April 27, 2011
Campaigners are concerned that easy-to-search electronic medical records (EMRs) compromise privacy – but they might prove their worth to medicine by quickly identifying patients with conditions that make them ideal candidates for clinical and genetic studies.  (NewScientist)
April 27, 2011
Noncommunicable diseases are the leading killer today and are on the increase, the first WHOÂ Global status report on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) launched today confirms. In 20081, 36.1Â million people died from conditions such as heart disease, strokes, chronic lung diseases, cancers … Read More
April 27, 2011
An innovative experimental treatment for boosting the effectiveness of stem-cell transplants with umbilical cord blood has a favorable safety profile in long-term animal studies, report scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), and Children’s Hospital Boston … Read More
April 27, 2011
Behind the therapeutic promise of the stem cells found in teeth is the work of scientists such as Paul Sharpe, Ph.D., a pioneer in research that promises to expand regenerative dentistry. Â (Adult Stem Cell Research Network)
April 27, 2011
The UK government has lost a High Court battle to keep secret “sensitive†statistics on late abortions, which it argued could lead to the identification of patients and doctors.  (BMJ)
April 27, 2011
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is reviewing a lower court’s decision finding a physician negligent for failing to inform a patient about a stroke test after diagnosing him with a condition marked by stroke-like symptoms. Â (amednews)
April 27, 2011
A B.C. woman who escorted her ill 89-year-old mother on a trip to end her life in Switzerland last year is challenging the law that makes the same act a criminal offence in Canada. Â (CBC News)
April 27, 2011
The European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) has just weighed in on reproductive tourism. The press release claims that “ESHRE sets standards for Cross Border Reproductive Care,” which sounds promising. It lists what seem at first glance to be several sensible, if … Read More
April 27, 2011
Elderly people in the Netherlands are so afraid of being killed by doctors that they carry cards saying they do not want euthanasia. Â (BioEdge)
April 27, 2011
The US activist group Final Exit Network (FEN) has erected billboards all over the US to support the right to “Die With Dignity†– what they have labeled the “ultimate right of the 21st century.† (BioEdge)
April 25, 2011
The 14-week-old twins a pregnant Laurie Thompson is carrying don’t belong to her. Conceived with donor eggs, they are the children of a same-sex couple from Spain who turned to Thompson because paid surrogacy is illegal in their country, the … Read More
April 25, 2011
It is described as one of the fastest growing areas of medical “tourism” although that is a word none of those undertaking this journey like to use. But is it costing too much in terms of emotional, physical and financial stress? … Read More
April 25, 2011
Abstract:Â Human functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) informs the understanding of the neural basis of mental function and is a key domain of ethical enquiry. It raises questions about the practice and implications of research, and reflexively informs ethics through the … Read More
April 25, 2011
Women taking so-called “third generation” contraceptive pills, those developed in the 1980s, are up to three times more likely to suffer a blood clot than those who use older varieties, according to new research based on British and American records. With … Read More
April 25, 2011
Since the completion of the Human Genome Project a decade ago, much excitement has swirled around the possibility that determining a person’s genetic makeup could help doctors personalize the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease. But James P. Evans, a … Read More
April 25, 2011
Elderly people in the Netherlands are so fearful of being killed by doctors that they carry cards saying they do not want euthanasia, according to a campaigner who says allowing assistant suicide in Britain would put the vulnerable at risk. … Read More
April 25, 2011
Conservatives frequently argue that the solution to our health care problems lies in consumer power. If only we could free the system of government interference, consumers would shop more aggressively for medical care, forcing the providers, producers, and third-party payers … Read More
April 25, 2011
Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/f5c3be/emerging_medical_t) has announced the addition of the “Emerging Medical Tourism in Turkey” report to their offering. Turkey has emerged as one of the most popular destinations in Europe for medical tourism. The country’s medical tourism industry has unprecedentedly … Read More
April 25, 2011
As a baby boomer entering the AARP and Medicare world, several thoughts come to mind and are of concern. Would it be better if I knew less about medicine, health care policies, need for cost containment, the abuse of self-referral, … Read More
April 25, 2011
Bioethics (Volume 25, Issue 4, April 2011) is now available by subscription only. Articles include: “Enhancements: Improvements for Whom?” by Ruth Chadwick,ii. “Will Biomedical Enhancements Undermine Solidarity, Responsibility, Equality and Autonomy?” by Ori Lev, 177–184. “Racist Appearance Standards and the … Read More
April 25, 2011
A new approach to testing the genes of early-stage fetuses could radically alter the experience of pregnancy and parenting. And we’d better start thinking about it now—before hype, fear, and the polarized politics of abortion distort the discussion. The technique being developed … Read More
April 25, 2011
A fundamental principle of bioethics requires the consent of a patient to any medical procedure performed upon them. A new patient will exist the moment a conscious mindclone arises in some academic’s laboratory or hacker’s garage. At that moment, ethical … Read More
April 25, 2011
Health and health care quality measures can provide valuable information about the health status of children and adolescents, as well as the outcomes associated with medical care, policy, and social programs. Despite the fact that the U.S. government currently supports … Read More
April 25, 2011
The American Journal of Bioethics (Volume 11, Issue 4, April 2011) is now available by subscription only. Articles include: “The Research Subject as Identified Problem” by Paul Root Wolpe, 1-2. “Assessing the Remedy: The Case for Contracts in Clinical Trials” … Read More
April 25, 2011
Joseph Maraachli, the infant whose family refused to accept a recommendation by a Canadian hospital to remove the boy’s breathing tube and allow him to die, is now breathing on his own without the aid of a mechanical ventilator. (CNN)
