tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post8471465369730772346..comments2024-02-20T15:17:48.594+11:00Comments on A.E.Brain: Alleys Blind and SightedZoe Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13712045376060102538noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-59414326838594262112008-10-02T10:27:00.000+10:002008-10-02T10:27:00.000+10:00The think I always don't like about these type of ...The think I always don't like about these type of studies is that they class all transsexual MTF or FTM together and then find that they have a distribution similar to that of natals. This completely disregards the possibility that there could be multiple causes. Certainly there is evidence that there are many presentation modes of transsexualism, so that this concept is not far fetched in any way. I have yet to see a study that breaks down those that do match the <BR/>genetic variation and see what characterizes their presentation or experiences to try to put it more on an epidemiological basis in terms of defining certain segments of the transsexual population.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17631061620290259045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-2105225114579374542008-09-29T19:35:00.000+10:002008-09-29T19:35:00.000+10:00Poison soup? More like used food. But I won't quib...Poison soup? More like used food. But I won't quibble.Zoe Brainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13712045376060102538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-87267469197312959842008-09-29T17:30:00.000+10:002008-09-29T17:30:00.000+10:00Zoe,Vaknin's PhD is from a non-accredited universi...Zoe,<BR/><BR/>Vaknin's PhD is from a non-accredited university (Pacific Western University), which is located in California (and is now called California Miramar University). Because of that, it is questionable whether he can be addressed as "Dr." His other credentials are questionable as well.<BR/><BR/>I do agree about that truth mixed with lies thing, which makes the whole thing poison soup.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-16978610068187671932008-09-29T11:26:00.000+10:002008-09-29T11:26:00.000+10:00Zoe,Sorry, I had read what follows two or three ye...Zoe,<BR/><BR/>Sorry, I had read what follows two or three years ago,<BR/>But finding this confirmed yesterday in The Sunday Times was still a shock.<BR/><BR/>Give me some days to absorb what you’ve sent me through the link.<BR/><BR/>For example, girls who are born without or with impaired limbs are forced to wear prostheses when they are still infants, while reliable research has proved that this is detrimental to their identity development and results in more harm than help. Often these children are amputated in order to fit into the prostheses<BR/>(Womens Issues:<BR/>Disabled Women and the Right to Health Care<BR/>By Theresia Degener (degener AT efh-bochum DOT de)<BR/>Visiting Professor at UC Berkeley, School of Law<BR/>Professor of Law, Administration and Organization at University of Applied Sciences, Bochum, Germany<BR/>Presented at Hunter College, June 7th, 2000, New York<BR/>http://www.disabilityworld.org/Aug-Sept2000/Women/HealthCare.htm<BR/><BR/>I am not sure this is unrelated;<BR/><BR/>Is Purchasing $700 billion of Toxic Assets the Best Way to Recapitalize the Financial System? No! It is Rather a Disgrace and Rip-Off Benefitting only the Shareholders and Unsecured Creditors of Banks<BR/>Nouriel Roubini | Sep 28, 2008<BR/>http://www.rgemonitor.com/blog/roubini/Ivo Cerckelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08872010074153913109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-35714153730889897392008-09-28T20:54:00.000+10:002008-09-28T20:54:00.000+10:00I think that as a neuro-anatomist, he's a good mac...I think that as a neuro-anatomist, he's a good macro-economist.<BR/><BR/>Rather full of himself though. Like me, I guess.<BR/><BR/>My blog is a blog, and my opinions my own. I have no formal qualifications in the area worth mentioning - maybe a few more than Dr V, but none of any substance.<BR/><BR/>What I do do though is not just make flat, opinionated statements. I give references to the primary sources, and explain my reasoning. Still, the article you linked to is a FAQ, necessarily condensed. Much of it contains some truth, but is quite misleading.<BR/><BR/><I>People sometimes seek sex reassignment because of advantages and opportunities which, they believe, are enjoyed by the other sex.</I><BR/>Such people are not transsexual, and cannot be diagnosed as such. The diagnostic criteria specifically excludes them. <BR/><BR/>See <A HREF="http://www.mhsanctuary.com/gender/dsm.htm#gid1" REL="nofollow">GID Diagnostic Features</A> :<BR/><I>This cross-gender identification must not merely be a desire for any perceived cultural advantages of being the other sex.</I><BR/><BR/>If you search on "Blanchard" on my blog, you'll see my opinions of his neo-Freudian views.Zoe Brainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13712045376060102538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-85853389884182745032008-09-28T19:21:00.000+10:002008-09-28T19:21:00.000+10:00I'm curious, what do you think of old Dr. (not!) S...I'm curious, what do you think of old Dr. (not!) Sam Vaknin?<BR/><BR/>http://samvak.tripod.com/faq18.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-27364750139937229112008-09-28T19:01:00.000+10:002008-09-28T19:01:00.000+10:00Ivo, they're still doing it. Or something similar....Ivo, they're still doing it. Or something similar.<BR/><BR/>Please read <A HREF="http://aebrain.blogspot.com/2008/05/square-peg-round-hole.html" REL="nofollow">Square Peg, Round Hole</A>.<BR/><BR/>I hadn't realised that Thalidomide victims were treated the same way, but it makes sense. <BR/><BR/>We have to change things. Thanks for bringing this to my attention, the problem is even bigger than I thought. And Enough is Enough.Zoe Brainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13712045376060102538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-11014822008668797672008-09-28T18:05:00.000+10:002008-09-28T18:05:00.000+10:00Zoe,I suppose many people also tried to bring you ...Zoe,<BR/><BR/>I suppose many people also tried to bring you back to so-called normalcy/normality.<BR/><BR/>What about cutting their fingers in order to make thalidomide monsters more conforming to the norm?<BR/><BR/>Thalidomide had been tested<BR/>September 28th, 2008 by Ivo Cerckel<BR/>http://bphouse.com/blaze/honest_money/2008/09/28/thalidomide-had-been-tested/<BR/>SNIP<BR/>From The Sunday Times<BR/>September 28, 2008<BR/>Thalidomide: Survival instinct<BR/>http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article4818160.ece<BR/>SNIP<BR/>Some were abandoned by parents too traumatised to cope, or sent to special boarding schools. They were issued with painful, ill-fitting false limbs to make them look more “normal”, and well-meaning surgeons removed fingers and toes for cosmetic reasons, removing what little dexterity they had.Ivo Cerckelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08872010074153913109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-90960959910612067712008-09-28T07:20:00.000+10:002008-09-28T07:20:00.000+10:00My apologies for not commenting on your blog in aw...My apologies for not commenting on your blog in awhile, Zoe. :( I guess I just get pretty busy sometimes.<BR/><BR/>But with that said, this piece is one of the reasons I like reading your blog -- this is another pretty interesting study with pretty interesting possible ramifications. That you keep up on these kind of studies, and that you are very good at <EM>"translating"</EM> these kinds of studies into language us non-scientists can understand -- well, again, that's one of the reasons I keep coming back to this blog. <BR/><BR/>Plus, that you're up on planetary astronomy is pretty kewl too. :)Autumn Sandeenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17283033697205550151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-10623085988075786012008-09-27T19:10:00.000+10:002008-09-27T19:10:00.000+10:00In treatment of possibly fertile females, Thalidom...In treatment of possibly fertile females, Thalidomide is *always* administered with a contraceptive.<BR/><BR/>It's saved the lives of many people with biliary tract problems. The properties that made it such an awful nightmare, a disaster, for a growing foetus are the same properties that can save lives.<BR/><BR/>The question is, have we learned the lessons so it doesn't happen again? The DES cover-up suggests we haven't. Though that was a smaller disaster, it continued to be administered for 30 years.<BR/><BR/>It's impossible to test drugs completely for safety - the number of possible drug and symptom combinations greatly exceeds the number of people who have ever lived. But cutting corners in a reasonable safety program is inexcusable.<BR/><BR/>I'm glad your children are doing well. My son is 7, and he's the centre of my existence.<BR/><BR/>He's also mildly Intersexed.Zoe Brainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13712045376060102538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-90023128773192029982008-09-27T17:50:00.000+10:002008-09-27T17:50:00.000+10:00Maybe, I’m autist …The Early Origins of Autism by ...Maybe, I’m autist …<BR/><BR/>The Early Origins of Autism <BR/><BR/>by Patricia M. Rodier<BR/><BR/>Continuation: page 2 of 5<BR/>http://www.pattymemorial.org/fromJaredPattyhome/Autism/sciamtwo.html<BR/><BR/>SNIP<BR/>In their 1994 study Miller and Stromland added another environmental contributor to autism: thalidomide exposure in utero. All their subjects -- Swedish adults born in the late 1950s and early 1960s exhibited some of the malformations for which thalidomide is infamous: stunted arms and legs, misshapen or missing ears and thumbs, and neurological dysfunctions of the eye and facial muscles. Because scientists know which organs of the embryo are developing at each stage of pregnancy, they can pinpoint the exact days when a malformation can be induced: the thumb is affected as early as day 22 after conception, the ears from days 20 to 33, and the arms and legs from days 25 to 35. What made the new study so exciting for me was Miller and StrOmland's discovery that most of the thalidomide victims with autism had anomalies in the external part of their ears but no malformations of the arms or legs. This pattern indicated that the subjects had been injured very early in gestation -- 20 to 24 days after conception -- before many women even know they are pregnant.Ivo Cerckelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08872010074153913109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-6187554720364023562008-09-27T17:36:00.000+10:002008-09-27T17:36:00.000+10:00Hi Zoe,Thank You for welcoming me.I have two child...Hi Zoe,<BR/><BR/>Thank You for welcoming me.<BR/><BR/>I have two children, born 2001 and 2005. None of them is affected.<BR/><BR/>Thalidomide is now being used as an anti-cancer drug?<BR/>Yes, I have some opinion about that.<BR/><BR/>Thalidomide - Dishonest Drug<BR/>April 6th, 2008 by Ivo Cerckel<BR/>http://bphouse.com/blaze/honest_money/2008/04/06/dishonest-drug/<BR/><BR/>Let me add:<BR/>Human nature is so constituted that some individuals who have inside knowledge about the effects of thalidomide will ‘always’ deliberately and unnoticeably cause the serious harm thalidomide can ‘so easily’ cause. <BR/>They do that precisely because the damage is so serious to the mother and to the child <BR/>and because they can do that so easily and without being noticed. <BR/>It may be that ‘in clinical trials’, thalidomide is shown to be effective against many things. <BR/>But ‘in real life’, it is given to unsuspecting girls. <BR/>Or will a utilitarian argue that this should be weighed against the lives which can be saved through thalidomide? <BR/>Perhaps, the utilitarian should be reminded of the surprising ignorance among younger doctors about its dangers, especially in countries where it was never an issue. <BR/>Utilitarianism is the ‘ethical’ doctrine that the moral worth of an action is solely determined by its contribution to<BR/><BR/>Now, let me read your original post. (I concentrated on thalidomide ...)Ivo Cerckelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08872010074153913109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-65048460533395107302008-09-27T16:42:00.000+10:002008-09-27T16:42:00.000+10:00Ivo - forgot to mention - I don't gave any data on...Ivo - forgot to mention - I don't gave any data on dose/response rates for Thalidomide. That you only had minor (relatively.....) damage suggests your chance of having children with problems will be indistinguishable from those of the general population. Maybe even less.Zoe Brainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13712045376060102538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-7103153426556176962008-09-27T16:39:00.000+10:002008-09-27T16:39:00.000+10:00Anonymous - answered.Anonymous - answered.Zoe Brainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13712045376060102538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-9065743566176801942008-09-27T16:37:00.000+10:002008-09-27T16:37:00.000+10:00Hi Ivo! Good to have you here.You'd know better th...Hi Ivo! Good to have you here.<BR/><BR/>You'd know better than I, but I think only having one effective arm is worse than being called a "thalidomide monster" or exhibiting an "aberrant effect".<BR/><BR/>But the latter two must get your goat sometimes. When my GP called me a "freak" it was in the context of us joking together about how utterly anomalous my blood tests were. Plus the natural MtoF transition, of course.<BR/><BR/>I'll go back and trace my dead-tree sources. This was an outgrowth of research triggered by Huang and MacBride's "controversial" (to say the least) paper in 1998. See <A HREF="http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/316/7125/149/a" REL="nofollow">British Medical Journal Jan 1998</A>.<BR/><BR/>The observation was made that parents thought to be thalidomide-affected were more likely to have children with the same symptoms than others. This could be explained by the worrying - and disproven thank goodness - hypothesis that Thalidomide was a mutagen, not a teratogen - that it affected the genotype, not just the phenotype, the genes not just the bodily expression of those genes.<BR/><BR/>It could also be explained by mis-diagnosis of thalidomide affectation, that the drug had nothing to do with it. This was thought to be the answer in the late 90's<BR/><BR/>As I understand it - and I'll need to check - the truth was more complicated. Thalidomide caused an increase in problems in those with increased numbers of the sequence GGGCGG in their genes. This leads to both an increased susceptibility to Thalidomide damage, and also an increase in "natural" problems. There was selection in the sample, those *not* affected by Thalidomide administration had fewer GGGCGG sequences than those that were.<BR/><BR/>I remember the "only 1 in 10 were affected" figure, but don't have the supporting data to hand. It sounds plausible though, tens of millions were born at the time, and hundreds of thousands affected. Certainly more mothers were given Thalidomide than gave birth to Thalidomide-affected children. I think an assay of the sales figures led to the conclusion.<BR/><BR/>Thalidomide is now being used as an anti-cancer drug, and that also brought up the issue of why certain patients responded well, others less so with increased toxicity.<BR/><BR/>But again, I'll have to chase up the references.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for being here. My own metabolic weirdness looks like it's genetic, not environmental. My mother took neither DES nor Thalidomide.Zoe Brainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13712045376060102538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-73188260999393755502008-09-27T15:24:00.000+10:002008-09-27T15:24:00.000+10:00http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ApfTF...http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ApfTFnOuN.slGKJvZYeOG1nsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080926214829AAA9lEf<BR/><BR/>Please try Yahoo! Answers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-88445824514783038332008-09-27T15:22:00.000+10:002008-09-27T15:22:00.000+10:00For Thalidomide to cause "aberrant effects", there...For Thalidomide to cause "aberrant effects", there must be a genetic pre-disposition, which is why only 1 in 10 were affected, says you.<BR/><BR/>Interesting. I didn’t find this mentioned in<BR/>Janet McCredie (from the University of Sydney at Camperdown), <BR/>“Beyond Thalidomide – Birth Defects Explained”, <BR/>London, The Royal Society of Medicine Press, 2007.<BR/>I probably overlooked.<BR/><BR/>I am not a scientist. I am just a thalidomide monster.<BR/>Aberrant means deviating from the norm, says Random House Webster’s.<BR/><BR/>Is it also genetic disposition which determines how far one deviates from the norm?<BR/>I read that one tablet of thalidomide suffices to cause the damage.<BR/>Does this mean that the extent of the damage, <BR/>the extent to which the infant (’s limbs) will deviate from the norm, <BR/>is not determined by the number of tablets taken?<BR/>Can even many tablets (in the sensitive period) lead to “small” damage?<BR/><BR/>I am “only” missing the right forearm. <BR/>Could that have happened even if my mother was fed many tablets (in the sensitive period)?Ivo Cerckelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08872010074153913109noreply@blogger.com