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FDA Meeting Today on Strain Selection for Periodic Covid-19 Vaccine
The FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will meet today from 8:30 am-5:00 pm ET to discuss and make recommendations on strain selection for the periodic updated Covid-19 vaccines for the 2023-2024 vaccine campaign. The discussion topic will be: “Based on the evidence and other considerations presented, pleasediscuss selection of a specific XBB…
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Jim Gets New Eyeglasses!
I got brand new eyeglasses the other day. I have gone without a new prescription that was valid since my retinal detachment surgery over a year ago. It was a bit strange how that worked out. Last year, I saw the eye doctor who gave me a new prescription, but who also diagnosed the retinal…
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My Two Cents on the Involuntary Treatment of Tuberculosis and Psychiatric Illness
By now many of us have seen the news headline about the person in Washington state who was arrested and sent to jail for noncompliance with a court order for treatment of tuberculosis. This led to my searching the literature about the connection between court-ordered treatment for psychiatric illness and court-ordered treatment for tuberculosis in…
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Rain Blesses Our Garden Including Evening Primrose
We were very happy when we finally got a little rain the other day. It really brightened up the garden. Sena got some evening primrose. This happens to be one of my favorite flowers. It was one of the many flowers she planted in her big garden at our first house. The evening primrose I…
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CDC Updated Recommendations for Covid-19 Vaccine Use
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) held a Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) meeting to discuss updated recommendations for Covid-19 vaccine use on May 11, 2023. You can view the YouTube recording of the meeting and view presentation slides at this link. The meeting was designed for clinicians.
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FDA Meeting June 15, 2023 on Strain Selection for Periodic Covid-19 Vaccine
The FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will meet June 15, 2023 from 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. ET “to discuss and make recommendations on the selection of strain(s) to be included in the periodic updated COVID-19 vaccines for the 2023-2024 vaccination campaign. This discussion will include consideration of the vaccine composition for fall to…
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Resident Physicians on Strike at Elmhurst Hospital in New York City
I read the news story about resident physicians at Elmhurst Hospital Center in New York City who went on strike this past Monday about low pay. The story doesn’t mention whether psychiatry residents joined the strike. The story did mention how difficult it was to work there during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. I looked…
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No Swimming Order at Terry Trueblood Recreation Area
A no swimming order has been issued as of yesterday for Sand Lake at Terry Trueblood Recreation Area, due to E. coli bacteria contamination. Updates are on Fridays of each week.
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May is Mental Health Month
May is Mental Health Month. This would be a good month for me to practice giving myself and others grace. Here’s a link to a very nice article about grace. It’s really about giving each other a break from slamming one another and letting go—sort of like what you need to do in juggling. The…
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AI Probably Cannot Read Your Mind
I was fascinated by the news story about the study regarding the ability of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to “read minds.” Different stories told slightly different versions, meaning they either did or did not include the authors’ caveats about the limitations of AI. Recently there has been a spate of news items warning about the dangers…
Go Retire Psychiatrist 