NASAdude

Summary: It's not in meat (muscle tissue). It's not in milk. About 20 people get it each year. It's more likely you'd be struck by lightning (and killed). Now ask yourself, why is it being hyped so much, and why is so much money being spent to prevent it?

Here's what I found from reputable sources in about an hour of searching.

What is mad cow disease (BSE)?

"Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is a transmissible, neurodegenerative, fatal brain disease of cattle. The disease has a long incubation period of four to five years, but ultimately is fatal for cattle within weeks to months of its onset. BSE first came to the attention of the scientific community in November 1986 with the appearance in cattle of a newly-recognized form of neurological disease in the United Kingdom (UK)." [Source]

Current bovine infection case data is available here. In the US, from 1989 to June 27, 2005 there has only been 1 (one) case.  The UK has historically had much more trouble with BSE in cattle.  The UK count in cattle peaked in 1992 with 37,280 cases.  In the last complete calendar year, 2004, there were only 343 confirmed cases in the UK. Clearly the epidemic is well in hand.  [Source] 

What are TSEs? What's CJD?  What's vCJD?

"Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs) are diseases characterized by spongy degeneration of the brain with severe and fatal neurological signs and symptoms. BSE is one of several different forms of transmissible brain disease affecting a number of animal species." [Source]

"While several human TSEs exist, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is the prototype human TSE. CJD occurs in a form associated with a hereditary predisposition (approximately 5–10% of all cases) and in a more common, sporadic form that accounts for 85–90% of cases." [Source]

"A newly recognized form of CJD, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), was first reported in March 1996 in the UK (cf. WHO Fact Sheet N° 180 on variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease). In contrast to the classical forms of CJD, vCJD has affected younger patients (average age 29 years, as opposed to 65 years), has a relatively longer duration of illness (median of 14 months as opposed to 4.5 months) and is strongly linked to exposure, probably through food, to BSE. Recent studies have confirmed that vCJD is distinct from sporadic and acquired CJD. " [Source]

"Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is a rare and fatal human neurodegenerative condition. As with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, vCJD is classified as a Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE) because of characteristic spongy degeneration of the brain and its ability to be transmitted. vCJD is a new disease that was first described in March 1996." [Source]

So what's being done? 

"All countries must prohibit the use of ruminant tissues in ruminant feed and must exclude tissues that are likely to contain the BSE agent from any animal or human food chain. BSE eradication was recommended during a WHO consultation held in December 1999." [Source]

"In June 2000, the European Union Commission on Food Safety and Animal Welfare strengthened the European Union's BSE control measures by requiring all member states to remove specified risk materials from animal feed and human food chains as of October 1, 2000; such bans had already been instituted in most member states." [Source]

What is the risk of getting it?  What's the case history?

"There have been 153 cases of vCJD reported in the world since the first case was identified in 1995, with 143 of these in the UK. Although many millions of people in the UK and around the world have been exposed to UK beef, and approximately 200,000 cases of BSE in cattle were reported and removed from the food supply over the past twenty years, the number of cases of vCJD remains low." [Source]

"From October 1996 to November 2002, 129 cases of vCJD have been reported in the UK, six in France and one each in Canada, Ireland, Italy and the United States of America. Insufficient information is available at present to make any precise prediction about the future number of vCJD cases." [Source]

Yes, that's right.  The number of reported cases is just over 150, about 20 per year.  How does that compare to other diseases? 

Leading causes of global deaths:  [Source]

1. In 1997, of a global total of 52.2 million deaths, 17.3 million were due to infectious and parasitic diseases; 15.3 million were due to circulatory diseases; 6.2 million were due to cancer; 2.9 million were due to respiratory diseases, mainly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and 3.6 million were due to perinatal conditions.
2. Leading causes of death from infectious diseases were acute lower respiratory infections (3.7 million), tuberculosis (2.9 million), diarrhea (2.5 million), HIV/AIDS (2.3 million) and malaria (1.5-2.7 million).
3. Most deaths from circulatory diseases were coronary heart disease (7.2 million), cerebrovascular disease (4.6 million), other heart diseases (3 million).
4. Leading causes of death from cancers were those of the lung (1.1 million), stomach (765 000), colon and rectum (525 000) liver, (505 000), and breast (385 000).

"In the UK, the current risk of acquiring vCJD from eating beef and beef products appears to be extremely small, perhaps about 1 case per 10 billion servings." [Source]

"Experiments done with cattle and other animals suggest that almost all of the infectivity is in tissue from the cattle’s brain, spinal cord, and intestine, and that muscle meat itself is not infectious. Milk products from cattle are also not associated with any risk of infection with BSE." [Source]

How about other ways of dying in the US? (2000 data)  [Source] 

• fall from/on stairs/steps, 1307;
• struck by thrown/projected/falling object, 712;
• fall involving a bed, 450; [All the more reason to sleep on the floor.]
• other accidental hanging/strangulation, 333;
• accidental strangulation/suffocation in bed, 327; [Be safe; don't sleep with plastic bags or rope!]
• varicose veins of the lower extremities, 177; [Yes, you're more likely to die from varicose veins.]
• fall involving a chair, 162;
• fall involving ice skates, skis, roller-skates, skateboard, 97;
• lightning, 50;
• varicose veins, other sites, 39;
• [At about 20 cases per year (world-wide, while the rest of this data is only for the US), this is roughly where vCJD would fall, perhaps even too high.  Everything above here is more likely.]
• bicycle collision with stationary/fixed object 15;
• snake bites, 12;
• fall while being carried or supported by another person, 10;
• fireworks, 5;
• fall involving playground equipment, 4 (1999);

How much money is spent worldwide to prevent those deaths? The focus put on BSE is unreasonable.

Posted by NASAdude at 01:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This is my list of favorite movies. I'll move it to the top of the blog list whenever I make any changes.

Here are some interesting movies.  I tend towards sci-fi and movies that question the status-quo.  I highly recommend all of the following.  Just because I haven't written much of anything about a movie listed here doesn't mean I don't like it.  It means I do like it, but I'm at a loss for words right now.

• Blade Runner (1982) - imdb 8.2 - I saw the movie before I read the book.  Let's just say how surprised I was at the scope of the differences.  The movie is based on the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?.  Both the book and movie are quite good. Keep in mind this is not an action-packed movie, but rather an examination of our 'human' values.
• Contact (1997) - imdb 7.3 - A fair amount of this movie I don't like (political maneuvering, poor acting, shallow characters), but the concepts make it worth it.
• eXistenZ (1999) - imdb 6.7 - "what is real?"
• The Matrix (1999) - imdb 8.5 - "what is real?"
• The Thirteenth Floor (1999) - imdb 6.4 - "what is real?"
• Donnie Darko (2001) - imdb 8.3 - A weird high school kid and a creepy rabbit.
• Vanilla Sky (2001) - imdb 6.9 - I'm not a huge fan of this, but it brings up some interesting questions.
• Equilibrium (2002) - imdb 7.6 - It's a Brave New World without emotions.

The following are movies that I really like,  but they don't fit into the category above:

• The Hunt for Red October (1990) - imdb 7.6
• The Professional (Léon) (1994) - imdb 8.4 - An amazing film.  Very touching.  A professional assassin informally adopts a 13 year old neighbor girl when her family is murdered by a drug dealer.  He teaches her.  She teaches him.  It might just make you cry.
• Interstate 60 (2002) - imdb 7.7 - This movie almost fits into the category above.  It's more of a fantasy/fiction type movie.  Anything can happen on Interstate 60.  It's a great movie with lots of cameos, a wonderful story, and an intriguing examination of our perception of reality and authority.

The following are my "notable mention" movies. 

• Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982) - imdb 7.6
• The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) - imdb 6.7
• The Boondock Saints (1999) - imdb 7.1 - It's an ok movie, but not one of my favorites. Josh recommends it.
• Ocean's Eleven (2001) - imdb 7.5
• House of Sand and Fog (2003) - imdb 7.8
• Garden State (2004) - imdb 8.1

The following are movies that I haven't seen (so I can't say much of anything about them) that have been recommended to me by others, or I simply think they have potential.  Email me if you'd like to recommend a movie!

• I,  Robot (2004) - imdb 7.0 - I'm a huge fan of Asimov's writing; I grew up on it.  This was a great story; the only question is how well the movie was made.

Posted by NASAdude at 01:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I saw part of a nature documentary the other day. What caught my eye was a line of caterpillars.

The caterpillars were walking in one long column, head to tail, like a freeway across the bare soil. The line was at least four meters in length. Surely they had somewhere to go, and they were trusting that the one in front of them knew where to go. Presumably there is also safety in numbers.

Another scene showed two columns of caterpillars merging into one. Each caterpillar came to a sudden disgruntled halt when one from the other column took its place. Not to be stopped, it was sure to carefully feel as that caterpillar passed to it could inject itself into the flow. The motion consistently alternated as the leaders in each column worked into the single stream.

Yet another scene showed another large single column. They were trucking along like they didn't have a care in the world. They trusted that this system assured that they would get to where they needed to go and would help protect them. Then the camera panned back, and as more of the column came into view, it was evident that the line wasn't perfectly straight. The camera continued to pan back, revealing that three meters of caterpillars moving in formation had formed a circle.

So who are you following? Perhaps it's time that thought for yourself. Instead of blindly following what you've been told, break out and make your own path.

You know what they say about being a follower...

An entire community of moles decides to move tunnels across town. So they pack up all their mole-ish possessions, sling their little bundles over their shoulders and set off across town in single file. In front walks Daddy Mole, followed by Mamma Mole, Grandpa Mole, Grandma Mole, Big Brother Mole, and finally Baby Mole. After a while, Baby Mole shouts ahead and says "Brother Mole, I smell sugar!". Big Brother mole replies "No, Baby Mole, I'm sure you don't." A while later, Baby mole calls to Grandma Mole and says "Grandma Mole, I smell sugar!". Grandma Mole smiles kindly and tells him, "No Baby Mole, you ain't smelling sugar." Not ten minutes later he hollers to Grandpa saying "Grandpa Mole, I smell sugar!". Grandpa Mole replies, "No, Baby Mole, I don't believe you do." It's not long before Baby Mole calls to his mother, in an increasingly whiney voice, "Mamma, I'm sure I smell sugar!". But Mamma Mole replies, "Oh no, son, you don't." Finally he can't take it any more and yells to the front of the line. In exasperation he exclaims "Daddy Mole, I smell sugar! I've been smelling it ever since we started walking and it's driving me crazy!". And Daddy Mole tells him, "Son, that ain't sugar you're smelling, it's molasses!".

Posted by NASAdude at 03:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A new implantable device may alleviate depression.

Depression Treatment Device Sparks Debate

By JUAN A. LOZANO
Associated Press Writer

HOUSTON (AP) -- A tiny device about the size of a pocketwatch has treated hundreds of depression patients in clinical trials across the country. It's on the verge of being the first depression treatment device to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

But the progress comes amid questions about whether the device's Houston-based manufacturer, Cyberonics Inc., has sufficiently proven that it's safe and it works.

At age 3, Karmen McGuffee would spend sleepless nights worried about whether her little sister was still breathing.

It wasn't until her late teens, after her mother found her on the floor in a fetal position, bleeding from self-inflicted deep scratches, that she was diagnosed with severe depression.

"Medications would work for six months to a year. Then (doctors) would have to start all over or add another one or decrease one. That roller coaster went on from 19 until I was 28," said McGuffee, now a 34-year-old mother who lives in the Dallas suburb of Garland.

The Vagus Nerve Stimulator finally helped, McGuffee said.

The stimulator, which weighs less than an ounce, is similar to a pacemaker, delivering mild electrical pulses for 30 seconds every 5 minutes to the vagus nerve, a long nerve in the neck that carries information to many areas of the brain that control mood, sleep and other functions.

Cyberonics originally spent 10 years and $70 million developing the device as a therapy for epilepsy, gaining FDA approval in July 1997. The company later learned that stimulating the vagus nerve also helped relieve depression.

Nearly 19 million American adults suffer from depression, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Nearly 10 million of these adults experience major depression, which is often resistant to treatments such as psychotherapy, medications and shock therapy.

The stimulator is implanted under the skin on the left side of a patient's chest. Another small incision is made in the neck to wrap small wires from it around the vagus nerve. The implant and surgery costs about $20,000.

Side effects can include voice alteration, scratchy throat, cough and shortness of breath.

"The effectiveness of the treatment improves over time and the nuisance side effects associated with the therapy decline over time, opposite most antidepressants," Cyberonics CEO Robert Cummins said.

Although the device gave her a gravelly voice that quivers, Marna Davenport said the effects were worth it.

Davenport, a 51-year-old college instructor from Columbia, S.C., had tried about 30 different kinds of medication combinations since she was 22, as well as shock treatment, but nothing worked.

"It sort of robbed me of all the color in my life," she said of her depression. "I felt that one day it would kill me."

Davenport got the device in January 2001, but didn't feel the full effect until 18 months later. She now considers herself the "happiest girl you ever met," but still takes antidepressants, eats well and exercises to control her depression.

Davenport said she looks forward to final FDA approval for the device so others can benefit.

In June 2004, an FDA advisory panel voted 5-2 to recommend approval for patients with major depression. But six of the seven panel members were concerned about Cyberonics' two main studies on the device in which the patients were not randomly assigned to receive the treatment or a placebo. Random assignments prevent those conducting the study from manipulating who gets the treatment and who gets a placebo.

Cummins said the studies were conducted thoroughly enough to prove the treatment effective.

Richard Malone, a professor of psychiatry at Drexel University in Philadelphia and one of the two FDA panel members who opposed the device's approval, criticized Cyberonics for not doing a true double-blind study, where neither the doctor nor patient knows if they are getting treatment or a placebo.

"For most drugs, if you don't show efficacy in double blind studies, you haven't shown that it's effective," Malone said.

The FDA went against its panel's recommendation and decided in August not to approve the device, saying it was concerned about the quality of the studies and that some patients' depression worsened even with the device.

When Cyberonics gave the FDA more data showing that 18 percent of patients were depression free, 35 percent had reduced depressive symptoms by half and 57 percent had some benefit after two years of treatment, the FDA gave the stimulator preliminary approval in February.

Final approval was expected by the end of May but continuing debate could delay that.

On May 11, the consumer group Public Citizen wrote the FDA, opposing the approval of the device because it "does not come close to meeting FDA's approval standards, and may well do more harm than good."

Cyberonics said the Senate Finance Committee was also examining the FDA's handling of the device's approval process. FDA spokeswoman Kathleen K. Quinn declined comment because the device's application is pending, and a committee spokeswoman did not return a call seeking comment.

Final FDA approval could mean $1 billion in revenue by 2010, compared to $300 million in revenue for the device's treatment of epilepsy, Cyberonics predicts. The company's stock price has also dramatically risen and fallen during the approval process. The stock fell 27 cents on Friday to close at $37.51. It has traded in a range between $12.78 and $46.71 over the last year.

John O'Reardon, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, said he would use it with patients.

"It's had a rocky road to approval," he said. "I would say it probably does mean there is some question mark, but there is always some question mark when a new treatment is approved."

Posted by NASAdude at 08:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Even if you don't believe in heaven, you can still be a minister.

May 30, 7:09 AM EDT

Rev. Who Denied God Exists Back in Pulpit

By JAN M. OLSEN
Associated Press Writer

TAARBAEK, Denmark (AP) -- A Danish Lutheran minister who publicly denied the existence of God said Sunday he was glad to be back in the pulpit, but refused to speak about the case that led to his brief suspension last year.

Rev. Thorkild Grosboell was showered with flowers, hugs and kisses after holding a service in a church in this village eight miles north of Copenhagen.

"It was great, great," Grosboell said after the service, but refused to speak to reporters about the case, which he described in his sermon as "nonsense."

The country's Evangelical Lutheran Church suspended him in June 2004 because he said in an interview that "there is no heavenly God." Earlier this month, he was reinstated after renewing his vows, but will remain under the supervision of a bishop.

Some 250 people filled the small, 140-year-old, red-brick church and then gathered on a nearby lawn for a drink to celebrate the popular minister's return.

"It's a great relief, a great joy to have you back," Lars Heilesen, head of the parish council, told Grosboell.

"Welcome back, Thorkild, we missed you," one churchgoer said, kissing Grosboell, who has been the village minister since 1991.

In Denmark, where Lutheran ministers are employed by the state and only the government can fire them or take them to court, the church requested Grosboell be placed before a disciplinary labor court for doubting eternal life and the resurrection.

The government refused, saying he should be given another chance to explain himself to Jan Lindhardt, a regional bishop who has been one of his few defenders. Lindhardt has said that although he disagrees with Grosboell's views there should be room for him in Denmark's state church.

On May 20, Grosboell renewed his clerical vows before Lindhardt, but said his views about God remain unchanged.

Some 83 percent of Denmark's 5.4 million residents are members of the Lutheran church.

Posted by NASAdude at 03:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)