August 21, 2012
In the latest effort to contend with exploding quantities of digital data, researchers encoded an entire book into the genetic molecules of DNA, the basic building block of life, and then accurately read back the text. (Wall Street Journal)
August 21, 2012
Dr. Richard Wesley has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the incurable disease that lays waste to muscles while leaving the mind intact. He lives with the knowledge that an untimely death is chasing him down, but takes solace in knowing that he … Read More
August 21, 2012
Arthur Caplan, the head of the division of medical ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center, recalls a case of a man who had beaten his six-month-old child to death. It was a horror the mother simply could not accept. (ABC … Read More
August 21, 2012
There is growing evidence that pregnant women with cancer aren’t putting their babies at risk by undergoing chemotherapy treatments. (ABC)
August 21, 2012
The mother of a pregnant leukemia patient who died after her chemotherapy was delayed over anti- abortion laws is accusing doctors of not putting her daughter’s health first. (CNN)
August 21, 2012
Symposium on Judaism, Medicine, and the Formation of Clinicians September 10, 2012 Swift Hall, The University of Chicago To register for the conference, visit: https://pmr.uchicago.edu/events/judaism-and-medicine-symposium
August 20, 2012
A man in a vegetative state would want to be revived, due to his Muslim faith, if his condition deteriorated, his family has argued in court. (BBC News)
August 20, 2012
While Europe increasingly questions the practice of circumcising boys, US paediatricians are about to say that the medical case for it is getting stronger. Most US adult men are circumcised, but the number of newborns having the op is falling, … Read More
August 20, 2012
A Pennsylvania woman whose autistic adult son was not recommended for a heart transplant said she wants to bring more attention to the decision-making process so that those with ailments or disabilities are not passed over without careful consideration. (Washington … Read More
August 20, 2012
In what may be a first anywhere, a “Who’s Your Daddy†truck is cruising New York City selling DNA tests to people who want to confirm their child’s paternity or even whether their parents are biologically related to them. (ABC … Read More
August 20, 2012
Scientists may be one step closer to a birth control pill for men. (ABC News)
August 20, 2012
A federal appeals court reaffirmed on Thursday the right of Myriad Genetics to patent two genes linked to breast and ovarian cancer, after the Supreme Court told it to take another look at the hotly contested case. (NY Times)
August 20, 2012
Judges who learned that a convicted assailant was genetically predisposed to violence imposed lighter sentences in a hypothetical case than they otherwise would have, researchers reported on Thursday, in the most rigorous study to date of how behavioral biology can … Read More
August 10, 2012
Scientists have identified a type of stem cell that appears to be responsible for the neurons involved in higher brain function. The discovery may pave the way for new treatments for autism and schizophrenia. (New Scientist)
August 10, 2012
U.S. health officials are urging doctors to stop using a key antibiotic for routine cases of gonorrhea because of signs of bacterial resistance, leaving only one recommended treatment for one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the nation. … Read More
August 10, 2012
A skull implant that can detect an epileptic seizure and deliver therapeutic electrical impulses can reduce the length of these events by 60% in rats. The device, tested on nine rats with a ‘petit mal’ form of epilepsy, is described … Read More
August 10, 2012
Gov. Chris Christie today vetoed a bill that would have relaxed New Jersey’s strict surrogate parenting law, saying the state hadn’t yet answered the “profound” questions that surround creating a child through a contract. (Star Ledger)
August 10, 2012
The trial of nine people charged in a case involving a teenager who sold his kidney to purchase an iPad and iPhone concluded in a Chinese court on Friday, according to state media. (NBC News)
August 9, 2012
Scientists have used nanotechnology materials to repair vital tissues damaged by heart attacks in animals, suggesting a new way to treat the same ailment in people. (Wall Street Journal)
August 9, 2012
Women who undergo fertility treatments may find the situation so distressing that they develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new study says. (NBC News)
August 9, 2012
A new method of prenatal testing that can detect more genetic problems in a fetus than ever before could be headed toward wider use after encouraging results from a clinical trial, researchers said. (NY Times)
August 9, 2012
Just prior to her 5th birthday, Avery Toole had her first heart attack. (ABC News)
August 8, 2012
The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana threatened Tuesday to sue a northeastern Louisiana charter school if it doesn’t change rules that keep pregnant students out of the classroom and require girls under suspicion of being pregnant to be tested. … Read More
August 8, 2012
Jay Kallio, a former EMT who is disabled with kidney failure, rheumatoid arthritis and now cancer, has struggled to get good medical care, but being transgender stood in the way. (ABC News)
August 7, 2012
There have been “marathon mice”, “Schwarzenegger mice” and dogs whose wasted muscles were repaired with injected substances that switch off key genes. It may not be long before we get the first genetically modified athlete. (Reuters)
