Wednesday House Blogging

Last night's episode was interesting. Can't comment on the medical stuff except to say that Epstein-Barr is a foul virus that is usually only responsible for Mononucleosis, but in some cases can become chronic, and in other cases, amy lie dormant for years (much like chicken pox/shingles) and come on in response to stress.

However, I would like to address one point: House's speech to the conference.

In these days of CME (Continuing Medical Education) and full financial disclosure, it would have been hard for House to even be accepted to make that speech at a regular meeting. CME rules state that all lecturers/presenters at a professional meeting (including yours truly) must disclose any financial or other interest in the company(ies) who make the products that they are discussing, or who funds their grants. Because House's hospital is owned by Vogler's company, House would have to state that he is fully employed by the company through the hospital. Furthermore, his talk would be considered a sales pitch, and therefore not eligible for CME credit. so in all likelihood such a talk would have been held at a satellite event sponsored by the company, rather than the main meeting.

In that case, it's a surprise Vogler didn't try to fire him right then and there. He ruined a sales presentation.

But he did the right thing. Every time Vogler tries to hold his employment over his head, I have to laugh. In the real world, a hospital could lose its accreditation for allowing a pharmaceutical comapny to turn it into its own private colony of lab rats. What he's asked House to do, over and over is so unethical it's laughable. You can't fire a resident without cause. You can't pimp a product at a conference. You can't ask a doctor to give or withhold treatment from someone simply because it doesn't mesh with your corporate agenda (although HMOs try to do that every day).

And I suspect Cameron will be back.... the actress is listed as appearing in upcoming episodes and I think we all know now that Vogler is on his way out.

Wednesday House Blogging

Today's thoughts can be found over at Ith's place where I've been guest blogging :)

House!

Another AWESOME episode.

SPOILERS in the extended entry for you west coast types!

H-Dog in the hizzy

Ok, so I admit. I didn't watch ALL of it. Too grossed out by the whole date thing.

And what happened to Cameron? When did she stop being a mouse? Put the freaking lab coat back on and do your damn job, girl!!!!

The pus thing was just NASTY!!!!!!

Comments? Questions? Thoughts about Stacy???

Best House Yet!

Tonight is Guest Star night!!

See below the fold for Surprise spoilers!

BEST EPISODE EVER!!!!

I could have watched another 2 hours. I haven't enjoyed an episode of a TV show so much since Jarod (The Pretender) went off the air.

Honeymoon

That was the title of tonight's episode of House, and clearly the honeymoon is over.

More in the extended entry...

Finally!

The posts are longer than the blogroll!

WooHoo!

I'm back!

NOT about Katrina

for a change....

Two House eps. on tonight, including my favorite at 9pm. Three Stories is the episode that tells the story of House and Stacy, and how he lost most of the use of his leg.....

Yee Ha!

BTW Season 1 of House was released on DVD today!

Tonight!

Season #2 Premiere of House..... 9pm Eastern and Pacific.

YAY!!!!

Any predictions?

House: finally worth blogging about!

Despite one of the worst traffic snarls of my life (Thanks Clippers), I managed to get home in time for House last night.

Which was a good thing.  With the Stacy plot out of the way, I guess the writers thought it was time to bring the H-man back in full force.  A great ep, especially the subplot with the sleazy researcher.

It's widely known in the medical research community that doctors and scientists who want to take shortcuts or outstep the FDA take their work overseas.  Usually, that means India because the medico-legal system hasn't caught up with technology.  India is unique in that it is a chaotic third world country, but it is also home to a wide array of state-of-the-art medical technology.  Doctors like Weber and sleazy pharmaceutical companies can test their drugs on people you've never heard of who would otherwise suffer in silence without having to go through the normal procedures, including long periods of expensive animal testing (which usually is done to verify that 1) the drug isn't lethal at normal dosage, and 2) it actually has some worthwhile effect)

Furthermore, India (and other small countries) is home to a number of questionable medical science journals.  Like most other professions that utilize the written word to communicate, biomedical science has a number of trade publications, commonly called medical journals, in which doctors and researchers publish their findings.  These journals, however, are not equal.  The top journals are the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, and for more preclinical work, the journals Science and Nature.  There are also many specialty journals such as the Archives of General Psychiatry, or Alcoholism in Clinical and Experimental Research.  Both types of journals, general and specific, have their strata.    At the top are journals that most researchers strive to get published in.  At the bottom are journals that will take ANYTHING, as long as you pay for the pages you submit and it looks vaguely scientific.  Sometimes good researchers who feel they are on to something important will use these journals to get their ideas published ahead of someone else, but most commonly these crappy journals are used to publish work that no one else will touch, because after all, the university administration  only looks at the number of paper you put out, not the quality of your publications, although that is slowly changing.

When House accuses Weber of publishing in the New Dehli Journal of Medicine, what he's really saying is that Weber's work isn't strong enough to be published in the US and that the drug isn't good enough to be FDA approved.  And he proves it, if only to himself....  though that was a pretty damn bad migrane, I must say.

Best line of the night: "House, you can't keep doing this.  Get a hobby.  Get a Hooker."--Wilson.

Anyone else notice the confirmation of House's address at the end of the show?  He indeed lives at 221 B Baker St.

Check local listings!

WooHooooo!

House is on at 9 (new ep: Sex Kills), and TAR is on at 10!

For once, I can watch both!

So stoked!

No House tonight, it's Dog time!

Gosh Darn American Idol...

Of course this means that I am free to watch as much Dog the Bounty Hunter as I like before TAR starts at 10.

Yes. I said Dog the Bounty Hunter. I love it. I'll probably watch it again on the 12am rerun, too.

I got nothin'

Two grants coming up.  Kicking my ass.  Plus I have to give a final tonight.

New House episode on at 9pm EDT and PDT...

Oh and WTF with President Weasel on last night's 24? Thoughts? Theories?

I feel sooooo sorry for Mrs. Logan. No wonder she's clinically depressed. What a Schmuck.

So much to write, so little time....

I know I've been rather boring of late.  As usual, it's work getting in the way of blogging....

So here's what's on my mind (other than work):

AI:  Is it rigged for Katherine?  I love Taylor, and I hear he kicked her ass up between her shoulder blades tonight.  Will he win?

House:  Is it all a dream (a la Pam Ewing and Bobby) or does House really get shot and punch Wilson?

24:  Best moments of the night: 1) Marty's face as President Weasel was led away (there's a great line in the Count of Monte Cristo about Edouard smiling a "secret smile" as he "watched a scene that was truly comprehensible only to himself and two others".  Her look was exactly as I imagined his face...
2) Anyone notice the name of the Chinese freighter?  The "Shanghai" LMAO!!!!

Do I watch any other networks besides Fox?  Evidently not....