Bioethics.net

August 29, 2018 9:00 am

How 30 days with an in-home robot could help children with autism (Science)

For many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), recognizing and responding to eye contact, body language, and tone of voice is a major challenge. Improving those social skills can take lots of work—putting a strain on caregivers with limited time, resources, and money for therapy. Now, a study shows that just 30 days with an in-home robot that provides social feedback can dramatically improve a child’s interactions with others.

July 24, 2018 4:44 am

Antidepressant prescriptions for children on the rise (BBC News)

Dr Bernadka Dubicka, who chairs the child and adolescent faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “Currently only one in four children and young people are treated for their mental health problems. “The fact that prescriptions for antidepressants are rising could reflect a slow but steady move towards treating everyone who is unwell.

May 11, 2018 9:00 am

‘I saved them because I’m a superhero!’: 4-year-old donates bone marrow to his baby brothers (Washington Post)

The 4-year-old boy fancied himself a real-life superhero, wearing a blue T-shirt with photographs of his 4-month-old twin brothers, who were born with a rare immunodeficiency disease. Michael’s little brothers —  Santino, “Sonny,” and Giovanni, “Gio” — needed a bone-marrow transplant, and when his parents told him that he was a donor match, Michael told them that he wanted to save his brothers and would give them some of his.

May 7, 2018 9:00 am

Families of Children with Rare Diseases Fuel Gene Therapy Research (The Scientist)

It’s a compelling narrative: A parent learns that his or her child has a fatal disease with no cure, and, though not a scientist, embarks on a quest to find some treatment. Such stories have played out in the plotlines of films such as Lorenzo’s Oil and Extraordinary Measures, on national morning shows and local news segments, and on crowdfunding pages to drum up support for the cause.

April 25, 2018 4:34 pm

British toddler Alfie Evans not allowed to leave country, UK court says (CNN)

Alfie, admitted to Alder Hey Hospital in December 2016, was diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease associated with severe epilepsy and has been in a semivegetative state for more than a year. During that time, he has been kept alive by artificial ventilation in the critical care unit.

April 3, 2018 9:00 am

Sudden infant death syndrome may have genetic basis, study suggests (CNN)

July 5, 2017 10:00 am

For Parents of U.K. Infant, Trump’s Tweet Is Latest Twist in an Agonizing Journey (The New York Times)

The long journey for Connie Yates and Chris Gard, whose infant son, Charlie, cannot breathe or move on his own, appeared to have come to an end last week. The courts had ruled that the baby’s rare genetic condition was incurable and that the only humane option was to take him off life support. The couple announced that they were getting ready “to say the final goodbye.” Then Pope Francis and President Trump weighed in, offering statements of support and thrusting a global spotlight onto a heart-rending case that has become a cause célèbre in Britain.

June 14, 2017 9:00 am

Heaven over hospital: Dying girl, age 5, makes a choice (CNN)

January 20, 2017 9:00 am

How Science Is Helping Us Understand Gender (National Geographic)

A “neutral space” is a hard thing for a teenager to carve out: Biology has a habit of declaring itself eventually. Sometimes, though, biology can be put on hold for a while with puberty-blocking drugs that can buy time for gender-questioning children.

November 10, 2016 10:52 am

U.S. watchdog told Medicare, Medicaid that EpiPen was misclassified in 2009: senator (Reuters)

The internal watchdog at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services warned the office tasked with administering federal health insurance programs that Mylan NV’s EpiPen was improperly classified as a generic drug in 2009, Senator Charles Grassley said on Tuesday.