[WSJ] When D., a woman in her mid-30s, learned that she was dying from complications of AIDS, she fully expected that her life would end in much the same way it had been lived: homeless, alone and among strangers.

If it hadn’t been for Dr. Jason K. Alexander, a medical student at the time, she might [...]

[BBC] Another Danish pharmaceutical company is withdrawing products from Greece in protest at the government’s decision to cut the prices of medicines by 25%.
The Leo Pharma company says it is suspending sales of two popular drugs because the price reductions will cause job losses across Europe.   The Greek government is struggling with a debt crisis.  [...]

[BBC] A British scientist says he is the first man in the world to become infected with a computer virus.
Dr Mark Gasson from the University of Reading contaminated a computer chip which was then inserted into his hand. The device, which enables him to pass through security doors and activate his mobile phone, is a [...]

[NYT] I stare harder into the bathroom mirror these days than I ever have. Not out of some pathetic middle-aged vanity, but more out of curiosity. Two years after learning I had an aggressive prostate cancer, I want to see how my face has been weathered and sculptured by the uncertainty and wisdom wrought by [...]

[AP] Scientists announced a bold step Thursday in the enduring quest to create artificial life. They’ve produced a living cell powered by manmade DNA.
While such work can evoke images of Frankenstein-like scientific tinkering, it also is exciting hopes that it could eventually lead to new fuels, better ways to clean polluted water, faster vaccine production [...]

Doctors in India accused of overcharging patients for vaccines. (APPhoto/Kevin Frayer)

[Examiner] According to a recent article in The Economic Times, New Delhi, complaints have been filed against 1,992 doctors in India alleging they violated professional ethics by receiving gifts, hospitality, or monetary grants from pharmaceutical companies.
The Medical Council of India amended its professional code of ethics [...]

[Medscape] — Recipients of hearts from donors who were homeless die sooner and at a higher rate than those getting hearts from donors who weren’t homeless, based on an analysis of the 2005–2009 experience at a major Los Angeles medical center.
The study, small and inconclusive, nonetheless also showed that three of the five early deaths [...]

[NYT] In the nation’s drive to computerize patient records, Jonathan Bush surely qualifies as the most disgruntled beneficiary of the government’s largess – billions of dollars in incentives to accelerate adoption by doctors and hospitals.
Mr. Bush is chief executive of Athenahealth, which offers electronic health records and billing services to physicians, using an Internet-based, software-as-a-service [...]

[CNN] Scientists appear to have broken another barrier in stem cell research by creating a better research model to study human illnesses – a pig – actually 34 pigs.  It’s an important advance for research because pigs are much more like humans than other lab animals are.
The scientists did not clone the pigs – instead [...]