January 25, 2012
When does a broken heart become a diagnosis? In a bitter skirmish over the definition of depression, a new report contends that a proposed change to the diagnosis would characterize grieving as a disorder and greatly increase the number of people … Read More
January 25, 2012
Tiny substances called nanomaterials have moved into the marketplace over the last decade, in products as varied as cosmetics, clothing and paint. (NY Times)
January 25, 2012
The pharmaceutical industry won approval to market a record number of new drugs for rare diseases last year, as a combination of scientific innovation and business opportunity spurred new treatments for diseases long-ignored by drug companies. (Washington Post)
January 24, 2012
About 40 percent of in vitro fertilizations in the United States involve the transfer of three or more embryos, and more than 20 percent of pregnancies from IVF procedures result in multiple births. The health risks and expenses of these … Read More
January 24, 2012
The specialist will see you now — and it’s one of the reasons that medical care has become more expensive. (NY Times)
January 24, 2012
The first published results of trials using cells derived from human embryonic stem cells appear to show they have passed an initial safety hurdle. (Medical News Today)
January 24, 2012
Does former rugby player Tony Nicklinson deserve the right to die? Seven years after suffering a paralyzing stroke that left him immobile and unable to speak, the 57-year-old recently asked Britain’s High Court to allow a doctor to give him … Read More
January 24, 2012
Recent headlines offered a fresh example of how the health care system subjects people to too many medical tests — this time research showing millions of older women don’t need their bones checked for osteoporosis nearly so often. (Washington Post)
January 24, 2012
The decision last night attracted criticism from pro-life campaigners, who said it risked trivialising terminations by putting them on the same footing as consumer choices such as different brands of car or detergent. (Telegraph)
January 24, 2012
The controversial technique known as “three-parent IVF” came a step closer yesterday after the Department of Health asked the fertility regulator to conduct a public consultation into its acceptability. (Independent)
January 23, 2012
At 10:25 a.m., a dark brown eye was removed from a man whose lids had closed for the last time. Five hours later, the orb was staring up at the ceiling from a stainless steel tray in an operating room … Read More
January 23, 2012
A quarter-century after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first prescription drugs based on the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, additional medicines derived from or inspired by the cannabis plant itself could soon be making their way to … Read More
January 23, 2012
Cosmetic surgery advertising should be banned and annual checks carried out on surgeons, the industry has said. (BBC News)
January 23, 2012
Tiny capsules engineered to mimic part of the body’s immune system could strengthen its response to vaccines, say researchers. (BBC News)
January 23, 2012
Scientists who created easier-to-spread versions of the deadly bird flu said Friday they’re temporarily halting more research, as international specialists debate what should happen next. (Washington Post)
January 23, 2012
The Obama administration said Friday that most health insurance plans must cover contraceptives for women free of charge, and it rejected a broad exemption sought by the Roman Catholic Church for insurance provided to employees of Catholic hospitals, colleges and … Read More
January 23, 2012
Sixty-five years ago in Nuremberg, Germany, American prosecutors confronted the Nazi physicians who had subjected Jews and others to a murderous regime of medical research. (Slate)
January 20, 2012
Health Economics, Policy and Law (Volume 7, Issue 1, January 2012) is now available by subscription only. Articles include: “Back to the future: 10 years of European health reforms” by Anna Dixon, Emmi Poteliakhoff, 1-10. “The role of comparative health … Read More
January 20, 2012
Archives of Internal Medicine (Volume 171, Issue 5, March 2011) is now available by subscription only. Articles include: “The Impact of Medical School Oaths and Other Professional Codes of Ethics: Results of a National Physician Survey” by Ryan M. Antiel, … Read More
January 20, 2012
Adding to the debate about when to screen men for prostate cancer is a study that shows testing annually for the disease does not reduce deaths. (American Medical News)
January 20, 2012
Mexico has moved to ban advertising for the plethora of so-called “miracle cures†for weight loss, sagging body parts and more serious illnesses. (Washington Post)
January 20, 2012
A Massachusetts appeals court has verbally skewered a judge who ordered that a mentally ill woman have an abortion against her will even if it meant she had to be “coaxed, bribed, or even enticed†into a hospital. (MSNBC)
January 20, 2012
South Korea’s government drug agency cleared the way Thursday for commercial sales of what it called the world’s first approved medicine using stem cells collected from other people. (AFP)
January 20, 2012
Public opinion will help decide the future of a controversial genetic technique to stop serious conditions being passed from mother to child. (BBC News)
January 19, 2012
For the first time ever, stem cells from umbilical cords have been converted into other types of cells, which may eventually lead to new treatment options for spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis, among other nervous system diseases. (Medical News … Read More
