April 22, 2013
Now prosecutor Jonathan Ratel awaits a verdict as early as next week in a trial that featured sometimes chilling testimony from more than 80 witnesses — including a crucial eyewitness account from a Toronto man who paid for a kidney … Read More
April 22, 2013
Women are turning their backs on the health system after being traumatised by childbirth in hospitals, according to a new paper from University of Sydney researchers. (Sydney Morning Herald)
April 22, 2013
Gene therapy’s golden dawn had ended. But through the twilight years that followed, researchers learned from each setback and forged ahead. Today, many researchers investigating gene therapies and their biological underpinnings share an optimism long absent or long unseen. When … Read More
April 22, 2013
Tales from the Organ Trade is a fascinating film which takes a chilling look at the characters in the international black market in organs. (BioEdge)
April 22, 2013
Declining levels of the protein BubR1 occur when both people and animals age, and contribute to cell senescence or deterioration, weight loss, muscle wasting and cataracts. Mayo Clinic researchers have shown that adult progenitor or stem cells — important for … Read More
April 22, 2013
The man who pioneered in vitro fertilization also stirred deep unease about what he was doing. (The Wall Street Journal)
April 22, 2013
The husband of an Essex breast cancer patient believes her life was cut short after she was put on an end-of-life care plan despite her reluctance. (BBC)
April 19, 2013
US institute launches effort to probe exceptional treatment responses. (Nature)
April 19, 2013
The American government’s goal of vaccinating young girls against the human papillomavirus has been disappointing, with less than a third of teenagers having completed a full course of HPV vaccine. But now the United States can look to Australia, which … Read More
April 19, 2013
If physicians are shown the price of diagnostic tests, they order fewer or lower-priced tests, but this applies only to inexpensive tests, U.S. researchers say. (UPI)
April 19, 2013
Physicians and hospitals are broadening their efforts to help patients and families talk earlier about their preferences for end-of-life care. One of the newer initiatives is the Conversation Project, launched by a coalition of doctors, health care executives and others. … Read More
April 19, 2013
For decades, neuroscientists have been searching for an unmistakable signal of consciousness in electrical brain activity. Such a sign could determine whether minimally conscious or anesthetized adults are aware—and when consciousness begins in babies. (Wired)
April 19, 2013
Glioblastoma is the most destructive form of cancer because of its ability to migrate and plant new tumors in the brain. A new study revealed that after surgically removing these tumors, special stem cells from fat tissue were able to … Read More
April 19, 2013
Paul Lamb is the latest person to seek a change in the law so that he can be allowed to die with the help of a doctor. (BBC)
April 19, 2013
An Indiana University School of Medicine breast cancer surgeon is pursuing research that will utilize glass, gold, nanotechnology and Greek mythology hoping to vanquish breast cancer that has metastasized to the brain. (Nanowerk)
April 18, 2013
The Boston Marathon bombings caused injuries resulting in many traumatic limb amputations. Recent advances have made recovery less onerous for today’s amputees. (Los Angeles Times)
April 18, 2013
While many young adults are now covered by the Affordable Care Act, able to remain on their parents’ insurance until age 26, the rules are different for those like Cox-Reed, who grew up in the foster care system. (CNN)
April 18, 2013
Computer chips and silicon micromachines are ready for your body.  It’s time to decide how you’ll take them: implantable, ingestible, or intimate contact.  Every flavor now exists.  Some have FDA approval and some are seeking it.  Others are moving quickly … Read More
April 18, 2013
For nearly two years, University of Michigan neurologist Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D. has led the nation’s first clinical trial of stem cell injections in patients with the deadly degenerative disease known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often called ALS or Lou … Read More
April 18, 2013
The story of two families who had babies via surrogate, with very different experiences. (The Atlantic)
April 17, 2013
Hospitals make money from their own mistakes because insurers pay them for the longer stays and extra care that patients need to treat surgical complications that could have been prevented, a new study finds. (New York Times)
April 17, 2013
In a major policy move, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that it would not approve generic versions of the powerful narcotic OxyContin, the painkiller that symbolized a decade-long epidemic of prescription drug abuse. (New York Times)
April 17, 2013
The rate dropped 12% from 2005 to 2011, with improvements among all major racial and ethnic groups, a government report says. (Los Angeles Times)
April 17, 2013
In 2011, a bioterrorism-preparedness exercise conducted by the U.S. government examined the likely result of a large-scale release of weaponized anthrax spores in a city such as San Francisco. Code-named Dark Zephyr, the simulation was sobering: nearly 8 million people … Read More
April 17, 2013
Finding and vaccinating Nigerian nomads may be one of the last obstacles to the eradication of polio. (Nature)
