September 8, 2009
In a previous Examiner related article, the impact of nanotechnology in medicine, health and everyday life was reviewed in detail. In this article, another breakthrough in the field of nanotechnology demonstrates once again how carbon nanotubes, small particles composed of … Read More
September 8, 2009
Almost three years ago, experts on medical ethics provoked public outrage when they published guidelines advising doctors not to resuscitate premature babies born before 22 weeks in the womb. The Nuffield Council on Bioethics had stepped gingerly into an area … Read More
September 8, 2009
Globs of human fat removed during liposuction conceal versatile cells that are more quickly and easily coaxed to become induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, than are the skin cells most often used by researchers, according to a new … Read More
September 4, 2009
The prospect of replication of human beings through genetic manipulation has engendered one of the most controversial debates about reproduction in our society. Ideology is clearly influencing the direction of research and legislation on human cloning, which may present one … Read More
September 4, 2009
This city often shows up on “best places to live” lists, but residents say it is also a good place to die — which is how it landed in the center of a controversy that almost derailed health-care reform this … Read More
September 4, 2009
I have always felt uneasy about patient handoffs, transferring my responsibility as a doctor to another physician. We cannot be on duty all the time, but I worry that I am playing some real-life medical version of the children’s game … Read More
September 4, 2009
Cells act like tiny computers, and finally, scientists are figuring out what makes their genetic circuits blink on and off. Like ENIAC troubleshooters of old, biologists reverse-engineered the way that an immune cell’s genetic network recognizes invading diseases by turning … Read More
September 4, 2009
Starting in 2010, all researchers applying for funding from the National Science Foundation will have to provide some evidence that they will educate their students and postdocs in the responsible and ethical conduct of research. (The Scientist)
September 4, 2009
ndia has rejected applications from two US companies for patents on two key AIDS drugs in a move that could mean more people in poor countries will have access to life-saving medicines. The decisions are the latest in a string … Read More
September 4, 2009
Among the many contributions of Senator Ted Kennedy that have been noted since his death on August 25, his role in the origins and growth of bioethics deserves mention. Senator Kennedy was one of the founding figures of bioethics. Those … Read More
September 4, 2009
A clampdown on unproven and potentially unsafe stem cell research is being called for by an expert group. Bionet, a group of expert Chinese and European doctors, lawyers and bioethicists, says countries throughout the world must develop more effective regulation … Read More
September 3, 2009
Jedi Mind, Inc. announced today that their Medical Division is now working on a number of medical applications for patients in wheelchairs. An estimated 1.6 million Americans residing outside of institutions use wheelchairs, according to data from the National Health … Read More
September 3, 2009
The Center for Neurotechnology Studies at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is proud to announce the launch of the Capital Consortium on Neuroscience, Ethics, Legal and Social Issues (CCNELSI) on Friday September 4, 2009. This greater Washington DC area … Read More
September 3, 2009
For years, gene therapy produced tons of hype but no results. Recently, though, new approaches have yielded its first successes: breakthrough treatments for blindness, cancer, and the deadly bubble boy disease. (DISCOVER Magazine)
September 3, 2009
An injectable hydrogel could aid recovery from brain injury by helping stimulate tissue growth at the site of the wound, researchers say. Research on rats suggests the gel, made from synthetic and natural sources, may spur growth of stem cells … Read More
September 3, 2009
Since the FBI arrested a Brooklyn businessman in late July on federal charges of organ trafficking, CNN has been conducting a worldwide investigation into the sale of kidneys using willing donors and willing recipients from China to Israel to the … Read More
September 3, 2009
Official guidelines are causing a crisis in care of the terminally ill and growing anger among patients’ families, medical experts say. The advice allows food and fluids to be withdrawn from patients, who are then continuously sedated, if they are … Read More
September 3, 2009
Humans have always tried to improve themselves through “natural methods” such as physical exercise, diet, meditation, education and training (and later on cosmetic surgery and Lasik eye corrections). However, as the report’s authors point out, with ongoing work to unravel … Read More
September 3, 2009
Transhumanism is, essentially, the advanced tech-art of improving both the physical and mental capacities of human beings with the aid of existing and emerging 21st century technologies in the Bio, Info and Nano (BIN) spheres. At present, transhumanism is fast … Read More
September 3, 2009
A DRUG that triggers the production of stem cells could help rebuild the blood of leukaemia patients, say researchers. The compound, called prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), resupplies the bone marrow with fast-acting stem cells that develop into white and red blood … Read More
September 2, 2009
The birth of Nayda Suleman’s octuplets unleashed nothing short of a tsunami of negative commentaries on the discipline of Assisted Reproduction in general and in vitro fertilization in particular. We have heard it all. The unregulated Reproductive Industrial Complex. The … Read More
September 2, 2009
Denise Mina is ABD – all but the dissertation. Her acclaimed psychological thrillers grew out of her sidelined dissertation on the ascription of mental illness to women in the criminal justice system: according to her Web site, she misspent her … Read More
September 2, 2009
A new bioethics group speaks out on whether proposed health system reforms would violate patients’ rights to late-life medical care. (American Medical News)
September 2, 2009
Physicians and psychologists played a larger role in the use of torture in interrogation of terrorism suspects than previously asserted, according to a report released yesterday by the nonprofit organization Physicians for Human Rights (PHR). (Scientific American)
September 2, 2009
Queensland Bioethics Centre director RAY CAMPBELL, a spokesman for Brisbane archdiocese on ethical issues, is concerned about the Queensland Government’s proposed legislation for decriminalising altruistic surrogacy. Here he explains the reasons for his concern. (The Catholic Leader)
