Articulatory Loop

There's tons of really good news out there today. Blind mice have had their sight restored by transplant of embryonic retinal cells. The practical application of this for humans is many years away, but the result is simply phenomenal. Curing blindness is right up there with cancer (probably well beyond cancer, even) on the list of medical 'holy grails.'

A relatively new cancer treatment technique - radioimmunotherapy - where antibodies to specific (cancerous) cells are loaded with radiation to search and destroy, has been applied to mouse models of HIV infection. However, it seems that the technique, as performed in this study, would be ineffective against the disease, as it only kills cells after they've release viral particles into circulation. Assuming that a better antibody can be found and that side-effects can be controlled, this could be a really fantastic step in HIV/AIDS treatment, though likely a prohibitively expensive one for most patients.

And, of course, there's that election thing the Americans had. Democrats did good - better than expected in the House - and may just eek out a majority in the Senate. I was hoping against hope for an Arnie ouster, but alas. Funny thing, as a 202 in exile: I went out last night to celebrate, and no one in Georgia seems to have been aware that there was an election. Bars didn't show the returns. Nobody wore 'I voted' stickers. The cute bartender, who has been known to grumble about politics from time to time, was mum. WTF???

My 'date'* for the evening admitted that he'd not voted, as he had to work. I dutifully punched him in the arm (left a nice bruise too) and reminded him of his new commitment to not complain for two years**. But a very good morning to wake up, nonetheless....let's hope the Dems can actually *do* something now!


* Ex-somethingorother, current drinking competitanion
** OK, so I didn't actually hit him that hard, but he sure complained like I had!