Stanford Report, March 1, 2006

Media Monitor

"There was one who received only one antibiotic, and he rapidly died." —Jon-Erik Holty, MD, a fellow in pulmonary and critical-care medicine, discussing his findings that lung drainage and substantial doses of antibiotics are critical steps in treating anthrax. The research was conducted at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System. New York Times, Feb. 21 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/21/health/21anth.html?_r=1&;oref=slogin

"You can't euthanize a patient against the patient's wishes." —David Magnus, PhD, director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, talking about the ethical constraints against doctors overseeing executions, as became evident in last week's cancellation of such an event at San Quentin. Oakland Tribune, Feb. 22 http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_3534702

"The media like to boil down a complicated thing to a sound bite." —Marcia Stefanick, PhD, professor of medicine and researcher with the federally funded Women's Health Initiative, on the confusion surrounding the project's latest nuanced findings about the benefits of calcium and Vitamin D for older women. Philadelphia Inquirer, Feb. 20 http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/magazine/daily/13914442.htm

"People with no active disease—in other words, people who are doing fine—shouldn't be given an experimental drug with unknown risks." —Larry Steinman, MD, professor of neurology and neurological science, talking about a case in which a woman with no active signs of multiple sclerosis died after being given a new drug, Tysabri, in a clinical trial. Steinman had previously warned the company of its potentially fatal side effects. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 18 http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-drugtrial18feb18,1,2954962.story?coll=la-headlines-business)