Bioethics & Health News
February 10

February 10, 2006

Op-ed: The Losing Battle Against Doping

The Olympics are back. Yes, that time is upon us when you try to figure whether those judging the skating performances are drunk, insane or both, how anyone can really take seriously as athletics any activity involving sweeping with a broom, and which professional hockey player not implicated in a burgeoning betting scandal will be the first to trash his hotel room or wind up taking literally the exhortation to be passionate, which is a part of the philosophical babble that the International Olympic Committee emits every two years.
(MSNBC)

Woman Who Weighs 37 Pounds Has Healthy Boy

A woman who is 3 feet tall and weighed 37 pounds before she got pregnant has given birth to her first child — a healthy boy. Eloysa Vasquez, who uses a wheelchair and had two miscarriages, suffers from Type 3 osteogenesis imperfecta, a disorder that makes bones soft and brittle.
(USA Today)

Birth Defects Up in Polygamous Area

A rare, severe birth defect is on the rise in an inbred polygamous community on the Utah-Arizona border, according to a doctor who has treated many of the children.
(AP)

Call to Let Doctors Have Work Nap

Junior doctors should be able to nap on nightshifts to help them cope with the work, the Lancet journal says. The Lancet said naps were “back in fashion” and could help doctors stay alert.
(BBC)

Cocoa-Derived Medicines Still Years Away

Medications derived from a component of cocoa are still several years away despite studies suggesting it could help prevent cancer and cardiovascular diseases in humans, food and industry experts said on Thursday.
(Reuters)

Girls Try Drugs, Alcohol at Higher Rates

Even as teen drug use is declining overall, a new government analysis shows that teenage girls are trying marijuana, alcohol and cigarettes at higher rates than boys – a reversal of past trends that is causing alarm among experts.
(AP)