Issue 491 (19 January 2009)

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Egg donors need long-term follow-up: Recommendations from a retrospective study of oocyte donors in the US

19 January 2009 - 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...[Read More]

Incarceration and infertility: do prisoners have the right to access IVF?

19 January 2009 - by Dr 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...[Read More]

Prenatal testosterone levels linked to autistic traits

19 January 2009 - by Dr Jess Buxton

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...[Read More]

Sensitivity to satiety: obesity unravelled one biscuit at a time

19 January 2009 - by Adam Fletcher

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...[Read More]

Lack of funding threatens progress in admixed embryo research

19 January 2009 - by Dr Nadeem Shaikh

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...[Read More]

Faulty X chromosome gene linked to dementia

19 January 2009 - by Will Fletcher

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...[Read More]

IVF works well in women under 35, study finds

19 January 2009 - by Katy Sinclair

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...[Read More]

UK scientists announce ground-breaking stem cell therapy trial

19 January 2009 - by Ailsa Stevens

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...[Read More]

Gene study links schizophrenia with bipolar disorder

19 January 2009 - by Ailsa Stevens

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...[Read More]