March 29, 2013
If you thought personalised advertising based on your Facebook status updates, Gmail content or online browsing behaviour was creepy, just you wait. The era of genetics-based advertising is coming, and it could be just as profitable. (Wired UK)
March 29, 2013
Alternative therapies can help relieve discomfort and stress. Families can pursue and sometimes administer these therapies in both hospice and hospital settings. (Chicago Tribune)
March 29, 2013
A team of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania has generated new insight on how a stem cell’s environment influences what type of cell a stem cell will become. They have shown that whether human mesenchymal stem cells turn into … Read More
March 29, 2013
End-of-life choices and treatment decisions are rarely discussed in the medical community, despite expert advice meant to encourage communication, studies suggest. As a result, many patients spend their final days receiving invasive treatments that they might not have chosen if … Read More
March 28, 2013
Overachievers are popping Adderall to get ahead. Is that a good idea? (Slate)
March 28, 2013
A combination of patient-derived stem cells, which have no publication record of efficacy, can now be given to children with incurable diseases in Italy. Disregarding the country’s health regulatory agency’s recommendations, the outgoing health minister Renato Balduzzi last week (March … Read More
March 28, 2013
In an animal study, researchers at the University of Washington show that it was possible to use gene therapy to boost heart muscle function. The finding suggests that it might be possible to use this approach to treat patients whose … Read More
March 28, 2013
Drugs such as Ritalin and Adderall are intended to treat severe attention deficit, but some young people with comparably normal brains use them as study drugs to sharpen their academic focus. The practice is neither ethical nor safe, according to … Read More
March 28, 2013
Chemists at the University have developed a prototype medical dressing that detects the first signs of the lethal Toxic Shock Syndrome along with other burn wound infections and could potentially save the lives of children with serious burns. (Nanowerk)
March 28, 2013
Researchers from Georgia Tech and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta have developed a technique that assists in identifying tumors from normal brain tissue during surgery by staining tumor cells blue. (R & D Magazine)
March 28, 2013
These are just some of the applications that synthetic biology – applying engineering principles to biological parts – could make possible. That goal is looking more likely now that, for the first time, researchers have established a set of rules … Read More
March 28, 2013
New research has nearly doubled the number of genetic variations implicated in breast, prostate and ovarian cancer, offering fresh avenues for screening at-risk patients and, potentially, developing better drugs. (Reuters)
March 27, 2013
Plenty of studies have established that marriage is good for the physical and mental well-being of heterosexual couples. So far, the evidence indicates that the same is true for the nation’s estimated 646,000 same-sex couples. (Los Angeles Times)
March 27, 2013
In England, hospital is still the most common place for patients with cancer to die but an increase in home and hospice deaths since 2005 suggests that the National End of Life Care Programme (a Programme to promote the rollout … Read More
March 27, 2013
Testing for fetal abnormalities can alert expectant parents to potential health problems to come. And it’s the parents who should decide on how to act on those results, right? (Time)
March 27, 2013
Biotech investor R.J. Kirk became a billionaire thanks to big bets on two neuroscience drugs: Vyvanse, for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and Viibryd, for depression. (Forbes)
March 26, 2013
It is characteristic of the American condition that we want to save the world. This may be seen economically, politically, in terms of human rights, consumption of resources, education or healthcare – any way one chooses. (The Yemen Times)
March 26, 2013
Bahrain successfully crushed pro-democracy demonstrations in 2011, and now it has told Doctors Without Borders that their long-planned conference on medical ethics is unwelcome. (Christian Science Monitor)
March 26, 2013
Early diagnosis is critical in treating Lyme disease. However, nearly one quarter of Lyme disease patients are initially misdiagnosed because currently available serological tests have poor sensitivity and specificity during the early stages of infection. (A to Z Nanotechnology)
March 26, 2013
The Guttmacher Institute just released a review of the research that’s been done on the impact of access to contraception on women’s lives. It’s not just a nice to have. It’s a need to have. (Forbes)
March 25, 2013
In a little-noticed move, the leading body for US fertility clinics has given a green light to helping women over 50 to become pregnant. The former policy of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, formulated in 2004, was that just … Read More
March 25, 2013
The Australian Senate unanimously passed a motion on March 21 urging the government to oppose the practice of organ harvesting in China. (The Epoch Times)
March 25, 2013
The Reproductive Parity Act, as supporters call it, would require insurers in Washington state who cover maternity care — which all insurers must do — to also pay for abortions. (ABC News)
March 25, 2013
Two studies led by researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute conclude that a frank, honest discussion with their doctor can help terminally ill cancer patients make informed treatment choices that may lead to better quality of life before they die. (American … Read More
March 25, 2013
A federal appeals court has sided with the Food and Drug Administration in a case brought by medical device maker Cytori, ruling that the agency was correct to reject fast-track approval for two company devices used to process adult stem … Read More
