ShowMeBlog

Skin cancer drug reverses Alzheimer’s in mice

“(CNN) -- Scientists say they "serendipitously" discovered that a drug used to treat a type of cancer quickly reversed Alzheimer's disease in mice.

"It's really exciting," said Maria Carrillo, senior director for medical and scientific relations for the Alzheimer's Association. "They saw very positive and robust behavior effects in the mice."

In the study, researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine gave mice mega-doses of bexarotene, a drug used to treat a type of skin cancer called cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Within 72 hours, the mice showed dramatic improvements in memory and more than 50% of amyloid plaque -- a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease -- had been removed from the brain.

The study was published Thursday in the journal Science.

Gary Landreth, the lead researcher at Case Western, cautioned that even though his results were impressive in mice, it may turn out not to work in people…”

 

  It is early but let us all hope that this turns out to be the answer to Alzheimer’s disease.  My mother had Alzheimer’s and died from it.  I have seen a lot of patients with it.  It is hard on the family of the patients.
  I would hate for my family to have to suffer because I had it.
  We were very lucky with my mother she was not a big problem.  Also my daughter Hilary moved in with her and took care of it.  So my mother could stay in her own home and that helped out a great deal.   But like I said we were very lucky.  
   I worked hospital security for 30 years and a lot of times Alzheimer’s end up in the ER or as patients in the hospital and it was hard for all the staff.  Everyone had problems with the poor patients.  I do not want my family to have to deal with me if I get it.

   I am not sure what the Republican Party’s position on the government spending money for medical research is ….  I hope they do not want to leave it to private corporations…  They want the FAA and the weather service to be private corporations.   They want the TSA to be private corporations.
  Two men that the Republicans loved had Alzheimer’s and that was Ronald Reagan and Charlton Heston. 

   I think everyone wants more spending for Alzheimer’s research.  I think even the Republicans understand that it will cost us more if do not find a cure for it.  (I heard someplace that it will cost us $2 trillion over the next ten years.)  Plus everyone is touched by it… You can be rich and powerful and be in the 1% and still get Alzheimer’s disease.

  I think the problem with the Republicans is that they might say yes spend more money on a cure for Alzheimer’s but then you have to cut food for children or something else.   
There are some things that government needs to do and can do best.  The Republicans hate government and they think the only thing that the government should do is have a strong military. 

FrackNation vs GasLand

  Fracking is big in Texas.  I saw the documentary GasLand and that is about the first time that I learned about fracking.  I had seen some stories about problems here in Texas with fracking and with the corporations refusing to tell about the stuff they were pumping into the ground.  There was also reports of it being done next to schools and parks.  So little pipes were sticking up from the ground and no one knew there were even there.
  But I learned a lot from the GasLand documentary.  Now I am not a Republican so I don’t take anything I see as fact until I hear other points of view and do some research on my own.

  I guess the right and the fracking people are going to put out their own documentary called FrackNation soon.

Prescription refills

  I use CVS Pharmacy to get my prescriptions.  I take Benazepril HCL 20 mg, Avodart 0.5 mg, Tamsulosin HCL 0.4 mg, Furosemide 40 mg and Carvedilol 12.5 mg.  I also take one Aspirin 81 mg each day.
  I see my doctor on the 31st.  He is going to want to put me on a cholesterol-lowering medication.  I am going to say no to it.  A doctor in Miami put me on one and for a month I felt like someone had beat every inch of my body with a baseball bat.  I was thinking well this is old age and I do not want to live like this.  Then I wondered if it might be the medication I was taking and I stopped taking it and the pain went away.  This doctor is going to say he will put me on a different cholesterol medication but I am going to “just say no.” 

  I only have enough Carvedilol for today so CVS will have to call in and get the doctor to OK some more for me.  I hate it that the doctor sort of has control of my life.  I need the prostate and blood pressure/heart medications.  Your doctor has to write and approve the Rx.  
 

  I should be taking something for arthritis all the time.  I have pain all the time.  It is getting worst.  The doctor said for me to take Aleve when I need to take something for pain.  It is rare for me to take it.  I just do not like taking medications.  When you get old you have to take medications.  I guess the word to the wise would be to the young to take care of your health when you are young.

BP 119/71 and 222 pounds

                                                               

Taking the water pills (Furosemide 40 mg) is helping.  My weight is down and the swelling of my left foot is much better.  I had not taken my BP in months.  I took it today and it is 119/71 and that is good.
  I have been feeling extra dizzy and like I am going to faint for the last couple of days.  Furosemide can cause that.  I think a BP of 119 is low for me and that might also be the reason I feel faint.

  I have a doctor’s appointment in 9 days.

 

   

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Steps Down from Congress

Uploaded by giffords2 on Jan 22, 2012

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords announced her plans to step down from Congress Jan. 22, 2011.
Transcript of video:
"Arizona is my home, always will be. A lot has happened over the past year. We cannot change that. But I know on the issues we fought for we can change things for the better. Jobs, border security, veterans. We can do so much more by working together. I don't remember much from that horrible day, but I will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice. Thank you for your prayers and for giving me time to recover. I have more work to do on my recovery so to do what is best for Arizona I will step down this week. I'm getting better. Every day, my spirit is high. I will return and we will work together for Arizona and this great country. Thank you very much."

Ten pounds of water

  My weight hit 231 last week.  It has not been that high in the past.  It scares me.  I do not want to be one of those 500 pound guys.  I saw people like that coming into the ER.  If my weight just keeps going up when will it stop?

  I know a lot of it is excess water in my system.  I am on a water pill (Furosemide 40 mg a day). 
Well the last 24 hours I been taking one pill about each six hours.  No, I did not ask the doctor about doing it.

  Well after a few I can see the difference in my swollen left foot.  Before it looked so big that it looked like it was going to explode.  Right now it looks almost normal.
  My weight is 221 pounds now.  So I have lost ten pounds in less than two days.

  I have an appointment to see my doctor on the 31st.  I will tell him and see what he wants to do about my medication. 
 

  By the way … DO not do something like this without checking with your doctor.  All medications have side effects.  What I did was not smart.  I am still alive, right now, so it looks like I was lucky…  But take the medications that the doctor tells you to take and take it the way he, or she, tells you to take it.  Check with your doctor always.

  Early tomorrow the Charter install person is going to come out and hook up my Charter phone service.  It will be nice to have a regular phone service. 
  I am going to order a cordless phone set, two phones,  from Amazon soon.

  I been using Skype.  

  The only problem is that I am going to have four phone numbers;  the Skype number, Google voice number, my cell phone number and then the Charter number.
  Now the Charter number will become my home phone number.  I think I am going to away with the Skype number.  I have no idea what in the hell to do with my Google phone number.  I have had it for years and so far have not found a use for it.
  With the Skype number I could do a call in pod cast or I could record some YouTube videos and have someone that I interview using Skype.  So that is why I am thinking that maybe I will keep it.
  I can remember when I was a kid and we had a “party line” telephone.  Times have changed.

Should we feel sorry for Republicans?

  It is rare for me to have a kind word for Republicans.  You do not even hear me say “some of my best friends” are Republicans.  Almost all of the problems that we have in the United States are because of Republicans.

  I do wonder however if they have a mental condition.  They are so fanatic and the things they believe are so ludicrous that they must be mental cases. 

  It is not that they are stupid.  Some are smart and have high IQs and good educations.
  That is one sign of their mental problems.  They hate teachers.  The more education a teacher has the more they hate them.  They want to keep their own kids at home and control their home education.  They do not want their kids to hear other ideas.  That is education hearing other ideas.

  They believe in things that are ridiculous.  They think that corporations are living breathing real human beings.  They also believe that these corporations can do no wrong.  They believe that there should be no control or regulation of these corporations.
  They believe that rich people or their corporations create jobs.  They think we should give all of our money to these rich people/corporations and they will create jobs.  That is not rational and not true.  Microsoft and  Apple and all of the other success stories were not started by rich people.  They were started by poor people operating out of a garage or a basement.
  All of the fast food eating places started out of a little hole in the wall eating place run by a hard working person.  Yes, NOW they are big corporations. 

  Another sign of the mental problems of the Republicans is that they wrap themselves in the American flag but they hate the government.  They hate the President of the United States.  They hate Congress.  They hate judges and the courts. 

  Republicans hate foreigners.  (Most of all, for some reason, the French!)  They hate immigration.  But everyone in the United States except for the American Indians is from another nation. 
  Republicans are not American Indians.  In fact there is no American Indians that are Republicans and there are no black people that are Republicans for some reason.
  We all, except for the Indians, came from other nations.  My family came from Germany and Ireland. 

  Republicans refuse to believe matters of fact and science.  In fact they hate professors and experts of any sort.  The reject new discoveries and new science. 
  If you mention something to them they will say “WHERE did you see that on CNN?”
  If you say you read something they will say “WHERE did you read THAT in the New York TIMES?”
 

  I do not know how we can help them.  I can not stand them.  But I do feel guilty if they have some sort of mental condition I wish we could help them.
  Now if you are a Republican, God help you, do not worry I am not saying that we should have Obama’s black army of Communist come and arrest you and take you to a mental hospital (not yet).

The Medtronic CareLink Monitor

  I had a Medtronic pacemaker put in about a year and a half ago.  I been using the CareLink Monitor to send data to their network about each three months.  The device looks like a telephone answering machine.  When it connects it sounds like a 1200 baud modem.
  I do not have a landline (standard) phone service.  I use Skype for my phone service.
  So when I send the data I go over to the apartment office and they let me use their phone line.

  I think I am going to let Charter Cable hook me up with their phone service.  They been trying to get me to add the service. They want to own me.    I take the cable Internet service and their cable television service so they want me to add phone service.
  I wonder if my CareLink Monitor will see the phone service as a normal phone service or will it still see it as a Skype like digital service?
  Anyone know?  I can call the Medtronic Patient Services 1-800 number and ask them.

  Sure would be nice if they had a device that worked with the computer.  Have a CareLink Monitor device that you plug into the USB port of your computer and you send the data that way.
 

  I should have a phone service that I can use at anytime for the CareLink Monitor.
  I use the device to send the data from the pacemaker each three months and I do not have to go to the doctor’s office. 
  But if I ever started having problems I could hook up and send the data to them but I would need a real phone line.  So it would be a good idea to have access to a real phone service.

   I just did a search and a Charter site says that Charter Phone works though regular telephone jacks and phones.  I bet the CareLink Monitor will work just great with Charter phone service.

Penis sizes worldwide: there’s a map for it!

  God, I love the Internet.  A reader sent me a link to Globalpost.  It has an article “Penis sizes worldwide: Yeah, there’s a map for that.” 

  The following from Globalpost:

“Well, finally. Thank you targetmap.com, a website with customized data maps, for a long overdue look at penis sizes around the world.

(Hat tip to the Shanghaiist blog for first pointing it out to us).

But before you get all excited, let me just tell you that Asia does not fare exceedingly well.

According to this interactive map, all of the world's least well-endowed countries are located there, with South Korea bringing up the rear at 3.8 inches.

India and Thailand and Cambodia go head to head (to head), each coming in at a solid 4 inches.

China's little soldiers, ranking 4.3 inches on average, are a good match for the average Japanese Capt. Winkie (also 4.3).

But the real weenies seem to be in the Congo (7.1 inches), with Ecuador not far behind (6.9 inches).

And in case you're still unsure of which country you'd like to visit next, get a load of this:

Another map that attempts to correlate penis size with IQ — two things that, in the case of China and Africa, appear to be inversely correlated. Titillating…”

 

  Here is the link to The Penis Size Worldwide Map

  Here is the link to National IQ Scores vs Average Penis Size

 

  I have not had time to even look at the maps yet but I think it is going to be interesting.  What do you think?

Mini Darth Vader supports health care

  That is a shocker.   The boy behind the Volkswagen commercial has a heart condition and has had three pacemakers put in him.  He has had eight major operations.