Saturday, April 11, 2009
Genzyme Fails to Win U.S. Approval for New Pompe Drug
Genzyme Corp., the maker of treatments for rare genetic disorders, said it failed to win approval for Lumizyme, a version of its drug for Pompe disease made in larger batches.Genzyme must reach an agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a post-approval study of the treatment, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company said in a statement today on Business Wire. The company also said it must respond to an FDA warning letter citing deficiencies in its manufacturing plant that would produce the larger batches of the drug.Genzyme sells Myozyme for children and infants with Pompe disease, which leads to a buildup of sugar in the body that can harm the heart, liver, muscles and nervous system. The company said it has asked regulators to approve Myozyme in 2,000-liter containers under the name Lumizyme for adults in addition to the 160 liters now allowed. Genzyme said the warning letter was “unexpected” because it had responded Oct. 31, 2008, with a plan to address regulators’ requests and was on schedule to finish its corrective actions by March 31.“We have made an enormous effort for more than two years to make this product broadly available in the United States, so we are obviously surprised and disappointed by this further delay,” said Genzyme Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Henri Termeer, in the company’s statement. “We are confident we will be able to resolve all remaining issues with the FDA within three to six months.”Genzyme fell 6.2 percent to $53 at 5 p.m. New York time in extended trading after a drop of $4.41, or 7.2 percent, to $56.52 in Nasdaq Stock Market composite trading.
AstraZeneca Warned Japanese Doctors of Diabetes Link
AstraZeneca Plc pushed salespeople to tell U.S. doctors its antipsychotic drug Seroquel didn’t cause diabetes more than two years after warning physicians in Japan of possible links to the disease, internal documents show.The London-based drugmaker issued a letter to Japanese physicians in November 2002 that said AstraZeneca had received 12 reports that Seroquel users were diagnosed with high blood-sugar levels over a 21-month period, according to company documents unsealed last week in connection with litigation over the drug.“Since February 2001 when Seroquel started to be marketed, 12 serious cases (including 1 death) of hyperglycaemia, diabetic ketoacidosis and diabetic coma where causality with the drug could not be ruled out have been reported,” AstraZeneca officials said in the letter.Almost three years later, AstraZeneca sales managers were instructing company representatives to tell U.S. physicians that “the available data has not established a causal link between diabetes and Seroquel,” according to a transcript of an August 2005 voice-mail unsealed last week.More than 15,000 patients have sued AstraZeneca, claiming the company withheld information about links between diabetes and Seroquel use from doctors and patients. Many of the lawsuits also claim AstraZeneca promoted Seroquel, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, for unapproved uses.Second-Biggest SellerSeroquel, which generated sales of $4.45 billion in 2008, is the company’s second-biggest seller after the ulcer treatment Nexium. AstraZeneca has denied wrongdoing in its handling of the drug and is vowing to fight the lawsuits in court.AstraZeneca officials said today they sent the letter to Japanese doctors at the request of that nation’s regulators.“Every country has a different regulatory administration with different regulatory standards and requirements,” Tony Jewell, an AstraZeneca spokesman, said in an e-mailed statement. “AstraZeneca marketing companies are required to comply with the rules and regulations of the regulatory authorities in the country in which they operate.”Sidney Wolfe, director of Washington-based Public Citizen’s health-research group and a member of the FDA’s drug safety committee, called AstraZeneca’s failure to make a similar disclosure to American doctors “irresponsible.”“They’re depriving doctors and patients of the right to know the downside,” Wolfe said in a telephone interview. “If there’s enough evidence to warn people in Japan, there’s enough evidence to warn people here.”FDA-Approved LabelJewell noted that under U.S. law, drug company salespeople are required to use information from “the label approved by the FDA.” AstraZeneca officials contend that Seroquel’s warning label provided “adequate and appropriate information” about possible diabetes-related side effects.“When first approved, the Seroquel labeling alerted physicians that diabetes mellitus, hyperglycemia, and weight gain had been observed in clinical trials,” Jewell said in his e- mail. “We have continued to update the label on these topics as the science has developed.”AstraZeneca’s American depositary receipts, each representing one ordinary share, fell 42 cents, or 1.3 percent, to $31.17 at 4:07 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. They have declined 24 percent this year.130,000 PatientsAstraZeneca agreed to release more than 100 files with information about the drug last week after Bloomberg News filed a motion in federal court in Orlando, Florida, to unseal records in the case. All federal-court suits over the drug have been consolidated in Orlando. The letter to Japanese doctors became publicly available when it appeared on the court’s electronic docket on Feb. 27.In the letter, AstraZeneca officials noted that the 12 diabetes-related cases emerged from 130,000 patients who had taken Seroquel through the end of September 2002. That means only 0.009 percent of those who had taken the drug reported any diabetes-related problems.Hyperglycaemia is the medical term for high blood-sugar levels. Diabetic ketoacidosis refers to a condition where the human body doesn’t produce enough insulin.The company advised Japanese doctors not to prescribe the drug for diabetic patients and to ensure that users monitor their blood-sugar levels, according to the letter. Seroquel’s label didn’t advise U.S. doctors to monitor blood-glucose levels until January 2004, Jewell said.‘Neutralize Objections’In the 2005 voice-mail, AstraZeneca manager Christine Ney offered the company’s U.S. sales reps information that they could use to “neutralize customer objections to Seroquel’s weight and diabetes profile.”Ney noted that while “hyperglycemia-related adverse events have been reported in patients taking atypical antipsychotics, including Seroquel, to date the available data has not established a causal link between Seroquel and diabetes,” according to the transcript.“Hyperglycemia, in some cases extreme and associated with ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar coma or death, has been reported in patients treated with atypical antipsychotics, including Seroquel,” she said.Ney also suggested that salespeople “refocus” doctors away from questions about Seroquel’s links to diabetes to its “Trusted Tolerability profile,” according to the transcript.Lawyers for ex-Seroquel users question whether AstraZeneca had a pattern of giving foreign regulators and doctors more information about the drug’s diabetes links than their U.S. counterparts.Safety PaperPlaintiffs’ lawyers point to a 2000 “safety position paper” on Seroquel that AstraZeneca sent to Dutch regulators reviewing the drug for the European Union.Dr. Wayne Geller, the drugmaker’s global safety officer, said in the paper that there was “reasonable evidence to suggest that Seroquel therapy can cause impaired glucose regulation including diabetes mellitus in certain individuals,” according to the transcript of a May deposition unsealed last week.AstraZeneca also found a “fairly sizable” number of cases where Seroquel users’ blood-sugar levels were affected by the drug, Geller said in the report, according to the transcript.“You did not tell the FDA, you being AstraZeneca, that you have a fairly sizable number of diabetes cases, did you?” Scott Allen, a Houston-based lawyer for former Seroquel users, asked Geller, according to the transcript.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Genes From Fireflies And Jellyfish Shed Light On Possible Causes Of Infertility And Autoimmune Diseases In Humans
Genes taken from fireflies and jellyfish are literally shedding light on possible causes of infertility and autoimmune diseases in humans.
Scientists are using the luminescent and florescent genes to illuminate cells that produce a hormone linked to conditions, which include rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
The technique will help scientists track the production of the hormone prolactin, which is crucial in ensuring supplies of breast milk in nursing mothers but can be overproduced by some pituitary tumours, causing infertility.
Prolactin has been linked to more than 300 biological functions. It is believed to play a role in autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as in the inflammation of cells and tissues.
Scientists from the Universities of Edinburgh, Manchester and Liverpool harnessed firefly and jellyfish genes, which enable these creatures to emit light, and used them to create a chemical reaction to light up cells expressing prolactin in rats.
The technique means that scientists can identify when and where prolactin is expressed to look at how the hormone works in real time.
Sabrina Semprini, whose study is published in the journal Molecular Endocrinology, said: "The lighting up of cells expressing this hormone will help us to understand its role within the body and could help research looking for treatments for conditions in which prolactin is involved."
The research, funded by the Wellcome Trust, identified cells producing prolactin throughout the body. This included the pituitary gland, the thymus - an organ in the chest which helps protect against autoimmunity - the spleen and inflammatory cells in the abdominal cavity.
Scientists are using the luminescent and florescent genes to illuminate cells that produce a hormone linked to conditions, which include rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
The technique will help scientists track the production of the hormone prolactin, which is crucial in ensuring supplies of breast milk in nursing mothers but can be overproduced by some pituitary tumours, causing infertility.
Prolactin has been linked to more than 300 biological functions. It is believed to play a role in autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as in the inflammation of cells and tissues.
Scientists from the Universities of Edinburgh, Manchester and Liverpool harnessed firefly and jellyfish genes, which enable these creatures to emit light, and used them to create a chemical reaction to light up cells expressing prolactin in rats.
The technique means that scientists can identify when and where prolactin is expressed to look at how the hormone works in real time.
Sabrina Semprini, whose study is published in the journal Molecular Endocrinology, said: "The lighting up of cells expressing this hormone will help us to understand its role within the body and could help research looking for treatments for conditions in which prolactin is involved."
The research, funded by the Wellcome Trust, identified cells producing prolactin throughout the body. This included the pituitary gland, the thymus - an organ in the chest which helps protect against autoimmunity - the spleen and inflammatory cells in the abdominal cavity.
Delivery Of Rx Estrogen Through The Skin May Show Safety Benefits As Opposed To Oral Delivery
Transdermal delivery of estrogen therapy available by prescription "seems not to alter" the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), or blood clotting, in postmenopausal patients when compared to oral delivery, a new study suggests. The study was conducted by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center and was published in the latest issue of Menopause: The Journal of the North American Menopause Society.
Prescription transdermal estrogen therapy is bioidentical to estrogen produced by a woman's ovaries before menopause and delivered through the skin. Transdermal estrogen is available in a variety of formulations which have been quality controlled and approved safe and effective by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The team at NYU Langone sought to determine the effects of delivery of estrogen therapy on postmenopausal women. Blood obtained from 84 postmenopausal women was tested for clotting activity before and after administration of oral or transdermal estrogen for a period of eight weeks. Women with borderline clotting issues showed "a significant acceleration" of clotting after oral estrogen therapy, but no significant change after transdermal estrogen therapy.
"Venous thromboembolic complications or blood clots represent an established risk factor of estrogen therapy, and evidence is now mounting that the route of estrogen administration influences this risk," said researcher Lila Nachtigall, M.D., Director of the Women's Wellness Program at NYU. "These new data on the safety of transdermal HT delivery may prove to be useful information for postmenopausal women deciding whether to take estrogen therapy and whether to take it orally or through the skin."
The research team studied platelet activity in the study participants' blood. Platelets serve a central role in forming pathological arterial thrombosis that causes myocardial infarction and stroke. The study's authors further concluded that the ability to identify postmenopausal women with an increased risk of arterial thrombosis or clotting before even starting estrogen therapy is an important goal to help physicians determine which women may be at the least risk to benefit from estrogen therapy.
"The effect of estrogen therapy on cardiovascular risk remains a point of controversy; however, these data suggest that estrogen delivered transdermally may not increase the likelihood of clotting for women who are at borderline risk," said Dr. Nachtigall. "This study supports the emerging data suggesting that oral, not transdermal estrogen may increase the risk of venous thromboembolism in postmenopausal women."
Prescription transdermal estrogen therapy is bioidentical to estrogen produced by a woman's ovaries before menopause and delivered through the skin. Transdermal estrogen is available in a variety of formulations which have been quality controlled and approved safe and effective by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The team at NYU Langone sought to determine the effects of delivery of estrogen therapy on postmenopausal women. Blood obtained from 84 postmenopausal women was tested for clotting activity before and after administration of oral or transdermal estrogen for a period of eight weeks. Women with borderline clotting issues showed "a significant acceleration" of clotting after oral estrogen therapy, but no significant change after transdermal estrogen therapy.
"Venous thromboembolic complications or blood clots represent an established risk factor of estrogen therapy, and evidence is now mounting that the route of estrogen administration influences this risk," said researcher Lila Nachtigall, M.D., Director of the Women's Wellness Program at NYU. "These new data on the safety of transdermal HT delivery may prove to be useful information for postmenopausal women deciding whether to take estrogen therapy and whether to take it orally or through the skin."
The research team studied platelet activity in the study participants' blood. Platelets serve a central role in forming pathological arterial thrombosis that causes myocardial infarction and stroke. The study's authors further concluded that the ability to identify postmenopausal women with an increased risk of arterial thrombosis or clotting before even starting estrogen therapy is an important goal to help physicians determine which women may be at the least risk to benefit from estrogen therapy.
"The effect of estrogen therapy on cardiovascular risk remains a point of controversy; however, these data suggest that estrogen delivered transdermally may not increase the likelihood of clotting for women who are at borderline risk," said Dr. Nachtigall. "This study supports the emerging data suggesting that oral, not transdermal estrogen may increase the risk of venous thromboembolism in postmenopausal women."
Better Oral Hygiene Could Reduce Complications In Pregnancy And Help Newborn Babies
Bacteria from a mother's mouth can be transmitted through the blood and amniotic fluid in the womb to her unborn child. This could contribute to the risk of a premature delivery, a low birth-weight baby, premature onset of contractions, or infection of the newborn child. This evidence could have an important implication for women and babies' heath since simple improvement of dental hygiene may help to reduce the incidence of unknown complications in pregnancy and newborn babies.
In work presented at the Society for General Microbiology meeting in Harrogate (Tuesday 31 March), Ms Cecilia Gonzales-Marin and colleagues from Queen Mary University of London, described how they had tested the gastric aspirates (stomach contents containing swallowed amniotic fluid) of 57 newborn babies and found 46 different species of bacteria in the samples. The most prevalent bacteria in the samples may have come from the vagina; however, two of the species were recognised as coming from the mouth and are not normally found elsewhere in the body. These particular bacteria, Granulicatella elegans and Streptococcus sinensis, are known to be able to enter the bloodstream and have previously been associated with infections remote from the mouth such as infective endocarditis.
"Our studies show that sampling the stomach contents of newborn babies by using gastric aspirates can provide a reliable method of microbial identification. Hospitals routinely take these samples as part of the care of the babies born from a complicated pregnancy and/or at risk of serious infection. They provide a more accessible alternative to amniotic fluid," said Ms Gonzales-Marin, "Our research group is using DNA techniques to confirm if bacteria from the newborn matches the bacteria in the respective mother's mouth".
In work presented at the Society for General Microbiology meeting in Harrogate (Tuesday 31 March), Ms Cecilia Gonzales-Marin and colleagues from Queen Mary University of London, described how they had tested the gastric aspirates (stomach contents containing swallowed amniotic fluid) of 57 newborn babies and found 46 different species of bacteria in the samples. The most prevalent bacteria in the samples may have come from the vagina; however, two of the species were recognised as coming from the mouth and are not normally found elsewhere in the body. These particular bacteria, Granulicatella elegans and Streptococcus sinensis, are known to be able to enter the bloodstream and have previously been associated with infections remote from the mouth such as infective endocarditis.
"Our studies show that sampling the stomach contents of newborn babies by using gastric aspirates can provide a reliable method of microbial identification. Hospitals routinely take these samples as part of the care of the babies born from a complicated pregnancy and/or at risk of serious infection. They provide a more accessible alternative to amniotic fluid," said Ms Gonzales-Marin, "Our research group is using DNA techniques to confirm if bacteria from the newborn matches the bacteria in the respective mother's mouth".
Yale Stem Cell Researchers Awarded $4 Million In State Grants
Yale University researchers received almost $4 million from the state of Connecticut to study ways human embryonic stem cells can be used to treat ailments as diverse as spinal cord injuries, cancer and mental retardation.
Five researchers received grants worth $2.5 million and seven other researchers received seed grants worth $1.4 million, the Connecticut Department of Public Health announced April 1. The grants by the Connecticut Stem Cell Advisory Committee were made under a 2005 state law that designated $100 million over 10 years to promote stem cell research in Connecticut. Connecticut was the third such state to pass legislation authorizing use of funds to study embryonic stem cells.
Project titles, Yale principal investigators and grant amounts are:
Cellular transplantation of neural progenitors derived from human embryonic stem cells to remyelinate the nonhuman primate spinal cord, Jeffery Kocsis, $500,000.
piggyBac Transposon for Genetic Manipulation and Insertional Mutagenesis in Human Embryonic Stem Cells, Tian Xu, $500,000.
MicroRNA regulation of (Human Embryonic Cell) fates, Jun Lu,$500,000.
Derivation and Functional Characterization of Heart Cells from Human Embryonic Stem Cells, Yibing Qyang, $200,000.
The Influence of Aberrant Notch Signaling on Rb Mediated Cell Cycle Regulation in Megakaryopoiesis & Acute Megakaryoblastic Leukemia, Stephanie Massaro, $200,000.
Investigating the role of nuclear RNA quality surveillance in embryonic stem cells, Sandra Wolin, $200,000.
Molecular profiling and cell fate potential of hESC-derived early neural crest precursors, Martín I. García-Castro, $200,000.
Neural Stem Cell Responses to Hypoxia, Qi Li, $200,000.
Induction and differentiation of beta cells from human embryonic stem cells, Evan Herold, $200,000.
Transcriptional control of keratinocyte differentiation in human ES cells, Valerie Horsley, $200,000.00.
Derivation and Functional Characterization of Heart Cells from Human Embryonic Stem Cells, Yibing Qyang, $200,000.00.
Five researchers received grants worth $2.5 million and seven other researchers received seed grants worth $1.4 million, the Connecticut Department of Public Health announced April 1. The grants by the Connecticut Stem Cell Advisory Committee were made under a 2005 state law that designated $100 million over 10 years to promote stem cell research in Connecticut. Connecticut was the third such state to pass legislation authorizing use of funds to study embryonic stem cells.
Project titles, Yale principal investigators and grant amounts are:
Cellular transplantation of neural progenitors derived from human embryonic stem cells to remyelinate the nonhuman primate spinal cord, Jeffery Kocsis, $500,000.
piggyBac Transposon for Genetic Manipulation and Insertional Mutagenesis in Human Embryonic Stem Cells, Tian Xu, $500,000.
MicroRNA regulation of (Human Embryonic Cell) fates, Jun Lu,$500,000.
Derivation and Functional Characterization of Heart Cells from Human Embryonic Stem Cells, Yibing Qyang, $200,000.
The Influence of Aberrant Notch Signaling on Rb Mediated Cell Cycle Regulation in Megakaryopoiesis & Acute Megakaryoblastic Leukemia, Stephanie Massaro, $200,000.
Investigating the role of nuclear RNA quality surveillance in embryonic stem cells, Sandra Wolin, $200,000.
Molecular profiling and cell fate potential of hESC-derived early neural crest precursors, Martín I. García-Castro, $200,000.
Neural Stem Cell Responses to Hypoxia, Qi Li, $200,000.
Induction and differentiation of beta cells from human embryonic stem cells, Evan Herold, $200,000.
Transcriptional control of keratinocyte differentiation in human ES cells, Valerie Horsley, $200,000.00.
Derivation and Functional Characterization of Heart Cells from Human Embryonic Stem Cells, Yibing Qyang, $200,000.00.
Balancing Hormones May Help Prevent Preterm Births Main Category: Endocrinology
The relationship between two different types of estrogen and a hormone produced in the placenta may serve as the mechanism for signaling labor, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). This finding may help doctors intervene and prevent preterm birth much more effectively.
"The trigger for the onset of labor in women has been a puzzle for a long time," says Dr. Roger Smith, MD, PhD, of John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, Australia and lead author of the study. "Our findings show we may have an answer, and furthermore may be able to delay or advance labor."
Humans have two types of estrogen called estradiol (E2) and estriol (E3). When E2 and E3 are in roughly equal amounts there is no drive to labor, but the opposite holds true once one becomes in greater excess than the other. This study evaluated the ratio of E3 to E2 in 500 pregnant women and found that it went up rapidly as labor approached indicating that E3 could stimulate the onset of labor.
Dr. Smith and his colleagues then sought to understand what was causing the increase in E3 and they believe they found an answer. In a previous study they showed that a hormone in the placenta, called corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH), rises rapidly through pregnancy, peaking at the time of labor. CRH levels rise earlier in women who deliver prematurely and later in women who deliver late, forming a biological clock that regulates the length of pregnancy.
Researchers also showed that CRH can act on the adrenal glands of the fetus to stimulate the production of a steroid hormone which the placenta uses to make E3. This study showed a strong relationship between CRH levels in the mother's blood in the weeks before birth and the levels of E3 supporting the view that CRH increases E3.
"CRH may be the catalyst for the onset of labor, by driving steroid hormone production in the fetus, which then leads to an increase in E3 so that it exceeds E2," said Dr. Smith. "If this progression is correct, it may explain why women with a baby who dies in utero can still go into labor. In this scenario, levels of E3 would drop making E2 more dominant and triggering the onset of labor."
"It may be possible to delay or advance labor by varying the ratio of E3 to E2 by giving either E2 or E3 to the pregnant woman," said Dr. Smith. "It may also be possible to predict the timing of birth by monitoring this ratio between the two estrogens."
Dr. Smith notes that this is the first study to show these results and confirmation through further research is needed.
Other researchers working on the study include Julia Smith, Patricia Engel, Maria Bowman, Andrew Bisits and Shaun McGrath of the Mothers and Babies Research Centre at the University of Newcastle in Australia; and Patrick McElduff of the Hunter Medical Research Institute in Newcastle, Australia; David Smith of the University of Western Australia; and Warwick Giles of the University of Sydney in Australia.
"The trigger for the onset of labor in women has been a puzzle for a long time," says Dr. Roger Smith, MD, PhD, of John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, Australia and lead author of the study. "Our findings show we may have an answer, and furthermore may be able to delay or advance labor."
Humans have two types of estrogen called estradiol (E2) and estriol (E3). When E2 and E3 are in roughly equal amounts there is no drive to labor, but the opposite holds true once one becomes in greater excess than the other. This study evaluated the ratio of E3 to E2 in 500 pregnant women and found that it went up rapidly as labor approached indicating that E3 could stimulate the onset of labor.
Dr. Smith and his colleagues then sought to understand what was causing the increase in E3 and they believe they found an answer. In a previous study they showed that a hormone in the placenta, called corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH), rises rapidly through pregnancy, peaking at the time of labor. CRH levels rise earlier in women who deliver prematurely and later in women who deliver late, forming a biological clock that regulates the length of pregnancy.
Researchers also showed that CRH can act on the adrenal glands of the fetus to stimulate the production of a steroid hormone which the placenta uses to make E3. This study showed a strong relationship between CRH levels in the mother's blood in the weeks before birth and the levels of E3 supporting the view that CRH increases E3.
"CRH may be the catalyst for the onset of labor, by driving steroid hormone production in the fetus, which then leads to an increase in E3 so that it exceeds E2," said Dr. Smith. "If this progression is correct, it may explain why women with a baby who dies in utero can still go into labor. In this scenario, levels of E3 would drop making E2 more dominant and triggering the onset of labor."
"It may be possible to delay or advance labor by varying the ratio of E3 to E2 by giving either E2 or E3 to the pregnant woman," said Dr. Smith. "It may also be possible to predict the timing of birth by monitoring this ratio between the two estrogens."
Dr. Smith notes that this is the first study to show these results and confirmation through further research is needed.
Other researchers working on the study include Julia Smith, Patricia Engel, Maria Bowman, Andrew Bisits and Shaun McGrath of the Mothers and Babies Research Centre at the University of Newcastle in Australia; and Patrick McElduff of the Hunter Medical Research Institute in Newcastle, Australia; David Smith of the University of Western Australia; and Warwick Giles of the University of Sydney in Australia.
Hoenig Says Few Big U.S. Banks to Need More Bailouts
Government stress tests of U.S. banks’ ability to withstand a deeper recession are likely indicate that most don’t need more taxpayer money, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City President Thomas Hoenig said.
“I would point out, first, that although the United States has several thousand banks, only 19 have more than $100 billion of assets, and that after supervisory authorities evaluate their condition, it is likely that few would require further government intervention,” Hoenig said in the text of a speech in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The remarks came as stocks rallied worldwide today as better-than-estimated earnings at Wells Fargo & Co. boosted confidence in the financial system and speculation that American banks will pass stress tests. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Gary Stern said that while “appreciable strains” remain in credit markets, the resumption of U.S. economic growth “should not be too far off.”
President Barack Obama will get a progress report on stress tests at the 19 biggest U.S. banks when he meets tomorrow with his economic team. The exams, to conclude by the end of April, are designed to show how much extra capital banks may need to survive a deeper economic downturn.
Hoenig didn’t discuss the current U.S. economic outlook or interest-rate policy in his speech.
Speaking in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Stern said, “while it is still far too early to fully tally results, there has been progress and I anticipate more to come.”
Failing Banks
In his speech, Hoenig repeated his view that the government shouldn’t prop up failing financial institutions. Instead, officials should take over institutions temporarily and wind them down, such as the takeover of Continental Illinois National Bank & Trust Co. in 1984.
“There has been much talk lately about a new resolution process for systemically important firms that Congress could enact, and I would encourage this be implemented as quickly as possible, but we do not have to wait for new authority,” Hoenig told the Tulsa Metro Chamber of Commerce. “We can act immediately, using essentially the same steps we used for Continental.”
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke last month called for new powers to take over and wind down failing financial companies after the government’s rescue of American International Group Inc. Bernanke and Geithner also called for stronger regulation to constrain the risks taken by firms that could endanger the financial system.
Conservatorship
“An extremely large firm that has failed would have to be temporarily operated as a conservatorship or a bridge organization and then reprivatized as quickly as is economically feasible,” Hoenig said. “We cannot simply add more capital without a change in the firm’s ownership and management and expect different outcomes.”
While the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has the power to take over failing deposit-taking firms and wind down their assets, no such authority exists for financial firms that aren’t classified as banks, such as AIG or a hedge fund with extensive links throughout the banking system.
Hoenig said calling a firm “too big to fail” is a “misstatement” because a bank deemed insolvent “has failed.”
“I believe that failure is an option,” he said.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Condom Sales in Eastern Europe to Bolster Durex Maker
SSL International Plc Chief Executive Officer Garry Watts is taking the manufacturer of Durex condoms to eastern Europe just as the region’s economic meltdown turns investors away.
The U.K. maker of Durex and Contex brands plans to raise its stake in a unit that distributes contraceptives in Russia and nine other eastern European countries to 50 percent by April and expects to take full ownership by 2010, Watts said. The 200 million-pound ($283 million) takeover will raise SSL’s sales in the region by 100 million pounds a year starting from April.
“Russian people aren’t going to stop having sex any more than British people are,” Watts, 52, said in an interview in London. “We’re not immune from the downturn, but it’s a bit like Pizza Hut: If you’re not going out, then you might be willing to drop a five-pound vibrator ring into your trolley.”
Kraft Foods Inc., Alcoa Inc. and Volkswagen AG are among companies that halted expansion plans and curtailed production in Europe’s former communist countries as their economies and currencies slumped. Since joining SSL in 2001, Watts has pushed the London-based company to expand outside its home market, entering eastern Europe last year by buying a 15.5 percent stake in Beleggingsmaatschappij Lemore BV for 24.6 million pounds.
Huge Markets
“Although the region is under pressure at the moment,” BLBV gives SSL “access to huge markets with massive populations,” said Martin Todd, an analyst with Scottish Widows Investment Partnership, which bought 1.07 million shares in November for a 1 percent stake. “SSL is growing in China and Russia, so those are the long-term growth markets for them.”
About 90 percent of newly reported HIV cases in Eastern Europe and Central Asia were in Russia and the Ukraine in 2006, according to a UNAIDS report. Infection rates are as much as eight times higher than in the U.K, France and Germany, according to U.K.-based AIDS awareness charity Avert.
Beleggingsmaatschappij Lemore, or BLBV, has about 60 percent of Russia’s condom market and sells the contraceptives throughout eastern Europe. SSL supplied about 400 million condoms, about 20 percent of the company’s total production, to BLBV in 2008.
The February transaction included an option for SSL to raise its stake to 50 percent for a price based on 2007 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and acquire the rest for an amount similarly linked to 2009 profit.
Share Sale
SSL fell 7.5 pence, or 1.6 percent, to 467.5 pence in London. The stock had gained 3.7 percent in the six months before today, compared with a 25 percent drop of Trojan condom-maker Church & Dwight Inc. The MSCI U.K. Small Cap Index fell 47 percent. SSL raised 87.3 million pounds in a share sale in January.
BLBV could boost SSL 2011 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization by 22 million pounds, according to Sally Taylor, an analyst at house broker JPMorgan Cazenove Ltd., who rates the stock “outperform.” Four analysts surveyed by Bloomberg recommend buying the shares, and one advises selling.
SSL also makes Scholl shoes and foot-care products which it plans to distribute through BLBV. Scholl sales account for 43 percent of the company’s total, about the same as Durex. About 40 percent of SSL’s sales in fiscal year 2009, which ends in March, were in the euro region and about 25 percent elsewhere in Europe. The remainder where in Asia and the U.S.
Pound Benefit
The pound has plunged 13 percent against the euro in the last year. SSL makes most of its sales in western Europe and books them in pounds.
The economies of eastern Europe will shrink an average of 0.4 percent this year, the International Monetary Fund said Jan. 29. Latvia, Hungary, Serbia, Ukraine and Belarus have all received IMF bailouts. SSL is ramping up its presence while other western European small-caps such as Vetropack Holding AG or Dutch-Israeli Kardan NV are forced to scale down eastern operations.
SSL reported a first-half profit of 22.6 million pounds compared with a loss of 16.1 million pounds a year earlier. Full- year 2009 earnings before interest and taxes will increase more than 30 percent because of favorable currency rates, the company said in January.
Chinese Factory
The company will open a new Chinese factory with the capacity to produce one billion condoms annually in July, Watts said. SSL has not ruled out further acquisitions in countries such as Japan, Korea, Germany or South America.
Other acquisitions completed within the last two years include the purchase of Swiss condom-maker Crest for 4.6 million pounds in December 2008 and orthotic insole brand Orthaheel in November 2007. The company also took over Qingdao London Durex, in which it already controlled a 50 percent stake, for 19.1 million pounds in January 2007.
Standard Life Investments purchased 1.8 million SSL shares as of Nov. 3, raising its stake to 2.18 percent, according to filings. Blackrock Inc., the largest publicly traded U.S. asset manager, is the biggest shareholder with a 13 percent stake.
SSL’s expansion in eastern Europe bucks a trend that’s gathered pace since Ukraine’s credit rating was cut two levels to the lowest in Europe on Feb. 25, just one day after Latvia was downgraded to junk.
The U.K. maker of Durex and Contex brands plans to raise its stake in a unit that distributes contraceptives in Russia and nine other eastern European countries to 50 percent by April and expects to take full ownership by 2010, Watts said. The 200 million-pound ($283 million) takeover will raise SSL’s sales in the region by 100 million pounds a year starting from April.
“Russian people aren’t going to stop having sex any more than British people are,” Watts, 52, said in an interview in London. “We’re not immune from the downturn, but it’s a bit like Pizza Hut: If you’re not going out, then you might be willing to drop a five-pound vibrator ring into your trolley.”
Kraft Foods Inc., Alcoa Inc. and Volkswagen AG are among companies that halted expansion plans and curtailed production in Europe’s former communist countries as their economies and currencies slumped. Since joining SSL in 2001, Watts has pushed the London-based company to expand outside its home market, entering eastern Europe last year by buying a 15.5 percent stake in Beleggingsmaatschappij Lemore BV for 24.6 million pounds.
Huge Markets
“Although the region is under pressure at the moment,” BLBV gives SSL “access to huge markets with massive populations,” said Martin Todd, an analyst with Scottish Widows Investment Partnership, which bought 1.07 million shares in November for a 1 percent stake. “SSL is growing in China and Russia, so those are the long-term growth markets for them.”
About 90 percent of newly reported HIV cases in Eastern Europe and Central Asia were in Russia and the Ukraine in 2006, according to a UNAIDS report. Infection rates are as much as eight times higher than in the U.K, France and Germany, according to U.K.-based AIDS awareness charity Avert.
Beleggingsmaatschappij Lemore, or BLBV, has about 60 percent of Russia’s condom market and sells the contraceptives throughout eastern Europe. SSL supplied about 400 million condoms, about 20 percent of the company’s total production, to BLBV in 2008.
The February transaction included an option for SSL to raise its stake to 50 percent for a price based on 2007 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and acquire the rest for an amount similarly linked to 2009 profit.
Share Sale
SSL fell 7.5 pence, or 1.6 percent, to 467.5 pence in London. The stock had gained 3.7 percent in the six months before today, compared with a 25 percent drop of Trojan condom-maker Church & Dwight Inc. The MSCI U.K. Small Cap Index fell 47 percent. SSL raised 87.3 million pounds in a share sale in January.
BLBV could boost SSL 2011 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization by 22 million pounds, according to Sally Taylor, an analyst at house broker JPMorgan Cazenove Ltd., who rates the stock “outperform.” Four analysts surveyed by Bloomberg recommend buying the shares, and one advises selling.
SSL also makes Scholl shoes and foot-care products which it plans to distribute through BLBV. Scholl sales account for 43 percent of the company’s total, about the same as Durex. About 40 percent of SSL’s sales in fiscal year 2009, which ends in March, were in the euro region and about 25 percent elsewhere in Europe. The remainder where in Asia and the U.S.
Pound Benefit
The pound has plunged 13 percent against the euro in the last year. SSL makes most of its sales in western Europe and books them in pounds.
The economies of eastern Europe will shrink an average of 0.4 percent this year, the International Monetary Fund said Jan. 29. Latvia, Hungary, Serbia, Ukraine and Belarus have all received IMF bailouts. SSL is ramping up its presence while other western European small-caps such as Vetropack Holding AG or Dutch-Israeli Kardan NV are forced to scale down eastern operations.
SSL reported a first-half profit of 22.6 million pounds compared with a loss of 16.1 million pounds a year earlier. Full- year 2009 earnings before interest and taxes will increase more than 30 percent because of favorable currency rates, the company said in January.
Chinese Factory
The company will open a new Chinese factory with the capacity to produce one billion condoms annually in July, Watts said. SSL has not ruled out further acquisitions in countries such as Japan, Korea, Germany or South America.
Other acquisitions completed within the last two years include the purchase of Swiss condom-maker Crest for 4.6 million pounds in December 2008 and orthotic insole brand Orthaheel in November 2007. The company also took over Qingdao London Durex, in which it already controlled a 50 percent stake, for 19.1 million pounds in January 2007.
Standard Life Investments purchased 1.8 million SSL shares as of Nov. 3, raising its stake to 2.18 percent, according to filings. Blackrock Inc., the largest publicly traded U.S. asset manager, is the biggest shareholder with a 13 percent stake.
SSL’s expansion in eastern Europe bucks a trend that’s gathered pace since Ukraine’s credit rating was cut two levels to the lowest in Europe on Feb. 25, just one day after Latvia was downgraded to junk.
Harvard Scientists’ Discovery Opens Door to Synthetic Life
Harvard University scientists are a step closer to creating synthetic forms of life, part of a drive to design man-made organisms that may one day be used to help produce new fuels and create biotechnology drugs.
Researchers led by George Church, whose findings helped spur the U.S. human genome project in the 1980s, have copied the part of a living cell that makes proteins, the building blocks of life. The finding overcomes a major roadblock in making synthetic self-replicating organisms, Church said today in a lecture at Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The technology can be used to program cells to make virtually any protein, even some that don’t exist in nature, the scientists said. That may allow production of helpful new drugs, chemicals and organisms, including living bacteria. It also opens the door to ethical concerns about creation of processes that may be uncontrollable by life’s natural defenses.
“It’s the key component to making synthetic life,” Church said yesterday in a telephone call with reporters. “We haven’t made synthetic life and it’s not our primary goal, but this is a huge milestone in that direction.”
The work may be immediately helpful to companies such as Synthetic Genomics Inc., headed by J. Craig Venter, trying to make new organisms that perform specific tasks, such as converting buried coal into methane gas that’s easier to extract from the ground.
Microbes for Coal
Venter’s plan is to create man-made microbes that can help break down the coal in the earth, much as bacteria speed decomposing plant material.
In a conference for alumni today at Harvard, Church described how his team assembled a reconstituted ribosome, the first artificial version of the structure capable of remaking itself.
Naturally occurring ribosomes are used now when biotechnology companies genetically engineer cells to make the proteins for vaccines and drugs, such as Genentech Inc.’s Herceptin. Normal ribosomes make some drugs slowly, and others can’t be made at all, said Anthony Forster, a Vanderbilt University pharmacologist who has collaborated with Church on synthetic biology projects.
A man-made, or reconstituted, ribosome may be programmable to make all kinds of molecules, Forster said.
Efficient Protein Making
“There would be advantages to having ribosomes that would only make specific proteins” said James Collins, a Boston University biomedical engineer, in a telephone interview. “Then you could program ribosomes so that they shut down much of the rest of the cell, only making the proteins you want to produce. You could shift the cell’s machinery to making certain products or fuels, for example, and really increase efficiency.”
Specially programmed ribosomes might also have the ability to make mirror images of the active molecules in existing drugs, Church said. These mirror-image versions, sometimes called chirals, would be impervious to enzymes that the body usually uses to break down chemicals.
“They would have a longer stability in natural environments,” Church said.
Ribosomes have been synthesized before, some as long as 40 years ago. Because they were made only under specialized conditions of temperature and salt concentration, scientists couldn’t get them to recreate themselves, a key requirement in making artificial life.
Security Concerns
Artificial life and drugs that can’t be broken down by the body’s natural enzymes raise a number of serious concerns, said David Magnus, director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics.
As the tools of synthetic biology become easier to use, bioterrorists and criminals may attempt to exploit them, he said. Well-meaning scientists might also release potentially deadly organisms and chemicals into the environment.
“A number of proposals have been made about controlling access to this technology,” Magnus said in a telephone interview. “The synthetic biology community takes these issues seriously and are talking about what it will take to make sure we have effective oversight.”
The first artificial organisms are likely to be grown in highly controlled conditions, and would probably be unable to exist outside the laboratory, said Vanderbilt’s Forster.
Lab Escape Improbable
“It might sound scary initially, but it would almost be on life support,” he said. “It would probably be highly dependent on someone feeding it 30 or more small molecules. It wouldn’t be likely to escape into the environment and run amok.”
Church has advised 22 companies on genetic sequencing since 1984. Technology he developed was licensed to Applied Biosystems Inc., purchased last year by Life Technologies Corp. The technology is used to make Life’s sequencing products.
The Harvard geneticist last year received backing from Google Inc. for a project to decipher the genomes of 100,000 people using sequencers, machines that quickly read the genetic code, the instructions for making all its proteins that is stored in DNA molecules. A complementary molecule, called RNA, sends the genetic messages to structures called ribosomes that act like factories producing proteins.
Researchers led by George Church, whose findings helped spur the U.S. human genome project in the 1980s, have copied the part of a living cell that makes proteins, the building blocks of life. The finding overcomes a major roadblock in making synthetic self-replicating organisms, Church said today in a lecture at Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The technology can be used to program cells to make virtually any protein, even some that don’t exist in nature, the scientists said. That may allow production of helpful new drugs, chemicals and organisms, including living bacteria. It also opens the door to ethical concerns about creation of processes that may be uncontrollable by life’s natural defenses.
“It’s the key component to making synthetic life,” Church said yesterday in a telephone call with reporters. “We haven’t made synthetic life and it’s not our primary goal, but this is a huge milestone in that direction.”
The work may be immediately helpful to companies such as Synthetic Genomics Inc., headed by J. Craig Venter, trying to make new organisms that perform specific tasks, such as converting buried coal into methane gas that’s easier to extract from the ground.
Microbes for Coal
Venter’s plan is to create man-made microbes that can help break down the coal in the earth, much as bacteria speed decomposing plant material.
In a conference for alumni today at Harvard, Church described how his team assembled a reconstituted ribosome, the first artificial version of the structure capable of remaking itself.
Naturally occurring ribosomes are used now when biotechnology companies genetically engineer cells to make the proteins for vaccines and drugs, such as Genentech Inc.’s Herceptin. Normal ribosomes make some drugs slowly, and others can’t be made at all, said Anthony Forster, a Vanderbilt University pharmacologist who has collaborated with Church on synthetic biology projects.
A man-made, or reconstituted, ribosome may be programmable to make all kinds of molecules, Forster said.
Efficient Protein Making
“There would be advantages to having ribosomes that would only make specific proteins” said James Collins, a Boston University biomedical engineer, in a telephone interview. “Then you could program ribosomes so that they shut down much of the rest of the cell, only making the proteins you want to produce. You could shift the cell’s machinery to making certain products or fuels, for example, and really increase efficiency.”
Specially programmed ribosomes might also have the ability to make mirror images of the active molecules in existing drugs, Church said. These mirror-image versions, sometimes called chirals, would be impervious to enzymes that the body usually uses to break down chemicals.
“They would have a longer stability in natural environments,” Church said.
Ribosomes have been synthesized before, some as long as 40 years ago. Because they were made only under specialized conditions of temperature and salt concentration, scientists couldn’t get them to recreate themselves, a key requirement in making artificial life.
Security Concerns
Artificial life and drugs that can’t be broken down by the body’s natural enzymes raise a number of serious concerns, said David Magnus, director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics.
As the tools of synthetic biology become easier to use, bioterrorists and criminals may attempt to exploit them, he said. Well-meaning scientists might also release potentially deadly organisms and chemicals into the environment.
“A number of proposals have been made about controlling access to this technology,” Magnus said in a telephone interview. “The synthetic biology community takes these issues seriously and are talking about what it will take to make sure we have effective oversight.”
The first artificial organisms are likely to be grown in highly controlled conditions, and would probably be unable to exist outside the laboratory, said Vanderbilt’s Forster.
Lab Escape Improbable
“It might sound scary initially, but it would almost be on life support,” he said. “It would probably be highly dependent on someone feeding it 30 or more small molecules. It wouldn’t be likely to escape into the environment and run amok.”
Church has advised 22 companies on genetic sequencing since 1984. Technology he developed was licensed to Applied Biosystems Inc., purchased last year by Life Technologies Corp. The technology is used to make Life’s sequencing products.
The Harvard geneticist last year received backing from Google Inc. for a project to decipher the genomes of 100,000 people using sequencers, machines that quickly read the genetic code, the instructions for making all its proteins that is stored in DNA molecules. A complementary molecule, called RNA, sends the genetic messages to structures called ribosomes that act like factories producing proteins.
Brain drain fears as Barack Obama lifts ban on stem-cell funding
British doctors are predicting a damaging brain drain of scientists to the US after President Obama's move today to lift the Bush Administration's restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research.
Mr Obama's decision to overturn the funding ban is aimed at increasing the chance of finding cures for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's and other afflictions. Yet it also promises to provide a new stream of financial support that could prove tempting for British researchers who are struggling to raise the money they need for their experiments, scientists said.
Mr Obama will sign an executive order lifting Mr Bush's funding ban. It is controversial with anti-abortion groups because stem cells are harvested from embryos that are destroyed in the process, an act that President Bush said crossed a “moral line”.
Stephen Minger, of King's College London, a stem-cell scientist who left the US for Britain because of the Government's more enthusiastic attitude to his research, said that the new American position posed significant challenges for British science.
“The UK remains an extremely competitive place to do stem-cell research, but if that is to be maintained the Government needs to make a sustained commitment to funding the field properly,” he said. “Competition for grants is extremely fierce, and many good funding applications are being turned down. We want to keep British scientists in Britain, but if the NIH [US National Institutes of Health] does make a lot of money available, that will obviously be tempting to many people.”
One of Professor Minger's own projects, for stem-cell research with human-animal hybrid embryos, recently failed to attract funding from the Medical Research Council.
Even though President Bush banned the NIH from financing most embryonic stem-cell research, US funding has long outstripped that available in Britain. Scientists based in America have always been free to experiment with embryonic stem cells using private funds and many states have also provided large sums.
The Medical Research Council spent £25.5million on all stem-cell research last year, 39 per cent of which went on embryonic projects. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine spends $300million (£210million) a year. “Not all of this goes on embryonic research, but the money is already there in the US,” Professor Minger said. “Whether President Obama's move leads to more NIH funding remains to be seen: there will be legal challenges ahead. The significance is chiefly symbolic, in that it shows there is no longer a political bias against embryonic stem cells.”
Britain's advantage over the US in stem-cell research has always been political rather than financial: while the US Government has been opposed to embryonic stem-cell research and has blocked much of it, Britain has been enthusiastic. That no longer applies, making the US more attractive for stem-cell scientists.
The US also has a single body, the Food and Drug Administration, that is responsible for all regulation of stem-cell trials. British researchers, by contrast, must deal with three agencies: the Human Tissue Authority, the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.
Robin Lovell-Badge, of the UK National Institute for Medical Research, said: “We absolutely have to streamline the regulation, or we will get nowhere. The end of the US funding ban is undoubtedly good news – this is an international field, and we have been deprived of the leadership the NIH can bring. But it does pose challenges for the UK. We need to make sure our funding and regulation are competitive.”
Yet it may be several months before the NIH starts to spend more on this field. Mr Obama's move will almost certainly face legal challenges, based on the “Dickey-Wicker amendment”. That is a 1995 rider passed by Congress along with an appropriations Bill that bans federal grants that go toward research involving the destruction of human embryos.
Mr Obama's decision to overturn the funding ban is aimed at increasing the chance of finding cures for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's and other afflictions. Yet it also promises to provide a new stream of financial support that could prove tempting for British researchers who are struggling to raise the money they need for their experiments, scientists said.
Mr Obama will sign an executive order lifting Mr Bush's funding ban. It is controversial with anti-abortion groups because stem cells are harvested from embryos that are destroyed in the process, an act that President Bush said crossed a “moral line”.
Stephen Minger, of King's College London, a stem-cell scientist who left the US for Britain because of the Government's more enthusiastic attitude to his research, said that the new American position posed significant challenges for British science.
“The UK remains an extremely competitive place to do stem-cell research, but if that is to be maintained the Government needs to make a sustained commitment to funding the field properly,” he said. “Competition for grants is extremely fierce, and many good funding applications are being turned down. We want to keep British scientists in Britain, but if the NIH [US National Institutes of Health] does make a lot of money available, that will obviously be tempting to many people.”
One of Professor Minger's own projects, for stem-cell research with human-animal hybrid embryos, recently failed to attract funding from the Medical Research Council.
Even though President Bush banned the NIH from financing most embryonic stem-cell research, US funding has long outstripped that available in Britain. Scientists based in America have always been free to experiment with embryonic stem cells using private funds and many states have also provided large sums.
The Medical Research Council spent £25.5million on all stem-cell research last year, 39 per cent of which went on embryonic projects. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine spends $300million (£210million) a year. “Not all of this goes on embryonic research, but the money is already there in the US,” Professor Minger said. “Whether President Obama's move leads to more NIH funding remains to be seen: there will be legal challenges ahead. The significance is chiefly symbolic, in that it shows there is no longer a political bias against embryonic stem cells.”
Britain's advantage over the US in stem-cell research has always been political rather than financial: while the US Government has been opposed to embryonic stem-cell research and has blocked much of it, Britain has been enthusiastic. That no longer applies, making the US more attractive for stem-cell scientists.
The US also has a single body, the Food and Drug Administration, that is responsible for all regulation of stem-cell trials. British researchers, by contrast, must deal with three agencies: the Human Tissue Authority, the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.
Robin Lovell-Badge, of the UK National Institute for Medical Research, said: “We absolutely have to streamline the regulation, or we will get nowhere. The end of the US funding ban is undoubtedly good news – this is an international field, and we have been deprived of the leadership the NIH can bring. But it does pose challenges for the UK. We need to make sure our funding and regulation are competitive.”
Yet it may be several months before the NIH starts to spend more on this field. Mr Obama's move will almost certainly face legal challenges, based on the “Dickey-Wicker amendment”. That is a 1995 rider passed by Congress along with an appropriations Bill that bans federal grants that go toward research involving the destruction of human embryos.
Knowledge doesn’t always mean power
Everyone knows that scientific advance has the capacity to do harm as well as good. Screening for cancer, for example, may detect the disease early and thus save life; but this has to be balanced against the unnecessary worry caused to those – who may be many more – who test positive but do not have the disease.
Will knowing our own genetic predisposition to disease do us more harm than good? My gut feeling is that it will.
First, most diseases are not straightforwardly genetic. To have a certain gene or combination of genes does not mean that one is certain to get a disease. Genetic differences play an important, but not an all-important part in the pattern of diseases from which we suffer.
Thus, having a certain genetic constitution may tell us that we are four times as likely to get disease X as the next man, or that we have a 17.5 per cent chance of developing disease Y after the age of 55. But what are we to do with this information, apart from worry about it?
It is difficult to keep in mind that what matters to us is not our relative chance of contracting a disease, but our absolute chance of contracting it. Why should I worry if my possession of a certain gene pattern makes me ten times more likely than my neighbour to contract a particular disease, if his chance is only one in ten million? On the other hand, if the possession of a certain gene pattern renders me susceptible to a disease whose environmental determinants are known, then I can take avoiding action if the risk is sufficiently big and the disease sufficiently severe to make it worthwhile.
Moreover, if we do not gather the information, how will we ever understand the interaction between genetic endowment and environmental factors in the causation of disease?
What about the question of whether life insurance companies should have access to our genetic code and alter our premiums accordingly? In principle, there is no objection, since they already do something similar when they ask us about the health of our relatives.
Nevertheless, there is something very Brave New Worldish about the whole idea. By the way, what exactly is wrong with the Brave New World? We all feel very strongly that it is wrong, but not many of us are able to put our fingers on precisely why.
Will knowing our own genetic predisposition to disease do us more harm than good? My gut feeling is that it will.
First, most diseases are not straightforwardly genetic. To have a certain gene or combination of genes does not mean that one is certain to get a disease. Genetic differences play an important, but not an all-important part in the pattern of diseases from which we suffer.
Thus, having a certain genetic constitution may tell us that we are four times as likely to get disease X as the next man, or that we have a 17.5 per cent chance of developing disease Y after the age of 55. But what are we to do with this information, apart from worry about it?
It is difficult to keep in mind that what matters to us is not our relative chance of contracting a disease, but our absolute chance of contracting it. Why should I worry if my possession of a certain gene pattern makes me ten times more likely than my neighbour to contract a particular disease, if his chance is only one in ten million? On the other hand, if the possession of a certain gene pattern renders me susceptible to a disease whose environmental determinants are known, then I can take avoiding action if the risk is sufficiently big and the disease sufficiently severe to make it worthwhile.
Moreover, if we do not gather the information, how will we ever understand the interaction between genetic endowment and environmental factors in the causation of disease?
What about the question of whether life insurance companies should have access to our genetic code and alter our premiums accordingly? In principle, there is no objection, since they already do something similar when they ask us about the health of our relatives.
Nevertheless, there is something very Brave New Worldish about the whole idea. By the way, what exactly is wrong with the Brave New World? We all feel very strongly that it is wrong, but not many of us are able to put our fingers on precisely why.
Mosquito laser gun offers new hope on malaria
AMERICAN scientists are making a ray gun to kill mosquitoes. Using technology developed under the Star Wars anti-missile programme, the zapper is being built in Seattle where astrophysicists have created a laser that locks onto airborne insects.
Scientists have speculated for years that lasers might be used against mosquitoes, which kill nearly 1m people a year through malaria.
The laser – dubbed a weapon of mosquito destruction (WMD) – has been designed with the help of Lowell Wood, one of the astrophysicists who worked on the original Star Wars plan to shield America from nuclear attack.
“We like to think back then we made some contribution to the ending of the cold war,” Dr Jordin Kare, another astrophysicist, told The Wall Street Journal. “Now we’re just trying to make a dent in a war that’s claimed a lot more lives.” The WMD laser works by detecting the audio frequency created by the beating of mosquito wings. A computer triggers the laser beam, the mosquito’s wings are burnt off and its smoking carcass falls to the ground. The research is backed by Bill Gates, the Microsoft billionaire.
It is speculated that lasers could shield villages or be fired at swarming insects from patrolling drone aircraft. “You could kill billions of mosquitoes a night,” said one expert.
Scientists have speculated for years that lasers might be used against mosquitoes, which kill nearly 1m people a year through malaria.
The laser – dubbed a weapon of mosquito destruction (WMD) – has been designed with the help of Lowell Wood, one of the astrophysicists who worked on the original Star Wars plan to shield America from nuclear attack.
“We like to think back then we made some contribution to the ending of the cold war,” Dr Jordin Kare, another astrophysicist, told The Wall Street Journal. “Now we’re just trying to make a dent in a war that’s claimed a lot more lives.” The WMD laser works by detecting the audio frequency created by the beating of mosquito wings. A computer triggers the laser beam, the mosquito’s wings are burnt off and its smoking carcass falls to the ground. The research is backed by Bill Gates, the Microsoft billionaire.
It is speculated that lasers could shield villages or be fired at swarming insects from patrolling drone aircraft. “You could kill billions of mosquitoes a night,” said one expert.
Case study: Female circumcision, the daughter
When Zarah was 7 she saw her older sister being pinned to the ground by a room full of women. Then she heard her sister scream and quickly realised that she was next in line to have her genitals mutilated.
Unfortunately for Zarah, now 33, there was nowhere to run in her aunt’s home in Somalia. Both she and her sister, then 10, had been taken there by their mother for a “holiday”. “When that happened to me, I immediately lost all trust in my mother and I think that hasn’t changed to this day,” Zarah said. “In fact, I’ve lost trust in both my parents because my father was also aware of what was going to happen to us.”
Zarah said that the psychological scars were worse than the pain. She has nightmares, and relationships have been ruined by her fear of intimacy.
“It always affects you psychologically because the memories never go away,” she said. “I’ve told a couple of former partners about what I had been through and they were understanding. But there’s a big part of me that seems unable to overcome it all.”
Zarah added: “My mother told me after the event, ‘Don’t ever tell anybody’.” Such secrecy was what allowed the practice to go in the UK, she said. “We all know that it goes on even here, but we have no proof. But if I do find out, I will immediately contact the police. No one deserves to go through this.”
Unfortunately for Zarah, now 33, there was nowhere to run in her aunt’s home in Somalia. Both she and her sister, then 10, had been taken there by their mother for a “holiday”. “When that happened to me, I immediately lost all trust in my mother and I think that hasn’t changed to this day,” Zarah said. “In fact, I’ve lost trust in both my parents because my father was also aware of what was going to happen to us.”
Zarah said that the psychological scars were worse than the pain. She has nightmares, and relationships have been ruined by her fear of intimacy.
“It always affects you psychologically because the memories never go away,” she said. “I’ve told a couple of former partners about what I had been through and they were understanding. But there’s a big part of me that seems unable to overcome it all.”
Zarah added: “My mother told me after the event, ‘Don’t ever tell anybody’.” Such secrecy was what allowed the practice to go in the UK, she said. “We all know that it goes on even here, but we have no proof. But if I do find out, I will immediately contact the police. No one deserves to go through this.”
Sir Liam Donaldson: charge by the alcoholic unit to combat culture of 'passive drinking'
The Chief Medical Officer said today that excessive drinking should be made as socially unacceptable as smoking, as he proposed controversial moves to raise the minimum cost of alcohol.
Unveiling the proposals in his annual report, which set him on a collision course with government and the drinks industry, Sir Liam Donaldson proposed regulations forcing shops to charge at least 50p per unit of alcohol.
The proposals would, if implemented, result in every can of beer costing at least £1 and a bottle of wine coming to a minimum of £4.
Gordon Brown immediately emphasised that he opposed the plans, claiming that the majority of responsible drinkers should not be punished for the behaviour of the few.
However, Sir Liam stressed that they were crucial as a tool to combat a nation-wide phenomenon which he described as "passive drinking" - the devastating knock-on effect of excessive alcohol consumption on wider society, such as the loved ones of drinkers, those killed by drink-driving, and the financial burden on NHS.
Referring to the Prime Minister's decision to reject his plan, he drew parallels with the debate over the smoking ban which he initiated long before it became mainstream policy at Westminster.
"I don’t mind being a football if a goal is scored in the end," he said. "I got a very hard time when I proposed smoke-free public places."
Writing in his report, Sir Liam said that binge-drinking was "killing us as never before" and that radical measures were needed to combat it.
"England has a drink problem and the whole of society bears the burden," Sir Liam said. "The massive effects of heavy drinking on innocent parties are easily underestimated and frequently ignored.
"The concept of passive drinking and the devastating collateral effect that alcohol can have on others must be addressed on a national scale."
He added: "Cheap alcohol is killing us as never before. The quality of life of families and in cities and towns up and down the country is being eroded by the effects of excessive drinking."
The Chief Medical Officer said that, if a 50p minimum price per unit policy was introduced this year, there would be 3,393 fewer deaths, 97,900 fewer hospital admissions, 45,800 fewer crimes, 296,900 fewer sick days, and a total benefit of over £1 billion per year.
The plans received a lukewarm reception in Westminster, however, with the Prime Minister flatly rejecting a uniform price-rise along with the Conservatives, the drinks and retail industries.
"As we crack down on binge and under-age drinking it’s also right that we do not want the responsible, sensible majority of moderate drinkers to have to pay more, or suffer, as a result of the excesses of a small minority," Mr Brown said.
In further recommendations to curb binge-drinking, Sir Liam said licensing laws should be tightened to reflect the full impact of drinking in each region. In order to do this, he said that fewer bars and nightclubs should be opened in areas where there were high rates of cirrhosis of the liver or breast cancer cases caused by alcohol.
Sir Liam also unveiled a series of other proposals to improve the nation's health in his report.
These included ensuring an improvement in the diagnosis of prostate cancer, of which one case is diagnosed every 18 minutes.
He said that it was vital to better publicise the symptoms of so-called 'pussycat' prostate cancer - a chronic, slow-growing form of the disease which is often not identified in time.
Compulsory pre-testing counselling would give prospective patients a clearer idea which symptoms to look out for, he said.
"Men diagnosed with early, localised prostate cancer face an enormously difficult decision of whether to have radical treatment and risk the side effects or take the small chance that their cancer may progress and threaten their life. It is vital that men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer are truly informed of the risks and benefits of any treatment," he said.
In separate plans, hospitals and hospices should improve their management of people in chronic pain by developing a "pain score" with which to monitor patients alongside more conventional methods, such as blood tests and pulses.
The Chief Medical Officer added that awareness should be increased about the dangers of antibiotics, which he said were being used more and more frequently but which themselves caused disease.
Unveiling the proposals in his annual report, which set him on a collision course with government and the drinks industry, Sir Liam Donaldson proposed regulations forcing shops to charge at least 50p per unit of alcohol.
The proposals would, if implemented, result in every can of beer costing at least £1 and a bottle of wine coming to a minimum of £4.
Gordon Brown immediately emphasised that he opposed the plans, claiming that the majority of responsible drinkers should not be punished for the behaviour of the few.
However, Sir Liam stressed that they were crucial as a tool to combat a nation-wide phenomenon which he described as "passive drinking" - the devastating knock-on effect of excessive alcohol consumption on wider society, such as the loved ones of drinkers, those killed by drink-driving, and the financial burden on NHS.
Referring to the Prime Minister's decision to reject his plan, he drew parallels with the debate over the smoking ban which he initiated long before it became mainstream policy at Westminster.
"I don’t mind being a football if a goal is scored in the end," he said. "I got a very hard time when I proposed smoke-free public places."
Writing in his report, Sir Liam said that binge-drinking was "killing us as never before" and that radical measures were needed to combat it.
"England has a drink problem and the whole of society bears the burden," Sir Liam said. "The massive effects of heavy drinking on innocent parties are easily underestimated and frequently ignored.
"The concept of passive drinking and the devastating collateral effect that alcohol can have on others must be addressed on a national scale."
He added: "Cheap alcohol is killing us as never before. The quality of life of families and in cities and towns up and down the country is being eroded by the effects of excessive drinking."
The Chief Medical Officer said that, if a 50p minimum price per unit policy was introduced this year, there would be 3,393 fewer deaths, 97,900 fewer hospital admissions, 45,800 fewer crimes, 296,900 fewer sick days, and a total benefit of over £1 billion per year.
The plans received a lukewarm reception in Westminster, however, with the Prime Minister flatly rejecting a uniform price-rise along with the Conservatives, the drinks and retail industries.
"As we crack down on binge and under-age drinking it’s also right that we do not want the responsible, sensible majority of moderate drinkers to have to pay more, or suffer, as a result of the excesses of a small minority," Mr Brown said.
In further recommendations to curb binge-drinking, Sir Liam said licensing laws should be tightened to reflect the full impact of drinking in each region. In order to do this, he said that fewer bars and nightclubs should be opened in areas where there were high rates of cirrhosis of the liver or breast cancer cases caused by alcohol.
Sir Liam also unveiled a series of other proposals to improve the nation's health in his report.
These included ensuring an improvement in the diagnosis of prostate cancer, of which one case is diagnosed every 18 minutes.
He said that it was vital to better publicise the symptoms of so-called 'pussycat' prostate cancer - a chronic, slow-growing form of the disease which is often not identified in time.
Compulsory pre-testing counselling would give prospective patients a clearer idea which symptoms to look out for, he said.
"Men diagnosed with early, localised prostate cancer face an enormously difficult decision of whether to have radical treatment and risk the side effects or take the small chance that their cancer may progress and threaten their life. It is vital that men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer are truly informed of the risks and benefits of any treatment," he said.
In separate plans, hospitals and hospices should improve their management of people in chronic pain by developing a "pain score" with which to monitor patients alongside more conventional methods, such as blood tests and pulses.
The Chief Medical Officer added that awareness should be increased about the dangers of antibiotics, which he said were being used more and more frequently but which themselves caused disease.
Mosquito laser gun offers new hope on malaria
AMERICAN scientists are making a ray gun to kill mosquitoes. Using technology developed under the Star Wars anti-missile programme, the zapper is being built in Seattle where astrophysicists have created a laser that locks onto airborne insects.
Scientists have speculated for years that lasers might be used against mosquitoes, which kill nearly 1m people a year through malaria.
The laser – dubbed a weapon of mosquito destruction (WMD) – has been designed with the help of Lowell Wood, one of the astrophysicists who worked on the original Star Wars plan to shield America from nuclear attack.
“We like to think back then we made some contribution to the ending of the cold war,” Dr Jordin Kare, another astrophysicist, told The Wall Street Journal. “Now we’re just trying to make a dent in a war that’s claimed a lot more lives.” The WMD laser works by detecting the audio frequency created by the beating of mosquito wings. A computer triggers the laser beam, the mosquito’s wings are burnt off and its smoking carcass falls to the ground. The research is backed by Bill Gates, the Microsoft billionaire.
It is speculated that lasers could shield villages or be fired at swarming insects from patrolling drone aircraft. “You could kill billions of mosquitoes a night,” said one expert.
Scientists have speculated for years that lasers might be used against mosquitoes, which kill nearly 1m people a year through malaria.
The laser – dubbed a weapon of mosquito destruction (WMD) – has been designed with the help of Lowell Wood, one of the astrophysicists who worked on the original Star Wars plan to shield America from nuclear attack.
“We like to think back then we made some contribution to the ending of the cold war,” Dr Jordin Kare, another astrophysicist, told The Wall Street Journal. “Now we’re just trying to make a dent in a war that’s claimed a lot more lives.” The WMD laser works by detecting the audio frequency created by the beating of mosquito wings. A computer triggers the laser beam, the mosquito’s wings are burnt off and its smoking carcass falls to the ground. The research is backed by Bill Gates, the Microsoft billionaire.
It is speculated that lasers could shield villages or be fired at swarming insects from patrolling drone aircraft. “You could kill billions of mosquitoes a night,” said one expert.
Parents lose court fight to keep baby OT alive
The parents of a gravely ill baby boy failed last night in their attempt to overturn a court ruling that gave doctors the power to end his treatment and allow him to die.
Born in May last year, the nine-month-old baby suffers from a rare metabolic disease and has lived in an intensive care unit since he was three weeks old, kept alive on a ventilator.
On Thursday a judge at the High Court ruled that the baby, named only as OT, was in constant pain and gave the medical team treating him the right to stop painful invasive treatment and to take him off the ventilator, replacing that treatment with palliative care.
But Mrs Justice Parker placed a temporary stay on the order to allow the child’s parents to try to reverse the decision at the Court of Appeal.
Last night that attempt failed. Two judges — Lord Justice Ward and Lord Justice Wilson — refused them permission to challenge the ruling.
Lord Justice Ward had been told that the parents could not face hearing the decision of the court and were waiting outside. “We are not unmindful of the horror of their predicament,” he said.
The parents of baby OT do not accept that his condition is as serious as doctors have claimed and still believe that he could one day recover, go home and go to school. They want doctors to keep him alive as long as possible, so long as that does not cause him unacceptable suffering.
Lord Justice Ward asked their lawyers to pass on the message that although the hearing seeking permission to appeal had been conducted “in a brusque, uncaring, unfeeling way on a crude issue of law”, it was impossible not to feel the “deepest sympathy for their predicament”.
“One has great respect and admiration for them,” he said.
The judges said that they would give their reasons for rejecting permission to appeal at a later date. The court order allowing doctors to withdraw treatment now comes into effect immediately, though Caroline Harry Thomas, QC, for the NHS Trust involved, which cannot be identified, told the court that “there will be no unseemly rush” to withdraw treatment.
The parents of OT said that they were “devastated”. The Court of Appeal ruling follows a ten-day hearing, partly conducted at the baby’s bedside this week, which Mrs Justice Parker described as a “desperately sad and anguished case”.
The baby’s condition was deteriorating and at one stage it was thought that he would not last the week.
She rejected claims by the father that doctors and nurses treating the child had infected him to speed up his death and that they could have done more. At his bedside this week she said the father had tried to interfere with treatment and shouted: “This is murder! This is murder!” She said this outburst was a result of the terrible strain of the situation.
She accepted that the baby’s parents “love him devotedly” but said the father’s belief that he would one day go to school was “sadly, wholly unrealistic”.
She said the child was already suffering severe brain damage and that after his latest relapse, it was possible that his lungs had been damaged. The evidence suggested that he would not live more than three years: he faced a future of progressive organ failure and invasive treatment to keep him alive.
As well as granting orders to take the child off the ventilator, she gave doctors and nurses the right not to keep him alive with painful invasive treatment. One doctor said what they were doing amounted to torture.
The judge said that she accepted that “the sanctity of life is not absolute, requiring treatment that is futile”.
Dr Tony Calland, chairman of the BMA’s Medical Ethics Committee, said there was “a good deal of case law” surrounding such cases.
“Sometimes there will be an agreement between the medical team and the parents. Where that breaks down and where the medical team feel that there is undue stress being put on a child, undue pain and with no chance of a decent outcome the medical team will go to the court and ask them to determine it.”
Cruel dilemmas
— Charlotte Wyatt was born in 2003 — three months prematurely and weighing only 1 lb — with severe brain and lung damage. Her parents won a court battle to ensure that she was revived in the event of a collapse. The child survived with severe disabilities, but living in care, as her parents struggled to meet her 24-hour healthcare needs
— In 2004 Luke Winston-Jones died at the age of ten months, at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool. Doctors had been granted permission by the High Court to withhold life-saving treatment by “aggressive” medical ventilation. Luke had been born with Edwards syndrome, a rare genetic disorder
— In 2006 a child identified only as MB, suffering from a degenerative muscle-wasting disease, was given the right to be kept alive on a life-support machine against the wishes of his doctors
— In 2007 Mr Justice Holman ruled that a seriously ill baby girl should undergo a bone marrow transplant that would give her a 50 per cent chance of life, despite her parents’ wish to spare her further suffering.
Born in May last year, the nine-month-old baby suffers from a rare metabolic disease and has lived in an intensive care unit since he was three weeks old, kept alive on a ventilator.
On Thursday a judge at the High Court ruled that the baby, named only as OT, was in constant pain and gave the medical team treating him the right to stop painful invasive treatment and to take him off the ventilator, replacing that treatment with palliative care.
But Mrs Justice Parker placed a temporary stay on the order to allow the child’s parents to try to reverse the decision at the Court of Appeal.
Last night that attempt failed. Two judges — Lord Justice Ward and Lord Justice Wilson — refused them permission to challenge the ruling.
Lord Justice Ward had been told that the parents could not face hearing the decision of the court and were waiting outside. “We are not unmindful of the horror of their predicament,” he said.
The parents of baby OT do not accept that his condition is as serious as doctors have claimed and still believe that he could one day recover, go home and go to school. They want doctors to keep him alive as long as possible, so long as that does not cause him unacceptable suffering.
Lord Justice Ward asked their lawyers to pass on the message that although the hearing seeking permission to appeal had been conducted “in a brusque, uncaring, unfeeling way on a crude issue of law”, it was impossible not to feel the “deepest sympathy for their predicament”.
“One has great respect and admiration for them,” he said.
The judges said that they would give their reasons for rejecting permission to appeal at a later date. The court order allowing doctors to withdraw treatment now comes into effect immediately, though Caroline Harry Thomas, QC, for the NHS Trust involved, which cannot be identified, told the court that “there will be no unseemly rush” to withdraw treatment.
The parents of OT said that they were “devastated”. The Court of Appeal ruling follows a ten-day hearing, partly conducted at the baby’s bedside this week, which Mrs Justice Parker described as a “desperately sad and anguished case”.
The baby’s condition was deteriorating and at one stage it was thought that he would not last the week.
She rejected claims by the father that doctors and nurses treating the child had infected him to speed up his death and that they could have done more. At his bedside this week she said the father had tried to interfere with treatment and shouted: “This is murder! This is murder!” She said this outburst was a result of the terrible strain of the situation.
She accepted that the baby’s parents “love him devotedly” but said the father’s belief that he would one day go to school was “sadly, wholly unrealistic”.
She said the child was already suffering severe brain damage and that after his latest relapse, it was possible that his lungs had been damaged. The evidence suggested that he would not live more than three years: he faced a future of progressive organ failure and invasive treatment to keep him alive.
As well as granting orders to take the child off the ventilator, she gave doctors and nurses the right not to keep him alive with painful invasive treatment. One doctor said what they were doing amounted to torture.
The judge said that she accepted that “the sanctity of life is not absolute, requiring treatment that is futile”.
Dr Tony Calland, chairman of the BMA’s Medical Ethics Committee, said there was “a good deal of case law” surrounding such cases.
“Sometimes there will be an agreement between the medical team and the parents. Where that breaks down and where the medical team feel that there is undue stress being put on a child, undue pain and with no chance of a decent outcome the medical team will go to the court and ask them to determine it.”
Cruel dilemmas
— Charlotte Wyatt was born in 2003 — three months prematurely and weighing only 1 lb — with severe brain and lung damage. Her parents won a court battle to ensure that she was revived in the event of a collapse. The child survived with severe disabilities, but living in care, as her parents struggled to meet her 24-hour healthcare needs
— In 2004 Luke Winston-Jones died at the age of ten months, at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool. Doctors had been granted permission by the High Court to withhold life-saving treatment by “aggressive” medical ventilation. Luke had been born with Edwards syndrome, a rare genetic disorder
— In 2006 a child identified only as MB, suffering from a degenerative muscle-wasting disease, was given the right to be kept alive on a life-support machine against the wishes of his doctors
— In 2007 Mr Justice Holman ruled that a seriously ill baby girl should undergo a bone marrow transplant that would give her a 50 per cent chance of life, despite her parents’ wish to spare her further suffering.
Find out your brainsex
A neuropsychologist who writes about male and female-oriented brains is at the front line of the struggle to try and make the boys in Britain's schools enthusiastic about learning.
Dr Ann Moir has applied her knowledge of gender differences to the classroom and devised a series of radical - some say controversial - tactics that have resulted in schools encouraging and teaching boys to “play-fight”.
Body sex does not necessarily match brain sex so Dr Moir has devised a test to determine the gender of the brain.
Answer yes or no depending on whether you agree or not with the following statements:
1 It's easy for me to sing in tune, singing alone
2 When I was younger, winning was really important to me
3 It's easy for me to hear what people are saying in a crowded room
4 As a child I enjoyed going as high as possible when climbing trees
5 If someone interrupts what I am doing it's difficult to go back to it
6 I find it easy to do more than one thing at once
7 I find it easy to know what someone is feeling just by looking at their face
8 I like to collect things and sort them into categories
9 I solve problems more often with intuition than logic
10 As a child, I loved playing games where I pretended to be someone I knew or a character I had created
11 At school it was easy for me to write neatly
12 As a child, I enjoyed taking things apart to see how they work
13 I get bored easily so I need to keep doing new things
14 I don't like fast speeds, they make me nervous
15 I enjoy reading novels more then non-fiction.
16 I can find my way more easily using a map rather than landmark directions
17 I keep in regular contact with my friends and family
18 As a child, I enjoyed physical sports
19 Imagining things in three dimensions is easy for me. For example: I can see in my mind's eye just how an architects' drawings or plans will look once built
20 As a child, I loved doing things like 'wheelies' on my bike
Now work out your score and turn over to see how ‘male’ or ‘female’ your brain is:
If you answered ‘Yes’ to questions: 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17 score 1 point each.
(‘No’ answers to these questions receive 0 points.)
If you answered ‘No’ to questions: 2, 4, 5, 8, 12, 13, 16, 18, 19, 20 score 1 point each.
(‘Yes’ answers to these questions receive 0 points.)
How to work out how ‘male’ or ‘female’ your brain is
• The higher your score out of twenty, the more female your brain.
• Middle scores show a more mixed brain.
• The lower the score out of twenty, the more male your brain.
Very Male Very Female
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
To take part in the brainsex survey go to http://www.brainsexmatters.com/
Other indicators of brainsex:
Hands are a further marker for brain organisation. Combining the questionnaire results together with the following finger pattern result may give you a clearer picture of your brain organisation.
Which hand pattern most fits yours?
A large number of studies show that comparative finger length matches brain organisation.
The key digits, counting from your thumb, are the 2nd and 4th digits (your index and ring fingers respectively). When looking at your own hands, you should view them with the palms towards you and measure from the crease at the base of your finger.
• A typical male brain correlates with:
The index finger (2nd digit) is shorter than the ring finger (4th digit).
• A typical female brain correlates with:
The index and ring fingers are the same length; occasionally the index finger is longer than the ring finger.
Sometimes, however, one hand is the male pattern and the other the female pattern – this requires further research as to the significance for brain organisation.
Background to Brainsex Test
The questions are based on a very large number of sex differences found in the research. Body sex does not necessarily match brain sex. In my experience many of us have mixed brain – we fall on a continuum.
There are a large number of studies that show relative digit length correlate with many male/female patterns of behaviour.
Dr Ann Moir has applied her knowledge of gender differences to the classroom and devised a series of radical - some say controversial - tactics that have resulted in schools encouraging and teaching boys to “play-fight”.
Body sex does not necessarily match brain sex so Dr Moir has devised a test to determine the gender of the brain.
Answer yes or no depending on whether you agree or not with the following statements:
1 It's easy for me to sing in tune, singing alone
2 When I was younger, winning was really important to me
3 It's easy for me to hear what people are saying in a crowded room
4 As a child I enjoyed going as high as possible when climbing trees
5 If someone interrupts what I am doing it's difficult to go back to it
6 I find it easy to do more than one thing at once
7 I find it easy to know what someone is feeling just by looking at their face
8 I like to collect things and sort them into categories
9 I solve problems more often with intuition than logic
10 As a child, I loved playing games where I pretended to be someone I knew or a character I had created
11 At school it was easy for me to write neatly
12 As a child, I enjoyed taking things apart to see how they work
13 I get bored easily so I need to keep doing new things
14 I don't like fast speeds, they make me nervous
15 I enjoy reading novels more then non-fiction.
16 I can find my way more easily using a map rather than landmark directions
17 I keep in regular contact with my friends and family
18 As a child, I enjoyed physical sports
19 Imagining things in three dimensions is easy for me. For example: I can see in my mind's eye just how an architects' drawings or plans will look once built
20 As a child, I loved doing things like 'wheelies' on my bike
Now work out your score and turn over to see how ‘male’ or ‘female’ your brain is:
If you answered ‘Yes’ to questions: 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17 score 1 point each.
(‘No’ answers to these questions receive 0 points.)
If you answered ‘No’ to questions: 2, 4, 5, 8, 12, 13, 16, 18, 19, 20 score 1 point each.
(‘Yes’ answers to these questions receive 0 points.)
How to work out how ‘male’ or ‘female’ your brain is
• The higher your score out of twenty, the more female your brain.
• Middle scores show a more mixed brain.
• The lower the score out of twenty, the more male your brain.
Very Male Very Female
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
To take part in the brainsex survey go to http://www.brainsexmatters.com/
Other indicators of brainsex:
Hands are a further marker for brain organisation. Combining the questionnaire results together with the following finger pattern result may give you a clearer picture of your brain organisation.
Which hand pattern most fits yours?
A large number of studies show that comparative finger length matches brain organisation.
The key digits, counting from your thumb, are the 2nd and 4th digits (your index and ring fingers respectively). When looking at your own hands, you should view them with the palms towards you and measure from the crease at the base of your finger.
• A typical male brain correlates with:
The index finger (2nd digit) is shorter than the ring finger (4th digit).
• A typical female brain correlates with:
The index and ring fingers are the same length; occasionally the index finger is longer than the ring finger.
Sometimes, however, one hand is the male pattern and the other the female pattern – this requires further research as to the significance for brain organisation.
Background to Brainsex Test
The questions are based on a very large number of sex differences found in the research. Body sex does not necessarily match brain sex. In my experience many of us have mixed brain – we fall on a continuum.
There are a large number of studies that show relative digit length correlate with many male/female patterns of behaviour.
Japan Output Slumps for Fifth Month as Exports Tumble
Japanese industrial production fell for a fifth month in February, the longest losing streak since 2001, as exports collapsed.
Factory output declined 9.4 percent from January, when it plummeted a record 10.2 percent, the Trade Ministry said today in Tokyo. Inventories fell an unprecedented 4.2 percent.
Companies surveyed said they will increase production in March and April as they begin to replenish stockpiles they managed to get rid of even as demand evaporated. Manufacturers worldwide are cutting inventories, a sign that output may pick up later this year, providing relief for a global economy that is contracting for the first time in six decades.
“Production cuts may already be bottoming out,” said Shinichiro Kobayashi, a senior economist at Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting Co. in Tokyo. “We should remember that that doesn’t necessarily mean overseas demand is already recovering.”
The yen traded at 98.15 per dollar at 10:16 a.m. in Tokyo from 98.08 before the report was published. The currency is heading for its worst quarter since 2001 as the world’s second- largest economy deteriorates faster than the U.S. and Europe. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell 1.2 percent.
Japan’s exports plunged a record 49.4 percent in February from a year earlier as sales of cars and electronics dried up. Toyota Motor Corp., forecasting its first net loss in more than five decades, plans to cut thousands of jobs and slash domestic production by half this quarter.
Tankan Survey
Sentiment among the nation’s largest manufacturers has fallen to its lowest level in more than 30 years, economists predict the Bank of Japan’s Tankan survey will show on April 1. The country’s largest firms plan to cut investment by 12 percent next fiscal year, the biggest pullback since at least 1983, economists predict the survey will show.
Prime Minister Taro Aso is preparing his third stimulus package since October to counter the slump. Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano said on March 22 that a plan of as much as 20 trillion yen, double the total amount pledged since October, is “not out of line” as the economy heads for its worst recession since 1945.
“The longer this stretches out, the harder the domestic economy is going to be hit,” said Martin Schulz, senior economist at Fujitsu Research Institute in Tokyo. “The government really needs to come out with another package.”
Spending Billions
Governments around the world are spending billions of dollars to spur domestic demand as global trade seizes up. Economists say a Japanese recovery hinges on whether a combined $1.4 trillion of spending in the U.S. and China, the country’s two biggest markets, is enough to revive demand for its cars and electronics in the second half of the year.
There are signs a recovery may be stirring in the U.S., Japan’s biggest market. U.S. orders for durable goods rose in February for the first time in seven months. Inventories of long-lasting durable goods fell for a second month and new home sales increased for the first time since July.
In Japan, the drop in inventories adds to evidence that the worst of the manufacturing slump may be over. Companies said they would increase production 2.9 percent this month and 3.1 percent in April, today’s survey showed.
Nippon Steel Corp. said last month output should improve next quarter because customers have used up their stockpiles. Nissan Motor Co., Japan’s third-largest automaker, said on Feb. 26 it will raise domestic production next month.
“Companies have succeeded, as you can see in today’s data, at cutting inventories back,” Richard Jerram, chief Japan economist at Macquarie Securities Ltd. in Tokyo, said on Bloomberg Television. “They’re starting to move production back more into line with demand, which is still depressed but obviously going to be a stronger level than the January- February period.”
Factory output declined 9.4 percent from January, when it plummeted a record 10.2 percent, the Trade Ministry said today in Tokyo. Inventories fell an unprecedented 4.2 percent.
Companies surveyed said they will increase production in March and April as they begin to replenish stockpiles they managed to get rid of even as demand evaporated. Manufacturers worldwide are cutting inventories, a sign that output may pick up later this year, providing relief for a global economy that is contracting for the first time in six decades.
“Production cuts may already be bottoming out,” said Shinichiro Kobayashi, a senior economist at Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting Co. in Tokyo. “We should remember that that doesn’t necessarily mean overseas demand is already recovering.”
The yen traded at 98.15 per dollar at 10:16 a.m. in Tokyo from 98.08 before the report was published. The currency is heading for its worst quarter since 2001 as the world’s second- largest economy deteriorates faster than the U.S. and Europe. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell 1.2 percent.
Japan’s exports plunged a record 49.4 percent in February from a year earlier as sales of cars and electronics dried up. Toyota Motor Corp., forecasting its first net loss in more than five decades, plans to cut thousands of jobs and slash domestic production by half this quarter.
Tankan Survey
Sentiment among the nation’s largest manufacturers has fallen to its lowest level in more than 30 years, economists predict the Bank of Japan’s Tankan survey will show on April 1. The country’s largest firms plan to cut investment by 12 percent next fiscal year, the biggest pullback since at least 1983, economists predict the survey will show.
Prime Minister Taro Aso is preparing his third stimulus package since October to counter the slump. Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano said on March 22 that a plan of as much as 20 trillion yen, double the total amount pledged since October, is “not out of line” as the economy heads for its worst recession since 1945.
“The longer this stretches out, the harder the domestic economy is going to be hit,” said Martin Schulz, senior economist at Fujitsu Research Institute in Tokyo. “The government really needs to come out with another package.”
Spending Billions
Governments around the world are spending billions of dollars to spur domestic demand as global trade seizes up. Economists say a Japanese recovery hinges on whether a combined $1.4 trillion of spending in the U.S. and China, the country’s two biggest markets, is enough to revive demand for its cars and electronics in the second half of the year.
There are signs a recovery may be stirring in the U.S., Japan’s biggest market. U.S. orders for durable goods rose in February for the first time in seven months. Inventories of long-lasting durable goods fell for a second month and new home sales increased for the first time since July.
In Japan, the drop in inventories adds to evidence that the worst of the manufacturing slump may be over. Companies said they would increase production 2.9 percent this month and 3.1 percent in April, today’s survey showed.
Nippon Steel Corp. said last month output should improve next quarter because customers have used up their stockpiles. Nissan Motor Co., Japan’s third-largest automaker, said on Feb. 26 it will raise domestic production next month.
“Companies have succeeded, as you can see in today’s data, at cutting inventories back,” Richard Jerram, chief Japan economist at Macquarie Securities Ltd. in Tokyo, said on Bloomberg Television. “They’re starting to move production back more into line with demand, which is still depressed but obviously going to be a stronger level than the January- February period.”
Surgical And Non Surgical Facelift
The mentality has changed and people now think that a facelift is not just for the rich and famous. Today facelifts are one of the most well-accepted and most frequently performed cosmetic procedures in the world and with this surgical operation one lifts up the facial tissues and skin and/or the underlying muscle, in order to have a tighter and smoother face. A facelift can really reduce saggy skin and wrinkles and produce a more alert and youthful appearance. Several factors contribute to the final result of the facelift and they are the reason every facelift is different.
If your skin is still elastic and tight, but you are concerned with sagging or excess fat in you face or under the chin, facial liposuction can be very good option. The skin is then lifted outward and the underlying tissues and muscles are tightened and fixed. Sagging skin is simply the effect of gravity over time and seems to affect the face more noticeably as it cannot be concealed by makeup. With an incision behind the hairline running over the top of the head, the skin is gently pulled upwards, the eyebrows along with it, and set into a new position. And at the same time, excess fat and skin can be removed.
When it comes to cosmetic surgery we realize that it is a big decision and it can have a big impact on a person’s life. There are a number of preparations to be made and don’t forget to have a picture taken before the operation so that the results of surgery can be compared with your new appearance. The facial rejuvenation surgery has a goal and that is to restore both men and women with a more youthful contour to your face and neck.
A facelift operation starts with a local anesthesia, or a general anesthesia. Incision often starts from the ear to behind the ear and ends near the hairline behind the ear. After the incision, undermining is done and that is separating the facial skin from the underlying tissue below the neck, chin and cheeks using scalpel and scissors. Then the facial suspension system are tightened with stitches and the skin is pulled backwards and upwards to the required extent. The skin is then tightened with stitches and the underlying excess tissue may or may not be removed. Excess skin is removed and the incisions are closed with sutures.
As opposed to conventional facelifts, which can result into undesirable scars and a plastic look, the weekend facelift leads to a natural, rejuvenated appearance without any visible scars or the look of major surgery. This means the procedure can be kept totally private if desired and the weekend facelift is usually performed on an outpatient basis, with the surgery lasting one hour or less.
Also, one of the best features of this procedure is that it will allow you to return to work the same day you receive treatment. The main goal of a facelift procedure is to give you a fresher and younger look, preserving her/his natural characteristics, unless the patient has some reasons to change the natural look too.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
A.M. Best Upgrades Rating of Consumers Insurance USA, Inc
OLDWICK, N.J. -- A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating to B++ (Good) from B+ (Good) and assigned an issuer credit rating of "bbb+" to Consumers Insurance USA, Inc. (Consumers Insurance) (Murfreesboro, TN). The outlook for both ratings is stable.
The ratings reflect Consumer Insurance's solid operating results over the past several years and its strengthened risk-adjusted capital position. The company's recent operating profitability has been driven by management's underwriting discipline, enhanced systems technology and local market knowledge.
Partially offsetting these positive rating factors is Consumer Insurance's elevated expense structure and historical modest unfavorable loss reserve development. In addition, the company's geographic concentration primarily in two states and limited product offerings, make it susceptible to judicial, regulatory and market changes as well as weather related loss activity.
For Best's Ratings, an overview of the rating process and rating methodologies, please visit www.ambest.com/ratings.
Founded in 1899, A.M. Best Company is a global full-service credit rating organization dedicated to serving the financial and health care service industries, including insurance companies, banks, hospitals and health care system providers. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.
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