At last, FDA steps up to nanotech issues

No date yet, this report coming out of the recent bio conference in Boston says the FDA committed to holding a public meeting "in the fall" to begin evaluating its options in regard to protecting humans and the earth from the unknown potential dangers of working with nano-sized molecules.

In previous posts about nano, I argue that we can't let those who stand to benefit immensely at the bottom line be solely in charge of deciding what's safe or not. And while it's great to know that some companies are themselves taking responsibility for trying to be safe with nano-developments, it's gratifying to see the government finally acknowledging it has a major role to play in holding business accountable.

"Tree-Hugging Capitalists" - and a bird-flu detector

That headline was too good to rewrite, so I took it right off the Forbes article trumpeting the good news that venture capitalists are getting all excited about "green" projects.

Yep, it's good news. Because I know you want your grandchildren and theirs to enjoy our world with the same freedom of choice you do, right? One of the scarier statistics in this story says that because we humans are flocking back to cities in great numbers, disease can spread more rapidly. And we're going to be upping our energy consumption significantly. Here's one scenario:

...the world's energy usage is estimated to triple to 30 terawatts per year between now and 2050. Energy conversion creates heat. If global warming heats up the globe by just a few more degrees per year (and more than a few scientists sweat this scenario), Iceland will melt just enough to swamp Manhattan and San Francisco in 20 feet of water.

Being buried under 20 feet of water--or dying of Avian flu, are two surefire ways to cut down your choices about how you're going to live--or not live--your life.

Commercial real estate developers know that more of us are preferring the "togetherness" of cities as opposed to the sprawl of suburbs--witness the multi-use live-work-play environments (like Crocker Park in Westlake, Ohio) they're building these days instead of mega-shopping-only-malls.

One idea that's got VCs enthused is a strip that people can put on their tongues that will tell if they're infected with bird-flu. Read more about other amazing eco-friendly inventions VCs are supporting here.

Stem cells remedy incontinence

It's preliminary, but it's promising. It's expensive (right now), but it offers great hope. European scientists injected patients' own stem cells (taken from muscles) around the urethra and in an overwhelming number of cases, patients stopped experiencing incontinence.

This is another one of those cases where we've struggled for decades looking for solutions--drugs, exercises, etc.--and suddenly we've discovered how to let nature elegantly and simply solve the problem.

I believe, as I think I wrote a couple of posts ago, that this is where medicine and science are headed: in more and more cases learning to get out of the way and just help nature perform its miracles. Even if it doesn't work in every instance, the amount of suffering and trouble these natural approaches will save is immeasurable. Read the rest about preventing incontinence here.

Moderate nitric oxide aids skin healing

I know it's an astounding substance, this nitric oxide (NO) that can help with heart problems, erectile dysfunction and a host of other problems. I've written a lot about it here. And I knew it helped heal wounds, but I didn't realize it can be an important component of medications used for skin diseases.

It only makes sense, though, since so many skin problems involve inflammation, and that's where NO is most active (having both pro- and anti-inflammatory capabilities). This article tells of a new collaborative partnership to develop dermatology treatments for such conditions as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and seborrheic dermatitis that will avoid some of the side effects of previous high-potency treatments.

I can't help but get excited when I hear about yet another beneficial use for NO. It's a constant reminder to me of how truth occurs on multiple levels, if only we open our eyes to it. This naturally occurring substance does so many good things, yet too much nitric oxide in some cases can be damaging. Sounds a lot like what the philosophers have been telling us for eons--everything in moderation.

And just to keep it light, here's an amusing account of what members of medieval society thought about moderation as applied to beer and wine consumption...

New drug smooths blood pressure spikes

Is it a good thing to smooth blood pressure spikes? Past studies have indicated these spikes may be related to long-term organ damage. So scientists are hoping that a new retin-binding drug that inhibits inflammatory responses and suppresses wide variations in blood pressure over the course of a day may also decrease the risk of end organ damage., though the study doesn't yield any data on that score. LOTS more trials will have to be conducted.

I'm going to make a bet. I think that one day we are going to discover something--perhaps even find a new way of knowing things, that will mean we'll be able to intuit the truth about these things much more quickly instead of wandering down one little alley after the other. A discovery not unlike the discoveries made about the substance of the universe by the quantum physicists. A discovery not unlike the "magic" of stem cells. I will be so thrilled if it happens while I'm alive to see it.

Behind the times--or just speaking another language?

Was attracted in a Google news alert by the headline "How safe is your painkiller?"--thinking I might find some new information on this popular subject. Frankly, I was surprised to find that the Hindustan Times had an article full of stuff that, by the terms of most American publications, is pretty old hat--comparing aspirin and ibuprofen, for example. Interestingly, the article then compared aspirin and ibuprofen with cox inhibitors and with Paracetamol, but didn't say what "paracetamol" is. So I looked it up, and it seems to be another word for acetominophen--a word used in many other countries instead of acetominophen.

Well, if we're all going global in our markets, we might as well start learning each other's vocabularies in important areas like health care. While the French may decry Americanisms, they do bandy about terms like "le weekend." In the business world, it makes great sense to start building a common language as quickly as possible--the Internet is not going away.

Overweight kids become overweight adults

They used to think that overweight in the teenage years was the first sign that a person would be overweight as an adult. But this new long-term study (in England) indicates it starts much earlier.

Childhood Puppy Fat doesn't just fade away, according to the study. It's a serious indicator that a kid will also be overweight as a teenager--and then as an adult. Nearly a quarter of kids (ages 11/12 and 16/17) remained either overweight or obese throughout the study. Among girls and for lower-income levels it was closer to a third.

Here's what the has to say about the epidemic of childood obesity in the U.S.:

Nutritional factors contributing to the increase in obesity rates include, in no particular order, (1) insufficient infant breastfeeding, (2) a reduction in
cereal fiber, fruit, and vegetable intake by children and youth, and (3) the excessive consumption of oversized fast foods and soda, which are encouraged by fast-food advertising during children's television programming and a greater
availability of fast foods and sugar-containing beverages in school vending machines. Excessive sedentary behaviors and lack of adequate physical
activity are more likely with the widespread availability of television, videos, computers, and video games. 26% of American children (up to 33% of Mexican American and 43% of non-Hispanic black children) watched at least 4 hours of
television per day, which means they're less likely to participate in vigorous physical activity. They also had greater BMIs and skinfold measurements than those who watched <2.

Don't know about you, but that TV can be a source of trouble. Even if I don't get up and walk or do something more physical, I almost automatically eat less when I don't watch television at night. Do your kids a favor, turn it off most nights. I find it's better never to turn it on than to try to stop it once it's on.

Money doesn't always buy health

A new study indicates that while more Americans than English citizens get cancer, they die of it less frequently (the money we spend here is double what they spend in England).

Yet the richest among us have rates of disease comparable to the poorest classes in England. Adult white Americans suffer diabetes at double the rates of their English counterparts.

Having lived in England for a year once upon a time, I'm going to hazard a guess as to why... People there walk WAY more there than we do here. It's just a part of life to walk to the store and to the "tube" (rapid transit) and to the local restaurants and pubs. Far fewer Englishmen even own a single car--something like 50% (stats here), whereas car ownership statistics for America as long ago as 1996 say there's a car for every person with a drivers' license--and that 60% of families have two. But why not? The way we've built our average American cities--everything is far apart. Suburbs have created incredible sprawl.

And then there's the chance that stress in America is a lot higher. But that's a whole 'nuther post...