Discussing options between patients and health care professionals in genetic diagnosis: ethical and legal criteria

The specific characteristics of genetic data lead to ethical-legal conflicts in the framework of genetic diagnosis. Several international organisations, including UNESCO and the Council of Europe, have enacted rules referring to the use of genetic information. This paper discusses possible legal and ethical criteria that could be used in genetic testing.     

Protein–protein interactions in the mammalian brain

Recent genome-wide high-throughput (HTS) analyses of protein–protein interactions (PPIs) provide molecular-based information to uncover functions of cells and tissues, such as those of the mammalian brain. However, the HTS PPI data contain much false-negatives and false-positives, which should be primarily addressed in experiments. Integrating PPI data sets with other genome-wide data, such as expression profiles and phenotype data sets, provides novel biological insights. Such integration analysis is valuable for addressing the complexity of the mammalian brain. Discovery of novel interactions followed by a detailed analysis is a successful approach to uncover the function of proteins. For example, extensive PPI screens for parkin , a hereditary Parkinson's disease gene, elucidated the function of parkin as an E3 ubiquitin ligase, with localization and activity regulated by contact with its interaction partners, uncovering at least a part of the molecular pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease.     

Policy Perspective on Housing and HIV/AIDS

For persons battling HIV/AIDS a stable place to live may decide the length and quality of life itself. It is nearly impossible for a person on the streets to engage in a needed continuous AIDS treatment regimen when the very basic question of where that person will rest his or her head when darkness comes in just a few hours is unresolved. When danger lurks on the streets, when cold numbs the limbs, when tiredness overwhelms the mind, when fear breaks the spirit, a place to call home would make all the difference.     

Severe hypoglycaemia in a person with insulin autoimmune syndrome accompanied by insulin receptor anomaly type B.

AIMS: A rare case of the insulin autoimmune syndrome (IAS) accompanied by insulin receptor anomaly is reported. METHODS: Antibodies to insulin and insulin receptor were determined in the patient with severe hypoglycaemia before and after the treatment with prednisolone. RESULTS: Titers of antibody to insulin and insulin receptors were 73.0% and 41.5%, respectively. Drug-induced lymphocyte stimulation tests were all negative for the suspicious drugs. Her HLA-DR was DRB1*0403/04051. Following steroid therapy, the formation of antibodies was suppressed and alleviated her symptoms. Scatchard analysis yielded findings specific to polyclonal antibodies. CONCLUSIONS: The changes in autoantibodies resulted in alleviation of the hypoglycemic symptoms as a result of steroid therapy.     

Constructing osteoarthritis through discourse – a qualitative analysis of six patient information leaflets on osteoarthritis

Background  

Health service policy in the United Kingdom emphasises the importance of self-care by patients with chronic conditions. Written information for patients about their condition is seen as an important aid to help patients look after themselves. From a discourse analysis perspective written texts such as patient information leaflets do not simply describe the reality of a medical condition and its management but by drawing on some sorts of knowledge and evidence rather than others help construct the reality of that condition. This study explored patient information leaflets on osteoarthritis (OA) to see how OA was constructed and to consider the implications for self-care.