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Monday, June 17, 2013

FILE -In this Tuesday, Jan. 29. 2013, photo, retired Infantryman Brendan M. Marrocco participates in a news conference at Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore. Marrocco received a transplant of two arms from a deceased donor after losing all four limbs in a 2009 roadside bomb attack in Iraq. A Boston hospital is starting the world's first pediatric hand transplant program, a profound sign of the increased acceptance of doing face, hand and other transplants to improve quality of life rather than to save a life as donated hearts, livers and other organs have in the past. (AP Photo/Gail Burton, File)

A Boston hospital is starting the world's first hand transplant program for children, and doctors say it won't be long until face transplants and other radical operations to improve appearance and quality of life are offered to kids, too.

The move shows the growing willingness to do transplants to enhance a patient's life rather than to save it as donated hearts, livers and other organs have done in the past. More than 70 hands and at least 20 faces have been transplanted in adults, and doctors say it's clear these operations are safe enough to offer to children in certain cases, too.

"We feel that this is justifiable," Dr. Amir Taghinia said of the pediatric hand program he will lead at Boston Children's Hospital.

"Children will potentially benefit even more from this procedure than adults" because they regrow nerves more quickly and have more problems from prosthetic hands, he said.

Only one hand transplant is known to have been done in a child ? a baby in Malaysia in 2000. Because the donor was a twin who died at birth, her sister did not need to take drugs to prevent rejection.

That's the main risk in offering children hand transplants ? the immune-suppressing drugs carry side effects and may raise the risk of cancer over the long term.

However, one independent expert thinks the gains may be worth it in certain cases.

"We understand so much more about immune suppression" that it's less of a risk to put children on it, said Dr. Simon Horslen, medical director of the liver and intestine transplant program at Seattle Children's Hospital. "This is never going to be done as an emergency procedure, so the families will have plenty of opportunity to weigh the options."

Also, a hand can be removed if rejection occurs, and that would not leave the child worse off than before the transplant, Horslen said.

Several types of kids might be candidates ? those born without hands, children who lose them in accidents and children with infections that wind up requiring damaged hands to be amputated.

Quality of life is a key concern for people missing arms and hands ? prosthetics for those limbs are not as advanced as those for feet and legs. In December, doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore did a double-arm transplant for former soldier Brendan Marrocco, who lost all four limbs while serving in Iraq. It was the seventh double-hand or double-arm transplant performed in the U.S.

For a child missing two hands, "the quality-of-life issues are a big deal," said Dr. Douglas Diekema of the Center for Pediatric Bioethics at Seattle Children's Hospital and a member of the American Board of Pediatrics' ethics committee.

"In terms of how we interact with the social world, it's mostly our face and our hands," so a transplant "is a reasonable thing to offer a family," he said.

Boston Children's Hospital plans to make its first cases healthy children 10 or older who are missing both hands.

"Some of them can't feed themselves, they can't go to the bathroom, someone needs to assist them with almost every activity," Taghinia said.

The hospital also will consider children missing one hand who already are taking immune-suppressing drugs because of transplanted organs, or those with only one hand that doesn't work well.

The hospital will cover the cost of the operation and care for three months afterward, then ask insurers to pay for immune suppression and follow-up.

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Online:

Boston program: http://www.bostonchildrens.org/handtransplant

Support groups: http://www.helpinghandsgroup.org/

and http://www.amputee-coalition.org/

___

Marilynn Marchione can be followed at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2013-06-17-MED--Hand%20Transplants-Kids/id-0afe1d69b93442fe9e71ff10c07c5fe2

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Saturday, June 15, 2013

Game of Thrones Season 3 Report Card: A - TV Fanatic

With so many storylines to keep track of, the biggest challenge facing Game of Thrones Season 3 was advancing the plot enough to keep fans engaged each week... without certain characters falling through the cracks.?

Such a task was made even more difficult this season?as members of the various families were scattered across the realm. In the end, however, the development of existing characters and the introduction of new ones made for quite a thrilling ride.

Let's look back on some of the best parts and hand out a grade in the following TV Fanatic Report Card.

Tyrion Pic

Best Episode: In terms of just pure enjoyment, the title has to go to "And Now His Watch Has Ended." Mostly because the scene where Dany got her army - after revealing she could understand the insults of?Kraznys all along - was as bad ass a moment as I have seen on the show. Throw in a little "dracarys" and I was giddy as Joffrey was when he learned Robb Stark was dead.?

Jamie actually elicited sympathy and respect?from me after putting aside his own pain to save?Brienne and I liked seeing the darker side of Varys as he opened the crate containing the sorcerer who had cut him years ago.

Most Shocking Moment: We had a hand cut off and a penis severed, but nothing shook me to the core more than the Red Wedding. I think fans everywhere would agree, the murder of Robb, Talisa and Catelyn was quite possibly the most jaw-dropping moment of the show's history. The argument has been made that Robb got what he deserved for putting his own desires above the good of the family, but Talisa and Catelyn deserved better.

Favorite New Character: I loved the addition of Thoros when we met the Brotherhood without Banners. It's always nice to have a guy around who can bring you back from the dead. I also liked how he provided a contrast to Melisandre and showed that she was not only one able to harness the?lord of light's power.

Most Despicable Character: Walder Frey and Ramsay Bolton made strong cases for this award, but if I had but one arrow to loose, I would be aiming for?Joffrey. There is seemingly no end to the loathsome little king's sadistic ways.

Hopes for Season 4: Despite putting three arrows into Jon, I hope to see Ygritte and him get back together at some point. I do thing he loves her, but unlike robb, he chose his duty over his desire. Depending on how much time will have elapsed in the story while on hiatus, I hope we get to see Dany's dragons grow up and see their first action in battle. They will also be key to victory over?the white walkers as their fire is able to produce the only weapons that will kill them apparently.

Season Grade: A.

YOUR turn, GoT Fanatics: What grade would you give Game of Thrones Season 3?

View Poll ?

Source: http://www.tvfanatic.com/2013/06/game-of-thrones-season-3-report-card-a/

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Sunday, June 9, 2013

If PRISM Is Real, Why Are All These Tech Companies Denying Participation?

PRISM is real. Even the U.S. government now acknowledges its existence. The question that remains unanswered, though, is how involved Google, Apple, Yahoo, AOL, Paltalk and Facebook were. These companies are all named as "providers" on the original slides, including the dates the NSA started collecting data from them. The reporter with the most direct access to these documents, Glenn Greenwald, has also now repeatedly stated that the NSA had "direct access" to these company's servers or seized this data from them.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/WlnIb6QuxUg/

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Saturday, June 8, 2013

Woman in "bunga bunga" scandal loved Berlusconi

MILAN (AP) ? The former Italian dental hygienist charged with recruiting prostitutes to attend Silvio Berlusconi's infamous "bunga bunga" parties told a court Friday that she loved the then-premier and never invited anyone to attend his dinner parties.

Nicole Minetti is one of three former Berlusconi aides accused of procuring women as prostitutes for parties at the then-premier's villa near Milan. She spoke at that trial, which is separate from one in which Berlusconi is charged with paying for sex with a minor ? Karima el-Mahroug ? and trying to cover it up. Both el-Mahroug, better known by her nickname Ruby, and Berlusconi deny having had sex.

El-Mahroug has testified that Minetti was a key protagonist in the sexually charged parties, dancing provocatively dressed as a nun and then stripping for him.

Minetti told the court she had a "sentiment of true love" toward Berlusconi and denied inviting girls to his home. She also said she learned of el-Mahroug's true age, 17, only when she went to take her home from the police station after the Moroccan girl was accused of stealing from a roommate.

Berlusconi's calls to a police official that night form the basis of the charge of trying to cover up the allegation of having sex with an under-age prostitute ? a charge for which prosecutors are demanding a lifetime ban from politics on top of a six-year sentence on the prostitution charge. As part of Berlusconi's entourage, Minetti was sent to the police station to bring the girl home.

During the trial, Minetti did not testify, which would have subjected her to cross-examination.

Defendants in Italy are permitted to make statements to the court before the two sides make their closing arguments, though such statements carry less weight than testimony. A verdict is expected in the coming weeks.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/woman-bunga-bunga-scandal-loved-berlusconi-094119642.html

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Friday, June 7, 2013

Report: Gaming Hacker SuperDaE Facing Child Porn, Dishonesty ...

Report: Gaming Hacker SuperDaE Facing Child Porn, Dishonesty Charges [UPDATE]

The Australian hacker who breached Sony, Microsoft, Epic, Valve, Blizzard and other gaming companies before being raided by authorities in February is facing an array of unseemly charges, according to a report by an Australian wire service.

The report by the AAP wire service in The Australian indicates that the teen hacker who goes by the name SuperDaE (real name Dylan) is "facing eight charges including possession of child exploitation material... [as well as] failure to obey a data access order, possession of identification material with intent to commit an offence, dishonestly obtaining personal financial information, possession of cannabis and drug paraphernalia, possession of a prohibited weapon, and possessing and copying an indecent or obscene article."

Because of his age, SuperDaE's case is being handled by Australian Children's Court. The 17-year-old is out on bail, according to the report.

Remember, innocent until proven guilty.

UPDATE: SuperDaE tells Kotaku that these are "completely false charges. I will no doubt be refuting these charges."

Asked if he had weapons and drugs, as the charges indicate, he said, "No There was a 'stun-gun' recovered during the raid. I am a known psychonaut, however I did not have 'cannabis' on me, not do I use the drug. They're saying that they recovered drug paraphernalia that isn't even listed on the seizure receipt."

And the child porn? "I have no idea where they are getting this from," he said, suggesting someone might have been planting things on his servers.

SuperDaE has previously said he could see personal information during his hacks but wouldn't use it. He rejects the claim he was going to use idenitfication or financial information for any possible offense. "I never have, nor would I ever commit an offence using personal information," he said. "Epic would've known if I'd taken a million dollars out of their Amex."

Earlier this year, SuperDaE had supplied Kotaku with information about the next-gen PlayStation and Xbox. He did so before his home was raided by Australian authorities. He believed that raid was conducted with the support of the American FBI, something we've not been able to confirm, as the FBI has not commented to us about any investigation and would not traditionally be open about activities outside of its U.S. jurisdiction.

Shortly after the raid, SuperDaE shared his story with Kotaku, demonstrating the depths to which he had hacked various top gaming companies but swearing he did so out of curiosity and not with an intent to harm anyone.

From our story on him:

"I was treated like a criminal," he complained to me, looking back at the raid.

It seemed to me that it didn't matter if he really didn't pirate or if he really didn't use any stolen credit card numbers. He'd said that he got access to companies' computers by using others' logins. That alone might seem pretty bad.

"No one was hurt from what I did," he said to me. "So it's shocking that they want to ruin me like this."

Dylan says he hasn't been charged with anything yet. He says he's living with family.

"I am a hacker in the eyes of the law," he told me a couple of weeks ago. "However, how I see it is [that] I am someone curious with information and obsessed with owning everything that I otherwise shouldn't."

Authorities took his stuff, but SuperDaE didn't immediately get charged. He kept a relatively low profile after the raid but made waves late last month when he suggested his arrest was imminent. SuperDaE claimed any arrest was being instigated by Microsoft, the company that had sent a top investigator to his home last summer after he'd tried to sell one of their next-gen Xbox development kits on eBay.

In retaliation, he was threatening to release two Terabytes of data procured from the companies he hacked, setting an FTP server to grant access automatically if he wasn't around to tell it not to. That trove included unreleased game projects from Gears of War maker Epic, though subsequent Twitter exchanges between SuperDaE and Epic's Mark Rein appeared to indicate that copyrighted Epic data was removed from the FTP. SuperDaE rescinded his threat but declined to explain to us what charges he was facing nor the details of any arrest.

The charges outlined by the Australian wire service today don't seem to have much to do with the mountains of game data that SuperDaE appeared to obtain. Instead, they focus on vices like drugs, weapons, and obscenity as well as some unclear intent to cause trouble with personal information. They report that he'll be back in court next month.

We'll have more on this story as it develops.

To contact the author of this post, write to stephentotilo@kotaku.com or find him on Twitter @stephentotilo

Source: http://kotaku.com/report-gaming-hacker-superdae-facing-child-porn-disho-511993542

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Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Bashful? Buy the little blue pill online

FILE - In this Friday, March 2, 2012, file photo, counterfeit Viagra pills, top and bottom left, are displayed alongside real ones, top and bottom right, in a lab at Pfizer in Groton, Conn. In a first for the drug industry, Pfizer Inc. told The Associated Press on May 6, 2013, that it will sell erectile dysfunction pill Viagra directly to patients on its website. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

This undated photo provided by pfizer shows Viagra pills. In a first for the drug industry, Pfizer Inc. told The Associated Press on May 6, 2013, that it will sell erectile dysfunction pill Viagra directly to patients on its website. (AP Photo/pfizer, William Vazquez)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) ? Men who are bashful about needing help in the bedroom no longer have to go to the drugstore to buy that little blue pill.

In a first for the drug industry, Pfizer Inc. told The Associated Press that the drugmaker will begin selling its popular erectile dysfunction pill Viagra directly to patients on its website.

Men still will need a prescription to buy the blue, diamond-shaped pill on viagra.com, but they no longer have to face a pharmacist to get it filled. And for those who are bothered by Viagra's steep $25-a-pill price, Pfizer is offering three free pills with the first order and 30 percent off the second one.

Pfizer's bold move blows up the drug industry's distribution model. Drugmakers don't sell medicines directly to patients. Instead, they sell in bulk to wholesalers, who then distribute the drugs to pharmacies, hospitals and doctors' offices.

But the world's second-largest drugmaker is trying a new strategy to tackle a problem that plagues the industry. Unscrupulous online pharmacies increasingly offer patients counterfeit versions of Viagra and other brand-name drugs for up to 95 percent off with no prescription needed. Patients don't realize the drugs are fake or that legitimate pharmacies require a prescription.

Other major drugmakers likely will watch Pfizer's move closely. If it works, drugmakers could begin selling other medicines that are rampantly counterfeited and sold online, particularly treatments for non-urgent conditions seen as embarrassing. Think: diet drugs, medicines for baldness and birth control pills.

"If it works, everybody will hop on the train," says Les Funtleyder, a health care strategist at private equity fund Poliwogg who believes Pfizer's site will attract "fence-sitters" who are nervous about buying online.

The online Viagra sales are Pfizer's latest effort to combat a problem that has grown with the popularity of the Internet.

In recent years, Americans have become more comfortable with online shopping, with many even buying prescription drugs online. That's particularly true for those who don't have insurance, are bargain hunters or want to keep their medicine purchases private.

Few realize that the vast majority of online pharmacies don't follow the rules.

The Internet is filled with illegitimate websites that lure customers with spam emails and professional-looking websites that run 24-hour call centers. A January study by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, which accredits online pharmacies, found that only 257 of 10,275 online pharmacy sites it examined appeared legitimate.

Experts say the fake drugs such websites sell can be dangerous. That's because they don't include the right amount of the active ingredient, if any, or contain toxic substances such as heavy metals, lead paint and printer ink. They're generally made in filthy warehouses and garages in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.

Online buyers are "playing Russian roulette," says Matthew Bassiur, vice president of global security at New York-based Pfizer.

"The factories are deplorable. I've seen photographs of these places," he says. "You wouldn't even want to walk in them, let alone ingest anything made in them."

Pfizer, which invented the term "erectile dysfunction," has long been aggressive in fighting counterfeiters. It conducts undercover investigations and works with authorities around the globe, with good reason.

Counterfeit versions of Viagra and dozens of other Pfizer medicines rob the company of billions in annual sales.

Viagra is one of its top drugs, with $2 billion in worldwide revenue last year. And it's the most counterfeited drug in the U.S., according to the company.

A 2011 study, in which Pfizer bought "Viagra" from 22 popular Internet pharmacies and tested the pills, found 77 percent were counterfeit. Most had half or less of the promised level of the active ingredient.

Viagra is appealing to counterfeiters because it carries a double whammy: It's expensive and it treats a condition with an "embarrassment" factor.

Crooks running the illegal online pharmacies brazenly explain their ultra-low Viagra prices ? often $1 to $3 a pill ? by claiming they sell generic Viagra.

Generics are copycat versions of brand-name prescription drugs. They can legally be made after a drugmaker's patent, or exclusive right to sell a drug, ends. Generic drugmakers don't have to spend $1 billion or so on testing to get a new drug approved, so their copycat versions often cost up to 90 percent less than the original drug.

But there is no such thing as generic Viagra. Pfizer has patents giving it the exclusive right to sell Viagra until 2020 in the U.S. and for many years in other countries.

Many patients are unaware of that.

Dr. David Dershewitz, an assistant urology professor at New Jersey Medical School who treats patients at Newark's University Hospital, says erectile dysfunction is common in men with enlarged prostates, diabetes and other conditions, but most men are too embarrassed to discuss it.

He says well over half of his patients who do broach the issue complain about Viagra's price. Some tell Dershewitz that they go online looking for bargains because they can't afford Viagra.

"The few that do admit to it have said that the results have been fairly dismal," but none has suffered serious harm, he says.

For Pfizer, that's a big problem. People who buy fake drugs online that don't work, or worse, harm them, may blame the company's product. That's because it's virtually impossible to distinguish fakes from real Viagra.

"The vast majority of patients do believe that they're getting Viagra," said Vic Cavelli, head of marketing for primary care medicines at Pfizer, which plans to have drugstore chain CVS Caremark Corp. fill the orders placed on viagra.com.

The sales lost to counterfeits threaten Pfizer at a time when Viagra's share of the $5 billion-a-year global market for legitimate erectile dysfunction drugs has slipped, falling from 46 percent in 2007 to 39 percent last year, according to health data firm IMS Health.

The reason? Competition from rival products, mainly Eli Lilly and Co.'s Cialis ? the pill touted in those ubiquitous commercials featuring couples in his-and-hers bathtubs in bizarre places.

Judson Clark, an Edward Jones analyst, forecasts that Viagra sales will decline even further, about 5 percent each year for the next five years, unusual "for a drug in its prime."

Clark says he thinks Pfizer's strategy will prevent sales from declining, but he's unsure how well it will work.

"It's a very interesting and novel approach," he says. "Whether it returns Viagra to growth is hard to say."

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On the Net:

Link to accredited pharmacies: http://www.nabp.net/programs/accreditation/vipps/find-a-vipps-online-pharmacy

___

Linda A. Johnson at http://twitter.com/LindaJ_onPharma