December 12, 2007
Doctors reading mammograms miss an average of 2 in every 10 cases of breast cancer, even for women with lumps and other symptoms, researchers reported Tuesday. (Chicago Tribune)
December 12, 2007
C. Jeffrey Brinker, a professor of chemical engineering at the University of New Mexico, is turning out some of the most intricate nanomaterials the field has seen. Many of these materials build themselves. One is a protective sheath that keeps … Read More
December 12, 2007
The recent birth of a baby by a 64-year-old woman in Germany has sparked debate about the Embryo Protection Law, which prohibits egg donation. But with rising infertility rates, Germany may need to rethink its policies. (Deutsche Welle)
December 12, 2007
The state Supreme Judicial Court ruled yesterday that a doctor can be sued over a car accident caused by his patient, greatly expanding potential liability for the medical profession. (The Boston Globe)
December 12, 2007
A U.S. study has identified the mechanism by which adult muscle stem cells shift from dormancy to actively building new tissue. (UPI)
December 12, 2007
Even as California’s stem cell institute hands out a heartening new round of research grants this week, ethical lapses at the agency show that other items of business are seriously overdue. (Los Angeles Times)
December 12, 2007
A Gallup poll released early this fall offered a dozen separate ways to expand health insurance coverage. Each suggestion garnered majority support, including tax breaks for small businesses, 94 percent; requiring large companies to offer health coverage or pay into … Read More
December 12, 2007
Umbilical cord blood transplants, even from unrelated donors, can help save the lives of babies born with certain inherited metabolic disorders, U.S. researchers reported on Monday. (The China Post)
December 12, 2007
American and Chinese regulators signed an agreement Tuesday to strengthen regulation of drugs and medical devices exported to the United States. But the accord covers only a tiny fraction of the pharmaceutical ingredients being marketed worldwide by thousands of unlicensed … Read More
December 11, 2007
A column in the KC Star grouses that the state is funding life sciences research into animal and plant experiments, but not human studies. From the column by Jason Gertzen: The Missouri General Assembly created the trust fund and the … Read More
December 11, 2007
In the NRO, I credited President Bush’s ESCR funding restrictions for having played a part into the quest to find non-embryonic sources of pluripotent stem cells–cells “the scientists” insisted they needed to fulfill the total promise of regenerative medicine. My … Read More
December 11, 2007
A Nobel Prize-winning scientist who provoked a public outcry by claiming black Africans were less intelligent than whites has a DNA profile with up to 16 times more genes of black origin than the average white European. (Independent)
December 11, 2007
Burglars break into an apartment, hoping to pick up some expensive electronics or jewelry. But they’re out again, empty-handed, within seconds, howling with pain and surprise. They’ve been driven back by waves of intolerable heat: Entering the apartment is like … Read More
December 11, 2007
Senior medical figures in Italy are campaigning to scrap the Hippocratic Oath for doctors on the ground that the passages forbidding abortion and euthanasia are outdated. (Times Online)
December 11, 2007
A new twist on a technique called cryo-electron tomography offers a closer-than-ever look inside a human skin cell: it generates a 3-D image with resolution fine enough to distinguish the structures of proteins. The new method, which involves freezing a … Read More
December 11, 2007
Physician service during the war on terror presents a dual-loyalty dilemma that medical schools should address, experts say. (American Medical News)
December 11, 2007
The Genetic Interest Group (GIG), the UK alliance organisation for all people affected by genetic disorders, has been working in collaboration on a pilot project to help those affected by rare conditions to access life insurance products in a fair … Read More
December 11, 2007
Dr. Yamanaka was an assistant professor of pharmacology doing research involving embryonic stem cells when he made the social call to the clinic about eight years ago. At the friend’s invitation, he looked down the microscope at one of the … Read More
December 10, 2007
Saving the planet is all the rage these days. Now, an Australian bioethicist wants to charge people a carbon tax for having children. The money would be used to plant trees as an offset to the global warming that the … Read More
December 10, 2007
I had to think about this, but I think the parents’ decision to order their profoundly disabled daughter not to receive CPR at school if she has a cardiac arrest is very wrong. From the story: As the school bus … Read More
December 10, 2007
Scientists around the world are using artificial intelligence software to bring them a step closer to building what they say will be the perfect robotic hand. The artificial intelligence techniques should help researchers at the University of Portsmouth in the … Read More
December 10, 2007
A conflict of interest issue has hit the state’s stem cell institute for the second time in two weeks. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine announced yesterday that it would not consider 10 of the 59 grant applications it received … Read More
December 10, 2007
Last week, Forbes magazine ran a commentary by Robert Ellis Smith, publisher of the Privacy Journal newsletter, titled “Scary Stuff”. Smith argues that a new environment of ambient technologies may render obsolete the three decades’ old regime for protecting privacy, … Read More
December 10, 2007
From the odd capsule of fish oil to major brain surgery, the options for boosting our mental capacity are expanding all the time. Do we need to worry about the advent of a brave new world, where everyone is too … Read More
December 9, 2007
This isn’t good: In the UK some organs have been transplanted from drug addicts and cases of drug overdose because, allegedly, cases were desperate. And the answer to this disturbing bit of news? “Presumed consent” to organ donation. From the … Read More
