'New IVF test detects faulty embryos and trebles chance of a healthy baby' - The Times

Scientists have developed a new test called Chromosome Aneuploidy Screening which checks embryos for chromosome abnormalities. The faulty embryos are discarded and only those with a good chance of developing into a healthy foetus will be implanted in the womb. Trials have shown a success rate of 88% which is over 3 times the success rate of current IVF in the UK.

The test costs £2000 a time, on top of the normal £4000 price of IVF. The success rate of the test means that couples opting for private treatment would save thousands as they would probably only require one cycle. It would also cut millions from the NHS's fertility bill as couples are normally offered 3 free cycles (costing the health service £12000). Researchers believe that the test will be available in 2-3years and will be widely used.

1 in 6 couples have difficulty conceiving naturally and IVF clinics treat 37,000 patients a year. This new test will be particularly useful for those women aged over 35 as they are a greater risk of producing genetic abnormalities.

The eggs shown to have abnormalities leading to such conditions as Down's, Edwards' and Turner's syndromes can be discarded. This could be seen as demoralising those living with these conditions; deeming their lives to be less worth living. However it would be in the best will of the child to have a healthy life and would be better for the family caring for the child so a utilitarian would support the new testing. There are also issues surrounding the idea of 'designer babies'; should we be allowed to intervene and 'play God', discarding the embryos and killing off those we don't deem fit enough. It would be easy for this to be developed further until humans have control over their offspring. This is a very controversial issue and would not be supported by a strong Roman Catholic.

'NHS budget rise will feel like a cut' The Guardian

The NHS will get a 0.1% spending increase, which will mean a rise from £104bn to £114bn over the next 4 years.
In reality the increase is very small at a time where costs are rising and healthcare is high in demand; making the rise feel like a budget cut.
The coalition government have had to scrap pledges made by the previous Labour government for free prescription for long term conditions, one to one nursing for cancer patients and only one weeks wait for cancer test results.
Economists say that with the cost of drugs, lifestyle problems (such as obesity) and the ageing population; a 3% increase is needed just to reach a stand still. Also those working for the NHS earning 21,000 or more will have a pay freeze for the following 2 years.

In realistic terms, with the current financial situation, the NHS could not expect a better pay rise and almost all of the other deparments are receiving large cuts too.

Television and Violence

US research has supported the idea that violence in video games and films an on TV has an influence on Boys' aggressive behaviour. The National Institutes of Health conducted a study on 22 boys aged 14-17 who watched 60 violent scenes, ranked from low to moderate. The boys were then asked to rate which clips they thought were more aggressive and their brains were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging, to show which parts of the brain are active. Researchers also attached electrodes to their fingers to detect the increase of sweat as an emotional response. They found that the longer the boys watched videos the less they responded to the violence within them.

Dr. Grafman concluded that exposure to violent videos inhibits emotional reactions to similar aggressive videos over time. Normal adolescents will feel fewer emotions over time as they are exposed to similar videos. This could produce more violent reactions from teenagers becasue the emotional component associated with aggression is reduced.
The implications of this research include the idea that teenagers could become less sensitive to violence, more accepting of violence and more likely to commit aggressive acts, which would lead to social problems.

First human to be treated with embryonic stem cells

This week, US doctors at a company 'Geron' in Silicon Valley have been the first allowed to run trials on patients and have spent $170m on looking at spinal injuries. As reported in the Independent (alongside other newspapers and web articles), a man who was partially paralysed a as result of a spinal cord injury has become the first person to be injected with human embryotic stem cells created by IVF. In animal trials paralysed rats regained some movement after stem cell treatment. 14 days after the injury ther stem cells were injected, it is believed that by using stem cells early on there is a greater chance that the nerve cells with be repaired.

Embryonic stem cells can specialise into over 200 different types of body tissues and could be the answer to many uncurable conditions such as Parkinson's and spinal injuries. However in reality there is little clinical evidence that this treatment is safe or effective and it will take years of work to assess this. The phase I trials will analyse the safety.

The use of embryonic stem cells is a controversial issue. Some people (particularly Roman Catholics) believe that the soul is implanted from the point of conception and therefore the embryo is a person in it's own right. Discarding the embryo once the stell cells have been remove would be seen as murder and morally wrong. However many others would believe that although the embryo deserves respect; the human suffering from a fatal condition deserves more respect so we can justify using the stem cells from the embryo to ease the suffering of a human being. This debate is on-going and there will never be a universal opinion. I personally believe we are taking a step in the right direction; it is in our best interest to help those who have uncurable conditions and to minimise the amount of suffering. I hope to see more successful results from the research in the future.

A difficult time at the hospice

Yesterday I was doing my fortnightly shift at Garden House Hospice. As part of duty, working in the small beverage room, I have to give each patient a jug of fresh water and offer tea and coffee to relatives. One of the nurses made me aware when I saw her for a take over that an inpatient was dying. I went into his room to deliver his water, he looked peaceful attached to a machine although I did feel a little bit uncomfortable. Later on, I met the voluntary organiser from Elmside, who I was surprised to see in the hopsice. It wasn't until I spoke to her that I realised, that the dying man, was her husband. It was when I made those connections that I began to feel emotional; this poor lady has had the worst couple of days of her life, to be widowed at the age of 40 with very young children, in the week that she had taken off work to go on a family holiday seemed all too much. I cannot even think of how difficult that must be, feeling isolated, helpless, broken, alone.
From seeing his peaceful body in bed to having the realisation that this is someone's husband, brother, father, adds more meaning to the situation. I think it is harder to see someone you know struggle and grieve than someone you have never met.
This has been an eye opener to the complications and emotional strains with dealing with death, it so important to deal with the family's spiritual needs sensitively; allowing them to grieve in peace but making sure they know there is someone there for them.

I-Addiction

A Chinese study I found on the Student BMJ site, has suggested that those who spend a lot of time on the internet are at greater risk of addiction and harm to their mental health. The researchers measured this using a questionnaire for adolecents. This is a self report method, so may not be the most accurate form of analysing addictive behaviour as participants could exaggerate their answers or lie. 6.7% of the 208 teenagers used in the study were said to have an internet addiction, the research could be culturally bias if they are using only Chinese participants and may find different addiction rates if tested in different cultures, this would test how universal the results are.
This study did not look at depresive symptoms or suicidal thoughts however other research had suggested those with an internet addiction are more likely to have these mental health issues.