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— Sure, you can never get enough of this blog, but an actual spoonful of medicine might be more than you expected – or needed. Patients asked to pour 5 milliliters of cold medicine in a large spoon overdosed by 11.6% in a new study; when using a medium-sized spoon, they under-dosed by 8.4%. (LATimes)
— A group of doctors have revived the debate over male circumcision in an Archives of Pediatrics opinion piece, recommending that the American Academy of Pediatrics take a stronger stance in favor of the practice, which may help prevent sexually transmitted infections. An accompanying editorial questioned whether there was sufficient clear evidence, but agreed that Medicaid should be expanded in 16 states to cover circumcision. (Wall Street Journal)
— You may have had your fill of year-end top-10 lists, but the blog SNPedia has one more, small bit to share: its top 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of 2009. At the top of the list is rs4244285, alleles of which can predict whether or not the antiplatelet drug Plavix will be successful or not.
— Barbara Loe Fisher, president of the anti-vaccine National Vaccine Information Center, has sued vaccine advocate Paul Offit, Wired magazine, and writer Amy Wallace for her November cover story on the vaccine war. Fisher says the piece is biased in favor of Offit and his belief in the safety of vaccination. (Pharmalot)
Image by zenobia_joy via Flickr Creative Commons