Bioethics and Medical Ethics Commons^™

Vaccines Controversy, Jackelin Ruiz, Keith Wellman

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

Our research was conducted on a Vaccine controversy which raised the question on ethics, morality, safety and effectiveness of vaccination on children. The case study we focused on was about a study done by Dr. Andrew Wakefield and twelve other Colleagues, which was published in a well know journal The Lancet. The study has recently been retracted because an investigation found that he failed to mention that his research of the MMR vaccine was funded through solicitors seeking evidence to use against vaccine manufactures (Deer, Brian). To conclude our research we compared the current vaccination rates with the rates …

Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Michael Phan, Jeniene Hassan

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

Embryonic stem cell research has the potential to regenerate malfunctioning tissues and replace harmful cancer cells. Although it holds the potential to alleviate malicious disabilities and diseases, it raises ethical concerns due to the destruction of a fertilized human embryo. In certain religions (Catholics and Christians), embryonic stem cell research is detested due to the destruction of a human at its early stages of life (embryo). On the other hand, scientists believe that embryonic stem cells can “someday…used to treat human diseases.” (Hansen 879) This analysis on embryonic stem cell research will consider both the supporting and opposing side of …

Ethics Behind Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Samantha Haydock, Regine Dejesus

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

Advancement in embryonic stem cell research can cure the world of sicknesses in ways that were only imagined. Out of all the stem cells, embryonic stem cells have the capabilities to develop into any cell and tissue type. Embryonic stem cell research is controversial due to how these cells are harvested. In harvesting these cells, the embryos are destroyed; further halting any development of a human being. We began our research by asking why this topic is an ethical issue. Using various media resources, we took key points from both sides and also looked into the latest advancements that may …

Mid-Atlantic Ethics Committee Newsletter, Spring-Summer 2011

Mid-Atlantic Ethics Committee Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Critical Evaluation Of The Use Of Dogs In Biomedical Research And Testing In Europe, Nina Hasiwa, Jarrod Bailey, Peter Clausing, Mardas Daneshian, Sándor Farkas, István Gyertyán, Robert Hubrecht, Werner Kobel, Goran Krummenacher, Marcel Leist, Hannes Lohi, Adám Miklósi, Frauke Ohl, Klaus Olejniczak, Georg Schmitt, Patrick Sinnett-Smith, David Smith, Kristina Wagner, James D. Yager, Joanne Zurlo, Thomas Hartung

Companion Animals as Laboratory Research Subjects Collection

Dogs are sometimes referred to as “man’s best friend” and with the increase in urbanization and lifestyle changes, dogs are seen by their owners as family members. Society expresses specific concerns about the experimental use of dogs, as they are sometimes perceived to have a special status for humans. This may appear somewhat conflicting with the idea that the intrinsic value of all animals is the same, and that also several other animal species are used in biomedical research and toxicology. This aspect and many others are discussed in an introductory chapter dealing with ethical considerations on the use of …

The Challenge Of Communicating Cardiovascular Risk Information To Our Patients., Samuel S Gidding

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

Each of the major cardiovascular risk factors presents unique challenges to the clinician caring for children.  Dyslipidemia and hypertension are silent and require measurement; the challenge is first risk classification and then communicating strategies for treatment, with attendant cost, in the absence of perceptible disease morbidity.  Obesity and physical inactivity, while generally obvious to the patient, require change in lifestyle for successful management; the challenge is to convince the patient to make that change.  Diabetes mellitus is a significant disease requiring complex management strategies for the patient to execute; the challenge is to add cardiovascular risk reduction strategies to the …

Evaluation Of The Reproductive And Developmental Risks Of Caffeine., Robert L Brent, Mildred S Christian, Robert M Diener

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

A risk analysis of in utero caffeine exposure is presented utilizing epidemiological studies and animal studies dealing with congenital malformation, pregnancy loss, and weight reduction. These effects are of interest to teratologists, because animal studies are useful in their evaluation. Many of the epidemiology studies did not evaluate the impact of the "pregnancy signal," which identifies healthy pregnancies and permits investigators to identify subjects with low pregnancy risks. The spontaneous abortion epidemiology studies were inconsistent and the majority did not consider the confounding introduced by not considering the pregnancy signal. The animal studies do not support the concept that caffeine …

An Evaluation Of Hospital Breastfeeding Policies In The Philadelphia Metropolitan Area 1994-2009: A Comparison With The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative Ten Steps., Andrea Crivelli-Kovach, Esther K Chung

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe current breastfeeding policies and practices among Philadelphia, PA metropolitan hospitals and changes in their policies and practices over time.

METHODS: In-person group interviews were conducted to obtain a composite picture of actual breastfeeding policies and practices. One questionnaire per hospital was completed based on responses from group consensus. Twenty-five hospitals providing maternity care were contacted. Information was obtained from personnel representing different areas of maternity services. Hospitals were classified according to the degree to which they were implementing the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.

RESULTS: Mean breastfeeding rates at suburban hospitals …

Pregnant Women As Research Participants: Why Is Additional Protection Required?, Kyoko Wada

Research Day (Arts & Humanities, FIMS, and Education)

Today, blanket exclusion of pregnant women from research participation is not endorsed; however, a tendency still remains to exclude pregnant women from participating in research. This exclusion results in insufficient data to guide clinical practice for pregnant women, and hence adds risks to pregnant women and fetuses (Lyerly et al. 2007, 2008, 2009; Baylis 2010; Goldkind et al. 2010).

Proteomic Assessment Of A Cell Model Of Spinal Muscular Atrophy., Chia-Yen Wu, Dosh Whye, Lisa Glazewski, Leila Choe, Douglas Kerr, Kelvin H Lee, Robert W Mason, Wenlan Wang

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Deletion or mutation(s) of the survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene causes spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a neuromuscular disease characterized by spinal motor neuron death and muscle paralysis. Complete loss of the SMN protein is embryonically lethal, yet reduced levels of this protein result in selective death of motor neurons. Why motor neurons are specifically targeted by SMN deficiency remains to be determined. In this study, embryonic stem (ES) cells derived from a severe SMA mouse model were differentiated into motor neurons in vitro by addition of retinoic acid and sonic hedgehog agonist. Proteomic and western blot analyses were …

Update - March 2011, Loma Linda University Center For Christian Bioethics

Update

In this issue:

-- Quid Pro Quo, Quid Vadis - Conflict of Interest Policy of Loma Linda University School of Medicine
-- San Bernardino - A Case Study in Environmental Justice
-- Editorial

[ Claritás - Clarity in Ethics Essay Contest - Health Care: Business or Service? ]
-- First-place 2009 graduate essay winner, Mark Warren, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University
-- Second-place 2009 undergraduate essay winner, Sidney E. Irving, School of Nursing, Loma Linda University

-- 2009 Contributor's Convocation: A New View
-- 2010 Contributor's Convocation: Ethics in the Inland Empire
-- Ethics Alumni Updates

The Pulmonologist's Role In Caring For Pregnant Women With Regard To The Reproductive Risks Of Diagnostic Radiological Studies Or Radiation Therapy., Robert Brent

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

Radiography of the chest, head, neck, teeth, or extremity exposes the embryo or ovary to insignificant exposures of radiation except when radionuclides are utilized. In some instances, there is no exposure at all. Pulmonologists are fortunate with regard to the specific studies they request to provide clinical care because most of the diagnostic tests do not directly expose the uterus (embryo) or ovary. This article discusses radiation risks and their evaluation and pregnancy-related issues in diagnostic radiological studies.

Organs Watch: Possibilities And Perils For Public Anthropology, Roberto Abadie

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Recent technological advances in biomedicine have introduced new therapeutic possibilities but have also contributed to the emergence of a global market for human bodies and body parts. For example, artificial modes of human reproduction created a market for eggs, semen, and surrogate wombs. In addition, organ transfer generated a demand for kidneys and half livers. The whole body has become a valuable commodity as professional research subjects venture into the economy of Phase I Clinical Trials, testing drug safety for pharmaceutical companies. In the process, the trade has become a deeply unequal one in which poor, vulnerable, and easily exploited …

Does Treatment Of Premature Labor With Terbutaline Increase The Risk Of Autism Spectrum Disorders?, Patricia Rodier, Richard K Miller, Robert L Brent

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

Beta-adrenergic agents have been used in pregnant women for the treatment of premature labor and for the treatment of asthma. Concerns have been expressed that exposure to terbutaline, a beta-2 adrenergic agonist, may increase the risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in the offspring. This hypothesis deserves critical review, given the number of patients exposed to the drug in the last two decades. The results are important to both the obstetricians and patients who weigh the risks and benefits of interventions and to the pediatricians who counsel the families of affected children.

Bad News About Bad News: The Disclosure Of Risks To Insurability In Research Consent Processes, Victoria Smith Apold, Jocelyn Downie

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

One of the phenomena associated with research is “incidental findings,” that is, unexpected findings made during the research, and outside the scope of the research, which have potential health importance. One underappreciated risk of incidental findings is the potential loss of the research subject's insurability; or if a research subject fails to disclose incidental findings when applying for insurance, the insurance contract may be voidable by the insurer. In this article, we seek to explain the insurability risks associated with incidental findings and to make recommendations for how researchers and research ethics committees should address the issue of disclosure of …

Mid-Atlantic Ethics Committee Newsletter, Winter 2011

Mid-Atlantic Ethics Committee Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Hippocratic Myth: Why Doctors Are Under Pressure To Ration Care, Practice Politics, And Compromise Their Promise To Heal, Frank Pasquale

Faculty Scholarship

Not many policymakers or scholars can write with the authority of Gregg Bloche. Bloche is not only a law professor, but a physician, who knows his way around a hospital. Throughout The Hippocratic Myth, Bloche cements his authority in the mind of the reader by relating stories of his experience as a clinician. In each of these stories, his humane and insightful approach as psychiatrist shines through. I do not say this to imply that Bloche uses his book to brag about his own abilities. Rather, these fluently-written passages strike one as the work of one of those rare practitioners …

The Harmful, Nontherapeutic Use Of Animals In Research Is Morally Wrong, Nathan Nobis

Experimentation Collection

It is argued that using animals in research is morally wrong when the research is nontherapeutic and harmful to the animals. This article discusses methods of moral reasoning and discusses how arguments on this and other bioethical issues might be defended and critiqued. A basic method of moral argument analysis is presented and used to show that common objections to the view that “animal research is morally wrong” fail: ie, common arguments for the view that “animal research is morally permissible” are demonstrably unsound or in need of defense. It is argued that the best explanations why harmful, nontherapeutic research …

Self-Harm In Laboratory-Housed Primates: Where Is The Evidence That The Animal Welfare Act Amendment Has Worked?, Jonathan Balcombe, Hope Ferdowsian, Debra Durham

Animal Welfare Collection

The 1985 amendment to the United States Animal Welfare Act (AWA) to promote psychological well being of primates in the laboratory represents an acknowledgment of an important welfare problem concerning nonhuman animals. How effective has this amendment been? Perhaps the best-known contributor to psychological distress in primates in the laboratory is nonsocial housing; yet, available analyses suggest that little progress has been made in avoiding single-caging of these animals. Another way to assess psychological well being is to examine rates of self-abusive behavior in laboratory primates. If the AWA has been effective, then post-AWA self-harm rates might be lower than …

Ada Constitution & Bylaws (2011), American Dental Association

Constitution & Bylaws

The ADA Commons Constitution & Bylaws archival collection comprises printed issues of the American Dental Association's Constitution and Bylaws. The collection also includes the ADA Charter and the ADA Code of Ethics issued 1924-1946.