Bioethics in the News

The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity has compiled some of the week's top bioethics stories: 

Why Chromosome Errors Are High in Women’s Eggs 
(News-Medical) Up to 60 per cent of eggs areaffected by errors in how their chromosomes divide, making it the leading causeof infertility. A new study provides a better understanding of why.

Biggest Ever Autism Study Probes Environment as a Cause 
(New Scientist)About 1% of US kids are affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Rates inmany countries have risen sharply in recent years and researchers don’t know ifASD is prompted by something in the environment, increased awareness of thecondition and changes in diagnoses, or people having children later.

Some Cold Medicines May Have Higher-than-Expected Levels of aDecongestant
 (New York Times)AFT Pharmaceuticals of New Zealand says that when the nasal decongestantphenylephrine, or PE, was combined with the pain reliever acetaminophen, levelsof PE in the blood were two to four times as high as when the same dose of PEwas taken alone.

IBM’s “Watson” Attempts to Tackle the Genomics of Brain Cancer
 (Forbes)IBM and the New York Genome Center have announced a partnership to test whetherthe computer that won on Jeopardy can sift through the genomes of cancerpatients and help doctors pick drugs.  

Who Wins? Contraception and Corporate Rights (Reuters)The Supreme Court could dodge the issue of whether corporations have religiousrights to be exempt from covering contraception. The court could rule thatindividuals who own closely held companies, rather than the corporationsthemselves, can argue their religious rights have been violated.  

3-D Printing Promises Better Bionic Limbs for the War-Wounded
 (Wired)At the MIT Media Lab, a 27-year-old doctoral student is using 3-D printing andadvanced math to create a new kind of artificial limb he believes cansignificantly improve the lives of amputees. Three-D printing also saved astruggling trying to breathe by making possible the creation of a splint (CNN).

Mom Sues for Wrongful Pregnancy 
(ABC News)An Illinois woman is suing her doctor for “wrongful pregnancy,” claiming abotched sterilization procedure led to the birth of a daughter with sickle celldisease. The 40-year-old mom of three believed she couldn’t get pregnantbecause she thought her tube was tied.

Researcher Discovers Genetic Mutation in Moroccan Jews
 (Sun Sentinel)Progressive Cerebro-Cerebellar Atrophy (PCCA), affects dozens of Israelifamilies of Iraqi and Moroccan-Jewish descent. But that number may soon bereduced.

Mexican Cartel Member Investigated Over Organ-harvesting Claims 
(The Guardian)– Mexican authorities have captured an alleged drug trafficker from the KnightsTemplar cartel who officials say is being investigated on suspicion ofkidnapping and murdering children in order to harvest their organs for sale.  

New Cell Line Will Probably Accelerate Embryonic Stem Cell Research 
(Medical NewsToday) U-Dub researchers have created a line of human embryonic stemcells with the ability to develop into a far broader range of tissues than mostexisting cell lines.

Electric Brain Stimulation Rouses Some People from a MinimallyConscious or Vegetative State
 (Washington Post)People who have been in a minimally conscious state for weeks or even yearshave been temporarily roused using mild electrical stimulation. Soon after thestimulation was applied to their brains, 15 people with severe brain damageshowed signs of consciousness, including moving their hands and followinginstructions using their eyes. Two were able to answer questions for two hoursbefore drifting back into their previous uncommunicative state.

Mammograms: Worth Having? 
(Washington Post)The deadliest cancers may spread before they’re detectable on even the best mammogram;and some of the cancers that mammograms find will never harm patients. Until wecan distinguish harmless cancers from deadly ones, we’re compelled to treat allof them. Thus, some women get surgery, chemotherapy and other treatments forcancers that would never have hurt them.

China Bans Genetic Testing
 (GeneticEngineering & Biotechnology News) For nearly a half-century, Chinapromoted the growth of genetic testing to prevent and address birth defects. Lastmonth, China reversed course. China’s FDA posted a regulation that bannedgenetic testing.

A Surgical Procedure’s Risks, Unmentioned 
(New York Times)Many patients assume that, like prescription drugs, surgical procedures andinstruments undergo extensive testing and must be government-approved. It’s notnecessarily so. Yikes!