Bioethics & Health News
January 3

January 3, 2006

Superfluous Medical Studies Questioned

In medical research, nobody is convinced by a single experiment. A finding has to be reproducible to be believable. Only if different scientists in different places do the same study and get the same outcomes can physicians have confidence the finding is actually true. Only then is it ready to be put into clinical practice.
(Washington Post)

Birth Problems Link To Anorexia

The likelihood of developing an eating disorder in adulthood may be increased by having had a complicated birth, an Italian study suggests.
(BBC)

Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Debuts

Medicare’s prescription drug coverage rolls out Sunday, a benefit being hailed as the most significant advance in the program’s 40-year history. Most senior citizens should see their medicine become more affordable because of the new coverage. Still, not everyone will save, and Medicare’s 42 million beneficiaries have been patient, if not hesitant, about enrolling in a private plan.
(AP)

Study Suggests Suicide Linked to Thinness

Overweight people appear to be the least likely to kill themselves, a new Swedish study suggests. The researchers tracked 1.3 million male military recruits for as long as 31 years, and found the risk of suicide was highest among those who were the skinniest.
(HealthDay)

U.S. Says It’s Making Progress on Bird Flu

The U.S. is making fast progress in preparations for a bird flu pandemic, including measures to close down schools and quarantine the sick, but vaccine supplies remain inadequate, health officials said Sunday.
(AP)

()