July 13, 2011
Pretty much everyone knows that smoking is bad for you. It’s particularly ill-advised for pregnant women, although data show one in five U.S. moms-to-be still cop to the habit. Lest smokers need another nudge to quit, the first systematic review … Read More
July 13, 2011
Can the promise of a car or a mixer grinder help keep India’s population in check? Well, that’s what health authorities in the northern state of Rajasthan apparently believe. They are offering a cheap car, among other things, as a … Read More
July 12, 2011
Some stressed-out physicians are seeking the seeming safety of anonymity to blog and tweet about the travails of their lives in medicine. The results can be funny, provocative and revealing, but to some eyes these anonymous accounts veer from physician … Read More
July 12, 2011
The world’s first double leg transplant was performed in Spain this week. On Sunday, Pedro Cavadas and around 50 of his colleagues at La Fe Hospital in Valencia surgically transplanted two donated legs to the as-yet-unidentified man who lost his … Read More
July 12, 2011
Scientists in Japan said on Wednesday they have created teeth — complete with connective fibers and bones — by using mouse stem cells and successfully transplanted them into mice, a step they hope will lead to progress in stem cell … Read More
July 12, 2011
Later this year, when the popular statin Lipitor becomes available as a generic drug, many who have taken it faithfully will get a surprise. No longer will their cholesterol-lowering pills be oblong and white. (New York Times)
July 12, 2011
The robotics pioneer Rodney Brooks often begins speeches by reaching into his pocket, fiddling with some loose change, finding a quarter, pulling it out and twirling it in his fingers. (New York Times)
July 12, 2011
Adding to the evidence of a growing need to help patients and families with end-of-life decisions, a new study shows that delays often occur when a surrogate has to make decisions about do-not-resuscitate orders for a loved one. (Wall Street … Read More
July 11, 2011
The number of clinical trials in developing countries has surged in recent years but the legal and ethical frameworks to make them fair are often not in place, the 7th World Conference of Science Journalists, in Qatar, heard last week. … Read More
July 11, 2011
More than 116 million Americans struggle with chronic pain each year, and associated medical charges and lost productivity cost the nation as much as $635 billion annually. (American Medical News)
July 11, 2011
You’re going on holiday. Off the plane and checked into your hotel, you don the wrinkle-free shirt you packed so you wouldn’t have to do any ironing. Grabbing your scratch-resistant sunglasses and your sunscreen you dash to the hotel pool, … Read More
July 11, 2011
A study of babies in intensive care suggests that doctors are getting better at recognizing situations where infants are sure to die or have severe brain damage — and are often holding back on life support when that’s the case. … Read More
July 11, 2011
Oregon residents spend fewer days in hospitals at the end of life and they get more hospice care aimed at relief of suffering rather than battling disease. That’s in contrast with many regions of the U.S. where more people seem … Read More
July 8, 2011
More than five years after South Korea’s scientific reputation was shattered by a cloning research scandal, the country has approved stem cell medication in the form of a treatment for heart attack victims for the world’s first clinical use. (Reuters)
July 8, 2011
George Reed’s heart wasn’t doing so well: He’s 71, and after suffering a heart attack years earlier, Reed had undergone open heart surgery and was put on multiple medications. But nothing seemed to help the dizziness and chest pain he … Read More
July 8, 2011
Germany’s parliament agreed in a conscience vote on Thursday to allow the limited use of genetic testing of human embryos. (Reuters)
July 8, 2011
When poor people are given medical insurance, they not only find regular doctors and see doctors more often but they also feel better, are less depressed and are better able to maintain financial stability, according to a new, large-scale study … Read More
July 8, 2011
No matter what race you consider yourself to be, you have a unique genetic makeup. That’s why, as technology improves and researchers explore new implications of the human genome, medicine is going to become more individually tailored in a model … Read More
July 8, 2011
Starting next month, couples in the U.K. will be able to slightly raise their odds of having a baby — by buying into an in-vitro fertilization lottery. (ABC News)
July 8, 2011
Despite the bombardment of news about the dangers of obesity and the billions of dollars poured into healthy choice programs, America is getting fatter. (ABC News)
July 7, 2011
Surgeons in Sweden have carried out the world’s first synthetic organ transplant. Scientists in London created an artificial windpipe which was then coated in stem cells from the patient. (BBC News)
July 7, 2011
People with Parkinson’s disease might one day be treated with brain cells made from their own skin. (New Scientist)
July 7, 2011
Fertility doctors say they have found a non-invasive way to screen IVF embryos for genetic abnormalities. The current method involves taking cells from the embryo itself, which experts fear may be harmful. (BBC News)
July 7, 2011
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) babies grown from frozen embryos are more likely to be oversized, research has shown. (Yahoo)
July 7, 2011
More than a thousand girls a year aged under 15 have an abortion, figures revealed. Terminations are being carried out on youngsters aged just 12 or 13 who have only just started secondary school. (Daily Mail)
