Inhibitors help combat AIDS?

The lead from the article:

Antibodies found in lupus and some hemophilia patients may prove to be a potent preventative against HIV transmission and progression, according to researchers who presented two new studies yesterday at the 17th International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.

Antibodies in some hemophilia patients? Could these be inhibitors? If not what are they? What else could be unique to hemophilia patients?

Link to the article.

Swifter, Higher, Stronger

It's Olympics time once again. I've always had a deep affection for the athletic endeavors of the Olympics. And yes, an unabashed surge of national pride and spirit, rooting for our American team. From Bruce Jenner and Mark Spitz in 1976, the hockey team in 1980, everything in 1984; Carl Lewis, Edwin Moses, Mary Lou Retton, and so on and so on. I love the Olympics.

Political sub-texts aside (China is still a manifestly repressive society) I hope the games go well and do indeed lead to greater modernization and greater freedoms for this largest (1.3 billion people) of nations.

Baxter warned by FDA for misleading email

The Food and Drug Association has reviewed a "Clinical Thank You Email" in which Baxter Healthcare Corp. overstated claims about their inhibitor bypassing clotting complex FEIBA VH.

The agency ordered Baxter to stop using the e-mail and any promotions that exaggerate the drug's safety and effectiveness. "By promoting misleading safety and efficacy claims, you are potentially encouraging the unsafe use of FEIBA VH," the FDA said in the letter dated July 7.

Baxter isn't a small outfit. You'd think they would have access to their own data. Why would they exaggerate these claims? Methinks someone's in trouble.

Hemophilia friend, Skip Caray

Longtime sports broadcaster Skip Caray died Sunday at the age of 68. Much about Caray we know. He was the voice of the Atlanta Braves for 33 years. He was there when Ted Turner transformed the Atlanta television station, WTBS, into a cable superstation. He was the son of legendary Chicago Cub’s announcer Harry Caray. And his “Braves win, Braves win” rang loud and often (irritatingly so for a Pirates and Astros fan) since the late ‘80s.

Other things were not so well known. He devoted many hours to volunteer work. Much of it with Camp Twin Lakes, a Rutledge, Georgia camp for kids with special needs. And according to several news reports Caray also worked with the Hemophilia Association.

Why wasn’t this more known?

I assume by Hemophilia Association it is meant Hemophilia of Georgia. Perhaps he became associated with hemophilia through his involvement with Camp Twin Lakes, the location for the Georgia hemophilia camp. But I don’t know and would like to know more.

Many folks donate time, money and effort out of a sheer sense of purpose. They ask nothing in return preferring the anonymity of their charity. God bless them. They are dearly needed. But at the same time this bleeding disorders community is desperate for a national voice or identity. We are such a small community yet with such great needs that there has to be a better effort to make use of the connections we have and to garner more. Even though celebrities like Skip Caray are more niche (sports) or regional, when good people like him are associated with causes like hemophilia it can only reflect well on the bleeding disorders community and perhaps encourage someone else of notoriety to lend a hand.

I’m glad to know the folks of Georgia had a good friend in Skip Caray. Too bad many of us learned of it only at his passing.

Adios, Edouard. We hardly knew you.

Which is just fine. All in all, not bad. Some needed rain, a day off from work. One of those rainy days where you just don't do much.

I took the boys to the movies and saw Journey to the Center of the Earth. I almost choked on the ticket prices. Not realizing the movie was 3D, $29.00 for one adult and two kids tickets was quite a surprise. The plastic throwaway 3D glasses must be expensive. The movie was o.k. The boys liked the 3D effects although we should have sat closer to the screen so it would occupy the whole frame of vision. The story was blah but it had enough action and effects to keep a 5 and a 8 year old boy entertained.

¿Que pasa, Edouard?

Tropical Storm Edouard seems to be heading straight toward Galveston and Houston beyond. Will it really be much of anything? Who knows?

Three years ago, just weeks after Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita bore down on the Texas coast. Hundreds of thousands tried to evacuate the area only to run out of gas on the congested highways of the Houston area. Luckily for us (we stayed put) Rita veered eastward and around Houston we had ten's if not hundred's of downed leaves. Points east did not get off so lucky.

So what will happen this time? Only time will tell. But we're good. Factor, food, water, beer; all the essentials.

Self-Infusion Success !!

Jack did it! Yesterday before his baseball game Jack tried self-infusion again and got the vein. Under Allison's tutelage, Jack has been working on self-infusion since he got home from camp a week ago and yesterday was THE DAY.

We are so proud of him. This is a huge step toward full self-sufficiency and ownership of his hemophilia care.

Congratulations Jack!!

Keep it up!