The role of the affect heuristic and cancer anxiety in responding to negative information about medical tests

Objective: Little is known about the affective implications of communicating negative information about medical tests. This research explored how affective processes – particularly the Affect Heuristic and cancer anxiety – influence the way in which people respond to such information.

Design: Participants received different types of information about PSA screening for prostate cancer and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans for migraine headaches. This was a 2 (Test harm information: present vs. absent) × 2 (Test benefit information: present vs. absent) × 2 (Test recommendation: present vs. absent) between-participants design.

Outcome Measures: Perceived risk, perceived benefit and general attitudes towards PSA and MRI testing, cancer anxiety, preferences to receive the tests vs. not.

Results: As predicted by the Affect Heuristic, test harm information reduced perceived test benefits. However, information about uncertain test benefit did not increase perceived test risks. Information about the test reduced cancer anxiety, indicating defensive coping. These variables – affect, anxiety, perceived risks and benefits – all uniquely predicted test preferences.

Conclusion: Affective processes play an important role in how people respond to and interpret negative information about medical tests. Information about harms and information about the lack of benefit can both make a test seem less beneficial, and will reduce cancer anxiety as a result.     

Ethical Dilemmas in Protecting Susceptible Subpopulations From Environmental Health Risks: Liberty,Utility, Fairness,and Accountability for Reasonableness

Various U.S. laws, such as the Clean Air Act and the Food Quality Protection Act, require additional protections for susceptible subpopulations who face greater environmental health risks. The main ethical rationale for providing these protections is to ensure that environmental health risks are distributed fairly. In this article, we (1) consider how several influential theories of justice deal with issues related to the distribution of environmental health risks; (2) show that these theories often fail to provide specific guidance concerning policy choices; and (3) argue that an approach to public decision making known as accountability for reasonableness can complement theories of justice in establishing acceptable environmental health risks for the general population and susceptible subpopulations. Since accountability for reasonableness focuses on the fairness of the decision-making process, not the outcome, it does not guarantee that susceptible subpopulations will receive a maximum level of protection, regardless of costs or other morally relevant considerations.     

美国人体研究的监督：科学发展中的伦理与规定

美国保护人体受试者的制度建立在伦理学基础之上,并正式通过相关法律。对人体研究的监督是保护受试者个人的健康和权益,确保研究的有效性,整体性,以及科学与社会更大范围的利益,监督审查机构是联邦卫生部下属的两个机构-食品与药品管理局（FDA）和人体研究保护办公室（OHRP）,大部分人体研究受两机构监督。美国人体受试者保护系统的基础部分是伦理审查委员会（IRB）及知情同意,IRBU电在提供一种机制,以进行客观的审查,同意和研究过程听持续监督;知情同意意在保证个人在了解与实验相关的风险,不适,收益后能自由做出参加与否的决定,美国人体研究保护制度正面临着挑战。美国也为促进人体受试者保护在进行新的努力。     

自由基在神经外科手术时脑保护中的意义

神经外科手术中脑内自由基(主要是氧自由基)产生增加,脂质过氧化反应增强,造成细胞结构和功能上的继发性损伤。自由基在继发性损伤中的具体机制尚未完全清楚,可能与缺血级联反应、缺血再灌注和细胞凋亡有关。术中采取措施清除自由基以及减少自由基的产生将有助于保护损伤的脑组织。     

营养补充剂对健康的双重作用及其思考

如今营养补充剂倍受人们关注,笔者认为营养补充剂的选择和使用应符合营养学、毒理学及化学的相关原理和原则,需要专业人员根据三个学科的基本原理进行研究设计、组织生产,并保证其安全性。对于维生素、矿物质在营养补充剂中的含量,最低为推荐摄入量或适宜摄入量,最高为可耐受最高摄入量,且须保持各营养素之间平衡。     

Kinship Foster Care from the Perspective of Quality of Life: Research on the Satisfaction of the Stakeholders

A quality of life studies perspective has guided the design and implementation of research on kinship care as a placement resource within the child protection system in Catalonia (Spain). This research was carried out gathering the points of view of the three main stakeholders: kinship caregivers, children who are placed in extended family and practitioners of the EAIAs (Childhood and Adolescence Interdisciplinary Care Teams). Satisfaction involved in kinship care has been explored. In this article the main stakeholders’ satisfaction with kinship care is presented, and on the other hand, children’s satisfaction with life as a whole and with five specific domains in life is analysed: Education received from their caregiver, their school, their friends, their time enjoyment and their health. As expected, practitioners show the lowest evaluations with this kind of service. Surprisingly, evaluations by children referred to kinship care and to education received by caregivers are higher than those in the normative population aged 12–16 in relation to their own natural family. The findings show implications for practice and they imply challenges for quality-of-life research.     

降压达标对器官保护的作用

高血压作为心血管事件的重要危险因素,长期发展可导致重要器官的损害及心脑血管事件的发生。目前提倡理想的降压药物除了具有良好的降压作用外,应当具有一定的器官保护作用,降压的获益体现在对器官的保护及对心脑血管事件的降低方面。     

论基因检测之应用及其ELSI议题的文化意涵

在基因科技的革命性发展过程中,整体社会似乎未能提供一个充分保障研究参与者与科学研究之完整性的机制。以台湾面临基因检测之挑战的经验为例,探讨了伦理、法律与社会意涵（Ethical,Legal and Social Implications,ELSI）研究如何完善规范体制的实务应用需求,并兼顾人权团体所期待的妥善保护研究参与者。