Teenagers are often more prone to experiencing signs and symptoms of depression, and the use of anti-depressants in this particular population has been the subject of much debate and study.

And while several drugs on the market are used to treat teens with depression, a study done in the early 00′s led to increased concern that the drugs enhanced the possibility of suicidal ideation or suicidal thoughts. That in turn led to a high-level “black box” warning issued by the Food Drug Administration (FDA) in 2004 when concerns about the link between depression drugs in teens and suicide risk was probed.

However, subsequent clinical research has failed to replicate the study’s results, and more recent controlled studies contrasting certain depression medications with placebos showed no increased suicide risk with the former over the latter. According to rxDaily, Robert Gibbons, PhD, of the University of Chicago Medicine recently headed up a new analysis of 41 studies that encompassed more than 9,000 people and found no increased risk of suicide in young people medicated with common anti-depressants versus placebos. Gibbons explains:

“The key finding here, when we re-analyze all the patient-level longitudinal records in these studies, is that antidepressants neither increase nor decrease suicidal thoughts or behavior in children… Maybe children think about suicide in part because of depression, but also maybe due to other reasons not related to depression that are not affected by antidepressants.”

Gibbons also surmises that the risk of suicide may be due to depression itself more commonly, and not the drugs used to treat the depression:

“Basically, the results say that the mechanism by which the antidepressants affect suicide rates is by decreasing depression. It follows that if a treatment is not working for an individual, the risk for suicidal behavior and perhaps worse remains high.”

Gibbons’ team’s analysis was published in the February 2012 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Depression Drug, Suicide Link Reexamined is a post from: The Inquisitr

Apple sells millions of iPad devices every single year and they sell even more accessories for those devices but the GoPad takes device constant tablet computer use to a whole new level.

GoPad allows users to attach their iPad around their neck with a corded attachment that makes it simple to carry the tablet while using it at the same time with both hands free for navigation and typing.

The accessory while a bit silly looking could be a great option for many working professionals such as nurses and doctors who tend to carry around laptops and other bulky devices throughout the day.

iPad 3 Going Ultra-Mobile With GoPad Accessory is a post from: The Inquisitr

We love our cats but there are some people who love them maybe just bit too much and seem to collect them like other people collect stamps or bottle caps the only problem is that at some point they cross the line from being a cat lover to being that crazy cat person that we all like to make fun of.

In fact if the research of evolutionary biologist Jaroslav Flegr from the Charles University in Prague is even close to being on the money those crazy cat people could be suffering from a medical illness due to those cats that they love so much.

Now it is a well know fact that cats carry a very tiny organism that gets excreted in their feces and is potentially dangerous to humans. This is one reason that pregnant women are warned to stay away from cat litter boxes during their pregnancy as the parasite can be transmitted to their unborn child and could lead to brain damage or death.

The parasite is called Toxoplasma gondii (T.gondii or Toxo for short) and Flegr believes it can also affect a healthy person’s brain.

But if Flegr is right, the “latent” parasite may be quietly tweaking the connections between our neurons, changing our response to frightening situations, our trust in others, how outgoing we are, and even our preference for certain scents. And that’s not all. He also believes that the organism contributes to car crashes, suicides, and mental disorders such as schizophrenia. When you add up all the different ways it can harm us, says Flegr, “Toxoplasma might even kill as many people as malaria, or at least a million people a year.”

via The Atlantic

Flegr has been pursuing this theory in relative obscurity for decades, and a certain ridicule from those that have seen his research. However that may change as some scientists, like Robert Sapolsky from Stanford, think that Flegr may actually be onto something with his theory.

 Flegr’s “studies are well conducted, and I can see no reason to doubt them,” Sapolsky tells me. Indeed, recent findings from Sapolsky’s lab and British groups suggest that the parasite is capable of extraordinary shenanigans. T. gondii, reports Sapolsky, can turn a rat’s strong innate aversion to cats into an attraction, luring it into the jaws of its No. 1 predator. Even more amazing is how it does this: the organism rewires circuits in parts of the brain that deal with such primal emotions as fear, anxiety, and sexual arousal. “Overall,” says Sapolsky, “this is wild, bizarre neurobiology.” Another academic heavyweight who takes Flegr seriously is the schizophrenia expert E. Fuller Torrey, director of the Stanley Medical Research Institute, in Maryland. “I admire Jaroslav for doing [this research],” he says. “It’s obviously not politically correct, in the sense that not many labs are doing it. He’s done it mostly on his own, with very little support. I think it bears looking at. I find it completely credible.”

via The Atlantic

So folks, the next time you see some crazy cat person disappearing into the home full of cats you might want to think twice about making fun of then because they may in fact be ‘crazy’.

It seems that the Crazy Cat Lady may have a medical explanation is a post from: The Inquisitr

While here in North America everyone is still slapping each other on the back over the slap down that both SOPA and PIPA got in Congress the reality is that the over intent behind what those two bills stood for hasn’t stopped as evidenced by the more global ACTA treaty.

Unlike the two American bills however ACTA is still on the move to being accepted by governments around the world with the current signatories including: Canada, Australia, Japan, United States, Morocco, New Zealand and Singapore. That doesn’t mean that it is clear sailing for ACTA as protests against it have spread across Europe and several key countries pulling out of the treaty agreement.

This past weekend saw a huge multi-country protest with thousands of people coming out to march against the signing of the treaty. The current number of protests and protesters sits at:

• Germany – 25,000
• Sofia, Bulgaria – 4,000
• Bucharest, Romania – 300
• Warsaw, Poland – 500
• Paris, France – 1,000
• Prague, Czech Republic – 1,500
• Cluj, Transylvania – 2,000
• Budapest, Hungary – 1,000
• Vilnius, Lithuania – 600
• London, England – 200

As much as the proponents of ACTA would like us to believe that this is just about copyright and piracy just as they tried with SOPA and PIPA the fact is a lot more. As James Plafke from Geekosystem put it recently

A general concern with ACTA is that could make ISPs responsible for their users’ copyright infringements, which would lead to ISPs implement some kind of nefarious surveillance in order to protest themselves. Along with that, users could end up blacklisted from ISPs if they’re caught infringing on copyright a few times, and as we know, copyright infringement is a mucky territory to delve into, and you might be taking part in it without actually being aware you are.

Thankfully the number of countries in Europe that have either withdrawn support for ACTA or are reconsidering their position on it is growing as the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia have delayed proceeding on the treaty.

via Geekosystem

The European ACTA revolt draws large number of protesters is a post from: The Inquisitr

Apple’s profits have soared since the advent of iPhone and iPad based devices but that profit has come at the expense of the very company’s that have helped Apple succeed, wireless carriers. While Apple creates each iOS based device for an estimated price of just $150 they sell those phones to carriers for $600.

To get customers interested wireless carriers then turn around and sell iPhones back to customers for as little as $199 with a two year contract.

The school of thought has always been that the customers 2-year contract combined with required data plans for smartphones will lead to a return on investment, yet AT&T and Verizon stock has dropped and Sprint has recorded 40% losses since it started selling the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S.

One analyst tells the Los Angeles Times:

“The AT&T wireless model is broken. AT&T is basically subsidizing Apple’s revenues and profit growth.”

The system is broken because in order to compete many cellular carriers have had to offer “early upgrades” to keep customers. This essentially means that after one year a customer on a two year contract with an already subsidized phone is given a discount to buy another phone and up their contract for two years again.

There does appear to be one bright point for carriers, Google Android phones continue to increase in popularity and are often slightly cheaper to obtain.

One Verizon employee quips of the choice in smartphones:

“It depends what you like. Do you like the Androids’ faster download times, bigger screens, longer battery life and better cameras? Or do you like Apple?”

Do you think carriers put themselves in the position their in now by bowing down to Apple and the iOS system?

Apple iPhone Sales Hurting Wireless Carrier Profits is a post from: The Inquisitr

Last year, Samsung released the Galaxy Mini S5570, a solid option for those who wanted a Galaxy, but perhaps wanted something just a bit smaller–and significantly cheaper. Apparently, enough people were into it that Samsung is getting ready to release a successor.

GSM Arena picked up on a promotional image from Samsung, which not only reveals the Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 S6500, it says that the phone will be released at some point this month. At what price point, we don’t know yet.

The listing doesn’t show the full specs of the phone, but it does show that the Galaxy Mini 2 has seen a few upgrades. It now sports a larger 3.3 inch screen, a higher resolution, and an 800MHz processor with 3GB of internal storage, which is a step up from its predecessor.

GSM Arena reports:

The mini 2 S6500 will run Android 2.3 Gingerbread and keeps the 3MP camera and 7.2Mbps HSDPA connectivity from the original. Design-wise, the S6500 has the rounded corners of the first mini, but looks closer to a baby Galaxy S with that home button hump at the lower back.

The site figures that the Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 will debut at the Mobile World Congress later this month, if not ahead of it.

Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 leaked ahead of MWC is a post from: The Inquisitr

Though as is the case with deaths of indeterminate cause (ie, not a murder or long illness), toxicology testing is usually to follow, more details have emerged regarding the death of singer Whitney Houston.

Like Amy Winehouse before her, the singer struggled with substance abuse and had exhibited a declining ability to perform over the years preceding her death. Just two days ago, Houston was spotted out on the town, looking a bit worse for wear, and rumors began to circulate that the singer was doing poorly again.

TMZ got some details on the circumstances surrounding Houston’s death, and while Whitney Houston’s cause of death is not yet known, a clearer picture is beginning to emerge about the circumstances surrounding it. The site explains:

Our sources tell us a member of Whitney’s entourage found her in her room at the Beverly Hilton hotel … and called hotel security — who then dialed 911. When paramedics arrived Houston was found unresponsive.

We’re told police arrived to the scene within minutes and fire was already there on an unrelated call. According to our sources, paramedics performed CPR but it did not work and she was pronounced dead at 3:55 PM… Our sources say there were no obvious signs of foul play, but BH PD detectives have begun a full investigation. We’re told she was ID’ed by family and friends.

Houston is survived by her 19-year-old daughter with singer Bobby Brown, Bobbi Kristina.

Whitney Houston: Details of Her Death Revealed is a post from: The Inquisitr

Our bodies are pretty incredible and for the most they are amazingly resilient, able to bounce back from most injuries and illnesses it finds itself subjected to, but even with all those abilities to recover there are times, and diseases that are harder to fight and survive from.

One of the hardest of those diseases is cancer but even there our bodies have a warrior capable of battling cancer cells all the while not damaging healthy cells in the area. Called T-Cells, of the cytotoxic family, and they are an integral part of our body’s immune system.

There are actually six different types of T-Cells and they each have different functions to help heal our bodies but with the primary purpose of killing off things that shouldn’t be in our bloodstream.

What’s interesting about T cells is that they are highly efficient killers, almost the smart-bomb of the body if you will. In the case of the cytotoxic T cell, it secretes a glycoprotein to its surface that is able to detect a unique antigen that is present with cells that are cancerous. Researchers are working to learn more about these cells so they can gain control of them to create a new weapon in the fight against cancer.

via Geek.com

Here is a video of a T-Cell in action.

T-Cells, our body’s warrior in the war against cancer [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

From the very first movie that was downloaded from the Internet the entertainment industry has been yelling and ranting about how the nasty evil Internet was killing the movie business and taking food out of the mouths of hard working people. Then as file lockers and BitTorrent files became a drop dead easy way for just about anyone to use to get the movies and other stuff that they wanted that ranting has gotten only louder.

It doesn’t matter that over the years just about anyone with any sense in their heads and who understood technology was telling exactly the opposite story that the movie industry wasn’t in fact being hurt by these types of downloads. It didn’t matter that while the popularity of things like BitTorrent grew so did the box office profits of the movie industry setting new records almost every year.

Well there is a new study out titled, Reel Piracy: The Effects of Online Piracy on International Box Office Sales, and guess what they found out?

Yup, BitTorrents have had no effect on box office profits. In fact if there is any blame for loss of money to be placed it is right at the feet of the movie industry itself.

According to the study, the factor with the largest impact on piracy is the delay between U.S. and international releases of films. Because of the delay in international releases, often the only way to get a film may be to pirate or wait. Given that choice, anyone who doesn’t want to waithas to turn to piracy whereas if a legitimate venue of purchase was available, at least some of that revenue could be retained.  The study estimates that if this pre-release piracy binge were eliminated — by releasing earlier, or simultaneously with the U.S. — overall losses could be reduced by 7%.

via Geekosystem

Of course we aren’t saying the outright piracy is right or a good thing but the declaration that it is killing the movie business is patently ridiculous and is being proven so each and every day, and with every new non-partisan study that is done.

Not so quick with the BitTorrent piracy killing the box office argument. is a post from: The Inquisitr

It never, ever, fails. The moment you have some new social network that pokes its head up into the Web someone out there will take the time to setup a fake account of a prominent person and then go all satirical with it.

In this instance the social network was the still in beta-invite only network Pinterest and the target of satire was none other than Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. The account on Pinterest was originally called MittRomneyGOP and in the fashion of Pinterest you could find such items as Pellegrino and expensive caviar pinned to the wall.

Well apparently this didn’t sit too well with the Romney campaign who within 24 hours of finding out about the Pinterest account contacted the company to deal with what they perceived as being a ‘identity’ problem in that the account was very misleading and a request to have the name of the account changed to fakemittromney.

Eric Spiegelman, the humorist behind the fake account, apparently resisted any attempts to agree to the change at which point Pinterest went ahead and made the change anyway, which as Spiegelman pointed out totally destroyed any of the links from before the change.

Here is the email exchange between Eric Spiegelman and Enid Hwang Community Manager for Pinterest about the matter (courtesy of Gawker).

First up the letter to Spiegelman from Pinterest

From: Enid Hwang
Date: Fri, Feb 10, 2012 at 9:51 AM PST
Subject: Pinterest: “MittRomneyGOP” username
To: Eric Spiegelman

Hi Eric,

I’m Enid, the Community Manager at Pinterest. As you might have guessed, I’m writing regarding your username “MittRomneyGOP.” We were recently contacted by officials from Mitt Romney’s campaign because they feel it’s very misleading and they’re requesting that it be changed to “fakemittromney.”

We actually really appreciate political commentary on Pinterest – and I know your account is clearly satirical – but we’re a young company so we don’t have a feature/process in place for “verified accounts” (such as Twitter) which would make the purpose of your account immediately obvious to any user on the site.

If you don’t mind changing your username, let me know. Or, you can just go ahead and make the switch yourself at: https://pinterest.com/settings. We’ve been brainstorming alternatives and unfortunately we feel changing your profile picture or adding a byline on your “bio” section on Pinterest may not be sufficient because that information isn’t included with all pins that propagate through the site.

We’re also really open to discussing the issue more with you, so you can reach me directly at [REDACTED] if you have any questions.

I’m sorry for the trouble and again, don’t hesitate to call if you’re concerned about this!

—
Enid

community manager . pinterest.com/enid . @pinterest

This is Eric’s reply to that above email

From: Eric Spiegelman
Date: Fri, Feb 10, 2012 at 10:14 AM PST
Subject: Re: Pinterest: “MittRomneyGOP” username
To: Enid Hwang

Hi Enid,

Obviously I understand your concern. And I can imagine as a new company (one that’s really doing a great job), you’d prefer not to have hassles like this. But at the same time, you’re a publishing entity that’s more or less open to the public, and I can’t in good conscience change my parody at the request of the subject of that parody. It should be obvious to the Romney campaign that nobody sees this as official, and that I am exercising my Free Speech rights in making fun of Gov. Romney’s utter tone-deafness when it comes to matters of privilege and class inequality.

That being said, I understand that you are well within your rights to delete my account. But I really hope you choose not to.

You have a wonderful service in Pinterest, and I wish your team all the best, however you proceed with this.

Best,
Eric

Enid’s followup email to Eric

From: Enid Hwang
Date: Fri, Feb 10, 2012 at 10:24 AM PST
Subject: Re: Pinterest: “MittRomneyGOP” username
To: Eric Spiegelman

Hi Eric,

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly: We have no intention of deleting your account. It’s satire and it should stay! We’ll change the username (this doesn’t affect your boards, pins, or anything else about your profile settings) and we feel that’s sufficient. Once we institute verified accounts this, and any future issues, will be taken care of universally. That’s our responsibility so sorry again for having you caught in the middle of it.

I really appreciate your note (and compliments!) and thanks so much for your understanding,

Enid

And Eric’s final email back before Pinterest went ahead and changed the account name anyway.

From: Eric Spiegelman
Date: Fri, Feb 10, 2012 at 10:40 AM PST
Subject: Re: Pinterest: “MittRomneyGOP” username
To: Enid Hwang

No, I mean, I’d prefer you don’t change my username either.

I have a sneaking feeling this might not be done with yet but we’ll see.

Pinterest’s first satire account raises the ire of Mitt Romney’s campaign is a post from: The Inquisitr

31-year-old actress Marla Sokoloff- who you may remember as one of the hot girlfriends from Dude, Where’s My Car- had a baby girl in Los Angeles Wednesday night.

Sokoloff has been in Hollywood for a long time, getting her big break as Gia- a friend to Jodie Sweetin’s Stephanie Tanner- on Full House in the 80′s. She remained on the show from 1987 through 1995, doing the film The Babysitters’ Club in 1996 as well as joining the cast of Party of Five later that year. (But my personal favorite Marla Sokoloff role from this era was her turn in Sugar & Spice in 2001, alongside Marley Shelton and Mena Suvari.

In the 00′s, Shelton appeared on Desperate Housewives- as an unreasonably sexy for Lynette and Tom Scavo. She also had roles on The Practice and CSI: NY. In her personal life, Sokoloff married Deadsy drummer Alec Puro in 2009, and the baby born Wednesday night is their first child. The baby girl was named Elliotte, and weighed in at 7 lbs.

During her pregnancy, Sokoloff blogged:

“…in the grand scheme of things, these nine months went by pretty quickly… Yes, there were weeks that seemed endless and yes, I’m currently complaining about my feet swelling up like balloons and the general discomfort that comes with the end of pregnancy- but all in all the journey has been one that I will never forget.”

In a statement after Elliotte’s birth, a rep for Sokoloff said:

“Mom, dad and baby are happy as can be and completely in love with each other.”

Marla Sokoloff Has a Baby Girl is a post from: The Inquisitr

Now that Karen Handel is no longer a Vice President at Women’s Cancer foundation Susan G. Komen she is publicly speaking out against Planned Parenthood for what she believes was a carefully calculated attack against the women’s organization.

According to Handle in an interview with the Daily Beast the two organizations were suppose to have a “gentle ladies’ agreement” that clearly stated that neither organization would call out the other if funding was ever cut off for any reason, an agreement she says Planned Parenthood broke.

“What happened is nothing short of a disgrace. Planned Parenthood launched a vicious attack on a nonprofit organization that fights breast cancer.”

Handel claims that Planned Parentood launched a focused social media campaign to force outrage over the $680,000 cut while she calls the organization a “gigantic bully” who used ”Komen as its own personal punching bag.”

While various sources close to Komen have said Handel went on a crusade to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood because of her deep pro-life roots she has attempted after her resignation from Susan G. Komen to paid a far different picture, claiming that Komen was losing donors because of its attachment to Planned Parenthood.

“The issue was ratcheting up. It wasn’t dying down… They unleashed Armageddon on an organization for $680,000.”

Planned Parenthood has quickly shot back against Handel’s claims, pointing out that the cut has been first traced back to “anti-choice outlets” which are ironically the same type of groups Karen Handel is alleged to support.

Apparently Handel has learned nothing from social media outreach, with Planned Parenthood raising more than $3 million in the week following the Komen funding pull her outrage and vicious attacks on the organization continue to put Planned Parenthood in the spotlight, a move likely to draw more support and more money for the women’s health organization.

Former Komen VP Karen Handel Calls Planned Parenthood A Bully is a post from: The Inquisitr

Okay this is definitely the weirder of surveys that I have seen in a while and the fact that it is coming from Rogers, a Canadian wireless and cable provider, makes it a little bit more disconcerting.

It seems that Rogers thought it would be a good idea to team up with Angus Reid, a Canadian survey taking company, to find out  some more information about who is using texting to hookup with someone or to dump their current partner.

The survey was done between January 13 to January 23 2012 and looked for 1,403 random Canadians who owned a smartphone or tablet and used texting, social networks, video calling, email, or instant messaging. The stated goal of the survey was to find out if the “passion for gadgets and social media hurt human interaction or improved it“.

Here’s some of the results:

• 25% say the use of technology to stay connected keeps their relationship exciting
•  Quebecers were the highest with 31% agreeing with the above statement
•  18-24 year olds spend 2.5 hours/day using tech to communicate to their boyfriend/girlfriend
•  48% of those surveyed have been asked out over the phone
•  18% of those surveyed admitted to being dumped over the phone
•  31% of 18-24 year olds surveyed said they’ve been asked out via a social networking (Facebook)
•  60% of 25-34 year olds surveyed have been asked out over the phone
•  27% of 18-24 year olds think it is fine to ask someone out on a first date through a text message
•  40% of 18-24 year olds say they’ve been asked out in a text message
•  12% of those surveyed have been dumped via text message

Want more, then head over to Rogers for more of the scoop.

via MobileSyrup

Rogers Canada has the lowdown on who’s hooking up and who’s getting dumped via text is a post from: The Inquisitr

Law enforcement site hacks are pretty common place these days and typical the response from those hacked agencies are either dry and boring as hell or there is a lot of chest beating about how they will hunt down those nasty hackers responsible and make them pay.

So when the Boston Police Department’s site became a victim of an Anonymous hack attack the last thing we expected in response was – humor; except that is exactly what BPD did, they treated the whole incident with a great sense of humor.

The hack which happened over a week ago and left the site down for the following week left visitors to the BPDNews.com with nothing to look at, and listen to, than a really bad YouTube video of the 90′s rapper KRS-One singing ‘Sound of da Police’.

However the official BPDNews.com is back up and instead of some rant against the hackers the Boston Police Department decided to have some fun with a video of their own. As Elaine Driscoll, Boston Police Department spokeswoman, said that they realized that they needed to make a statement about the hack but decided to go with a more light-hearted approach.

“It is a serious situation when something like that occurs, but that said, we’re looking for a light-hearted way to communicate with the community, apologize for the convenience and inform them of other ways to connect with us on social media.”

Here’s the video, which I thought was pretty good .. how about you?

via TechnoBuffalo

High-five to the Boston Police for their excellent response to their site being hacked [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Tesla Model X was unveiled last night at the company’s Southern California Design Studio. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors, said that the new electric car would enter production late next year.

If you’re eager to get your hands on the Tesla Model X you can reserve one starting tomorrow. Tesla’s new car will be available for $500,000 to $75,000 before tax incentive and rebates.

Musk said:

“This is kind of the killer app for families. It has more utility than a minivan, and better performance, much better performance, than an S.U.V.”

The CS Monitor reports that the Tesla Model X will have a range of about 250 models, depending on what battery pack (either a 60 or 85 Kilowatt battery pack) you choose. The Model X will also feature dual electric motors. One engine will power the front wheels and one will power the rear wheels, giving the new car all wheel drive and greater responsiveness.

On the luxury aesthetic side, the new car features “Falcon Wing” doors. Musk said that the doors, unlike other luxury car doors, have special hinges that make it possible for them to open in small spaces.

Musk said:

“You can get in and out in the tightest garage or parking spot without hitting the wall or car next to you, or your head.”

Here’s a video from the event last night. (The Tesla Model X is revealed around the 3 minute mark.)

Are you interested in electric cars? Would you drive the Tesla Model X?

Tesla Model X Revealed: Electric Car Gets Falcon Wing Doors [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The iPad 3 release date has been set, according to sources with the Wall Street Journal. The next generation of Apple’s tablet will be announced next month in San Francisco. If history is any indication, the tablet will be released about a week after the announcement.

All Things Digital writes:

“Apple’s not holding an event in February — strange, unusual or otherwise. But it is holding one in March — to launch its next iPad.”

ATD claims that Apple has chosen the first week of March to launch the new tablet and speculates that the event will be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Customers should be able to buy an iPad 3 about a week after the event.

Details about the iPad 3 are still pretty scarce. A photo of the back cover of the new tablet that leaked to the internet yesterday showed space for a larger battery and hinted at a new retina display.

GameSpot speculates that the new iPad will also have a faster processor and will carry data faster than previous iPads.

eWeek reports that Apple sold 15.43 million iPads last quarter. Apple CEO Tim Cook said:

“There is cannibalization clearly of the Mac by the iPad, but we continue to believe there is much more cannibalization of Windows PCs by the iPad… and there’s many more of them to cannibalize. And so we love that trend.”

TechNewsWorld expects Apple to maintain control of the tablet market by pricing the iPad 3 aggressively while dropping the price for the iPad 2.

iPad 3 Release Date Set for Next Month [Rumor] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Over the 33 years it was available on the market before the drug Mediator was withdrawn, somewhere between one and two thousand patients may have died from cardiovascular side effects.

A new study co-authored by the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) probed the number of estimated hospitalizations and deaths linked to the weight-loss drug- known often by its generic name, benfluorex- estimating the total number of hospitalizations at around 3,100 and deaths at about 1,300, but Inserm concedes that number could be higher. Over three decades, the Mediator was used as an appetite suppressant- intended to control blood sugar in diabetic patients who were obese- but was often prescribed as a general weight-loss drug.

The French drug maker behind the weight-loss drug Mediator, Servier, is being investigated “on suspicion of dishonest practices and deception,” and the drug was pulled from the market in 2010 amid evidence it damaged heart valves and caused users to suffer pulmonary hypertension, potentially leading to heart failure. A related drug- fenfluramine, which was marketed as Pondimin, Ponderax and Adifax- was pulled from the market in the late 90′s after it was determined that there was a link between use of the medications and heart valve damage, and it was part of the controversial weight-loss drug combo Fen-Phen.

Mediator was widely available in its market between 1976 and 2009, when the weight-loss drug was pulled amid concerns about heart valve damage. 145 million packets of the weight-loss drug were sold during the time it was available, according to the study recently published in the medical journal Pharmacoepidemiology & Drug Safety.

Weight-Loss Drug in France May Have Killed 1,300, Study Says is a post from: The Inquisitr

Last month, there were reports that Motorola was going after Apple with a lawsuit claiming patent infringement. Since then, German courts have ruled twice in the favor of Motorola, but the company suffered a minor defeat today when the court shot down a third patent case.

Judge Andreas Voss, the presiding judge on the patent lawsuit case, said Monday that Motorola Mobility didn’t show that Apple was violating the particular patent involved in this case, and so the judge came to the decision to reject the lawsuit.

Here’s more information on the patent in question, courtesy of Engadget’s report:

The patent in question, EP1053613, is considered essential to the 3G/UMTS wireless standard and, more specifically, pertains to a “method and system for generating a complex pseudonoise sequence for processing a code division multiple access [CDMA] signal.”

Motorola may have lost this battle, but the company does have two wins under its belt and there are still pending cases that need to be addressed before either side come out of the patent lawsuit war victorious.

Neither Motorola nor Apple have responded to requests for comment as of writing.

Motorola loses latest patent lawsuit case against Apple is a post from: The Inquisitr

Eastman Kodak announced on Thursday that the company will no longer manufacturer digital cameras following it’s bankruptcy filing and loss generating revenues from the company’s currently handhelds.

The move ends an era at Kodak in which the company invented the first hand-held camera and handed out bonuses large enough for some employees to buy new vehicles for cash.

Kodak announced that following Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection it will stop making pocket video cameras and digital picture frames.

Executives at the company say the expulsion of such devices is the next “logical extension” for the company’s currently strategy and will save them $100 million annually.

While Kodak currently receives three quarters of its revenue from digital offerings the company now plans to shift efforts to licensing the company’s brand name alongside the in-house sale of photo printing and desktop printers.

While Kodak is exiting the digital camera business it has promised to continue honoring warranties on cameras that have alrady been sold to customers.

Since opening for business in 1880 Kodak has created some of the most innovative camera technology on the market including the first digital cameras to feature built-in WiFi connections and touch-screens as well as docking stations that made transferring photos to a users computer far easier.

By exiting the digital camera business the company is expected to take a one-time charge of $30 million.

Still in operation will be the company’s retail-based photo kiosks and dry lab systems for which Kodak operates more than 100,000 locations around the world.

Are you surprised by Kodak’s near complete collapse in recent years?

Kodak Exiting Digital Camera Business, Also Abandoning Digital Photo Frames is a post from: The Inquisitr

Researchers in the United States have been treating Mice with the popular cancer drug bexarotene and have found positive results in reversing Alzheimer’s in mice.

According to the research group mice injected with bexarotene became “rapidly smarter” while the plaque in their brains that was causing Alzheimer’s started to disappear just several hours after they received the drug.

In the US Journal Science lead author Gary Landreth and his team from the Department of Neurosciences at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Ohio found “shocking” and “amazing” results. Gary told the AFP:

“Things like this had never, ever been seen before.”

Bexarotene works by boosting levels of the protein Apolipoprotein E (ApoE), that protein clears up amyloid plaque in the brain which is a key part of treating Alzheimer’s disease.

It only took six hours for the drug to work and researchers claim that the effects lasted for up to three days. Within days mice began performing better in tests, specifically memory based and social testing.

At this time clinical trials for humans are being designed and researchers expect to have results back in the next year.

Clinical trials for humans are being designed and should produce early results in the coming year, researchers said.

If tests show positive results the drug could mean big money for Japanese pharmaceutical giant Eisai who bought the worldwide rights to the drug in 2006. Bexarotene is currently available in 26 countries throughout Europe, North America and South America. The drug has been on the market since 1999 and is used as a treatment for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

Do you think research for bexarotene should move forward at a quicker pace?

Popular Cancer Drug Being Used To Reverse Alzheimer’s In Mice is a post from: The Inquisitr