Is there a 'new ethics of abortion'?

This paper argues that the central issue in the abortion debate has not changed since 1967 when the English parliament enacted the Abortion Act. That central issue concerns the moral status of the human fetus. The debate here is not, it is argued, primarily a moral debate, but rather a metaphysical debate and/or a theological debate--though one with massive moral implications. It concerns the nature and attributes that an entity requires to have "full moral standing" or "moral inviolability" including a "right to life". It concerns the question when, in its development from newly fertilised ovum to unequivocally mature, autonomous morally inviolable person does a human being acquire that nature and those attributes, and thus a "right to life". The paper briefly reviews standard answers to these questions, outlining some problems associated with each. Finally there is a brief discussion of one way in which the abortion debate has changed since 1967--notably in the increasingly vociferous claim, especially from disability rights sectors, that abortion on grounds of fetal abnormality implies contempt for and rejection of disabled people--a claim that is rebutted.     

Two preadipocyte subtypes cloned from human omental fat

To determine whether the characteristics of preadipocytes derived from human fat are uniform or variable, we developed methods for culturing and differentiating cloned human preadipocytes. Individual human omental preadipocytes were cultured for six weeks. The number of cells varied considerably among clones derived from the same subject, implying that human preadipocytes vary in replicative capacity. Indeed, two cell subtypes were found in human omental fat; one type replicated slowly and the other was capable of extensive replication. Cells of both subtypes were capable of differentiation into adipocytes, confirming that both subtypes were preadipocytes. When rat perirenal and epididymal preadipocytes were cloned, a slowly replicating and an extensively replicating preadipocyte subtype were also found. It is proposed that preadipocytes of the rapidly and the slowly replicating subtypes may be at different stages along the pathway between uncommitted precursor cells and differentiated adipocytes.     

Working memory and proverb comprehension in adolescents with traumatic brain injury: a preliminary investigation

Primary objective: This study investigated the relationship between working memory and comprehension of low-familiarity proverbs in adolescents with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Methods and procedures: Ten adolescents, aged 12-21 years who had suffered a TBI prior to the age of 10 years and 10 individually age-matched peers with typical development participated in the study. The participants listened to short paragraphs containing a proverb and interpreted the meaning of the proverb using a forced-choice task. In addition, participants engaged in a task that evaluated working memory ability. Main outcomes and results: Analysis revealed that individuals with TBI differed from their non-injured peers in their understanding of proverbs. In addition, working memory capacity influenced performance for all participants.

Conclusions: The importance of considering working memory when evaluating figurative language comprehension in adolescents with TBI is highlighted. Implications for future research, particularly with regard to varying working memory and task demands, are considered.     

Implementation of a Patient Charting System: Challenges Encountered and Tactics Adopted in a Burn Center

The rapid movement of information technologies into health care organizations has raised managerial concern regarding the capability of today's institutions to satisfactorily manage their introduction. Indeed, several health care institutions have consumed huge amounts of money and frustrated countless people in wasted information systems implementation efforts. Unfortunately, there are no easy answers as to why so many health informatics projects are not more successful. In this light, the aim of this study is to provide a deeper understanding of how clinical information systems are being implemented by emphasizing research efforts on the dynamic nature of the process, that is, the “how” and “why” of what happened. Using a case study methodology, we examined the implementation of a patient charting system in the Burn Center of a large, not-for-profit, teaching hospital. Based on an in-depth examination of this implementation, several insights are offered to those who have responsibility for managing complex and risky clinical information system implementation projects.     

Water content, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and substance P in intact and crushed sciatic nerves of normal and streptozotocin-diabetic rats

Observations on streptozotocin-diabetic rats have confirmed overhydration of peripheral nerve. As in previous studies, the sorbitol and fructose content, when expressed in terms of wet weight of nerve was found to be increased and myo-inositol decreased. The reduction in myo-inositol content was less, although still significant, when expressed in terms of protein content. Nerve water content increased during Wallerian degeneration following a crush injury in both normal and diabetic animals, but was relatively less in the latter. Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) concentrations were significantly increased in diabetic nerve, those for substance P being normal. Both became severely reduced during Wallerian degeneration following nerve crush and ligature. The significance of these findings is discussed. The accumulation of water in the endoneurial compartment may be related to impaired extraction by the perineurium, to which the increased VIP content may contribute. These changes are unlikely to be responsible for nerve fibre damage.     

SI30The Naughties–Recruiting Donors in the Decade of Donor Deferrals

Donor deferral rates continue to rise inexorably. Currently in Scotland more than a third of new donors are deferred, and nearly 20% of all donors attending. This reflects not only some major precautionary measures, e.g. the exclusion of donors with a history of transfusion since 1980, but also the increasing stringency and effectiveness of our selection procedures. The CSD SAC has been working to make the donor selection guidelines more evidence based, but often there is little or no evidence to guide decision making. Donors are frequently upset and angry at what they see as arbitrary decisions. While they are not always right, and cannot be considered to have a right to donate, their reaction may be triggered by the paternalistic nature of our approach to this issue. While accepting that we must do nothing to jeopardise recipient safety, an argument can be constructed for putting our relationship with potential donors on a more ‘modern’ footing, perhaps by defining a ‘contract’ which allows for a definition of, and acceptance of, the risks of donation on a ‘partnership’ basis. It is also fair to say that improvements in recipient safety due to the extreme sensitivity of donation testing have as yet had no impact on donor selection. This is not unreasonable but as and when pathogen inactivation becomes a reality it will perhaps provide an opportunity to review donor selection criteria for which we should be prepared. The threat that testing for vCJD might drastically reduce the available donor base should provide the stimulus for us to begin to contemplate a ‘paradigm shift’ in donor selection.