July 27, 2007
N.C House OKs Embryonic Stem Cell Research
A House committee Thursday approved a bill setting rules for how research can be performed on human embryonic stem cells in North Carolina. (WXII Winston-Salem)
Monthly Archives: July 2007
July 27, 2007
Op-Ed: Matters of Morality
People disagree passionately about science and morality because they care about them, and when their disagreements involve public policy, the forum for resolving them will be politics. Neither religion nor science can expect a free pass in the court of … Read More
July 27, 2007
Picking the right hospital can save your life
Studies are now finding that not all hospitals are created equal for every medical emergency. Whether it’s a stroke, a high-risk birth, or a heart attack, the research says it’s worth doing whatever it takes to get to the right … Read More
July 27, 2007
Patient in Gene Therapy Study Dies
A patient in a gene therapy experiment died on Tuesday in what may have been a reaction to a novel treatment for arthritis, federal health officials said late yesterday. (Washington Post)
July 27, 2007
MU professor retracts research after investigation
MU professor R. Michael Roberts has retracted research published in Science magazine after a nearly yearlong university investigation concluded that accompanying images were doctored by one of his associates, who has apparently fled the country. (Columbia Missourian)
July 27, 2007
Op-Ed: Ethical stem cell research progresses
Opponents of ethical limitations on scientific research often accuse pro-life conservatives of placing faith before progress. Ironically, faith is exactly the primary element in their assertion that only embryonic stem cells will be able to treat our worst ailments. (News-Leader)
July 26, 2007
Can Human “Non Persons” be Molested?
Personhood theorists claim that one who becomes permanently unconscious has lost personhood. Some even claim that such people are “dead.” In any event, personhood theorists hold that a permanently unconscious human being is of materially less moral value than persons … Read More
July 26, 2007
An Emotional Cat Robot
By applying logical rules for emotions, researchers say they can make robots behave more efficiently. (Technology Review)
July 26, 2007
FDA says no new labeling for nanotech products
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday said the rising number of cosmetics, drugs and other products made using nanotechnology do not require special regulations or labeling. (Reuters)
July 26, 2007
Australia: Expense stems research
Embryonic stem cell research has suffered a major blow with a major Singaporean-Australian company abandoning work on therapies due to lack of success and soaring costs. (Courier-Mail)
July 26, 2007
Womb-on-a-chip may boost IVF successes
Can conception, the most intimate of human experiences, be automated? Teruo Fujii of the University of Tokyo in Japan and his colleagues are building a microfluidic chip to nurture the first stages of pregnancy. They hope, eventually, to create a … Read More
July 26, 2007
Op-Ed: From consensus to plurality: the negotiated compromise and public consultations
The University College London’s Law and Bioethics colloquium, which took place in London at the beginning of July, gave me the impression that a silent revolution is taking place in bioethical discourse (1). The goalposts in bioethics may be shifting … Read More
July 26, 2007
Study Renews Conflict-Of-Interest Debate
A new study showing that padded hip protectors didn’t prevent fractures in the elderly has renewed questions about hidden drug industry ties to medical research. (AP)
July 26, 2007
End-of-Life Hospice Care Underused
Too few Americans entering life’s final phase are availing themselves of high-quality hospice care, despite the fact that Medicare covers the expense, experts say. (HealthDay)
July 26, 2007
Calif. Hospital Settles Transplant Suit
The UCI Medical Center agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle 35 lawsuits brought by former liver transplant candidates at the hospital or their relatives, the lawyer for most of the plaintiffs said Wednesday. (AP)
July 26, 2007
Playing Piano with a Robotic Hand
Scientists are developing a neural interface that can control the movement of individual fingers on a prosthetic hand. (Technology Review)
July 26, 2007
A new issue of Clinical Genetics
As pre-released online. Full content is available by subscription only. “A comparison of counselee and counselor satisfaction in reproductive genetic counseling” by CM Aalfs, FJ Oort, JCJM de Haes, NJ Leschot EMA Smets
July 25, 2007
Massachusetts Shortage of Primary Care Physicians
Massachusetts passed state-wide guaranteed health care last year, and it now has an insufficient number of primary care physicians. From the Wall Street Journal story: On the day Ms. [Tamar] Lewis signed up, she said she called more than two … Read More
July 25, 2007
Medicine, Constantly Redefined and Redefining Lives
About 15 years ago, I had a shy patient who ate nothing but white foods and who assaulted anyone who entered her air space on the hospital ward. She was mute but not uncommunicative, and with a little effort it … Read More
July 25, 2007
Nanotechnology labeling debated
Food, drugs, medical devices and cosmetics that contain minuscule engineered particles don’t necessarily need special labeling to alert consumers, a federal task force recommends. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
July 25, 2007
A Stem-Cell Surprise
After a successful series of infertility treatments, Kristen Cohen and her husband, Lee, had two sets of twin boys, now ages 6 and 2. They also had about a dozen embryos that they no longer needed but could not imagine … Read More
July 25, 2007
I bought my baby on the internet
Too old to have IVF here, Linda – like thousands of other desperate women – turned to a clinic in Eastern Europe. Now she is seven weeks’ pregnant. But just how safe is this cut-price baby trade? (Daily Mail)
July 25, 2007
Reproductive Genetic Technologies Should Be Used Only To Combat Disease, Infertility, Opinion Piece Says
Genetic technologies “aimed at combating disease or infertility” should be allowed, but technologies used to “go beyond the curative to enhance the germ line DNA of our offspring” should be banned, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof writes in an … Read More
July 25, 2007
Researcher Explores Ethics and End-of-life Care
Helen Chapple is not someone who fits easily into a slot. She worked as a nurse and stock broker before deciding to continue her education at U.Va. Chapple became interested in the ethical questions surrounding dying patients and the medical … Read More
July 25, 2007
Redesigning SCHIP to Strengthen Private Health Insurance for Working Families
The best way to ensure adequate, dependable health care for all children is to strengthen private insurance coverage and make it more affordable for lower-income working families. The reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) presents Congress with … Read More
