Month: March 2009

Implications, NeuroPsyche, Toxicology

Post resurrects “buried” Seroquel study (FiercePharma)

Meanwhile, AstraZeneca folks were worried about Study 15. As you know, internal
emails released as court documents show that higher-ups praised a company
doctor’s efforts to put a “positive spin” on “this cursed study.” Company
officials discussed their “cherry-picking” of data; one said, “Thus far, we have
buried Trials 15, 31, 56 and are now considering COSTAR” (which also produced
unfavorable results). In public, however, AstraZeneca publicized a less-rigorous
study showing that patients lost weight
on Seroquel. …

Implications, Toxicology

Case Not Yet Closed on Vaccines and Autism (Mercola.com)

After his findings were publicized, rates of MMR vaccine in the UK promptly
fell; Dr. Wakefield was fired from his position and later was charged with
professional misconduct by the UK’s General Medical Council (GMC). The paper was
also removed from The Lancet amidst all the controversy.
It has
now become clear that the allegations were totally false and amounted to nothing
more than a smear campaign. …

Nutriceutical

Not Enough Vitamin D In The Diet Could Mean Too Much Fat On Adolescents (ScienceDaily)

“We already know that encouraging teens to get an adequate amount of
vitamin D in their diets will help promote a healthy body as they grow
and develop,” Ms. Stallman-Jorgensen says. “Now we need to do
intervention studies where we give teens vitamin D supplements to
determine if there is a cause and effect relationship between vitamin D
intake and fat.” …

NeuroPsyche, Toxicology

Research supports toxoplasmosis link to schizophrenia (FierceBiotech)

The parasite infects the brain by forming a cyst within its cells and produces
an enzyme called tyrosine hydroxylase, which is needed to make dopamine.
Dopamine’s role in mood, sociability, attention, motivation and sleep patterns
are well documented and schizophrenia has long been associated with dopamine,
which is the target of all schizophrenia drugs on the market. …