PROGRESS IN MEDICINE
1) Three-Parent Babies
Britain is set to become the first country in the world to allow the creation of so-called 'three-parent' in vitro fertilisation (IVF) babies permit the creation of IVF babies with DNA from three different people. The law, allowing the licensing of mitochondrial donation, will come into effect in October, opening the way for the first IVF licence to be issued later this year, with the birth of the first three-parent baby in 2016.
2) Canada's Supreme Court allows doctor-assisted suicide
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| "euthanasia kit" available in Belgium |
Canada's highest court struck down a ban on doctor-assisted suicide for mentally competent patients with terminal illnesses Friday (Feb 6/2015), declaring that outlawing that option deprives dying people of their dignity and autonomy. The Supreme Court's unanimous decision reverses its own decision two decades ago and gives Parliament and provincial legislators a year to draft new legislation that recognizes the right of consenting adults who are enduring intolerable suffering to seek medical help ending their lives.
"NO-HIGH" Marijuana
1) As legal sales of marijuana begin in Colorado, researchers have discovered a natural hormone that can block the drug’s high while providing medical benefits.
The hormone, known as pregnenolone, is already sold over the counter as an anti-aging supplement, since it is a precursor to steroid hormones like estrogen and testosterone, which decline with age. The new research suggests it could treat people with marijuana use disorders — as well as alleviate symptoms related to accidental or over-doses of the drug. In the study, which was published in Science, the researchers found that pregnenolone is part of a feedback loop that regulates the the brain’s cannabinoid receptors, which bind to marijuana’s main active ingredient, THC.
2) A compound found in marijuana can treat schizophrenia as effectively as antipsychotic medications, with far fewer side effects, according to a preliminary clinical trial.Researchers led by Markus Leweke of the University of Cologne in Germany studied 39 people with schizophrenia who were hospitalized for a psychotic episode. Nineteen patients were treated with amisulpride, an antipsychotic medication that is not approved in the U.S., but is comparable to other medications that are.
3) Israel Is Developing "no high" marijuana
As medical marijuana gains acceptance around the world, Israel is drawing interest from investors for its “botanical high-tech” medical cannabis. A Canadian producer has entered into a partnership with an Israeli producer, Tikun Olam, for a cannabis variety that helps reduce the seizures of epileptic children and has been especially grown to remove the “high.”.
ROBOT /DRONES
1) Vampire bat-inspired ROBOT DRONES that can fly and crawl vastly improve their usefulness by increasing the areas in which they can operate. Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), building on earlier developments, have created a drone that uses wings incorporating movable tips, allowing it to both walk and fly. For a video: CLICK HERE
2) Top 10 Drones of 2015For a closer look at the robots check, out the 2015 CES Field Guide.
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