User login
Lucas Franki is an associate editor for MDedge News, and has been with the company since 2014. He has a BA in English from Penn State University and is an Eagle Scout.
FDA accepts supplemental New Drug Application to expand lorcaserin label
The Food and Drug Administration has accepted a supplemental New Drug Application from Eisai to update the label for the weight-loss drug lorcaserin (Belviq) with long-term efficacy and safety data from the CAMELLIA-TIMI 61 trial.
In CAMELLIA-TIMI 61, a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, phase 3b/4 clinical trial, about 12,000 people who were overweight or obese and had cardiovascular disease or CVD risk factors, such as type 2 diabetes, received lorcaserin or placebo. In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine last fall, lorcaserin, a serotonin 2C receptor agonist, met the primary safety endpoint of noninferiority to placebo in the rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (hazard ratio, 0.99; 95% confidence interval, 0.85-1.14; P less than .001).
After meeting the primary endpoint, the trial investigators continued the study, assessing for a broader composite endpoint consisting of cardiovascular death, nonfatal MI, nonfatal stroke, hospitalization caused by unstable angina, heart failure, or coronary revascularization. Although lorcaserin was not superior to placebo in this expanded study, it remained noninferior.
Lorcaserin is contraindicated in women who are pregnant and in patients hypersensitive to lorcaserin. The most common adverse events in patients without diabetes were headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, dry mouth, and constipation; in patients with diabetes, the most common adverse events were hypoglycemia, headache, back pain, cough, and fatigue.
“This sNDA file acceptance brings us one step closer to potentially incorporating data into our label based on the first completed large-scale cardiovascular outcomes trial for a weight loss agent,” Lynn Kramer, MD, chief clinical officer and chief medical officer of the Neurology Business Group at Eisai, said in the press release.
Find the full press release on the Eisai website.
The Food and Drug Administration has accepted a supplemental New Drug Application from Eisai to update the label for the weight-loss drug lorcaserin (Belviq) with long-term efficacy and safety data from the CAMELLIA-TIMI 61 trial.
In CAMELLIA-TIMI 61, a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, phase 3b/4 clinical trial, about 12,000 people who were overweight or obese and had cardiovascular disease or CVD risk factors, such as type 2 diabetes, received lorcaserin or placebo. In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine last fall, lorcaserin, a serotonin 2C receptor agonist, met the primary safety endpoint of noninferiority to placebo in the rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (hazard ratio, 0.99; 95% confidence interval, 0.85-1.14; P less than .001).
After meeting the primary endpoint, the trial investigators continued the study, assessing for a broader composite endpoint consisting of cardiovascular death, nonfatal MI, nonfatal stroke, hospitalization caused by unstable angina, heart failure, or coronary revascularization. Although lorcaserin was not superior to placebo in this expanded study, it remained noninferior.
Lorcaserin is contraindicated in women who are pregnant and in patients hypersensitive to lorcaserin. The most common adverse events in patients without diabetes were headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, dry mouth, and constipation; in patients with diabetes, the most common adverse events were hypoglycemia, headache, back pain, cough, and fatigue.
“This sNDA file acceptance brings us one step closer to potentially incorporating data into our label based on the first completed large-scale cardiovascular outcomes trial for a weight loss agent,” Lynn Kramer, MD, chief clinical officer and chief medical officer of the Neurology Business Group at Eisai, said in the press release.
Find the full press release on the Eisai website.
The Food and Drug Administration has accepted a supplemental New Drug Application from Eisai to update the label for the weight-loss drug lorcaserin (Belviq) with long-term efficacy and safety data from the CAMELLIA-TIMI 61 trial.
In CAMELLIA-TIMI 61, a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, phase 3b/4 clinical trial, about 12,000 people who were overweight or obese and had cardiovascular disease or CVD risk factors, such as type 2 diabetes, received lorcaserin or placebo. In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine last fall, lorcaserin, a serotonin 2C receptor agonist, met the primary safety endpoint of noninferiority to placebo in the rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (hazard ratio, 0.99; 95% confidence interval, 0.85-1.14; P less than .001).
After meeting the primary endpoint, the trial investigators continued the study, assessing for a broader composite endpoint consisting of cardiovascular death, nonfatal MI, nonfatal stroke, hospitalization caused by unstable angina, heart failure, or coronary revascularization. Although lorcaserin was not superior to placebo in this expanded study, it remained noninferior.
Lorcaserin is contraindicated in women who are pregnant and in patients hypersensitive to lorcaserin. The most common adverse events in patients without diabetes were headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, dry mouth, and constipation; in patients with diabetes, the most common adverse events were hypoglycemia, headache, back pain, cough, and fatigue.
“This sNDA file acceptance brings us one step closer to potentially incorporating data into our label based on the first completed large-scale cardiovascular outcomes trial for a weight loss agent,” Lynn Kramer, MD, chief clinical officer and chief medical officer of the Neurology Business Group at Eisai, said in the press release.
Find the full press release on the Eisai website.
FDA approves Orsiro stent for coronary artery disease
The Food and Drug Administration has approved Orsiro, an ultrathin drug-eluting stent (DES), for the treatment of coronary artery disease.
FDA approval was based on 2-year results from BIOFLOW-V, an international, randomized trial in 1,344 patients with coronary artery disease who received either Orsiro or Xience, the current clinical standard. At 2 years, patients who received Orsiro had a 37% lower target lesion failure rate, a 47% lower ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization rate, and a 70% lower spontaneous MI rate. These results were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and presented at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics annual meeting in November 2018.
Orsiro previously received CE marking in Europe in 2011 and has been used to treat more than 1 million patients. The device elutes sirolimus and is available in 52 sizes ranging from 2.25 to 4.0 mm in diameter and lengths up to 40 mm, according to Biotronik’s press release.
“Orsiro has set a new standard for safety and efficacy clinical endpoints, including statistically lower target lesion revascularization and target vessel MI rates. BIOFLOW-V data are the best clinical outcomes witnessed with modern DES. It was largely thought that efficacy findings were unsurpassable, but Orsiro proves we can further reduce event rates with meaningful innovation,” David Kandzari, MD, a cardiologist at Piedmont Heart Institute in Atlanta and principal U.S. investigator for BIOFLOW-V, said in the press release.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved Orsiro, an ultrathin drug-eluting stent (DES), for the treatment of coronary artery disease.
FDA approval was based on 2-year results from BIOFLOW-V, an international, randomized trial in 1,344 patients with coronary artery disease who received either Orsiro or Xience, the current clinical standard. At 2 years, patients who received Orsiro had a 37% lower target lesion failure rate, a 47% lower ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization rate, and a 70% lower spontaneous MI rate. These results were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and presented at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics annual meeting in November 2018.
Orsiro previously received CE marking in Europe in 2011 and has been used to treat more than 1 million patients. The device elutes sirolimus and is available in 52 sizes ranging from 2.25 to 4.0 mm in diameter and lengths up to 40 mm, according to Biotronik’s press release.
“Orsiro has set a new standard for safety and efficacy clinical endpoints, including statistically lower target lesion revascularization and target vessel MI rates. BIOFLOW-V data are the best clinical outcomes witnessed with modern DES. It was largely thought that efficacy findings were unsurpassable, but Orsiro proves we can further reduce event rates with meaningful innovation,” David Kandzari, MD, a cardiologist at Piedmont Heart Institute in Atlanta and principal U.S. investigator for BIOFLOW-V, said in the press release.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved Orsiro, an ultrathin drug-eluting stent (DES), for the treatment of coronary artery disease.
FDA approval was based on 2-year results from BIOFLOW-V, an international, randomized trial in 1,344 patients with coronary artery disease who received either Orsiro or Xience, the current clinical standard. At 2 years, patients who received Orsiro had a 37% lower target lesion failure rate, a 47% lower ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization rate, and a 70% lower spontaneous MI rate. These results were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and presented at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics annual meeting in November 2018.
Orsiro previously received CE marking in Europe in 2011 and has been used to treat more than 1 million patients. The device elutes sirolimus and is available in 52 sizes ranging from 2.25 to 4.0 mm in diameter and lengths up to 40 mm, according to Biotronik’s press release.
“Orsiro has set a new standard for safety and efficacy clinical endpoints, including statistically lower target lesion revascularization and target vessel MI rates. BIOFLOW-V data are the best clinical outcomes witnessed with modern DES. It was largely thought that efficacy findings were unsurpassable, but Orsiro proves we can further reduce event rates with meaningful innovation,” David Kandzari, MD, a cardiologist at Piedmont Heart Institute in Atlanta and principal U.S. investigator for BIOFLOW-V, said in the press release.
Aripiprazole/clozapine combo more effective than monotherapies
Certain antipsychotic polytherapies, including aripiprazole and clozapine, are associated with a lower risk of psychiatric rehospitalization in patients with schizophrenia, according to Jari Tiihonen, MD, PhD, of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and his associates.
The study population included a total of 62,250 patients from the Finnish Hospital Discharge register who were treated for schizophrenia in the inpatient setting from 1972 to 2014. The median patient age was 45.6 years and the median length of follow-up was 14.1 years. Over the study period, 58.8% of this cohort were readmitted for psychiatric inpatient care, 67.2% used antipsychotic polypharmacy during the follow-up, and 57.5% were exposed to antipsychotic polypharmacy for at least 90 days, Dr. Tiihonen and his associates wrote in JAMA Psychiatry.
The combination of aripiprazole and clozapine was associated with the lowest risk of psychiatric rehospitalization, compared with those who received no therapy (hazard ratio, 0.42, 95% confidence interval, 0.39-0.46). Clozapine alone was the most effective antipsychotic monotherapy (HR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.47-0.51), and when aripiprazole/clozapine was compared with clozapine alone, the polytherapy was significantly more effective (HR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.79-0.94).
The difference between aripiprazole/clozapine and clozapine alone was even greater in patients who initially were hospitalized for their first episode of schizophrenia (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.63-0.96). Overall, any antipsychotic polypharmacy was associated with a 7%-13% lower risk of hospitalization, compared with any monotherapy; , the authors noted.
“It should be acknowledged that statements about a preferential use of antipsychotic monotherapy for maintenance treatment of schizophrenia lack evidence, and that currently available evidence – although gathered with few nonrandomized cohort studies that have their own limitations – indicates the opposite,” they concluded.
Dr. Tiihonen and several of his associates reported numerous conflicts of interest.
SOURCE: Tiihonen J et al. JAMA Psychiatry. 2019 Feb 20. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.4320.
Certain antipsychotic polytherapies, including aripiprazole and clozapine, are associated with a lower risk of psychiatric rehospitalization in patients with schizophrenia, according to Jari Tiihonen, MD, PhD, of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and his associates.
The study population included a total of 62,250 patients from the Finnish Hospital Discharge register who were treated for schizophrenia in the inpatient setting from 1972 to 2014. The median patient age was 45.6 years and the median length of follow-up was 14.1 years. Over the study period, 58.8% of this cohort were readmitted for psychiatric inpatient care, 67.2% used antipsychotic polypharmacy during the follow-up, and 57.5% were exposed to antipsychotic polypharmacy for at least 90 days, Dr. Tiihonen and his associates wrote in JAMA Psychiatry.
The combination of aripiprazole and clozapine was associated with the lowest risk of psychiatric rehospitalization, compared with those who received no therapy (hazard ratio, 0.42, 95% confidence interval, 0.39-0.46). Clozapine alone was the most effective antipsychotic monotherapy (HR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.47-0.51), and when aripiprazole/clozapine was compared with clozapine alone, the polytherapy was significantly more effective (HR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.79-0.94).
The difference between aripiprazole/clozapine and clozapine alone was even greater in patients who initially were hospitalized for their first episode of schizophrenia (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.63-0.96). Overall, any antipsychotic polypharmacy was associated with a 7%-13% lower risk of hospitalization, compared with any monotherapy; , the authors noted.
“It should be acknowledged that statements about a preferential use of antipsychotic monotherapy for maintenance treatment of schizophrenia lack evidence, and that currently available evidence – although gathered with few nonrandomized cohort studies that have their own limitations – indicates the opposite,” they concluded.
Dr. Tiihonen and several of his associates reported numerous conflicts of interest.
SOURCE: Tiihonen J et al. JAMA Psychiatry. 2019 Feb 20. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.4320.
Certain antipsychotic polytherapies, including aripiprazole and clozapine, are associated with a lower risk of psychiatric rehospitalization in patients with schizophrenia, according to Jari Tiihonen, MD, PhD, of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and his associates.
The study population included a total of 62,250 patients from the Finnish Hospital Discharge register who were treated for schizophrenia in the inpatient setting from 1972 to 2014. The median patient age was 45.6 years and the median length of follow-up was 14.1 years. Over the study period, 58.8% of this cohort were readmitted for psychiatric inpatient care, 67.2% used antipsychotic polypharmacy during the follow-up, and 57.5% were exposed to antipsychotic polypharmacy for at least 90 days, Dr. Tiihonen and his associates wrote in JAMA Psychiatry.
The combination of aripiprazole and clozapine was associated with the lowest risk of psychiatric rehospitalization, compared with those who received no therapy (hazard ratio, 0.42, 95% confidence interval, 0.39-0.46). Clozapine alone was the most effective antipsychotic monotherapy (HR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.47-0.51), and when aripiprazole/clozapine was compared with clozapine alone, the polytherapy was significantly more effective (HR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.79-0.94).
The difference between aripiprazole/clozapine and clozapine alone was even greater in patients who initially were hospitalized for their first episode of schizophrenia (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.63-0.96). Overall, any antipsychotic polypharmacy was associated with a 7%-13% lower risk of hospitalization, compared with any monotherapy; , the authors noted.
“It should be acknowledged that statements about a preferential use of antipsychotic monotherapy for maintenance treatment of schizophrenia lack evidence, and that currently available evidence – although gathered with few nonrandomized cohort studies that have their own limitations – indicates the opposite,” they concluded.
Dr. Tiihonen and several of his associates reported numerous conflicts of interest.
SOURCE: Tiihonen J et al. JAMA Psychiatry. 2019 Feb 20. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.4320.
FROM JAMA PSYCHIATRY
FDA clears first-of-its-kind phone app for insulin management
The Food and Drug Administration has granted 501(k) clearance to a phone app for managing insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes.
The app will enhance Hygieia’s d-Nav Insulin Guidance Service, which uses Cloud-based technology and a small group of health care professionals to support physicians and help patients with diabetes achieve better glycemic control by providing personalized insulin adjustments. The system has been shown, in a 90-day clinical study, to reduce both costs and levels of glycosylated hemoglobin. Patients can use the app to enter glucose-event data and receive a recommended insulin dose.
“Insulin therapy is critical to the health of more than 8 million people in the United States, but it is often ineffective, largely because it requires a continual, personalized adjustment that is not practical for physicians and not manageable for patients. The d-Nav service, including the user-friendly phone app, makes insulin therapy more effective, less time intensive, and less costly for everyone involved,” Eran Bashan, CEO of Hygieia, said in a press release.
This is the first insulin-mangement app that can titrate individualized doses for all insulin regimens and the first that can connect to any glucose meter that shares information with the cloud. It is available for both Android and iOS.
Find the full press release on the Hygieia website.
The Food and Drug Administration has granted 501(k) clearance to a phone app for managing insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes.
The app will enhance Hygieia’s d-Nav Insulin Guidance Service, which uses Cloud-based technology and a small group of health care professionals to support physicians and help patients with diabetes achieve better glycemic control by providing personalized insulin adjustments. The system has been shown, in a 90-day clinical study, to reduce both costs and levels of glycosylated hemoglobin. Patients can use the app to enter glucose-event data and receive a recommended insulin dose.
“Insulin therapy is critical to the health of more than 8 million people in the United States, but it is often ineffective, largely because it requires a continual, personalized adjustment that is not practical for physicians and not manageable for patients. The d-Nav service, including the user-friendly phone app, makes insulin therapy more effective, less time intensive, and less costly for everyone involved,” Eran Bashan, CEO of Hygieia, said in a press release.
This is the first insulin-mangement app that can titrate individualized doses for all insulin regimens and the first that can connect to any glucose meter that shares information with the cloud. It is available for both Android and iOS.
Find the full press release on the Hygieia website.
The Food and Drug Administration has granted 501(k) clearance to a phone app for managing insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes.
The app will enhance Hygieia’s d-Nav Insulin Guidance Service, which uses Cloud-based technology and a small group of health care professionals to support physicians and help patients with diabetes achieve better glycemic control by providing personalized insulin adjustments. The system has been shown, in a 90-day clinical study, to reduce both costs and levels of glycosylated hemoglobin. Patients can use the app to enter glucose-event data and receive a recommended insulin dose.
“Insulin therapy is critical to the health of more than 8 million people in the United States, but it is often ineffective, largely because it requires a continual, personalized adjustment that is not practical for physicians and not manageable for patients. The d-Nav service, including the user-friendly phone app, makes insulin therapy more effective, less time intensive, and less costly for everyone involved,” Eran Bashan, CEO of Hygieia, said in a press release.
This is the first insulin-mangement app that can titrate individualized doses for all insulin regimens and the first that can connect to any glucose meter that shares information with the cloud. It is available for both Android and iOS.
Find the full press release on the Hygieia website.
ICYMI: Rivaroxaban reduces VTE incidence in ambulatory cancer patients
While treatment with rivaroxaban did not significantly reduce venous thromboembolism incidence in high-risk ambulatory patients with cancer over the entire course of a 180-day intervention period (6.0% vs. 8.8% in controls; hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.40-1.09), it did reduce major bleeding incidence while patients were on treatment (2.0% vs. 6.4%; HR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.20 0.80), according to results from the multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, phase 3b CASSINI trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2019 Feb 20. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1814630).
We reported this story at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology before it was published in the journal. Find our coverage at the link below.
While treatment with rivaroxaban did not significantly reduce venous thromboembolism incidence in high-risk ambulatory patients with cancer over the entire course of a 180-day intervention period (6.0% vs. 8.8% in controls; hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.40-1.09), it did reduce major bleeding incidence while patients were on treatment (2.0% vs. 6.4%; HR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.20 0.80), according to results from the multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, phase 3b CASSINI trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2019 Feb 20. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1814630).
We reported this story at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology before it was published in the journal. Find our coverage at the link below.
While treatment with rivaroxaban did not significantly reduce venous thromboembolism incidence in high-risk ambulatory patients with cancer over the entire course of a 180-day intervention period (6.0% vs. 8.8% in controls; hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.40-1.09), it did reduce major bleeding incidence while patients were on treatment (2.0% vs. 6.4%; HR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.20 0.80), according to results from the multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, phase 3b CASSINI trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2019 Feb 20. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1814630).
We reported this story at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology before it was published in the journal. Find our coverage at the link below.
FROM THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
Diagnostic metal rod, eyeball extramission, fungal foot fetish
Doctor, (fake) doctor, gimme the news
Florida Man strikes again, and this time he’s a faux MD.
Onelio Hipolit-Gonzalez was charged with a felony for impersonating a doctor who promised patients he could easily diagnose their diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, and pretty much any other malady … with a metal rod. The “doctor” would have patients hold on to a metal rod connected to a beeping machine (these are the scientific terms, of course), and then he would gravely diagnose them with a variety of ailments that he could cure for the low, low price of $2,000.
If you’re curious how he treated patients, fear not. This intrepid medical professional took the ingenious measure of drawing a patient’s blood and simply injecting it back inside them. Bada-bing, instant cure! Honestly, medical school these days is really overrated. Just learn to properly use a syringe, and you should be good to go. Just make sure not to attempt to treat/con any undercover cops.
Step away from the stinky socks
In another edition of “Humans: What Won’t They Do?” a Chinese man has developed a severe lung infection from prolonged, voluntary inhalation of his sweaty socks.
Take a moment to gag if you need it.
The man reportedly would finish his daily walk home from work with a deep, relaxing session of smelling his socks. Somewhat unsurprisingly, he developed a fungal infection and had to be hospitalized.
His doctor, perhaps in an effort to spare his feelings, conceded that the infection could be attributed to his weakened immune system from looking after his child. Sock-smelling weirdo, or just a good dad? Let’s just hope he doesn’t pass on this … unorthodox hobby to his offspring.
Turn down your eye beams
Do you remember the recent LOTME about a company selling tissues that have already been used by a sick person? Good news! This next item has nothing to do with that.
More good news! Belief in extramission – the ability to emit an invisible energy from the eyes – is down to about 5% among Americans after being greater than 50% at the turn of the century. The bad news? Belief in extramission is about 5% among Americans, according to investigators at Princeton (N.J.) University.
It’s not really a superhero thing, though. The researchers shared an explanation common among the extramission believers: “Light enters the eye, and there is a reflector piece inside the eye. The reflector reflects the light back out and hits the object, allowing the eye to see it.”
Now, we’d like to discount this whole eye-beam business, we really would, but there may be an exception that proves the rule. Ever had a staring contest with a cat? There’s got to be some sort of freaky power going on there.
The world’s worst superpower
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in the beginning of a science fiction novel? Well, worry no more – a group of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University has you covered!
Okay, we’re pretty sure that the nanoparticles they’ve come up with won’t turn you into the Borg, but they will make your urine glow. Specifically, when injected into the bodies of people who’ve recently undergone transplants, they can help identify when an organ is failing.
The particles are tiny (duh), but they’re big enough that they won’t accumulate in normal, native tissue. However, they are small enough that, when a transplanted organ is being attacked by the body, the nanoparticles will end up getting through the kidneys and into urine. The particles are fluorescent and glow under near-infrared light.
The nanoparticles are aimed at replacing biopsies, as they are more predictive and less invasive. Also, who wouldn’t want to claim they’ve been enhanced by nanotechnology? Resistance is futile, after all.
Doctor, (fake) doctor, gimme the news
Florida Man strikes again, and this time he’s a faux MD.
Onelio Hipolit-Gonzalez was charged with a felony for impersonating a doctor who promised patients he could easily diagnose their diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, and pretty much any other malady … with a metal rod. The “doctor” would have patients hold on to a metal rod connected to a beeping machine (these are the scientific terms, of course), and then he would gravely diagnose them with a variety of ailments that he could cure for the low, low price of $2,000.
If you’re curious how he treated patients, fear not. This intrepid medical professional took the ingenious measure of drawing a patient’s blood and simply injecting it back inside them. Bada-bing, instant cure! Honestly, medical school these days is really overrated. Just learn to properly use a syringe, and you should be good to go. Just make sure not to attempt to treat/con any undercover cops.
Step away from the stinky socks
In another edition of “Humans: What Won’t They Do?” a Chinese man has developed a severe lung infection from prolonged, voluntary inhalation of his sweaty socks.
Take a moment to gag if you need it.
The man reportedly would finish his daily walk home from work with a deep, relaxing session of smelling his socks. Somewhat unsurprisingly, he developed a fungal infection and had to be hospitalized.
His doctor, perhaps in an effort to spare his feelings, conceded that the infection could be attributed to his weakened immune system from looking after his child. Sock-smelling weirdo, or just a good dad? Let’s just hope he doesn’t pass on this … unorthodox hobby to his offspring.
Turn down your eye beams
Do you remember the recent LOTME about a company selling tissues that have already been used by a sick person? Good news! This next item has nothing to do with that.
More good news! Belief in extramission – the ability to emit an invisible energy from the eyes – is down to about 5% among Americans after being greater than 50% at the turn of the century. The bad news? Belief in extramission is about 5% among Americans, according to investigators at Princeton (N.J.) University.
It’s not really a superhero thing, though. The researchers shared an explanation common among the extramission believers: “Light enters the eye, and there is a reflector piece inside the eye. The reflector reflects the light back out and hits the object, allowing the eye to see it.”
Now, we’d like to discount this whole eye-beam business, we really would, but there may be an exception that proves the rule. Ever had a staring contest with a cat? There’s got to be some sort of freaky power going on there.
The world’s worst superpower
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in the beginning of a science fiction novel? Well, worry no more – a group of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University has you covered!
Okay, we’re pretty sure that the nanoparticles they’ve come up with won’t turn you into the Borg, but they will make your urine glow. Specifically, when injected into the bodies of people who’ve recently undergone transplants, they can help identify when an organ is failing.
The particles are tiny (duh), but they’re big enough that they won’t accumulate in normal, native tissue. However, they are small enough that, when a transplanted organ is being attacked by the body, the nanoparticles will end up getting through the kidneys and into urine. The particles are fluorescent and glow under near-infrared light.
The nanoparticles are aimed at replacing biopsies, as they are more predictive and less invasive. Also, who wouldn’t want to claim they’ve been enhanced by nanotechnology? Resistance is futile, after all.
Doctor, (fake) doctor, gimme the news
Florida Man strikes again, and this time he’s a faux MD.
Onelio Hipolit-Gonzalez was charged with a felony for impersonating a doctor who promised patients he could easily diagnose their diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, and pretty much any other malady … with a metal rod. The “doctor” would have patients hold on to a metal rod connected to a beeping machine (these are the scientific terms, of course), and then he would gravely diagnose them with a variety of ailments that he could cure for the low, low price of $2,000.
If you’re curious how he treated patients, fear not. This intrepid medical professional took the ingenious measure of drawing a patient’s blood and simply injecting it back inside them. Bada-bing, instant cure! Honestly, medical school these days is really overrated. Just learn to properly use a syringe, and you should be good to go. Just make sure not to attempt to treat/con any undercover cops.
Step away from the stinky socks
In another edition of “Humans: What Won’t They Do?” a Chinese man has developed a severe lung infection from prolonged, voluntary inhalation of his sweaty socks.
Take a moment to gag if you need it.
The man reportedly would finish his daily walk home from work with a deep, relaxing session of smelling his socks. Somewhat unsurprisingly, he developed a fungal infection and had to be hospitalized.
His doctor, perhaps in an effort to spare his feelings, conceded that the infection could be attributed to his weakened immune system from looking after his child. Sock-smelling weirdo, or just a good dad? Let’s just hope he doesn’t pass on this … unorthodox hobby to his offspring.
Turn down your eye beams
Do you remember the recent LOTME about a company selling tissues that have already been used by a sick person? Good news! This next item has nothing to do with that.
More good news! Belief in extramission – the ability to emit an invisible energy from the eyes – is down to about 5% among Americans after being greater than 50% at the turn of the century. The bad news? Belief in extramission is about 5% among Americans, according to investigators at Princeton (N.J.) University.
It’s not really a superhero thing, though. The researchers shared an explanation common among the extramission believers: “Light enters the eye, and there is a reflector piece inside the eye. The reflector reflects the light back out and hits the object, allowing the eye to see it.”
Now, we’d like to discount this whole eye-beam business, we really would, but there may be an exception that proves the rule. Ever had a staring contest with a cat? There’s got to be some sort of freaky power going on there.
The world’s worst superpower
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in the beginning of a science fiction novel? Well, worry no more – a group of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University has you covered!
Okay, we’re pretty sure that the nanoparticles they’ve come up with won’t turn you into the Borg, but they will make your urine glow. Specifically, when injected into the bodies of people who’ve recently undergone transplants, they can help identify when an organ is failing.
The particles are tiny (duh), but they’re big enough that they won’t accumulate in normal, native tissue. However, they are small enough that, when a transplanted organ is being attacked by the body, the nanoparticles will end up getting through the kidneys and into urine. The particles are fluorescent and glow under near-infrared light.
The nanoparticles are aimed at replacing biopsies, as they are more predictive and less invasive. Also, who wouldn’t want to claim they’ve been enhanced by nanotechnology? Resistance is futile, after all.
FDA approves pembrolizumab for completely resected melanoma
The Food and Drug Administration has approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for the adjuvant treatment of patients with melanoma with lymph node involvement following resection.
FDA approval is based on results from the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled EORTC1325/KEYNOTE‑054 trial, in which 1,019 patients with completely resected stage III melanoma received either a placebo or 200 mg of pembrolizumab every 3 weeks for up to 1 year until disease recurrence or unacceptable toxicity.
Recurrence-free survival was significantly better in the pembrolizumab group than in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.57; 95% confidence interval, 0.46-0.70; P less than .001). The median recurrence-free survival time was 20.4 months in the placebo group and was not reached in the pembrolizumab group, the FDA said in a press release.
About three-quarters of patients received pembrolizumab for at least 6 months, while 14% of patients had to stop pembrolizumab treatment because of adverse events. The most common adverse events in pembrolizumab-treated patients included diarrhea, pruritus, nausea, arthralgia, hypothyroidism, cough, rash, asthenia, influenzalike illness, weight loss, and hyperthyroidism.
“The recommended pembrolizumab dose and schedule for the adjuvant treatment of melanoma is 200 mg administered as an IV infusion over 30 minutes every 3 weeks until disease recurrence or unacceptable toxicity, for a maximum of 1 year,” the FDA said in the press release.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for the adjuvant treatment of patients with melanoma with lymph node involvement following resection.
FDA approval is based on results from the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled EORTC1325/KEYNOTE‑054 trial, in which 1,019 patients with completely resected stage III melanoma received either a placebo or 200 mg of pembrolizumab every 3 weeks for up to 1 year until disease recurrence or unacceptable toxicity.
Recurrence-free survival was significantly better in the pembrolizumab group than in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.57; 95% confidence interval, 0.46-0.70; P less than .001). The median recurrence-free survival time was 20.4 months in the placebo group and was not reached in the pembrolizumab group, the FDA said in a press release.
About three-quarters of patients received pembrolizumab for at least 6 months, while 14% of patients had to stop pembrolizumab treatment because of adverse events. The most common adverse events in pembrolizumab-treated patients included diarrhea, pruritus, nausea, arthralgia, hypothyroidism, cough, rash, asthenia, influenzalike illness, weight loss, and hyperthyroidism.
“The recommended pembrolizumab dose and schedule for the adjuvant treatment of melanoma is 200 mg administered as an IV infusion over 30 minutes every 3 weeks until disease recurrence or unacceptable toxicity, for a maximum of 1 year,” the FDA said in the press release.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for the adjuvant treatment of patients with melanoma with lymph node involvement following resection.
FDA approval is based on results from the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled EORTC1325/KEYNOTE‑054 trial, in which 1,019 patients with completely resected stage III melanoma received either a placebo or 200 mg of pembrolizumab every 3 weeks for up to 1 year until disease recurrence or unacceptable toxicity.
Recurrence-free survival was significantly better in the pembrolizumab group than in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.57; 95% confidence interval, 0.46-0.70; P less than .001). The median recurrence-free survival time was 20.4 months in the placebo group and was not reached in the pembrolizumab group, the FDA said in a press release.
About three-quarters of patients received pembrolizumab for at least 6 months, while 14% of patients had to stop pembrolizumab treatment because of adverse events. The most common adverse events in pembrolizumab-treated patients included diarrhea, pruritus, nausea, arthralgia, hypothyroidism, cough, rash, asthenia, influenzalike illness, weight loss, and hyperthyroidism.
“The recommended pembrolizumab dose and schedule for the adjuvant treatment of melanoma is 200 mg administered as an IV infusion over 30 minutes every 3 weeks until disease recurrence or unacceptable toxicity, for a maximum of 1 year,” the FDA said in the press release.
ICYMI: Andexanet alfa reduces anti–factor Xa activity from apixaban, rivaroxaban
Patients with acute major bleeding associated with factor Xa inhibitor usage who received andexanet alfa experienced a significant decrease in anti–factor Xa activity, with more than three-quarters of patients experiencing good or excellent hemostatic efficiency after 12 hours. That finding emerged from the multicenter, prospective, open-label, single-group ANNEXA-4 trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2019 Feb 11. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1814051).
We reported this story at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology before it was published in the journal. Find our coverage at the link below.
Patients with acute major bleeding associated with factor Xa inhibitor usage who received andexanet alfa experienced a significant decrease in anti–factor Xa activity, with more than three-quarters of patients experiencing good or excellent hemostatic efficiency after 12 hours. That finding emerged from the multicenter, prospective, open-label, single-group ANNEXA-4 trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2019 Feb 11. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1814051).
We reported this story at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology before it was published in the journal. Find our coverage at the link below.
Patients with acute major bleeding associated with factor Xa inhibitor usage who received andexanet alfa experienced a significant decrease in anti–factor Xa activity, with more than three-quarters of patients experiencing good or excellent hemostatic efficiency after 12 hours. That finding emerged from the multicenter, prospective, open-label, single-group ANNEXA-4 trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2019 Feb 11. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1814051).
We reported this story at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology before it was published in the journal. Find our coverage at the link below.
FROM THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
FDA approves first interoperable insulin infusion pump
, for insulin delivery in children and adults with diabetes.
The pump delivers insulin under the skin at a variable or fixed rate. It can function on its own, or it can be digitally connected to automatically communicate with and receive drug-dosing commands from other diabetes management devices, such as automated insulin-dosing systems, the agency announced.
The approval was based on a review of performance data demonstrating that the device can deliver insulin accurately and reliably and at the rates and volumes programmed by the user. The agency also assessed the pump’s ability to connect reliably with other devices, as well as its cybersecurity and fail-safe modes.
Risks associated with the device were similar to those of other infusion pumps and include infection, bleeding, pain, or skin irritations. Blockages and air bubbles can occur in the tubing, which will affect drug delivery. Risks associated with incorrect drug delivery include hypo- and hyperglycemia as well as diabetic ketoacidosis.
“The marketing authorization of the [pump] has the potential to aid patients who seek more individualized diabetes therapy systems and opens the door for developers of future connected diabetes devices to get other safe and effective products to patients more efficiently,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, said in the announcement.
, for insulin delivery in children and adults with diabetes.
The pump delivers insulin under the skin at a variable or fixed rate. It can function on its own, or it can be digitally connected to automatically communicate with and receive drug-dosing commands from other diabetes management devices, such as automated insulin-dosing systems, the agency announced.
The approval was based on a review of performance data demonstrating that the device can deliver insulin accurately and reliably and at the rates and volumes programmed by the user. The agency also assessed the pump’s ability to connect reliably with other devices, as well as its cybersecurity and fail-safe modes.
Risks associated with the device were similar to those of other infusion pumps and include infection, bleeding, pain, or skin irritations. Blockages and air bubbles can occur in the tubing, which will affect drug delivery. Risks associated with incorrect drug delivery include hypo- and hyperglycemia as well as diabetic ketoacidosis.
“The marketing authorization of the [pump] has the potential to aid patients who seek more individualized diabetes therapy systems and opens the door for developers of future connected diabetes devices to get other safe and effective products to patients more efficiently,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, said in the announcement.
, for insulin delivery in children and adults with diabetes.
The pump delivers insulin under the skin at a variable or fixed rate. It can function on its own, or it can be digitally connected to automatically communicate with and receive drug-dosing commands from other diabetes management devices, such as automated insulin-dosing systems, the agency announced.
The approval was based on a review of performance data demonstrating that the device can deliver insulin accurately and reliably and at the rates and volumes programmed by the user. The agency also assessed the pump’s ability to connect reliably with other devices, as well as its cybersecurity and fail-safe modes.
Risks associated with the device were similar to those of other infusion pumps and include infection, bleeding, pain, or skin irritations. Blockages and air bubbles can occur in the tubing, which will affect drug delivery. Risks associated with incorrect drug delivery include hypo- and hyperglycemia as well as diabetic ketoacidosis.
“The marketing authorization of the [pump] has the potential to aid patients who seek more individualized diabetes therapy systems and opens the door for developers of future connected diabetes devices to get other safe and effective products to patients more efficiently,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, said in the announcement.
Love hormone plein air, posh preused Kleenex, and dieting plague vectors
Paint me like one of your French girls
If you’re trying to think of a fun Valentine’s activity, look no further than paint night! Normally associated with a ladies night out (and heavy on the wine), a recent study found that painting releases high levels of the “love hormone”, a.k.a. oxytocin, in men.
Researchers compared the levels of oxytocin with partners painting and partners playing board games, and were surprised by the results: While all the couples released oxytocin during these activities, men in paint class had the highest levels – twice as much as any other group.
Feel free to cite this study next time your man complains about being dragged to a paint-and-sip. Painting partners also experienced more touching than the gaming group (unless you count throwing Monopoly pieces at your significant other as touching).
You won’t get me sick, I’ll get me sick!
There are certain items that, after being used once, you really wouldn’t want to reuse. A snotty, mucus-filled tissue is pretty high up on that list ... or so you would hope. But that’s not thinking with real American entrepreneurial spirit! Welcome to Vaev Tissue, a startup based in Los Angeles that sells used tissues containing germs from a sick person for the bargain price of $79.99.
Yes, you read that correctly. They sell an $80 used tissue. The purpose, according to Vaev’s mission statement, is “to get sick on your own terms,” as “using a tissue that carries a human sneeze is safer than needles or pills.”
As you might expect, the tissues are popular with young parents and adults who are “critical” of vaccines. Who else could hear advice from actual doctors who told Time magazine that “there is nothing positive that can come from this, only things that are adverse,” or that the tissues are an “incredible liability,” and continue on, regardless?
And if you’re thinking, “If these people want to get sick, why not just have someone sneeze on them?” Don’t be ridiculous. Focus testers responded highly negatively to simply being handed a dirty tissue. The premium packaging and high price tag are a necessity.
Our advice? Well, as tempting as all this sounds, we think we’ll stick with washing our hands and not sticking used tissues in our faces. You know, like reasonable people.
Why Bullwinkle thinks pink
Flying squirrels are secretly doing their best flamingo impression – who knew? A forestry professor discovered, by happy accident, that flying squirrels are fluorescent – they glow hot pink under ultraviolet light.
Turns out, almost all species of gliders – even blue-helmeted Rocket “Rocky” J. Squirrel – are members of the Pink Ladies. They are one of the very few glowing mammals; the only other known mammalian species to have fluorescent fur are certain opossums.
But why do these airborne rodents glow pink? Is it because of an overintake of bubblegum? Are flying squirrels just really flamboyant but also shy? Are they huge fans of the singer Pink?
A biologist involved in studying these colorful critters hypothesized that the reason is slightly more related to environment than musical preference. Flying squirrels are nocturnal, making them most active when UV light is most prominent. The garish glow might have something to do with nighttime perception.
However, we don’t know the answer for sure. And in the meantime, we can choose to believe flying squirrels eat way too much cotton candy.
Buzz, feed, diet. Repeat
Guns don’t hurt this mass murderer. Police can’t arrest it. Background checks are pointless. A border wall won’t keep it out. So, how do you stop a mosquito?
Diet drugs.
Because female mosquitoes transmit malaria, Zika, and other diseases when they move from person to person feeding on human blood, investigators sought to curb that appetite by chemically re-creating the feeling of fullness they get after a big meal.
The lady killers in their study – Aedes aegypti, to be exact – when given an antiobesity drug that suppresses human appetite by activating neuropeptide receptors that regulate food intake, turned away from a tempting piece of nylon stocking that had been worn by one of the researchers. Further work showed that treated mosquitoes were as disinterested in feeding on a live mouse as mosquitoes that had already enjoyed a full blood meal.
The LOTME research staff (What? Of course, we have a research staff. You don’t?) is working on the mosquito problem too, although we’ve taken a somewhat different approach: The “volunteers” who walk into the mosquito-filled room wear a sign that says, “My blood will make your butt look bigger.”
Paint me like one of your French girls
If you’re trying to think of a fun Valentine’s activity, look no further than paint night! Normally associated with a ladies night out (and heavy on the wine), a recent study found that painting releases high levels of the “love hormone”, a.k.a. oxytocin, in men.
Researchers compared the levels of oxytocin with partners painting and partners playing board games, and were surprised by the results: While all the couples released oxytocin during these activities, men in paint class had the highest levels – twice as much as any other group.
Feel free to cite this study next time your man complains about being dragged to a paint-and-sip. Painting partners also experienced more touching than the gaming group (unless you count throwing Monopoly pieces at your significant other as touching).
You won’t get me sick, I’ll get me sick!
There are certain items that, after being used once, you really wouldn’t want to reuse. A snotty, mucus-filled tissue is pretty high up on that list ... or so you would hope. But that’s not thinking with real American entrepreneurial spirit! Welcome to Vaev Tissue, a startup based in Los Angeles that sells used tissues containing germs from a sick person for the bargain price of $79.99.
Yes, you read that correctly. They sell an $80 used tissue. The purpose, according to Vaev’s mission statement, is “to get sick on your own terms,” as “using a tissue that carries a human sneeze is safer than needles or pills.”
As you might expect, the tissues are popular with young parents and adults who are “critical” of vaccines. Who else could hear advice from actual doctors who told Time magazine that “there is nothing positive that can come from this, only things that are adverse,” or that the tissues are an “incredible liability,” and continue on, regardless?
And if you’re thinking, “If these people want to get sick, why not just have someone sneeze on them?” Don’t be ridiculous. Focus testers responded highly negatively to simply being handed a dirty tissue. The premium packaging and high price tag are a necessity.
Our advice? Well, as tempting as all this sounds, we think we’ll stick with washing our hands and not sticking used tissues in our faces. You know, like reasonable people.
Why Bullwinkle thinks pink
Flying squirrels are secretly doing their best flamingo impression – who knew? A forestry professor discovered, by happy accident, that flying squirrels are fluorescent – they glow hot pink under ultraviolet light.
Turns out, almost all species of gliders – even blue-helmeted Rocket “Rocky” J. Squirrel – are members of the Pink Ladies. They are one of the very few glowing mammals; the only other known mammalian species to have fluorescent fur are certain opossums.
But why do these airborne rodents glow pink? Is it because of an overintake of bubblegum? Are flying squirrels just really flamboyant but also shy? Are they huge fans of the singer Pink?
A biologist involved in studying these colorful critters hypothesized that the reason is slightly more related to environment than musical preference. Flying squirrels are nocturnal, making them most active when UV light is most prominent. The garish glow might have something to do with nighttime perception.
However, we don’t know the answer for sure. And in the meantime, we can choose to believe flying squirrels eat way too much cotton candy.
Buzz, feed, diet. Repeat
Guns don’t hurt this mass murderer. Police can’t arrest it. Background checks are pointless. A border wall won’t keep it out. So, how do you stop a mosquito?
Diet drugs.
Because female mosquitoes transmit malaria, Zika, and other diseases when they move from person to person feeding on human blood, investigators sought to curb that appetite by chemically re-creating the feeling of fullness they get after a big meal.
The lady killers in their study – Aedes aegypti, to be exact – when given an antiobesity drug that suppresses human appetite by activating neuropeptide receptors that regulate food intake, turned away from a tempting piece of nylon stocking that had been worn by one of the researchers. Further work showed that treated mosquitoes were as disinterested in feeding on a live mouse as mosquitoes that had already enjoyed a full blood meal.
The LOTME research staff (What? Of course, we have a research staff. You don’t?) is working on the mosquito problem too, although we’ve taken a somewhat different approach: The “volunteers” who walk into the mosquito-filled room wear a sign that says, “My blood will make your butt look bigger.”
Paint me like one of your French girls
If you’re trying to think of a fun Valentine’s activity, look no further than paint night! Normally associated with a ladies night out (and heavy on the wine), a recent study found that painting releases high levels of the “love hormone”, a.k.a. oxytocin, in men.
Researchers compared the levels of oxytocin with partners painting and partners playing board games, and were surprised by the results: While all the couples released oxytocin during these activities, men in paint class had the highest levels – twice as much as any other group.
Feel free to cite this study next time your man complains about being dragged to a paint-and-sip. Painting partners also experienced more touching than the gaming group (unless you count throwing Monopoly pieces at your significant other as touching).
You won’t get me sick, I’ll get me sick!
There are certain items that, after being used once, you really wouldn’t want to reuse. A snotty, mucus-filled tissue is pretty high up on that list ... or so you would hope. But that’s not thinking with real American entrepreneurial spirit! Welcome to Vaev Tissue, a startup based in Los Angeles that sells used tissues containing germs from a sick person for the bargain price of $79.99.
Yes, you read that correctly. They sell an $80 used tissue. The purpose, according to Vaev’s mission statement, is “to get sick on your own terms,” as “using a tissue that carries a human sneeze is safer than needles or pills.”
As you might expect, the tissues are popular with young parents and adults who are “critical” of vaccines. Who else could hear advice from actual doctors who told Time magazine that “there is nothing positive that can come from this, only things that are adverse,” or that the tissues are an “incredible liability,” and continue on, regardless?
And if you’re thinking, “If these people want to get sick, why not just have someone sneeze on them?” Don’t be ridiculous. Focus testers responded highly negatively to simply being handed a dirty tissue. The premium packaging and high price tag are a necessity.
Our advice? Well, as tempting as all this sounds, we think we’ll stick with washing our hands and not sticking used tissues in our faces. You know, like reasonable people.
Why Bullwinkle thinks pink
Flying squirrels are secretly doing their best flamingo impression – who knew? A forestry professor discovered, by happy accident, that flying squirrels are fluorescent – they glow hot pink under ultraviolet light.
Turns out, almost all species of gliders – even blue-helmeted Rocket “Rocky” J. Squirrel – are members of the Pink Ladies. They are one of the very few glowing mammals; the only other known mammalian species to have fluorescent fur are certain opossums.
But why do these airborne rodents glow pink? Is it because of an overintake of bubblegum? Are flying squirrels just really flamboyant but also shy? Are they huge fans of the singer Pink?
A biologist involved in studying these colorful critters hypothesized that the reason is slightly more related to environment than musical preference. Flying squirrels are nocturnal, making them most active when UV light is most prominent. The garish glow might have something to do with nighttime perception.
However, we don’t know the answer for sure. And in the meantime, we can choose to believe flying squirrels eat way too much cotton candy.
Buzz, feed, diet. Repeat
Guns don’t hurt this mass murderer. Police can’t arrest it. Background checks are pointless. A border wall won’t keep it out. So, how do you stop a mosquito?
Diet drugs.
Because female mosquitoes transmit malaria, Zika, and other diseases when they move from person to person feeding on human blood, investigators sought to curb that appetite by chemically re-creating the feeling of fullness they get after a big meal.
The lady killers in their study – Aedes aegypti, to be exact – when given an antiobesity drug that suppresses human appetite by activating neuropeptide receptors that regulate food intake, turned away from a tempting piece of nylon stocking that had been worn by one of the researchers. Further work showed that treated mosquitoes were as disinterested in feeding on a live mouse as mosquitoes that had already enjoyed a full blood meal.
The LOTME research staff (What? Of course, we have a research staff. You don’t?) is working on the mosquito problem too, although we’ve taken a somewhat different approach: The “volunteers” who walk into the mosquito-filled room wear a sign that says, “My blood will make your butt look bigger.”