February 29, 2012
The Turkish man who would have been the world’s first recipient of a quadruple limb transplant died Monday after doctors had to amputate the limbs because of “metabolic imbalance,†the hospital said in a statement. (ABC News)
February 29, 2012
The New England Journal of Medicine (Volume 366, Issue 6, February 9, 2012) is now available on-line and by subscription only. Articles include: “The Emerging Threat of Untreatable Gonococcal Infection” by G.A. Bolan, P.F. Sparling, and J.N. Wasserheit, 485-487. “Fair … Read More
February 29, 2012
Adults with disabilities are more likely to be victims of violence than adults who are not disabled, according to a new study published online in The Lancet. (ABC News)
February 29, 2012
Sex work among medical students is on the rise, claims a new editorial, published in the journal Student BMJ. The UK-based publication noted that students are likely seeking extreme measures to deal with their financial hardship. (ABC News)
February 29, 2012
Scientists are growing brain cells from people in families with a history of mental illness to test new treatments. (BBC News)
February 29, 2012
AT&T and Vodafone are names we generally associate with calling plans rather than with healthcare. But with the rise of “mobile health” — the use of mobile communications technology in healthcare — some of the world’s best-known telecoms brands are … Read More
February 29, 2012
The heated battle over insurance coverage for contraception is shifting to Capitol Hill, with the Senate due to vote Thursday on a measure to let employers opt out of covering any health treatment they find morally objectionable. (Wall Street Journal)
February 28, 2012
Foreign nationals are to be offered free treatment for HIV on the NHS under plans backed by the government. (BBC News)
February 28, 2012
More Americans are turning to the emergency room for routine dental problems — a choice that often costs 10 times more than preventive care and offers far fewer treatment options than a dentist’s office, according to an analysis of government … Read More
February 28, 2012
Our experiences in life don’t just affect how we learn and behave, they can also mark our genes and influence our children, a growing body of research suggests. (Wall Street Journal)
February 28, 2012
More than 80% of patients believe it is important to have their end-of-life wishes in writing, yet less than a quarter of them have accomplished that planning, said a survey of nearly 1,700 California adults released in February. (American Medical … Read More
February 28, 2012
Jill Hawkins, a single, childless 47-year-old who lives with two cats, has has given birth to eight babies and given them up to infertile couples. Now, she is expecting twins, her ninth and 10th children. (ABC News)
February 28, 2012
Bioethics (Volume 26, Issue 3, March 2012) is now available by subscription only. Articles include: “Developments in Stem Cell Research and Therapeutic Cloning: Islamic Ethical Positions, A Review” by Hossam E. Fadel, 128-135. “A Zygote Could Be a Human: A … Read More
February 28, 2012
March 30, 2012 DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region The Center for Ethics and the Bioethics Committee of MedStar Washington Hospital Center are hosting the first of a series in conferences relating to clinical ethics issues faced by clinicians This … Read More
February 27, 2012
A 27-year-old Sevket Cavdar was almost the first person  in the world to undergo a successful transplant of two arms and two legs at Hacettepe University Hospital in Ankara, Turkey,  on Friday. (ABC News)
February 27, 2012
Tattoos have long served as fashion statements, but a small number of Americans are now relying on them for a more practical, potentially lifesaving purpose: to warn first responders about important medical conditions. (Washington Post)
February 27, 2012
Early diagnosis is considered key for autism, but minority children tend to be diagnosed later than white children. Some new work is beginning to try to uncover why — and to raise awareness of the warning signs so more parents … Read More
February 27, 2012
Secel Montgomery Sr. stabbed a woman in the stomach, chest and throat so fiercely that he lost count of the wounds he inflicted. In the nearly 25 years he has been serving a life sentence, he has gotten into fights, … Read More
February 27, 2012
More people in the United States now die from hepatitis C each year than from AIDS, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 3.2 million people are currently infected with hepatitis C. … Read More
February 27, 2012
The Department of Health has launched an inquiry into claims that doctors agreed to carry out abortions on the grounds of the sex of unborn babies. (BBC News)
February 27, 2012
It’s time to rewrite the textbooks. For 60 years, everyone from high-school biology teachers to top fertility specialists has been operating under the assumption that women are born with all the eggs they will ever produce, with no way to replenish … Read More
February 24, 2012
Next time you go to an emergency room, you should be prepared for this: If your problem isn’t urgent, you may have to pay upfront. (Washington Post)
February 24, 2012
California law enforcement officers can continue collecting DNA samples from adults arrested for felonies, a federal appeals court ruled on Thursday. (Reuters)
February 24, 2012
Profits at pharmaceutical companies have been declining or showing little growth for the last year as austerity measures across Europe lead to cuts in health care spending. Some analysts say this trend could continue until at least 2014. (NY Times)
February 24, 2012
Seven states on Thursday filed a lawsuit against the federal government requirement that religious employers offer health insurance coverage that includes contraceptives and other birth control services. (CNN)
