October 30, 2009
Human gene patents have stirred social controversy for decades. People have marched in the streets decrying the evils of “patenting life.†National and international agencies have issued reports calling for a range of reforms. Patient groups have instigated legal action … Read More
October 30, 2009
In the course of the debate over health care reform, some of the political rhetoric has focused on “rationing” and the idea of how much money can or should be spent on someone at the end of his or her … Read More
October 30, 2009
Louise (not her real name), a scientist and avid runner in her 50s, first noticed the strange pangs under her right ribcage a few weeks before we met. Her CAT scan revealed a liver so riddled with islands of tumor … Read More
October 30, 2009
It’s not unusual for employers to conduct criminal background checks during the hiring process. But the University of Akron has taken this to a surprising new level. (CBS News)
October 30, 2009
The EU and the US must forge stronger research ties in order to tackle the greatest challenges facing the world today, Alan Leshner, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), told attendees at the inaugural annual … Read More
October 30, 2009
IT MAY not surprise parents that the head-banging, string-shredding world of heavy metal can seriously damage your health. But now Tony Iommi, the British guitarist who helped to invent the genre, has revealed that he is undergoing stem-cell treatment to … Read More
October 29, 2009
Federal drug officials have long been criticized for failing to force drug makers to complete studies proving that their drugs work as hoped, and Congressional investigators on Monday released yet another report pointing out that some of these studies remain … Read More
October 29, 2009
Switzerland is looking to change the law on assisted suicide to make sure it is only used as a last resort by the terminally ill, and to limit so-called “death tourism,” the government said on Wednesday. (ABC News)
October 29, 2009
When couples with fertility problems turn to in vitro fertilization, they often assume that they can double their chances for a healthy baby by transferring two embryos to the womb instead of just one. (Los Angeles Times)
October 29, 2009
AUSTRALIA is expected to lift a five-year ban on the transplantation of animal cells and organs into humans, opening the way for research into the use of pig cells in fighting diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, Huntingdon’s disease and strokes. (Sydney Morning … Read More
October 28, 2009
Over the last year, the general public has learned a lot about the use of Ritalin and other psychotropic drugs by healthy people to improve alertness and concentration. And with that awareness there appears to be a growing acceptance, or … Read More
October 28, 2009
Over the last year, the general public has learned a lot about the use of Ritalin and other psychotropic drugs by healthy people to improve alertness and concentration. And with that awareness there appears to be a growing acceptance, or … Read More
October 28, 2009
U.S. researchers have found a way to coax human embryonic stem cells to turn into the types of cells that make eggs and sperm, shedding light on a stage of early human development that has not been fully understood. (ABC … Read More
October 28, 2009
New procedure could sharply increase the supply of functional lungs by preventing and possibly repairing organs damaged during harvesting. The process also may decrease rejection by the recipient. (Los Angeles Times)
October 28, 2009
Does Genetics Matter? Help, Hype and the New Horizon of Epigenetics Progress Educational Trust Clifford Chance, 10 Upper Bank Street, London E14 5JJ, UK 18 November 2009 – 9.30am-5pm As genetics vies with stem cells for centre stage in human … Read More
October 28, 2009
Open Call For Abstracts: Is Medical Ethics Really in the Best Interest of the Patient? Uppsala, Sweden, 14-16 June 2010 Abstract submission deadline: February 15 This conference is divided into three themes, one for each day of the conference. Each … Read More
October 27, 2009
The proposals were open for public consultation from May to August 2009, during which time they received widespread condemnation from civil liberties campaigners citing Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (which relates to personal privacy). In addition, … Read More
October 27, 2009
Over the past 20 years or so, there has been a rise of 2 parallel movements, one toward the explicit use of clinical trial data to guide clinical practice (evidence-based medicine) and the other toward patient empowerment through explicit informed … Read More
October 27, 2009
Hwang Woo-suk’s research was supposed to be the harbinger of a medical revolution. In the space of 18 extraordinary months in 2004 and 2005, his team claimed to have created the first cloned human embryo, and then to have produced … Read More
October 27, 2009
Health and Human Rights (Volume 11, Number 1, 2009) is now available. Articles Include: “The Power of Community in Advancing the Right to Health: A Conversation with Anand Grover” by Anand Grover. “Suffering and Powerlessness: The Significance of Promoting Participation … Read More
October 27, 2009
JAMA (Volume 302, Number 14, October 14, 2009) is now available by subscription only. Articles Include: “Surgeons Continue to Debate Place of Randomized Trials of Surgical Procedures” by Bridget M. Kuehn , 1513-1519. “Surgical Tourism: Some US Patients Travel Abroad … Read More
October 26, 2009
The National Cancer Research Institute’s Confederation of Cancer Biobanks (CCB) is a consortium of UK organisations involved biobank resources for cancer research. The Confederation seeks to ‘promote and disseminate a collective view on best practices for biobanks’ and promote knowledge … Read More
October 26, 2009
A South Korean court on Monday found disgraced stem cell scientist Hwang Woo-suk guilty of fraud and handed down a suspended sentence in a case that sent shockwaves throughout the global scientific community. (Reuters)
October 26, 2009
President Obama’s decision to declare the H1N1 flu a national emergency over the weekend is a recognition of the political peril the virus could inflict on the White House. (Washington Post)
October 26, 2009
Around a third of doctors say they have given drugs to terminally ill patients or withdrawn treatment, knowing or intending that it would shorten their life, research reveals. (The Guardian)
