medicine

Canadian-made HIV vaccine headed to human trials!

Jason Thibeault, , , , 21 Comments

And I damn well want every syringe to be stamped “Made In Canada”. The FDA has approved a 40-person trial of a vaccine against the human immunodeficiency virus developed by Dr. Chil-Yong Kang of the University of Western Ontario.

“FDA approval for human clinical trials is an extremely significant milestone for our vaccine, which has the potential to save the lives of millions of people around the world by preventing HIV infection,” said Kang.There have been three clinical trials for an HIV vaccine in the past using live viruses that failed.There have been three clinical trials for an HIV vaccine in the past using live viruses that failed. (Apichart Weerawong/Associated Press)

Continue reading “Canadian-made HIV vaccine headed to human trials!” →

Canadian-made HIV vaccine headed to human trials!
{advertisement}

Meta-analysis: Still no link between cell phones and cancer

Jason Thibeault, , , , , , , 9 Comments

Via Skeptic North, good news for the side of science in the ongoing manufactroversy driven by people who are deathly afraid of wireless technology. A new meta-analysis of prior studies shows no link, causal or otherwise, between cellular phone usage and any of the forms of cancer commonly claimed by anti-wifi advocates. I’m sure this won’t stop them from repeating their claims that there must be damage if only we look at specific variations of the EMF spectrum.

We are constantly reminded of the failure of society to recognize the dangers of tobacco, let alone do something about it, and the industry led effort to suppress information and increase uncertainty in the pubic is held up as proof that all industries will stop at no lengths to protect their investment, despite dangers to the public. In the face of this, we need a scientific outlook to unblinker us from determining an unbiased truth. A new systematic review published in October’s Bioelectromagnetics is an excellent illustration of how we determine causality.

Continue reading “Meta-analysis: Still no link between cell phones and cancer” →

Meta-analysis: Still no link between cell phones and cancer

An Experiential Comparison of General Anaesthetic and Dental Sedation

Jason Thibeault, , , , 7 Comments

Guest post by my wife, Jodi. Taking care of her yesterday and today, combined with Skyrim which we purchased to give her something to do and me something to obsess over (other than her), has lead to a dearth of time for blog commenting; apologies. I’m sure there’s lots of SIWOTI out there to eat up our time, but we have our priorities, you know! For now, enjoy this story from my drug-addled and pained wife.

(For my own recollect mostly, but you never know, maybe some first timers will get something useful out of it.)

When I was seven years old I had my tonsils removed, which required being put under. Ever since then I have found medical sedation to be rather fascinating. I’ve never been afraid of it, instead always feeling a sense of eager curiosity. Yesterday I had my wisdom teeth removed and I had been told that the kind of sedation I would be getting was not at all the same as general anaesthetic where they put you under completely. Having had two day surgeries that used general anaesthetic within one week of each other (and thus cementing the experience in my mind) almost three years ago I thought this would be a great opportunity to compare them.
Continue reading “An Experiential Comparison of General Anaesthetic and Dental Sedation” →

An Experiential Comparison of General Anaesthetic and Dental Sedation

Mike Adams has never met a skeptic in real life, part 3

Jason Thibeault, , , , , , , , , , 7 Comments

Part three of a point-by-point fisking of Mike Adams’ January 2010 anti-skeptic article, which amounts to a single monolithic colony organism made up of individual strawman arguments that come together to become one massive strawman Voltron. Part 1 is here and part 2 is here. I’m almost through all the things Mike Adams thinks that skeptics “believe”, and will finish them up in this post. We begin immediately below the fold.
Continue reading “Mike Adams has never met a skeptic in real life, part 3” →

Mike Adams has never met a skeptic in real life, part 3

Mike Adams doesn’t know a skeptic from a strawman, part 1

Jason Thibeault, , , , , , 16 Comments

Natural News’ crank ranger, Mike Adams, launched an all-out assault on skeptics recently for what they believe (though by recently I mean in January 2010). Skeptics, as a group. As though we believe anything in any unified or dogmatic manner. I know PZ Myers and Steven Novella have already gone over this particular well-poisoning polemic, but my dear friend Erin sent it along when she saw it posted to a parenting forum she frequents, asking me to have my way with it. And my way with it I shall have!

Continue reading “Mike Adams doesn’t know a skeptic from a strawman, part 1” →

Mike Adams doesn’t know a skeptic from a strawman, part 1

A newly minted published fiction author in our midst

Jason Thibeault, , , , 3 Comments

Holy hell, Stephanie Zvan got a piece of fiction published in Nature! If you ask me, it’s about time someone published her — I’ve had the privilege of reading a number of her unpublished works; there’s more than one reason she has earned my respect and the only official title I’ve ever bestowed on anyone in my capacity of Blog Dictator. I have it on good authority she’ll be posting it as her Saturday Storytime, but the piece is just too good to wait. Read it now, then read it again on Saturday and post your comments when she posts it.

No spoilers here, though. At all.

Well, okay, some spoilers in my tags. And maybe the categories too. If you need a synopsis before your interest is piqued, wait til Saturday when she’ll post it on her blog.

In the meantime, join me in congratulating her on breaking into the writing biz! I expect great things from Our Lady of Perpetual Win.

A newly minted published fiction author in our midst