Louisiana's “Medically Futile” Unborn Child List: Ethical Lessons at the Post-Dobbs Intersection of Reproductive and Disability Justice

Ableist attitudes and structures are increasingly recognized across all sectors of health care delivery. After Dobbs, novel questions arose in the United States concerning how to protect reproductive autonomy while avoiding discrimination against and devaluation of disabled persons. In this essay, we examine the Louisiana Department of Health's emergency declaration, “List of Conditions That Shall Deem an Unborn Child ‘Medically Futile,’” issued August 1, 2022. We raise a number of medical, ethical, and public health concerns that lead us to argue that the declaration should be rescinded. Analysis of this ethically objectionable declaration provides valuable lessons about how to uphold both reproductive and disability justice in a post-Dobbs landscape.     

Healthcare utilization following spinal cord injury: Objective findings from a regional hospital registry

Objective: The purpose was to describe the prevalence and characteristics of healthcare utilization among individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) from a Level I trauma center.

Design: Retrospective data analysis utilizing a local acute trauma registry for initial hospitalization and merged with the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council registry to obtain subsequent health care utilization in the first post-injury year.

Setting: Dallas, TX, USA.

Participants: Six hundred and sixty four patients were admitted with an acute traumatic SCI from January 2003 through June 2014 to a Level I trauma center. Fifty five patients that expired during initial hospitalization and 18 patients with unspecified SCI (defined by ICD-9 with no etiology or level of injury specified) were not included in the analysis, leaving a final sample of 591.

Outcome Measures: Data included demographic and clinical characteristics, charges, and healthcare utilization.

Results: Mean age was 46.1?years (±18.9?years), the majority of patients were male (74%), and Caucasian (58%). Of the 591 patients, 345 (58%) had additional inpatient or emergency healthcare utilization accounting for 769 additional visits (median of 3 visits per person). Of the 769 encounters, 534 (69%) were inpatient and 235 (31%) were emergency visits not resulting in an admission. The most prevalent ICD-9 codes listed were pressure ulcer, neurogenic bowel, neurogenic bladder, urinary tract infection, fluid electrolyte imbalance, hypertension, and tobacco use.

Conclusion: Individuals with SCI experience high levels of healthcare utilization which are costly and may be preventable. Increasing our understanding of the prevalence and causes for healthcare utilization after acute SCI is important to target preventive strategies.     

Pruritus secondary to primary biliary cholangitis: a review of the pathophysiology and management with phototherapy

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a long-term disease affecting 35 in every 100,000 people in the United Kingdom (UK) and United States. It is driven by the immune system and causes inflammation of bile ducts (tubes carrying bile from the liver to the gut), leading to bile duct destruction and eventual scarring of the liver. For unclear reasons, PBC causes persistent itch (cholestatic itch) that is difficult to suppress with conventional treatments. Several case studies have shown that phototherapy (treatment of the skin with UV light) can be used to reduce cholestatic itch, although the processes behind this treatment remain poorly understood. This review article, written by researchers in the UK, summarises the evidence behind the use of phototherapy to treat cholestatic itch and explores potential reasons (mechanisms) for how it works. Fifty articles were included in this review, alongside the authors’ own expertise. Key theories about potential mechanisms include the effect of phototherapy on bile salt components, enzyme activity and the expression of receptors involved in cholestatic itch pathways. This paper has developed several testable hypotheses (theories) that can be trialled to increase knowledge on this important subject and to aid the development of effective treatments.     

Evaluation of renal markers of T1D in Sprague‐Dawley exposed to 2‐aminoanthracene

The incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and its associated risks of chronic kidney disease or end‐stage renal disease development are on the rise. T1D is an autoimmune disease in which insulin‐producing beta cells are destroyed. Increased incidence of T1D has been suggested to be a result of environmental factors such as exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). 2‐aminoanthracene (2AA) is a PAH that has been associated with the onset of early diabetic symptoms. This study was conducted to assess if 2AA dietary ingestion would induce T1D renal injuries. To accomplish study goals, Sprague‐Dawley rats were assigned into three 2AA dietary (0, 50, and 100 mg/kg‐2AA) ingestion groups for 12 weeks. Animals were evaluated for various morphometric indices, clinical markers, and gene expression. The rats in the 100 mg/kg group lost 5% less weight than the other treatment groups and converted roughly 3% more of their food intake into body mass. Renal histopathology indicated no significant difference between groups. The kidney weight per bodyweight of the 100 mg/kg treatment group was 30.1% greater than the control group. Creatinine concentration of the 100 mg/kg group was 46.2% greater than the control group. Serum glucose levels were significantly elevated in rats exposed to 2AA. On the contrary, serum albumin concentration was significantly reduced in 2AA‐treated rats. T1D and genetic markers of renal injury such as FABP1, SPP1, IL‐1B, and IL‐7 were elevated in treated groups. These results suggest that 2AA may induce the early diabetic renal injuries.