Thoughts from a Lab Rat

Updates coming soon

Administrator — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 23:46:09 +0000

Sorry, I’ve kinda fell behind on the updates on this site lately. Been working on some other projects. Anyhoo, I will try to do my bi-annual update soon.

OperaMini browser for mobile phones

Administrator — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:33:33 +0000

For those of you who use your cell phones to access the internet, you may know that many sites do not load properly on the smaller screens. I just discovered OperaMini which is available for many phones including Blackberries, Palms and smart phones. You can view a full list of supported devices at the bottom of this post as well as a link to the site.

What makes OperaMini different from built in browsers is that rather than accessing the site directly and then downloading the entire page and then formatting it to the device, OperaMini sends the page to one of its servers where it knows what phone you have and optimzes the page, then downloads a smaller version to your phone which is much faster and can load many more pages than standard browsers.

Using my Blackberry Tour (non-camera edition of course!), I am able to access PPD’s site which I previously was unable to. The current version 4 works great but the 5 beta has a few bugs in it but brings ‘tabbed’ browsing as well as a thumbnail start screen you can place you favorite sites.

It’s not a cure all, but it has definately opened up new avenues for my surfing.
If you haven’t tried it yet, give it a shot!

http://www.opera.com/mini/
Device list

What About The Side-Effects?

Administrator — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:33:59 +0000

One of the biggest questions or concerns people have about clinical research is the side-effects. Am I concerned about it? Well, of course. When you see a TV commercial for a medication, the narrator will rattle off a mile long list of potential side-effects. It is important to remember that these are all of the side-effects that may have occurred during the clinical trials. It does not mean that everyone had all of the side-effects. Different people tolerate, absorb and have different reactions to drugs. While a certain pain medication will work wonders for most, there are some people who won’t have any effect from it. That said, the entire purpose of conducting clinic research studies is to see what side-effects occur and how effective a drug is.

In order to advance medical science, there is no other way to prove a drug than “the proof is in the pudding” as in doing the research studies. The people who participate in these studies should be commended for their willingness to help medical science. It is also important that the people who do these studies understand the risks involved. While some people would be willing to do almost anything for money, the vast majority see volunteering as a meaningful way to earn some extra money.

Happy New Year!

Administrator — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 05:25:27 +0000

Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous 2010!
Paul Clough
Owner of Just Another Lab Rat!

Live in the New York City area?

Administrator — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 21:13:59 +0000

There is a reporter doing a story about clinical research and he would like to interview someone from the New York City area who does studies for a living. If you are interested, give him an email at jfanelli@nypost.com

CRI Research Is Looking for Healthy Female Volunteers Known Poor Metabolizers

Administrator — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 04:05:45 +0000

http://www.cri-research.net/particip/volunteer.html

Visit the link above for more information

Forum is back up….. for now!

Administrator — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:18:16 +0000

Well, I still don’t know why it keeps crashing, but it’s up for now. I suspect that it’s because alot of spammers try to access the board. Well, it’s up for now.

Searching for the Unicorns

Administrator — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:02:34 +0000

Unicorns are magical. They only appear once in awhile. What is a unicorn? It is the big study that pays a substantial amount of compensation. Occasionally, study protocols require extraordinary requirements like staying in-house for 60 days or making 75 out-patient visits or involve unusual procedures. These studies typically pay more than the studies that make up the bulk of Phase 1 trials. It’s very hard to tell when clinics will get these unicorn studies.

When a sponsor decides to do a study, they submit proposals to several clinics in order to get the most compatible bid which includes reputation, past study results and of course overall cost. I notice that a lot of clinics inform staff about potential studies they have bids on and the staff relay this information to the subjects and then it spreads like wildfire as fact. Unfortunately, not every study a clinic bids on will come to pass. If your eligible to do a study, it’s best that you choose one that starts as soon as possible because most screening processes from screen to check-in can spread over a few weeks. The longer you wait for the unicorn study, the greater the chance that you will miss other doable studies and depending on the time of the year, you may miss out altogether.

While high paying studies are great, all studies are equally important. There are studies out there to suit almost anyone’s schedule. Weekend and multi-stay studies work great for students and traditional M-F workers. Longer studies work great for those looking for an alternate lifestyle than the normal grind. In the end, all the studies allow advances in medical science which allows millions of people to live better, healthier lives.

Forum is down again!

Administrator — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:09:07 +0000

I forgot how to fix it so I will not have a chance to work on it til the weekend. If anyone knows anything about the phpbb, please email me!
reply@jalr.org

Back On Track

Administrator — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:18:49 +0000

While it’s still early, there are signs that the economy is on the way to recovery. I’ve noticed that there are more studies at many clinics right now than six months ago. Of course, the holiday period is normally a slow time with closures which limits the duration of most studies. Once we get into January, I think things will steadily improve. Just make sure you stay healthy, wash your hands often and if you come down with the flu, STAY HOME!

While there is no way to guarantee that you will get into a study, there are a few things that may help. Sign up for the earliest screening possible. Make sure you arrive on time to all screening and check-in visits. Be sure to follow all clinic and study specific guidelines. This should prevent erroneous lab results. In the end, don’t worry if you are a backup. I’ve seen studies where all of the backups have been used. But then there are studies where none of them are used. Unfortunately, not getting picked for a study is just part of the game. You can’t let that get you down.