Skills matter.  Research has confirmedwhat patients have long suspected and trainees have long known –the dexterity of a surgeon’s handscan account for much of the differences in how well patients do. ( New York Times)

Belgium considering kids’ euthanasialaw. In Belgium, where euthanasia is now legal for peopleover the age of 18, the government is considering extending it to children and adultswith early dementia. Imagine a teen with angst being allowed to get help tocommit suicide. Right. ( ABC News)

How much does a patient invegetative state know? An analysis of brainactivity in 21 patients and eight healthy volunteers showed one of the patientscould pick out individual sounds. ( BBC)

Fertility: Race matters. Maternal ethnicity is a significant determinant of successfuloutcomes after fertility treatment.  ( Medical Xpress)

Too many, too young.
One in every five girls (about 19%) gives birth before sheturns 18 in developing countries. Of the 7.3 million girls who give birth everyyear, 2 million of them are under the age of 14. ( CNN)

Progress with breast cancer.
A test that identifies seven classes of breast cancer could beavailable within two years. ( BBC)

Curbing drug-induced abortion.
 If a U.S. court decides to hear an appeal in a case aboutdrug-induced abortion, it could clarify how far states can go in restrictingabortions. ( The Wall StreetJournal)

Syria polio cases confirmed by WHO.Ten polio cases have been confirmed in Syria, the first confirmed outbreak there in 14years. ( The Guardian)

DNA and full disclosure.
A recommendation earlier this year that people who have theirDNA sequenced should be told of certain risk factors, regardless of whetherthey want to know, has sparked an ongoing debate among physicians and ethicists.( Boston Globe)

4 babies, 2 surrogates, 1 set oftwiblings.
A British couple are to becomeparents of two sets of twin babies carried by two Indian surrogate women theyhave never met. Experts say twiblings, or children born to separate surrogatesbut created from the same batch of embryos, are common in India. The four babiesare the result of a commercial surrogacy agreement with a clinic in Mumbai. ( BBC)