“More on Respect for Embryos and Potentiality: Does Respect for Embryos Entail Respect for In Vitro Embryos?”

It is commonly assumed that persons who hold abortions to be generally impermissible must, for the same reasons, be opposed to embryonic stem cell research [ESR]. Yet a settled position against abortion does not necessarily direct one to reject that research. The difference in potentiality between the embryos used in ESR and embryos discussed in the abortion debate can make ESR acceptable even if one holds that abortion is impermissible. With regard to their potentiality, in vitro embryos are here argued to be more morally similar to clonable somatic cells than they are to in vivo embryos. This creates an important moral distinction between embryos in vivo and in vitro. Attempts to refute this moral distinction, raised in the recent debate in this journal between Alfonso Gómez-Lobo and Mary Mahowald, are also addressed.     

Pirh2在分化型甲状腺癌中的表达及意义

探讨Pirh2、P53在分化型甲状腺癌(DTC)中的表达及其意义.随机选取湖南省人民医院乳腺甲状腺外科2006.6～2011.6间DTC64例,应用免疫组化法检测癌组织中的Pirh2、P53的表达.并以结节性甲状腺肿等良性甲状腺疾病病例作为对照,分析Pirh2、P53对DTC的可能作用.Pirh2、P53分别在64例DTC中阳性表达为68.8％ (44/64)、28.1％(18/64),而在36例甲状腺良性疾病中阳性表达为25％(9/36)、16.7％(6/36).Pirh2在DTC与良性肿瘤间的表达存在差异显著性(P＜0.001).P53在两者间的表达无差异显著性(P＞0.05).Pirh2表达与P53的表达具有正相关性(r=0.316、P＜0.05).Pirh2在DTC中呈较高表达,而在良性甲状腺疾病中表达率低,Pirh2可能与P53共同调节DTC的发生发展.     

大剂量抗坏血酸静脉滴注治疗恶性肿瘤的进展

尽管30年前鲍林与卡梅伦曾经用静脉注射+口服大剂量维生素C(10克/天)治疗肿瘤患者,并验证抗坏血酸的抗癌功效,但梅约医疗中心的口服双盲试验否定了他们的结论.沉寂30年后,鲍林的继承者瑞欧丹通过不懈的努力用科学实验和医疗实践证明,通过静脉滴注大剂量抗坏血酸,令其在血浆达到一定浓度,可以杀死多种癌细胞,从而作为化疗药物可以有效治疗恶性肿瘤.30年来的临床实践现已总结为“瑞欧丹规程”.近年来,他们的成就受到美国主流医学和媒体的高度重视.与一般化疗药物相比,该法的好处是基本没有副作用,延长生存期,提高存活质量(QOF).这是一项重大科学发现和成就.该疗法的确立意义重大,将推动癌的治疗及预防,乃至其他疾病如冠心病、感染性疾病及炎症的治疗及预防,提高人类健康水平.     

人乳头瘤病毒疫苗带来的伦理问题

人乳头瘤病毒疫苗的问世使宫颈癌的预防进入崭新的时代,自其问世以来便饱受伦理争议.通过分析目前全球医学文献中比较重视和争议的伦理问题,如Gardasil与Cervarix哪种更为有效,能否在发展中国家顺利推广,应当“强制接种”还是“自愿接种”,男性是否应常规接种等.基于伦理学的基本原则,提出正确的宣教是解决的经由之路.     

The Rise and Decline of the American Asylum Movement in the 19th Century

This paper traces the history of the American public asylum from the 1840s through the late 19th century. The focus is on social factors that contributed to the establishment of public institutions at the urging of reformers, the attempts to model them on the architecture and “moral treatment” offered by the best private institutions, the crowding of the asylums, the growing criticism aimed at the asylums and their superintendents, and the effects of calls for other approaches and for scientific management. Knowledge of the asylum's history may be useful today, as we stand at the crossroads in the treatment of the mentally ill.     

Community Living Skills

Persons with chronic mental health problems are frequently found living in the community at varying quality of life levels. Though rehabilitation programs are suitable for patients with acute exacerbations of mental health pathology, these programs are necessary but not sufficient to meet the needs of the chronic person. Long-term reliance on biomedically-based rehabilitation can produce dependence on the system and maintain reliance on the "sick role" which is counterproductive for current trends related to deinstitutionalization and "least restrictive environment." The intent of this article is to focus on an one alternative service delivery model- psychoeducation. The potentials for this mode to normalize or maximize independence is discussed and two community living skills programs for the chronically mentally ill are described to exemplify the application of psychoeducation.     

Emotional approach coping: Gender differences on psychological adjustment in young to middle-aged cancer survivors

Objective : The effect of emotional approach coping (EAC) varies by gender. However, this gender difference has not yet been investigated in cancer survivors. We investigated whether the effects of two kinds of EAC – emotional processing (EP) and emotional expression (EE) – vary by gender and whether EAC has effects above and beyond the effect of other coping strategies.

Design : EAC and other coping strategies were assessed at baseline in a sample of 248 young to middle-aged adult (between the age of 22 and 55) cancer survivors. One hundred and sixty-six survivors responded to psychological adjustment one year later.

Results : EAC had different relationships with Time 2 adjustment in men and women. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that for men, EE predicted lower intrusive thoughts and, for women, EP was associated with higher positive affect when other coping strategies and EE were controlled.

Conclusion : Gender differences held true in cancer survivors, and EAC was effective when other coping strategies were controlled. Further, EE was effective in reducing negative adjustment in men while EP was helpful in promoting positive adjustment in women.     

Development and validation of an appearance motivation attitudes scale for sun protection

A reliable two-factor instrument measuring appearance motivation attitudes for sun protection was developed using a longitudinal sample of beachgoers. At baseline, data on sun protection and appearance motivation attitudes were collected on 2324 individuals. Principal components analyses (PCA) indicated a two-factor solution measuring attitudes toward tan attractiveness and skin protection with only 2 items loading on the skin protection factor. At 12-months, the instrument was revised and shortened but including 3 new skin protection items. Split-half analyses were conducted to further refine and develop the instrument. PCA on half of the sample revealed a two-factor solution, which was confirmed using structural equation modeling on the remaining half. This resulted in a two correlated-factor, 10-item measure. Each factor was summed to create two scales. Both scales were internally consistent and demonstrated good external validity, correlating with sun protection specific Transtheoretical model variables. The tan attractiveness attitudes scale significantly improved prediction of sun protection outcomes over 24 months, over and above TTM variables.     

Busy lifestyles and mammography screening: Time pressure and women’s reattendance likelihood

Time pressure is often cited as a reason for non-attendance at mammography screening, although evidence from other areas of psychology suggests that time pressure can improve performance when barriers such as time pressure provide a challenge. We predicted that time pressure would negatively predict attendance in women whose self-efficacy for overcoming time pressure is low, but positively predict attendance when self-efficacy is high. Time pressure was operationalised as the self-reported number of dependent children and others, and average number of working hours per week. Australian women were surveyed after being invited to attend second or subsequent screenings at a free public screening service, and subsequent attendance monitored until six months after screening was due. The majority (87.5%) attended screening. Women with more dependent children and higher self-efficacy showed greater attendance likelihood, and women with fewer non-child dependants and lower self-efficacy were less likely to attend. Working hours did not predict attendance. Findings provide partial support for the idea that time pressure acts as a challenge for women with high self-efficacy.     

Do behavioural self-blame and stigma predict positive health changes in survivors of lung or head and neck cancers?

Survivors of lung or head and neck cancers often change tobacco and alcohol consumption after diagnosis, but few studies have examined other positive health changes (PHCs) or their determinants in these groups. The present study aims to: (a) document PHCs in survivors of lung (n?=?107) or head and neck cancers (n?=?99) and (b) examine behavioural self-blame and stigma as determinants of PHCs. We hypothesised that: (a) survivors would make a variety of PHCs; (b) behavioural self-blame for the disease would positively predict making PHCs; and (c) stigma would negatively predict making PHCs.

Methods: Respondents self-administered measures of PHC, behavioural self-blame, and stigma. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis tested the hypotheses.

Results: More than 65% of respondents reported making PHCs, the most common being changes in diet (25%), exercise (23%) and tobacco consumption (16.5%). Behavioural self-blame significantly predicted PHCs but stigma did not. However, both behavioural self-blame and stigma significantly predicted changes in tobacco consumption.

Conclusions: Many survivors of lung or head and neck cancers engage in PHCs, but those who do not attribute the disease to their behaviour are less likely to do so. Attention to this problem and additional counselling may help people to adopt PHCs.