December 7, 2011
The growing medical-testing industry goes before the Supreme Court this week in a patent case that pits the Mayo Clinic against a company trying to protect its diagnostic tests. (Wall Street Journal)
December 7, 2011
The government is considering whether it’s OK for young teenagers to buy the morning-after pill without a prescription. (Washington Post)
December 7, 2011
In an effort to improve the health care of transgender patients, a leading medical organization is encouraging obstetrician-gynecologists to create a more welcoming environment for these individuals and to offer them the same routine care and screening they give other … Read More
December 6, 2011
Ever since the early days of modern computing in the 1940s, the biological metaphor has been irresistible. The first computers — room-size behemoths — were referred to as “giant brains†or “electronic brains,†in headlines and everyday speech. (New York … Read More
December 6, 2011
The U.S. government is renewing its push to move genomics towards the clinic. Today the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) announced its latest 4-year genome sequencing program, funded at $416 million over 4 years. (Science Insider)
December 6, 2011
More than a decade ago, in hopes of advancing research on the rare genetic disease that afflicts her children, Sharon Terry let two different researchers draw their blood for study. (Wall Street Journal)
December 6, 2011
Doctors and nurses were preparing Kathleen Hynes for a stem-cell transplant at Long Island’s North Shore University Hospital last June when she asked them to page another member of the medical team—hospital chaplain Kimberli Lile. (Wall Street Journal)
December 6, 2011
A bitter dispute between a prominent medical researcher and her former employer, related to the largely discredited theory that a mouse virus known as XMRV causes chronic fatigue syndrome, has turned even uglier with the scientist’s arrest and brief jailing. … Read More
December 6, 2011
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could see your doctor every day to help you work through your health questions and concerns? Or how about being able to get an automated reminder to get your next mammogram and being able … Read More
December 6, 2011
Nature Neuroscience (Volume 14, Issue 12, December, 2011) is now available on-line and by subscription only. Articles include: “The Conundrums of Understanding Genetic Risks for Autism Spectrum Disorders” by Matthew W State and Pat Levitt, 1499 – 1506.
December 5, 2011
The Obama administration’s handling of human trafficking grants spurred House Republicans to accuse the administration of discriminating against the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (ABC News)
December 5, 2011
Confined to a wheelchair, in constant pain and unable to bathe without help, a 63-year-old grandmother has forced the issue of assisted suicide into Canadian courts for the third time in two decades. (Fox News)
December 5, 2011
A rogue surgeon injects stem cells from a fetus into a sick man’s brain. The cells morph and form body parts. When the man dies, the pathologist finds cartilage, skin and bone clumped in his brain. (Reuters)
December 5, 2011
A former lawyer has been sentenced to five months in federal prison for running a fraud scheme that paid women to have babies for sale. (Washington Post)
December 5, 2011
Pssst. Wanna buy some chemo drugs? A new trend in pharmaceutical sales has raised concerns over ethics and patient safety, as companies buy up critical cancer drugs in short supply and attempt to resell them at huge markups. (AFP)
December 5, 2011
The New England Journal of Medicine (Volume 365, Issue 20, November 17, 2011) is now available on-line and by subscription only. Articles include: “The Public, Political Parties, and Stem-Cell Research” by R.J. Blendon, M.K. Kim, and J.M. Benson, 1853-1856.
December 5, 2011
The New England Journal of Medicine (Volume 365, Issue 21, November 24, 2011) is now available on-line and by subscription only. Articles include: “Making Sense of the New Cervical-Cancer Screening Guidelines” by S. Feldman, available on-line.
December 2, 2011
Lisa I. Iezzoni, MD, MSc, has not been weighed in nearly two decades. The last measurement was taken when she still could stand — before multiple sclerosis made her rely on a wheelchair. (American Medical News)
December 2, 2011
Gallup polling shows that most respondents’ perception of quality of care and coverage has held steady since 2001. But there is a consistent discrepancy between respondents’ rating of their own care and their rating of coverage and the quality of … Read More
December 2, 2011
BRAIN shrinkage in people with Alzheimer’s disease can be reversed in some cases – by jolting the degenerating tissue with electrical impulses. Moreover, doing so reduces the cognitive decline associated with the disease. (New Scientist)
December 2, 2011
Two years ago, a group of Boston researchers published a study describing how they had destroyed cancer tumors by targeting a protein called STK33. Scientists at biotechnology firm Amgen Inc. quickly pounced on the idea and assigned two dozen researchers … Read More
December 2, 2011
BGI, based in China, is the world’s largest genomics research institute, with 167 DNA sequencers producing the equivalent of 2,000 human genomes a day. (NY Times)
December 2, 2011
Raleigh Convention Center Raleigh, North Carolina March 21-22, 2012 Develop a better understanding of ethical, regulatory and policy issues involved in conducting community-engaged research in national and international settings. The conference will provide a forum for researchers, regulators, and community … Read More
December 1, 2011
Robert Lee went into Dr. Stacy Makhnevich’s New York dentist office for a sore tooth, but the year that followed turned into what one Public Citizen senior lawyer called an “unconscionable practice.†(ABC News)
December 1, 2011
A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that most bone marrow donors can be paid, overturning the government’s interpretation of a decades-old law making such compensation a crime punishable by up to five years in prison. (Washington Post)
