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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February 21st, 2009 by Kevin A. Barnes
Earlier this week I learned from the NASA website that Konrad Dannenberg died on Monday at the age of 96. Dannenberg was a key member of Wernher von Braun’s original engineering team that developed the hardware and processes which enabled humans to reach the moon.
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Kevin meets rocket pioneer
Konrad Dannenberg on December 31, 2002. |
While attending the adult version of Space Camp in Huntsville in late 2002 and early 2003, I had the pleasure of meeting Dannenberg and talking with him about his experiences. We spoke at length about his work on various launch systems for NASA, including the Redstone — which lifted the first American astronauts into space — and the Saturn V which carried the first humans to the moon. Dannenberg told me how, at the request of Wernher von Braun, he started and managed the development of the Saturn V (which still holds the title of “largest rocket ever built”). Read the rest of this entry »
Categories: Science, Space Exploration, Technology, The Future | Tags: aviation history, Foo Fighters, Konrad Dannenberg, NASA, Operation Paperclip, Redstone, Saturn V, UFOs
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January 11th, 2009 by Kevin
This past week, Mike Griffin announced he is stepping down on January 20 as NASA chief administrator, the politically appointed post that runs America’s space agency. As the Obama transition team accelerates its search for Griffin’s successor, here’s my modest proposal for the next head of NASA: Kevin A. Barnes (yes, me!).
Control your laughter for just a minute. I may have statistically about 0.00% chance of being appointed, but this is a good opportunity to examine the skills, experience and personality that NASA needs right now in its chief administrator in order to succeed: Read the rest of this entry »
Categories: Science, Space Exploration, The Future | Tags: Alan Stern, Barack Obama, Charles Kennel, NASA, Sally Ride, Scott Hubbard, transition team, Wesley Huntress
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December 28th, 2008 by Kevin A. Barnes
This New Year’s Eve is one of those times when a Leap Second is added to the world’s approximately 200 official clocks. So between the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, we all will receive one extra second to use and spend however we wish.
An extra second? What is Kevin babbling about this time? Here’s the deal. Leap Seconds operate on the same principle as adding an extra day (February 29) every Leap Year. It is done to keep human clocks and calendars aligned with Earth’s true position. If we didn’t make such corrections, we’d eventually end up celebrating July 4 in Winter and observing midnight after the sun had risen. Read the rest of this entry »
Categories: Science, The Future | Tags: leap second, leap year, time, timekeeping
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