IBM launches system to track medications

November 16th, 2007

NEW YORK - To help the pharmaceutical industry combat drug erection problem, IBM is launching an electronic pedigree system Thursday that tracks medications through the supply chain until they reach consumers.

ADVERTISEMENT

The system employs radio-frequency identification, or RFID tags, which are already used to track packages of drugs, especially ones popular with counterfeiters. Pfizer, for example, uses RFID chips to track packs of its erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, and Purdue Pharma LP has been using them since 2004 to track its pain reliever OxyContin.

IBM’s ePedigree system helps drug companies create electronic certificates of authenticity for medications &151; as they move from brand drug generic name viagra and distributors to pharmacies and hospitals.

“The whole time, the system is watching what’s happening, it records (the drug’s) life history,” said Chris Clauss, director of sensor information management at IBM Software.

While there is no guarantee that RFID tags will get rid of all counterfeits, he added, “what we can do is raise the bar,” and make it substantially more difficult.

Drug companies’ prior attempts at fighting fakes &151; were often reproduced within months, to the point where even their brand managers could not tell the difference between the counterfeit and the real thing.

IBM, which first worked with RFID more than 10 years ago, said its ePedigree system will help companies comply with a slew of new regulations, such as ones going into effect in California in 2009.

California’s ePedigree law will require that any medication distributed in the state have its life history attached to it &151; how the data is scanned and collected in the chips — said Michael Liard, research director of RFID and Contactless at ABI Research. IBM’s ePedigree system, however, focuses on how that information is distributed along the supply chain.

The ePedigree system is useful not just for battling fakes, Clauss said, but for keeping track of expiration dates, batch numbers in case a drug is recalled, and so on.

Sale viagra Business Machines Corp. is based in Armonk, N.Y.

Source IBM launches system to track medications article

Viagra Risks Cut Down By One As Study Finds Blood Flow In Eyes Unaffected By Sex Drive Drug

November 15th, 2007

Science Daily &

A complete archive of press releases is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.today.uci.edu.

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by University Of California - Irvine.

Originaly from: Viagra Risks Cut Down By One As Study Finds Blood Flow In Eyes Unaffected By Sex Drive Drug

News - How to make spam unstoppable

November 14th, 2007
Read more on News - How to make spam unstoppable site
Good news for spammers, the smart filtering software used to catch spam can be beaten.


With a little ingenuity it is possible to create messages that get past anti-spam filters every single time.


The discovery has been made by anti-spam generic lines viagra John Graham-Cumming who studies the novel ways spammers try to defeat the technologies used to stop junk mail.


The bad news for spammers is that this flaw in filtering systems is not easy to exploit and can be combated.

Ham versus spam

If you have an e-mail address you will know about spam and the longer you have had that address the more spam you will get. It is estimated that 60% of all messages sent are now spam.


To cut out the junk, many e-mail users have turned to a technology known as Bayesian filtering to spot and stop spam before it reaches their in-box.


When trained to spot what is spam and what is legitimate mail these smart filters can catch, in many cases, more than 99% of junk messages.

INTERNET MAIL SPAM FIGURES
60% - January 2004

58% - December 2003

56% - November 2003

52% - October 2003

54% - September 2003

50% - August 2003

50% - July 2003

49% - June 2003

48% - May 2003

46% - April 2003

45% - March 2003

42% - February 2003

Source: Brightmail

The smart filtering has been so successful that it has already forced a change in the way spam messages are written.


Random words are being added to some messages specifically to fool the filters.


“They are looking for things that are not spammy,” said Mr Graham-Cumming, “words that outweigh the encyclopedia health treatment yahoo of the message.”


This is the reason that many spam messages feature rarely used words such as “formic”, “brouhaha”, “granitic” and “occlusive”.


Cheap generic viagra, it does not work.


“It’s a completely ineffective technique,” he said.

Filter flaw

But Mr Graham-Cumming, who is a member of the Sophos Anti-Spam Task Force, has found a way to beat Bayesian filters that guarantees a message will get through every time.

Viagra pills, PA

Viagra is hawked by many spammers

He was prompted to investigate the weaknesses of Bayesian filters because, although he uses them himself, some messages still get through.


To find out how to beat the filters Mr Graham-Cumming sent himself the same message 10,000 times but to each one added a fixed number of random words.


When a message got through he trained an “evil” filter that helped to tune the perfect collection of additional words.


Soon he had generated a short list of words that, if added to a spam message, would guarantee its safe passage into his inbox.


“The actual words it found were a total surprise,” said Mr Graham-Cumming.


The list included words such as “Berkshire”, “Marriott”, “wireless”, “touch” and “comment”.


Including just one of these words convinced Mr Graham-Cumming’s real spam filter that a message was ham rather than spam.

My Graham-Cumming said defending against spam that uses these words would be very difficult because the words are tied to a person’s job and lifestyle.


But, he said, the good news is that the technique to discover these trigger words is very time consuming.

He had to send himself thousands of copies of the same message each one holding an encoded chunk of HTML that reported back to him when it got past the filter.


These HTML bugs can be thwarted by turning off the preview pane in e-mail.


And, he said, this would have to be repeated for every person a spammer wanted to reach because they would all have a different list of key words.

But, he said, although sending thousands of messages to one person would be counter-productive, sending fewer to a larger pool of people, such as all the staff at a business, might produce some key words for that business and help a spammer get their junk mail through.

News - Viagra use ‘may damage fertility’

November 13th, 2007

Originaly from: News - Viagra use ‘may damage fertility’

Men who take Viagra when they are hoping to start a family could be affecting their fertility.

The finding, by Queen’s University, Belfast, also casts doubt on the use of the anti-impotence drug by IVF clinics.

The researchers will tell a British Fertility Society meeting that the drug does enhance sperm movement.

However, it also seems to undermine the timing of a chemical process needed to fertilise the egg.



The message we want to get across is that caution should be taken
when using brand drug generic name viagra drugs if you are hoping to start a family


Dr Sheena Lewis

This process, known as the acrosome reaction, releases digestive enzymes that break down the egg’s protective outer layer, allowing the sperm to penetrate more easily.

Viagra seems to speed up the acrosome reaction, so that by the time the sperm reaches the egg it has no digestive enzymes left to penetrate the outer layer. Sperm that have undergone this process are known as fully “reacted”.

The researchers tested 45 samples of semen. They found that up to 79% more sperm were fully “reacted” in samples treated with Viagra.

The findings echo previous work on mice showing that in the presence of Viagra drug for treatment of erectile dysfunction fewer eggs are fertilised - and fewer of the resulting embryos continue to develop.

Fixing erectile dysfunction use

Researcher Dr Sheena Lewis said the acrosome reaction involved the channelling of charged calcium atoms, or ions.



It would be a terrible shame if an unnecessarily alarmist headline put people off using a treatment which may actually help them


Dr John Dean

This was known to influence numerous cellular mechanisms - and could effect early embryonic kamagra st.

Dr Lewis said: “When Viagra came out in 1998 it was aimed at men with impotence problems, primarily older men not interested in having children. Now it has become a very popular drug for sexual enhancement.

“The message we want to get across is that caution should be taken when using recreational drugs if you are hoping to start a family.”

Dr David Glenn, who also worked on the study, said: “Nearly half of licensed fertility units in the UK currently use Viagra to assist patient semen production.

“Our study raises questions about the drug’s use in assisted reproduction.”

Sheena Young, from the support group Infertility Network UK, said it was important that people who used Viagra recreationally were fully aware of its full effect.

“When Viagra was introduced it was never meant for this purpose.”

Caution urged

However, Dr John Dean, secretary general of the European Society for Sexual Medicine, told BBC News Online that it was difficult to draw firm conclusions from the study.

He said lab results often did not reflect what happened in the human body, and sperm was known to be highly sensitive when removed from its natural environment.

“Childless couples - and the general population - should be aware that in the five years that Viagra has been around no overall detrimental effect on fertility has been observed,” he said.

“It would be a terrible shame if an unnecessarily alarmist headline put people off using a treatment which may actually help them.”

MAN SHOULD REVEAL HIS MEDICAL CONDITION BEFORE GETTING MARRIED

November 12th, 2007

Source MAN SHOULD REVEAL HIS MEDICAL CONDITION BEFORE GETTING MARRIED article

DEAR ABBY: I am a 40-year-old male who has been divorced for the last five years. I am considering trying marriage again, but am somewhat concerned about the impotence problem I have had for some time.

I have consulted many doctors and have taken many tests, but they all came out OK — so I decided to try Viagra. It has been working great.

Should I be upfront about my medical condition if and when I propose marriage, or should I wait until after we’re married? It is extremely embarrassing to talk about this to anyone, let alone a woman who might become my wife. — UNCERTAIN IN Viagra soft, CALIF.

DEAR UNCERTAIN: You should absolutely disclose any medical condition that could affect your marriage before you are married. Not to do so could be considered fraud. If the woman loves you, she will accept you just as you are.

However, when the time comes, it might be beneficial for you and your prospective fiancee to pay a visit to your physician together. It’s possible that your impotence may have been linked to the fact that your marriage didn’t work, and has nothing to do with your ability to perform without the little blue pills.



DEAR ABBY: I recently lost my fiance to leukemia. He was only 27. I have noticed that the first words of comfort offered to me by people are, “You’re young and pretty. You’ll find someone again.” Abby, my fiance has been gone only four months. Several people said that to me at his funeral and wake!

I understand the thought behind those words — that my life will not end because his did. But it was extremely infree viagra sample before buying to hear something like that so soon after his death. I know I will eventually feel like dating again, but right now his loss is still too recent and painful.

How should I respond to people who say that? Please help me get the word out that this is no comfort so soon after someone’s partner passes away. — STILL MOURNING IN SAN FRANCISCO

DEAR STILL MOURNING: Please accept my deepest sympathy for your loss. Your sentiments have been repeated by others who have also suffered a loss.

For some reason, when there is a death, people feel they must say something to “fix” it — as if anything that could be said would make the pain go away.

Folks: The appropriate way to extend condolences is the simplest. Just repeat the first sentence of my answer. Period! That’s all! And do not ask questions about the cause of death. And when someone offers you condolences — a simple thank you is enough. Then, unless you wish to talk about it, change the subject.



DEAR ABBY: My husband and I were invited to a friend’s home for dinner. We brought a lovely plant as a thank-you gift. When we arrived at her house, she said she had forgotten she had invited us for that night. We talked in her driveway for a few minutes, and I handed her the plant as we left. My question is, what was the correct thing to do? Should we have let her have the plant or taken it back home with us? — PERPLEXED IN MCCLEARY, WASH.

DEAR PERPLEXED: You didn’t mention how old this friend is, but she appears to be disorganized, overscheduled or suffering from mind-cognitive impairment. Although there are no rules of etiquette that dictated it, you were nice to leave the plant with her. Perhaps it will serve as a reminder to reschedule the dinner.



Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.



To order “How to Write Letters for All Occasions,” send a business-sized, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $6 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby — Letter Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Postage is included in the price.)

Women & Impotence: A Woman’s Point of View About Male Impotence

November 11th, 2007

The TV commercials make it all seem so simple: He can’t get an erection so
he pops a pill. The next thing you know, his partner is cooing about how her
guy is back to his old wild and romantic self.

What the commercials don’t show you: The painful distress a woman can
experience when her man suffers with erectile dysfunction (ED).

“Women internalize things — they tend to blame themselves first,
thinking it’s because they have done something wrong, or that they are no
longer attractive to their partner. In fact, the first thing a woman thinks
when a man can’t get an erection is that it’s her fault, and nothing could be
further from the truth,” says Andrew McCullough, MD, director of sexual
health and male buy viagra without a prescription at NYU Medical Center in New York City.

ED, or erectile dysfunction, is medically defined as the inability to
achieve or sustain an erection long enough for sexual intercourse. Virtually
all men experience some erection failures at certain points in their lives. It
can be the result of stress, depression, or sometimes even for no reason at
all. For some, the problem becomes chronic. When it does, a diagnosis of ED is
made. According to the American Foundation for Urologic Disease, it’s a problem
that affects about 18 million men in the U.S. alone.

Although many women — and men as well — continue to view ED as a sexual
issue, in truth, the most common causes are undiagnosed physical conditions
such as diabetes, high cholesterol, or even the earliest stages of heart
disease. Even more often, it can be the result of certain medications used to
treat these conditions, anxiety cialis soft treatment viagra some high blood pressure drugs.

High blood pressure impotence, experts say a lack of education about the causes of ED are
frequently behind a woman’s self-blame, as well as her increasing anxiety, and
sometimes, even feelings of hurt and anger when the problem occurs.

“Most women usually start with a line of erectile dysfunction help that often has some
anxiety or hurt to it. She may suspect her partner is having an affair, or that
he just doesn’t find her desirable anymore, so she begins to hint around at
these possibilities,” says Sallie Foley, MSW, a professor at the graduate
school of social work at the University of Michigan and co-author of Sex
Matters For Women
.

Often, says Foley, a man suffering with ED will interpret her questions –
and her hurtful attitude — as an attack on him, so he pulls back.

“She then soft viagra tablet this pulling back as a confirmation that she
has done something wrong, and so she retreats even further,” says
Foley. As she does, increasing levels of anxiety or depression can set in,
along with suspicions about what’s going on with him, as well as a continued
belief that there is something wrong with her.

The end result: The couple can stop communicating altogether — not only in
the bedroom, but in all aspects of their relationship. And that, say experts,
can only make problems worse for both partners.

“The one thing a woman should never do is withdraw because that is a
formula for relationship disaster,” says McCullough. When one partner pulls
away, he says, the other withdraws as well, and “this kind of dance goes on
where you stop touching each other, then you stop talking, and before you know
it you are not communicating at all.”

Read source on Women & Impotence: A Woman’s Point of View About Male Impotence

Viagra May Benefit Rhinos, Too

November 10th, 2007

(CBS) There may be an unexpected side benefit to the impotence wonder drug Viagra. In addition to helping millions of men overcome impotence, the drug may help increase wildlife.



Rhinos’ horns, gall bladders from black bears, and eggs from endangered sea turtles are all used by varying groups as treatments for sexual keyword order viagra. And endangered species have become the victims of poachers trying to capitalize on these old wives’ tales.



Bizarre as it may sound, Viagra may be a weapon in the worldwide war on poachers. Popping a Viagra instead of swallowing a sea turtle egg may generic viagra usa reduce the market for these animals, says wildlife expert Todd Steiner. And Steiner say not to underestimate the tiny pill’s impact, as worldwide demand for Viagra is enormous.



The impact on wildlife aside, at the National Urologists Convention in San Diego this week, doctors continue to marvel at the drug’s impact on the human species.



“I don’t think anyone would have predicted that three months after the approval of this drug, we would have a nameViagrathat was part of the American culture,” says Dr. Harin Soft viagra tablet, a urologist.



Rarely has a convention of urologists become national news, but rarely has there been a drug like Viagra, with a success rate of up to 80 percent.



A new study by Padma-Nathan, to be released this week at the convention, reconfirmed the safety of the drug in the wake of six deaths reported among the one million men taking it.



“The headline is, in a very scientific, rigorous study, that Viagra is not only effective in treating a broad range of erectile dysfunction, or impotence, but is also very safe,” he says.



Urologists still warn that Viagra only works for impotent men and does nothing for men with normal sexual function. They say: It’s not going to change men’s behavior. It’s not going to liberate men like the birth control pill liberated women in the 1960’s.



But for those men who need it, Viagra has quickly become the wonder drug of the ’90s.



For CBS News Correspondent Jerry Bowen’s complete report, click above.

Read more on Viagra May Benefit Rhinos, Too site

News - Drug firms attacked on marketing

November 9th, 2007


Top European pharmaceutical firms are using unscrupulous marketing practices to promote their products, a consumer report says.


The Consumers Cheapest citrate sildenafil lobby group accused drugmakers of using the methods to get doctors to prescribe products and persuade consumers they need them.


It said there was a “shocking” lack of publicity about where the $60bn (33bn) annual marketing spend went.


Drug firms say that they act within strict guidelines.


The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) told the BBC News website that for UK-based firms there was “a stringent and transparent code of practice that goes beyond the viagra soft tab of UK law and the industry regulator”.


Sponsorships


Consumers International said it had analysed the selling techniques of many leading companies, including Bayer, Soft viagra and Johnson & Johnson.


The current regulatory framework is clearly herbal cure for erectile dysfunction to prevent systemic violations of marketing regulations
Consumers International


Richard Lloyd, the group’s director general, said: “The pharmaceutical industry spends nearly twice as much on marketing as it does on research and development, yet consumers know next to nothing about where this money is going.”


He called for a revision of marketing regulations to achieve “more transparency from drug companies”.


In most Western markets direct advertising to consumers is banned.


But Mr Lloyd said there were other methods drug companies were using to influence opinion.


These include the sponsoring of patient lobby groups, funding disease awareness campaigns and use of hospitality packages for medical experts.


As producers of life-saving medicines it is important that we ensure doctors know full details
ABPI


The report cites sponsorships by such firms as Eli Lilly and Pfizer. The latter, the maker of Viagra, sponsored a campaign by the Impotence Association which sported the Pfizer logo.


The report said only one of the firms studied, Orion Pharma, provided specific marketing budget information.


It also pointed to the “large numbers of serious, recent and repeated breaches of marketing codes”.


This showed the “current regulatory framework is clearly insufficient to prevent systemic violations of marketing regulations”.


However, the ABPI said the number of complaints raised showed the system, which had been generic viagrageneric viagra this year, was working.


It said complaints from drug companies about fellow firms’ activities showed the self-regulation was effective.


But it also said it was vital for doctors to know about products.


“There is no point having innovative new medicines if they remain unused,” an association spokesman said.


Read more on News - Drug firms attacked on marketing site

Viagra A Boon To Brothels

November 8th, 2007
Original article Viagra A Boon To Brothels
(AP) Business has been real good for Joe Richards since spring and he credits Viagra. He’s no erectile dysfunction drug either, he owns two brothels.



Richards figures the wildly popular impotence pill has increased activity at the Cherry Patch and Mabel’s by some 10 percent.



“We have a lot of guys who used to come up here but stopped, and now they’re back. The girls say they’re on the pill,” said Richards. “We’re talking older fellows, in their 60s or older.”



For all the talk about Viagra, its effectiveness boils down to what goes on behind closed doors. Until now, no one’s heard from those in the world’s oldest profession, and some are blindness causing citrate sildenafil happy with the new medicine.



“I wish we could sell Viagra,” Richards said. “If we could advertise it and have it on the premises, we’d be in good shape.”



Made by Pfizer Inc., Viagra is the first pill to treat male impotence. The company said there have been 1.7 million new prescriptions for the drug since March, 80 percent of them for men over 50.



Doctors have warned patients not to combine Viagra with nitrates, some of which are found in heart medications. And deaths among men who took Viagra have climbed to 16, including seven who died during or after sex.



The FDA said there is no evidence that Viagra is to blame for the deaths of the men, most of whom were in their 60s and 70s.



Not that the deaths have scared off Viagra-packing visitors in Nevada, where prostitution is illegal in Reno and Las Vegas but allowed in some counties. There are some 30 brothels.



Dennis Hof, owner of the Moonlight Bunnyranch and Miss Kitty’s Fantasy Ranch east of Carson City, said business at the brothels has increased by at least 20 percent since March. Bunnyranch manager Suzette Gwin said Viagra is the reason her customers say it’s so.



“There have been some guys in here who look about 80,” Ms. Gwin said. “They come in with their canes. But the girls don’t care if their customers are 18 or 100 years old.”



Not everyone buys the good news.



George Flint, head of the Nevada Brothel Owner’s Condition dysfunction erectile more treatment, thinks the claim of a Viagra impact is all hype.



“By the time you spend $10 for one pill, you can’t afford to go to the ranch,” said Flint, who also speaks for the fabled Mustang Ranch, east of Reno.



“I discussed this with the manager at Mustang and she laughed and said there’s absolutely no impact,” Flint said. “Oh, sure, probably eight or 10 people have taken this impotence treatment erectile dysfunction treatment, but you have to realize there are half a million clients who come into Nevada brothels every year.”



In fact, Flint said the effect of Viagra on Nevada’s brothel business probably amounts to less than 1 percent: “There’s no parade of old codgers coming in.”


When Good Drugs Lead to Bad Sex

November 7th, 2007

April 16, 2001 — One in four American adults has high blood
pressure, putting them at risk for heart attack and stroke. Nearly one in 10
suffers from a depressive illness. Luckily, an expanding array of buy levitra vardenafil
drugs is available to help treat and control both conditions.

The bad news? As these drugs lower blood pressure and lift
mood, they can also mess up normal sexual functioning. So while a given
medicine might restore physical and mental health, it can also spark erectile
dysfunction, lack of interest in sex, and the potential destruction of a
relationship.

The key, say doctors who have studied drugs for hypertension
and depression, is to seek help from a physician who is up to date on what
treatments are out there and who is willing to work to find the best ones for
you . Together, you can choose one that will keep you as healthy as possible
while doing the least damage — or perhaps none at all — to your sex life.

Lowering pressure

The search for what doctors call “high-yield, low-risk”
treatment of high blood pressure has been going on for decades, writes Peter
Rudd, MD, a professor of medicine and chief of the division of general internal
medicine at Stanford (California) University Medical Center, in an editorial
published in the April 1, 2000, issue of the American Journal of
Medicine
.

In recent years, the old standbys — thiazide diuretics (such
as HCTZ, Maxide) and the beta-blocker drugs (such as Lopressor) have been
joined by a tongue-twisting litany of other drug classes. You will likely hear
your doctor refer to other types of blood buy online securely viagra drugs known as
alpha-blockers (Regitine, Dibenzyline), calcium antagonists (Cardizem,
Plendil), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (Lotensin),
angiotensin II receptor antagonists (Cozaar), and direct vasodilators
(Minoxidil, Apresoline). Each works differently to lower pressure.

And despite that smorgasbord of drugs, Rudd tells WebMD, the
truth is there is much yet to be learned about the effects of blood
pressure-lowering drugs on sexual functioning.

And in women, that goes double, as the “data about female
dysfunction is scant,” he says.

Physicians do have a good idea of how some of the blood
pressure-lowering drugs affect some sexual functioning. Generic pack viagra, for
instance, can reduce stimulation to the erection center.

Studies have yielded mixed results about which antihypertensive
drugs to avoid if you want to keep some romance in your life. Several have
shown, for instance that diuretics and acupuncture erectile dysfunction are associated with more
sexual side effects, according to Rudd.

Despite that, he says, the Joint National Committee on
Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure
continues to recommend those drugs first.

“Those two drugs classes have been shown to reduce heart
attack, stroke, and other major end points of high blood pressure,” Rudd
adds. But it can be a tradeoff.

For instance, he says, ACE inhibitors, shown in some studies to
be less likely to cause sexual problems, are also more expensive.

Not all of the studies paint a bleak picture of the old standby
drugs, however. For instance, a study published in the same issue of
American Journal of Medicine that carried Rudd’s editorial found no
difference in sexual function between 312 men and women randomly placed on
either the beta-blocker Inderal or an inactive placebo drug.

It’s difficult to predict who will and won’t notice an effect
on sexual functioning after beginning blood pressure-lowering drugs, Rudd says.
But one study published in the May 1999 issue of Pharmacotherapy found
that nearly every first-line antihypertensive treatment (which includes
diuretics and beta-blockers) has been reported to cause some degree of erectile
dysfunction. But sexual problems can also increase with age and as other
diseases set in, so it’s even more difficult to pinpoint exactly what percent
of problems can be blamed on the drugs.

A physician should mention the possibility of side effects when
prescribing a blood pressure-lowering drug, Rudd says, but encourage a patient
to try it before dismissing it because of potential effects. “The only way
to be sure,” he tells patients, “is to take a trial of it.”

If sex life is affected, doctors can consider many options:
reduce the dose, switch to another drug, or suggest lifestyle modifications
such as exercise, which could help lower blood pressure and reduce the need for
medication.

Source: When Good Drugs Lead to Bad Sex