UK scientists have identified a link between levels of testosterone exposure in the womb and the appearance of 'autistic traits' in childhood. The research, carried out at the University of Cambridge, found that higher prenatal levels of the hormone were linked to an increased incidence of...
Glasgow-based scientists have announced plans to trial a pioneering stem cell therapy for treating stroke patients later this year. The researchers hope that the therapy, which involves injecting embryonic stem (ES) cells into the brain, may help to reverse the symptoms of stroke, including mobility problems and...
A new study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, may explain why certain genetic variations increase a person's risk of obesity. Professor Jane Wardle and team at University College London, UK, have demonstrated associations between particular variants of the FTO gene, and the likelihood of overeating...
Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (previously manic depression) may be different manifestations of the same disease, according to a new study published in The Lancet medial journal last week. While hundreds or even thousands of genes, plus environmental factors, may contribute to the development of either condition, some...
A type of controversial admixed embryo research may now grind to a halt due to a lack of funding. Three research groups in the UK have licences to generate 'cytoplasmic hybrid' embryos, but none of them have managed to secure the money they need to proceed. The...
A team from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Jacksonville, Florida, US, has discovered a new gene variant that seems to increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The discovery is the first evidence of gender-specific risk factor for the disease because the variant is on...
Researchers at Harvard Medical School, US, have conducted the largest study ever into IVF live births, using data from Boston IVF and Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, in an attempt to quantify the success rate of IVF in both younger and older women. The findings are published in...
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Comment
Egg donors need long-term follow-up: Recommendations from a retrospective study of oocyte donors in the US
by Dr Jennifer Schneider
More than 100,000 young women in the US have been recruited to become egg donors (1) with the offer of large sums of money, typically $8-15,000 per egg retrieval cycle, but at times up to $100,000. The US is also a destination for European women seeking to sell their...
Incarceration and infertility: do prisoners have the right to access IVF?
by Professor Anna Smajdor
In October 2008, it was reported that a Spanish woman, Elena Beloki, had been granted permission to receive IVF treatment. Beloki is currently serving a 13-year prison sentence for her involvement with the Basque separatist organisation, Eta. Her fertility treatment will be carried out while on bail, and will...