Trumpled (Alternative Leading)

[LP]

HERE'S an article which describes what's involved in case-control studies.

Are you still going, LP?  Your're like a passionate fan trying to browbeat an opposition fan about why team A will beat team B.

Until the real facts are out your all you are doing is placing a bet, making a guess, because your conclusions are not fully supported by the current evidence. If it goes your way I suppose we will hear all about your success just like Caroline Wilson, but if it doesn't will you discuss your failure? But that will be retrospective, even if it goes you way you'll have nothing to credit yourself with than making a correct guess.

Don't offer me your opinions on this matter they are worthless, as are mine, just discuss what the real experts think and do it with some critical thinking. All you seem to do is attack me and avoid discussing the facts as presented by people far more qualified than either of us! It's pretty piss poor of you, it wouldn't hold water in a court, and it exposes you for what you are!

[Mav]

I'll go with the evidence and the case-control studies will give us the best evidence yet.  If it says there's no link, so be it.  I am not backing either horse but the horse being ridden by causal link is the favourite with the bookies right now.  As for trying to claim credit later on, are you serious?  I am not involved in the research, so how could I?  You might, however, be a loser as you're strongly backing the no link horse.

It's good to see WHO is trying to raise $56m for research into the Zika virus and to help fashion the response to it.  The more information the better.

[LP]

You might, however, be a loser as you're strongly backing the no link horse.

It's not my opinion, I'm reporting the position of the bulk of non-conflicted specialists debating the issue, at this stage there is no casual link and some of the earlier claims of strong evidence have already been debunked or retracted. Most are revising down estimates of Zika's influence to being just another minor contributing factor like alcohol, rubella or herpes.

But it won't stop the likes of a Trump winning votes for postulating a fence across America to keep the Zika south of the border, which seems to be the right wing media debate started as a political points scorer and excuse for institutionalised racism with very little to do with science, humanitarianism, Zika or microcephaly.

Zika is already there as it is here, it seems it's been here for years as a mild flu like Flavivirus that nobody bothered to diagnose! There is a good chance anyone who has been to Bali, Thailand, Jakarta, PNG, The Philippines or South Pacific islands already has antibodies in their system. But do you care and are you worried? You along with everybody else has millions of other antibodies floating around inside you that science knows nothing about from pathogens as yet unidentified! Just in the average human microbiota there are billions most of which are unstudied.

It reminds me of the term Junk DNA which was once claimed to be up to 98% of a cell contents, and as each year goes by more of it gets re-categoised and less of it is junk! My guess would be nature is pretty economical and efficient and by the end of the Junk DNA story if 2% is left "as junk" that will be a surprise.

What is of real interest to scientists is why the increase in reported cases, is it a real increase or just because awareness has increased? They cannot answer this question and others definitively on the validity, cause or symptoms. The conclusions drawn by the media on those questions and reported as fact are just guesses and are no more right than wrong.

[Mav]

Which is why the case-control studies are so important.  Not only will they address causal links but also examine the legitimacy of diagnoses, the accuracy of the statistics and whether the stage of the pregnancy at infection matters. I note the CDC is sending down a team as well.

[LP]

Which is why the case-control studies are so important.  Not only will they address causal links but also examine the legitimacy of diagnoses, the accuracy of the statistics and whether the stage of the pregnancy at infection matters. I note the CDC is sending down a team as well.

The earlier results hinted that the 2nd trimester was the critical period, infection before or after has as yet not been related to microcephaly. This has lead some to speculate that the problem isn't the presence of Zika in the placenta but possibly a reaction from the mothers own immune system that is the root cause. I don't know the reason behind why they think that is the case.

[Woodstock]

So, I heard there's an election happening???

Can we please get back onto topic and focus on how Bernie can beat "her" and go on to become President? Excellent, thanks.

[Juddkreuzer]

So, I heard there's an election happening???

Can we please get back onto topic and focus on how Bernie can beat "her" and go on to become President? Excellent, thanks.

Yeah probably the most off topic thread I can remember that wasn't moved into a more relevant thread.

Back on track....

The Pope rocks!!!! >

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/19/world/....html?_r=0

[DJC]

Yeah probably the most off topic thread I can remember that wasn't moved into a more relevant thread.

Back on track....

The Pope rocks!!!! >

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/19/world/....html?_r=0

Funny how your linked article went straight to the Zika virus/microcephaly/abortion issue JK 

I still can't believe that the Republican machine will allow Trump to get the nomination but it seems that conservative folk are completely over establishment politicians.  Similarly, the progressives seem to be favouring Sanders over the establishment's Clinton.

[Juddkreuzer]

Funny how your linked article went straight to the Zika virus/microcephaly/abortion issue JK 

It went there, but it moved on..

[DJC]

It went there, but it moved on..

I see where you're going with that