Some Press Releases

Courtesy of EurekAlert come these two press releases.

In the first, soy products, that food item beloved of alternatistas as the natural, healthy way to goodness and wholeness, is linked to reproductive problems in laboratory mice.

The NIEHS researchers previously showed that mice given genistein immediately after birth had irregular menstrual cycles, problems with ovulation, and problems with fertility as they reached adulthood. The new study looks at the direct effects of genistein on the ovaries during early development. [...] Female mice were injected with three different doses of genistein during their first five days of life. The genistein given to the mice was comparable to what human infants might receive in a soy-based formula, which is approximately 6-9 mg/kg per day. The researchers examined the effects on days 2 through 6. The researchers found effects at all levels. Mice treated with the high dose (Gen 50 mg/kg) were infertile and mice treated with lower doses were subfertile, meaning they had fewer pups in each litter, and fewer pregnancies. Mice receiving the highest level of genistein, 50 mg/kg per day, had a high percentage of egg cells that remain in clusters, unable to separate and therefore develop abnormally. [...] "I don't think we can dismiss the possibility that these phytoestrogens are having an effect on the human population," said Dr. Jefferson. "They may not show their effects or be detected until later in life, but chances are they are having an effect."

Where will the alternatistas run to now?

In a separate report, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital projected a 90% cure rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The progressive improvement in the cure rate since 1962, when only 4 percent of children with ALL survived, reflects in large part the more effective use of existing drugs and the incorporation of sophisticated genetic technologies to personalize treatments, the authors said. Research findings at St. Jude have enabled clinicians to identify patients for whom standard treatment is most likely to fail, and who should therefore be treated more aggressively; these findings have also allowed clinicians to choose the optimal drugs and drug dosages for individual patients. [...] The continued improvement in diagnosis and treatment made possible by MRD, pharmacogenomics and new drug therapies has shifted the focus in ALL therapy toward reduction of both the immediate and long-term side effects of treatment. For example, a St. Jude team lead by Evans demonstrated that patients who lack the enzyme TPMT are more sensitive to thiopurine chemotherapy drugs and are more likely to suffer damage to the body's blood-producing cells. Evans subsequently discovered the genetic cause and developed a gene-based test that permits clinicians to identify children who should be treated with lower doses of this class of drugs while still receiving full therapeutic benefit. The overall improvements have led to more skilled use of cancer drugs, stem cell transplantation and treatment of ALL that invades the central nervous system, according to Pui. "We are now testing the feasibility of omitting irradiation for all patients and reserving this treatment for only those children who suffer a relapse," he noted. "Irradiation of the brain can cause second cancers, hormonal disturbances and disruption of intellectual development as the child grows. So our omission of the use of irradiation should further reduce acute and long-term toxic side effects and improve outcome."

As well as that

St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world. No family ever pays for treatments not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay. St. Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its fund-raising organization.

EoR read the article carefully, but he couldn't find any references to homeopaths, acupuncturists, reikiists or other woo-healers. But then, they already have a 100% cure rate, don't they?