Exa-cel, a new CRISPR-based treatment, modifies the genes of the patient's stem cells to induce them to produce fetal hemoglobin.
Search
In this conversation on "CBS Eye on the World," John Batchelor and I discuss the development of a universal vaccine to prevent COVID-19. John has received multiple COVID-19 vaccinations and was curious about the concept of a universal vaccine that would protect against all – even future – variants of the virus.
In order to accurately capture the nuance of an article, especially those about scientific and medical matters, headline writers and editors should read the piece before composing a headline.
"[A] censorious report on National Public Radio, citing a poll, accuses Republican voters of being content to 'do nothing' about climate change. In fact, neither party proposes to do anything about climate change. Democrats propose to spend a lot more money doing nothing.” – Holman Jenkins, Wall Street Journal
New York State's legislators are about to place drastic restrictions on neonicotinoids ("neonics"), a popular, safe, and effective class of pesticides. They're putting the bogus claims of activists ahead of the welfare of consumers and farmers. Let's hope Governor Hochul will be more sensible and veto the bill.
The New York Times’ “Well” section recently published an article entitled, “What Dentists Wish You Knew,” which listed five points. We found them to be a somewhat odd and incomplete collection. We list the Times' offerings, with our commentary and some bonus suggestions of our own.
Accelerated approval is intended to get needed drugs to patients, but there are sometimes distortions and complications in the process that should be addressed.
Long COVID burdens tens of millions of Americans and the nation's healthcare system, but our response to it has been fragmented and chaotic. We need to address it without delay, with more research and better access to treatment.
Given the low mortality from slow-growing, localized prostate cancers and the side effects of many treatments, deciding whether to opt for monitoring or treatment can be excruciatingly difficult.
Many herbal dietary supplements are complex, highly variable, impure, and unsafe. They need better oversight.
Many people are being misled by false claims that induce them to pay inflated prices for products that are “free from” various things that are actually beneficial, or for worthless remedies. Misinformation can jeopardize both their health and finances.
There's a new, proven treatment for COVID-19 called pegylated interferon lambda, but FDA won't approve it, even under Emergency Use Authorization. It's inexcusable.
Three important findings have emerged from recent research on COVID-19. First, long COVID -- the persistence of symptoms after the acute infection -- is common and can cause significant suffering and disability. Second, the ability of the bivalent booster to broaden recipients' immune response and reduce the frequency of hospitalizations and deaths has exceeded expectations. Third, the data argue for an intensive effort to convince more Americans to get the bivalent booster and to wear masks in moderate- and high-risk situations.
The EPA's intransigent regulation of genetically engineered bacteria that could mitigate frost damage to crops prevented their commercialization. Especially when inflation is boosting food prices, the last thing we need is the continuation of an irresponsible, unscientific government policy that lowers crop yields, increases prices to consumers, and threatens farmers’ profits.
As a memorial to his beloved dog, a retired home builder began making and giving away dog ramps. My elderly Bedlington terrier was one of the beneficiaries.
"Holiday Heart Syndrome" is caused by cardiac arrythmias after indulging in rich, salt-laden foods and alcohol. Avoid it.
The data linking soda taxes to beneficial health outcomes is far murkier than media reports suggest.
Vaccine patches should come with the slogan, “No more tears.” Too bad Johnson & Johnson trademarked it for its baby shampoo.
The more the U.S. spends on interest payments, the less it can spend on R&D, biotech, or even basic services like Medicare.
If smokers follow the advice of Glantz, a professor at the University of California-San Francisco, they will die. It's that simple.
People want to do what makes them feel good and – perhaps more importantly – makes them look righteous in the eyes of others. Going organic and avoiding straws accomplishes that moral grandstanding, and companies are happy to oblige in order to make a buck. And, in the process, the companies also look good. It's a win-win for everyone, except Mother Earth.
The reason is that ligaments are poorly vascularized. In other words, there aren't many blood vessels to provide nutrients for the ligaments. And without nutrients tissue repair is not possible. Oftentimes, ACL tears require a surgical graft.
Chronic pain is a major public health challenge. The reason is that the treatment of chronic pain has become, in part, a political issue. And that's to the detriment of 20 million high-impact chronic patients, who are disproportionately women or poor people.
According to pharmacologist Ray Dingledine, good science is hard to do because of (1) "our drive to create a coherent narrative from new data, regardless of its quality or relevance"; (2) "our inclination to seek patterns in data whether they exist or not"; and (3) our negligence to "always consider how likely a result is regardless of its P-value." The good news is that this can be fixed.
Scientific journals discriminate against industry scientists, unless, that is, they happen to work for the environmental or organic industries. Those scientists don't have to follow the same rules governing the disclosure of conflicts of interest that everybody else does.
Pagination
ACSH relies on donors like you. If you enjoy our work, please contribute.
Make your tax-deductible gift today!