Posted on October - 21 - 2011
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Scientists cannot patent stem cell techniques that use human embryos for research, the European Court of Justice ruled Tuesday.
The decision was delivered in a lawsuit launched against a researcher who in 1997 filed a patient on a technique to turn embryonic stem cells into nerve cells. The lawsuit was launched by the environmental group Greenpeace, the reported.
The court said patents are permissible if they involve therapeutic or diagnostic techniques that benefit the embryo, such as correcting defects, but the law protects embryos from any use that could cause indignity.
The court also said any stem cell technique used exclusively for research “is not patentable,” reported.
Greenpeace launched the lawsuit in order to obtain a clear, legal definition of what constitutes a living embryo, a spokesman explained.
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Posted on October - 19 - 2011
A particular fish oil (omega-3) supplement has been shown to improve blood flow to the brain during mental activity and to impact on certain aspects of mental performance in young adults, according to research from Northumbria University.
In the first of two studies, currently available in the online edition of the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers found that overall,taking either of two different types of fish oil supplement for three months had no consistent impact on mental function in 18 – 35-year-olds, however they did find evidence of reduced mental fatigue and faster reaction times.
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Posted on October - 12 - 2011
Cardiovascular disease and arthritis are both more common as people grow older. NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are the medications most often used to relieve the pain of arthritis. However, gastrointestinal ulcers and bleeding have long been recognized as a dangerous adverse effects of all NSAIDs. Let’s look at the benefits and risks of taking NSAIDs.
Prescription Drugs Removed From the Market
In the late 1990s, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved several new NSAIDs, the COX-2 selective inhibitors, which had a lower incidence of peptic ulcers and intestinal bleeding. S
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Posted on October - 11 - 2011
It’s a new approach to treating paralysis. Researchers in Atlanta are trying to suffocate nerves to get them to come back to life. Odd as that sounds, it seems to be working. KING 5′s Jean Enersen explains how it works.
