No. 186 July 1998
ART/ARTIST EXHIBITIONS: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE Interested in Monet, Van Gogh, or any other famous artist who had, has, or will have works on display in a museum in the United States? For example, some of Van Gogh's masterpieces will be on display in Washington, D.C. from October 1998 to January 1999, and in Los Angeles from January through April 1999. "Monet in the 20th Century" will be at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston from September 20 through December 27 1998. The U. S. Information Agency (USIA) has to approve the temporary importation of all art objects for exhibition in American museums and each of these instances is announced as "Notices" in the Federal Register. When the Boston Museum of Fine Arts arranged for the "Monet in the 20th Century" exhibit, the USIA listed "Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: 'Monet in the 20th Century', Notice," in the Federal Register, v. 63, no. 136 July 16, 1998, page 38499. If you search the issues of the Federal Register (AE 2.106:) or database at http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html, past, present, and future for "U.S. Information Agency" under the "Notices" section, you will find all official announcements of the USIA approving art exhibition imports. You will find the information about all the artists whose works will be on display, exhibition dates and museums names. What more could you want to know about art exhibitions? Unless, you want to know if someone has compiled this information already. If so, you show signs of the neat-and-tidy-package syndrome!!
NEWBORN'S RIGHT TO KNOW It is the responsibility of the hospital health professionals to keep their patients informed of the medical risks as well as benefits of the medical world. Babies enter the world in a hospital and the people in the delivery room are the first to greet the newborn. Isn't it logical that the obstetrics staff is the appropriate individuals to warn the newborn of the risks of the world? The newborn should see is a warning sign: "YOU ARE ENTERING AT YOUR OWN RISK, THIS WORLD CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH". Of course the newborn can't read, so someone must read the sign. Just living in the world is risky. The EPA's new Exposure Factors Handbook Update issued in August 1997 is a three volume work of about 800 pages of information, statistics, and guidelines about how to study the risks of exposure to substances (both food and nonfood) and activities. These volumes are a report that compiles data from studies conducted from the 1960s to 1996 on population characteristics, activities, and body measurements as they apply to exposure to risks. These volumes are a very comprehensive presentation about what is risky (e.g. pollution, breast feeding vs. formula, food(s) and food products, skin contact, breathing, body weight/life expectancy, activity/inactively, and consumer products). This view of the risky world we live in can be found at EP 1.23/9:600/P-95/002Fa as microfiche in some depository libraries or on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/ncea/exposfac.htm . This URL will lead to the option of ordering paper editions and downloading the 21 PDF files version of these three volumes. Newborns are not given any options about coming into this world and some will grow up and make the world a less risky place in which to live.
HOW ARE OUR CHILDREN AT RISK? Now that the child, who did not have much choice in the birth process, is here how is she surviving? Some children were born into poverty. Some were born into wealth. Some were born with two parents, some only have one. Some children born in adverse circumstances do well in life, and some children born into wealth don't do well in life due to problems (medical or social) which money cannot overcome. To see how children are surviving in our risky world, read: Indicators of Welfare Dependence: Annual Report to Congress which is about 200 pages (October 1997). It is the first annual report to congress on family welfare dependence and related risk factors and can be found at http://aspe.os.dhhs.gov/hsp/indicator/front.htm#ack . Trends in the Well-Being of America's Children and Youth: 1997, the Second annual report from HUD is at http://aspe.os.dhhs.gov/hsp/97trends/intro-web.htm . This 319-page report carries data on children and youth, with family, education, health, and social behavior characteristics (HE 1.63:997). A third report is America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-being which was issued by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics (About 100 pages) (PR 42.8:C43/C43). These should answer some of the questions.
YORICK It was in March 1997 on my web page, at http://www.nku.edu/~yannarella/news973.htm that you learned about the FDA Yorick the Bionic Skeleton who gives new significance to the Yoricks of William Shakespeare's Hamlet and Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy. The lack of detail about these literary Yoricks is overshadowed by the very unique and interesting FDA Yoricks. In the mid 1980s, Yorick the bionic skeleton was created as a teaching aid to exhibit the more than 45 (medical) implant devices, as they would appear inside the human body. Actually, the 1980s Yorick as found inside the trifold brochure Yorick, The CDRH Bionic Skeleton [1989?] (HE 20.4602:Y8) has 55 labels identifying implant devices. The 1998 Yorick is on the FDA KIDS Page ( http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/kids/ ). Yorick, found in the FDA KIDS page, is a link to the main "Meet 'YORICK' the Bionic Skeleton" page at http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/kids/html/yorick_no.1.htm . This second page has introductory text and definitions of the implant devices. Midway down in the text (of this second page) a click on "Click Here" will take you to "YORICK PARTS--'YORICK: A Closer Look'" (which is at http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/kids/html/yorick_parts.htm ). This (third) page currently presentsYorick with only fifteen medical implant devices. The name of each device is a URL link which will take you to another page which has actual pictures of the medical device(s) (chin, nose, and eye is at http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/kids/html/eye.htm ). Very well done and very impressive. The old Yorick picture in the [1989?] publication showed many more implant devices but the new Yorick is colorful and realistic, we now have four Yoricks to choose from.... what's next?
THE ULTIMATE SNIFFER Animals whose sense of smell is vital for their existence perform very well at detecting odors. Not so with man, although some human beings can easily detect many odors such as fresh pie and chocolate. Man is not always as good at detecting such substances as carbon monoxide and natural gas as easily and quickly. This slowness can be fatal. People need special devices to quickly and easily detect carbon monoxide, natural gas, and other toxic chemicals and substances. To detect gas problems in home appliances and other devices. The researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a microsensor. Their "Nose on a Chip" consists of an array of tiny sensors on one integrated circuit and electronics on another. The chip can be customized to detect any biological species or thousands of chemicals. It has a low cost, instant results, and can be customized with little or no modification. You can get all the details in the ORNL press release at http://www.ornl.gov/Press_Releases/archive/mr19980428-01.html . To download a picture of the chip but NOT SEE it, you can click on "the photo of the woman with the chip" within the Press Release. If you go to the ORNL Newsroom at http://www.ornl.gov/news and click on "Photo Gallery," you can do a search with the term "nose". This will get you three hits, one of which is a very good 3-inch square picture (ORNL Photo Number: 2369-98EF) of the "Nose on a Chip" that you CAN SEE, and print or download. I would like to get a chocolate or fresh-pie sensing chip, what would you get?
ALLERGIC TO LATEX RUBBER PRODUCTS? Are you allergic to latex (a.k.a. natural) rubber? There have been instances of deaths and allergic reactions to latex rubber. Even though this is a problem primarily for health professionals, the latex allergy problem can occur for anyone who makes use of rubber products such as male and female condoms, orthodontic elastic bands, or gloves. Do you know what rubber products have latex in them? To answer this question and help the consumer avoid the latex allergy problem, on September 30, 1997, the FDA issued a final rule "Natural rubber-containing devices; user labeling, final rule;" (Federal Register v. 62, no. 189, pages 51021-51030 [AE2.106: 62/189]). This rule requiring all manufacturers to put labels on all medical devices carrying natural rubber goes into effect on September 30, 1998. Part of the FDA research for the issuance of this regulation included a contract with the Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG) to conduct an economic analysis of this latex-labeling rule. On June 1, 1998, the FDA issued an amendment that includes a 5-item bibliography on the latex allergy problem and an "Executive Summary" of the ERG report. The report's content and analysis are reproduced in the Federal Register as Appendix 1 to "Amended Economic Impact Analysis of Final Rule Requiring Use of Labeling on Natural Rubber Containing Devices, Final Rule; amended economic analysis statement."(Federal Register v. 63, no. 104, pages 29552-29590) at http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html . This 34 page "Executive Summary" presents the economic impact of this rule and provides a list of the 43 FDA-defined categories of medical products which contain latex that are affected by this rule.
NEW DRUG/"PDR" FOR ANIMALS On June 1, 1998, the FDA announced the approval of an injectable version of a drug for the control of the fleas on cats. Lufenuron Suspension is an injectable drug that does not kill the fleas on cats, but prevents flea egg development. This new drug was approved, as of March 13, 1998; so many cats would have received this drug in time for the 1998 flea season. Injectable Lufenuron suspension for cats may be easier to administer than the (1995) oral version if your cat does not like oral medicine. Did you know in 1995 the Lufenuron tablet version came out for dogs? Yes, this is (I assume) the same drug for both cats and dogs, but only dogs get tablets, whereas cats now get oral or injectable doses of the same drug. Comparable to the use of prescribed drugs for people, the FDA is very specific about each of these animal drugs as to what animal gets what version of any drug. To learn more about drugs for animals, try the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Parts 500 to 599, 1998 Edition (AE 2.106/3:21/P.500-599/998). In the paper version or on the Internet at http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html check Part 511-New Animal Drugs for Investigational Use; Part 520-Oral Dosage Form New Animal Drugs; and Part 522-Implantation or Injectable Dosage Form New Animal Drugs. The drugs listed in Parts 520 and 522 have entries that read like the text of a "PDR" (Physicians Desk Reference) for animals.
THE TITANIC SURVIVORS: THE PEOPLE, THE MOVIE, & THE BOOK Did you know "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," the person who was the "object" of a 1964 motion picture was so named because she survived of the Titanic disaster? Would you like to hear from the other survivors? Do you know the names of other survivors? Did you learn all the names from the 1943 movie A Night to Remember, the 1953 movieTitanic, or the 1997 movie version of this memorable event? If not, you can still learn their names and why the Titanic sank? Someone who saw the 1997 movie said it was realistic in its presentation of the stages of the ship's sinking. For narrative details consult "How did the Titanic sink?" by Dan Dietz, (Mechanical Engineering, v 120, no 8. August 1998 pages 54-58). It explains all the technical details of how and why this ship sank, but there are no survivors' names. Dietz's sources include the 1912 U. S. Senate Investigation. If you read "Titanic" Disaster, Hearings before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Commerce, United States Senate Sixty-Second Congress Second Session Pursuant to S. RES. 283, Directing the committee on commerce to investigate the causes leading to the wreck of the White S tar Liner "Titanic" issued in 1912 (Y 1.1/2:6167) as U.S. Serial Set No. 6167 (Senate Document No. 726), you will read what the survivors said. Our "Titanic" has a 9 page index (Digest of Testimony) which categorized the survivors' 1152 pages of testimony into about 30 different topics which include: alarm, ice, collision, drill, distinction between passengers, ships in vicinity, speed, and ship sinking. What more could you ask?
DEEPSEA TREASURES AND A YORICK UPDATE For Yorick there is a new implant device, which should be added, but there was no picture provided. "Incontinence Implant Approved" is the news item on page six of the January-February issue of FDA Consumer. The FDA has approved the Sacral Nerve Stimulation System for urge incontinence. When less invasive treatments fail, this device will be implanted in the abdominal wall and could solve the urge incontinence problem of 20 percent of the 5 million adults who have this problem. Up until now most new medical products, such as penicillin and other antibiotic compounds, have developed from sources organisms in soil, land animals, or plants. Now, it is blood from the horseshoe crab that enables the doctor to detect dangerous endotoxins in people, drugs, medical devices, and even water. Detection of E. Coli produced endotoxins in the human body before the endotoxins do the physical damage (fever and hemorrhaging) which would otherwise be the only way the E. Coli is revealed. Did you know about the Caribbean Sea whip organism that yields an anti-inflammatory drug? Some of the other products in developmental stages include a cancer therapy made from algae, coral as bone filler, and a painkiller taken from snails. It seems the ocean depths where some men have gone before were not explored by the medical researchers. Medical exploration has begun and many treasures have surfaced. "Drugs of the Deep, Treasures of the Sea Yield Some Medical Answers and Hint at Others" by John Henkel, FDA Consumer (v. 32, no. 1, January-February 1998 pages 30-33) (HE20.4010:32/1) http://www.fda.gov/opacom/morechoices/fdaconsumer.html shows us some.
August 25, 1998
http://www.nku.edu/~yannarella/news9807.html