There were more reported cases of sexually transmitted diseases last year than ever before in the United States, according to the latest STD surveillance report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The annual report, which was released on Wednesday, showed that the rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis -- the three most commonly reported STDs in the nation -- increased between 2014 and 2015, reaching an all-time high. Reported cases of primary and secondary syphilis rose by 19%, gonorrhea cases rose by 12.8%, and chlamydia cases rose by 5.9%, from 2014. All three STDs are curable with antibiotics, but most infections go undiagnosed and untreated, according to the CDC. "We
Figure 1: Day 6 Human Embryo - Different cell types are shown above in an early human embryo, six days after fertilization. Cell boundaries are indicated in white, cells of the inner cell mass (which will give rise to the embryo proper) are in green, and trophoblast cells (which will give rise to extraembryonic tissues) are in purple and magenta. Despite significant biomedical advances in recent decades, the very earliest events of human development—those that occur during a critical window just after fertilization—have remained an unobservable mystery, until now. New research from scientists at The Rockefeller University & University of Cambridge shows, for the first time, molecular and ce
Wounded veterans hoping to start families appeared to win a significant victory Thursday with a new law allowing coverage of fertility treatment through the Department of Veterans Affairs. The legislation passed Congress on Wednesday night despite long opposition from conservatives, and it allows the VA to cover in vitro fertilization costs for the first time in 24 years. But it falls short of the ultimate goal of advocates – permanently lifting a 24-year-old ban on VA coverage of IVF -- and comes with some caveats. It provides no specific dollar amount to pay for the procedures and expires after two years, according to a key sponsor, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. Also, the VA will have discret
