Science Explains a City's Sport Discord

Through our children's sports teams we have oft had the displeasure of playing against a particular city's teams. Whether it was in boys' hockey, girls' hockey, volleyball, soccer or football; in exhibition, regular season, tournament or playoff action; from Peewee through Bantam to Midget; I have consistently witnessed cheap hits, a higher incidence of fighting and overall poor sportsmanship by players and even some bench staff of teams from this particular city.

After an especially dangerous season, some boys' hockey coaches refused any more exhibition games against teams from this city. Last month, Jessica's hockey team played against a team from this city. There were ejections, suspensions and a ton of penalty minutes. On the drive home, we discussed several possible theories for the agitated intensity displayed despite the high talent of the players.

Thanks to results of a study released by European researchers, we finally have our answer:
Air Traffic Noise Increases Blood Pressure.

It's not the water. It's not a volunteer recruitment program that only accepts coaches willing to standardize dirty play. It's the planes!

It's not just a source of irritation, it's bad for residents' health, said epidemiologist Lars Jarup, leader of the study at Imperial College London.

Brampton is just 4 km from Pearson International Airport, Canada's busiest airport.

The Greater Toronto Airport Authority's noise contour map clearly includes Brampton within its noise operating area (click map to view map of noise estimate).

Explaining it doesn't justify it.

In the name of fair play, send 440,000 pairs of earplugs to City Hall for immediate distribution...before Jess's team draws them in the first round of the playoffs!

Tags: [Air Traffic Noise]  [Blood Pressure]
[Pearson International Airport]  [Brampton]
[Lars Jarup]  [Imperial College London]

From the Simply Obvious Laboratory

Dr. Patricia Sagaspe released the results of her recent study on sleep:

Naps Work Best to Overcome Sleepiness.

Dr. Sagaspe of the Clinique du Summeil in France studied 12 people between 20 and 25 years old and 12 people between 40 and 50.

Each drove 125 km alert and when sleepy. Subjects were either given a cup of coffee, a cup of decaf or a 30-minute nap before the second drive.

She found that drivers who had coffee or a nap were more alert. Young drivers performed best after a nap.

Eye-opening science!
What's up for tomorrow? Food Satisfies Hunger?

[Dr. P. Sagaspe]  [Sleep Study]
[Driving When Tired]  [Naps]

Research Triangle's Leading News Source?

I've been loosely following Tranzyme's clinical trials of TZP-101, a prokinetic drug that shows promise in treating gastroparesis. The headline of this announcement got my attention:

Perscription for Growth?
Tranzyme Closes on $20M in New Financing

The sub-headline announcement about securing $20 million in capital was lost to the error in the headline. Perscription?

It would be perjorative to say that the busy editor of the preceeding story is a little out of practise. Persuing corrections is the perogative of the editor.

A basic spell-check would've caught the mistake.

Tranzyme Initiates Phase II-b Testing of TZP in multinational clinical study.

Tags: [Tranzyme Pharma]   [Gastroparesis]   [TZP 101]
[WRAL]   [Research Triangle]

Carp Diem

I'll be able to sleep at night now.
A report from scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine concludes that fish may suffer from insomnia.

In order to understand sleep disorders, Emmanuel Mignot and his team were looking at how the brain regulates sleep, by studying zebrafish. They report that "some zebrafish have a mutant gene that disrupts their sleep patterns in a way similar to insomnia in humans."

I find it a little surprising that fish have any difficulty sleeping. Sounds from nature, like water and ocean tides, are recommended to create a relaxing atmosphere, reduce stress and induce sleep. Based on that, I would expect the research to find that most fish slept a lot.

Maybe the comforting sonances create a high incidence of Hypersomnolence.

Maybe it's not really an issue, since fish don't have to get up and work in the morning.

O Captain, my Captain.
Carpe Noctis.

Tags: [Zebra Fish]   [Sleep Disorders]   [Insomnia]
[Public Library of Science-Biology]
[Stanford School of Medicine]   [Emmanuel Mignot]
[Dead Poet's Society]   [Walt Whitman] [Carpe Diem]

Clinic Visit Gives Patient Little Relief

I had to go to the Walk-in Clinic. I needed a prescription refilled. Three of the doctors who serve our local clinic are familiar with my health and treatment plans. Today's doctor-on-duty was new; we'd never met.

I explained that I needed a prescription refill. He asked some screening questions and then read the prescription label. "This indicates that you have 2 repeats left on the order," he said.

"The 2 repeats represents 2 doses," I responded. I explained that I had been to the pharmacy yesterday to get the refill. While the original prescription was for a quantity of 32 boxes, the pharmacy dispenses these by the dose. That meant that the pharmacist translated the 32 boxes as 32 doses. "But the pharmacy doesn't actually dispense less than 5 doses, so I need a new order altogether," I finished.

"This is a narcotic," the doc said. "I'm not comfortable to write such a large order for a narcotic."

"I understand that you're at a disadvantage because we've never met, but my history is all here," I said, pointing to the massive paper chart.
He was clearly overwhelmed by my chart. The stack of papers in the folder is more than 6-inches high. It is, in fact, one of 2 folders that make up my chart.

Ten pages into the paper chart, he lost patience (an echo, labs, more labs, a mammo, ultrasound, a dictation, ultrasound, more labs, a fax...) Eventually, he agreed to a short term refill of the 'scrip and I agreed to see my family doctor for a more complete order.

I stopped at the reception desk to make the appointment.
"The next available appointment is," the clerk paused, "October 22."

Three weeks away, and I've managed to get just one week of my pain relief medication. I caught up with the doctor in the hallway and explained that I will need 3 weeks of meds to make it through to the appointment date.

"I'm just not comfortable writing a long-term order for that class of drugs," he repeated. He suggested I return to the clinic before I reached the end of the prescription to get another short term repeat.

How's that going to look - returning each week for a short term refill on a narcotic-class prescription.


Tags: [Doctor's Office] [Prescription Drug Abuse]
[Rush Limbaugh] [House]

For Your Information

I'm just getting around to sorting through all the paperwork I received in Cleveland.

Tucked in with the pages on Nutrition Guidelines to Improve Wound Healing and Using an Incentive Spirometer, is information about the gastric stimulator itself.

Among the info sheets, I received the Installation and Technical Manual as well as the Patient Reference Manual for the Enterra Gastric Stimulator that was implanted.

click image to enlarge

The technology of the gastric stimulator originated in The Netherlands. Since the package includes a hex wrench, I'm guessing the chief engineer was from Sweden!

At least it's got a 1-year warranty against defects!

[Gastric Pacemaker] [Gastroparesis]

[The Cleveland Clinic] [IKEA]

Breaking News

I'm on the leading edge. Ahead of the game. At the forefront of the news. By extension, so are you, fine readers.

The weekend paper featured information on measuring one's carbon footprint. It discussed offsetting industries. It referenced some of the same information sources I had noted in my earlier post on this topic. Coincidence, you say. Pshaw! Eerily, a particular online carbon calculator was described in one article as "watered-down"; exactly the way I had described it.

Over the past two weeks, measure your carbon shoe size has been among the most popular Google searches to lead a reader to my blog.

Google the phrase 'measure your carbon shoe size' and my post is the #1 result ! That's ahead of the Global Climate Change Research Explorer, a site that summarizes all research on climate change and global warming.

My post about the research on obesity and food addiction was published on this site three full weeks before the papers picked it up.

Stephen Colbert's new ice cream flavor - 10 days ahead of the game, and a month before he brought it to his show!

Luckily, I don't face the same editorial review processes of the print media. I can fill as many or as few paragraphs as I like. I don't intentionally fast-track stories, and I impose my own kind of censorship.

I am my own content editor. Two weeks ago, I chose not to publish a funny Google Maps error, because it just became too mainstream. Sure Google engineer, you swim across the ocean!

Context plays a role in my posts, but not nearly to the same degree as in the legitimate news world - I would never had gotten away with writing about pirated stem cells in the established media.

Want to stay current? Check out the Headline News section in the right side bar. Your choice of 3 news source headlines.

Want to be ahead? Keep reading my blog.


[Earth Day] [Stephen Colbert] [Stem Cell Research]

[Citizens' Media] [Breaking News] [Carbon Emissions]

Post Scripts

Updates on some previous posts:

Obesity is the #2 preventable killer of adults in the United States. 20 Things You Didn't Know about obesity.
Read the ~Original Post~.

Today, I'm reading

and

I turned in my Superhero Club card too early. These auditions are right out of Mystery Men!
Read the ~Original Post~.

The Hibiscus needs serious help. First round after moving it indoors, we had about 20 blooms. Now, it's headed for Intensive Care.
Read the ~Original Post~.

The Deering sisters had the stem-cell transplant in China and are at home again.
Read the ~Original Post~

Roni has completed a full round of chemotherapy. She provided this update from her final treatment:

Oh, and EVERYONE!!!!! INCLUDING EVERY PERSON in the waiting room, including new patients that didn't even know the story, the DR. every nurse in the place, and the woman who delivers the lunches commented on my KILLER KICK-ASS CANCER BOOTS. Suggested that someone could lose an eye with that heel.

Read the ~Original Post~


Gifter.org won an Award. Their quest for a million continues...

6147 wishes sponsored Sponsor A Wish

554 wishes made Make a Wish

Read ~Random Act of Kindness~

---

Rapid-Fire III : Under Fire

A new survey out of Britain indicates that
Breakfast in Bed Improves Mood. Respondents reported that their day got off to a better start if they were brought breakfast in bed.

I guess it's the sound of me laughing so hard that raises your spirits.

Domestic Science?

A recent study, reported at Scotsman.com News stated that "moderate housework can help women substantially to cut their risk of developing breast cancer".

It's hard enough getting help around the house. Now this?
"Oh, I'd vacuum, but I want you to reduce your risk of developing breast cancer."
"Oh, I'd do the laundry, but I don't want to be responsible for increasing the likelihood of you developing breast cancer."
"Oh, I'd dust, but..." well, maybe not that one.

The same day, The Mirror reported on the invention of the Shoover. Shoes that vacuum as you walk around wearing them. There's an idea...but does that mean the shoes get heavier as you Shoover? The dirt/dust has to go somewhere, right? Say you went to put the Shoovers away in the closet when you were finished. Wouldn't you get one heck of a shock after shuffling around the carpet vacuuming in your shoes and then touching the handle on the closet door?

On the other hand, Shoovers would make the stairs a snap to clean.

Noncompetitive Blogging

Double-blogging: (def) - the same situation recounted in two different blogs. Michelle and I need to be careful about double-blogging. Some regular readers of my blog click through to Michelle's blog. Some of hers, click over to mine. We want to keep the audiences hooked; and blogging shouldn't be a competitive sport.

We've never had a conflict. We don't need to outline definite rules. Sometimes ownership of the story is clear. But, what to do when the story is ours? Take for example, a discussion about stem cell research in China. Sisters from Port Perry, Ontario are flying to China to receive stem cell therapy to treat their spinal cord injuries. Read about the Deering sisters .

I wasn't alone in not knowing that China was a recognized leader in stem-cell therapies. I raised the issue of product piracy and the Chinese economy . Which led to a discussion around the plausibility, in the future, to counterfeit stem-cells.

Consider it. There's a market for low-cost knock-offs and imitations in toys, electronics and medicine. Illegal copies of CDs and DVDs are not hard to find. Why not progenitor cellular therapy, too?

My Name is Christine. I Want To Be a Food Addict.

Gene-Jack Wang, a researcher at Brookhaven National Laboratory, released the findings of his study on the use of gastric pacing devices to treat obesity. His report will appear in the Oct. 17 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

To control hunger, the device stimulates the vagus nerve, which then tells the brain that the stomach is full. Gastric pacemakers to treat obesity were first studied in pigs in 1995. Since 2000, GES has been tested in humans to change eating behavior (Shikora, New England Medical Center).

Researchers in Wang's group learned that even though satiety was achieved in the brain (artificially via the pacing device), subjects' brains displayed a 'need' to eat. These desires to eat were shown to be driven by the same neural network that has been linked to cravings in addicts.

Wang says, "We now know the decision to eat involves emotion and the cognitive system." He also states, "I do not think it is surprising they have found a link between drug addiction and overeating. In a way you can think of eating as a 'necessary addiction' - if we were not addicted to eating, most of us would stop eating."

Reuters,UK, Oct. 2, 2006 Food May Be Like A Drug

Home to Very Random

Go to No Access to Health Treatment

Tags: Gastric Pacemaker Food Addict Gastroparesis