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![\"CondomPower.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/spoonful\/files\/CondomPower.jpg\")
<\/p>\nToday\u2019s dose is adding up the numbers on condom use, cancer mutations, and clinical trials. There\u2019s also some suspicion over supplements.<\/p>\n
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— The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report<\/a> on dietary and herbal supplements yesterday. The investigation found \u201cdeceptive or questionable marketing and sales practices,\u201d including claims that certain products prevent or even cure cancer and cardiovascular disease. Congress is now considering enhanced oversight by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (Reuters<\/a>)<\/p>\n — Telaprevir, a new Hepatitis C drug, successfully lowered<\/a> viral load to undetectable levels among 75% of patients who took a 12-week course combined with standard therapy. Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Vertex has two more phase 3 trials in the works and plans<\/a> to apply for FDA approval later this year. (WebMD<\/a>)<\/p>\n — Condom use is ballooning. Male condom use was up nearly 25% between 1985 and 2008 judging by the experience of US women having sex for the first time. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey<\/a> also found that contraceptives<\/a> in general were up nearly 20% during the same time period. (NYTimes<\/a>)<\/p>\n — Researchers have analyzed the cancerous lung<\/a> tissue of a longtime smoker and estimate more than 50,000 single nucleotide variations between the tumor sample and healthy lung tissue. The surprising number, according to study<\/a> authors, is likely linked to the 15 years the man spent smoking an average of 25 cigarettes each day. (Reuters<\/a>)<\/p>\n Image by Jo Jakeman<\/a> via Flickr Creative Commons<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today\u2019s dose is adding up the numbers on condom use, cancer mutations, and clinical trials. There\u2019s also some suspicion over supplements. Read more<\/a> Continue reading