Bioethics News and Research

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Labeled menus may lead to reduced calorie intake in children

In a new study, the amount of calories selected by parents for their child's hypothetical meal at McDonald's restaurants were reduced by an average of 102 calories when the menus clearly showed the calories for each item. This is the first study to suggest that labeled menus may lead to significantly reduced calorie intake in fast food restaurant meals purchased for children.

25 Jan 2010

Johns Hopkins neurologist asks leaders to question 'futile and expensive' care in terminally ill patients

Acknowledging that the idea of rationing health care, particularly at the end of life, may incite too much vitriol to get much rational consideration, a Johns Hopkins emeritus professor of neurology called for the start of a discussion anyway, with an opinion piece featured in this month's issue of the Journal of Medical Ethics.

20 Jan 2010

Gene variant predisposes humans to develop acute myeloid leukemia, says study

A large international research group led by Dr. Tarik M-r-y, a researcher at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montr-al (IRCM), has discovered that a variant of the gene "Growth Factor Independence 1" (GFI1) predisposes humans to develop acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a certain subtype of blood cancer.

20 Jan 2010

ACP issues position paper to guide ethical relationships among patients, physicians and caregivers

The American College of Physicians (ACP) has issued a position paper to guide ethical relationships among patients, physicians, and caregivers.

13 Jan 2010

Findings shed new light on the molecular mechanisms of visual system in brain

The laboratory of Dr. Fr-d-ric Charron, a researcher at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montr-al (IRCM), has discovered a new molecular mechanism that permits the guidance of visual nerves towards the brain.

8 Jan 2010

Opinions: HIV prevention; PEPFAR; H1N1 vaccine donation; developing country R&D; climate change

"For nearly 30 years scientists have been trying to break the back of the AIDS epidemic," but the recent microbicide gel study and an AIDS vaccine trial in Thailand "show just how difficult and how distant that goal is," according to a Washington Post editorial. "While scientists continue searching for a vaccine or a cure, prevention remains paramount," the Washington Post concludes (12/16).

16 Dec 2009

Challenges U.S. and U.K. cancer patients face in gaining access to expensive treatments

Cancer patients in both the United States and the United Kingdom face challenges in gaining access to expensive treatments, according to research published in the December issue of The Milbank Quarterly.

16 Dec 2009

Study compares status of health care systems in U.S. and UK

The well-worn notion that patients in the United States have unfettered access to the most expensive cancer drugs while the United Kingdom's nationalized health care system regularly denies access to some high-cost treatments needs rethinking, a team of bioethicists and health policy experts says in a report out today.

15 Dec 2009

FDA launches workshop to simplify orphan drug development

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the launch of an orphan drug workshop series--an opportunity for biotechnology companies, pharmaceutical firms, academics and other interested parties to spend two days creating applications for orphan status designation, under the guidance of staff from FDA's Office of Orphan Products Development (OOPD).

9 Dec 2009

Health experts available to speak about health care reform

Garson helped originate and draft the "Health Partnership Act" (S. 325 and H.R. 5606), which funds grants to states for innovations to improve coverage for the uninsured, quality and efficiency.

5 Dec 2009

New research examines screen time in home-based and center-based child care settings

In a new study, the amount of television viewed by many young children in child care settings doubles the previous estimates of early childhood screen time, with those in home-based settings watching significantly more on average than those in center-based daycares.

23 Nov 2009

Scientists use exome sequencing method to discover the cause of mendelian disorder

For the first time, scientists have successfully used a method called exome sequencing to quickly discover a previously unknown gene responsible for a mendelian disorder.

20 Nov 2009

I-STEM team succeeds in recreating a whole epidermis from hES cells

Stem cell research is making great strides. This is yet again illustrated by a study carried out by the I-STEM Institute (I-STEM/ Inserm UEVE U861/AFM), published in the Lancet on 21 November 2009. The I-STEM team, directed by Marc Peschanski has just succeeded in recreating a whole epidermis from human embryonic stem cells.

20 Nov 2009

Implementing infection-limiting measures a challenge, say researchers

The H1N1 flu virus is spreading misery around the country, but University of Michigan researchers say that implementing and sustaining infection-limiting measures will still be a challenge.

16 Nov 2009

2009 mHealth Summit discusses to integrate science and wireless solutions to improve public health

The 2009 mHealth (Mobile Health) Summit, organized by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), today opens an unprecedented two-day summit bringing together more than 800 public and private sector science, medical, policy and mobile technology experts to develop a new roadmap related to the integration of science and wireless solutions to improve public health delivery, particularly to underserved populations, in the U.S. and around the world.

31 Oct 2009

Johns Hopkins bioethicists raise important issues on recent creation of live mice from iPSCs

The recent creation of live mice from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) not only represents a remarkable scientific achievement, but also raises important issues, according to bioethicists at The Johns Hopkins University's Berman Institute of Bioethics.

30 Oct 2009

Bioethicist honored with March of Dimes Distinguished Lectureship in Perinatal Bioethics award

A bioethicist who specializes in moral dilemmas families face when making medical decisions for critically-ill newborns was honored with the first-ever March of Dimes Distinguished Lectureship in Perinatal Bioethics.

24 Oct 2009

France Biotech announces its 5th Bioethics Forum

France Biotech, the French association of life science businesses and their partners (www.france-biotech.org) today announced that its 5th Bioethics Forum (organized in collaboration with the Eurobiomed cluster) will take place on Friday, December 11th, at the Musée du Carre d’Art venue in Nîmes.

22 Oct 2009

Ethics in biomedical research: One-year grant from NIH to develop interactive educational software

Arkitek Studios and the Northwest Association for Biomedical Research (NWABR) have been awarded a $100,000 Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Center for Research Resources, a component of the National Institutes of Health. This one-year grant, entitled ETHOS (Ethics Training Health Oriented Software), provides funding for development of interactive educational software that will underscore the critical role ethics plays in biomedical research.

19 Oct 2009

Medical tourism in Latin America requires regulation: University of Montreal researchers

Medical tourism in Latin America needs to be regulated to protect consumers, according to Universit- de Montr-al researchers. A new study published in the journal Developing World Bioethics argues that Argentinean fertility clinics are increasingly marketing themselves to international health care consumers: these clinics offer all-inclusive packages with fixed prices that feature airfare, accommodations, transfers, language interpreters and, of course, fertility treatments.

8 Oct 2009