Tamar Stieber

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Tamar Stieber is an American journalist who won the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for Specialized Reporting. Her coverage revealed a correlation between the drug L-tryptophan and a rare blood disorder. As a result of her reporting, the Food and Drug Administration recalled the dietary supplement.

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In 1993, Stieber sued the Albuquerque Journal for unfair treatment and gender discrimination. [1] The United States District Court for the District of New Mexico ruled in favor of the Journal and an appellate court upheld the decision. [2]

1990 Pulitzer Prize

Stieber won the Pulitzer Prize in 1990 for Specialized Reporting. [3] A freshman reporter who had only started at the Journal one year prior, she first reported that three doctors in New Mexico had noticed a link between their patients’ rare blood disorders and their use of the dietary supplement L-tryptophan. [4] Both doctors and state officials were skeptical and resistant to cooperating with the reporting. [4] After Stieber’s articles were published, over 300 cases of the potentially fatal disorder were discovered in 38 states, including the District of Columbia. [5] The FDA subsequently announced a nationwide class I recall of L-tryptophan. [6]

Stieber was the first reporter from New Mexico to win a Pulitzer Prize. [7]

1993 lawsuit

After winning the Pulitzer, Stieber received nominal promotions from the Albuquerque Journal but suffered from alleged “discrimination in salary, assignments, and opportunities for advancement.” [7] Stieber filed a gender bias complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, then sued the Albuquerque Journal. [7]

The suit alleged that in May 1992, Stieber’s pay was still $8,500 less than the average pay of three male investigative reporters, none of whom had won a Pulitzer Prize. [7] The Journal alleged that some of Stieber’s stories were erroneously reported and that she was using company resources to sue the newspaper. [8] She resigned from the Albuquerque Journal in October 1994. [8]

In April 1995, a federal jury ruled in favor of the Albuquerque Journal. [8] On October 23, 1997, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit upheld the jury’s decision. [2]

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A vitamin is an organic molecule (or a set of molecules closely related chemically, i.e. vitamers) that is an essential micronutrient that an organism needs in small quantities for the proper functioning of its metabolism. Essential nutrients cannot be synthesized in the organism, either at all or not in sufficient quantities, and therefore must be obtained through the diet. Vitamin C can be synthesized by some species but not by others; it is not a vitamin in the first instance but is in the second. The term vitamin does not include the three other groups of essential nutrients: minerals, essential fatty acids, and essential amino acids. Most vitamins are not single molecules, but groups of related molecules called vitamers. For example, there are eight vitamers of vitamin E: four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. Some sources list fourteen vitamins, by including choline, but major health organizations list thirteen: vitamin A (as all-trans-retinol, all-trans-retinyl-esters, as well as all-trans-beta-carotene and other provitamin A carotenoids), vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B3 (niacin), vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin B7 (biotin), vitamin B9 (folic acid or folate), vitamin B12 (cobalamins), vitamin C (ascorbic acid), vitamin D (calciferols), vitamin E (tocopherols and tocotrienols), and vitamin K (phylloquinone and menaquinones).

Tryptophan Chemical compound

Tryptophan is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. Tryptophan contains an α-amino group, an α-carboxylic acid group, and a side chain indole, making it a polar molecule with a non-polar aromatic beta carbon substituent. It is essential in humans, meaning that the body cannot synthesize it and it must be obtained from the diet. Tryptophan is also a precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin, the hormone melatonin, and vitamin B3. It is encoded by the codon UGG.

Eosinophilia–myalgia syndrome is a rare, sometimes fatal neurological condition linked to the ingestion of the dietary supplement L-tryptophan. The risk of developing EMS increases with larger doses of tryptophan and increasing age. Some research suggests that certain genetic polymorphisms may be related to the development of EMS. The presence of eosinophilia is a core feature of EMS, along with unusually severe myalgia.

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References

  1. ↑ "The Santa Fe Witch Trial".
  2. 1 2 "Tamar Stieber, Plaintiff-appellant, v. Journal Publishing Company, D/b/a Albuquerque Journal,defendant-appellee, 127 F.3d 1109 (10th Cir. 1997)".
  3. ↑ "Tamar Stieber of Albuquerque Journal". www.pulitzer.org. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Journal Pulitzer Winner: Prize an Unexpected Surprise with PM-Pulitzers, Bjt".
  5. ↑ "FDA RECALLS DIET SUPPLEMENT L-TRYPTOPHAN". November 21, 1989 – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  6. ↑ "FDA RECALLS PRODUCTS BASED ON L-TRYPTOPHAN". March 23, 1990 – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  7. 1 2 3 4 ""Pulitzer Prize Winner Sues Her Employer" by Stein, M. L. - Editor & Publisher, Vol. 127, Issue 2, January 8, 1994".[ dead link ]
  8. 1 2 3 "Managing Editors".
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