S. Korean Scientist Fabricated Landmark Stem Cell Research: Panel
South Korean scientist Dr. Hwan Woo-suk could present no evidence at all to corroborate his landmark research on producing genetically matched stem cells from cloned human embryos, a Seoul university panel announced Thursday.
The announcement by the panel from Seoul National University suggested that Hwang fabricated all the research published in the journal Science, The New York Times reported.
"So far we could not find any stem cells regarding Dr. Hwang's 2005 paper that genetically match the DNA of patients," said Roe Jung Hye, the university's dean of research affairs, in a statement. "According to our judgment, Dr. Hwang's team doesn't have scientific data to prove that it has produced such stem cells."
The latest revelation added more skepticism to Hwang's claim that he had the technology to clone human embryos and extract stem cells from them, which would be a breakthrough in the quest to help patients with hard-to-treat diseases produce their own tissues.
There was no immediate comment from Hwang, who apologized last week for falsifications in his paper and resigned from the university, the newspaper reported.
The university committee investigating allegations of fabrications had said last week that Hwang falsified data for 9 of the 11 patient-derived embryonic stem cell lines in his June paper. Of the remaining two lines, the panel had said it did not yet know whether they had been derived from patients or from fertilized human eggs.
In its follow-up report Thursday, the committee, citing extensive DNA tests, said that none of the stem cells Hwang said he had created was produced through cloning. All the samples presented for the paper that still exist in his laboratory were stem cells extracted from fertilized human eggs at Seoul's MizMedi Hospital, which participated in the research, Roe said.
Apparently anticipating such an outcome, Hwang had claimed that his authentic stem cells were stolen from his lab and were replaced with MizMedi samples, the Times said.
The panel is still investigating Hwang's 2004 research on cloning and the authenticity of what he claimed in August was the world's first cloned dog.
Drug Approved to Prevent Breast Cancer Recurrence
The Novartis drug Femara (letrozole) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to prevent recurrence of hormone-sensitive early breast cancer among post-menopausal women.
The Dec. 29 New England Journal of Medicine includes study findings that Femara was more effective at preventing breast cancer relapse when used as an initial therapy after surgery than tamoxifen, a standard breast cancer preventive. The study was funded by Novartis.
Femara showed its greatest benefit among women whose breast cancer had already spread to the lymph nodes, and among women who had undergone chemotherapy, Novartis said in a statement.
Femara is an aromatase inhibitor, a class of drugs that blocks production of the female hormone estrogen, which is thought to spur most post-menopausal breast cancers. The drug should only be taken by post-menopausal women, Novartis warned, since aromatase inhibitors aren't thought to be effective before then. The drug could also cause fetal harm, the company said.
Common side effects of taking Femara include hot flashes, joint pain, night sweats, and weight gain, Novartis said.
Femara is already approved by the FDA to treat advanced breast cancer.
U.S.: Climate of Fear Plagued L.A. Liver Transplant Program
The liver transplant program at St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles was plagued by a climate of "fear and retribution" that prevented staffers from revealing the program's serious inadequacies, according to a federal report cited by the Los Angeles Times.
The 99-page report by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that the hospital did not comply with eight conditions required by hospitals receiving federal funding, the newspaper said. Based on hospital records, there was no proof that some patients received a physical examination or, in some cases, were even reviewed by a selection committee before being added to the transplant list, the Times reported.
St. Vincent closed its liver transplant program following its admission in September that its doctors had improperly arranged for a September 2003 transplant to a Saudi man using an organ that was supposed to have gone to a person who was higher on the hospital's priority list.
The transplant was not revealed until two years later when the hospital was responding to a routine audit, the newspaper said.
The hospital acknowledged that a number of staff members knew about the incident but "participated in [an alleged] coverup," the Times reported.
Inspectors cited several instances "in which transplant staff members said they were asked to falsify documents," the Times reported.
Americans Are More Miserable, Survey Finds
In this season of what's supposed to be comfort and joy, a new University of Chicago poll suggests that many Americans are more miserable now than they were 15 years ago.
More Americans are reporting incidents of illness, inability to afford medical care, and unstable romantic relationships than when the school's National Opinion Research Center conducted its first "Negative Life Events" survey nearly 15 years ago, the school said in a statement.
Seventeen percent of this year's respondents said they had been a patient in a health-care facility, versus 14 percent in 1991. Eleven percent said they couldn't afford needed medical care, compared with 7 percent in 1991, and 18 percent said they lacked health insurance, compared with 12 percent in the earlier poll.
Nearly 7 percent in the most recent survey said they were separated from a partner, compared with 5 percent in 1991. More of the recent respondents also cited unemployment and pressure to pay bills than in the earlier poll.
Bright spots in the new survey included drops in legal problems, incidents of infertility, and not having a car for a month or longer, the school found.
New Treatment Sanctioned for Bone Marrow Disorder
The Celgene Corp. drug Revlimid (lenalidomide) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat a certain form of Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), a bone marrow abnormality.
MDS is a collection of disorders in which the bone marrow doesn't function properly and the body doesn't make enough normal blood cells. Patients often need blood and platelet transfusions and antibiotics to treat infections, the FDA said.
In clinical trials, most MDS patients with deletion 5q cytogenic abnormality didn't require as many transfusions three months after starting treatment with the drug, the agency said.
Some 7,000 to 12,000 cases of MDS are diagnosed each year in the United States. People over age 60 are most susceptible to the disease, whose symptoms include weakness, fatigue, infections, easy bruising, bleeding and fever.
Revlimid is similar to thalidomide, a drug proven to cause severe birth defects. Celgene is still conducting studies to determine if pregnant Revlimid users are subject to similar risks, the agency said.
Protect your ears: limit iPod use
The ever-popular earbuds used with many iPods and other MP3 players may be more stylish than the bigger and bulkier earmuff-type headphones, but they may also be more damaging to one's hearing, according to a Northwestern professor.
"No one really knows for sure" the levels at which iPod users listen to music, but "what we do know is that young people like their music loud and seldom worry about any decline in hearing ability," Dean Garstecki, chairman of Northwestern's communication sciences and disorders department, told Reuters Health.
The earbuds commonly used by iPod listeners are placed directly into the ear and can boost the audio signal by as many as nine decibels -- comparable to the difference in sound intensity between an alarm clock and a lawn mower, Garstecki said. Yet, the earbuds do not always fit snugly in the ear, but often allow background noise to seep in, which causes listeners to crank up the volume.
In turning up the volume to drown out background noise, however, people "don't realize they may be causing some damage" to their hearing, Garstecki said.
This danger is not confined to MP3 users, such as iPod owners. Earbuds are also used with compact disc players and Walkmans. Audiologists have cautioned about the potential risk of hearing loss associated with such devices since the 1980s. The longer battery life and the greater music storage capacity of MP3 players, in comparison to Walkmans and compact discs, however, encourage longer periods of uninterrupted music listening.
"It's the combination of high intensity and long duration that creates the unique problem with the iPod," Garstecki said.
Various researchers have reported an increased risk of hearing loss associated with headphone use in the general population. Despite this, an MTV survey conducted earlier this year revealed that most teens and young adults do not think hearing loss from loud music is a big problem, even though over half of those surveyed said they experienced ringing in their ears after concerts. When told that the loud music may lead to lifelong hearing loss, however, most of the survey participants said they would consider protective measures in the future.
Eliminating iPod earbuds in favor of larger earmuff-style headphones as one of those protective measures may be an unattractive option for many style-conscious music lovers. Instead, Garstecki recommends adherence to the 60 percent/30 minute rule. Listeners should set their iPods and other MP3 players to sound levels that are no more than 60 percent of the maximum volume -- i.e. just over halfway between "off" and "maximum" volume -- and use their earbuds for no more than 30 minutes a day.
Those who use muff-style headphones at 60 percent volume can increase the duration to an hour a day, and those who listen at volumes significantly lower than 60 percent of the maximum can use their music players for many more hours. Also, newer, more snug-fitting earbuds are "likely to be safer" if they prevent users from turning up the volume to eliminate background noise, Garstecki said.
"It's when you start cranking it up that you have to limit the dosage," he explained.
Noise-canceling headphones are another option for those who desire to listen to music for an extended period of time. These devices, while a bit more costly and more visible than earbuds, partially or fully eliminate background noise so that users do not have to crank up the volume of their music for that purpose.
Food Fact:
Lose 15 lbs. this year.
One important change in your lunchtime routine can make all the difference. In one study, women who ate at least five restaurant/takeout meals a week took in almost 300 more calories a day than women who ate out less often, with a larger proportion of calories from fat. Over a year's time, those calories can add up to an extra 15 - 20 pounds. Try bringing lunch from home -- not only will it help you lose weight, but it'll fatten your wallet by cutting down on expenses!
Fitness Tip of the day:
Tai chic.
Secrets from the far east can speed healing after a heart attack and help prevent future ones. The ancient Chinese exercise regimen tai chi combines movement, breathing and meditation. It can improve balance, muscular strength and agility; increase energy and range of motion in arthritic joints; reduce stress; promote serenity and lower your blood pressure.
FAQ of the day:
Is it better for me to eat cruciferous vegetables raw?
Cooking affects the cancer-protective compounds in cruciferous vegetables to a degree. The sulforophane in broccoli is fairly stable in the presence of heat, although cooking it for a long time will diminish it. Stick with quick-cook methods, such as steaming or boiling in a small quantity of water, if you can. The protective compound in watercress, PEITC, is present in cooked watercress, though at greatly diminished levels compared with raw watercress. But studies in people who've eaten cooked watercress show that some PEITC remains active.
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