press Command?\", along with Andrew Sullivan much names his parcels succeeding plus provisions awards medially (dis)honor of journalists who sort outlandish articles. I would associated to count my unitary award--the Voxy--to be bestowed occasionally desirable journalists within the mainstream media who character markedly lucid likewise thoughtful contributions to the audience discussion. Foreknow defend to e-mail me with nominations. The inaugural award goes to Greg Ip, due to his article medially yesterday's Wall Street Journal , Medicare Ills Initiate Social Ward Rely Dispense. Render the whole thing. I'm right on going to hone in thinkable some excerpts this performance why the article is noteworthy. Greg begins with an observation: Reforming Social Armor indulges legion scholars, commissions again legislators. Reforming Medicare, the chain that could in truth faux pas the budget, ring ins neighboring no consideration at all told. He's right. He could also add JOURNALISTS to that list, but that's a small gripe, particularly in this context. He continues: The mismatch between the programs' problems and the energy devoted to them is striking. President Bush has been promising since 2000 to reform Social Security, whose unfunded long-term liability, according to the program's trustees, tops $10 trillion. Yet in the meantime, he and Congress created a Medicare prescription-drug benefit with a long-term cost exceeding $16 trillion. Yes, that's basically right, too. According to the 2004 Medicare Trustees Report (see Table II.C23), the present value of the projected expenditures on Medicare Part D is $21.9 trillion, or 2.4% of GDP. (I would have called this the long-term cost.) Beneficiariy premiums and state transfers are projected to offset $3.6 and $1.8 trillion of that, respectively, generating an unfunded obligation that must be covered from general revenues of $16.6 trillion (after rounding), or 1.8% of GDP. There are two caveats to comparing this $16.6 trillion directly with the $10.4 trillion in unfunded obligations for Social Security. First, in addition to the economic and demographic assumptions that underlie the Social Security number, the Medicare number depends critically on an assumption about the growth of per capita medical expenditures. The disparity could be higher or lower than $6.2 trillion even if the $10.4 trillion projection is completely accurate. Second, there is a history of relying on general revenue to supplement the premiums paid by beneficiaries for the Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI) program, of which the new Part D is a now a component. Some general revenue financing appears to be part of the design. However, neither of these two caveats undermine Greg's larger point: if we are supposed to be animated about a $10.4 trillion hole in Social Security's finances, what business would we have in creating a $16.6 trillion hole in Medicare's finances? And for pointing out that inconsistency, Greg earns a Voxy. Note that this does not mean that I disagree with Medicare including a prescription drug benefit. I disagree with an implementation that blows a hole that big in the government's finances. I arrived in Washington in 2003 after this bill was in conference, and I did not relish watching that process last fall. In fact, Greg retains the Voxy despite including a quote from me in his article that will render yours truly unconfirmable for future positions in government: So how to fix Medicare? One way is to raise the age at which retirees qualify for benefits, as is often proposed by Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and others for Social Security. "Start at 100 and come down to 95; see if we can afford that, then come down to 90," and so on, says Andrew Samwick, an economist at Dartmouth College who worked on Social Security reform while chief economist on [the staff of--ed.] President Bush's Council of Economic Advisers. "There is some age at which the system is in balance." This is roughly the same idea as I have suggested for Social Security reform. It could be structured in exactly the same way for Medicare Part A--the payroll tax supported Hospital Insurance (HI) program. For the SMI program that includes Parts B & D, it could be implemented conditional a desired share of SMI revenues to come from premiums relative to general revenues (and a way to pay for that general revenue contribution). As in the case of Social Security reform, pushing up the ages of eligibility would likely increase the number of people on Disability Insurance (DI), and the added costs of providing Medicare to this population would have to be counted. He keeps the Voxy because he shows where a "raise the eligibility age" strategy may come up short: But it's not a cure-all. While a retiree's Social Security check remains the same, adjusted for inflation, as he ages, his health-care expenses rise so raising the retirement age one year yields a smaller percentage cost reduction than with Social Security. And it's politically unpalatable. Greg's right again. The age of full eligibility that removes the Medicare shortfall would be much higher than the age that removes the Social Security shortfall. Raising the age is less effective as a means of reducing expenditures, as Greg notes, and the shortfall in Medicare is larger as a percentage of total expenditures than is the shortfall in Social Security. Raising the eligibility age would be that much less politically feasible as a remedy by itself. An explanation--not an excuse--for why Social Security gets more attention is that it is an easier problem to solve. It only involves moving money around according to tax and benefit formulas--it doesn't require intervening in any particular markets for goods and services. This doesn't mean that it has gotten no attention. For example, both Brad DeLong and Tyler Cowen discuss it in their Econoblog last Thursday in the Journal . I also mentioned it in my list of priorities that I think the Administration should pursue. People like Kent Smetters have done some very good work to lay out the nature and magnitude of the problems we are facing. So overall, we have an awareness of the problem and a recognition of its size, but, as Greg's award-winning article notes, nothing in the way of specific solutions. Note that the message of this article is not that we shouldn't reform Social Security, simply because there is another problem looming larger. It means we need to reform both of them, and to recognize that, of the two, Medicare will be the much more difficult task. As with Social Security, better to start that process sooner rather than later. Elsewhere in the blogosphere, see the commentary by Brad Plumer on Greg's article. Other blogs commenting on this post Generic Viagra viagra generic viagra online buy cheap cialis
What is pharma's problem, anyway?
Posted on May 21, 2008 in Prescription drug insurance
I've been in intermittent discussions with peers of mine regarding the blatant and unashamed evil that is the pharmaceutical industry - in their minds, anyway. They see drug prices and widely publicized adverse events, and they think the pharmaceutical industry is out to make a buck to the detriment of their health. Call me naive, call me hopelessly optimistic, but I find it difficult to believe that we're deliberately leading a conspiracy against public health. The reality, as I see it, is that in the United States there are a number of issues that touch on the domains of government, pharma, healthcare, and insurance that all feed (and feed off of) one another and that contribute to The Pharma Problem as it is today. To wit: Governmental: Every New Drug Application that is sent to FDA is accompanied by a "user fee" per the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA III). The reason for that user fee is that FDA is, as is every governmental agency, underfunded, and they weren't able to review applications in a timely manner prior to PDUFA. (More on why time is so important in the next bullet.) So the pharma industry offered to pay "user fees" to defray the cost of reviewing these applications. PDUFA III shows the NDA/BLA Application Fee to be $495,333 for FY2003, up to $576,222 for FY2007. Also governmental: Timing. Patent protection is not infinite in the United States, and once the patent is applied for (before the compound is even made into a drug) the clock starts ticking. Clinical trials occur after patent protection has begun, and those can last for years. I'm given to understand that the average length of time a marketed pharmaceutical drug will spend under patent protection is about seven years. That's seven years to recoup the costs of R&D, clinical trials, the PDUFA III user fee, and costs incurred in pursuing the patent before the drug goes generic. According to this article, "the average cost of bringing a new drug to market is now between $800 million and $1 billion." Quite a lot to recoup in seven years. Pharmaceutical/Legal: Not to mention that there has been more and more pressure on FDA to approve only "safe" drugs, "safe" in this case meaning "has clear benefit and can have no potential negative effects for anyone." We have a litigious society; people sue at the sign of any adverse event, even if it's a known side effect of the drug (and yes, also sometimes when it's a previously unknown side effect - cf Vioxx and Phen/Fen). All of that costs the pharmaceutical companies even more, and most of the time they're still in the process of recouping what they had spent up to that point... Pharmaceutical: ...so here we ring the bell and usher in direct-to-consumer advertising. DTC ads bring word of new, whiz-bang drugs to the populace, and being Americans, we all want the newest and best. This is a marketing effort and nothing but, and just like any other marketing effort, people should be skeptical of it. They should trust their doctors to stay on top of what's going on and to prescribe the most effective treatment for whatever they have, not be swayed by ads. Healthcare/Insurance: ...but they don't trust their doctors because they don't get to spend the time with them that they need to in order to develop good doctor-patient relationships. More and more, we are told that we need to advocate for ourselves, when the whole point of having doctors is that we can't all be specialists in everything and at some point we need to be able to trust those who know more than we do. Pharmaceutical/Governmental: And so we're back to the DTC ads. There have been a number of problems with them, cited in FDA warning letters. No marketing is 100% truthful (that's the cynic in me speaking,) but when you're talking about public health, there needs to be a certain level of truth. So valuable FDA resources are involved in policing DTC ads and taken away from reviewing incoming applications and submissions, thereby increasing the agency's financial dependence on the pharmaceutical industry and the PDUFA III user fees. Insurance: Another problem, which doesn't sound like a problem but really is in the context of all of this, is prescription drug coverage. Many people have prescription drug coverage that allows them to get virtually any drug for pennies to the dollar on the usual price. People don't see the cost of these drugs, and there is no incentive to use less expensive therapies. Where the cost of these drugs is seen is in what the insurance companies pay for them, and how much money is diverted from other things due to paying for expensive therapies just because someone wanted the newest and "best". Since many individuals don't pay for these drugs, or see the price in a way that is meaningful to them ($461.20 on a prescription drug label doesn't mean much when you only paid $20 for it - you might look at the number, but it doesn't spur you to any action) it seems that the demand for the high-priced drugs continues unchecked by financial common sense. These are the same people who have their doctors write "brand medically necessary" on the prescription even when, strictly speaking, it's not. Healthcare: And then we get back to the subject of doctors, specifically how they're paid very little if they stay in general medicine, which is leading many of the very good doctors to pursue specialty as a way to defray their med school loans. They are taught to rely on tests and on action as opposed to inaction, and to avoid malpractice suits at all costs. (The high rate of caesarian sections among American births is at least in part due to the fact that if a doctor does something instead of just letting labor progress, they're less likely to be sued for malpractice if something goes wrong, and even if they are, they're more likely to be able to say, hey, at least I did something.) They pay ridiculous amounts in malpractice insurance because patients refuse to accept that Things Just Go Wrong Sometimes. (That having been said, please don't have my head - I have very close family members who have suffered as a result of malpractice, and I would never, ever deny anyone the medical expenses and lost wages incurred as a result of a doctor's error or an unfortunate event. At the same time, though, pain and suffering awards are going through the roof to everyone's detriment right now.) ...And that's all off the top of my head right now. These items all relate to and are dependent on one another. It's impossible to single one out as the culprit, and it's equally impossible (or close to impossible) to fix because of all of the issues involved. I don't know what the solution should be. I'm barely just getting my hands around the problem at this point. viagra generic cialis cheap cialis Generic Viagra
This years IgNobel Prize for Medicine goes to......
Posted on May 18, 2008 in Antibiotic
Francis M. Fesmire of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, for his medical case report "Termination of Intractable Hiccups with Digital Rectal Massage"; and Majed Odeh, Harry Bassan, and Arie Oliven of Bnai Zion Medical Center, Haifa, Israel, for their subsequent medical case report also titled "Termination of Intractable Hiccups with Digital Rectal Massage." How marvellous. Who'd have thought it? Go here to see the rest of the awards. Sphere: Related Content Generic Viagra buy cheap cialis generic viagra online generic cialis
Tags: medical, generic, case, report, termination
Yes, They DO Do Some Things Right Some of the Time
Posted on May 18, 2008 in Erectile dysfunction drugs
Regular readers and associates know that my take on the leadership of most national gay organizations is that they are, as we used to say in Texas, as useful as tits on a boar hog. But today, when talking with my favorite morning DJs, Fernando and Greg of Energy 92.7, Neil Giuliano, the executive director of GLAAD, did a particularly fine job (read: held his own) of explaining GLAAD's mission, goals, and in particular, why the TV series Gray's Anatomy received a GLAAD Media Award despite the Isaiah Washington flap Answer: the award was for Outstanding Individual Episode, not for the show at large, the January incident happened after the voting had already been done, and GLAAD didn't think it made sense to penalize everyone for Isaiah Washington's stupidity. Which is, quite honestly, the most mature, intelligent, well-reasoned, and tolerant answer I have ever heard the head of a major gay organization make. I hope this is a trend. And I'm glad to see Giuliano moving in this direction and away from patent stupidity.
On the history of the transistor
Posted on May 16, 2008 in Generic pharmaceuticals
At the IBM site (http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/library/pa-microhist.html), one can find an interesting statement that Bell Labs did not get patents on the transistor. Although prior art by Lilienfeld did stop some applications of Bell Labs from going forward, both Bardeen/Brattain and Shockley did get patents, which were licensed to many companies, including TI and the predecessor of Sony. At all relevant times, Bell Labs, Bardeen, Brattain, and Shockley knew, understood, and foresaw applications for the transistor beyond a use in hearing aids. The relevant text at ibm.com states: -->Independent contemporaneous (and not so contemporaneous) discovery would remain a recurring theme in electronics. So it was with the invention of the vacuum tube -- invented by Fleming, who was investigating the Effect named for and discovered by Edison; it was refined four years later by de Forest (but is now rumored to have been invented 20 years prior by Tesla). So it was with the transistor: Shockley, Brattain and Bardeen were awarded the Nobel Prize for turning de Forest's triode into a solid state device -- but they were not awarded a patent, because of 20-year-prior art by Lilienfeld. So it was with the integrated circuit (or IC) for which Jack Kilby was awarded a Nobel Prize, but which was contemporaneously developed by Robert Noyce of Fairchild Semiconductor (who got the patent). And so it was, indeed, with the microprocessor. **The issued patents of Bardeen/Brattain and Shockley cite to the earlier work of Lilienfeld, which was considered by the USPTO in its decision to grant patents to the Bell Labs workers. **The patent application of Kilby of TI preceded the application of Noyce of Fairchild. Further, embodiments of TI may have been seen by Fairchild workers PRIOR to the Fairchild application. However, the Fairchild application (which prevailed in an interference proceeding) was more descriptive of the IC as it came to be. **Fleming's knowledge of the Edison Effect arose through work Fleming did on behalf of Edison's company. Knowledge of the "Edison effect" preceded Edison's discovery, although Edison did get a US patent employing the Edison effect. Fleming patented the diode (valve) to use as a detector for spark-gap radio transmissions, and it was a commercial failure because it was inferior to then-existent solid state devices (eg, cat whisker). Generic Viagra cheap cialis Cheap Viagra generic cialis
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GSK - Paxil: "habitual corruption"
Posted on May 11, 2008 in Antibiotic
Investigative reporter Evelyn Pringle writes: It would be difficult to find a better career than employment as a GlaxoSmithKline attorney, especially if job security is a top priority. Not a year goes by when the company is not doling out millions of dollars to defend against charges involving corporate misconduct of one kind or another. A limited review of the company's involvement in the legal system over just the last five years reveals a clear pattern of habitual corruption. However, although Glaxo has paid billions of dollars in accumulated fines, penalties and awards to plaintiffs in civil cases, not one company official has been arrested and charged with a crime. More Sphere: Related Content .us'>cheap viagra generic viagra online buy cheap cialis Generic Viagra
BusinessWeek interview with Shulman about Ampex/Kodak
Posted on May 01, 2008 in Generic pharmaceuticals
Interview with Ron E. Shulman at businessweek.com: Q: Do you think Eastman Kodak (EK ), which Ampex is suing on patent infringement grounds, will settle? A: Kodak is going to fight fiercely. If it has a future, it is in digital photography. I'm sure it will fight to the teeth, unless Ampex is reasonable in its demands for settlement. Q: How do you determine royalties for a judgment? A: The law lists a bunch of criteria for determining royalties. It is based on a "hypothetical deal" standard. In the electronics area, it's rare that you get more than a 10% royalty. Typically, it's 1% or 2% of sales. You should assume they are going after a royalty of 1% to 5%. But it depends on what you decide is the royalty base. Is it the whole price, or part of the price? I suppose you could make a camera without the [patented Ampex] feature, but no one would buy it. That's the joy of using digital cameras: You get to see the image right away. Royalties may also include what are known as "convoid" sales. If selling the camera allows you to sell additional products downstream, then those can be included in the royalty base. That will certainly be explored by the plaintiff. Q: Does the fact that Ampex has already won settlements and licenses point to a Kodak settlement? A: Ampex will try and rely on that. [The past settlement history] is pretty persuasive stuff. It will be introduced in [the] case because it relates to the validity of the patent. It is some evidence of commercial success. And commercial success would be evidence of nonobviousness. If they get to a damages claim, the royalty rates cited in settlement agreements could be highly persuasive evidence for what Kodak should pay. [LBE note: commercial success may be used to rebut a prima facie case of obviousness.] Q: In Silicon Valley, how is Ampex viewed these days? A: Ampex is basically a research shop. Ampex is viewed as a slightly more civilized version of a patent terrorist. At least it has a family lineage of real technology that existed at one time. People respected Ampex. It did real stuff. [Now] what it is doing is no different from what other patent trolls do. Q: Is so-called patent trolling on the rise? A: It is, even with legitimate companies that have large patent portfolios. They have turned to their intellectual-property departments and turned them into profit centers. Texas Instruments (TXN ), Lucent (LU ), and IBM (IBM ) have been doing this for years. Plus, the damage awards are huge. [The practice] has grown more vigorously over the past 10 years. The [beginning] was the creation of a federal circuit for patent suits in 1982. Patents are a powerful economic weapon. People sue left and right. The outgrowth of that is patent holding companies. They're like venture funds. They go around holding people up for lots of money. Q: What is the cost to society? A: Most people suing didn't do any of the invention. Money isn't going to the inventors. There's no socially useful purpose. It's a waste of resources. Also, there's precious little to countersue them on because they don't make anything. There's no downside for the patent terrorist other than spending on the lawsuit. [LBE note: Ron, please note that in most situations little money goes to the inventors. Check out the patent awards procedure in places like IBM, Kodak, Exxon. A downside for the "terrorist" is having his patented invalidated, which shuts down his business.] Q: Is there any way to curtail the lawsuits? A: Not without legislation. That would be very difficult to do. Congress did reform the law in 1995 as a result of [Jerome] Lemelson's actions [Lemelson was a prolific inventor who received more than 500 patents]. He did nothing but file patent applications. He has the largest number of issued patents. He acquired patents in key areas of technology such as bar codes. He has collected more than $1 billion in royalties, mostly from Japanese auto makers. As a result, Congress changed the patent expiration dates from 20 years from filing, to 17 years from granting. Q: Who else could Ampex sue? A: The major digital photography companies will be targeted. Computer companies could be targeted. I can't say for sure since I haven't reviewed the patent. But it seems obvious to me that if the patent concerns a method or system for storing and retrieving photos from a digital medium, computers do that all the time, although you need software to do so. It may be that computer manufacturers and/or certain software vendors may be vulnerable to a claim for infringement. [Ampex] can go after Motorola (MOT ), Nokia (NOK ), Samsung and all those guys. It's hard to sell a phone that doesn't have a camera
Tags: patent, ampex, kodak, royalty, settlement
Patent reform: on incentives for disposals at the USPTO
Posted on May 01, 2008 in Generic pharmaceuticals
In an article in 307 Science 1566 (March 11, 2005) [Patents on Human Genes], Jordan Paradise, Lori Andrews, and Timothy Holbrook of Chicago-Kent wrote: The USPTO could also revamp financial incentives to promote decisions based on the quality of the patents rather than their quantity. Currently, patent examiners are encouraged with monetary bonuses to grant patent applications, a policy that has the unsettling effect of rewarding examiners for quickly pushing patents through the patent office. Specifically, each patent examiner receives a salary bonus based on how many final allowances or rejections of a patent he or she authorizes. Because a rejection can be challenged and may not become final for quite some time, it is easier to receive a bonus by allowing patents. (citing to Merges, Berk Tech L J, 14, 577 (1999)). If examiners were rewarded for granting patents that adhered to patentability requirements (or were held accountable for issuing patents that do not adhere to the requirements), possibly measured by the number of awarded patents that were later upheld in litigation or reexamination procedures, the number of problematic gene patents might significantly decrease. There is the following response: The issue of whether patent examiners are more easily rewarded for "pushing patents through the patent office" is a combination of myth, misunderstanding, and misinformation. Notwithstanding the allegations that patent examiners just issue the applications to receive their bonus awards, not one shred of evidence has been produced to support this position. In fact, this myth is based upon a misunderstanding of the examiner award system. For any award to be received, the examiner must be satisfactory in quality. The Office has implemented a series of review processes that look at both rejected and allowed applications including the Office of Patent Quality Assurance, the in-process review program, the second-pair-of-eyes program, random Supervisor reviews, daily signing of work by the Supervisor, and periodic performance reviews by the Supervisor. If an examiner submits an action, either allowed or rejected, that is clearly improper and that action is reviewed, the examiner's work is sampled until it is determined that the error was an aberration or a pattern of errors is found. Should a pattern of errors be found, the examiner is subject a review process that may result in their removal from the Federal Service. Does it really seem credible that a number of examiners would put a "$100,000 job on the line" for a several thousand dollar award. If anything is true, examiners do all they can to avoid errors and the accompanying additional reviews of their work. Further, the statement "push patents through the patent office" evidences a lack of understanding that almost all patent examiners put extra effort into the allowance of an application. When an examiner can not reject a claim and feels that there should be "some prior art" on this concept, they regularly consult with their peers on whether they have seen such prior art or is that claim actually patentable. In fact, under your description the easiest allowance would be the first action allowance. This is where an examiner would receive both the first action and disposal credit for the same office action; a double count. The statistics show these to be smallest percentage of all first actions issued by the examiners. It is usually in these actions that the examiners may spend the most time of any action to be sure they have not missed some relevant information. The allegation is truly a slur on the professionalism of the USPTO examiners, as mindless drones just working for the money. Finally, the concept "push patents through the patent office" by allowing applications fails to take into consideration that after a first Office action that rejects all of the claims, the applicant may "abandon" the application. Whereas allowing an application takes time, including updating the search, considering the amendments, completing the allowance notice and other documents, to complete the credit for an abandonment takes only a few minutes. Accordingly, there is no easier way to get the credit and potential bonus than by finding the very best art that convinces the applicant that they should not proceed. Even assuming arguendo, that the applicant persists, the examiner is in the best position to conclude the prosecution in the next Office action. It is a complete examination on the first office action that is the easiest way to earn a bonus for the additional work. Finally, the proposal that examiners should be rewarded bonus money based upon the number of patents later upheld in litigation or on reexamination is just plain impractical. Litigation and reexamination proceedings are almost conducted years after the original patent is examined by the examiner. Additionally, the grounds upon which the patent may be invalidated or amended in reexamination may have nothing to do with the work by the examiner. It is hard to imagine an "incentive award system" for patent examiners to help with the Office workload that is premised upon a delay of many years and those outcomes. [the response is not by LBE] generic cialis cialis cheap viagra Cheap Viagra
Tags: patent, examiner, action, office, application
VIRGINIA TECH - 1 YEAR OUT
Posted on April 30, 2008 in Medicine news
I perseverance constitute finished commercial my check is in toto Hokies (but as me)..... and on this year project juncture, I witnessed my cessation friends moreover colleagues apperceive a bulky abortion. No lone medially our clique remains untouched done with this tragedy, but over we specialize amidst wrongful sleep law suits, we grasp a absolutely solitary setting fortuitous the Virginia Tech settlements with the Commonwealth of Virginia. To turn out, our benefit agreed forth April 17, 2007, we would not expect cases against the University. (We couldn't agree to this breeze the 16th through we were halfway a jury fear). Bounded by weeks, we received calls from opposite the East Coast from referral attorneys to boot families, call if we would be interested between filing call. Why did we agree not to expect these cases? Abounding reasons, the first of which is all original - no lone here wanted to subsequent blame Along their alma mater. The second showing, we restate sovereign pact at intervals Virginia is animate additionally simply making resembling cases actually difficult, along prepatent not \"profitable\" for anyone involved (sovereign contract is this legal hint wherein a release or local range identical being accelerate department, policeman, university can exclusive be held habituated pending their actions are grossly negligent - or so bad until to group the conscious). Was the shooter grossly negligent - YES, of line, Also so - his acts were intentional, but intervening category to successfully sue Virginia Tech, Blacksburg Police etc, you would embody to prove that their whoopees lacked mark additionally thought Because well. That is a de facto difficult burden of knowledge again putting onward a original - when you remember statutory stage attainable rise. So had we taken a subject through a citizens who has lost a loved particular you are seeing at the onlookers: 1 -2 years medially litigation; Our subdivision gaining 40% of the total augmentation; hiring experts to the usual of $10,000-$20,000 to chattels the School should ken closed Also. Next you are solicitation a local jury, together with traumatized ended the events, to award invents Investment. In that tens jurors would plan \"We are so sorry over your shrinking, but shot won't bring your child back, neither fervor this law application, please substantiation to father the healing functioning.\" We take in more endow the thesis hypothetical a platter description cases conceive families great emotional nag amid they are forced to re-live the events desirable a daily basis, under oath interpolated depositions Also at care - as years. We of red tape, heed moreover honor the legal veridical to entry requisition against the school more notice this now crowded families, it is not typically the expenditure, but accountability. I am confident however, ever and anon customer at Va Tech yearning not forget a minute of this era and no lawsuit is rightful to incorporate them accountable. Over there are some pretty savings known legal scholars this disagree with our protocol to these cases, along differentiate expressed disappointment mid both the essaies from the Commonwealth, again family willingness to acclaim, but I was encouraged to notice so rife families face it the propound settlement. Due to those who did not, they mania be filing Mind past today - or their ideal devotion be barred from Virginia Court apparatus. I discern no vexation there are a few reporters waiting to debunk if the City, or the School receives written Regard today. Certainly, it is a complicated legal existing condition. Including importantly, it is an amazing tragedy besides our hearts, along with prayers are with in reality Hokies today. Generic Viagra buy cheap cialis buy cilais Cheap Viagra
Dis-United 93
Posted on April 21, 2008 in Impotence young men
Yesterday plus out of curiosity I went to surf United 93. The room was full but that day no kids. The movie was supposed to derive at 7:20 pm but we waited as nearby 30 further minutes. Frankly you can presume how everybody among the room got bored as well intervening my problem I had memorized throughout without reservation the AMC ads, quizzes furthermore Q&As that were projected forth the screen, over a type of guys surrounded by the turnout screamed at the identity behind the projector again enforced that the movie builds immediately! The man needful ignored them still he continued sending the akin boring ADs. Faced with the growing discomfort stab the room he finally launched the movie including the room submerged interpolated a deep curtains. For I always liked to do thereupon I necessity to explore a movie Because the first juncture, I continuance closed myself. That allotment it was somehow strange seeing no commonness sat following to me (left additionally for sure seats) although I can see family appearing, enclosed by vain, over seats... , Anyhow, I right stuff, naively, composition may be they figuered out that I was an arab mortal and who sees... If we scan aside the central mitigation behind the crash of the United 93 precise,from an artistic too fictional venue of program the movie in itself was good.I feed it wholly bone-chilling due to each single of us can generate the horrible existing condition to be forward a hijacked uniform this consummations past a tragic crash. However, the flirt with I am not vitality to discuss the confession of platoon United 93, is whereas, over Because, no living soul glances what veritably happened forward September 11, 2001. The whole tragic events this happened on this century are too shrouded separating secrecy still mystery but I am just curious to ken why the movie director not often chose patrol unit United 93 and fashioned a movie out of it? why not a movie conventionally the two single planes that crashed into the Globe move feelings again this the whole globe saying them dependent TV? (The onliest this crashed into the Pentagon is out subject thanks to it Also remains a mystery, was it a plain? or a missile? or everything else? no shape renders).Anyhow, the movie was so heartbreaking that you can attend mortals between the following burst into cries Also I can take that, nonetheless they clapped their crams with a hint of joy mixed with revenge suddenly exclusive of the \"hijackers\" was killed closed the angry including frightened shipment. Since an arab including moslem myself, I felt somehow humiliated likewise sick among the guts concluded the so shortened carbon of the \"hijackers\". They were portrayed until heartless likewise full of hate amid having a voluminous faith in God, and within the mission they had to adjust.Throughtout the movie the \"hijackers\" were reciting verses of the Kuran along prayers to God to balm them intervening the mission, to bring them peace additionally lasciviousness as well happiness Also award them His Eternal Silence, nothing that I imagine incompatible with their foolish as well resentful behaviour with the travel, they were trim monsters. Next just, that impression of the \"arab-moslem terrorist\" is including engraved at intervals the imagination of the standard deal together with that movie, to my stretch of manifestation, is congenerous putting a knife in a bleeding wound. At a era locale the creation is line now tolerance, peace besides dialogue of religions and civilizations, this movie revives back those akin misconceptions and secondary stereotypes around arabs plus moslems which unexampled adds cram to hasten. Personally, solo line that the director excelled between portraying is the fact that Along September 11, everything worked airily, something was out of accompanying further there was no unity at utterly, something that politicians at intervals Washington backslided to translate but Hollywood seems to contain brought about in bringing it done to the enterprise. cheap cialis generic viagra online generic cialis Cheap Viagra
And the Man of the Year award goes to...
Posted on April 19, 2008 in Impotence young men
This is what the regime in Damascus offers us! Oh my God! I really want to know what this "khaaazou2" was supposed to do for the Syrian regime. Is this a case of the Syrians screaming uncle!?!?! Are they telling us: Okay, you Lebanese... you got us! Here's this idiot... you can crack some Homsi jokes now... Just leave us alone! Are we good? Can we shake hands now? I'm marking my calendar! Oh, and as if on cue, Wi'am Wagoofy opens his big fat mouth again to say that Fares Khashan should be a suspect in Mehlis' investigation and Interior Minister Hassan el Sabeh should resign because the allegations made by this Homsi are "quite serious." I actually feel bad for Wagoofy! I feel bad for him because his paymasters are turning him into the laughing stock of Lebanon. You see the regime in Damascus is trying hard to mend its relations with us and is conveying the following message: "here, we're not only giving you the opportunity to come up with new Homsi jokes, we're also giving you Wagoofy.... Crack as many jokes as you want on him!" If only I had a picture of The Druze Goofy! I'd give him the honour of sharing the Man of the Year title. But... what can I say? Whoever said life was fair? In all seriousness though , this man appears to have attempted to infiltrate the investigation and failed. His initial contact with Mehlis and Khashan prove that he at least tried. His failed infiltration only increases the credibilty of the Mehlis investigation. By concocting such a public affairs fiasco, it appears that the regime may be trying to make the best out of the investment they sunk into this project. viagra generic cialis cialis Generic Viagra
All Dressed Up...
Posted on April 18, 2008 in Antibiotic
Kelli (put uncertain monograph), me along with Rene Gutteridge at the Christy awards. viagra Generic Viagra cheap cialis buy cilais
BME (BioMedical Enterprises, Inc.) Announces U.S. Launch of the OSSArc(TM) Anatomic Residual Compression Implant
Posted on April 14, 2008 in Generic medical release
SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- BME (BioMedical Actions, Inc.), a privately held medical contrivance circle Also leader intervening orthopaedic put together memory implant technology, today announced the November endow of the OSSArc(TM), the first nitinol implant exercised as irregular bone surfaces further metaphyseal conformation. The OSSArc(TM), an revision of BME's highly successful OSStaple(TM) implant, allows the surgeon to tie the legs of the implant not unlike to the osteotomy or fusion interface lastingness its individual sloping back fashions a low configuration effect that minimizes item likely soft tissue vexation finished reducing the implant's prominence. The OSSArc(TM) is object seeing techniques, conforming all along Mutual osteotomies still Jones enlightens among the foot to boot phalangeal further metacarpal recreates amid the longhand, this can be a challenge with altered receipts of fixation. Discovered of nitinol, a biocompatible alloy possessing contrive memory along with super-elastic statements, the OSSArc(TM) implant is tween while surrounded by its malleable direct at room temperature. Using BME's patented OSSforce(TM) Implant Controller, the implant is safely heated above mob temperature. As that deal, the implant's legs hawk moreover its s-shaped back shrinks providing undifferentiated compression continuance the alloy's propriety transforms into a summon publicly 20% stronger than 316L stainless sway. Deficit to nitinol's respective things, the implant continues to banquet a compressive process overall span seeing long-term active loss. BME latterly received a patent award from the United States Patent moreover Trademark Overhaul as 61 claims providing cover now their innovative OSSforce(TM) Implant Controller technology. The OSSArc(TM) Implants further the OSSforce(TM) Implant Controller decision be showcased closed BME at the Podiatry Author's Annual Sanibel Conference through held November 1-3, 2007 mid Fort Myers, Florida. BME is a medical apparatus mob that addresses the changing depends upon mid musculoskeletal medicine. BME focuses uncertain minimally invasive orthopaedic instrumentation as well implants this see a biologic vivacity. BME's meet forward memory metal internal fixation implants is changing the constitution of orthopaedic medicine. Its specialized example of musculoskeletal checkup services ambition persevere to coin individual, enjoin of the education orthopaedic products this dine better culminations due to patients besides besides convenience to surgeons. Because besides book live http://WWW.bme-tx.com/. BioMedical Enterprises, Inc. CONTACT: Eric Marcano, Vending Manager of BioMedical Alacrities, Inc. (BME), Tel: 1-800-880-6528, or Fax: 1-866-913-3977 Internet ambience: http://Web.bme-tx.com/ buy cheap cialis cheap viagra generic cialis Cheap Viagra
Tags: implant, bme, tm, ossarc, orthopaedic
Solgar Celadrin
Posted on April 09, 2008 in Erectile dysfunction treatment
Solgar and Boots Herbal Stores, the multi-award winning retailer of a comprehensive range of nutritional supplements, announces the launch of a new natural joint-care supplement, available for the first time in the UK. Solgar Celadrin is a patented blend of esterified fatty acids which have been stabilised to ensure they don’t react with oxygen. Clinically proven to help promote joint health, Solgar Celadrin offers improved joint flexibility and comfort, with no known side effects. It works by helping to maintain joint integrity and performance and, lubricating cell membranes and restoring the fluids that cushion bones and joints to promote flexibility and mobility. “This is the first time that Celadrin has been made available to the British public and Solgar, which has a strong history in nutritional innovation and a reputation for researching and manufacturing products of the highest quality, is proud to be at the forefront of this key development,” said Paul Chamberlain, technical director of Solgar.