September 10, 2010
Medicare patients with more doctors to choose from do not necessarily get more or better care, researchers reported on Thursday in an analysis demonstrating how complicated U.S. healthcare reform will be. (Reuters)
September 10, 2010
The appeals court decision doesn’t remove uncertainty over the future of the field. At issue is whether federal law bars the use of public funds for experiments involving human embryonic stem cells. (Los Angeles Times)
September 10, 2010
Euro-MPs have demanded immediate safeguards against cloned meat after the European Commission said imports could continue pending more research. (The Press Association)
September 9, 2010
Does human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research violate the law? And does it make sense to halt federal funding of the work while the courts weigh this question? (ScienceInsider)
September 9, 2010
Neuro-imaging reveals what parts of the brain are involved in some of the most fundamental human attributes, such as faith, hope, fear, grief and love. As scientists learn more about how humans make decisions, new interdisciplinary fields of study are … Read More
September 9, 2010
Synthetic biology—defined as the design and construction of new biological parts, devices, and systems or re-design of existing natural biological systems for useful purposes—holds enormous potential to improve everything from energy production to medicine, with the global market projected to … Read More
September 9, 2010
They help patients interpret genetic tests and markers, go over medical options. (SignOn San Diego)
September 8, 2010
A federal judge on Tuesday denied a motion to lift an injunction he issued two weeks ago barring the government from funding research involving human embryonic stem cells. U.S. Chief District Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the District rejected a … Read More
September 8, 2010
In 1993, the FDA approved Neurontin for the treatment of epilepsy. This should have been a cause for celebration at Warner-Lambert, the drug company that introduced it, but the celebration was muted. The FDA had downgraded the approval, saying that … Read More
September 8, 2010
Discussions about end of life practices in Germany have been almost taboo for over half a century, but now intense debate is underway as professional bodies review their guidelines to physicians caring for the dying. A new study out in … Read More
September 8, 2010
Quebec’s public hearings into euthanasia began on Tuesday in Montreal, with testimony from several groups holding differing views on the controversial issue. The government committee, Dying with Dignity, will be touring the province to gauge public reaction to euthanasia and … Read More
September 7, 2010
More than 500,000 children and adolescents in America are now taking antipsychotic drugs, according to a September 2009 report by the Food and Drug Administration. Their use is growing not only among older teenagers, when schizophrenia is believed to emerge, … Read More
September 7, 2010
Scientists have long thought that social networks, which features many distant connections, or “long ties,” produces large-scale changes most quickly. But in a new study, Damon Centola, an assistant professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, has reached a … Read More
September 7, 2010
Independent MSP Margo MacDonald, who has Parkinson’s disease, brought the bill to make it legal for someone to seek help to end their life. A special Holyrood committee is spending the next few weeks questioning a wide range of witnesses … Read More
September 7, 2010
Plastic surgeons should evaluate their prospective patients and decide if the reasons they want an elective cosmetic procedure justify the risks, according to the director of clinical ethics at Duke University Hospital. (The Herald-Sun)
September 7, 2010
In Western countries, respect for patient autonomy is recognized as one of the most dominant ethical principles in healthcare ethics, and obtaining informed consent from the patient for healthcare treatment is understood as standard practice. Accordingly, we assume that the … Read More
September 7, 2010
Rapid rises in the nation’s obesity rate and health insurance premiums could take hiring decisions based on a candidate’s weight from anecdote to policy. (Kansas City Business Journal)
September 7, 2010
Many of us involved in trying to ensure people who require pain management get what they need have personal experiences involving pain in our background. That’s true for me. I can remember as an 11-year-old, with life-threatening peritonitis from a … Read More
September 7, 2010
The New England Journal of Medicine (August 19, 2010) is now available by subscription only. Articles include: “New Technology and Health Care Costs – The Case of Robot-Assisted Surgery” by G. I. Barbash and S. A. Giled, 701-704. “Facing the … Read More
September 7, 2010
Ethics and Information Technology (Volume 12, Issue 13, 2010) is now available by subscription only. Articles include: “Robot Rights? Towards a Social-Relational Justification of Moral Consideration” by Mark Coeckelbergh, 209-221. “Implications and Consequences of Robots with Biological Brains” by Kevin … Read More
September 7, 2010
Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy (Volume 13, Issue 3, 2010) is now available by subscription only. Articles include: “The Language of Medicine and Bioethics” by Henk ten Have & Bert Gordijn, 191-192. “Justice and the Allocation of Healthcare Resources: Should Indirect, Non-health Effects … Read More
September 3, 2010
From Laboratory to Bedside: Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues in Translational Research Medical University of South Carolina October 29-30, 2010 For information and registration:Â http://www.values.musc.edu or call Chris Rutigliano, 843-876-0177 or Robert Sade, 843-876-0182.
September 3, 2010
Nature (Volume 466, Issue 7309, pp 903-1014) is now available by subscription only. Articles include: “Nanobiotechnology: Tiny Call Transistor” p. 904.
September 3, 2010
Ethics, Law, and Technology (Volume 4, Issue 1, 2010) is now available by subscription only. Articles include: “Natural verses Assisted Reproduction: In Search of Fairness” by Daniela E. Cutas and Lisa Bortolotti. “Global Bioethics, Collective Identities and the Limits of … Read More
September 3, 2010
The Journal of Bioethical Inquiry (Volume 7, Issue 3) is now available by subscription only. Articles include: “Physician-Assisted Suicide: Views of Swiss Health Care Professionals” by Eliane Pfister and Nikola Biller-Andorno, 283-285. “Bioethics at the Movies” by Sandra Shampshay, 329-331.
