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- Munthe, Christian, 1962
(author)
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Pure Selection. The Ethics of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis and Choosing Children without Abortion
- 1999
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Book (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Preimplantation ge¬netic diagnosis (PGD) is taken to mark the starting-point of a new phase in human reproduction, where the possibility of choosing children on genetic grounds without having to resort to ethi¬cally controversial procedures (such as abortion) will grad¬ually increase. Ethical and political issues actu¬alised by this develop¬ment are addressed. The discussion touches upon issues regarding the moral status of em¬bryos and gametes, the moral import of respecting individual auton¬omy and its implications for the requirement of informed consent in health-care, the connec¬tion between sickness, dis¬ability and the value of life, the moral status of possible future people, and the connection between choosing children and eugenic policies of the past. Practical policy issues are adressed on the basis of this, as well as an empirical case-study of the intro¬duction of PGD in Sweden. The book ends up in a set of recommendations regarding the management of re¬search on, introduction and routine use of procedures for pure se¬lection, both within health care and from the point of view of society as a whole. It is argued that research on such procedures should be allowed and supported by society. However, tight restrictions regarding the clinical introduction of new procedures in this area is highly desirable. A rough model for implementing such re¬strictions is also pre¬sented. It is further asserted that, although reasons of economy and safety should limit the access to pure se¬lection, society should not apply any explicit restrictions based on ideasregarding how different traits affect a person’s quality of life. It is stressed that, in order to to avoid a re¬sur¬rection of eugenic policies of the past, the development in this field un¬der¬lines the need for continued and strengthen public support to the sick, dis¬abled and mentally retarded.
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| 2. |
- Ahlborg, Gunnar, 1948, et al.
(author)
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Reproductive effects of chemical exposures in health professions
- 1995
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In: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. - 1076-2752. ; 37:8, s. 957-61
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Numerous chemical substances are handled by persons working in the health care sector. At exposure levels that may occur in the occupational setting, some of these substances are potentially harmful to the reproductive processes. Among the potentially harmful substances are anesthetic gases, antineoplastic agents, and sterilants. The epidemiological evidence of increased risks for adverse reproductive effects (eg, subfertility, spontaneous abortions, congenital defects) from such exposure is not unequivocal. However, due to the toxic potential, exposures should be kept at a minimum, and this may be especially important for workers who are pregnant or are planning to achieve pregnancy.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Lindqvist, A, et al.
(author)
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Artery blood pressure oscillation after active standing up: an indicator of sympathetic function in diabetic patients
- 1997
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In: Clinical Physiology. - : Wiley. - 1365-2281 .- 0144-5979. ; 17:2, s. 159-169
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Dynamic artery blood pressure (Finapres) response to active standing up, normally consisting of initial rise, fall and recovery above the baseline (overshoot), was compared with the early steady-state artery blood pressure level to measure sympathetic vasomotor function in healthy subjects (n = 23, age 35 +/- 9 years; mean +/-SD) and in type I diabetic patients without autonomic neuropathy (AN) (group 1: n = 18, 38 +/- 13 years), with AN but no cardiovascular drugs (group 2a: n = 7, 44 +/- 11 years) and with both AN and cardiovascular drugs (group 2b: n = 10, 47 +/- 7 years). Systolic and diastolic overshoot were similar in the control (15 +/- 13/15 +/- 11 mmHg) and group 1 subjects. Systolic overshoot disappeared in 57% of patients in group 2a (-1 +/- 9 mmHg; P < 0.03), whereas artery blood pressure still overshot in diastole (8 +/- 7 mmHg; NS). Systolic overshoot disappeared in all patients in group 2b (-22 +/- 22 mmHg; P < 0.0006) and diastolic overshoot disappeared in 60% of these patients (-6 +/- 16 mmHg; P = 0.0006). Systolic early steady-state level was not lower in group 2a than in group 1 (NS), but it was impaired in group 2b (P < 0.006), in which six diabetic patients had a pathological response beyond the age-related reference values. There was a strong association between the overshoot and steady-state levels (P for chi 2 < 0.001, n = 58). Overshoot of the control subjects and patients in group 2b correlated to their respective steady-state blood pressure levels (r > or = 0.76; P < or = 0.001). In conclusion, baroreceptor reflex-dependent overshoot of the artery blood pressure after active standing up diminishes with the development of AN and it is associated with the early steady-state level of the artery blood pressure.
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| 5. |
- Munthe, Christian, 1962
(author)
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Informed Consent and Quality of Available Information
- 1998
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In: Fourth World Congress of the International Association of Bioethics, Tokyo, November 4-7, 1998.
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Standard versions of the requirement of informed consent state that patients who are offered to enter a clinical trial of a medical procedure should be informed about risks and possible benefits of this procedure (compared to available alternatives) in order to facilitate a rational decision whether or not to participate. However, in many real cases where new medical procedures are to be clinically tested for the first time the information available for such communication to prospective patients is very scarce, vague and/or uncertain. This phenomenon is illustrated by the clinical introduction of new procedures in reproductive medicine, such as preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). Regarding such procedures, it has ben argued that, in such cases, the quality of the available information may be too low for the obtaining of informed consent to be possible, even if it is successfully communicated. Others, instead, holds that informed consent may always be obtained regardless of the quality of the available information. Unfortunately, the standard litterature on informed consent give no clue as to which of these interpretations is correct. This issue is explored by connecting the concept of informed consent to ethical ideas of respect for autonomy and ideas of rational decision making. It is argued, first, that low quality of available information regarding the risks and possible benefits of a medical procedure may indeed make the obtaining of informed consent from patients to undergo this procedure impossible even in theory. However, it is also argued that whether or not this is the case must be relativized to the actual needs and desires of individual patients. Thus, regarding one and the same procedure, informed consent may be impossible to obtain from some patients due to the low quality of the available information regarding this procedure, but still be possible to obtain from other patients.
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| 6. |
- Follér, Maj-Lis, 1946
(author)
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Future health of indigenous people: A human ecology view and the case of the Amazonian Shipibo-Conibo
- 1995
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In: Futures (special double issue on health futures). - 0016-3287. ; 27:9/10, s. 1005-1023
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Health has its basis in the relationships between human societies and cultures and the environment. The health of indigenous peoples living in traditional territories is threatened today by the destruction of this environment and the introduction of new contagious diseases; those who move to urban areas suffer even worse health because of ‘civilization’ diseases and the loss of the social networks that provide personal support and health care. Contrary to expectations, an epidemiological transition has not occurred in developing countries where many of these groups live. Two apparent underlying causes—persistent poverty and political inequality—are among the factors that will affect the future health of indigenous groups, together with trends in population, urbanization, and the environment. Indigenous groups can play a major role in determining that future and are already doing so through territorial-control projects aimed at protecting the environment on which their health and well-being depend.
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| 9. |
- Lundälv, Jörgen, 1966
(author)
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Det talande offret. Journalistik vid olyckor och katastrofer
- 1999
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Book (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Det talande offret är en skildring av tillståndet i svensk krisjournalistik och en diskussion om hur väl förberedda journalister är i kontakterna med den sårade och lidande människan. I boken berättar reportrar och fotografer om sina erfarenheter från olycks- och katastrofplatser. Två viktiga metoder framkommer: "kompostering" och "återvinning" av kriserfarenheter. Boken ger även råd om hur räddningspersonal mfl i sin yrkesroll bör bemöta pressen när en katastrof inträffat. Boken, som är den första i sitt slag i Sverige, kan användas som studiematerial inom journalist-, medicin-, vård-, socionom-, polis-, och räddningstjänstutbildningarna.
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