April 9, 2008
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE) Bill, currently making its way through the UK’s Parliament, marks the first major re-think of the original Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, passed in 1990. In the almost 20 years since the Act was … Read More
April 9, 2008
Despite 34,000 complaints of violations in the last five years, the federal act has resulted in only a few prosecutions, and no civil fines have been levied. (Los Angeles Times)
April 9, 2008
The work, published in the April 10 issue of Cell Stem Cell, also noted that cancer stem cells are closer to embryonic stem cells (which can develop into all tissue types) than adult stem cells (which are more limited in … Read More
April 9, 2008
The transplants conducted Saturday were made possible when a so-called altruistic donor, who was willing to donate to anyone, was found to be a match for one of six transplant candidates. Five of the candidates had a willing donor whose … Read More
April 9, 2008
The FDA seems to be most concerned about the cells’ potential to cause tumours or to differentiate in dangerous ways, and whether the animal safety tests that have been carried out so far provide enough evidence to justify testing ES … Read More
April 9, 2008
The challengers argue that the hybrids are not permitted under current law because, when current law was drafted, it was for human embryos, not hybrids. They will have to show that this interpretation was not the meaning intended by the … Read More
April 8, 2008
April 8, 2008
When researchers announced two years ago that they had found a way to turn ordinary skin cells into stem cells, it opened up the possibility that stem cell therapies might sidestep the logistical and ethical hurdles of obtaining stem cells … Read More
April 8, 2008
A UCLA Medical Center worker who sneaked into the confidential medical records of ’70s TV icon Farrah Fawcett last year also improperly viewed the electronic files of 32 other celebrities, politicians and high-profile patients, including California first lady Maria Shriver, … Read More
April 8, 2008
From 2004 through 2006, patient safety errors resulted in 238,337 potentially preventable deaths of U.S. Medicare patients and cost the Medicare program $8.8 billion, according to the fifth annual Patient Safety in American Hospitals Study. (HealthDay)
April 8, 2008
In 1911, the influential geneticist Charles Davenport published Heredity in Relation to Eugenics, advancing his ideas of how genetics would improve society in the 20th century. It became a college textbook and a foundation for the widespread eugenics movement in … Read More
April 8, 2008
99% of umbilical cord cells, which can be used to treat diseases, thrown out. (Akron Beacon Journal)
April 8, 2008
Fears are growing that a form of cloning that is easier to carry out than the technique used to create Dolly the sheep may be used on human embryos to produce “designer” babies. Scientists have already used the procedure to … Read More
April 8, 2008
Ohio’s lethal injection method was assailed as unfit for even household pets by an anesthesiologist testifying in a case challenging the constitutionality of the procedure. (AP)
April 8, 2008
Scientists in Singapore have developed a strategy to “clean up” embryonic stem cells, which researchers hope can one day be used to replace damaged tissues and for other tailor-made personal treatments. (Reuters)
April 8, 2008
You’ve heard the controversy, now get the facts: No human clinical trials use embryos. But researchers are making huge strides in developing therapies with adult cells. (Akron Beacon Journal)
April 7, 2008
Now this is a very sad story that would seem to be science fiction, but isn’t. Sonny Graham received the heart of a suicide victim named Terry Cottle. Afterwards, he seems to have assimilated something of the dead man’s essence … Read More
April 7, 2008
There is an interesting story in the New York Times today that illustrates the difficulties of reforming our health care system to provide universal access. Massachusetts recently required universal coverage through private or public means. The consequence has been greater … Read More
April 7, 2008
Considering that an embryo created by somatic cell nuclear transfer using animal eggs and human DNA is a ‘live human embryo’ is one that may well be challenged, although if this was challenged legally I would be inclined to agree … Read More
April 7, 2008
The Bush administration has argued strongly in favor of the doctrine, which holds that the F.D.A. is the only agency with enough expertise to regulate drug makers and that its decisions should not be second-guessed by courts. The Supreme Court … Read More
April 7, 2008
Scientists have taken skin cells from patients with eight different diseases and turned them into stem cells. The advance means scientists are moving closer to using stem cells from the patient themselves to treat disease. (BBC)
April 7, 2008
For chronically ill patients in their last two years of life, Medicare spends an average of $59,379 in New Jersey but only $32,523 in North Dakota. The difference is primarily a result of patients getting more hospital care, but not … Read More
April 7, 2008
It sounds like alchemy: cells within an organism are genetically almost identical, yet they form cell types as disparate as pulsing neurons, engulfing macrophages and enzyme-secreting villus cells. Recently developed techniques appear able to prompt cells from a terminally differentiated … Read More
April 7, 2008
In pockets of the United States, rural and urban, a confluence of market and medical forces has been widening the gap between the supply of primary care physicians and the demand for their services. Modest pay, medical school debt, an … Read More
April 7, 2008
Scientists have discovered a new technique for turning embryonic stem cells into insulin-producing pancreatic tissue in what could prove a significant breakthrough in the quest to find new treatments for diabetes. (ScienceDaily)
