May 14, 2013
New DNA test can identify bacterial infections in under 2.5 hours
Researchers have developed a novel nanoparticle DNA hybridization device which can identify different species of bacteria in less than 2.5 hours. (Forbes)
Monthly Archives: May 2013
May 14, 2013
Frozen in time: Clarifying laws on IVF embryo use and destruction
Over the past two decades, the frozen preservation of embryos has become routine practice in IVF. What currently happens to embryos next is controlled by overlapping and complicated rules that confuse and disempower IVF users. (Medical Xpress)
May 13, 2013
Mom’s death inspires doctor’s life work
Each year, worldwide, nearly 1 million babies die on the day they are born, according to a new report from Save the Children. Giving birth is also risky for mothers; nearly 800 women die every day during pregnancy or childbirth. … Read More
May 13, 2013
Portland, Ore., is magnet for gay couples wanting babies
Gays and lesbians who want babies are flocking from as far away as France and Israel to conceive their dream of becoming parents using donor eggs, donor sperm and surrogates — something not allowed in their home countries. (U.S.A. Today)
May 13, 2013
Study: Doctor’s word choice affects end-of-life decisions
People were 20 percent more likely to choose DNR if it was phrased as “allowing natural death;” 25 percent if they were told it’s what most other people choose. (The Atlantic)
May 13, 2013
Delays in updates to ethics guidelines for research spark concern
Nearly two years ago, the US government office that oversees human research ethics launched the first-ever major revision to the so-called Common Rule, the 22-year-old regulation that governs the protection of human research subjects there. But the process set into … Read More
May 13, 2013
Judge denies FDA bid to stay ‘morning-after pill’ ruling
A federal judge in New York on Friday declined to temporarily halt a court order directing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make emergency contraception available over the counter to girls of all ages. (Chicago Tribune)
May 13, 2013
Genetics and neurobiology: The future of bipolar disorder treatment and diagnosis
Today, The Lancet has published a new series of three papers that examine the genetics, diagnosis, and treatment of bipolar disorder. The authors outlined future challenges and debated imminent changes to the criteria for diagnosis of the illness, along with … Read More
May 13, 2013
Nano labs develop nano biotechnology mech that can help doctors dress wounds and prevent infection
The new innovation includes a nano biotechnology hemostatic mesh, which creates a mechanical barrier stopping blood flow in wounds and integrates both physical and chemical protection, and antibacterial properties. (The Wall Street Journal)
May 13, 2013
DARPA awards $6 million to develop nanotechnology therapies for traumatic brain injuries
DARPA, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, has awarded $6 million to a team of researchers to develop nanotechnology therapies for the treatment of traumatic brain injury and associated infections. (Nanowerk)
May 13, 2013
Stem cell researchers move toward treatment for rare genetic nerve disease
UCLA researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research have used induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) to advance disease-in-a-dish modeling of a rare genetic disorder, ataxia telangiectasia. Their discovery shows positive effects of … Read More
May 13, 2013
Engineering for the 21st century: Synthetic Biology
For years, scientists have hoped that biology would find its engineering counterpart – a series of principles that could be used as reliably as chemical engineering is for chemistry. Thanks to major advances in synthetic biology, those hopes may soon … Read More
May 10, 2013
Exceptional longevity may delay Alzheimer’s disease
Families with exceptional longevity appear to have delayed onset of Alzheimer’s disease, U.S. researchers say. (UPI)
May 10, 2013
Medicaid experiment yields uneven clinical returns
Expanding Medicaid to a randomly selected low-income population in one state improved people’s mental health and financial situations but had less of an impact on physical health outcomes, a study revealed. (American Medical News)
May 10, 2013
Study raises concerns that Pitocin may harm babies
This is the hormone that causes the uterus to contract during labor, and to contract after delivery, preventing postpartum hemorrhage. When Pitocin is used prior to delivery, it is used either to induce labor, or to augment (or strengthen) labor … Read More
May 10, 2013
What medical tourism tells us about our healthcare system
If you ask a hospital in your neighborhood to give you a package price on a standard surgical procedure, you will probably be turned down. After the suppression of normal market forces for the better part of a century, hospitals … Read More
May 10, 2013
Is human enhancement cheating?
In 2013, neither Barry Bonds nor Roger Clemens made the Baseball Hall of Fame, even with their clearly superior records, because they used steroids. This was despite the fact that, as a New York Times editorial put it, the Hall … Read More
May 10, 2013
Pau Gasol has knee procedure, to receive stem cell injections
The 12-year veteran will also “receive autologous stem cell injections” next week to help stimulate the regeneration of tissue in his knees. (L.A. Times)
May 10, 2013
Making babies: Selling embryos, despite ethical concerns, addresses genuine needs
The latest round of ethical contretemps is an intriguing April article in The New England Journal of Medicine, “Made-to-Order Embryos for Sale—A Brave New World?†which discusses—comprehensively and dispassionately—many of the concerns raised about embryo donations, whether gifted or for … Read More
May 10, 2013
Dad’s genome more ready at fertilization than mom’s is — but hers catches up
Researchers from Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah have discovered that while the genes provided by the father arrive at fertilization pre-programmed to the state needed by the embryo, the genes provided by the mother are in … Read More
May 10, 2013
Ethics experts call for more thoughtful optimization of drug development
McGill University post-doctoral fellow Spencer Phillips Hey and Prof. Jonathan Kimmelman, Biomedical Ethics, Social Studies of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine argue that some clinical trials of new drugs need to fail in order to protect study volunteers and healthcare systems. … Read More
May 10, 2013
Harvard stem cell researchers find protein that rejuvenates aging mouse hearts
A team of Harvard Stem Cell Institute scientists have discovered a protein that circulates in blood that can turn old hearts young, causing a mouse’s heart that has thickened and enlarged with age to revert back to a more youthful … Read More
May 10, 2013
Event: Caring for Our Kupuna: Balancing Human Dignity and Econmics
The St. Francis International Center for Healthcare Ethics Caring for Our Kupuna: Balancing Human Dignity and Economics 10th Biennial International Bioethics Conference Friday, August 9, 2013 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sheraton Waikiki Hotel Honolulu, Hawaii Registration: StFrancisHawaii.org
May 9, 2013
Birth rates good after implanting 1 embryo, study finds
Among women who undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) to become pregnant, there is no difference in delivery rates among those implanted with one prescreened embryo compared to those implanted with two unscreened embryos, new study findings reveal. (U.S. News and … Read More
May 9, 2013
Ethical considerations in phase II trials
In an article appearing in the May 8 edition of Science Translational Medicine, Spencer Phillips Hey, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the Biomedical Ethics Unit at McGill University, and Jonathan Kimmelman, Ph.D., of the Studies for Translation, Ethics, and Medicine … Read More
