Das neue österreichische Patientenverfügungsrecht

Austria’s new Living Wills Act (Patientenverfügungsgesetz, or PatVG) that came into effect on 1st of June 2006, is the first law in Austria to regulate the controversial issue of living wills. The PatVG provides for a right to refuse future medical treatment by making an advance directive in the form of a living will that is either binding or “to be taken into consideration”. However, the establishment of a binding living will is governed by strict criteria as regards form and content, and both a medical doctor and a legal expert must be involved. Compliance with a living will is not allowed where there is a legal obligation to give medical treatment. There is also a legal obligation to give medical treatment in emergency situations where the time involved in looking for a living will could seriously endanger the health or the life of a patient.     

Straßenverkehrsrecht und Rettungsdienst

Legal uncertainties for emergency vehicle drivers can be avoided when fundamental rules are established. In particular, differentiation of special rights and rights of way is essential. Inherent in both is the urgency necessary to save human lives. The right of way signaled by flashing blue lights and siren does not however justify traffic violations but signifies rather a request to other traffic participants. In contrast, special rights require no announcement and constitute a justifiable reason for traffic violations. Even so they do not allow that other traffic participants be endangered or harmed. Adherence to these basic principles can prevent legal misinterpretations as well as rigid adoption of inflexible standards of behavior.     

The immunohistology of follicle lysis in lymph node biopsies from homosexual men

Follicle lysis is a characteristic alteration of B cell follicles described recently in lymph node biopsies from homosexual men. It consists of disruption of germinal centers by aggregates of small mature lymphocytes variably associated with erythrocyte extravasation. We studied the immunohistology of follicle lysis identified in lymph node biopsies from 11 homosexual men. The results indicate that follicle lysis has two principal immunohistologic features: (1) intrafollicular aggregates of small lymphocytes predominantly of polytypic mantle B cell phenotype (T015+/Leu-8+/mu+/delta+/k+ or lambda+), and (2) disruption of the normal, unified follicular meshwork of R4/23+ dendritic reticulum cells by these B cell aggregates. These structural alterations may affect the functional integrity of the germinal center as it pertains to the abnormal B cell effector function and the increased prevalence of B cell lymphoma recently documented in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and related disorders. Because dendritic reticulum cells weakly express the Leu-3 (T4) antigen, which is known to be an essential component of the receptor for human T- lymphotropic virus type III/lymphadenopathy-associated virus (HTLV- III/LAV) retrovirus infection, it is possible that retroviral infection of dendritic reticulum cells may play a role in the pathogenesis of follicle lysis.