Soccer fans in America often have a chip on their shoulder about football.? And for good reason.? Football is the dominant sport in the country, soccer isn?t.
Then again, soccer is boring.? Football isn?t.
It creates potential friction where an NFL team also owns a professional soccer team.? In New England, the Krafts are getting the brunt of some of that friction via fans of the soccer team the Krafts own.
Julian Cardillo of the Boston Globe (via SportsBusiness Daily) writes that ?[i]t appears to many that the Revolution are the Kraft family?s second priority, rather than an equal investment, to the New England Patriots.?
If it appears that way, that appearance would be accurate.? The Patriots have become one of the elite franchises in the NFL, the premier professional sports league in the United States.? The Revolution are an also-ran, at best, in a league that is an also-ran, at best.
Revolution Brian Bilello seems to think that the griping comes from soccer?s anti-football bias.
?I think both the Kraft family and the Hunt family, because they have NFL sides as well, I think there?s a weird perception,? Bilello told Cardillo.? ?Both families have been involved with the sport since the very beginning.? The fact that they?re involved in the NFL, that hurts them.?
Still, a Sports Illustrated poll of anonymous players pegged the Krafts as the worst owners in the MLS, and players like Thierry Henry and David Beckham have balked at playing on the FieldTurf at Gillette Stadium.
?There?s a lot of great things about having the Krafts as owners,? Bilello said.? ?They?ve supported this league.? They do things behind the scenes not just for the Revolution, but for the sport of soccer in this country.?
None of that matters to the average soccer fan, who can?t understand why Americans haven?t embraced the sport the way the rest of the world has.
Meanwhile, we can?t understand why the rest of the world hasn?t embraced football the way Americans have.
Amit Singhal, Google’s senior VP of search, today announced that Google’s Knowledge Graph will start exposing a number of statistics as graphs on the search results pages today. Google is also adding Polish, Turkish, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese to its lineup of supported Knowledge Graph languages. With regard to the statistics, Singhal said the system will also try to predict what your next question will be and add related statistics to the graphs. Say you want to know more about the people who live in India, Google may also show you stats for China. Singhal also recapped a number of Knowledge Graph features that expose users personal information – the kind of information Google Now would usually expose, too. These are currently available in beta and uses can sign up for it here. The Knowledge Graph, Singhal said, has enabled Google to move beyond keywords. “It allowed us to answer questions we couldn’t previously answer.” Clearly, Google has been investing heavily in this technology and the company also today announced its new voice-enabled conversational search feature that makes it even easier to find answers from the Knowledge Graph.
Long-term use of prescription painkillers for back pain linked to erectile dysfunction in menPublic release date: 15-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Catherine Hylas Saunders csaunders@golinharris.com 202-585-2603 Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente study first to use electronic health records to document link between prescription opioid use and ED prescriptions
PORTLAND, Ore., May 15, 2013 Regularly taking prescription painkillers, also known as opioids, is associated with a higher risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) in men, according to a study published online today in the journal Spine.
The researchers included more than 11,000 men with back pain in the study and examined their health records to find out if men taking prescription painkillers were more likely to also receive prescriptions for testosterone replacement or ED medications.
More than 19 percent of men who took high-dose opioids for at least four months also received ED prescriptions, while fewer than 7 percent of men who did not take opioids received ED prescriptions.
In the study, men over 60 were much more likely to receive ED prescriptions, but even after researchers adjusted for age and other factors, men taking high-dose opioids were still 50 percent more likely to receive ED prescriptions than men who did not take prescription painkillers.
"Men who take opioid pain medications for an extended period of time have the highest risk of ED," said lead author Richard A. Deyo, MD, MPH, investigator with the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research and Professor of Evidence-based Family Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University.
"This doesn't mean that these medications cause ED, but the association is something patients and clinicians should be aware of when deciding if opioids should be used to treat back pain." Deyo added.
Opioid use is growing in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Mortality and Morbidity Report, prescription opioid sales quadrupled between 1999 and 2010. Another recent survey, published in the journal Pain, estimates 4.3 million adults in the U.S. use these opioid medications on a regular basis. The most commonly used prescription opioids are hydrocodone, oxycodone, and morphine.
"There is no question that for some patients opioid use is appropriate, but there is also increasing evidence that long-term use can lead to addiction, fatal overdoses, sleep apnea, falls in the elderly, reduced hormone production, and now erectile dysfunction," says Deyo, who has spent more than 30 years studying treatments for back pain.
For this study, Deyo and colleagues identified 11,327 men in Oregon and Washington enrolled in the Kaiser Permanente health plan who visited their doctors for back pain during 2004. The researchers examined the men's pharmacy records for six months before and after the back pain visit to find out if they had filled prescriptions for opioids and for ED or testosterone replacement.
Opioid use was categorized as "none" for men who did not receive a prescription for opioids; "acute" for men who took opioids for three months or less; "episodic" for men who took opioids for more than three months, but less than four months and with fewer than 10 refills; and "long-term" for men who took opioids (a) for at least four months or (b) for more than three months with 10 or more refills. Anything more than 120 mg of morphine equivalent was categorized as high-dose use.
More than 19 percent of the men who took high-dose opioids for at least four months also received ED medications or testosterone replacement. More than 12 percent of men who took low-dose opioids (under 120 mg) for at least four months also received ED medications or testosterone replacement. Fewer than 7 percent of men who didn't take opioids received ED medications or testosterone replacement.
Researchers found that age was the factor most significantly associated with receiving ED prescriptions. Men 60 to 69 were 14 times more likely to receive prescriptions for ED medication than men 18 to 29.
Depression, other health conditions (besides back pain), and use of sedative hypnotics like benzodiazepines also increased the likelihood that men would receive ED prescriptions.
But even after researchers adjusted for these factors, long-term opioid use increased the likelihood of also receiving prescriptions for ED medication by 50 percent.
This study was made possible in part by Kaiser Permanente's comprehensive electronic health record system, one of the largest private systems in the world. The organization's integrated model and electronic health record system securely connects 9 million people, 611 medical offices, and 37 hospitals, linking patients with their health care teams, their personal health information and the latest medical knowledge. The system coordinates patient care between the physician's office, the hospital, radiology, the laboratory and the pharmacy, and helps eliminate the pitfalls of incomplete, missing, or unreadable charts. It also connects Kaiser Permanente's researchers to one of the most extensive collections of longitudinal medical data available, facilitating studies and important medical discoveries that shape the future of health and care delivery for patients and the medical community.
###
Study authors include Richard A. Deyo from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research and Oregon Health & Science University; David Smith, RPh, PhD, Eric S. Johnson, PhD, Xiuhai Yang, MS, and Amanda Petrik, MS, from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research; Carrie J. Tillotson, MPH, from Oregon Health & Science University; Benjamin J. Morasco, PhD, and Steven K. Dobscha, MD, from Oregon Health & Science University and the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Portland, Oregon; and Marilee Donovan RN, PhD, from Kaiser Permanente Northwest in Portland, Oregon.
About the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research
The Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, founded in 1964, is a nonprofit research institution dedicated to advancing knowledge to improve health. It has research sites in Portland, Ore., Honolulu, and Atlanta. http://www.kpchr.org
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and nonprofit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 9 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: kp.org/newscenter.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Long-term use of prescription painkillers for back pain linked to erectile dysfunction in menPublic release date: 15-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Catherine Hylas Saunders csaunders@golinharris.com 202-585-2603 Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente study first to use electronic health records to document link between prescription opioid use and ED prescriptions
PORTLAND, Ore., May 15, 2013 Regularly taking prescription painkillers, also known as opioids, is associated with a higher risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) in men, according to a study published online today in the journal Spine.
The researchers included more than 11,000 men with back pain in the study and examined their health records to find out if men taking prescription painkillers were more likely to also receive prescriptions for testosterone replacement or ED medications.
More than 19 percent of men who took high-dose opioids for at least four months also received ED prescriptions, while fewer than 7 percent of men who did not take opioids received ED prescriptions.
In the study, men over 60 were much more likely to receive ED prescriptions, but even after researchers adjusted for age and other factors, men taking high-dose opioids were still 50 percent more likely to receive ED prescriptions than men who did not take prescription painkillers.
"Men who take opioid pain medications for an extended period of time have the highest risk of ED," said lead author Richard A. Deyo, MD, MPH, investigator with the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research and Professor of Evidence-based Family Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University.
"This doesn't mean that these medications cause ED, but the association is something patients and clinicians should be aware of when deciding if opioids should be used to treat back pain." Deyo added.
Opioid use is growing in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Mortality and Morbidity Report, prescription opioid sales quadrupled between 1999 and 2010. Another recent survey, published in the journal Pain, estimates 4.3 million adults in the U.S. use these opioid medications on a regular basis. The most commonly used prescription opioids are hydrocodone, oxycodone, and morphine.
"There is no question that for some patients opioid use is appropriate, but there is also increasing evidence that long-term use can lead to addiction, fatal overdoses, sleep apnea, falls in the elderly, reduced hormone production, and now erectile dysfunction," says Deyo, who has spent more than 30 years studying treatments for back pain.
For this study, Deyo and colleagues identified 11,327 men in Oregon and Washington enrolled in the Kaiser Permanente health plan who visited their doctors for back pain during 2004. The researchers examined the men's pharmacy records for six months before and after the back pain visit to find out if they had filled prescriptions for opioids and for ED or testosterone replacement.
Opioid use was categorized as "none" for men who did not receive a prescription for opioids; "acute" for men who took opioids for three months or less; "episodic" for men who took opioids for more than three months, but less than four months and with fewer than 10 refills; and "long-term" for men who took opioids (a) for at least four months or (b) for more than three months with 10 or more refills. Anything more than 120 mg of morphine equivalent was categorized as high-dose use.
More than 19 percent of the men who took high-dose opioids for at least four months also received ED medications or testosterone replacement. More than 12 percent of men who took low-dose opioids (under 120 mg) for at least four months also received ED medications or testosterone replacement. Fewer than 7 percent of men who didn't take opioids received ED medications or testosterone replacement.
Researchers found that age was the factor most significantly associated with receiving ED prescriptions. Men 60 to 69 were 14 times more likely to receive prescriptions for ED medication than men 18 to 29.
Depression, other health conditions (besides back pain), and use of sedative hypnotics like benzodiazepines also increased the likelihood that men would receive ED prescriptions.
But even after researchers adjusted for these factors, long-term opioid use increased the likelihood of also receiving prescriptions for ED medication by 50 percent.
This study was made possible in part by Kaiser Permanente's comprehensive electronic health record system, one of the largest private systems in the world. The organization's integrated model and electronic health record system securely connects 9 million people, 611 medical offices, and 37 hospitals, linking patients with their health care teams, their personal health information and the latest medical knowledge. The system coordinates patient care between the physician's office, the hospital, radiology, the laboratory and the pharmacy, and helps eliminate the pitfalls of incomplete, missing, or unreadable charts. It also connects Kaiser Permanente's researchers to one of the most extensive collections of longitudinal medical data available, facilitating studies and important medical discoveries that shape the future of health and care delivery for patients and the medical community.
###
Study authors include Richard A. Deyo from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research and Oregon Health & Science University; David Smith, RPh, PhD, Eric S. Johnson, PhD, Xiuhai Yang, MS, and Amanda Petrik, MS, from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research; Carrie J. Tillotson, MPH, from Oregon Health & Science University; Benjamin J. Morasco, PhD, and Steven K. Dobscha, MD, from Oregon Health & Science University and the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Portland, Oregon; and Marilee Donovan RN, PhD, from Kaiser Permanente Northwest in Portland, Oregon.
About the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research
The Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, founded in 1964, is a nonprofit research institution dedicated to advancing knowledge to improve health. It has research sites in Portland, Ore., Honolulu, and Atlanta. http://www.kpchr.org
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and nonprofit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 9 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: kp.org/newscenter.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) ? With marriages to be available for Minnesota's gay couples starting Aug. 1, Duluth residents Gary Anderson and Gary Boelhower are getting ready to do something that seemed impossible when they started dating three years ago: plan a wedding.
"The plan is to do it in August, definitely," Boelhower said Monday, shortly after Minnesota's Legislature took its final vote in favor of legalizing gay marriage. Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton has pledged to sign the bill, and is scheduled to do so at 5 p.m. Tuesday on the front steps of the Capitol in St. Paul.
"It means the ability to have our love and commitment recognized publicly," Boelhower said. "To me, that's what it's most about."
Minnesota is set to become the first state in Midwest to legalize gay marriage by legislative vote, and the third nationwide in just 10 days, joining Rhode Island and Delaware. Thousands of gay marriage supporters thronging the Capitol erupted into deafening cheers after the Senate's 37-30 vote; the House passed it last week on a 75-59 vote.
"Members, God made gays," Sen. Ron Latz, a Democrat from a suburb of Minneapolis, said during the Senate's emotional four-hour debate. "And God made gays capable of loving other people. So who are we to quarrel with God's intentions?"
The gay marriage issue shifted quickly in Minnesota, with the Legislature's vote coming a little more than six months after voters defeated an amendment that would have banned gay marriage in the state constitution. The groups that led the campaign against the amendment swiftly turned to pushing for legalizing same-sex marriage, an effort aided when Democrats captured full control of state government in November.
Only one Republican senator, Branden Petersen of suburban Andover, voted for the bill. Three Democrats from rural districts voted against it.
Republican opponents said the bill alters a centuries-old understanding of marriage as a societal building block that benefits children.
"Forcing others to give you your rights will never end well," said Sen. Dan Hall, a Republican and a pastor. "It won't give you the recognition you desire."
Hall said gay marriage supporters have told him he's on the wrong side of history but, he said, "the truth is I'm more concerned about being on the right side of eternity."
But supporters, too, cited religious faith and relationships with gay family members and friends as shaping their vote for the bill. Many spoke of the benefits of their own marriages.
"I could never and I would never deny the kind of recognition and all the other positive things I get out of my marriage with my husband, to anyone else," said Sen. Vicki Jensen, a Democrat from the southern Minnesota city of Owatonna.
With passage looking inevitable Monday, vocal and visual opposition was muted. Don Lee, of Eagan, placed a tombstone on the Capitol lawn with the words "R.I.P. MARRIAGE 2013."
"The legislation being passed today is the end of marriage as we know it in Minnesota," Lee said. "It's a transformation from a forward-looking sacrificial institution to one focused on adult desires."
Supporters and opponents were close to evenly matched during the House debate, but Monday was dominated by gay marriage backers.
They taped blue and orange hearts on the Capitol steps, creating a path into the building for lawmakers with the signature colors of their movement. In the rotunda, demonstrators sang songs including "Over the Rainbow," ''Going to the Chapel" and "The Star-Spangled Banner."
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman ordered the Wabasha Street Bridge near downtown festooned in rainbow-striped gay pride flags, and temporarily renamed it the "Freedom to Marry Bridge." He also proclaimed it "Freedom to Marry Week."
Minnesota's most famous opponent of gay marriage also weighed in. U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, an ardent supporter of banning gay marriage when she served in the state Senate, released a statement expressing disappointment in a vote she said "denies religious liberty to people who believe in traditional marriage."
Jessica Flatequal and Maria Bevacqua, a lesbian couple from Mankato who have been together for a decade, were jubilant after the vote, as supporters spilled out of the front of the Capitol.
"We're excited to become equal citizens under the law," said Bevacqua, a professor at Minnesota State University-Mankato. Asked whether they would get married, both women laughed.
"Well, neither of us proposed today," Flatequal said. "But now that's going to be part of the discussion. It's weird, actually."
A Christian Science perspective: We each have built-in good-judgment equipment.
By Barbara Vining / May 14, 2013
Recent events ? the Boston Marathon bombings, the escape of three women from years of captivity in a Cleveland neighborhood, and other happenings ? have sounded alarm bells for citizens of all ages.
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The questions are, How can we be more alert to signs of trouble and respond in ways that can help prevent or correct harmful situations? And what can we do to help children and adolescents think and act in ways that will keep themselves and others safe?
I?ve read enlightening reports offered by the media that address these issues ? illustrating with examples how innocent adults and children can be lured into a trap and how they can avert it, and explaining how character education can prepare young people to make good judgments even under peer pressure. It?s heartening to see the media engaging in this kind of public education. It?s helpful, and greatly needed. The more the better ? and I want to do all I can to support it.
I find it natural to turn to prayer for guidance in this endeavor. What?s been coming to the forefront of my prayers is this idea: We are all God?s sons and daughters, and, as such, we each (children and adolescents included) have built-in good-judgment equipment. Let me explain.
What I?m talking about is something that already exists within everyone ? our inseparable connection with God, the infinite and unerring divine Mind, and our God-given ability to know and do what?s right and good under any circumstance. We live in God?s presence. In actual fact, God, good, is presence itself ? the only real presence ? in which we live and move, and from which it is impossible to be disconnected. Consequently, the wisdom of God is with us in every situation, for us to discern and respond to. The Bible's book of Isaiah, a book that Jesus referenced often in his ministry, gives us this assurance: ?If you go the wrong way ? to the right or to the left ? you will hear a voice behind you saying, ?This is the right way. You should go this way? ? (Isaiah 30:21, New Century Version).
This doesn?t mean, of course, that we will necessarily hear God speaking to us in an audible voice, or in words detailing exactly what we should do. It does mean, though, that we each have within us the spiritual intuition to discern the direction in which divine Love is leading us ? and that we have the ability to follow it even if human opinions and pressures are urging us in other directions that we intuitively know are wrong.
This connection with God and His ever-available and unerring guidance can be nurtured and practiced. It?s a solid foundation to build upon in our own lives, and in our efforts to help children and young people. It is sure to make these efforts increasingly successful. And our example is a sure help to others. Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science, makes that point clear in this way: ?A musician demonstrates the beauty of the music he teaches in order to show the learner the way by practice as well as precept? (?Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,? p. 26).
In addition, though, we can know that no child, young person, or adult can ever be without God?s guidance and the ability to respond to it. For whether or not one has been taught this truth or been supplied with living examples, the ability to hear and follow the guidance of divine Love is spiritually inherent in each man, woman, and child. Here is the basis for effective prayer for those we love, all humanity, and ourselves.
This kind of prayer is practical because individuals are often placed under the stress of circumstances in which there is an urgent need requiring an immediate decision, with no time to ponder all the possible courses of action and their consequences. But everyone is actually good-judgment equipped with the inherent ability to tap into and follow the divine wisdom that trumps mere human reasoning and is immediately at hand. Prayer that acknowledges this fact is an anchor promoting sound judgments and actions to keep individuals and communities safe and secure. Let us pray.
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Amit Singhal, Google’s senior VP of search, today announced that Google’s Knowledge Graph will start exposing a number of statistics as graphs on the search results pages today. Google is also adding Polish, Turkish, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese to its lineup of supported Knowledge Graph languages. With regard to the statistics, Singhal said the system will also try to predict what your next question will be and add related statistics to the graphs. Say you want to know more about the people who live in India, Google may also show you stats for China. Singhal also recapped a number of Knowledge Graph features that expose users personal information – the kind of information Google Now would usually expose, too. These are currently available in beta and uses can sign up for it here. The Knowledge Graph, Singhal said, has enabled Google to move beyond keywords. “It allowed us to answer questions we couldn’t previously answer.” Clearly, Google has been investing heavily in this technology and the company also today announced its new voice-enabled conversational search feature that makes it even easier to find answers from the Knowledge Graph.![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_t9_F7tu5C5XyC-j-0pBIOs3cpgjdxxne10UDQhM181_3AbZOsTb0NSAAWysAB68A_Di3YyVG4xnM2itNrTk427c8_GekwcyOs1gu8G3nI=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 15-May-2013
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