Thursday, March 02, 2006
Good, Very Good, and Acupuncture
A German study of using acupuncture to treat migranes could be really good news to migrane sufferers, or really embarrassing. Though the article does not note enough of the experiment's design for me to judge properly, it seems that it may suggest that migranes are entirely psychosomatic. They found that migranes were similarly alleviated by drugs, acupuncture, and sham acupuncture. Sorry girls, but this may mean the old "I have a headache" excuse stops working. Or leads to your boyfriend poking you with...err...needles.
The Royal Society of Chemistry has opened its archives to Africa for free. Hopefully, other publishers will follow suit, and soon open access to the scientific literature will become the norm, instead of a rarity. That would, hopefully, lead to much improved science across the globe.
Finally, in what could be the best news I've heard all week, UC-Irvine researchers believe that they may have found the first chemical to block progression of Alzheimer's disease. Theh compound, AF267B, is an acetylcholine analog, and not only relieved cognitive impairment in mice, but also reduced the appearance of AD's characteristic plaques and tangles, thus slowing the disease process. Very cool!
The Royal Society of Chemistry has opened its archives to Africa for free. Hopefully, other publishers will follow suit, and soon open access to the scientific literature will become the norm, instead of a rarity. That would, hopefully, lead to much improved science across the globe.
Finally, in what could be the best news I've heard all week, UC-Irvine researchers believe that they may have found the first chemical to block progression of Alzheimer's disease. Theh compound, AF267B, is an acetylcholine analog, and not only relieved cognitive impairment in mice, but also reduced the appearance of AD's characteristic plaques and tangles, thus slowing the disease process. Very cool!
