A controversial organ transplant bill expected to become law in the next few weeks could regularize organ transplants and curb Egypt’s booming illicit trade in human organs, experts say. (Reuters AlertNet)

The state health department has promised action against two hospitals in Coimbatore if they are proved guilty of trading in kidneys but most non-government organizations in the organ transplant sector are “unsure” if any action will be taken. (The Times of India)

Bill and Melinda Gates said on Friday they would spend $10 billion over the next decade to develop and deliver vaccines, an increased commitment that reflects progress in the pipeline of products for immunizing children in the developing world. (Reuters)

ABOARD THE USNS COMFORT — Yvelot Brianville, 24, lies quietly on a steel hospital gurney, a boyish naval officer in blue combat fatigues standing by his side. (USA TODAY)

I know that some people may not see any ethical conflict in physician-reporters like CNN’s Sanjay Gupta, CBS’ Jennifer Ashton and ABC’s Richard Besser reporting on their own delivery of health care in Haiti. (MinnPost)

JAMA (Vol. 303; No. 3; January 20, 2010)  is now available by subscription only.

Articles include:

• “Garnering Support for Advance Care Planning” by Terri R. Fried and Margaret Drickamer, 269-270.
• “Public Health Response to Influenza A(H1N1) as an Opportunity to Build Public Trust” by Heidi J. Larson and David L. Heymann, 271-272.
• “New HIV Recommendations” by Joan Stephenson, 215.
• “Severe Childhood Obesity” by Joan Stephenson, 215.
• “Lung Cancer Screening” by Joan Stephenson, 215.

The health ministry plans to question Kanazawa University Hospital officials to clarify how unlicensed brokers approached doctors there to help patients receive organ transplants overseas. (The Japan Times)

The Journal of Law, Medicine, & Ethics (Volume 37, Issue 4, Winter 2009) is now available by subscription only.

Articles include:

• “Commentary: Emerging Technologies Oversight: Research, Regulation, and Commercialization” by Robbin Johnson, 587-593.
  
• “Evaluating Oversight of Human Drugs and Medical Devices: A Case Study of the FDA and Implications for Nanobiotechnology” by Jordan Paradise, Alison W. Tisdale, Ralph F. Hall, and Efrosini Kokkoli; 598-624.
• “Gene Therapy Oversight: Lessons for Nanobiotechnology” by Susan M. Wolf, Rishi Gupta, and Peter Kohlhepp; 659-684.
• “Science, Ethics, and the ‘Problems’ of Governing Nanotechnologies” by Linda F. Hogle, 749-758.
• “Introduction: Comparative Health Law and Policy: What, If Anything, Can We Learn from Other Countries?” by Diane Hoffmann, 790-791.
• “Realization of the International Human Right to Health in an Economically Integrated North America” by Eleanor D. Kinney, 807-818.
• “Tobacco Industry Use of Corporate Social Responsibility Tactics as a Sword and a Shield on Secondhand Smoke Issues” Lissy C. Friedman, 819-827.

Recent proposals to restrict or even ban the practice of euthanasia have emerged in Switzerland, where doctors have been permitted to offer the option not only to Swiss residents but also foreigners. (RT Top Stories)

JAMA (Volume 302; Number 23; December 16, 2009) is now available by subscription only.

Articles include:

• “Health Insurance Cooperatives: Lessons from the Great Depression” by Michael R. Grey, 2587-2588.
• “The Global Breast Cancer Disparity: Strategies for Bridging the Gap” by Jonas A. Souza and José Bines, 2589-2590.
• “Mentoring: What’s In a Name?” by Dario Sambunjak and Ana Marusic, 2591-2592.
• “Late-Life Dementias: Does This Unyielding Global Challenge Require a Broader View?” by Thomas J. Montine and Eric B. Larson, 2593-2594.
• “Gene Therapy Repair of Donor Lungs Improves Outlook for Transplantation” by M.J. Friedrich, 2530.
• “Cord Blood Transplants” by Joan Stephenson, 2531.

Foreign nationals who are HIV-positive will find it easier starting Monday to visit the United States.

The Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention removed HIV infection from the list of diseases that prevent non-U.S. citizens from entering the country. (CNN)

Wales could become the first part of the UK introduce an opt-out system of organ donation under plans by the assembly government. It would mean that Welsh residents would be presumed to be organ donors unless they have joined an opt out register or immediate relatives object. (BBC)

The Israeli government deserves congratulation for its courage and innovation in adopting a radical new approach to the problem of organ transplantation.The shortage of organs available for transplant is a global problem and is getting worse. But its move pushes medicine across a new ethical frontier. (The Independent)

Women aged 30 to 40 who have no partner but want to conceive once they do, will be permitted, in up to half a year, to have ova removed and frozen until they are ready to become mothers. This major change in Health Ministry regulations will take place following new recommendations by the National Bioethics Council, presented this week to ministry director-general Dr. Eitan Ha’am. (Jerusalem Post)

The Irish Council for Bioethics is to close at the end of this month after a decision by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to terminate its funding. (The Irish Times)

The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council should have consulted the public before giving the green light to xenotransplantation, says a former member of the Council. (ABC Science)

The well-worn notion that patients in the United States have unfettered access to the most expensive cancer drugs while the United Kingdom’s nationalized health care system regularly denies access to some high-cost treatments needs rethinking, a team of bioethicists and health policy experts says in a new report. (ScienceDaily)

Gathering seeks to foster the art of convergence and cooperation in global ethics among the three Monotheistic faiths using an academic model for dissemination and sharing of information and knowledge. (PrWeb)

Journal of Medical Ethics (Volume 35, Number 12, December 2009) is now available by subscription only.

Articles include:

• “The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008: A Missed Opportunity?” by Amel Alghrani, 718-719.
• “Clinical Ethics: Genetic Selection for Deafness: The Views of Hearing Children or Deaf Adults” by C Mand, R E Duncan, L Gillam, V Collins, and M B Delatycki; 722-728.
• “Clinical Ethics: Medical Chaperoning at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Saudi Arabia: Survey of Physicians” by E A Al-Gaai and M M Hammami, 729-732.
• “Clinical Ethics: Best Interests, Dementia and the Mental Capacity Act (2005)” by T Hope, A Slowther, and J Eccles; 733-738.
• “Ethics: Who Gets the Liver Transplant? The Use of Responsibility as the Tie Breaker” by V Thornton, 739-742.
• “Ethics: Can the Catholic Church Agree to Condom Use by HIV-discordant Couples?” by L Bovens, 743-746.
• “Ethics: Moral Pluralism Versus the Total View: Why Singer is Wrong About Radical Life Extension” by R Blackford, 747-752.
• “Research Ethics: The ‘How’ and ‘Whys’ of Research: Life Scientists’ Views of Accountability” by J M Ladd, M D Lappé, J B McCormick, A M Boyce, and M K Cho; 762-767.
• “Research Ethics: Embryonic Stem Cell Research is Not Dehumanising Us” by L Kostergaard, 774-777.
• “Does Bioethics Exist?” by L Turner, 778-780.

American Journal of Transplantation (Volume 9, Issue 12, December 2009) is now available by subscription only.

Articles include:

• “Race and Ethnicity in Access to and Outcomes of Liver Transplantation: A Critical Literature Review” by A. K. Mathur, C.J. Sonneday, and R.M. Merion; 2662-2668.
• “Impact of Medicare Coverage on Disparities in Access to Simultaneous Pancreas and Kidney Transplantation” by J. K. Melancon, L. M. Kucirka, L. E. Boulware, N. R. Powe, J. E. Locke, R. A. Montgomery, and D. L. Segev; 2785-2791.
• “Predictors of Having a Potential Live Donor: A Prospective Cohort Study of Kidney Transplant Candidates” by P. P. Reese, J. A. Shea, R. D. Bloom, J. S. Berns, R. Grossman, M. Joffe, A. Huverserian, and H. I. Feldman; 2792-2799.
• “Racial and Ethnic Differences in Mortality in Children Awaiting Heart Transplant in the United States” by T. P. Singh, K. Gauvreau, R. Thiagarajan, E. D. Blume, G. Piercey, and C. S. Almond; 2808-2815.
• “Reimbursing Live Organ Donors for Incurred Non-Medical Expenses: A Global Perspective on Policies and Programs” by M. Sickand, M. S. Cuerden, S. W. Klarenbach, A. O. Ojo, C. R. Parikh, N. Boudville, and A. X. Garg; 2825-2836.
• Book Review: “When Altruism Isn’t Enough: The Case for Compensating Kidney Donors” by D. W. Hanto, 2855-2855.

Clinical Transplantation (Volume 23, Issue 6, November/December 2009) is now available by subscription only.

Articles include:

• “CMS Oversight, OPOs and Transplant Centers and the Law of Unintended Consequences” by Richard J. Howard, Danielle L. Cornell, and Jesse D. Schold; 778-783
• “Transplant Tourism to China: The Impact on Domestic Patient-care Decisions” by Scott W. Biggins, Kiran Bambha, Norah Terrault, John Inadomi, John P. Roberts, and Nathan Bass; 831-838
• “Disparity in Utilization of Combined Kidney-liver Transplantation in the United States” by S.D. Mehta and D.J. Leehey, 938-942