Adidas Wilson's Blog, page 129
June 23, 2017
High hopes ride on marijuana painkillers amid opioid crisis
A handful of drugmakers are taking their first steps toward developing marijuana-based painkillers, alternatives to opioids that have led to widespread abuse and caused the U.S. health regulator to ask for a withdrawal of a popular drug this month.
The cannabis plant has been used for decades to manage pain and there are increasingly sophisticated marijuana products available across 29 U.S. states, as well as in the District of Columbia, where medical marijuana is legal.
There are no U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved painkillers derived from marijuana, but companies such as Axim Biotechnologies Inc, Nemus Bioscience Inc and Intec Pharma Ltd have drugs in various stages of development.
The companies are targeting the more than 100 million Americans who suffer from chronic pain, and are dependent on opioid painkillers such as Vicodin, or addicted to street opiates including heroin.
Opioid overdose, which claimed celebrities including Prince and Heath Ledger as victims, contributed to more than 33,000 deaths in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Earlier this month, the FDA asked Endo International Plc to withdraw its Opana ER painkiller from the market, the first time the agency has called for the removal of an opioid painkiller for public health reasons. The FDA concluded that the drug’s benefits no longer outweighed its risks.
[image error]
FIGHTING THE EPIDEMIC
Multiple studies have shown that pro-medical marijuana states have reported fewer opiate deaths and there are no deaths related to marijuana overdose on record.
But marijuana-derived drugs could take longer than usual to hit the market as the federal government considers marijuana a “schedule 1” substance – a dangerous drug with no medicinal value – making added approvals necessary. Any drug typically takes at least a decade from discovery to approval.
It could be worth the wait.
An FDA-approved marijuana-based painkiller would ensure consistent dosing and potency, and availability across the country, analysts and experts said.
“Doctors like to be able to write a prescription and know that whatever they wrote is pure and from a blinded, placebo-controlled trial,” California-based Nemus’s CEO Brian Murphy told Reuters.
Nemus is testing its product – a synthetic version of the non-psychoactive CBD compound found in cannabis – on rats with chronic pain and expects to report data later this year.
Rival Axim, whose North American headquarters is in New York, is conducting preclinical studies on a chewing gum containing synthetic CBD and THC, a psychoactive compound found in marijuana. The company expects to submit an FDA application to start a trial on opioid-dependent patients this year.
Leading the pack is Israel-based Intec, which recently announced the start of an early-stage study testing its painkiller made of natural CBD and THC extracts.
Independent scientists are also looking to find natural, non-pharmaceutical alternatives to opioids, but many have said it is difficult to access government-approved marijuana to conduct research due to supply restrictions.
“It’s taken me seven years to get the DEA license,” said Dr Sue Sisley, who is planning to conduct an FDA-regulated study evaluating whether marijuana can help opioid-dependent patients.
There could soon be other alternatives as well. Pfizer Inc and Biogen Inc are among a clutch of drugmakers developing non-opioid painkillers that are in advanced clinical studies.
Still, opioid painkillers are here to stay and will continue to be widely prescribed, especially for patients with acute and post-surgical pain.
The Republican healthcare bill unveiled on Thursday has proposed a drastic cut to the Medicaid budget and could gut, what advocates say, is essential coverage for drug addiction treatment, potentially hampering the fight against opioid abuse.
Source:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-marijuana-fda-idUSKBN19E1NU
7 Cruise Ports Where You Should Rent a Car
There are times when it is more convenient, and possibly more prudent, to see the sights of a cruise port via tours. Driving in ports like Piraeus or Istanbul can be intimidating for even the most adventurous drivers. How about driving on your own in Montego Bay Jamaica? Anybody think that’s a great idea? There’s no reason to rent a car in ports with good public transportation or where the main sights and activities are accessible on foot from the port. But there are a handful of ports where you might really want to go beyond what the tour and taxi drivers want you to see, where it would be safe to do so, and where you can explore at your leisure.
Car rental basics
• Reserve in advance when possible.
• Always use a credit card that includes foreign rental insurance, but know that in some places, they will still make you pay for primary coverage.
• Do your homework; knowing what you hope to see while you have the car and what type of vehicle will get you there is key. Is four-wheel drive needed? Is there parking at your intended destination?
• Take a folded soft-sided cooler with you so that you can stop for snacks.
• If pre-purchase of fuel is an option, take it. Your time in port is limited; the last thing you want is to have to find a gas station near the rental office to refuel.
• Make sure you get a map. If there is any doubt, print computer maps before you leave home.
• Watch your time carefully. You don’t want to be left standing on the shore as your ship sails away because you didn’t allow enough time to return your rental.
Here are examples of ports where rentals are an easy and fun way to enhance your experience.
Aruba
Renting a car on Aruba is made easy by the fact that there are rental agencies located at the cruise terminal. You can reserve in advance, then walk off the ship and start your adventure. Having your own car makes it possible to drive to secluded beaches beyond the crowded hotel area. Try Santo Largo Beach for a true Aruban escape. Rates run in the $35-40 per day range. Try Speed Car in the cruise terminal.
Bonaire
You can arrange for the rental company to pick you up at the pier and take you to a rental office. Bonaire is perfect for driving a rental. Traffic is light and a car gives you the opportunity to see a large portion of the island a little easier than via the golf carts rented at the pier. A car works really well if you plan to snorkel or shore dive. You can rent gear and tanks at the Dive Friends Bonaire location near the pier, then head out to find your own perfect dive spot. Rates run in the $35 range, some trucks are set up for diving. Try AB Car Rental.
Freeport Bahamas
A day on Grand Bahama Island can be greatly enhanced with your own car to explore from. Drive to Gold Rock Beach or Lucayan National Park with a picnic you can pack from markets in Lucaya. The driving itself is an adventure worth re-telling — remember it’s on the left side of the road. Rates run in the $75 range. Try Island Jeep Rentals.
Grand Cayman
If snorkeling or shore diving is your thing, having a car at your disposal on Grand Cayman gets you away from the crowds and into the water without a boat. Use the information at ShoreDiving.com to help you locate great options. If beaches are your goal, there are choices far quieter than the famed Seven Mile Beach. Packing a picnic and driving to Smith Barcadere or Starfish Point will give you a whole new impression of the island. You can get a Jeep for as low as $69.95 per day. Try Cayman Auto Rentals.
Hawaiian Islands
Obviously, the islands are too big to see all of any one while on a cruise ship stopover, but renting a car might get you a better overview of the sights, or at least allow you to escape the usual tourist hangouts. The best example is on the Big Island. If your ship docks in Kona, rent a car and drive down the coast a bit, sampling public beaches, coffee plantations, and unique shopping and food along the way. It’s a great way to see the island. Thrifty may be the best choice here. Rates start at $75 per day.
Greek Islands
There are a few stops on a cruise through the Greek Islands where having a car gets you to the good stuff easier than on a tour. It’s not recommended on Santorini, but Crete would be worth looking into. The best choice might be on Lemnos. In the Port of Myrina, Holiday Car Rental is near the docks. Stop in one of the nearby shops for cheese, bread, & wine before you pick up the car. Driving on the tiny roads in town is crazy, so head south on the coast road where you will find secluded beaches and quaint shops. Holiday Car Rentals has options starting at $75.
Cozumel
We saved the best for last. A rental on Cozumel allows you to escape the tourist attractions in favor of the secluded beaches and scenery on the wild east side of the island. Or maybe you want to do both. Take a scenic drive, enjoy your own private beach break, then head back to the fun at Chankanaab Beach Park, with its abundance of facilities, before returning the car. Alamo has cars for under $20 per day and Jeeps under $50.
Source:
http://www.travelpulse.com/news/car-rental-and-rail/7-cruise-ports-where-you-should-rent-a-car.html
Tesla is talking to the music labels about creating its own streaming service
Put this one in the “You can do that, but why would you want to do that?” file: Tesla is talking to the music industry about creating its own streaming music service.
Music industry sources say the carmaker has had talks with all of the major labels about licensing a proprietary music service that would come bundled with its cars, which already come equipped with a high-tech dashboard and internet connectivity.
Label sources aren’t clear about the full scope of Tesla’s ambitions, but believe it is interested in offering multiple tiers of service, starting with a Pandora-like web radio offering.
The bigger question: Why doesn’t Tesla simply integrate existing services, like Spotify or Apple Music, into all of its cars from the start — especially since Tesla already does a deal with Spotify for Teslas sold outside the U.S.?
“We believe it’s important to have an exceptional in-car experience so our customers can listen to the music they want from whatever source they choose,” a Tesla spokesperson said. “Our goal is to simply achieve maximum happiness for our customers.”
But if Tesla does want to provide music to its customers — it delivered over 100,000 cars as of January and has taken 400,000 preorders for the Model 3, due out this summer — the labels are happy to sell their stuff to the company.
They would like as many customers as possible and don’t want to end up in a world dominated by a handful of streaming outlets. Right now, Spotify and Apple have the clear lead: Spotify says it has at least 50 million paying subscribers for its service, and Apple says it has 27 million.
Source:
https://www.recode.net/2017/6/22/15855346/tesla-elon-musk-streaming-music-service
Google begins removing personal medical records from search results
Google has removed private medical records from its search results, Bloomberg reports, after quietly changing its policy on content removal. On Thursday, the company’s search policy was amended to include “confidential, personal medical records of private people” under a list of content it may remove from search results.
Although Google has historically been reluctant to intervene with its search algorithms, it has banned some confidential material from appearing in results, such as credit card numbers, bank account information, and social security numbers. In 2015, the company began removing revenge porn from search results, as well.
The decision to remove medical records follows several high-profile data breaches around the world. Information on tens of millions of people was stolen following a 2015 hack targeting Anthem, the second-largest insurer in the US. Between 2010 and 2013, approximately 29 million medical records in the US were affected by data breaches, according to a study released in 2015.
Source:
https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/23/15860740/google-medical-records-removed-search
French Instagram fitness star killed by exploding whipped cream canister
Rebecca Burger, a French fitness blogger, has died after a whipped cream dispenser exploded into her chest.
Burger, who had 160,000 Instagram followers and more than 55,000 Facebook fans, died over the weekend.
[image error]
Citing local reports in France, the BBC reported that she died of cardiac arrest after the accident, despite being attended to by medics.
Her family announced her death on Facebook, calling it a “domestic accident.” A warning about what her family described as a faulty dispenser involved in her death has also been posted on her Instagram. The message said the canister “exploded and struck Rebecca’s chest, causing her death”.
The dispensers shoot gas into a metal capsule, which keeps the pressure high. The BBC said a French consumer group had warned readers for years about faulty connectors that could break, allowing the gas capsules to be expelled at high speed.
[image error]
The BBC said such dispensers were involved in enough accidents that the government office for consumers issued a warning, saying the accidents stretched back as far as 2010 and could occur even after years of use.
[image error]
Source:
June 22, 2017
Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad Fight Bigotry in Gritty First Trailer for ‘Marshall’
Just weeks after the Black Panther teaser debuted online and drove fans wild, Chadwick Boseman is back in the first trailer for Marshall.
Boseman, a veteran of biopics 42 and Get on Up, stars as the titular Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court justice in American history.
The trailer begins with a bar fight among Boseman and a group of bullies, setting the tone for the gritty trailer that showcases the early days of Marshall’s life, before he helped desegregate schools in the Brown v. Board of Education trial in 1954.
“I only represent innocent people, people accused because of their race. That is my mission,” Boseman tells Sterling K. Brown’s Joseph Spell as he sits behind bars.
Josh Gad appears as Sam Friedman, a fellow attorney hired by the Bridgeport NAACP, who worked as Marshall’s partner. Gad also gets jumped by a group of attackers. “You’re one of us now,” Boseman tells him.
“The only way to get through a bigot’s door is to break it down,” Boseman says as the trailer closes on a scene in which he takes a nip from a flask by a “Whites Only” water fountain.
The film opens in October.
Source:
