May 3, 2012
It’s technically called an egg “donation.” But if you’re a young Asian woman, donating your eggs to an infertile couple can fetch enough cash to buy a used car or perhaps a semester at college. (LA Times)
May 3, 2012
Fifteen million babies are born prematurely each year, and the United States fared badly in the first country-by-country global comparison of premature births, which was released Wednesday by the World Health Organization and other agencies. (NY Times)
May 3, 2012
Two British men who have been totally blind for many years have had part of their vision restored after surgery to fit pioneering eye implants. (BBC News)
May 3, 2012
Georgia Governor Nathan Deal signed into law two pieces of legislation on Tuesday to restrict late-term abortions and outlaw assisted suicide in the state. (Reuters)
May 3, 2012
Lab workers at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs medical center will be urged to get vaccinations for the diseases they study as a precaution as investigators continue looking into a researcher’s death after he handled a rare strain of bacteria, … Read More
May 3, 2012
May 31-June 2, 2012 Madison, WI In our globalized, highly-industrialized society, human and nonhuman animals are enmeshed in surprising and often troubling ways. “Pharm†goats are living factories for the production of pharmaceuticals; honeybees are explosive-detectors in the “War on … Read More
May 3, 2012
June 25-27, 2012 Rotterdam, The Netherlands This conference will discuss key issues relevant for the future, including future technologies in health care, ethics and research in developing countries, synthetic biology, enhancement, life-prolonging strategies, environmental issues, the moral responsibility for future … Read More
May 2, 2012
After months of controversial government assessment, the journal Nature published research Wednesday that discloses methodology behind creating a deadly strain of bird flu that could kill millions. (ABC News)
May 2, 2012
The number of baby boomers dying from a “silent epidemic” of hepatitis C infections is increasing so rapidly that federal officials are planning a new nationwide push for widespread testing. (L.A. Times)
May 2, 2012
Fifteen million babies, one in 10 births, are born prematurely every year, a global project suggests. (BBC News)
May 2, 2012
Thousands of Facebook users have signed up to be organ donors this week, thanks to a new feature on the social networking site that makes it easier to register. (Washington Post)
May 2, 2012
May 5, 2012 Changsha, China In both China and Europe, male infertility is reportedly on the rise. Growing numbers of involuntarily childless couples are therefore faced with having to decide whether they will opt to live without children, adopt or … Read More
May 2, 2012
Bioethics (Volume 26, Issue 4, May 2012) is now available by subscription only. Articles include: “Orphaned at Conception: The Uncanny Offspring of Embryos” by Robert Sparrow, 173-181. “Whakapapa, Genealogy and Genetics” by Donald Evans, 182-190. “Symbiotic Empirical Ethics: A Practical … Read More
May 2, 2012
The New England Journal of Medicine (Volume 366, Issue 15, April 12, 2012) is now available on-line and by subscription only. Articles include: “Warning: Contraceptive Drugs May Cause Political Headaches” by R.A. Charo, available on-line. “Medicare’s Readmissions-Reduction Program — A … Read More
May 1, 2012
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Institutes of Health have disputed charges that sponsors are under-reporting clinical-trial results. The letters to Congress, obtained by Nature under the Freedom of Information Act, come in response to questions raised … Read More
May 1, 2012
The South Korean health ministry announced last month that research into stem cells and regenerative medicine will receive a funding boost of 33 billion won (US$29 million) in 2012, four times that given in 2011. Overall, six different ministries will … Read More
May 1, 2012
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a generic drugmaker may challenge a brand-name rival over the scope of its patent, providing a legal remedy for generic manufacturers that believe unfair patents are keeping them from the market. (American Medical … Read More
May 1, 2012
The statistics are grim: Roughly one in six U.S. children are obese, and, at last count, nearly one in three are overweight, putting them at increased risk of health problems ranging from diabetes to being bullied at school. (CNN)
May 1, 2012
On average, 18 people in the United States die each day waiting for an organ transplant. Billionaire Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg wants to change that. (CNN)
May 1, 2012
The New England Journal of Medicine (Volume 366, Issue 14, April 5, 2012) is now available on-line and by subscription only. Articles include: “Removing Legal Barriers to High-Quality Care for HIV-Infected Patients” by L.E. Szent-Gyorgyi, S. Desai, D. Kim, P.E. … Read More
