Re: Barb - LYMErix - big correction

[Guest guest]

> Are these guys (Philip J. Molloy, Victor P. Berardi, H. Persing,

> and Leonard H. Sigal) like some sort of known rubes/scoundrels

Hey ,

can't answer the tech WB q's you posed, but Sigal is the director of the LD

clinic at

UMDNJ since at least the mid-80's.

" The Lyme Disease Center

Director

Leonard Sigal, MD

We serve as a major referral center for the Northeast region and have seen

patients

from across the US and Europe. Ongoing clinical and basic science research is

done in

our research laboratories and includes development of improved diagnostic tests

and

exploration of the immunopathogenetic mechanisms of Lyme Disease. Special areas

of interest are Post-Lyme Disease Symdrome and the many circumstances in which

an

incorrect diagnosis of Lyme Disease has been made.

The New Jersey Center for the Treatment of Lupus

Director

Leonard Sigal, MD

The Lupus Foundation, NJ Chapter, designated The New Jersey Center for Treatment

of Lupus as the sole approved clinical program in the state. We provide high

quality

clinical care and access to experimental protocols for patients seen in

consultation by

referral from their physicians or the Lupus Foundation.

Staff includes Drs. Sigal and Toma " (from the robert wood johnson med school

website)

He got paid at least $500 an hour testifying for and reviewing insurance

companies

and claims for LD during the mid-90's (primarily denials). I don't know if he

currently

does this work and, if so, what his rates are.

as a FYI, the vaccine that was eventually approved by the FDA was the one by

Kline Beecham. the other vaccine that was tested was the one by Pasteur

Merieux Connaught. Sigal led the trial (with a $1.5M grant from PMC) at UMDNJ.

he did his graduate work in rheumatology with steere at yale.

in 1990, 7 months after an EM rash and flu-like sx (i had never heard of ld), i

ended

up in the ER with meningitis. among all my tests, samples of csf and blood were

sent

to sigal's lab at umdnj (i was living in nj). i tested positive on both counts.

my

neurologist sent me to sigal's clinic for treatment.

i was put into a study looking at the efficacy of claforan (which i received)

relative to

rocephin for lyme meningitis - i had two weeks treatment. i was followed

(including

bloodwork for ld) for about a year.

btw, he missed a diagnosis of c. diff in my when my doc called him wondering if

ld

and/or the treatment could cause severe cramp and diarrhea. he said no. i was

hospitalized for over a week treated c. diff and concommitant blood loss. but i

digress.

i improved a lot on the two weeks abx treatment although i relapsed 6 months

later,

presenting to my doctor(s) and the neurologist who again dx'd meningitis (with

the

appropriate csf labwork). they called sigal for retreatment (as my doc said, if

a

person has a sinus infection and treatment doesn't work, you treat them again).

sigal responded that if i was sick again, then i didn't have lyme disease. my

doc

asked him, but what about the csf and blood that was positive and all the labs

from

your clinic? sigal responded that lab work can be wrong. when i went for my

final

follow up for the study a few months later (after beginning treatment with

liegner in

ny), sigal simply wrote down " fibromyalgia " on my chart.

keep in mind, all these findings (my labwork, his evaluation of my symptoms each

time) were " data " for a research study.... so make your own conclusions about

the

robustness of the data presented currently...

[Guest guest]

Dura:

Yours is the kind of History that is chilling. To me, it's worse

than what I went through with the medical profession.

I know someone else with an almost identical history as your's -

only difference is that she was documented and originally treated at

Stoney Brook.. then shen she relapsed 7 years later, they basically

waved her off too- even with positive tests.

Yah. I've already drawn my own conclusions about the way some

researchers use data to their advantage, then throw away good data if

it doesn't support their present theory.

Barb

>

> > Are these guys (Philip J. Molloy, Victor P. Berardi, H.

Persing,

> > and Leonard H. Sigal) like some sort of known rubes/scoundrels

>

> Hey ,

>

> can't answer the tech WB q's you posed, but Sigal is the director

of the LD clinic at

> UMDNJ since at least the mid-80's.

>

> " The Lyme Disease Center

> Director

> Leonard Sigal, MD

>

> We serve as a major referral center for the Northeast region and

have seen patients

> from across the US and Europe. Ongoing clinical and basic science

research is done in

> our research laboratories and includes development of improved

diagnostic tests and

> exploration of the immunopathogenetic mechanisms of Lyme Disease.

Special areas

> of interest are Post-Lyme Disease Symdrome and the many

circumstances in which an

> incorrect diagnosis of Lyme Disease has been made.

>

> The New Jersey Center for the Treatment of Lupus

> Director

> Leonard Sigal, MD

>

> The Lupus Foundation, NJ Chapter, designated The New Jersey Center

for Treatment

> of Lupus as the sole approved clinical program in the state. We

provide high quality

> clinical care and access to experimental protocols for patients

seen in consultation by

> referral from their physicians or the Lupus Foundation.

>

> Staff includes Drs. Sigal and Toma " (from the robert wood johnson

med school

> website)

>

> He got paid at least $500 an hour testifying for and reviewing

insurance companies

> and claims for LD during the mid-90's (primarily denials). I don't

know if he currently

> does this work and, if so, what his rates are.

>

> as a FYI, the vaccine that was eventually approved by the FDA was

the one by

> Kline Beecham. the other vaccine that was tested was the one

by Pasteur

> Merieux Connaught. Sigal led the trial (with a $1.5M grant from

PMC) at UMDNJ.

>

> he did his graduate work in rheumatology with steere at yale.

>

> in 1990, 7 months after an EM rash and flu-like sx (i had never

heard of ld), i ended

> up in the ER with meningitis. among all my tests, samples of csf

and blood were sent

> to sigal's lab at umdnj (i was living in nj). i tested positive on

both counts. my

> neurologist sent me to sigal's clinic for treatment.

>

> i was put into a study looking at the efficacy of claforan (which i

received) relative to

> rocephin for lyme meningitis - i had two weeks treatment. i was

followed (including

> bloodwork for ld) for about a year.

>

> btw, he missed a diagnosis of c. diff in my when my doc called him

wondering if ld

> and/or the treatment could cause severe cramp and diarrhea. he

said no. i was

> hospitalized for over a week treated c. diff and concommitant blood

loss. but i

> digress.

>

> i improved a lot on the two weeks abx treatment although i relapsed

6 months later,

> presenting to my doctor(s) and the neurologist who again dx'd

meningitis (with the

> appropriate csf labwork). they called sigal for retreatment (as my

doc said, if a

> person has a sinus infection and treatment doesn't work, you treat

them again).

>

> sigal responded that if i was sick again, then i didn't have lyme

disease. my doc

> asked him, but what about the csf and blood that was positive and

all the labs from

> your clinic? sigal responded that lab work can be wrong. when i

went for my final

> follow up for the study a few months later (after beginning

treatment with liegner in

> ny), sigal simply wrote down " fibromyalgia " on my chart.

>

> keep in mind, all these findings (my labwork, his evaluation of my

symptoms each

> time) were " data " for a research study.... so make your own

conclusions about the

> robustness of the data presented currently...