September 21, 2006
Assisted suicide bid for the depressed
BRITONS suffering from depression could soon be legally helped to die in Switzerland if a test case in the country’s Supreme Court is successful next month. (Times Online)
Monthly Archives: September 2006
September 21, 2006
Adult Stem Cells Help Weakened Hearts
Using stem cells harvested from patients’ own bone marrow, researchers improved cardiac function in heart attack patients months, years — and even decades — after the attacks, they reported Wednesday. (Los Angeles Times)
September 21, 2006
Louisiana: Nursing home owners indicted
The indictments stem from a broad investigation into more than 200 deaths at hospitals and nursing homes after Katrina’s floodwaters stranded thousands and knocked out power. In July, Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti arrested two nurses and a doctor, alleging … Read More
September 21, 2006
California: Entrepreneur backs research on anti-aging / Scientist says humans could live indefinitely
A controversial scientist who hopes to help humans live for thousands of years has received a multimillion-dollar grant from a Bay Area entrepreneur. (San Francisco Chronicle)
September 20, 2006
A Question of Mind Over Matter
So just how close are we to a seamless blending of man and machine? In this four-part series, we take a look at some of the most promising — and astonishing — recent developments, from cutting-edge research labs to do-it-yourself … Read More
September 20, 2006
Physicians Recommend Strategies When Facing Requests to End Supplemental Oxygen
Critical care physicians with the University of Pennsylvania Health System address a newly-emerging ethical dilemma in medicine – what should health care professionals do when faced with a request from a patient to end the use of life-sustaining supplemental oxygen? … Read More
September 20, 2006
Nanotech nightmare?
When nanoparticles are ingested, rubbed on the skin or injected into water, will they only do what they’re intended to do? Or will they travel further into the body or city water system and cause long-term health damage? (The Arizona … Read More
September 20, 2006
Op-Ed: Drug Testing, Drug Hazards
A clinical trial that went badly awry at London’s Northwick Park Hospital in March became the drug-testing community’s worst nightmare. Six healthy volunteers ended up in intensive care after each received the first injection of a new drug called TGN1412, … Read More
September 20, 2006
Op-Ed: Another ethical stem cell issue
The idea of creating a “market†for human eggs is appalling. One has visions of storefronts, such as those relatively common today in American cities for blood. Behind this door, sell a pint for $25. Behind that door, sell an … Read More
September 19, 2006
UK embryonic stem cell bank to begin distribution
Britain’s groundbreaking stem cell bank is less than two weeks away from announcing its readiness to begin distributing embryonic cell lines, its chief executive Glyn Stacey said on Tuesday. (The Scientist)
September 19, 2006
Adult stem cells show wider potential than previously thought
Now, researchers at Northwestern University have found new evidence that hematopoietic stem cells, a type of adult stem cell derived from the bone marrow that gives rise to blood cells, are capable of undergoing more diverse transformations than previously thought … Read More
September 19, 2006
Adult Stem Cell Treatment Improves Patients’ Hearts
Australian doctors using adult stem cells to treat heart failure say they have had success with their first three patients. (ABC News Online)
September 19, 2006
More Britons in assisted suicides
Eight hundred British people are registered with Dignitas, the Swiss clinic that helps the terminally ill end their lives – up 100 since January. (BBC)
September 19, 2006
Bogus records raise more fears in tissue trade
Donated cadaver tissue is used in more than a million procedures a year in the United States to repair bad backs, fix ailing knees and replace heart valves. Most of these operations are safe and do tremendous good, but tissue … Read More
September 19, 2006
Michigan: Group pushes for state changes in stem cell laws
Efforts to change state law face serious challenges from people who oppose the use of embryonic stem cells because they see it as a destruction of human life at its earliest stages. They also argue that Michigan allows the use … Read More
September 19, 2006
MU team reports stem-cell advances
A University of Missouri-Columbia researcher working with pigs has succeeded for the first time in isolating a rare type of adult stem cell circulating in the blood. (Kansas City Star)
September 19, 2006
Op-Ed: In Science-Based Medicine, Where Does Luck Fit In?
The likeliest reason that luck — good or bad — is so often disregarded is that at first glance, it appears contrary to the scientific basis of medicine. That is, doctors employ the best scientific knowledge available to diagnose and … Read More
September 19, 2006
Op-Ed: The costly appliance of science
Today, enterprising firms offer, for a fee, to tell you about your genes. They claim that this knowledge will help you live longer and better. You might, for example, have extra checkups to detect early signs of the diseases that … Read More
September 19, 2006
Op-Ed: Elections Will Sway Stem Cell Debate
Thirty years ago I turned my back on politics and religion. Somehow I knew all about life before living it. Seeing hypocrisy in politics and business in religion I went my own way. However, now I’m paralyzed and facing questions … Read More
September 18, 2006
In California, a new gold rush is under way
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A 21st-century gold rush is under way in California, as researchers at universities and companies mine stem cells that contain the allure of cures. (Central Daily)
September 18, 2006
Firm files patent application for adult stem cell therapy
Medistem Laboratories Inc. Friday announced it has filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to use adult stem cells for cardiac valve therapy. (The Business Journal of Phoenix)
September 18, 2006
A new hope
By storing Abigail’s umbilical cord stem cells when she was born, Cathy and Bill Pell of Manassas might have improved their daughter’s chances. (Potomac News)
September 18, 2006
Second US company offers to distribute ACT’s new stem cells
American biotech company WiCell, based in Wisconsin, has agreed to help distribute any stem cell lines created using a new, still controversial, technique developed by Advanced Cell Technologies (ACT). (BioNews)
September 18, 2006
Researchers Grow Neural, Blood Vessel Cells from Adult Stem Cells
Scientists have predicted that embryonic stem cells might lead to cures for various diseases and conditions such as heart disease, Parkinson’s or spinal cord injuries. (Newswise )
September 18, 2006
Stem Cell Sciences looking overseas
STEM Cell Sciences (SCS) has revealed it is to search outside the UK for new investors due to frustration at the lack of interest in this country. (Scotsman.com )
