Bioethics & Health News
January 17

January 17, 2006

US Judges Back Assisted Suicide

The US Supreme Court has upheld a law allowing doctors in the state of Oregon to help terminally ill patients die.
(BBC)

Study Finds Cloned Stem Cells Safe

Stem cells taken from cloned embryos are likely to be safe when used for therapeutic purposes, a new study finds. “This is actually really good news,” said Tobias Brambrink, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher in the (Rudy) Jaenisch lab at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Mass.
(HealthDay)

Gene May Help Cause Infertility

Scientists say dysfunction in a key gene could explain many cases of female infertility. In studies in mice, embryos without a gene that expresses a uterine protein called CCAAT/Enhancer Binding Protein beta (C/EBPb) could not survive in uterine tissue or attach to the mother’s blood supply.
(HealthDay)

Taste Gene Could Encourage Alcoholism

Genetic research is linking alcoholism with a gene that controls how bitter individuals perceive foods to be. Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis analyzed DNA samples from 262 families, each of which had at least three family members who were alcoholics.
(HealthDay)

Norwegian Doctor Made Up Cancer Study

A Norwegian cancer expert made up fictitious patients for an article about treatment of oral cancer published in a leading medical journal, the hospital said on Sunday.
(MSNBC)

Study Finds Exercise Helps Delay Dementia

Older people who exercise three or more times a week are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia, according to a study that adds to the evidence that staying active can help keep the mind sharp.
(AP)