The Bee's health and fitness blog, aptly called "Sacramento Health & Fitness," is up and running. Here are excerpts from this week's postings by medical writer Carrie Peyton Dalhberg, health and fitness reporter Sam McManis, health business reporter Bobby Caina Calvan and sportswriter John Schumacher.

BIG PHARMA STRIKES

Drug companies go way beyond sales calls to persuade doctors to prescribe their products. Two UC San Francisco doctors have sifted through the evidence in one criminal case and have laid out in detail how lectures, meetings, speakers, ghostwriters and other tactics helped turn an anti-seizure drug into a "blockbuster" seller for a wide variety of conditions.

The company involved, Warner-Lambert, was later purchased by Pfizer Inc., which pleaded guilty to criminal charges and paid $430 million in fines in 2004 over the marketing of Neurontin.

In an article in the New England Journal of Medicine earlier this month, the two California doctors argue that the Neurontin case shows that tougher controls on research and research funding are needed.

– Carrie Peyton Dahlberg

WESTERN STATES 100

The smoke-induced cancellation of the Western States Endurance Run in June left many in the ultrarunning world going through withdrawal pains. For those who can't get enough of the 100-mile race, the road to the 2009 Western States is just around the corner. The first training run, a 20-mile jaunt from Green Gate to Placer High School, is scheduled for Feb. 21. Interested runners should meet at the Placer High Stadium at 8 a.m. for a bus ride to Green Gate. The cost is $20, which you can pay that day. A three-day training camp covering the final 70 miles of the course, conditions permitting, is scheduled for May 23-25. Race officials gave the 390 runners entered in the 2008 event the option of coming back for the 2009 race, set for June 27-28. There were 340 takers. The cancellation rendered moot the race's annual lottery to get into the run. The previous lottery attracted 1,300 applications for 300 spots.

"There's a lot of people that are going to have to go somewhere else in 2009 that were probably hoping to apply to Western," race director Greg Soderlund said.

– John Schumacher

DAVIS BURRITO RUN

The Davis Stampede half-marathon, 10K, 5K and kids fun run is one of my favorite races of the year – OK, except for that one year when the wind was gusting at 20 mph. Anyway, the 27th running of the Stampede is next Sunday, and race director Dave Miramontes at Change of Pace is offering some enticements to increase registration.

Here's the deal: If you register two people for the Stampede, you'll get a one-month free membership at the Davis Athletic Club plus a gift certificate to Chipotle. Burritos for everyone! Please note, though: This offer is only good through today. They put on a great race – nice to have that sweat check on cold mornings, by the way – but a great race plus burritos? Sign me up.

– Sam McManis

POSITIVE NEWS ONLY

A new Cochrane Collaboration review of medical literature shows that positive results of studies tend to get published – and publicized – more often than those showing a negative result. Cochrane Collaborative researchers found that trials are 1.78 times more likely to be published "if they are perceived as important, reveal a positive effect or offer scientifically significant findings." Cochrane's research found that just 41 percent of negative trials showing a drug or treatment either has no effect or possible bad effects were printed.

– Sam McManis