TUESDAY, Nov. 13, 2012 — Researchers are optimistic about a new hepatitis C treatment therapy after reporting a 100 percent cure rate. Twenty-five patients with previously hard-to-treat hepatitis C were placed on a 12-week oral medication regimen that combined sofosbuvir, ribavirin, and GS-5885 by Gilead Sciences Inc. After 4 weeks, the infection was undetectable.
Released at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, the results could break new ground for hepatitis C, which affects an estimated three million Americans. Liver transplants are often used to treat this hepatitis c, but experts predict that Gilead’s successful study could lead to new treatment options. “Gilead will likely be the first to market with a simple and efficacious one pill, once-daily regimen,” said Michael Yee, an RBC Capital Markets analyst in San Francisco in a note to Businessweek.
Super Senior vs. Old Person
Aging baby boomers want to redefine society’s perception of the golden years, but they apparently need to practice what they preach when it comes to interacting with their own parents. Researchers at Oregon State University found that when adult children — often boomers in their 50s — performed tasks such as attending medical appointments and buying groceries for their aging parents, they reinforcedstereotypes of older adults as being out of touch and unable to care for themselves.
“Conflicts come up when someone does not think of themselves as old, but people in their family or caregiving group are treating them as such,” said Oregon State University researcher Michelle Barnhart in a press release.
Barnhart and others interviewed seniors in their late 80s, their relatives, and their caregivers. They found that frustrated seniors felt the need to re-affirm their identities as independent adults, and often did so by arguing with their family members or caregivers and by trying to perform tasks without the help of others.
Is the Word "Metrosexual" Dead?
"Metrosexual," a term used to describe a man overly concerned with his physical appearance, now appears to be out of fashion, according to a University of Cincinnati study.
According to UC assistant professor of sociology Erynn Masi de Casanova, the word "metrosexual" was initially coined by a British journalist to describe a young, single, man with a high disposable income who was usually heterosexual and worked in the city. In researching the paper, titled, “Is the Metrosexual Extinct? Men, Dress and Looking Good in Corporate America,” Casanova spoke to 22 white-collar of various races and ethnicities, between the ages of 24 and 58, living in major American cities.
Casanova questioned the subjects on their opinion of a "metrosexual male." She found that while many of the responses included both negative and positive connotations, most agreed that a metrosexual man was well-dressed and well-groomed. The men also agreed that the word "metrosexual" itself was not being used as much, perhaps because men have, in general, become more concerned with their looks. “One of the interviewees said it’s just a new word for who used to be called a ‘pretty boy,’” Casanova said in a press release.
While the term ‘metrosexual’ may be dying, Casanova’s study revealed that its effect on society may live forever. Some interviewees expressed comfort that the word allowed for straight men to express an interest in fashion without being perceived as gay. Others felt that the term gave straight men interested in fashion a common ground with gay men. The study will be presented in November 14’s 111th annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association in San Francisco.
Adoption: The Key to Happiness
Couples who adopted children after being unable to conceive through in-vitro fertilization report a better quality of life than those with unsuccessful IVF treatment without children, according to a new Swedish study. The study, published in the journal Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, examined the lives of 979 Swedish couples five years after IVF treatment. “Quality of life” was defined as psychological well-being and a feeling of connection.
“This shows that quality of life is strongly linked with children, irrespective of whether they’re the result of spontaneous pregnancies, adoption or step-children,”professor Marie Berg, who worked on the study told The Indian Express.
The results suggests that couples unable to bear children naturally should consider adoption as an alternative.
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