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With DNA testing, suddenly they are family
The New York Times
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A growing number of adoptees, now in the thousands, are turning to DNA testing companies in hopes of piecing together the puzzles of their beginnings. Some long to learn whether their family trees first bloomed in Ireland or Italy, Europe or South America. Others want to know whether they are genetically predisposed to developing diabetes, cancer or other diseases.
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Menopause onset may be genetic
UPI
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Researchers from the Boston University Schools of Public Health and Medicine report they have found 13 genetic locations linked to the onset of menopause. Menopause affects most women in their early 50s and most studies of the age of onset of menopause focused on genes from the estrogen-production pathway or vascular components.
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Genome map helps improve cancer treatments
Bloomberg News
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A decade after the first draft of the human genome, hospitals and clinics are using DNA sequencing to generate better treatments and diagnoses for patients with rare childhood diseases, cancers and other mysterious conditions. Using new technology that can effectively print out an individual's genome, doctors are examining individual components to slow intractable cancers and treat one-of-a-kind diseases in children.
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| Biotech/Diagnostics/Personalized Medicine |
Therapy can add years to certain brain tumor patients' lives
USA Today
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The growing science of personalized medicine has good news for a select group of brain tumor patients: Combination therapy can double their survival, to nearly 15 years. The treatment combination — chemotherapy plus radiation — doesn't cure brain tumors. And it doesn't help everyone.
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Narcissistic men may pay a price: Worse health
Los Angeles Times
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Men who are narcissists may be at risk for some health problems, since they could have inherently higher levels of the stress-related hormone cortisol even when they're not under pressure, a study finds. Cortisol, which is released by the body when it's under duress or going through an intense activity, can have some benefits — lending an energy surge, helping the body burn fat and boosting memory.
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Worm turns alcohol into longevity
Scientific American
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 Lots of studies suggest limited quantities of alcohol can benefit your cardiovascular health. But for the tiny worm C. elegans, dilute booze is a veritable fountain of youth. It actually doubles their life span, according to a study in the journal Public Library of Science ONE.
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Stem cells appear to restore vision in legally blind patient
The Washington Post
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For the first time, an experimental treatment made from human embryonic stem cells has shown hints of helping someone, apparently restoring some vision for at least one and possibly two women losing their sight. Because the women were the first to volunteer for an experiment designed primarily to test the safety of injecting an embryonic stem cell therapy into people, scientists are being cautious.
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| Emerging Medical Technologies |
Artificial testicle could make sperm for infertile men
ABC News
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California researchers are attempting to make an artificial testicle that will produce human sperm. A doctor from the Turek Clinic in San Francisco, which specializes in male infertility, said the goal is not to create a testicular implant for men, but a "sperm-making biological machine" that will help scientists learn more about what causes male infertility.
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Medicine begins to catch up with Star Trek
The Wall Street Journal
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From the early days of the science-fiction television series Star Trek, the "tricorder" was a vital prop used to scan, analyze and record data. It came in various guises, including a medical version, but it was a dramatic prop, not a real device. New Electronics recently reported on the continuing interest in the concept of real-life tricorder.
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Even with insurance, unemployed have worse health outcomes
HealthDay News via U.S. News & World Report
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People without jobs who have health insurance are less likely to get medical care or prescription drugs than people with jobs who have such coverage, U.S. health officials reported. Because health insurance affects access to care and most people rely on insurance through their employer, researchers looked at the effect of unemployment and lower income on access to healthcare.
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Can ACOs improve healthcare while reducing costs?
The Wall Street Journal (subscription)
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It's often said that the main method of paying healthcare providers — with a fee for each service — results in increased and wasteful spending. One major effort to fix the system is to create accountable care organizations. Medicare's main ACO program is launching this year, while many health plans are already working with providers on ACO-style payment models.
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| FDA: New Treatments and Technology |
Warning ignored on steroid shots tied to deaths
Bloomberg Businessweek
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Doctors are still injecting a steroid made by Bristol-Myers Squibb in a way the company warns they shouldn't, following reports that patients have died or become paralyzed after receiving shots. Bristol-Myers changed the label on its steroid Kenalog to say that it's "not recommended" for injection into the epidural space near the spine because of "reports of serious medical events, including death."
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Multiple sclerosis drug investigated after 11 deaths
The Associated Press via The Washington Post
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A European agency is investigating a multiple sclerosis drug made by industry giant Novartis to determine whether the medicine played any role in the deaths at least 11 patients. The drug, Gilenya, was licensed in the European Union to treat a severe type of multiple sclerosis. The European Medicines Agency, which is now investigating the drug, said it isn't clear if it caused the deaths.
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FAST FACTS
"Approximately 250,000 to 350,000 people in the United States have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke."
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