Bioethics & Health News
January 10

January 10, 2006

Probe finds stem cell scientist faked research

An academic panel investigating the work of South Korean researcher Woo Suk Hwang said Tuesday that he faked his landmark claim that he cloned human embryos and extracted stem cells from them — capping the spectacular fall of a man once lauded as a pioneer.
(MSNBC)

Cough Medicines ‘Of Little Help’

Taking cough medicine does little to help recovery, US experts have said.
(BBC)

Study: Alone Time With Dogs Helps Seniors

Dogs apparently need no help lifting the spirits of lonely people. A St. Louis study has found that nursing home residents felt much less lonely after spending time alone with a dog than when other people joined in the visit. The residents shared their problems and story in “intimate conversations” with the visiting dog, researchers said.
(AP)

When the Pill Arouses That Urge for Abstinence

It is no secret that some women who take birth control pills lose interest in sex. They have been reporting this side effect to their doctors since oral contraceptives came into wide use 40 years ago.
(New York Times)

Designer Genes: Women May Stray When Ovulation Peaks

Women who feel an urge for sex outside of their marriages might be hearing an evolutionary call to improve the species.
(HealthDay)

Health Care Inflation Slowed in 2004

Spending on health care grew at a rate of 7.9 percent in 2004, the lowest overall increase since 2000, largely because of a shift by many people to cheaper generic drugs, according to a study.
(AP)