#irb art posts

[sunflowers-n-cyanide]

Sunset on July 8th, 2024, by IRB

[irbcallmefynn]

Pinned Post for 2024!

A new year calls for a new pinned! Hi! I'm Fynn (you can also call me Fynni if you want)!

https://pronouns.cc/@irbcallmefynn <My Pronouns Page Furry, artist, autism+adhd+ocd+chronic anxiety (undiagnosed) so bear with me. I'm 20, so I reserve the right to be a freak! Despite that, this blog should be safe. I do have an 18+ sideblog but I don't wanna tag it here. I will tag things to the best of my ability when needed. If I have tagged something wrong, or forgot to tag something, Please Let Me Know. Send an ask or a message or something.

DNI lists don't really work. If I don't wanna see you here I'm just gonna block you.

I'd be careful if you're a minor. I tend to tag things as "#suggestive" fairly well, so block that if you don't wanna see that stuff and you should be fine. Especially since I have a separate 18+ blog now. If I do slip up and either forget to tag something or accidentally reblog something to or from the wrong account please let me know so I can fix it!

I'm Sex Repulsed (I do experience sexual attraction, but actual sex grosses me out), Polyamorous and Demiromantic (taken x2: @ricochete29 & @0rionslay <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 )

I'm Therian to some degree. I know I'm not a wolf or mantis or anything. Never have been. But I really wish I was anything other than a human. So Therian it is! I'm also Plushie-kin and Program-kin. Just feel like there's a lot in common between plushies and what I want to be like, and the dependence betwern programs and the machines they're on is my ideal type of relationship. I'm also Alterhuman, Please refer to me as a wolf or dog or puppy or bug or plushie it makes me happy :3 you can find my kinlist thing here

I try and stay out of politics, but sometimes I've gotta say something. So keep that in mind. If a political topic stresses me out to see constantly, I will block the tags/content. I am the master of my online experience, so if I'm seemingly ignoring a major political topic, it's probably because I don't want to stress myself out with it constantly.

I have three main OCs: Fynn (not to be confused with me. I took his name :3) is a he/him half demon wolf thing who magicked his mouth off and is basically the mascot of the blog. Nauno is a he/they avali and is extremely gay and very kleptomaniac and I love them. Euphi is a she/heart protogen that happens to be immortal for some reason. Click on their names to see their reference sheets! Click here for a link to the lore doc all about them and the world of Cosme! And click here for my truesona's ref sheet(s)!

And now, some tags. "#fynn art" is for all of my art things. Pictures mainly, little bits of music here and there maybe. "#oc lore" is for when I talk about the lore of my ocs (or worldbuilding for them). "#bedposting" is something I do every night, just kinda whatever's on my mind before bed (may be very weird so heads up). "#art rb" is just for when I reblog art, if I keysmashed a whole bunch in another tag it means I really love it :3. "#transfur" is for any furry transformation stuff cause I like that in sfw ways here. "#reblog forcing" is a tag I will use if I decide to reblog something that other people are aggressively trying to make people reblog by saying things like "You have to reblog this" or "Reblog this every time you see it" (stop doing this shit please, a lot of people have anxiety about these sorts of things).

FAQ (frequently-ish asked questions):

Do you take Commissions? No, and I currently have no plans to. I don't want to make money off of my art. I create for the sake of creating, not for fame or fortune. Unfortunately, capitalism means I need to make money or I will Fucking Die. So maybe some day I'll open icon commissions or something. I don't have any means of giving or accepting money online anyways, so that's not a possibility.

What does the IRB stand for? My real initials. My legal first, middle, and last name. It's a force of habit. If/When I get my legal name changed I will change the blog name.

Thanks for taking the time to read my pinned! Assuming you actually read it and didn't just scroll to the bottom. Regardless, I hope you have a nice day!

[makaira-art]

Update July 17, 2019

I’m going to be real with you, after everything I've been through I really haven’t caught up with Voltron since s8, so it’s not on my explore anymore (definitely not on insta either, where I spend a gross amount of time) and seeing it everywhere after loading tumblr for the first time in a while is like a slap to the face. Anyways, I've been busy because of school, all of my tests, then straight into an internship while studying for more tests (college apps, you know how it is) so all the art I’ve posted is stuff I forgot to post here months ago...

Here’s the update since I’ve been gone: passed AP Physics, read some good books, bought 3 SAT2 review books, still cannot go on my PC where my actual art files are, dabbled in witchcraft, grew some lavender, reinstalled minecraft, had an existential crisis or 20... y’know as you do

Anyways, huge thank you to everyone for sticking around, hopefully after everything settles down (I thought it would after school ended but BOY was I WRONG) I can get back into art I also might sell some resin art, embroidery stuff, prints??? We shall see

Umm here’s a thing I drew on a whiteboard in my research classroom after finals, which reminds me that I really need to fill out my IRB forms, oh no,

[didanawisgi]

Class switch towards non-inflammatory IgG isotypes after repeated SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination

Abstract

Repeated mRNA vaccinations are an efficient tool to combat the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. High levels of neutralizing SARS-CoV-2-antibodies are an important component of vaccine-induced immunity. Shortly after the first or second mRNA vaccine dose, the IgG response mainly consists of the pro-inflammatory isotypes IgG1 and IgG3 and is driven by T helper (Th) 1 cells. Here, we report that several months after the second vaccination, SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies were increasingly composed of non-inflammatory IgG2 and particularly IgG4, which were further boosted by a third mRNA vaccination and/or SARS-CoV-2 variant breakthrough infections. While IgG antibodies were affinity matured and of high neutralization capacity, the switch in constant domains caused changes in fragment crystallizable (Fc)-receptor mediated effector functions, including a decreased capacity to facilitate phagocytosis. IgG4 induction was neither induced by Th2 cells nor observed after homologous or heterologous SARS-CoV-2 vaccination with adenoviral vectors. In addition, IgG2- and IgG4-producing memory B cells were phenotypically indistinguishable from IgG1- or IgG3-producing cells. Since Fc-mediated effector functions are critical for antiviral immunity, the described class switch towards non-inflammatory IgG isotypes, which otherwise rarely occurs after vaccination or viral infection, may have consequences for the choice and timing of vaccination regimens using mRNA vaccines.

[senseiwu]

ANOTHER tag game XD

Thanks for the tag, @echojulien!!! :D

Nickname: Technically Bri is a nickname but I hate Brienna soo..... but my friend calls me Irb, sometimes Irb the birb

Zodiac: Scorpio

Height: 170cm

Time: 10:44pm

Favourite band/artist: Favourite band - either Fall Out Boy or The Fold. Favourite singer is Polina Gagarina.

Song stuck in my head: A Million Dreams, and also Rewrite the Stars, from The Greatest Showman

Last movie I saw: The Greatest Showman

Last thing I googled: “Does TuneIn Radio work with Google Home” 

Other blogs: @jonn-jonnzz, my fanart/less serious art blog; @bhanchen98, my more serious art blog; @ninjakids, my Ninjago kids!AU blog, @dcsuperheroapartments, a DC askblog I really need to work on XD @the-juliens, a blog for my ‘happy and alive and together Juliens AU’, and @crossingthelineseries, a blog I made for my book series lmao. And I have two Simblrs - @bris-sims and @bris-sims-cc :D

Do I get asks?: Sometimes. Whenever I’m sad I get a ton of messages from @lindsey-chr-not-found <3

Why did I choose this username?: Because I wanted a canon Ninjago URL. I liked the true potential episodes, and the one where Cole unlocks his I remember seeing many times with my brothers :D Also Spin Harmony sounds really cool imo also all the ones i could think of relating to zane or echo zane were taken

Average amount of sleep: I think I said before like 3-8 or nine lmaoo

What am I wearing?: My dark blue flannelette pyjamas with clouds and lovehearts on them <3 They’re really comfy and warm

Dream job: Actor!!! :D

Dream trip: Again, Italy and Russia. Maybe Japan, too :D

Play any instruments?: Piano and four-hole pendant ocarina. Not to an amazing level, but if you give me sheet music I can play it. And I used to play flute in the Senior Rep Band in primary school :D (I’ve been wanting to get back into the flute...)

Eye colour: Brown :/ 

Hair colour: Dark brown :/ (But it’s been dark red, dark purple, blonde, turquoise...... i’d love to dye it rose gold and curl it....)

Describe yourself in aesthetic things: The disappointment when you open up the pantry/fridge and there’s nothing good to eat; rain ruining your outdoor plans; a bare rosebush (am i doing this right)

Random fact: I get crushes really easily and I fall HARD. If I get a crush on you, you bet I’m gonna freak out every time you even LIKE a post I made, let alone actually talk to me.

Okay, I’m gonna tag @evelinaonline, @xxwhisperapplexx, @the-cosmic-latte-fangirl, @hollsheadcanons, @clumsinessinperson, @frccdomfightcr, @portalcartoon

[sunflowers-n-cyanide]

I look around in stunned amazement, hoping for a sign that things will be okay.

But that's when the light breaks through the clouds, and I see that it's been there all along, deep within me.

In steady silence, I take a deep breath and count to three . . . And then I begin to wonder and take the steps to begin a new.

—IRB "A New Beginning"

[iriscomplimentarymedicine]

Iris publishers-Online Journal of Complementary & Alternative Medicine (OJCAM)

Mandalas in the Nursing Classroom

Authored by Audrey C Tolouian*

Opinion

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, nursing education as it was known, was drastically changed. Classes were delivered in an online format, clinical experiences were cancelled and then re-created to be virtual, and the student community was essentially disbanded. This caused students and faculty to become discombobulated. Faculty had creating online courses added to their workloads with the creation of material that could be delivered virtually. They were unsure about maintaining clinical experiences and were generally put under a fair amount of stress, as many did not normally teach in the cyber world. Students were nervous about the quality of their education, they were scared to go into the clinical arena with the new virus, and they lost their sense of belonging.

For the faculty this brought about changes in the classroom, and for the students, there was a change in behavior. Grades began to drop, work was missed, and students would verbalize their frustrations. As a faculty member, it was obvious that something needed to be done, so, mandalas were brought into the classroom. Why, you may ask? Let’s start with a little history.

When one thinks of the universe, mandalas may not be the first image that comes to today’s mind. Back in B.C.E. Buddhist monks created mandalas as their representation of the universe and its ability to bring joy out of suffering. Thus, creating a perfect image of the universe, here on earth. Their path along the Silk Road was traced by the beautiful rugs and paintings that were left behind documenting their physical and spiritual journey [1]. One of the most famous mandalas, preceding the Buddhists, from 763 CE, is in Japan and is called the Taima Mandala. This mandala is thought to cure bodily ailments as well as spiritual distress [2]. These ancient artifacts have not been forgotten, and you can continue to see mandalas throughout the world today.

Throughout history the symbol of the mandala has taken on many roles, both in art and in society in general. In early Asian society, the structure of power was based on the mandala- keeping the trusted within sacred circles [3], and in many ways, our government structures and friendship circles still follow this pattern. Kingdoms themselves were physically laid out to incorporate the sacred circles to allow for political and social interactions [4]. Typically, though, mandalas were used for meditation, healing, and performing sacred rights [5].

The word mandala comes from the Sanskrit and has multiple definitions depending on the literature that one is reviewing. It is typically agreed upon that the word mandala means a circle with depiction of higher meanings [5]. Though the term mandala has also been defined a bit more general as referring to a “painting, diagram, or an architectural structure with a specific symbolic meaning” [6]. Mandalas today are typically thought of as circular, though the Hindu type of mandala is often square with four gates in the corners with a circle in the center [7]. No matter the outer shape of the mandala, the main point is to lead one to the center. There are thought to be 3 main categories of mandalas: teaching, healing, and sand. Teaching mandalas are full of symbols and showcase different areas of religious or philosophical structures. Healing mandalas are geared towards meditation, and sand mandalas are designed to purify minds [7].

Carl Jung was one of the pioneers of the use of the mandala in the West. During World War, I he would sketch a small circular picture daily in his notebook similar to a mandala- towards the end of the war, as he “came out of his darkness”, he realized that the mandala is “the path to the center, the path to individuation” [8]. With this realization, encouraged others to explore their inner selves and their relationship to the world as a whole. Henderson et al, found that forming mandalas helped to decrease depression and anxiety [9]. Potash et al, in their study found that while creating mandalas, the medical students were able to start the process of handling complex feelings and helped to reduce anxiety, allowing them time for reflection [10].

This above premise, time for reflection, was one of the things our students needed. They were overwhelmed with work, taking care of children, and trying to maintain good grades and learn the content. So, mandalas were implemented into our class time. The students were given several options for premade mandalas or they could choose their own, they were asked to bring crayons or colored pencils/pens to the session, and they were asked to come with an open mind.

We spent an hour discussing mandalas and the benefits that were found by other students, such as self-reflection, and higher score on tests [11,12]. After the session, the students were asked to post their mandalas on the discussion board and write about their experience.

Amazingly, all but one student had a positive experience. The one student that did not enjoy said it was because they did not enjoy coloring, that it actually would make them stressed due to staying in the lines. The rest of the 300 or so students, really enjoyed the experience. Some of the overall feedback suggested feeling calm during the activity. Many students actually repeated the coloring of the mandalas and included their family members and talked about the nice family bonding time that it created. Other students talked about the smell of the fresh crayons, and how that alone transported them back to their childhood when things were much simpler. And another theme suggested feeling focused on the beautiful colors and allowing their minds to completely engage in the activity.

In the Covid-19 era, everybody is under tremendous amount of stress. Both students and faculty should adopt the new system of education in the middle of stressful life middle of Covid. Any intervention that can help ease stress should be welcomed and will improve functionality of human brain. Mandalas are an easy, inexpensive and fun activity that may take our brains to the level that allows for active learning with less stress. Our findings are based on a small mixed methods study that had IRB approval (data not shown) and a larger study is needed to confirm our results as well.

To read more about this  article: https://irispublishers.com/ojcam/fulltext/mandalas-in-the-nursing-classroom.ID.000632.php

Indexing List of Iris Publishers: https://medium.com/@irispublishers/what-is-the-indexing-list-of-iris-publishers-4ace353e4eee

Iris publishers google scholar citations:

https://scholar.google.co.in/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=irispublishers&btnG=

[plantsplacesthings]

5 Things

@lvit2chnce tagged me to do the 5 things post thing

5 things you’ll find on my blog:

1. Plants 2. Places 3. Things 4. Boys 5. My failed attempts at witty text posts

5 things you can find in my bedroom:

1. Clothes on the floor 2. Too many pillows and stuffed animals 3. Books 4. My collection of vintage photos of men and potentially gay men 5. My wall collage of my art and other aesthetic pieces

5 things I’ve always wanted to do:

1. Get married  2. Have kids  3. Chill the fuck out 4. Find some motivation to do anything 5. Be a rich bitch

5 things that make me happy:

1. My bf 2. My pals 3. My plants 4. Candy 5. Being lazy

5 things on my to-do list:

1. Change my sheets for the first time since like May 2. Clean the freezer out for the first time in 3 years 3. Start on my IRB for my thesis 4. Work on my online class  5. Ignore 1-4 and just read gay books for fun and not the books I have for class

5 things you might not know about me:

1. I’ve been with my bf for 2 years 2. I have never seen Drag Race despite the amount of posts I reblog about it. 3. I recently stopped being friends with my bff from high school because she stayed with her bf after he was arrested for masturbating in public in front of a young girl. 4. About a year ago, my high school bully who was 3 years older than me, asked me for a job at my school’s greenhouse & arboretum. He didn't recognize me, the kid he tortured every day for 2 years, but I knew he went to my college. I told him we weren't hiring, which was true, but looking back I wish I had been witty and told him off to “get my revenge”. 5. I can hold my alcohol extremely well, yet I hardly ever drink and have only been to 2 college parties.

5 people I’m going to tag:

@inherited-characteristics @tiltingatwindmills90 @kydragon @ashtrayheart @watisdissomething

[lauramalchowblog]

Can Inhaled Nitric Oxide Improve COVID-19 Symptoms?

Today’s guest post is written by Louis J. Ignarro, PhD, a medical research scientist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his breakthrough discoveries of nitric oxide (NO) and how NO positively impacts health and longevity.

    In 1998, I was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for my pioneering studies on cardiovascular function and erectile function. We discovered that our bodies produce a small molecule that protects us against hypertension, heart attack and stroke. This same molecule serves as the neurotransmitter released from the nerves that cause penile erection and sexual arousal. The name of the molecule is “nitric oxide”, not to be confused with nitrous oxide (laughing gas), which has totally different properties.

What is Nitric Oxide?

Nitric oxide, also termed NO, is a gaseous molecule that is produced by our arteries in all organs to regulate cardiovascular function. NO causes the muscle cells (smooth muscle) enveloping arteries to relax, thereby causing vasodilation, or widening of the arteries. This physiological action results in a decrease in blood pressure within the arteries and increased blood flow to all organs through the dilated arteries. In the erectile tissue, the NO released during sexual stimulation causes profound relaxation or dilation of the arteries within the erectile tissue, termed the corpus cavernosum. This results in engorgement with blood and consequent penile erection.

Nitric Oxide’s Action on Respiratory Tissue

Not only is vascular smooth muscle is relaxed by NO, but nonvascular smooth muscle such as airway smooth muscle in the trachea and bronchioles of the lungs is also relaxed by NO. Warren Zapol, MD from the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston took advantage of this bronchodilator action of NO in the lungs, and he discovered that inhalation of very small amounts of NO by newborn babies with persistent pulmonary hypertension (constricted pulmonary arteries), results in a dramatic and permanent reversal of hypertension. Inhaled NO (INO) literally turned blue babies into pink babies. Without INO, most babies would have died while others would have required highly invasive procedures to oxygenate their lungs, and may not have survived.

Can Nitric Oxide Kill Bacteria, Viruses, and Paraistes?

Nitric oxide turns out to be a ubiquitous molecule with many different properties. For example, not only does NO relax smooth muscle, but NO also reacts chemically with certain other molecules in cells to alter their function. The NO produced by our own cells can interact with molecules in invading cells such as bacteria, parasites and viruses to kill them or inhibit their replication or spread. NO has been shown to increase the survival rate of mammalian cells infected with SARS-CoV (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome caused by coronavirus). Importantly, in a limited study in 2004, inhaled NO (INO) was demonstrated to be effective against the SARS-CoV in severely ill patients with pneumonia. The mechanism of action was thought to be pulmonary vasodilation and consequent improved oxygenation in the blood of the lungs, thereby killing the virus, which does not do well in a high oxygen environment. In addition, however, I would offer the opinion that the NO also interacts with the virus to kill it directly.

Potential Impact of Nitric Oxide on COVID-19

In view of the above knowledge gained by treating SARS CoV patients with INO, it is scientifically logical that INO might be effective in patients with the current SARS CoV-2, or simply, COVID-19, infection. Indeed, a clinical trial of inhaled nitric oxide (INO) in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 with pneumonia recently received IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Warren Zapol, MD, is director of this project. In the successful treatment of persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborns, the amount of NO inhaled is generally one ppm (part per million). In the clinical trial using COVID-19 patients, the amount of NO will be 100-fold higher, namely, 100 ppm. This is a safe dose of INO, which could prove to be effective in killing the virus and allowing recovery of the patient.

How to Increase Your Body’s Nitric Oxide Production Naturally (Hint: It’s Free)

One thing I urge everyone to practice during this coronavirus pandemic is to breathe or inhale through your NOSE and exhale through your mouth. The cells and tissues in the nose, but not the mouth, constantly and continuously produce nitric oxide, which is a gas. The physiological significance of this is that nasally-derived NO improves oxygen delivery into the lungs by causing bronchodilation – the relaxation and widening of the bronchi and bronchioles in the lungs. Moreover, when inhaling through the nose, your nasal nitric oxide is inhaled into your lungs, where it stands a chance of meeting up with the virus particles. Inhaling through your mouth will NOT accomplish this. By the same token, exhaling through your nose is highly wasteful in that you would be expelling the NO away from the lungs, where it is needed most.

Tip: If you’d like to develop the habit, set a reminder on your phone to chime every hour or so when you’ll practice breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. 

  About the Author

Louis Ignarro is a medical research scientist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his breakthrough discoveries of nitric oxide (NO) and how NO positively impacts health and longevity. His discovery of this unique signaling molecule and all of its biological actions ranging from lowering your blood pressure to stimulating penile erection and sexual arousal is widely known as the information that led to the development of Viagra.

Ignarro earned his B.S. in Pharmacy/Chemistry from Columbia College in 1962, and received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Minnesota in 1966. He also did post-graduate studies in Chemical Pharmacology at the National Institutes of Health.

Besides receiving the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1998), Ignarro has received numerous awards and honors including: Distinguished Scientist Award of the American Heart Association, Roussel Uclaf Prize of France, National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Medicine, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Philosophical Society, and the American Academy of Achievement’s Golden Plate Award, given annually to those who have contributed most to human kind.

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The post Can Inhaled Nitric Oxide Improve COVID-19 Symptoms? appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

Can Inhaled Nitric Oxide Improve COVID-19 Symptoms? published first on https://venabeahan.tumblr.com

[jesseneufeld]

Can Inhaled Nitric Oxide Improve COVID-19 Symptoms?

Today’s guest post is written by Louis J. Ignarro, PhD, a medical research scientist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his breakthrough discoveries of nitric oxide (NO) and how NO positively impacts health and longevity.

    In 1998, I was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for my pioneering studies on cardiovascular function and erectile function. We discovered that our bodies produce a small molecule that protects us against hypertension, heart attack and stroke. This same molecule serves as the neurotransmitter released from the nerves that cause penile erection and sexual arousal. The name of the molecule is “nitric oxide”, not to be confused with nitrous oxide (laughing gas), which has totally different properties.

What is Nitric Oxide?

Nitric oxide, also termed NO, is a gaseous molecule that is produced by our arteries in all organs to regulate cardiovascular function. NO causes the muscle cells (smooth muscle) enveloping arteries to relax, thereby causing vasodilation, or widening of the arteries. This physiological action results in a decrease in blood pressure within the arteries and increased blood flow to all organs through the dilated arteries. In the erectile tissue, the NO released during sexual stimulation causes profound relaxation or dilation of the arteries within the erectile tissue, termed the corpus cavernosum. This results in engorgement with blood and consequent penile erection.

Nitric Oxide’s Action on Respiratory Tissue

Not only is vascular smooth muscle is relaxed by NO, but nonvascular smooth muscle such as airway smooth muscle in the trachea and bronchioles of the lungs is also relaxed by NO. Warren Zapol, MD from the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston took advantage of this bronchodilator action of NO in the lungs, and he discovered that inhalation of very small amounts of NO by newborn babies with persistent pulmonary hypertension (constricted pulmonary arteries), results in a dramatic and permanent reversal of hypertension. Inhaled NO (INO) literally turned blue babies into pink babies. Without INO, most babies would have died while others would have required highly invasive procedures to oxygenate their lungs, and may not have survived.

Can Nitric Oxide Kill Bacteria, Viruses, and Paraistes?

Nitric oxide turns out to be a ubiquitous molecule with many different properties. For example, not only does NO relax smooth muscle, but NO also reacts chemically with certain other molecules in cells to alter their function. The NO produced by our own cells can interact with molecules in invading cells such as bacteria, parasites and viruses to kill them or inhibit their replication or spread. NO has been shown to increase the survival rate of mammalian cells infected with SARS-CoV (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome caused by coronavirus). Importantly, in a limited study in 2004, inhaled NO (INO) was demonstrated to be effective against the SARS-CoV in severely ill patients with pneumonia. The mechanism of action was thought to be pulmonary vasodilation and consequent improved oxygenation in the blood of the lungs, thereby killing the virus, which does not do well in a high oxygen environment. In addition, however, I would offer the opinion that the NO also interacts with the virus to kill it directly.

Potential Impact of Nitric Oxide on COVID-19

In view of the above knowledge gained by treating SARS CoV patients with INO, it is scientifically logical that INO might be effective in patients with the current SARS CoV-2, or simply, COVID-19, infection. Indeed, a clinical trial of inhaled nitric oxide (INO) in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 with pneumonia recently received IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Warren Zapol, MD, is director of this project. In the successful treatment of persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborns, the amount of NO inhaled is generally one ppm (part per million). In the clinical trial using COVID-19 patients, the amount of NO will be 100-fold higher, namely, 100 ppm. This is a safe dose of INO, which could prove to be effective in killing the virus and allowing recovery of the patient.

How to Increase Your Body’s Nitric Oxide Production Naturally (Hint: It’s Free)

One thing I urge everyone to practice during this coronavirus pandemic is to breathe or inhale through your NOSE and exhale through your mouth. The cells and tissues in the nose, but not the mouth, constantly and continuously produce nitric oxide, which is a gas. The physiological significance of this is that nasally-derived NO improves oxygen delivery into the lungs by causing bronchodilation – the relaxation and widening of the bronchi and bronchioles in the lungs. Moreover, when inhaling through the nose, your nasal nitric oxide is inhaled into your lungs, where it stands a chance of meeting up with the virus particles. Inhaling through your mouth will NOT accomplish this. By the same token, exhaling through your nose is highly wasteful in that you would be expelling the NO away from the lungs, where it is needed most.

Tip: If you’d like to develop the habit, set a reminder on your phone to chime every hour or so when you’ll practice breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. 

  About the Author

Louis Ignarro is a medical research scientist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his breakthrough discoveries of nitric oxide (NO) and how NO positively impacts health and longevity. His discovery of this unique signaling molecule and all of its biological actions ranging from lowering your blood pressure to stimulating penile erection and sexual arousal is widely known as the information that led to the development of Viagra.

Ignarro earned his B.S. in Pharmacy/Chemistry from Columbia College in 1962, and received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Minnesota in 1966. He also did post-graduate studies in Chemical Pharmacology at the National Institutes of Health.

Besides receiving the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1998), Ignarro has received numerous awards and honors including: Distinguished Scientist Award of the American Heart Association, Roussel Uclaf Prize of France, National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Medicine, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Philosophical Society, and the American Academy of Achievement’s Golden Plate Award, given annually to those who have contributed most to human kind.

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The post Can Inhaled Nitric Oxide Improve COVID-19 Symptoms? appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

Can Inhaled Nitric Oxide Improve COVID-19 Symptoms? published first on https://drugaddictionsrehab.tumblr.com/

[sunflowers-n-cyanide]

I made some pottery! I made a mug and some worry stones :)

[guiarecifepe]

Instituto Ricardo Brennand Recife

O Instituto Ricardo Brennand Recife, também conhecido como Castelo de Brennand, é uma instituição cultural brasileira sem fins lucrativos localizada na cidade do Recife, capital do estado de Pernambuco. Foi eleito o melhor museu da América do Sul pelo site de viagens TripAdvisor.

O IRB possui a maior coleção mundial do pintor holandês Frans Post, primeiro paisagista das Américas e primeiro pintor da paisagem brasileira. Abriga ainda um dos maiores acervos de armas brancas do mundo, com mais de 3 mil peças, entre elas 27 armaduras medievais completas.

Fundado em 2001 pelo colecionador e empresário pernambucano Ricardo Brennand, o Instituto foi aberto ao público no mês de setembro de 2002 com a exposição Albert Eckhout volta ao Brasil, em evento de gala que contou com a presença do príncipe herdeiro da Dinamarca, Frederik. Em 2003, a então rainha da Holanda, Beatrix, esteve no Instituto para inaugurar a exposição Frans Post e o Brasil Holandês, até hoje aberta para visitação. O complexo é composto pelas seguintes edificações: o Museu Castelo São João, a Pinacoteca, a Biblioteca, o Auditório, o Jardins das Esculturas, a Galeria (para exposições temporárias e eventos), o Restaurante e a Capela Nossa Senhora das Graças.

Instituto Ricardo Brennand Recife Caraterísticas

O Instituto Ricardo Brennand é um complexo arquitetônico composto por três prédios abertos a visitação pública: Museu Castelo São João, Pinacoteca e Galeria de Exposições Temporárias e Eventos. Além desses três espaços, que estão abertos a visitação pública, existe também a Capela Nossa Senhora das Graças. Todos esses espaços estão circundados por um belo jardim de esculturas em uma vasta área verde.

O Instituto possui uma coleção permanente de objetos histórico-artísticos de diversas procedências com forte ênfase na documentação histórica e iconográfica relacionada ao período colonial e ao Brasil Holandês, incluindo a maior coleção do mundo de pinturas de Frans Post, que foi o primeiro pintor da paisagem brasileira e o primeiro paisagista das Américas. O Instituto também abriga um dos maiores acervos de armas brancas do mundo, com mais de 3 000 peças, a maior parte proveniente da Europa e da Ásia, produzidas entre os séculos XIV e XXI. A biblioteca do Instituto possui mais de 60 mil volumes, datados do século XVI em diante, destacando-se as coleções de brasiliana e obras raras.

É um importante vetor do turismo cultural do estado de Pernambuco com um valioso acervo de mais de 60.000 itens, dentre os quais destaca-se a maior coleção do mundo de Frans Post, primeiro paisagista das Américas e primeiro pintor da paisagem brasileira. Funciona em uma das mais modernas e bem equipadas instalações museológicas, bibliográficas e arquivísticas do Brasil, possuindo um complexo de edificações constituído pelo Museu Castelo São João (museu de armas brancas), Pinacoteca, Biblioteca, Auditório, Parque de Esculturas e uma Galeria para exposições temporárias.Dentre suas exposições, destacam-se: A exposição Albert Eckhout volta ao Brasil 1644- 2002, que inaugurou a Pinacoteca no ano de 2002 recebendo mais de 160.000 (cento e sessenta mil) visitantes; A exposição permanente de Frans Post e o Brasil Holandês na Coleção do Instituto Ricardo Brennand, aberta desde 2003 reunindo pela primeira vez no Brasil um conjunto inédito que corresponde a 10% das obras do artista; A exposição permanente Paisagens Brasileira no XIX, inaugurada no início de 2006 retratado por artistas viajantes; A exposição Armaria no Museu Castelo São João, com significativa coleção de armas brancas, armaduras e pinturas orientalistas; O Jardim de Esculturas, com relevante acervo de esculturas em estilo neoclássico; A exposição temporária A Beleza na Escultura de Michelangelo, a qual inaugurou a Galeria em 2011; A exposição Dores da Colômbia, do artista colombiano Fernando Botero, com expressiva visitação obtendo o maior número de público da mostra no Brasil em 2012 e atualmente também conta com a exposição comemorativa dos 100 anos do colecionador pernambucano Odorico Tavares. Situado numa área de 77.603 m², o Instituto Ricardo Brennand possui um significativo percentual de mata atlântica preservada e está localizado aproximadamente 1 km do campus da UFPE e do IFPE.

Instituto Ricardo Brennand Recife História

O Instituto foi fundado por Ricardo Coimbra de Almeida Brennand, empresário e colecionador pernambucano de ascendência inglesa, nascido em Cabo de Santo Agostinho em 1927. Ricardo Brennand obteve destaque na indústria canavieira da região Nordeste, atuando também nos segmentos de produção de cimento, azulejo, vidro, porcelana e aço. Na década de 1940, começou a colecionar armaria, sobretudo armas brancas, consolidando nas décadas seguintes o que viria a ser um dos maiores acervos privados dessa tipologia no mundo.

Na década de 1990, Ricardo decidiu investir o capital resultante da venda de parte de suas fábricas na criação de uma fundação cultural voltada à preservação e exposição de seu acervo. Ainda antes da inauguração do instituto, começou a adquirir obras de arte e objetos relacionados à história do Brasil, sobretudo aos anos de ocupação holandesa da região Nordeste. Em poucos anos, Ricardo passou a adquirir pinturas de Frans Post, além de paisagens e retratos seiscentistas, mapas, tapeçarias, moedas, documentos, livros raros e outros objetos referentes a essa temática.

O Instituto Ricardo Brennand foi inaugurado em setembro de 2002, com a exposição itinerante Albert Eckhout volta ao Brasil (também montada na Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, no Conjunto Cultural da Caixa de Brasília e no Paço Imperial do Rio de Janeiro), que apresentou pela primeira vez ao público brasileiro o conjunto completo das pinturas de Eckhout pertencentes ao Museu Nacional da Dinamarca. No ano seguinte, o instituto inaugurou a exposição permanente Frans Post e o Brasil holandês na Coleção do Instituto Ricardo Brennand, com a presença da rainha Beatriz dos Países Baixos, do príncipe Guilherme Alexandre e da princesa Máxima Zorreguieta.

Além das exposições permanentes e temporárias, o Instituto oferece visitas educativas, cursos de história da arte, programa educativo voltado aos alunos dos sistemas público e privado de ensino, programas de arte-educação para professores e atividades culturais em geral.

Instituto Ricardo Brennand Recife Preços

Para maiores informações sobre o preço da entrada entre em contato pelo telefone abaixo.

Horário de Funcionamento Instituto Ricardo Brennand em Recife

Terça a Domingo das 13h às 17h

Endereço e Telefone Instituto Ricardo Brennand em Recife

R. Mário Campelo, 700 – Várzea -Recife – PE

Telefone: (81) 2121-0365

Outras informações e site

Mais informações: www.institutoricardobrennand.org.br

Mapa de localização

from https://www.encontrarecife.com.br/sobre/instituto-ricardo-brennand-recife/

[chocolateheal]

23 Common Mistakes Everyone Makes In Art.com Us Website | art.com us website

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Attestation Clause in a Will

I’m going to share a very important part of estate planning law in this post.

The act of witnessing an instrument of writing, like a Will, at the request of the party making the Will, is done in the attestation clause section of the Will. The validity and form of an attestation clause is usually a matter of U.S. state law, and can vary from state to state. The attestation clause in a Will is essential. Utah Estates, Powers and Trusts Law Section 3-2.1 provides the requirements for the signing and witnessing of a Will.  The statute has a number of provisions which include the requirement that the Will be in writing and signed at the end. A Utah attestation clause lawyer can guide you through these requirements.

The statute further provides that there must be at least two attesting witnesses and that any writing that is placed on the Will following the testator’s signature, other than the witness attestation, is not to be given any effect.  Another requirement of the statute is that the testator declare to the witnesses that the paper he is signing is his Will.

The preparation and execution of a Last Will may seem rather routine.  However, the provisions of the Will providing for dispositions to beneficiaries as well as the inclusions of significant statutory provisions such as the attestation clause allow a smooth and efficient probate and estate settlement process.  Without proper language and terms a Will may be subject to a Will Contest and invalidated.

A Will must be drafted and executed properly to be effective. I’ve seen poorly written wills and trusts alot as an estate lawyer in Utah. It is most important that the Will be worded in clear, unambiguous language. As noted, one clause that should always be inserted in a Will is the attestation clause (the part of the will that deals with the witnessing of the testator’s signature).  An attestation clause lawyer in Utah can advise you on drafting it. Utah requires that there be witnesses to a Will and that certain formalities of signing be followed.  The attestation clause in a Will provides that these requirements were adhered to. Sometimes the witnesses to the Will are dead or have moved. In either case, there may be great difficulties in obtaining probate if there is no attestation clause. The attestation clause of the Will, while not complicated, is important.

Although the statute only requires that there be two witnesses, it is common for New York Will Lawyers to have three persons act as attesting witnesses.  The witnesses should be disinterested and not receive any benefit under the Will.  At the time the Will is executed the witnesses usually also sign an affidavit which sets forth the basic elements regarding their witnessing of the Will such as the testator was over 18 years of age and that they saw the testator sign the Will and that all the witnesses were present when the testator and witnesses signed.  This paper is called a self-proving affidavit and is attached at the end of the Will and helps expedite the probate of the Will.

Free Consultation with a Will Lawyer

If you are here, you probably have an estate issue you need help with, call Ascent Law for your free estate law consultation (801) 676-5506. We want to help you.

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from Top Rated Utah Lawyer https://topratedlawyer.wordpress.com/2018/04/22/attestation-clause-in-a-will/

[cancersfakianakis1]

The Correlation of Regional Lung Ventilation and Gas Transfer to Red Blood Cells: Implications for Functional-Avoidance Radiation Therapy Planning

Publication date: Available online 14 April 2018 Source:International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics Author(s): Leith J. Rankine, Ziyi Wang, Bastiaan Driehuys, Lawrence B. Marks, Christopher Kelsey, Shiva K. Das Backgroundand Purpose: Interest in functionally-guided radiation therapy (RT) planning has been bolstered by the ability to derive lung ventilation maps from 4-Dimensional Computed Tomography. However, this assumes that regional lung ventilation is an accurate surrogate for true regional lung function, i.e., gas exchange between the airspaces and capillary Red Blood Cells (RBCs). This work uses the emerging technology of hyperpolarized (HP)-129Xe Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to investigate the degree to which lung ventilation and gas exchange are regionally correlated.Material and MethodsHP-129Xe MRI studies were performed on 17 IRB-approved human subjects, including 13 healthy volunteers, one emphysema patient, and 3 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients imaged prior to and ∼11 weeks following RT. Subjects inhaled 1 liter of HP-129Xe mixture, followed by the acquisition of interleaved ventilation and gas exchange images, from which maps of relative HP-129Xe distribution were obtained in: 1) the lung airspaces; 2) dissolved interstitially in alveolar barrier tissue; and 3) transferred to the capillary RBCs. The relative spatial distributions of HP-129Xe in airspaces (regional ventilation) and RBCs (regional gas transfer) were compared. Further, we investigated the degree to which ventilation and RBC images identified similar functional regions of interest (ROIs) suitable for functionally-guided RT. For the RT patients, both ventilation and RBC functional images were used to calculate differences in the lung dose-function histogram (DFH) and functional effective uniform dose (fEUD).ResultsThe correlation of ventilation and RBC transfer was ρ=0.39±0.15 in healthy volunteers. For the RT patients, this correlation was ρ=0.53±0.02 pre-treatment and ρ=0.39±0.07 post-treatment; for the emphysema patient it was ρ=0.24. Comparing functional ROIs, ventilation and RBC transfer demonstrated poor spatial agreement: DSC=0.50±0.07 and 0.26±0.12 for the highest-33%- and highest-10%-function ROIs in healthy volunteers, and in RT patients (pre-treatment) these were 0.54±0.02 and 0.35±0.06. The average magnitude of the differences between RBC- and ventilation-derived fEUD, fV20Gy, fV10Gy, and f5Gy, were 1.5±1.4 Gy, 4.1%±3.8%, 5.0%±3.8%, and 5.3%±3.9%.ConclusionsVentilation may not be an effective surrogate for true regional lung function for all patients.

Teaser

Functionally-guided radiation therapy (RT) planning using 4-Dimensional Computed Tomography (4DCT)-derived ventilation is gaining momentum. However, an important question remains: is regional lung ventilation a good surrogate for end-to-end lung function, i.e., gas transfer to Red Blood Cells (RBCs). We acquired functional image data for N=17 human subjects, using state-of-the-art hyperpolarized (HP)-129Xe Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). We analyzed the correlation of ventilation and RBC transfer, and calculated the similarity of planning optimization structures created from each. https://ift.tt/2HoDej0

[sherristockman]

Ghost in the Machine, Part 1 — Drug Safety and Media Shaped by Big Pharma Dr. Mercola By Dr. Mercola If you have noticed that prescription drugs are becoming more dangerous — and more expensive — you are right. As the drug industry’s influence over the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) increases, dangerous drugs are approved and marketed despite their clear risks to patients. Recent examples include the aggressively promoted blood thinners Xarelto and Pradaxa which cause uncontrollable bleeding, the testosterone drug Androgel, for “Low T” linked to noncalcified plaque buildup in coronary arteries, and fluoroquinolone antibiotics. When warnings are added to these dangerous drugs or they are withdrawn, like 28 popular drugs have been, many wonder why media failed to report the safety risks while they were occurring.1 Of course, the reason is obvious. Mainstream media is essentially owned by the drug industry, so positive messages about new drugs are unfiltered Pharma messages.2 The New York Times has had on its board Schering-Plough and Eli Lilly affiliates and The Washington Post, Johnson & Johnson affiliates.3 Even so-called “public” media like PBS and NPR have accepted money from GlaxoSmithKline and UnitedHealthcare.4 No wonder the dangers of the bone drugs bisphosphonates, hormone replacement therapy, statins, SSRI antidepressants (especially Paxil), heartburn drugs (PPIs), antibiotics such as Levaquin and arthritis drugs like Humira seldom reach the public. Sadly, when makers of dangerous drugs admit their products caused harm, the settlements usually include gag orders so that new, unwitting victims are no safer. Conflicts of interest are hardly limited to media companies. Government agencies, from the FDA to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also have disturbing financial conflicts of interest that make a mockery out of objectivity. Yes, the FDA Can Get Worse When Robert Califf was confirmed in 2016 as FDA Commissioner despite 23 financial links to Pharma and cheerleading for Vioxx and Xarelto, many felt the industry taint at the FDA could not get worse.5 But the likely new FDA Commissioner, venture capitalist Dr. Scott Gottlieb, is so enmeshed with Pharma profits, conflicts of interest at the FDA could definitely get worse. The New York Times reports:6 “From 2013 to 2015, for example, Dr. Gottlieb received more than $150,000 to advise Vertex Pharmaceuticals, a company whose two approved drugs are seen as breakthrough treatments for cystic fibrosis but carry list prices of more than $250,000 a year. He’s the acting chief executive of Cell Biotherapy, an early-stage cancer biotech firm that he helped found. He has served for years as a consultant to pharmaceutical giants like GlaxoSmithKline and Bristol-Myers Squibb and is paid by other companies for his expertise ... In 2007, Dr. Gottlieb returned to the private sector, becoming a partner at New Enterprise Associates, where he advised the firm’s health care team, and began consulting for a range of companies. Dr. Gottlieb also held seats on a number of corporate boards, including Tolero Pharmaceuticals, a Utah company working on cancer treatments, and MedAvante, which assists pharmaceutical companies with clinical trials.” When Gottlieb was first considered for an FDA post as deputy commissioner for medical and scientific affairs in 2005, the then-editor of The New England Journal of Medicine, Jerome Kassirer, said, “Gottlieb has an orientation which belies the goal of the FDA.”7 “The appointment comes out of nowhere,” said former FDA Commissioner Donald Kennedy. “Anything but a reassuring signal,” said Time magazine. And Gottlieb’s financial links to Pharma have only deepened since 2005. Other Government Conflicts The military serves as a reliable revenue source for the drug industry thanks to conflicts of interest at the highest levels. In just nine years, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) spent $717 million on risperidone, the generic form of Risperdal, to treat post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) in troops — even though it worked no better than placebo.8 In a video (which has since been taken down), Matthew Friedman, former executive director of the VA's National Center for PTSD, admitted receiving money from drug giant AstraZeneca9 on whose drugs the VA spent $125.4 million in 2009 alone.10 Elspeth Ritchie appeared in a webcast funded by AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly while serving in the U.S. Army Surgeon General's Office, praising the drugs made by the companies.11 Mark Hamner directed PTSD clinical care at Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston, South Carolina, while publishing AstraZeneca-funded research about PTSD clinical care.12 Questions also persist about industry relationships at the CDC. According to the BMJ:13 “Despite the agency’s disclaimer, the CDC does receive millions of dollars in industry gifts and funding, both directly and indirectly, and several recent CDC actions and recommendations have raised questions about the science it cites, the clinical guidelines it promotes and the money it is taking ... The CDC’s director, Tom Frieden, did not respond to a question about the disclaimer. He told The BMJ by email, ‘Public-private partnerships allow CDC to do more, faster.’” Frieden’s report “looks like classic stealth marketing, in which industry puts their message in the mouth of a trusted third party, such as an academic or a professional organization,” wrote the BMJ’s Jeanne Lenzer. Not-for-profit organizations that work closely with government are also Pharma funded. The National Council on Aging's (NCOA) 2016 corporate sponsors is a who’s who of Pharma companies.14 Academics Paid to Ghostwrite for Pharma Recently, Pro Publica15 and Consumer Reports16 reported how Big Pharma is surreptitiously enlisting professors at the nation’s top universities to write blogs and articles, and even host conferences to defend its new sky-high drug prices which are climbing to $1,000 per day and $40,000 to $94,000 for a course of treatment. Pro Publica wrote: “To persuade payers and the public, the industry has deployed a potent new ally, a company whose marquee figures are leading economists and health care experts at the nation’s top universities. The company, Precision Health Economics, consults for three leading makers of new hepatitis C treatments: Gilead, Bristol-Myers Squibb and AbbVie. When AbbVie funded a special issue of the American Journal of Managed Care on hepatitis C research, current or former associates of Precision Health Economics wrote half of the issue. A Stanford professor who had previously consulted for the firm served as guest editor-in-chief.” Even before the extreme-priced drugs of the past few years, “research” has often been ghostwritten by the drug industry with a media professional or professor’s name attached for credibility. The popularity of the withdrawn Vioxx,17 the birth defect-linked Paxil,18 Neurontin19 and cancer and heart disease-linked hormone replacement therapy20 drugs were all courtesy of ghostwritten papers. Shocking Partnerships Between Academia and Pharma Thanks to the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980, which enabled lucrative academic/Pharma partnerships and “technology transfer” (even though most drug development is funded by taxpayers and profits should belong to the public) medical centers are unapologetic arms of the drug industry. A 2014 research letter in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) revealed that almost all large U.S. drug companies have leaders in academic medical centers on their boards including deans, chief executive officers, department chairs, trustees at academic medical centers, school of pharmacy officials and university presidents.21 Susan Desmond-Hellmann was invited to apply to be Chancellor of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), which includes a medical school, while serving as president of product development at Genentech.22 No conflicts there. She remained at UCSF until 2014 and went on the Gates Foundation.23 Northwestern University made so much money selling the anti-seizure drug Lyrica to Pfizer it built an entire new research building on the money it made.24 In 2010, it was reported that Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), assured the University of Miami’s medical school dean that NIH grant money would flow if he hired Charles Nemeroff despite Nemeroff’s $9 million NIH grant having been terminated because of wrongdoing.25 (Since then, Insel has joined a semi-secret Google life sciences venture headed by former chairman and CEO of Genentech, Art Levinson).26 While I applaud the scrutiny in recent years on doctors receiving free lunches and other perks from Pharma reps, the exchanges are minor when you consider entire wings of medical centers are funded by Pharma. (In one Chicago-area NorthShore University HealthSystem hospital,l there are six Searle wings.)27 Drug Safety Is Now in Pharma’s Hands Clinical trials were once hosted by hospitals or medical centers but now are run by for-profit groups hired by Pharma. The organizations, called contract research organizations (CROs), are experts at the "game" of bringing a drug to Wall Street as soon as possible. They also free Pharma from the cost of maintaining its own clinical trial staff. CROs provide drug companies with a drug trial design, recruitment, enrollment and consent of subjects and preparation of the final FDA submission package for approval. They will even do the marketing and branding of the new drug. One reason so many dangerous drugs are now brought to market despite clear safety signals is the ability of CROs to speed drug approvals. Institutional review boards (IRBs), groups of medical professionals, laypeople and ethicists to monitor human safety in trials are also no longer conducted in academic or hospital settings, but have become for-profit. What is wrong with a for-profit IRB? It is the same ethical problem of a stock rating agency being paid by the companies it is supposed to rate objectively. This is how a Public Library of Science (PLOS) article puts it:28 “Anyone who can bring together five people, including a community representative, a physician, a lawyer and an ‘ethicist,’ can set up shop and start competing for business ... The problem is that commercial IRBs are paid in full by the very companies conducting the research. What is more, those companies are free to shop around for any IRB whose reviews they find congenial. Research participants who are worried that they may face death or injury in a study sponsored by a pharmaceutical company are unlikely to feel more secure knowing that their safety has been entrusted to a panel of paid experts whose financial livelihood depends on a company paycheck.” IRBs have become such shams, one recently agreed to participate in a phony study concocted by a federal undercover investigation in a sting operation. The fake study purposely included multiple characteristics of "significant risk" from existing FDA guidance but one IRB was still willing to be involved.29 ‘Sponsored Content,’ Once Known as Advertorials, Has Invaded Health News Sites Do you sometimes find yourself reading a health article that promotes a product or therapy so enthusiastically you realize it is not real journalism? That it is completely one-sided? Before the internet, there was a strict firewall in newspapers and magazines between news and ads and ads were even marked “advertisement” to leave no doubt. Not anymore. Thanks to the internet, sponsored content, also called native or branded content, written by marketers passes as real journalism. (The internet has also brought us “programmed” ads based on your personal searches and buying habits which have been spied upon.) While native content, often videos, is the hallmark of young companies like Vice and BuzzFeed, established outlets like The Atlantic, Slate, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, Business Insider and The New York Times have also climbed aboard.30 In fact, in one quarter in 2015, The New York Times earned $9 million from such ads, though it was soon forced to drop the word “Stories” from its label “Stories From Our Advertisers.” Readers charged the title was misleading and the content was just advertising.31 The Times had just hit its 100th such native ad at the time.32 Sponsored Content Is Not Harmless The sponsored content is a media response to banner ads that are widely ignored, ad blocking technology and readers’ almost universal dislike of pop-ups and screen takeovers. It also fills webpages without the need to pay writers — instead, sponsors pay the media on whose site or in whose publication the content appears. Some of the content, like a slide show called “Dogs Caught Tipping Over the Garbage When Their Owners Are Gone,” is innocuous and even amusing. Other sponsored content like “Could Statins Cut Alzheimer's Risk?” or “How Testosterone Benefits Your Body” is unabashed Pharma marketing masquerading as content.33 Media leaders defend such content as valuable to readers. “It’s not advertising. It's about big issues that relate to thought leadership,” said president and CEO of the very Pharma-friendly Forbes Media, Michael Perlis. But other media figures are appalled. “I am aghast at this,” Andrew Sullivan, former editor of the New Republic, said about advertiser-supplied, sponsored content. “Your average reader” doesn’t “realize they are being fed corporate propaganda.”34