HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: stone@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Glenn Stone)
Subject: Re: women in science
Reply-To: stone@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Glenn Stone)
Organization: Columbia University
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 15:17:32 GMT

viking@iastate.edu (Dan Sorenson) writes:

>>                % white    % female
>
>>psychology         95.4        36.0
>>medical            88.9        29.1
>>biology            89.8        23.4
>>social science     90.7        21.2
>>computer sci       86.0        11.6
>>chemistry          86.6        10.7
>>math               88.7         8.7
>>environment        91.8         8.4
>>agriculture        92.8         7.7
>>physics/astr       89.8         4.7
>>engineering        79.1         3.1

>	Looking at the above, "science" does not seem well-defined.
>Perhaps we'd do well to differentiate between the "hard" sciences
>and the "social" sciences."  If one does that, the gaps become 
>more understandable.  What causes this?  I'm not sure what makes 
>for the jump between the "hard" computer science and the "soft" 
>social science, but I'd be a fool not to recognize it, or that there 
>might be more than one cause for the difference.

How do the gaps become more understandable?  If you're suggesting that
women are more represented the softer the science, I'd point out that
medical and biology have a HIGHER % of women than social science.

It would make it easier to talk about if the fields really could be
divided according to their hardness, sort of a Moh scale of science,
but many fields resist this sort of classification.  That was my point
in saying psychology included everything from neurobiology to Jung.
Some people in social science departments are doing very "hard"
science; I'm in an anthropology dept., and our chairman is a
population geneticist whose lab is now doing DNA sequencing.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Glenn Davis Stone                                BITNET: stone@cunixf
  Columbia University            INTERNET: stone@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: yazz@locus.com (Bob Yazz)
Subject: Re: Hot off the press -- was Re: Aspirin, heart disease, and women?
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 02 Oct 1992 16:25:26 GMT

dwp@cactus.org (Deborah Platt) writes:

| Now for the interesting stuff.  It has been hyposthesized that women
| of child rearing age are at lower risk of heart disease because
| menstruation causes their iron levels to drop off.  It has been
| further hypothesized that asprin may reduce risk of heart attacks,
| not so much because of it affects on clotting, but because
| it does irritate the stomach, causes minor bleeding, and thereby
| reduces iron level.

A brief word about oft-maligned nutrient supplementation boosters:
Both the Life Extension Foundation and Pearson & Shaw have always
opposed iron supplementation, except where iron deficiency anemia
has been diagnosed and the iron is prescribed/recommended by an MD.

== Bob Yazz ==
-- 


"One word sums up probably the responsibility of any vice president, and that
one word is 'to be prepared.'" -America's own Danny "Mr. Potatoe Head" Quayl
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: seeking FAQ FTP site for sci.med
From: RGINZBERG@eagle.wesleyan.edu (Ruth Ginzberg)
Date: 5 Oct 92 20:34:07 EDT
Distribution: world
Organization: Philosophy Dept., Wesleyan University
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.20Lines: 24

The FAQ working group is working at writing & assembling FAQ files.

NEEDED: FTP site, i.e., a site at which sci.med FAQ files could be located where
they could be accessible to Internet users via anonymous FTP.

QUALIFICATIONS:  Site need not necessarily be the home institution of the FAQ
file maintainer, but someone at site ought to be willing to work with both
sci.med FAQ maintainer & yr own system administrator, at very least to
facilitate communication, etc.

PREFER volunteers who are employees (i.e., not students, postdocs, residents,
etc.) at current institution, so that (A) yr institution has some obligation
and/or committment to addressing your computing needs, & (B) you are relatively
permanent, rather than relatively temporary, at yr current site.

IMPORTANT: Before volunteering your site as an FTP site, please check with your
system administrator to be sure that your resources really are adequate to the
task, and that your institution would support such use.

Please e-mail me SOON if you have a possible site.  Thanks.

------------------------
Ruth Ginzberg <rginzberg@eagle.wesleyan.edu>
Philosophy Department;Wesleyan University;USA
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: btbg1194@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Bradley T Banko)
Subject: Re: Cost Concerns in Med School?
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 03:55:30 GMT

In article <auwen.717281878@convex.convex.com> auwen@convex.com (John David Auwen) writes:
>In <4ek61M600WBN81EOBd@andrew.cmu.edu> Sean McLinden <sean+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>
>>Cost concerns are being emphasized everywhere in medicine right now. 
>
>I certainly hope so.  My wife had her gall bladder removed by laproscopy
>recently and I was amazed when I got the hospital bill.  Our surgeon was
...
>
>For example, the procedure involves clamping the tube the gall bladder
>is attached to with titanium clamps.  The tube is clamped in 2 places
>and then cut between the 2 clamps.  The plastic device that is used
>to insert the clamp is used once and then thrown away.  It's price:
>$735.00!   And they used 2 of them (1 for each clamp).   Also, the
>devices that are used to make the incisions (trocars) don't come cheap
>either and they are thrown away as well.
>
>As far as I can tell, there's no pressure to produce this kind of 
>equipment for a reasonable price.  The equipment that was used once
>and thrown away cost more than the fees of the 3 doctors (surgeon,
>assistant, anesthesiologist) put together.
>
>Would anyone who knows more about this care to comment on why these
>disposable tools are so expensive?

I'll bet you that the for-profit hospital is hiding lots of overhead
costs in the $735 plastic insertion thing... in Hawkeye's day, they'd
buy a metal one for $300, and then pay a nurse to sterilize it between
surgeries.  Man, are we getting taken!  I'll bet you that George Bush
has got some oil friends in the medical plastics stuff on the side.
(sorry... i'm in a really cynical mood.)

>
>Dave
>auwen@convex.com

Brad Banko

-- 
Brad Banko;  Dept of Physics;  U of Illinois;  b-banko@uiuc.edu
=========================================================================
Tatiana Gutsu for President!                     73 de kb8cne @ n9lnq.il
From: collene@unisql.UUCP (Collene Pearce)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Alternatives to Beconase, Vancenase
Keywords: Corticosteroids
Date: 5 Oct 92 22:10:13 GMT
Reply-To: collene@unisql.UUCP (Collene Pearce)
Organization: UniSQL, Inc., Austin, Texas, USA

In article <1992Oct02.163302.0905581@locus.com> yazz@locus.com (Bob Yazz) writes:
>magdi@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu (Magdi N Azer) writes:
>
>| I have heard that there are alternatives to Beconase and Vancenase.  One such
>| alternative in Nasalchrone (or NasalChrome?). Can anyone give me info on this
>| and pointa me to the appropriate literature.  Thank you
>

You really should ask your doctor which he/she recommends and your doctor 
should have literature on each of them.  However, I have used beconase,
nasalchrome, nasalide and now have nasacort.  None of these things ever
worked for me immediately (it's my understanding, they aren't supposed to)
and I have never been able to remember to use them often enough for them to
have any long term effect.  Pills you only have to take once or twice a day. 
These things you have to remember to use repeatedly.  

BTW - I remember the nasalide used to make my nose burn, so I never used
it more than a few days.
Also BTW - I only started using the nasacort a few months ago.  My doctor
told me it was new & wonderful and I really did try to use it as prescribed,
for as much as 3 weeks.  I never noticed any difference.


-- 

********************* #include <std_disclaimer.h> **********************
* A. Collene Pearce (512-343-7372, x114) * Organization: UniSQL, Inc.  *
*                                        * Austin, TX                  *
* unisql!collene@cs.utexas.edu           * 512-343-7297 or 7383(fax)   *
************************************************************************
From: James_S._Bright.wbst129@XEROX.COM
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: NATURAL ANTI-cancer Remedies
Date: 30 Sep 92 13:26:31 GMT
Reply-To: JBright.Wbst129@xerox.com


>                          NATURAL ANTI-CANCER REMEDIES
>                                 A 3RD OPINION

LOTS of CAPS that EMPHASIS major points of REAL interest.

Well, my chemistry is a little weak and I've only been in Biology class for 4
weeks now, but I counted at least half a dozen contradictions off the top of my
head. Can't believe I even spent the time to read part of the stupid thing....

What's this doing on "SCI.med" anyway?

jbright.wbst129@xerox.com

disclaimer: These views are strictly my own, are not meant to represent
Xerox, its associates, my parents, my school, nor my dog's.
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: yazz@locus.com (Bob Yazz)
Subject: Re: Excess Of Vitamin C?
Date: Fri, 02 Oct 1992 05:52:28 GMT

carl.camurca@travel.com (Carl Camurca) writes:

| Gordon Banks wrote:
|
| GB>His urine
| GB>must corrode his commode something awful.
| 
| I think, the purpose was not cold prevention, but help to maintain the
| coagulation equilibrium of the blood.  Furthermore, Vitamin C _protects_
| from corrosion, it does not contribute to it.

Gordon and I don't always see eye to eye, but Linus Pauling has claimed
that Vitamin C will help prevent colds.  Not to mention cure cancer.  The
research I recall said it made colds briefer and less severe rather than
fewer in number, which is more consistent with an improved immune response.

As for the "corrode his commode" comment, I loved it.  Should the man
ever tire of Neurology, his rhyming skills will guarantee him a fine
future as a Rap Artist!  (:-{)>

Vitamin C is indeed an acid; I know of no reason why it wouldn't
corrode a commode made of metal, if other acids would.  It can certainly
etch the enamel on your teeth.

If you take it in such a way that it comes in much contact with your
teeth (like if you chew tablets or suck on lozenges) you should rinse
your mouth with plain water and swallow.

As to the impossibity of evolving to need 18 grams a day, some other
posters have addressed some of that.  But the point isn't to Need the
18 grams, it's to derive some benefit from it.  If there is any such
thing as a pharmacological (as opposed to nutritional) dose of Vitamin C,
18 grams a day certainly qualifies.

Best Wishes

== Bob Yazz ==
-- 


"One word sums up probably the responsibility of any vice president, and that
one word is 'to be prepared.'" -America's own Danny "Mr. Potatoe Head" Quayl
From: macridis_g@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz (Gerry Macridis)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Migraine and beta-blockers (WAS: Re: Inderal)
Keywords: hypertension, cranial artery dilation
Date: 29 Sep 92 06:01:50 GMT
Organization: Welligton City Council, Public Access.
NNTP-Posting-Host: kosmos.wcc.govt.nz

In article <NAKAGAWA.92Sep29121107@minko.hyg.med.kyoto-u.ac.jp>,
nakagawa@minko.hyg.med.kyoto-u.ac.jp (Shin-ichi Nakagawa) writes:

>  >I'm not sure I'm spelling the name of the drug right (I take the generic 
>  >version), but I am taking it for the prevention of Migraines.  I know it
>  >is also used in high blood pressure treatment.  [...]

> Inderal is one of  catecholamine beta receptor  blocking agents , that 
> would make your heart rate and heart contractivities decrease . Because
> your migraine seems due to hypertension . 

I thought the antihypertensive effects of beta-blockers were not
related to their migraine prophylactic effects.  Can migraine which
responds to prophylaxis with beta-blockers be due to hypertension?  It
is my understanding that in migraine there is cranial artery dilation
(and therefore decreased cranial artery BP?) which responds to
treatment with cranial artery constrictors such as ergotamine.

-- 
Gerry Macridis,      /\/\     .... Email: macridis_g@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
Private Box 3929,   ( oo )    :... Voice: +64 4 3899444
Wellington,           \/......:
New Zealand.                       Learn first aid; it saves lives.
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: hrubin@pop.stat.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin)
Subject: Re: "Problem Patient"
Organization: Purdue University Statistics Department
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 20:01:40 GMT

In article <16789@pitt.UUCP> km@cs.pitt.edu (Ken Mitchum) writes:
>In article <1992Oct05.071628.0253494@locus.com> yazz@locus.com (Bob Yazz) writes:

>>Lifetime Medical Television has several times discussed legislative
>>proposals for creating a national registry of physicians.  I don't
>>recall what info they were going to record or who it was supposed to
>>be available to, but some MD's didn't much like the proposal.

>There already is a National Practitioner Data Bank, although I may have
>the exact name wrong. It contains all sorts of negative data on
>individual physicians, including "settlements" of malpractice cases,
>whether the doctor was guilty or not. Although it is supposedly
>confidential, it is only a matter of time before someone cracks it
>and publishes it.

How much use is this to a consumer of medical resources like me?  Some,
possibly.  But what I am interested in is whether the doctor is a clod,
a routine mechanic, or a real thinker.  There are other questions of a
like type which should be asked.  This information is non-existent.
-- 
Herman Rubin, Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907-1399
Phone: (317)494-6054
hrubin@pop.stat.purdue.edu (Internet, bitnet)  
{purdue,pur-ee}!pop.stat!hrubin(UUCP)
Newsgroups: sci.med
From: bhjelle@carina.unm.edu ()
Subject: Re: Pet has cancer - issues with contagion
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 92 22:11:23 GMT
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

In article <BvEJrE.Brq@world.std.com> rsilver@world.std.com (Richard Silver) writes:
>
>Our dog, which we have had for 11 years, has just been diagnosed with a
>carcinoma in her lung. It is the size of an orange. It may be inoperable.
>
>Should I be at all concerned with contagion in my family. The vet poo-poos my
>query but it is a nagging issue in my mind. What do others think? Am I being
>silly?
>
I believe your vet is correct. There are a few tumors of domestic
animals that are contagious to other members of the same species,
but none is known to be contagious to man.

The only contagious cancer of dogs I am aware of is a genital tumor
that oddly enough appears to be the malignant cells of a single
dog that have been transferred from one animal to another 
genitally for years. So rather than transferring an oncogenic
virus the dogs are transferring malignant cells sexually.

So not to worry.

Brian
Xref: sparky sci.med:18129 misc.fitness:7612 misc.consumers:17254
From: starkid@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Lance Sanders)
Newsgroups: sci.med,misc.fitness,misc.consumers
Subject: Vitamins and the FDA (Pt. 1 of 3): Viewpoint
Date: 29 Sep 92 17:30:16 GMT
Organization: EnviraForm


   Pending legislation proposed by the Food and Drug Administration (HR 
3642/S 2135), which would ban vitamins containing nutrient levels greater 
than the "recommended daily allowance", eliminate trace nutrients, and make 
amino acids prescription-only, etc., is extraordinarily ill-considered and 
dangerous. 

   Cursory examination of mainstream data overwhelmingly demonstrates that 
high-quality vitamin supplements, at low and safe levels (but necessarily 
higher than those proposed by the FDA), exhibit profound capacity for 
general prophylaxis and therapy, as do various amino acid concentrates (L-
Tyrosine in particular). 
   [SEE: Vitamins and the FDA (Pt. 2 of 3): Vitamin Research]


   The anti-supplementation action by the FDA is not only being undertaken 
at a time of unprecedented biochemical degredation of our food and water 
supplies, but also in conjunction with plans to allow UNLABELED, 
genetically-altered foods into the marketplace (consumers would essentially 
be forced to buy the altered products; truly, "The Mother Of All Red 
Flags"), approval of irradiation for poultry, pork, vegetables and fruits, 
a lifting of the ban on foreign imports of ground meats, etc., and current 
indictments of FDA safety inspectors that trace routine bribery and illegal 
importation of foods back (so far) to 1984. 
   [SEE: Vitamins and the FDA (Pt. 3 of 3): Food Degredation]


   I find it grotesque that the FDA chooses to render vitamin supplements 
impotent while simultaneously approving food technologies such as 
irradiation, which not only introduces trace carcinogens into the food 
supply (radiolytes such as benzene, etc.), but also reduces the vitamin 
content in foods, often by as much as 50% (and cooking would reduce 
nutrient levels even further). 


   It is my belief, based in part on the information contained in parts 2 
and 3 of this post, and the goals set forth in pending legislation HR 3642 
and S 2135, that the FDA has been severely compromised and is acting 
contrary to the welfare of the people. 

---------
Lance Sanders
starkid@ddsw1.MCS.COM                     STAND.
GE Mail: L.Sanders6
Vox: (312) 667-5958
From: dyer@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Revisit the EBV syndrome, briefly?  How 'bout hepititus?
Date: 6 Oct 92 04:22:42 GMT
Article-I.D.: spdcc.1992Oct6.042242.14196
Distribution: sci
Organization: S.P. Dyer Computer Consulting, Cambridge MA

In article <BONNIE.92Oct5145806@aigyptos.nmsu.edu> bonnie@nmsu.edu (Bonnie Hargrave) writes:
>Various blood tests have not revealed much significant data.  High
>uric acid (8.0), somewhat low thryoid levels for T3, and a mitral
>valve abnormality.  Pulse, blood pressure, sugar level, even aerobic
>capacity all look very good.  

Well, the uric acid is a little high.  I'm not sure it's anything to
get worried about.  You haven't been dieting stringently, have you? :-)/2

>The only test result that seems associable with the symptoms I'm
>experiencing

Um, what ARE they?  That might help.

>is the EBV test.  It turned up "abnormal -- possibility
>of a reactivated virus."
>1st question: Reactivated?  I never knew I even _had_ the thing.  I
>will be seeing a doctor in a couple weeks or so for more information
>on this test, but would like to know something about it before then.
>How often can such a test result turn out to be bogus?  And what's the
>next step in testing?

Just about everyone has antibodies to EBV; many people acquire it as a
children.  For those who don't (usually due to an excessively-middle-class
upbringing :-)) it's also the viral agent in mononucleosis.  Most healthy
people who have been infected with EBV shed the virus every now and then
in their saliva (remember when mono was called the "kissing disease"?)
I really can't comment meaningfully on the reactivation stuff--I'll
leave that to the pros.
 
>2nd question: My mother-in-law thinks I should also be tested for
>hepatitis.  Her suggestion is based on something my husband told her
>about possible liver problems.

It wouldn't surprise me if your doctor ordered a liver enzyme screening
along with the other tests (generally AST/SGOT. and ALT/SGPT).  These are
very non-specific tests which can indicate some degree of liver dysfunction,
frequently clinically meaningless and short-lived.  Sometimes active mono
or EBV infection leads to elevated levels of these enzymes in the blood.
This is _not_ indicative of any kind of hepatitis, but very high and sustained
enzyme elevations generally go hand in hand with hepatitis.  Note that the
word "hepatitis" is non-specific--we're not necessarily talking about HepA
or Hep B, which are caused by different viruses than EBV.

>The only thing I can imagine
>indicating a liver problem is the uric acid level.  Does this make
>sense, and if so, what is the connection between that and hepatitis?

I wouldn't think so.  But don't trust me on that.

-- 
Steve Dyer
dyer@ursa-major.spdcc.com aka {ima,harvard,rayssd,linus,m2c}!spdcc!dyer
From: neal@cmptrc.lonestar.org (Neal Howard)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Starting an alternative medicine newsgroup
Date: 30 Sep 92 21:44:58 GMT
Organization: CompuTrac Inc., Richardson TX

In article <16666@pitt.UUCP> geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks) writes:
>OK, John suggests we start an alternative medicine newsgroup.
>What should we call it.  I don't like sci.med.holistic because
>most of the alternative systems aren't science and aren't
>necessarily holistic either.  WOuld talk.alternative.medicine
>be appropriate?  Alt.medicine would be ok, but the alt groups
>are special (easy to create, though) and all sites don't get

Since the discussions of medicine and health care can get so diversified
so quickly, wouldn't it make sense to make "med" a category of its own?
i.e. "med.cardiology", "med.orthopedics", "med.home-remedies", "med.voodoo",
"med.general", "med.politics",  "med.sci", "med.NOT", etc. What do y'all
think?
<--------------------------------------------------------------------->
< Neal Howard                         | '91 Harley Sportster XLH-1200 >
< email: neal@cmptrc.lonestar.org     | DoD # 686                     >
< CompuTrac, Inc. (Richardson, TX)    | '69 Cougar XR7-GT390          >
<--------------------------------------------------------------------->
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Why test before hep vaccine?
From: dfield@zeus.calpoly.edu (Dan Field (InfoSpunj))
Date: Thu, 01 Oct 1992 08:03:27 GMT
Organization: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

It is my understanding that two tests are normally done before hep
immunization; I think it's the hepatitis B core antibody and the surface
antigen tests (or did I mix those up?).  

My question is, is this simply to determine if the vaccine is redundant
to aquired immunity through exposure to the virus?  Or is there some
danger to injecting the antigen with preexisting immunity, such as
anaphylactic shock?  Or am I completely off the mark?


-- 

                                -Daniel R. Field
                                 dfield@nike.calpoly.edu

Newsgroups: sci.med,alt.folklore.urban
From: demaine@ee.ualberta.ca (Cal Demaine)
Subject: Re: Self Castration (was Re: "Problem Patient")
Organization: University Of Alberta, Edmonton Canada
Distribution: usa,au
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 18:12:44 GMT

mcdonald@aries.scs.uiuc.edu (J. D. McDonald) writes:

>In article <1992Oct5.173830.7948@newstand.syr.edu> mdkline@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Mark D. Kline) writes:

>>In article <Bvnp1G.Ly6@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> kelley@vet.vet.purdue.edu (Stephen Kelley) writes:
>>>In article <16768@pitt.UUCP> geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks) writes:

>>I saw a patient in upstate New York who had "surgically" amputated 
>>his own testicles.

>This was discussed some years ago in rec.music.classical [sic].
>Apparently the testicles of Percy Grainger were cut off by himself and
>mailed to the museum for him in Australia.

  Here in Edmonton, we don't get a lot of exciting things happening, but there
was a gentleman who, minus his testicles, rushed into emergency at one of our
hospitals.  He said two guys had jumped him and cut his goodies off, and every-
one was quite impressed at his ability to drive his car all the way to the
hospital to admit himself.

  Needless to say, for the next few days, we stayed off the streets for fear
of encountering the two mad castrators.

  Well, as it turned out, after the people in the psych ward recognized him,
all was not on the up and up.  Apparently the patient in question had driven
to the hospital and THEN cut off his goodies.  Easily as impressive a
task as driving to the hospital without them.  Still, I guess the truth was
stranger than fiction in this case.

 - Cal "And then there was the guy who flew his plane in through his ex-
	girlfriend's front door!" Demaine


-- 
  - Cal Demaine                   | The university may own my ideas and opinions
    (demaine@bode.ee.ualberta.ca) | but don't think for a moment they share them