1.   And some critics wonder how safe it is when desperate patients encourage eager researchers to push the envelope of what is possible.

2.   Are desperate patients, many of whom spend much time surfing the Web for help, more informed, or more full of false hopes?

3.   At this point, only the most desperate patients can be considered for the procedure.

4.   But at the same time, investigators were pressed to pursue research that might offer quick payoffs for desperate patients.

5.   But with so many desperate patients like Ms. Holmes flying anywhere to get the experimental treatment, finding test subjects was almost impossible.

6.   Doctors involved in the clinical trials say the drug did seem to prolong the lives of some desperate patients who had run out of other options.

7.   Dr. Peter Rowe, who helped direct the study, says the Hopkins group has been overwhelmed by desperate patients.

8.   During the first weeks after the blast, the center accepted only the most desperate patients.

9.   Even after the advisory panel meeting, though, the companies and patients desperate for new treatments continued hoping the FDA would overrule the panel and grant approval anyway.

10.   In some cases, patients desperate for babies insist on aggressive treatment that is more likely to result in high-order multiples.