Robert Manuel

[PING LACSON @iampinglacson]

Without the courtesy of notice even to the committee chairman, a totally surprise witness in yesterday’s Blue Ribbon hearing, a complete record check and background investigation on Orly Regala Guteza is in order owing to the gravity and seriousness of his testimony yesterday.

[Paolo Tamase @pstamase]

DDS script: ‘You didn’t complain about floods during Duterte’s 6 years.’

We are truly sorry for the lapse. We unfortunately had to deal w/ extrajudicial killings, a militarized COVID response, corrupt procurement of medical equipment and PPEs, the surrender of the West Phil Sea,

[António Guterres @antonioguterres]

Even in the darkest days, I’ve seen hope power change.

There are no guarantees for what’s ahead in 2025.

But I pledge to stand with all those who are working to forge a more peaceful, equal, stable and healthy future for all people.

[Robert Manuel @bobmanuel]

@nabunturanguy I guess, the video is incomplete..

[daphine3 @daphine36]

Mga TRAPOng demonyong senador na pinalayas si De Lima nilang chair Ng justice committee para matigil ang imbestigsyon SA EJKs....hoy, mahiya kayo, mag-sorry kayo Kay #LeilaDeLima at SA mga biktima Ng #EJKs . Mga Punyeta kayo!

[Abi Valte @Abi_Valte]

News item: accused in textbook scam case evades conviction by faking her own death, and assuming another person’s identity. Authorities catch her, years later.
(1/2)

[JuanMigRiveraLegazpi @JMRivLegaz]

We never forget. And we will NEVER forget this STUPIDITY that u once said.

Talking about Leni's character? Oh well, Look at u now, a CONSIDERED one of the MOST CORRUPT gov't official today. Also the MOST DISRESPECTFUL public official to our constitution.

SHAME!!!

[Christian Esguerra @IanEsguerra]

Former COA Commissioner Heidi Mendoza explains why a notice of disallowance is a serious matter.

ICYMI, here’s our #FactsFirst episode on the disallowed portion of VP Sara Duterte’s P125-million confidential fund in 2022: https://t.co/wPsbjECT9N

[Mike @chubbaldy]

1. Let’s begin with the paratext. Paratext is what readers see before reading the actual story such as the book cover. The first thing I noticed is the canva-like illustrations where objects are simply superimposed on a background.

[Carole Hooven @hoovlet]

Seems like a good time to re-post my older (now edited) post about athletes with XY DSDs (Disorder, or Difference of Sex Development). Lots of graphs and detail about the relevant biology at the end.

* * *
First: People living with DSDs should be treated with compassion and understanding, and receive any heath care they need. These can be challenging conditions for individuals and their families. But when male athletes have DSDs that give them an advantage over females, and they compete in the female category, this raises concerns about safety and fairness, and forces discussion of the relevant physical traits.

Athletes with XY DSDs who have testes (usually internal), XY sex chromosomes, male-typical levels of testosterone, and functional androgen receptors are often described as females with "hyperandrogenism," i.e., abnormally high levels of testosterone. They experience physical benefits of this high testosterone during puberty, which translate into athletic advantages over females. The issue for sports is that athletes with the XY DSD 5-alpha reductase deficiency (5-ARD), may be socialized as female, may be legally female, and may live and identify as female; but they are male.

These individuals are usually born with female-appearing genitalia, which can lead to being sexed as female. Here's why. 5-ARD is caused by a mutation in the gene that codes for the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, which converts testosterone into a more potent androgen, DHT. This androgen interacts with the androgen receptor, like testosterone, and is necessary for the typical development of male external genitalia (penis and scrotum) and the prostate. Without DHT, female-typical external genitalia develop. At the end of this monster post is a graphic of the relevant steroid production pathway, from my book T: The story of Testosterone.

DHT is also responsible for male-pattern baldness and dark, coarse facial hair, which is why people with the condition have smooth skin that can give a feminine appearance.

The “decision makers” are aware that athletes with 5-ARD are male, and that they experience the benefits of male puberty. The requirement to reduce their testosterone to typical female levels isn’t discriminatory, since these are males who are asking to compete in the female category. But more significantly, all the relevant scientific evidence shows that reducing male T in adulthood does not undo the physical benefits of male puberty.

Here's more detail about T, DHT, and male advantage in strength and speed.

I've been asked if men with the DSD 5-ARD (in which ppl cannot convert testosterone into the more potent androgen DHT) experience the typical benefits of male puberty, that would give them an advantage in strength and speed relative to women. This is relevant to questions about whether male athletes with 5-ARD should be allowed to compete in the female category. This is an excellent question, because it could be the case that DHT is necessary for the development and maintenance of male-typical muscle, lean body mass and strength. If that were the case, then people with 5-ARD might not have a typical male advantage, because the lack of DHT would perhaps lead to a more feminine pattern of fat, lean body mass and strength. I've wondered about this myself and have looked into the evidence.

Perhaps the top researcher in this area, Shalendar Bhasin, who is scrupulous in his methods, has examined this very question. The answer appears to be: no, testosterone does not need to be converted to DHT to exert its typical anabolic effects. These findings are reported in his 2012 study, "Effect of Testosterone Supplementation With and Without a Dual 5α-Reductase Inhibitor on Fat-Free Mass in Men With Suppressed Testosterone Production, A Randomized Controlled Trial." (It is linked to below—and since it's paywalled, I've included the graphs that show comparisons between the placebo and DHT— inhibited conditions, with no difference on the various outcomes.)

For more detail, the investigators wanted to examine the effects of suppressing DHT on muscle mass, strength, and sexual function. This important because one of the treatments for benign prostatic hyperplasia and male-pattern baldness is to suppress DHT, but clinicians have been concerned about effects on other outcomes that affect health and quality of life. Participants (healthy men, 18 to 50, with normal T levels) had their T blocked, and were given graded doses of T, along with either placebo or a drug that blocked the conversion of T to DHT. So both groups had T, but only one, the placebo group, also had DHT. After 20 weeks of treatment, changes in lean body mass, muscle, and strength were assessed. There were no significant difference between the placebo and DHT-blocked groups in these outcomes.

For LOTS more detail, here's the relevant text from the results. Please don't ask me questions about the study. Just look at the abstract and results which you can find by Googling. The main point is that while there are predicted effects of the different doses of T received, there were no differences in the outcomes according to whether they had DHT blocked (with dutasteride) or not (placebo). "Fat-Free Mass Fat-free mass and lean body mass increased in a dose-dependent manner in the placebo and dutasteride [THIS IS THE DRUG THAT BLOCKS CONVERSION OF T TO DHT] groups (Figure 2).

The changes in fat-free mass were related to testosterone dose and changes in testosterone concentrations in the placebo and dutasteride groups but did not differ between groups; the dose-adjusted mean difference (placebo minus dutasteride) in fat-free mass was 0.50 kg (95% CI, −0.22 to 1.22 kg; P = .18). There was no significant interaction between testosterone dose and randomization to dutasteride or placebo, indicating a lack of evidence that the relationship of testosterone dose to change in fat-free mass differed between the dutasteride and placebo groups.

The model-based smoothed regression lines, obtained by generalized additive models, describing the relationship between changes in testosterone concentrations and changes in fat-free mass and lean body mass were similar in the placebo and dutasteride groups. Changes in fat mass were negatively related to testosterone dose and concentrations, but the relationship between change in fat mass and dose did not differ significantly between the placebo and dutasteride groups (P = .41; Figure 2)."

"Muscle strength Leg-press and chest-press strength increased dependently by dose in the placebo and dutasteride groups. Increases in leg-press and chest-press strength were greater with larger doses and higher concentrations of testosterone. These relationships did not differ between the placebo and dutasteride groups (Figure 2)."

Really interesting commentary from the authors on the role of DHT in adult men: "Why then did the steroid 5α-reductase system evolve for androgens? Forty-six XY males with steroid 5α-reductase deficiency exhibited ambiguous or female external genitalia at birth and poor prostate development, but underwent normal muscle and bone development during pubertal transition. The phenotype of these patients suggests that steroid 5α-reductase plays an essential role in the development of prostate and phallus by providing local amplification of an androgenic signal without systemic hyperandrogenemia during critical periods of sexual differentiation, illustrating nature's extraordinary ingenuity in creating mechanisms for tissue-selective amplification during development.

We speculate that in adult men, in whom this tissue-specific amplification is not essential because the circulating testosterone concentrations are substantially higher than those in the fetus, testosterone and DHT can interchangeably subserve many androgenic functions. When circulating testosterone concentrations are low, intraprostatic DHT formation may become important in maintaining prostate growth, thus buffering the effects of decreasing testosterone levels, which has been suggested by Marks et al.

Our data are consistent with studies that have reported no effects of 5α-reductase inhibitors on muscle or bone mass. Inferences from these trials are limited by the fact that administration of 5α-reductase inhibitors increases testosterone levels, rendering it difficult to ascribe the outcomes to differences in DHT levels alone. In our trial, inhibition of endogenous testosterone by administration of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist eliminated this problem. Additionally, the high-dose dutasteride regimen effectively inhibited both steroid 5α-reductase isoenzymes."

[Elon Musk @elonmusk]

We should eliminate electronic voting machines. The risk of being hacked by humans or AI, while small, is still too high.

[BRP Sierra Madre @BRPSierraMadre]

WHO REALLY DISRUPTS THE PEACE IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA? Despite China's claims that it does not bully smaller nations, its actions tell a different story. China's continuous violations of international law and blatant disregard for the 2016 Arbitral Ruling reveal the true disruptor of regional peace. In a historic address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, President Marcos Jr. emphasized the need for sovereign equality and the rejection of unjust narratives. The Philippines remains unwavering in its commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Ruling, advocating for a rules-based order to ensure regional stability and prosperity.

[Elon Musk @elonmusk]

If you’re reading this post, it’s because our servers are working

[Ruben Carranza @RCarranza_]

38 YEARS AGO TODAY, said Marcos Jr. in a speech last year, the Marcoses fled and landed in Hawaii “with nothing.” Here’s a list of “nothing”and a video of them landing with @Pampers boxes containing $30M in jewelry that I later helped recover for the poorest of my people.

[ABS-CBN News @ABSCBNNews]

Pag-aaksaya lang ng panahon at magiging magastos umano ang pag-amyenda sa economic provisions ng Saligang Batas, ayon kay dating NEDA chief Ernesto Pernia.

Buong ulat: https://t.co/ZJgE6DisKI

[Miyako Izabel @sejoalzir]

Makatarungan ba ito?

Noong 2021, nagbigay pa rin ang NTF-ELCAC ng P1.64 B sa Davao City para pansugpo sa NPA kahit ang budget ng Davao City para sa peace and order ay P1.73 B. Hindi pa kasama diyan ang development funds at confidential funds na lalagpas ng bilyon din.

Masiba.

[Jay Tarriela @jaytaryela]

Kung ikaw ay isang Pilipino, nasa gobyerno man o sa pribadong sektor, kahit sino pa man ang iyong sinuportahang partido pulitika, ang dumepensa at mangatwiran para sa illegal at agresibong kilos ng Tsina sa Kanlurang Dagat ng Pilipinas ay pagpapakita na ikaw ay hindi makabayan at traydor sa Pilipinas at sa sambayanang Pilipino.

Aking kinikilala ang malayang pagkukurokuro at pamamahayag na isang mahalagang karapatang ginagarantiya ng ating konstitusyon, ito ay hindi dapat gamitin para bigyang katwiran ang hindi makabayang gawain na maging tagapagtanggol ng Tsina. Lahat ng Pilipino ay kailangang magkaisa sa pagtuligsa sa agresibo at ilegal na aksyon ng Tsina sa Kanlurang Dagat ng Pilipinas. Sama sama nating tindigan ang pagprotekta ng interes ng ating bayan at sa pagtulak ng isang mapayapang resolusyon.

Dahil sa West Philippine Sea ang yaman nito ay para sa Pilipino!🇵🇭

[JC Punongbayan @jcpunongbayan]

EH KASI pinuwersa niyo ba namang magbigay ng P25 billion para sa Maharlika. Pinahina ninyo ang financial position ng bangkong iyan. Juskolerd... https://t.co/76DNLxN95z

[iMPACT Leadership @iMPACTPH2019]

WHERE DID JUDGE GITO FINISH LAW?

Judge Gener Gito, the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Presiding Judge who allowed former Sen. Leila de Lima to post bail, finished Juris Doctor from San Sebastian College - Recoletos.

[Project Gunita @ProjectGunitaPH]

The son of the late dictator claims, "We landed here in Honolulu with nothing."

FALSE.

With an estimated value of around $1 billion, the Marcos family brought the following items (all of them stolen) to Hawaii after the ouster of the dictatorship in 1986:
#DefendHistoricalTruth