As imagined by Dave Lindorff

My Fellow Americans.

I stand before you a chastened president. I made a mistake. Two mistakes really. (Wild applause from Republican side.)

I thought that Congress could do its job and through the deliberative process, produce a health care reform plan that would win broad support across the aisle and among all of you. But I'm afraid that I was wrong. Health care is an enormous industry--maybe the biggest and most powerful industry in the country--and it has far too much power in Congress. Literally thousands of lobbyists, carrying tens of billions of dollars in campaign contributions--have invaded these halls (and my house too, by the way) (relieved laughter) and distorted the process, and in the end have stymied reform. (Expect some hissing.)

Meanwhile, I have realized that the answer has been staring us in the face all along.

What State Do You Think America's Health Care Will Be in Monday Morning?

'World News' Wants to Hear From You

by Scott Neuman

THE INFLUENCE GAME: Drug lobby's health care win

Saturday, April 24, 2010
Time:
10:00am - 4:00pm
Location:
ST. LUKES HOSPITAL AUDITORIUM. Amsterdam Ave.and 113th St., NYC. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=115686905108900&ref=nf - More here !

Restaurants and wholesalers are pulling romaine lettuce from their supplies in Maryland and 22 other states after an http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/sns-ap-us-lettuce-recall,0,6266455.story - outbreak of what appears to be E.coli sickened at least 19 people, three of them critically.

The Food and Drug Administration is investigating a farm in Arizona as the source of the tainted lettuce, the AP reports. The illnesses took place in Michigan, Ohio and New York.

http://us.synergyworldwide.com/Media/San.ashx?san=1&FileName=/Test/Archives/LEGACY_SUMMER09.PDF - Synergy set to illuminate Tokyo at the Summit

Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mergefrom.svg">

It has been suggested that http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine_pyroglutamate - Arginine pyroglutamate and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L-Arginine_L-malate - L-Arginine L-malate be http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Merging - merged into this article or section. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Arginine - Discuss )

L-Arginine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Arginin_-_Arginine.svg">	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:L-arginine-3D-hztl.png">
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Union_of_Pure_and_Applied_Chemistry_nomenclature - IUPAC name javascript:toggleNavigationBar%281%29; - [hide] (S)-2-Amino-5-guanidinopentanoic acid
Other names javascript:toggleNavigationBar%282%29; - [hide] Arginine
Identifiers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAS_registry_number - CAS number	http://www.commonchemistry.org/ChemicalDetail.aspx?ref=74-79-3 - 74-79-3  Y
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PubChem - PubChem	http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/summary/summary.cgi?cid=6322 - 6322
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChemSpider - ChemSpider	http://www.chemspider.com/227 - 227
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Union_of_Basic_and_Clinical_Pharmacology - IUPHAR ligand	http://www.iuphar-db.org/DATABASE/LigandDisplayForward?ligandId=721 - 721
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_molecular_input_line_entry_specification - SMILES	javascript:toggleNavigationBar%283%29; - [show] O=C(O)C(N)CCC/N=C(\N)N
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Chemical_Identifier - InChI	javascript:toggleNavigationBar%284%29; - [show] 1/C6H14N4O2/c7-4(5(11)12)2-1-3-10-6(8)9/h4H,1-3,7H2,(H,11,12)(H4,8,9,10)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Chemical_Identifier - InChI key	ODKSFYDXXFIFQN-UHFFFAOYAT
Properties
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_formula - Molecular formula	C6H14N4O2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molar_mass - Molar mass	174.2 g mol−1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine_%28data_page%29 - Supplementary data page
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine_%28data_page%29#Structure_and_properties - Structure and properties	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refractive_index - n , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dielectric_constant - εr , etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine_%28data_page%29#Thermodynamic_properties - Thermodynamic data	Phase behaviour Solid, liquid, gas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine_%28data_page%29#Spectral_data - Spectral data	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UV/VIS_spectroscopy - UV , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrared_spectroscopy - IR , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NMR_spectroscopy - NMR , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_spectrometry - MS
Y  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Chemicals/Chembox_validation - (what is this?)    http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arginine&diff=cur&oldid=321833631 - (verify) Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_state - standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Chemical_infobox#References - Infobox references

Arginine (abbreviated as Arg or R) ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-0 - [1]} is an α- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amino_acid - amino acid . The http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_isomerism - L-form is one of the 20 most common natural amino acids. At level of molecular genetics, in the structure of the messenger ribonucleic acid http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MRNA - mRNA , CGU, CGC, CGA, CGG, AGA, and AGG, are the triplets of nucleotid bases or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codons - codons that codify for arginine during protein synthesis. In mammals, arginine is classified as a semiessential or conditionally essential amino acid, depending on the developmental stage and health status of the individual. ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-tapiero-1 - [2]} Infants are unable to meet their requirements and thus arginine is nutritionally essential for infants. ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-2 - [3]} Arginine was first isolated from a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupin - lupin seedling extract in 1886 by the Swiss chemist Ernst Schultze.

[ http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arginine&action=edit&section=1 - edit ] Structure

The http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amino_acid - amino acid http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Side_chain - side chain of arginine consists of a 3-carbon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliphatic - aliphatic straight chain, the distal end of which is capped by a complex http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanidine - guanidinium group.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Betaine_Arginine.png">

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Betaine_Arginine.png">

Delocalization of charge in guanidinium group of L-Arginine

With a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid_dissociation_constant - pK_a of 12.48, the guanidinium group is positively charged in neutral, acidic and even most basic environments, and thus imparts http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_%28chemistry%29 - basic chemical properties to arginine. Because of the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conjugated_system - conjugation between the double bond and the nitrogen lone pairs, the positive charge is delocalized, enabling the formation of multiple http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_bond - H-bonds .

[ http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arginine&action=edit&section=2 - edit ] Sources

[ http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arginine&action=edit&section=3 - edit ] Dietary sources

Arginine is a conditionally nonessential amino acid, meaning most of the time it can be manufactured by the human body, and does not need to be obtained directly through the diet. The biosynthetic pathway however does not produce sufficient arginine, and some must still be consumed through diet. Individuals who have poor nutrition or certain physical conditions may be advised to increase their intake of foods containing arginine. Arginine is found in a wide variety of foods, including ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-3 - [4]} :

• Animal sources: dairy products (e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottage_cheese - cottage cheese , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricotta - ricotta , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk - milk , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogurt - yogurt , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whey_protein - whey protein drinks), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef - beef , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pork - pork (e.g. bacon, ham), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin - gelatin , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poultry - poultry (e.g. chicken and turkey light meat), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_game - wild game (e.g. pheasant, quail), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seafood - seafood (e.g. halibut, lobster, salmon, shrimp, snails, tuna)
• Vegetable sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_germ - wheat germ and flour, buckwheat, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granola - granola , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oatmeal - oatmeal , peanuts, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nut_%28fruit%29 - nuts (coconut, pecans, cashews, walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pinenuts), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seeds - seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chick_peas - chick peas , cooked http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soybeans - soybeans

[ http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arginine&action=edit&section=4 - edit ] Biosynthesis

Arginine is synthesized from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citrulline - citrulline by the sequential action of the cytosolic enzymes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argininosuccinate_synthetase - argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS) and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argininosuccinate_lyase - argininosuccinate lyase (ASL). This is energetically costly, as the synthesis of each molecule of argininosuccinate requires hydrolysis of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adenosine_triphosphate - adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adenosine_monophosphate - adenosine monophosphate (AMP); i.e., two ATP equivalents.

Citrulline can be derived from multiple sources:

• from arginine via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitric_oxide_synthase - nitric oxide synthase (NOS)
• from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornithine - ornithine via catabolism of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proline - proline or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamine - glutamine / http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamate - glutamate
• from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asymmetric_dimethylarginine - asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) via DDAH

The pathways linking arginine, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamine - glutamine , and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proline - proline are bidirectional. Thus, the net utilization or production of these amino acids is highly dependent on cell type and developmental stage.

On a whole-body basis, synthesis of arginine occurs principally via the intestinal–renal axis, wherein http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epithelial_cell - epithelial cells of the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_intestine - small intestine , which produce http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citrulline - citrulline primarily from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamine - glutamine and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamate - glutamate , collaborate with the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proximal_tubule_cell - proximal tubule cells of the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidney - kidney , which extract citrulline from the circulation and convert it to arginine, which is returned to the circulation. Consequently, impairment of small bowel or renal function can reduce endogenous arginine synthesis, thereby increasing the dietary requirement.

Synthesis of arginine from citrulline also occurs at a low level in many other cells, and cellular capacity for arginine synthesis can be markedly increased under circumstances that also induce http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitric_oxide_synthase - iNOS . Thus, citrulline, a coproduct of the NOS-catalyzed reaction, can be recycled to arginine in a pathway known as the citrulline-NO or arginine-citrulline pathway. This is demonstrated by the fact that in many cell types, citrulline can substitute for arginine to some degree in supporting NO synthesis. However, recycling is not quantitative because citrulline accumulates along with nitrate and nitrite, the stable end-products of NO, in NO-producing cells. ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-4 - [5]}

[ http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arginine&action=edit&section=5 - edit ] Function

Arginine plays an important role in cell division, the healing of wounds, removing ammonia from the body, immune function, and the release of hormones. ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-tapiero-1 - [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-stechmiller-5 - [6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-witte-6 - [7]} Arginine, ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-7 - [8]} taken in combination with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proanthocyanidin - proanthocyanidins ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-8 - [9]} or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yohimbine - yohimbine ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-9 - [10]} , has also been used as a treatment for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erectile_dysfunction - erectile dysfunction .

The benefits and functions attributed to oral supplementation of L-arginine include:

• Precursor for the synthesis of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitric_oxide - nitric oxide (NO) ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-10 - [11]}
• Reduces healing time of injuries (particularly bone) ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-stechmiller-5 - [6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-witte-6 - [7]}
• Quickens repair time of damaged tissue ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-stechmiller-5 - [6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-witte-6 - [7]}
• Helps decrease http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_pressure - blood pressure ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-11 - [12] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-12 - [13]}

[ http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arginine&action=edit&section=6 - edit ] In proteins

The distributing basics of the moderate structure found in geometry, charge distribution and ability to form multiple H-bonds make arginine ideal for binding negatively charged groups. For this reason, arginine prefers to be on the outside of the proteins where it can interact with the polar environment. Incorporated in proteins, arginine can also be converted to citrulline by PAD enzymes. In addition, arginine can be http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylation - methylated by protein methyltransferases.

[ http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arginine&action=edit&section=7 - edit ] As a precursor

Arginine is the immediate precursor of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitric_oxide - NO , urea, ornithine and agmatine; is necessary for the synthesis of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creatine - creatine ; and can also be used for the synthesis of polyamines (mainly through ornithine and to a lesser degree through agmatine), citrulline, and glutamate. For being a precursor of NO, (relaxes blood vessels), arginine is used in many conditions where http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasodilation - vasodilation is required. ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-tapiero-1 - [2]} The presence of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asymmetric_dimethylarginine - asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), a close relative, inhibits the nitric oxide reaction; therefore, ADMA is considered a marker for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vascular_disease - vascular disease , just as L-arginine is considered a sign of a healthy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endothelium - endothelium .

[ http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arginine&action=edit&section=8 - edit ] Treatment of herpes simplex virus

A low ratio of arginine to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysine - lysine may be of benefit in the treatment of herpes simplex virus. For more information, refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herpes#Treatment - Herpes - Treatment .

[ http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arginine&action=edit&section=9 - edit ] Possible increased risk of death after supplementation following heart attack

A clinical trial found that patients taking an L-arginine supplement following a heart attack didn't improve in their vascular tone or their hearts' ability to pump. In fact, six patients who were taking L-arginine died than those taking a placebo and the study was stopped early with the recommendation the supplement not be used by heart attack patients. ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-13 - [14] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-14 - [15] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-15 - [16]} The supplement is still widely marketed.

[ http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arginine&action=edit&section=10 - edit ] Lung inflammation and asthma

The Mayo Clinic web page on L-arginine reports that inhalation of L-arginine can increase lung inflammation and worsen asthma. ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-16 - [17]}

[ http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arginine&action=edit&section=11 - edit ] Growth hormone

Arginine may boost the production of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth_hormone - growth hormone ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-alba-roth-17 - [18]} , although this has not been proven.^{[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed - citation needed ]}

[ http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arginine&action=edit&section=12 - edit ] MELAS syndrome

Several trials delved into effects of L-agrinine in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitochondrial_encephalomyopathy,_lactic_acidosis,_and_stroke-like_episodes - MELAS syndrome , a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitochondrial_disease - mitochondrial disease . ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-pmid16769961-18 - [19] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-pmid19198147-19 - [20] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-pmid17276739-20 - [21] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arginine#cite_note-pmid19780807-21 - [22]}

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AAKG -