Posts by Russell Brown

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  • Hard News: The Scientology front…,

    It seems worth noting that the Church of Scientology has also been exploiting the Covid crisis by distributing bogus leaflets in Auckland. They contain a QR code that links to a Scientologist "course".

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Towards the referendum: this…, in reply to Joe Boden,

    I'm presenting to at least five groups of elderly people (U3A, Probus etc.) over the next couple of months. I'm told I am pretty persuasive...

    That's a good audience to talk to. They've signed up for knowledge.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Cannabis research: there's a…, in reply to Mark Cubey,

    Russell, is there any way you can block ritawgoodman12 from spamming your site? I first saw the unwanted message just above on Radiation (it’s still there).

    Apart from shutting down new registrations, no. It's a different one every day.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Has Iran found an effective…,

    Kia ora!

    I have an update. There has been quite a bit happening around this, and the first publication, a pre-print, has landed a preclinical study from Brazil:

    To rapidly respond to an unfolded pandemics, it is pivotal to catalogue preclinical data on the susceptibility of SARS-CoV-2 to clinically approved drugs, as an attempt to trigger clinical trials with promising products (4). We used this approach during ZIKV, YFV, and CHIKV outbreak in Brazil, when we showed the susceptibility of these viruses to SFV (15– 18, 32). SFV and dacaltasvir are considered safe anti-HCV therapy with potential to be used with broader antiviral activity. Here, we demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 is susceptible to daclatasvir, across different cell types tested, and to SFV, in a cell-dependent manner. In line with their activity against HCV, these drugs impaired SARS-CoV-2 RNA synthesis.

    There are also clinical trials in progress, and it seems that the original data from Iran is to be published in a peer-reviewed journal article. So more news is forthcoming.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Cannabis research: there's a…, in reply to Rob Stowell,

    Richie Poulton explains it here.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Cannabis research: there's a…, in reply to Alec Morgan,

    You are an undisputed champ on this subject Russell. How to convey such vital detail to potential Referendum voters (i.e. Newstalk ZB listeners) is important.

    I puzzle over that all the damn time.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Cannabis research: there's a…,

    A blazing (sorry) column by Rebecca Reider about the NZMA chair's comments on access to medicinal cannabis.

    The doctors' body is embarrassing itself at the moment.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Psychedelic science:…, in reply to Lucy Telfar Barnard,

    I caught up with Suresh last week and he has just finished a funding proposal for a follow-up study involving only women. He was still quite clear that it was going to be too difficult to design the first one for both men and women.

    I would think the cohort for that will be similar to the first one: healthy grad students in their late 20s.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Lately in cannabis, in reply to Joe Boden,

    Russell, I’m pleased you caught the difference in tone between the two articles. The CHDS one was largely “wordsmithed” by me, and the second by Benedikt.

    I could just about hear Benedikt's voice :-)

    I was keen for my commentary not to come off as dismissive of what he wrote, I just wanted to give some perspective on where he was coming from.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Psychedelic science:…, in reply to Lucy Telfar Barnard,

    Really? It’s the first stage of a study in which they’re not yet sure they’ll see an effect at all. It surely makes sense to exclude any potential confounds. And they haven’t said “omg periodz” – one of the study team has a PhD thesis in relevant aspects of the menstrual cycle. If this first stage produces results, the study group will expand. Fwiw, I'm excluded too, for a reason it would mess things up for them to explain.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

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