December 4, 2009
New Issue of Australian Journal on Ageing is Now Available
Australian Journal on Ageing (Volume 28, Issue 4, December 2009) is now available by subscription only.
Article include:
- “Delirium Unit: Our Experience” by Dorothy Milly Wong Tin Niam, John AA Geddes, and Charles A Inderjeeth; 206-210
- “Understanding How Advance Care Planning is Approached in the Residential Aged Care Setting: A Continuum Model of Practice as an Explanatory Device” by Christopher Shanley, Elizabeth Whitmore, Angela Khoo, Colleen Cartwright, Amanda Walker, and Robert G Cumming; 211-215
New Issue of Clinical Transplantation is Now Available
Clinical Transplantation (Volume 23, Issue 6, November/December 2009) is now available by subscription only.
Articles include:
- “CMS Oversight, OPOs and Transplant Centers and the Law of Unintended Consequences” by Richard J. Howard, Danielle L. Cornell, and Jesse D. Schold; 778-783
- “Transplant Tourism to China: The Impact on Domestic Patient-care Decisions” by Scott W. Biggins, Kiran Bambha, Norah Terrault, John Inadomi, John P. Roberts, and Nathan Bass; 831-838
- “Disparity in Utilization of Combined Kidney-liver Transplantation in the United States” by S.D. Mehta and D.J. Leehey, 938-942
Senate OKs health care amendment on mammogram access
The Senate took another step forward in the health care debate Thursday, casting its first votes on what is certain to be a long series of politically charged amendments. The chamber approved a Democratic-sponsored amendment to provide women with low-cost mammograms and other preventative tests, while rejecting a GOP proposal to prevent government boards from influencing coverage of screening tests for women. (CNN)
Quebec government set to open euthanasia debate
The government announced it will host travelling consultations on the thorny question of assisted suicide.
It will first consult about 20 experts on the subject, and prepare a discussion paper that will help guide the discussions. (The Canadian Press)
Researchers Build Artificial Immune System to Solve Computational Problems
By mimicking the way that a living body acquires immunity to disease through vaccination, researchers have designed an artificial immune system to solve optimization problems more effectively than before. The results show that the biologically motivated approach is better at exploring a greater amount of space and quickly locating the desired local and global optima than previous methods. (PhysOrg)
Employment Opportunity: Pharmaceutical Jobs
This website is designed to be an information provider for candidates in the pharma jobs market; it has up-to-date news and information on the pharmaceutical jobs market worldwide.
http://www.pharmaceutical-jobs.net/
December 3, 2009
Privacy needed for patients’ data
Approximately one half of patients and the general public believe that identifiable patient data should never be used for research without consent.
Whilst only 11 per cent of researchers believed this should never happen, 53 per cent of the general public and 46 per cent of patients thought it was unacceptable without prior consent. (Public Service)
NIH reverses Bush stem cell policy, OKs 13 new lines
The National Institutes of Health cleared 13 human embryonic stem cell lines for use in experiments by federally funded scientists, opening the door to a new era of research into promising but controversial treatments.
The move Wednesday is part of a new federal policy that supporters of stem cell research expected the Obama administration to champion and could have implications for California’s stem cell research funding organization. (San Francisco Business Times)
U.S. approves first “ethical” human stem cell lines
The U.S. government approved the first 13 batches of human embryonic stem cells on Wednesday, enabling researchers using them to get millions of dollars in federal funding as promised by President Barack Obama in March. (Reuters)
December 2, 2009
Bone Marrow Stem Cells May Prevent Chronic Lung Disease
Researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston have discovered a possible way to protect the fragile lungs of premature babies by using stem cells harvested from bone marrow. In experiments on laboratory mice, they found that bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), a type of stem cell with the potential to form lung cells, were able to reduce inflammation in lung tissue. Inflammation is the key factor that leads to chronic lung disease in premature babies. Surprisingly, even the fluid in which the cells were grown was able to protect the lungs - in fact, better than the stem cells themselves. (PhysOrg)
Event:Tiny Babies, Large Questions: Ethical Issues in Prenatal and Neonatal Care
Tiny Babies, Large Questions: Ethical Issues in Prenatal and Neonatal Care
Sixth Annual Pediatric Bioethics Conference
Plan to attend the Seattle Children’s Pediatric Bioethics Conference in Seattle, July 23-24, 2010: “Tiny Babies. Large Questions: Ethical Issues in Prenatal and Neonatal Care.”
A distinguished roster of experts will explore many of the questions surrounding these complex medical issues, such as:
- Does society have an obligation to promote the health of women to reduce the risk of prematurity?
- How should healthcare providers decide to offer unproven fetal interventions?
- When financial resources are limited, how do we decide to use more expensive technologies to help a specific infant population perhaps at the expense of many infants in the future?
The conference will be held on the shores of picturesque Elliott Bay in the vibrant city of Seattle. For more information visit seattlechildrens.org/bioethics. We urge you to set aside the date now to attend what promises to be a stimulating and enlightening conference.
The Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics
Metropolitan Park West
1100 Olive Way, Suite 800
Seattle, WA 98101
206-884-8355
www.seattlechildrens.org/bioethics
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December 1, 2009
US bioethics commission promises policy action
Five months after abruptly dismantling the bioethics advisory council left by his predecessor, US President Barack Obama last week created a new bioethics commission that will move beyond the issues that consumed previous panels, such as stem cells and cloning. Based within the Department of Health and Human Services, the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues is explicitly charged with recommending legislative and regulatory action and promises to have more influence on policy. (Nature News)
Adult stem cells show promise in hearts
A new study points to promising use of adult stem cells, which can be injected into the arm or leg and heal hearts. (Miami Herald)
In Hospice, Care and Comfort as Life Wanes
I spent a day last month shadowing hospice workers from the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. With each visit to the homes of four patients whose lives were ebbing, the caring, patience, attention and expertise I observed left me wondering why all medicine is not like this — focused on the whole person, not just a disease. (New York Times)
New Issue of Journal of Academic Ethics is Now Available
Journal of Academic Ethics (Volume 7, Numbers 1-2, June 2009) is now available by subscription only.
Articles include:
- “Protecting Human Dignity in Research Involving Humans” by Thomas De Koninck, 17-25.
- “Reflections on My Experience in Human Research Ethics” by K. G. Davey, 27-31.
- “Moral Integrity and Academic Research” by J. Angelo Corlett, 45-49.
- “The Ethics of Conducting Community-Engaged Homelessness Research” by Vivien Runnels, Elizabeth Hay, Elyse Sevigny, and Paddi O’Hara; 57-68.
- “End of Life Pediatric Research: What About the Ethics?” by Danielle Laudy, 87-91.
- “Health Research in Complex Emergencies: A Humanitarian Imperative” by John D. Pringle and Donald C. Cole, 115-123.
New Issue of Journal of Bioethical Inquiry is Now Available
Journal of Bioethical Inquiry (Volume 6, Issue 4, December 2009) is now available by subscription only.
Articles include:
- “The Ethical Basis for Sustainable Human Security: A Place for Anthropocentrism?” by Alexander K. Lautensach, 437-455.
- “Neonatal Euthanasia- Why Require Parental Consent?” by Jacob M. Appel, 477-482.
- “Pastoral Power and the Confessing Subject in Patient-Centered Communication” by Christopher Mayes, 483-493.
- “The ‘Obligation’ to Screen and Its Effect on Autonomy” by Yvonne Lau and Chrystal Jaye, 495-505.
November 30, 2009
New Issue of Journal of the American Medical Association is Now Available
JAMA (Volume 302, Number 20, November 25, 2009) is now available by subscription only.
Articles include:
- “The Proposed Excise Tax on Employee Health Insurance: Good Idea, or Too Clever by 40%?” by Samuel Y. Sessions and Allan S. Detsky, 2252-2253.
- “HIV/AIDS-Still a Force to Be Reckoned With: Call for Papers” Gianna Zuccotti and Jeanette M. Smith, 2259.
- “The First Composite Face and Maxilla Transplant” by Wayne F. Larrabee and Peter A. Hilger, 2250-2251.
- “Hormone Therapy Use and Risk of Ovarian Cancer” by Alastair H. MacLennan and Rodney Baber, 2203.
- “Improving Access to FDA Reviews and Dcouments” by Donald A. Tuttle, Larry D. Sasich, and Sana R. Sukkari, 2204.
- “Safe Vaccination Usually Possible in Persons with Suspected Vaccine Allergies” by Mike Mitka, 2193.
New Issue of Archives of Internal Medicine is Now Available
Archives of Internal Medicine (Volume 169, Issue 21, November 23, 2009) is now available by subscription only.
Articles Include:
- “Home is Where the Health Is: Advancing Team-Based Care in Chronic Disease Management” by Helene Levens Lipton, 1945-1948.
- “Bringing the FDA’s information to Market” by Steven Woloshin and Lisa M. Schwartz, 1985-1987.
Event: Healthcare Ethics Workshop
SAVE THE DATE: May 6 & 7, 2010
The annual UAMS two-day Intensive Healthcare Ethics Workshop is set for May 6 & 7, 2010 in Little Rock, AR. This two-day workshop is designed for healthcare professionals interested in medical ethics and related topics. As always, day one (Thursday, May 6th) consists of “The Basics”—an intensive focus on ethical methodologies, professional-patient relationships, informed consent, and other pertinent concepts. This year day two (Friday, May 7th) is dedicate to the special topic, “Spirituality and Medicine,” and will consist of panels and presentations, including our featured guest, Daniel Sulmasy, OFM, MD, PhD, Kilbride-Clinton Professor of Medicine and Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago.
In order to sign-up for future e-mails about the workshop or to register for the conference, simply e-mail Carol VanPelt (vanpeltcarol@uams.edu), or humanities@uams.edu. Registration is available for either or both days of the workshop, but the number of registrants will be limited.
New Issue of Journal of the American Medical Association is Now Available
JAMA (Volume 302, Number 19, November 18, 2009) is now available by subscription only.
Articles Include:
- “FDA exercise new Authority to Regulate Tobacco Products, but Some Limits Remain” by Mike Mitka, 2078-2081.
- “Caring for the World: A Guidebook to Global Health Opportunities” by Samuel Y. Sessions, 2154-2155.
- “Practicing Medicine in Difficult Times: Protecting Physicians from Malpractice Litigation” by Alan G. Williams, 2158.
What Happens When Doctors Give Patients More Power?
When patients are given the responsibility for medical decisions, they may be less willing to try a potentially risky treatment, a study published Monday suggests. (ABC News)
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