With the nation in the throes of a prescription drug and opioid epidemic, a doctor in San Diego is helping lead an effort to learn from overdose deaths to prevent future fatalities.
The "Death Diaries" project examines what drugs killed 254 people in 2013, what they were being prescribed, and by whom.
Dr. Roneet Lev found several troubling patterns, including doctor shoppers, people mixing drugs with other substances and physicians who don't seem to be paying attention to the prescription drug histories of their patients.
Hundreds of doctors got a surprise letter in the mail, informing them that one of their recent patients had died from a drug overdose. The letters are part of an experiment to see if doctors change their prescription practices.
Posted by: T. Panda2560 ||
01/11/2018 02:47 ||
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[Scientific American] For 17 years, Chalfonte LeNee Queen suffered periodic episodes of violent retching and abdominal pain that would knock her off her feet for days, sometimes leaving her writhing on the floor in pain.
“I’ve screamed out for death,” said Queen, 48, who lives in San Diego. “I’ve cried out for my mom who’s been dead for 20 years, mentally not realizing she can’t come to me.”
Queen lost a modeling job after being mistaken for an alcoholic. She racked up tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills, and her nausea interrupted her sex life. Toward the end of her illness, Queen, who stands 5-foot-9, weighed in at a frail 109 pounds.
Throughout the nearly two decades of pain, vomiting and mental fog, she visited the hospital about three times a year, but doctors never got to the bottom of what was ailing her. By 2016, she thought she was dying, that she “must have some sort of cancer or something they can’t detect,” Queen said.
But she didn’t have cancer. She had an obscure syndrome called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, a condition only recently acknowledged by the medical community. It affects a small population—namely, a subset of marijuana users who smoke multiple times a day for months, years or even decades.
There’s no hard data on the prevalence of the illness. But in California and Colorado, which have loosened marijuana laws in recent years, emergency physicians say they’re seeing it more often. One study in Colorado suggests there may be a link.
Posted by: T. Panda2560 ||
01/11/2018 02:43 ||
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#1
...This comes under the heading of 'purely anecdotal', but I have known a handful of folks who become violently ill if they take even a puff. Wondering if it's not so much a syndrome as an allergy.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/11/2018 5:18 Comments ||
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#2
I'd blame it on bowel obstruction from 'munchie packing'.
[ArsTechnica] Scientists often hope to break ground with their research. But a group of Australian researchers would likely be happy with breaking wind. The Fart Tracker
The team developed an ingestible electronic capsule to monitor gas levels in the human gut. When it’s paired with a pocket-sized receiver and a mobile phone app, the pill reports tail-wind conditions in real time as it passes from the stomach to the colon. The researchers, led by Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh of RMIT University and Peter Gibson of Monash University, reported their invention Monday in Nature Electronics. Fart=Frequency Actuated Rectal Tremor
The authors are optimistic that the capsule’s gas readings can help clear the air over the inner workings of our intricate innards and the multitudes of microbes they contain. Such fume data could clarify the conditions of each section of the gut, what microbes are up to, and which foods may cause problems in the system. Until now, collecting such data has been a challenge. Methods to bottle it involved cumbersome and invasive tubing and inconvenient whole-body calorimetry. Popping the electronic pill is a breeze in comparison. And early human trials have already hinted that the pill can provide new information about intestinal wind patterns and gaseous turbulence from different foods. The biggest producer of VOC's (Volatile Organic Chemicals) in the workplace are Human Bioefluent Emmisions, burps and farts.
"Our pilot trial illustrated the significant potential role for electronic-based gas-sensing capsules in understanding functional aspects of the intestine and its microbiota in health and in response to dietary changes," the researchers concluded. Advance warning of a hazardous vapor release.
The authors are currently setting up a commercial company to further develop and test the capsules.
For their pilot study, the researchers beefed up a prototype they had previously tested in pigs. The capsule is 26mm in length, with a 9.8mm external diameter‐like a large vitamin. Its polymer shell surrounds sensors for temperature, CO2, H2, and O2, as well as a button-size silver oxide battery and a transmission system. One end of the capsule contains a gas-permeable membrane that allows for fast diffusion of gut gases.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
01/11/2018 00:00 ||
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Clearly, it is a sign that the gods favor Donald for 2020
[DailyMail] Oprah Winfrey's $50million home survived the damage and she was not home for the worst of it but she visited the site on Tuesday to share her shock and grief. Tennis star Jimmy Connors revealed to fans that he had to be airlifted out of his home to safety. Seriously, though, more people were tragically affected by mud slides per this article after major down pours.
I find it interesting that both videos released thus far show conversations that occurred on January 3, 2018. Usually videos are released long after they were taped.
#4
3 follow me daily, yet I still have the same number of "followers" since the year I started in twitter. Also, it un-follows those Whom I followed for me.
Which is why I AM only using it to record history. It is not reliable for anything but that, disasters and regime change.
[AnNahar] More than 200 people have been tossed in the slammer Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! and dozens hurt during festivities in several parts of Tunisia, the interior ministry said Wednesday, after a second night of unrest driven by anger over austerity measures.
The North African country has been hailed for its relatively smooth democratic transition since its 2011 uprising, but seven years after the revolution tensions over economic grievances are high.
Tunisia has seen rising anger over hikes in value-added tax and social contributions after a tough new budget was applied at the start of the year.
Interior ministry front man Khalifa Chibani told local radio that 49 coppers were maimed during festivities across the country and that 206 "troublemakers" were arrested overnight.
Properties were damaged, he said, including a branch of the Carrefour supermarket chain in the suburbs of Tunis that was looted.
A witness said youths threw stones at shop windows on Tuesday evening, taking advantage of the chaos to steal goods including electrical appliances. The police intervened, firing tear gas.
The army has been deployed around banks, post offices and other government buildings in the country's main cities, the defense ministry said.
- Stones, tear gas -
In Tebourba 30 kilometers (20 miles) west of the capital Tunis, hundreds of young people erupted into the streets on Tuesday after the funeral of a man in his 40s who died in the unrest.
Police have insisted they did not kill the man. The results of an autopsy have not been made public.
Unrest was also reported in the working-class neighborhoods of Djebel Lahmer and Zahrouni on the outskirts of Tunis, the central cities of Gafsa and Kasserine, and the northern town of Jedaida.
But AFP correspondents said calm had returned to these areas on Wednesday morning.
In the central town of Sidi Bouzid, the cradle of the protests that sparked the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, youths blocked roads and hurled stones, causing the police to retaliate with tear gas, an AFP news hound said.
A representative of Tunisia's Jewish community said two Molotov cocktails were thrown at the entrance to two Talmudic schools on the Mediterranean island of Djerba, but their interiors were not damaged.
At the time of the attack, violent festivities were raging in some 20 Tunisian cities as people protested against rising prices and new taxes imposed by on January 1.
- Friday protest -
The recent unrest started with peaceful protests against the austerity measures last week, but escalated into festivities with police in the night of Monday to Tuesday.
Activists have called for a massive demonstration on Friday against the austerity measures, which are expected to increase the cost of living.
They have called for the revision of the legislation behind the VAT and social contribution hikes, as well as better welfare for struggling families.
"There are acts of looting and robbery but also a political message from a section of the population that has nothing to lose and feels ignored" seven years after a revolution demanding work and dignity, said political scientist Selim Kharrat.
He said that many public buildings have been targeted while the government has "taken a pretty strong stance against the protesters."
The powerful UGTT trade union said young unemployed Tunisians had legitimate demands but condemned the "violence and looting," calling for peaceful protests.
Tunisia's economy has struggled since the 2011 revolution, which was fueled by unemployment and graft.
Protests are common in the North African state in the month of January, when Tunisians mark the anniversary of the revolt that unseated dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
[IsraelTimes] Prince Abdullah bin Saud bin Mohammed fired from Maritime Sports Foundation after saying detention of princes 'false' and 'illogical'
A Saudi prince who purportedly made an audio recording criticizing the government has been fired as head of the kingdom’s Maritime Sports Federation and replaced by a military officer, according to local press reports.
In the nearly six-minute-long audio that was posted online and published on Arabic media websites this week, Prince Abdullah bin Saud bin Mohammed said the government’s publicly stated reasons for arresting 11 princes are "false" and "illogical."
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[War Zone] In August of 2016, B-1B bombers arrived at Andersen Air Force base on Guam to fulfill U.S. Pacific Command's continuous bomber assurance and deterrence mission. It was the first time the "Bone" had taken up station on Guam in over a decade, as the jets had spent years becoming the heavy-hitting all stars of America's air campaigns in the Middle East. Since then the B-52H has taken the B-1B's place in that troubled region, meanwhile a handful of B-1Bs have prowled around eastern Asia for a year and half, most famously flying near constant "show of force" missions near North Korean borders.
Now a trio of B-2As and 200 airman to support them have arrived on Guam to augment, or even possibly relieve the B-1s deployed there. But the bat-winged bomber's presence there, or even a changing of the guard, isn't just about swapping one bomber out for another or adding more blunt firepower to the region. The B-2 brings highly unique capabilities to the theatre, ones that would be absolutely essential if the U.S. were to go after Kim Jong Un's regime, or even move to attack a far more limited target set in North Korea.
#1
They've been there before. The burned out spot next to the runway where 'Spirit of Kansas' crashed and burned (they're all 'Spirit of' something) in 08 is all nicely grassed over.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
01/11/2018 9:28 Comments ||
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So is the B-2's presence on the island a harbinger of large-scale destruction to come?
At least an indicator the new ordinance is ready.
Posted by: Oscar Jish7982 ||
01/11/2018 17:20 Comments ||
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[Al Jazeera] Scores of demonstrators continued to protest the rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl in the central Pak town of Kasur, while four security personnel who opened fire on an earlier demonstration were taken into custody.
Protesters blocked the main roads into the city, about 50km south of the eastern city of Lahore, using tractors and large cement blocks, and shouted slogans against the government on Thursday.
They called for "justice for Zainab", the name of the child whose body was found in a rubbish dump on Wednesday after being missing for four days. Closed-circuit television footage showed her being led down a street near her home by an unidentified man.
On Thursday, police told Al Jazeera they were still investigating leads, after interrogating 227 people in connection with the case.
The rape and murder of Zainab Ansari was the 12th such case in Kasur district in the last year, according to local media reports.
In the first half of 2017, at least 1,764 cases of child abuse were reported across Pakistain, according to the non-profit Sahil child protection organization. At least 65 percent of those occurred in Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... province, where Kasur is situated.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Zainab's father, Malik Amin Ansari, said he had seen many politicians visit him as the case of his child's murder became more prominent, but that not enough was being done to prevent such crimes from occurring.
"Children are not coming out of their homes, how do we go to work and protect our children on the streets to go to school? Swift justice has to prevail, this kind of act cannot be left unresolved. We need all our girls and all children safe," he said.
"Ministers and important people are coming, but nothing was done in the days Zainab was missing."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2018 00:00 ||
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[DailyMail] - US Air Force is believed to be developing a spy plane that travels at 4,600mph
- Secretive hypersonic plane is being developed by defence firm Lockheed Martin
- Google Earth images show an object that looks similar to the artist's impression
- Pictures were taken by UFO conspiracy theorists from SectureTeam10
- Many have dismissed the latest footage, saying it just shows a high speed boat Visually impaired pig? Acorn?
Not buying the "high speed boat" hypothesis. Strakes (?) at rear look like they would interfere with performance? The "X" indicates an airfield.
VFR Chart indicates this may have been taken of Pratt and Whitney Private airstrip identified as Class Echo Restricted Airspace R-2936. With a Control Tower. See here.
I'm unfamiliar with the symbol depicted that resembles an iris.
Dunno.
Posted by: Vast Right Wing Conspiracy ||
01/11/2018 08:49 ||
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#1
It looks like the old mockup for the F-117 Have Blue program...
#7
What I find interesting is the search radar unit to left in the photo setup horizontal and on the centerline of the runway.
Almost like somebody's doing radar cross section tests of evidently gear down?
Posted by: ed in texas ||
01/11/2018 19:28 Comments ||
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#8
If it's that top secret it wouldn't be in Florida and it wouldn't be outside when there was a satellite passing overhead.
BLUF:
[Breitbart] World Choice Investments CEO Jim Rule says the rebranding is part of an effort to "stay relevant in today’s changing world."
"There is interest in several parts of the United States and internationally to host one of our unique dinner attraction shows," Rule said. "We provide spectacular family entertainment at a great value. We continually listen to our guests and our desire to expand coupled with our desire to stay relevant in today’s changing world led us to simplify our shows’ names."
While some think removing "dixie" was the right way to go, others see it as "caving to political correctness."
h/t Gates of Vienna
When all 164 of Washington D.C. Frank W. Ballou Senior High School’s graduating seniors last year applied for and were accepted to college, the whole community - students, teachers, administrators, parents, and education reformers - had reason to celebrate the achievements of these obviously hard-working graduates. With a graduating class the school system considered "academically disadvantaged," someone in the school district should have smelled a rat.
After all, 98 percent of Ballou’s 930 students were African-Americans, and two percent were Hispanic/Latino, according to data from the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) system. One hundred percent of them were considered "academically disadvantaged" by the system. Kids like this deserve the great opportunity that a high-quality, character-building education can help provide.
#1
They'll get special treatment by college administrators going forward to ensure that their "success" is not detailed by something as rayiss as a lack of academic ability. Then they'll get jobs. Hooboy!
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
01/11/2018 7:38 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
