General News and Commentary

Happy Friday! 

So, up the salmon and ditch the sugar?
Sugar Makes You Stupid, But Omega-3s Will Smarten You Back Up 
Though we may not have fully come to terms with it, in theory we know that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is an adversary of health. Lots of work has been done looking at the effect of fructose on weight, liver function, diabetes risk, and even the growth of cancer cells. But not much has looked at the role of fructose in brain function, until now. Researchers have just reported that among the list of bodily ills that fructose contributes to, it may also “make you dumb.” Luckily, eating a diet rich in the healthy omega-3 fatty acids seems to counteract this phenomenon…

Not a shot to skip.
Fewer girls completing all three HPV shots: study
(Reuters Health) – Among girls and women who get their first human papillomavirus, or HPV, vaccine, the percent who complete all three doses is dropping, according to a new study. One of the study’s authors told Reuters Health she was aware the number of people completing the vaccine series was low to begin with, but she did not expect to see it getting even lower. “We thought that that would be increasing over time as more people became aware of the vaccine and how it was to be administered,” said Dr. Abbey Berenson, a professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston…

Generic versions of Plavix are now available
FDA approves sales of generic versions of blood thinner by multiple companies
TRENTON, N.J. — Patients taking the popular blood thinner Plavix now have the option of getting a less-expensive pill, following the approval Thursday of the first generic versions in the U.S. That’s because the patent for Plavix, the world’s second-best-selling medicine, just expired. Plavix is taken by millions of people every day to prevent heart attacks and strokes, by preventing platelets in the blood from clumping together…

Spend Matters
Friday Rant: A Modern Paris Gun? Preparing for a Potential SAP Innovation Assault (Part 1)
Two members of the Spend Matters team had an exceedingly booked and intensive time at Sapphire this past week. Between the two of us, Thomas Kase and I probably saw a dozen demonstrations, had over twenty formal meetings with SAP team members and partners and spoke informally to over two dozen more customers, SAP solution managers and partners. Even by our usual hectic standards, it really was a completely packed and chaotic few days of learning and interaction. In the coming weeks, we’ll continue to share our learnings about SAP’s latest procurement, network and supply chain direction — digging into current and planned product releases as well as new solutions and overall market and solution directions…

Spend Matters UK/Europe
Falling out of love with Amazon
I’ve spent thousands of pounds with Amazon over the last few years. Not only CDs and books, but they’ve been excellent for odd things my parents need, as they don’t find it easy to traipse around multiple shops looking for stuff these days. But, my love for Amazon is fading. I subscribed to the Prime service last year, in order to get something urgently – to be honest I was going to cancel it within the free trial period but forgot. Oh well, I thought, having that guaranteed next day delivery is useful, even if £49 a year seemed quite a lot to pay for it…

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