Terra Sigillata

Are testosterone-deficient men responsible for shortages of a life-saving drug for women with breast cancer?

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:02:14 -0500

From Monday's issue of The Press in York, England:

A breast cancer patient from York says she is "disgusted" by a shortage of the drug she and hundreds of other women rely on to reduce the risk of the disease returning.

Mother-of-two Marion Barclay, 45, said the situation became so serious last Friday, she faced the prospect of missing her daily dose of Arimidex tablets.

This story is one of several reports on sporadic, worldwide shortages of Arimidex®, the brand of anastrozole sold by AstraZeneca. Anastrozole is a competitive inhibitor of the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase isozyme known as CYP19 or aromatase. Aromatase catalyzes the conversion of testosterone to 17β-estradiol and its inhibition is critical to the long-term management of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers.

However, the off-label use of anastrozole for men with testosterone deficiency, or hypogonadism has been a topic discussed at ScienceBlogs since self-help guru James Ray was found in possession of the drug when his Sedona resort room was searched following the deaths of three people in the infamous sweat lodge incident.

Related to this story, a commenter recently criticized endocrinologists in a thread at White Coat Underground saying that:

That is why they don't know how to use aromatase inhibitors, such as Arimidex (anastrozole), stating it is "only for female breast cancer patients. So why are there between 100 and 1,000 times more men than women on it? Astra Zeneca is laughing all the way to the bank.

This is a peculiar statement because AstraZeneca can only promote the drug in the US for FDA-approved indications. Of course, with their patent on the drug expiring in June 2010 it would not be a surprise if they were seeking approval for a new indication: use in TRT. Indeed, small studies have shown that anastrozole may be effective in managing gynecomastia caused by testosterone conversion to estradiol in men receiving testosterone replacement therapy.

But if "between 100 and 1,000 times more men than women" are currently taking anastrozole, where would that data come from and why would it be publicly available?

And if true, could the alleged masses of men taking anastrozole for testosterone deficiency be indirectly responsible for women with breast cancer facing shortages of a drug essential for their survival?

Photo credit: The Press (York, UK)

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What's the buzz?: Synthetic marijuana, K2, Spice, JWH-018

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:02:37 -0500

My field of natural products pharmacology was founded by indigenous cultures who recognized that plants and fungi contain compounds that produce altered states of consciousness, leading to their most common use in religious ceremonies. While we may most often associate these naturally-occurring drugs with hallucinogens, the arguably most common natural product in use today is marijuana or Cannabis sativa. Indigenous to India and China, Cannabis has been the subject of increasing decriminalization worldwide due in part to its clinical, medicinal effects in multiple sclerosis, cancer, and AIDS.

Over the last few months, I've seen reports of a so-called "synthetic marijuana" being sold on the internet with stories most commonly coming from England and Germany and, in the US, from Kansas, Missouri, and Arizona. In fact, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports today that a bill has been brought before the Missouri House Public Safety Committee seeking to add this product to the state's list of illegal drugs.

I became intrigued as to why anyone would go through the trouble of making a synthetic marijuana when it is so readily cultivated worldwide.

So what is it?

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Chronic illness discussion continues with Dave Munger on living with AIDS

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:02:56 -0500

I'm always pleasantly surprised when a topic generates enthusiastic reader feedback, particularly when comments come from long-time readers who share experiences I never knew they had or, in some cases, comment for the first time.

The topic this time was a simple reflection on my current bout of pneumonia and my being taken aback by how debilitating it has been mentally. It's taken me two days just put put together these few sentences of what will essentially be a referral post.

A very thoughtful commenter posed a question to me about what does it mean to be "really sick." What is long-term impairment? When are you "too sick" and "healthy enough?" When does chronic illness stop being debilitating and how do you get others to understand that sometimes you may look healthy outwardly but are still suffering inwardly.

So, while I was reading up on these topics I turned to the excellent new blog, The Daily Monthly, by Dave Munger, formerly the co-author of the psychology blog, The Cognitive Daily. Dave's new blog is an exciting new project whereby he will select a topic each month that he will explore in depth and breadth daily. For February 2010, Dave has tackled AIDS in America, launching with the story of his friend Charles, an old high school friend and best man at his wedding who is today living with AIDS.

I mention this story not only to draw your attention to Dave Munger's exciting new project but also because yesterday's post touched on some of the topics we've discussed here about chronic illness. The final three paragraphs of the post speak of "looking sick" vs. "being sick" and make me think more about the struggles that the chronically ill face in proving to employers and HR departments that they are actually disabled or otherwise unable to do their jobs:

It's one of the paradoxes of HIV/AIDS. If you do a good job fighting it, you end up looking like someone who's not very sick. Even Charles, who hasn't been healthy enough to work a 40-hour week for years, still gets strange looks from bus drivers when he flashes his "disabled" bus pass.

I'll be back with some of the discussions you started here but I strongly encourage you to go over and bookmark Dave Munger's, The Daily Monthly. For this month, begin here with Dave's introduction to Charles.

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Meditations on those with chronic illnesses

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:35:54 -0500

I have just a couple of thoughts today that I offer to the reader not for sympathy but, rather, for scientific observation and reflection.

I've been dealing with a case of bronchitis that became pneumonia. I tried to teach through it, do grant reviews, finish a book chapter, etc. but was finally ordered by my pulmonologist to recuperative bedrest at home for approximately four weeks.

When told I'd be confined to bed for a month, I thought that it would be great - that I'd get two papers and a grant renewal done and still have plenty of time for blog posts I've been wanting to get to, finish writing a couple of songs to take to the studio, get all the tax documents together, maybe learn a little CSS and webpage design and get around to a hosted personal website for the domain I've had for a year, etc.

After 10 days now, I've really done nothing more than read for short periods and sleep for long periods, with energy only for one blog post, a paragraph or two on a paper, and arranging for my classes to be taught. Twitter works, though, as 140 characters is about the limit. To be really sick - to the point of not being able to concentrate for more than 10 min - is a foreign concept. And I'm not actually *really* sick like other folks with chronic illnesses, cancer, etc.

To be unable to make your body do what you want it to is frustrating enough, especially when your little girl wants to go play in an infrequent snowfall of significance.

But I find it remarkable that an illness having nothing to do with the CNS can wreak such havoc on cognition, concentration, and motivation.

Some people might think, "wow, you've had 10 days to do *anything* you want," but it blows me away that 10 days have passed and I've done jack shit.

So today, my heart goes out to all of those who suffer with chronic illnesses every day. You have my admiration and respect.

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Nature science writing paywalls are pissing me off

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:02:03 -0500

Please forgive me for the cranky. I am still confined to bed and am only writing between fits of coughing that still occasionally drive me near unconsciousness due to hypoxia. I'm stuck at home trying to read some research literature across the VPN and proxy servers from my three faculty appointments that give me access to much biomedical research literature.

However, some journals are now no longer granting access if one's IP address does not come directly from the university, even if you are using the university VPN server. And then there's my love-hate relationship with Nature Publishing. I absolutely loved when Nature expanded to Nature Medicine and the Nature Reviews journals have been spectacular, particularly Nature Reviews Drug Discovery and Nature Reviews Cancer. But as each of these came out, it was costing another $199-265/year or so for each of these sources. Still, the content was worth it.

But today, I am cranky. Not because of lack of access to research publications but rather because I have been shut out to a book review and a news review by two of my favorite science writers, Steve Silberman and Melinda Wenner Moyer, respectively. One of these episodes on any other day and I'd probably be fine. But two? On the same day?

Steve just wrote for Nature a review of Rebecca Skloot's new book while Melinda apparently has a killer article in Nature Medicine on the search for drugs beyond statins to manage cardiovascular disease.

But to gain access to these, I need to pay $32. Each.

This is really just plain bullshit.

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James Ray arrested, charged with three counts of manslaughter in Sedona sweat lodge debacle

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:40:18 -0500

A few weeks ago, we discussed (1, 2) some of the drugs confiscated by authorities who searched the Sedona resort room occupied by self-help guru, James Ray, following the October 2009 deaths of three followers who paid nearly $10,000 each for his Spiritual Warrior retreat program.

Late this afternoon, Ray was arrested - the best news and supporting information continues to come from The Prescott (AZ) News, with a sidebar to the lower right of the story that links to their extensive timeline of coverage:

The Yavapai County Grand Jury returned a "true bill" on 3 counts of Manslaughter against Ray early this afternoon. The Yavapai County Superior Court issued a warrant for James Ray as a result of the indictment.

The warrant was served by YCSO detectives at Ray's attorney's office in Prescott and he was arrested around 3:30 P.M.

Sheriff Waugh would like to thank the victim's families for their patience while the Sheriff's Office completed a thorough and comprehensive investigation. The County Attorney's Office also provided assistance to YCSO detectives as they conducted hundreds of interviews and gathered evidence to support today's indictment. With the arrest of James Ray, Sheriff Waugh hopes the families of the three victims will now have some measure of closure to this tragedy.

Ray was transported to the Sheriff's Prescott Office to begin booking procedures. He will eventually be transferred to the Camp Verde Detention Center for final processing.

Ray's bond has been set at 5 million dollars.

Indeed, it is the families of the victims that deserve justice and some sense of closure.

If nothing else comes out of the tragic deaths of these three people, perhaps self-styled gurus will be on notice that their pocket-lining antics will fall under greater scrutiny and accountability.

Photo source: Prescott News

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Saturday Serenade: Shawn Mullins "Lullaby" and "Shimmer"

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 13:15:11 -0500

With all the technopop, hip-hop, sampling, and all kind of nonsense in music today, it's always refreshing to see an incredible songwriter kick total and complete ass with just a glorified wooden box, some steel strings, and her/his own voice.

This is Lake Claire/Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Shawn Mullins singing perhaps his biggest hit, "Lullaby (Rock-A-Bye)" in the studio of WRVR in Memphis back in 2006. This is a killer version enhanced further by his great taste in wearing a Colorado state flag T-shirt. Joining him is Clay Cook, another Atlanta musician who was instrumental, as it were, in the launch of John Mayer's career.

For the music readers here at Terra Sig, Shawn wrote this song in open-G tuning: GGDGBD. The chords themselves are quite easy to play and the resonance of the open strings makes this such a great progression but I can't for the life of me work out the syncopation - how he does the spoken word thing over that amazes me further.

Shawn is also active in the 12 Bands project to raise funds for pediatric cancer research and family support.

For our readers in the northeastern US, Shawn will be at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia this coming Wednesday the 27th and at City Winery in New York City on Thursday the 28th.

If you want more, here's a terrific version of "Shimmer" from the Durango Songwriters' Expo in Colorado Springs last fall. The first 2:30 is a funny story about his first visit to Australia.

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Epigenetics Alert! UStream "Office Hours" with Duke's Randy Jirtle today at noon EST

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:41:12 -0500

Here's a great, last-minute opportunity to interact one-on-one with a major player in the field of environmental and dietary influences on gene expression. From the Duke University Office of News and Communications:

Charles Darwin famously reasoned that genetic traits change over many generations through natural selection, but the new field of “epigenetics” is finding that nurture can change nature more directly. Duke Professor Randy Jirtle will discuss epigenetics and answer viewers’ questions during a live “Office Hours” webcast interview at noon (17:00 GMT) Friday, Jan. 22, on Duke’s Ustream channel.

To ask a question of Jirtle in advance or during the session, send an email to live@duke.edu, post a comment on the Duke University Live Ustream page on Facebook or tweet with the tag #dukelive.

The science of epigenetics explores the molecular activity that influences the expression of genes. Jirtle emerged as a pioneer in the field with a 2003 study in which he showed how the genetic expression of a baby mouse’s fur color could be altered by changing its mother’s diet during pregnancy. Recent stories on epigenetics by NOVA, Time and the Washington Post have cited his research. Jirtle’s lab chronicles developments in the field on the Geneimprint website

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How much should you know outside of your field?

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:02:02 -0500

I'm a bit under the weather today but I wanted to at least share with you an interesting career development consideration pointed out by the always-excellent medicinal chemist blogger, Derek Lowe at In the Pipeline.

In his post, What Should Non-Chemists Know About Medicinal Chemistry, Anyway?, Derek posits:

Here's a topic that I was discussing with some colleagues not too long ago: how much do we need to know about each other's specialties, anyway? I'm assuming that the answer is "more than nothing", although if someone wants to make the zilch case, I'd be interested in hearing it done.

A nice comment thread has developed there. Lowe writes from the perspective of a chemist in a pharmaceutical company but I believe that his considerations extend to academic research as well, especially with the increased emphasis on interdisciplinary and translational research.

I consider myself fortunate to have been trained in pharmacology when "true" pharmacology departments were more abundant (i.e., not just a bunch of in vitro biochemists). Having to interact with chemists, stop-flow enzyme kineticists, physiologists using in vivo and organ bath systems, and physicians with research laboratories, I feel that I can be somewhat conversant on a variety of issues outside my immediate research area. Being able to explain the chemistry of glucuronidation sites or the clinical pharmacology relevance of high plasma protein drug binding are obvious extensions of what I should know. I've also learned to recognize when it may not be appropriate to ask a chemist colleague for more than a milligram or two of a new compound.

But knowledge beyond that, I think, is even more important for my research program and department. I tell students that you never know where you will end up working and a breadth of knowledge is important to develop even while pursuing the myopic drilldown of PhD dissertation research. Particularly if one ends up in a drug company, you will have to interact often with team members across the drug development pipeline and many go/no-go decisions will be made because of limitations outside your area, no matter how novel your pharmacological target may be. And yes, it is a problem in trying to make a drug out of a compound that only dissolves in DMSO.

So I'll throw open Derek's question to those of you in academia: How much chemistry do you expect biologists to know or how much biology should we expect chemists to know? Some of it is simple courtesy and helps develop mutual respect among research colleagues. But some of my colleagues think that the wider you can think, the more likely it is for your research program to make greater impact. (I can't find it right now but I recall Brown and Goldstein holding forth somewhere on how a strong basis in chemistry is essential for physician-scientists). There's no one right answer and I am certain there is no consensus, and I feel that the need for breadth will vary based on how far along one is in one's career.

But in your area, how much do you expect yourself and your trainees to know in areas afield?

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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot: NOT just for scientists

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:02:52 -0500

This past weekend's international science communication conference, ScienceOnline2010, also saw the first, final hardback copies of Rebecca Skloot's long-awaited book make it into the hands of the science and journalism consuming public. Moreover, an excerpt of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks has just appeared in the new issue of Oprah Winfrey's O Magazine. And already, those online science communicators who left the conference with Skloot's book are registering their praise via this Twitter feed that was so active it was a trending topic at the science aggregator, SciencePond.

The story of the rural, Virginia woman who descended from slaves and developed cervical cancer in the early 1950s is notable most obviously for her tumors giving rise to HeLa, the first immortalized human cell line continuously maintained in culture. I have noted previously my enthusiasm for this story as both a long-time admirer of Skloot's writing and the fact that HeLa played a central role in my PhD thesis work and first papers from my independent laboratory.

But as a historically black college professor at a predominantly liberal arts school, I want to make clear that Skloot's book is of far broader appeal than just the scientific community. So I was delighted to see some page referral hits from Skloot's site which told me that my pre-press comments in that regard had been posted in academic publicity of the book.

So here is my "blurb" from the page, "What Professors Are Saying About The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks":

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MuscleMaster.com "voluntarily" recalls 17 steroid-laden dietary supplements

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 09:02:26 -0500

It seems that bodybuilding supplement makers are challenging erectile dysfunction supplement makers to see who can recall the greatest number of products adulterated with undeclared, unapproved drugs.

In this case, an internet retailer of the following supplements has issued a voluntary recall of the following supplements sold between June 1, 2009 and November 17, 2009. The recall follows an FDA warning letter on detection of undeclared, synthetic anabolic steroids in these products:

Advanced Muscle Science Dienedrone, 60 caps

Advanced Muscle Science Liquidrone, 60 ml

Anabolic Formulation M1, 4AD, 60 caps

Anabolic Formulations 1, 4 AD, 60 caps

Anabolic Xtreme Hyperdrol X2

Anabolic Xtreme 3-AD, 90 caps

BCS Labs Testra-Flex, 90 caps

Competitive Edge Labs M-Drol, 90 Caps

Competitive Edge Labs P-Plex, 90 caps

Competitive Edge Labs X-Tren, 90 caps

4Ever Fit D-Drol, 60 caps

Gaspari Novedex XT 60 Caps

Gaspari Halodrol Liquigels, 60 gels

iForce 1,4 AD BOLD 200, 60 Caps

iForce MethaDROL, 90 caps

iForce Dymethazine, 60 caps

Monster Caps, 60 caps

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The Reverend and the Rabbi: Martin Luther King, Jr., on science and religion

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 08:42:51 -0500

From "Lesser Known Wise and Prophetic Words of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr." by liberal writer and California Democratic Party delegate, Deborah White:

"Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge which is power; religion gives man wisdom which is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values.

The two are not rivals. They are complementary.

Science keeps religion from sinking into the valley of crippling irrationalism and paralyzing obscurantism. Religion prevents science from falling into the marsh of obsolete materialism and moral nihilism."

When I posted this quote two years ago, Right Wing Professor ~~Gerald~~ Gerard Harbison commented that some of the passage was taken from the writings of Rabbi Hillel Silver as noted at John Lerwell's Spiritual Unity blog.

Writer and documentary filmmaker Tom Levenson then wrote a superb post, as is his style. Levenson analyzed the two passages, noting that Harbison had cherry-picked 66 or the 724 words for comparison, and dissected how the rabbi and the reverend approached the topic very differently:

More to the point, King actually makes a quite different claim than Silver. Silver's argument, as represented in the Lerwill excerpt is an early version of the "non-overlapping magisteria" kind -- Silver writes, for example, "There was never any real conflict between religion and science as such. There cannot be. Their respective worlds are different, though not in opposition. Their methods are dissimilar and their immediate objectives are not the same."

King skipped all that part (and this kind of stuff is scattered through the Lerwill version). Instead, he focused on what he presumably felt was the nub of the issue: that science and religion have important points of connection.

That's arguable too -- and certainly, plenty of folks in the science blogging community find the notion anathema. But King did not follow Silver down the road of intellectual apartheid, an agreement to reserve certain matters for the exclusive authority of one side or other.

In music there is an old notion (now legally enshrined, I believe) that a repetition of more than a few notes of a passage is an actual act of imitation. Less than that, and it is presumed that there is a kind of musical language that everyone gets to speak. Maybe the four word phrase "Science investigates; religion interprets" crosses the line. But King had his own mind, and said something quite different than did the source of at least some of his expression.

I've looked long and hard to find cases where Dr. King held forth on science. But his values can clearly be applied to the scientific realm, particularly as it relates to recruitment and engagement of underrepresented minority groups in the STEMM disciplines.

Our ScienceOnline2010 session held yesterday sought to bring Dr. King's spirit of inclusion and education equality into the realm of social media. An issue I raised there but did not develop was that a great many of my science students, particularly of Hispanic/Latino or southern US African-American backgrounds, cite their religious beliefs as a primary motivator in pursuing a health sciences or pharmaceutical research career. Rather than religion being at odds with the scientific method, they feel that their faith fuels their desire to apply the scientific method in the name of relieving human suffering. The duality of religious beliefs and hypothesis-driven inquiry is certainly an intellectual challenge but one that I respect.

I welcome any King scholars in pointing me to any other discussions where the civil rights leader discussed issues of science.

Photo credit: Library of Congress, believed to be in the public domain

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NIDA researchers Hinds (Kentucky) and Torres (Pittsburgh) given Presidential Early Career Award

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 08:59:54 -0500

Hearty congratulations this morning to a group of early-career investigators who received this award yesterday in Washington, DC:

The Presidential Award for Early Career Scientists and Engineers was established in 1996 and is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers. [emphasis mine] Awardees are selected on the basis of two criteria: pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology; and a commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education or community outreach. Winning scientists are awarded a research grant for up to five years to further their studies in support of critical government missions. This year, eleven federal departments and agencies nominated 100 young scientists and engineers who showed exceptional promise for leadership in science and technology. Drs. Hinds and Torres are 2 of 12 NIH grantees to receive the prestigious PECASE award.

According to the NIDA press release:

Bruce J. Hinds, III, Ph.D., associate professor of chemical and materials engineering at the University of Kentucky, is being recognized for his work to improve the delivery of drugs that treat nicotine dependence through a novel skin patch. Gonzalo E. Torres, Ph.D., assistant professor of neurobiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, is being cited for his research on cellular and molecular regulation in the brain and its relationship to psychiatric disorders and drug addiction.

As I've remarked previously, NIDA is one of the NIH Institutes and Centers with a very active public relations and news office so this was the only press release I found. However, ten other NIH-funded scientists also received the PECASE; here's the complete list:

Thomas P. Cappola, M.D., Sc.M. (University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine)
His research on the use of genetic and genomic approaches for studying ventricular remodeling in humans is supported by a grant from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

Pablo A. Celnik, M.D. (Johns Hopkins Hospital)
His research on the underlying mechanisms of plasticity in the central nervous system in order to develop novel therapeutic approaches that promote recovery of function following an injury is supported by a grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute on Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

Felicia D. Goodrum, Ph.D. (University of Arizona)
Her research on hematopoetic progenitor cells and their influence on latency in human cytomegalovirus infections is supported by a grant from the National Institute on Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Bruce J. Hinds, III, Ph.D. (University of Kentucky)
His research on the use of gated carbon nanotube membranes for transdermal drug delivery is supported by a grant from National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

Helen H. Lu, Ph.D. (Columbia University)
Her work on the use of biomimetic scaffolds to promote chondrocyte-mediated regeneration of the interface between soft tissue and bone is supported by a grant from the National Institute on Arthritis Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS).

Ulrike Peters, Ph.D., M.P.H. (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)
Her research on selenium and the interaction of genetic variations and nutrition on cancer prevention is supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Jeremy F. Reiter, M.D., Ph.D. (University of California at San Francisco)
His research on the role of the proto-oncogene Smoothened and its interaction with the primary cilium in the development of cancer is supported by a grant from the National Institute on Arthritis Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS).

Marisa Roberto, Ph.D. (The Scripps Research Institute)
Her research on neuropeptides, neuronal function and synaptic communication related to alcohol and other drugs of abuse is supported by a grant from the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA).

Erica Ollmann Saphire, Ph.D. (The Scripps Research Institute)
Her studies on the role of glycoproteins in the pathogenicity and immunogenicity of Ebola virus is supported by a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Oscar E. Suman, Ph.D. (Shriner's Hospital for Children, University of Texas Medical Branch)
His research on supervised and structured aerobic and resistance exercise on muscle mass and bone mass in severely burned children is supported by a grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute on Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

Kristin V. Tarbell, Ph.D. (National Institutes of Health Intramural Research Program)
Her research on the role of dendritic cells on T cell mediated autoimmune diseases such as diabetes is supported by the National Institute on Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

Gonzalo E. Torres, Ph.D. (University of Pittsburgh)
His research on cellular and molecular regulation of monoamine transporters in brain and the relationship to psychiatric disorders and drug addiction is supported by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

We often don't do enough in the biomedical sciences to promote the work of early-career investigators. But these people are our future. Their current work and future promise should be promoted and, more importantly, supported financially.

Congratulations to all of this year's Presidential Early Career Award recipients.

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Haiti

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:10:36 -0500

I've tried to get about three different posts started today.

But they all seem meaningless and trite in light of the devastation and suffering being experienced in Haiti since yesterday.

We've done some work with anticancer compounds from plants in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Ethnobotanists continue to work today to try and document and preserve folk medicine knowledge from Hispaniola. But that will have to wait as yet another tragedy has hit the island nation, one of the poorest on the planet.

So, I'll just leave this as an open thread for people to list their suggestions and hyperlinks for ways to help.

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Science bloggers evacuate Morehead City, NC area - no worries for ScienceOnline2010

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 13:11:08 -0500

For those of you following Twitter or watching the television in the university cafeteria, you'll know that the North Carolina port of Morehead City is being evacuated. Nine containers of an explosive, pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), have been punctured and there is concern of an explosion. (This report now says that of the nine containers, only one has been punctured - by a forklift operator).

Not only do I have relatives out on the barrier island but science bloggers Kevin Zelnio and Southern Fried Scientist are stationed out there at the Duke University Marine Lab in Beaufort, about four miles from the port. Zelnio started off on Twitter scaring the hell out of me with a message to his wife and kids until I realized he was writing in jest (I think).

For those of you who know the NC coast, the mainland port of Morehead City connects to the Bogue Banks beaches, a barrier island that runs almost horizontally east-to-west. The bridge from Morehead leads to Atlantic Beach, a favorite destination for military families stationed inland, as well as the family-friendly beaches of Pine Knoll Shores, Salter Path, and Emerald Isle before snaking back to the town of Swansboro.

For ScienceOnline2010 attendees who may have never been to North Carolina, never fear. This incident won't interfere with your travels (well, maybe for Zelnio and SFS) or the meeting proceedings. Morehead City is safely 181 mi/291 km from the Sigma Xi meeting headquarters in Research Triangle Park.

I can tell you that we expect the meeting to be a blast but this is not exactly what I had in mind.

Dispatched via Twitter to @abelpharmboy: @sfriedscientist @kzelnio @bomaiblat and bluegrassbluecrab evacuating in style (not in order, not drawn to scale). None are known to have PETN in their underpants.

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