February 15th, 2010 by Kevin A. Barnes
Regular visitors to this website probably have already noticed that I updated the design over the weekend. The changes are intended to accomplish two things — to make the content easier to read and to reduce the time it takes for individual pages to load. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that in the previous site design, much of the content itself contained hard coded styles, meaning that content now needs to be scrubbed to display perfectly within the new design. I hope to complete that effort over the next several nights, but in the meantime all of the older (not quite pixel-perfect) content is still available to you.
Finally, all of the new design’s functionality should be working. If you experience any technical issues, broken links, etc., please drop me a line. And let me know what you think of the new design.
Thanks for visiting!
Categories: Shorts | Tags: redesign, web design
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December 14th, 2009 by Kevin A. Barnes
New Scientist recently published an article describing the conflict that has emerged in American psychiatry over the upcoming revised version of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), frequently referred to as psychiatry’s bible.
From my point of view, disagreement over the diagnostic approach employed by the DSM is decades overdue. I initially encountered the DSM in the ‘80s when I was working on my master’s degree. My master’s thesis examined how (and how much) the media influence an individual’s perceptions and eventual behavior, so I took a mix of graduate-level classes in communications, psychiatry, sociology and several other areas. Even at that time, the DSM already was used almost universally as the resource for diagnosing psychiatric disorders.
What struck (and bothered) me from my first encounter with the DSM was the process through which it diagnosed disorders — it diagnosed an individual’s illness solely on the basis of the symptoms observed. In other words, the root cause of any psychiatric ailment was irrelevant when making a diagnosis. And since diagnosis drives treatment, that meant that treatments were being prescribed on the basis of symptoms, not underlying causes. Read the rest of this entry »
Categories: Opinion, Science | Tags: American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM, psychiatry
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November 20th, 2009 by Kevin A. Barnes
As part of $3K in 3 Weeks, here is another in a series of articles on current issues and topics related to Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Did you know that biologics such as Remicade, Humira, and Cimzia – used in the treatment of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis – are governed by different rules and laws than other traditional medications? As a result, there currently are no approved generic biologics in the U.S. So while you might be able to buy a generic version of a brand name pain killer or blood pressure medication, you can’t buy generic Remicade (at least not legally).
Why are generic biologics not available, and is that likely to change?
To answer those questions, we need to start with a quick history lesson: The generic drug industry arose in 1984 when the Hatch-Waxman Act made it much easier (and much less expensive) for qualified companies to produce a molecularly identical version of a drug after its patent had expired. (Prior to Hatch-Waxman, a company wishing to manufacture a generic drug would have had to repeat the full – and costly – clinical studies and the same FDA approval process that the original manufacturer went through.) Read the rest of this entry »
Categories: $3K in 3 Weeks, Crohn's Disease, Science | Tags: biologics, Cimzia, Crohn's Disease, generic drugs, H.R. 3962, Hatch-Waxman Act, health care reform, Humira, ibd, Remicade, ulcerative colitis
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November 18th, 2009 by Kevin A. Barnes
As part of $3K in 3 Weeks, here is the first in a series of articles on current research initiatives related to Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
The Human Gut Microbiome Initiative, based at the Genome Center of Washington University in St. Louis, is the first major investigation into the thousands of species of bacteria that live in the human digestive system.
What’s a microbiome? The “microbiome” is defined as all bacteria in the human body, as well as all the products they make. To put this in perspective, scientists estimate that as much as 90% of the cells in the human body are actually bacteria. In the past, since most of the species of bacteria found in the human body could not be cultured (grown outside the body for study), we’ve been essentially clueless about how those bacteria functioned and their potential role in the human body. Read the rest of this entry »
Categories: $3K in 3 Weeks, Crohn's Disease | Tags: $3K in 3 Weeks, CCFA, Crohn's Disease, cure, Human Gut Microbiome Initiative, ibd, Las Vegas half marathon, Team Challenge, ulcerative colitis
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November 15th, 2009 by Kevin A. Barnes
$3K in 3 Weeks is a special effort I’ve established to raise both awareness and at least $3,000 to help defeat Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis — hence $3K in 3 Weeks.
The effort runs from today (Sunday, November 15) through Sunday, December 6 when I will run the 13.1-mile Las Vegas Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon to demonstrate my commitment to defeating Crohn’s and colitis. (What are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis? Read an overview of these diseases and their impact at the end of this article. )
In recent years, we’ve seen dramatic advances in the understanding of these devastating diseases, to the point where our knowledge has already begun to improve the lives of those with Crohn’s and colitis (an estimated 1.4 million people in the U.S. alone). And recently one researcher after another has begun telling us the same thing:
“We know what remains to be done — the only thing standing between us and a cure is money.”
That’s right — money has become the critical factor in helping find a cure. Here’s how you can help: Read the rest of this entry »
Categories: $3K in 3 Weeks, Crohn's Disease | Tags: $3K in 3 Weeks, CCFA, Crohn's Disease, cure, ibd, Las Vegas half marathon, Team Challenge, ulcerative colitis
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