February 8, 2013
This work is the product of an extraordinary consortium called the Epilepsy Phenome/Genome project (EPGP). It is a consortium of 27 centres in the U.S. and internationally with several hundred physicians and staff who have worked together to enrol more … Read More
February 7, 2013
A new edition of <i>The Journal of the American Medical Association</i> (Vol 309 No 5, February 6) is available online and in print. Articles of interest include: “FDA Regulation of Off-label Drug Promotion Under Attack” by Aaron S. Kesselheim, MD, JD, … Read More
February 7, 2013
A PALESTINIAN fertility doctor claimed that he has used prisoners’ sperm smuggled out of Israeli jails to help their wives have babies, and that five women have become pregnant so far. (News.com.au)
February 7, 2013
The behavior of cells strongly depends on their environment. If they are to be researched and manipulated, it is crucial to embed them in suitable surroundings. Aleksandr Ovsianikov is developing a laser system, which allows living cells to be incorporated … Read More
February 7, 2013
The pair behind a new Channel 4 show about a ‘bioinic’ man, say that a future where living flesh and computer chips become one will arrive “sooner” than we expect. (Yahoo News, UK)
February 7, 2013
The teen pregnancy rate among New York City’s public high school students dropped 27% over a decade, new city data shows. Among 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19, 73 became pregnant in 2010. That’s down from 99 of 1,000 girls … Read More
February 6, 2013
Public and healthcare professionals differ in their attitudes towards euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (PAS), the legal status of which is currently in the spotlight in the UK. In addition to medical training and experience, religiosity, locus of control and patient … Read More
February 6, 2013
Ottawa scientists have discovered a trigger that turns muscle stem cells into brown fat, a form of good fat that could play a critical role in the fight against obesity. (Science Daily)
February 6, 2013
WHEN Gillian and Cameron Ford decided they wanted to have another child, they faced the prospect of further rounds of emotionally draining IVF. (The Daily Record)
February 6, 2013
A push for the legalization of physician-assisted suicide is under way in at least three Northeastern states including Connecticut, where proponents say they see strong support for allowing doctors to prescribe mentally competent, dying individuals with the medications needed to … Read More
February 6, 2013
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have devised a way to detect whether cells previously transplanted into a living animal are alive or dead, an innovation they say is likely to speed the development of cell replacement therapies for conditions such as … Read More
February 6, 2013
Facebook has encompassed many things in its nine-year run. From a subtler version of a dating site to a gaming platform and a messaging hub. We’ve seen Facebook and its billion-plus users play a part in influencing politics, the form … Read More
February 6, 2013
A bipartisan proposal to compensate Virginia’s involuntary sterilization victims has been stalled by its potential price tag, a report said. (UPI)
February 6, 2013
Health authorities on Tuesday formally launched a campaign to reduce assisted reproductive technology (ART) abuse. (China.org)
February 6, 2013
For the vast majority of patients, hospice is paid for by Medicare. In 2010, of all the people who died and received Medicare benefits, 44 percent chose hospice, double the number in the past decade. But while the number of … Read More
February 6, 2013
Fewer elderly Americans are dying in acute care hospitals than were a decade ago, according to a new study of where Medicare beneficiaries spend their final months of life. (Reuters)
February 5, 2013
This is the Death Cafe, an anything-goes, frank conversation on death that’s been hosted at dozens of coffee shops and community centers in American cities from Arizona to Maine since beginning in the Columbus area in July. Death Cafes are … Read More
February 5, 2013
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently published a fact sheet entitled Working Safely with Nanomaterials. (Nanotechnology Now)
February 5, 2013
When a terminal illness is diagnosed, the patient and family tend to focus on the obvious – treating the illness. At that point and time, some will say that money doesn’t matter. More often, in the back of everyone’s mind, … Read More
February 5, 2013
Researchers have been able to engineer tissue samples in the past by combining artificial scaffold-like structures and animal cells. Depositing human embryonic stem cells in cultures using a 3-D printer offers some advantages. In particular, the cells can be positioned … Read More
February 5, 2013
All patients will soon have their tumour’s DNA, its genetic code, sequenced, enabling doctors to ensure they give exactly the right drugs to keep the disease at bay. (The Telegraph)
February 5, 2013
Standing before the throngs at the March for Life on Jan. 25, Ryan Bomberger admitted that he was the poster child for one of the most difficult aspects of the abortion debate: his mother had been raped. (Huffington Post)
February 4, 2013
“Our main goal is not to cause any harm or additional stress to families,†says Nancy Spinner, head of genomic diagnostics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. (Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, PBS)
February 4, 2013
A man whose ex-wife impregnated herself without his consent using previously-stored sperm from failed IVF treatment unsuccessfully sought to disown his son, in an unprecedented court case. (Khaleej Times)
February 4, 2013
While patients in dire situations are willing to try the therapy (and pay the hefty costs), there’s concern the research doesn’t support broad practice just yet. (NPR)
