Approaching birds with drones: first experiments and ethical guidelines.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Vas E
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4360097 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:IntroductionGuidelines on antimicrobial therapy are subject to periodic revision to anticipate changes in the epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance and new scientific knowledge. Changing a policy to a broader spectrum has important consequences on both the individual patient level (e.g. effectiveness, toxicity) and population level (e.g. emerging resistance, costs). By combining both clinical data evaluation and an ethical analysis, we aim to propose a comprehensive framework to guide antibiotic policy dilemmas.MethodsA preliminary framework for decision-making on antimicrobial policy was constructed based on existing literature and panel discussions. Antibiotic policy themes were translated into specific elements that were fitted into this framework. The adapted framework was evaluated in two moral deliberation groups. The moral deliberation sessions were analysed using ATLAS.ti statistical software to categorize arguments and evaluate completeness of the final framework.ResultsThe final framework outlines the process of data evaluation, ethical deliberation and decision-making. The first phase is a factual data exploration. In the second phase, perspectives are weighed and the policy of moral preference is formulated. Judgments are made on three levels: the individual patient, the patient population and society. In the final phase, feasibility, implementation and re-evaluation are addressed.ConclusionsThe proposed framework facilitates decision-making on antibiotic policy by structuring existing data, identifying knowledge gaps, explicating ethical considerations and balancing interests of the individual and current and future generations.
| S-EPMC8254525 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesPatient safety programs aim to improve transparency regarding medical errors, and there is broad consensus on how providers should communicate about their own errors. How providers should respond to other providers' errors is less clear, especially when they occur outside the provider's facility or system (intersystem medical error discovery [IMED]). To understand what guidance is available to healthcare professionals in this scenario, we conducted a document analysis of ethical guidelines.MethodsWe searched for ethics codes primarily using databases and lists of professional associations. We used thematic analysis to examine documents in relation to our research questions: is there guidance on (a) what a provider should do after discovering another provider's error that occurred in a different health system, (b) interacting with other providers, or (c) other subjects relevant to IMED?ResultsOur search identified 150 documents from 120 organizations. These documents contained ambiguous terminology and guidance limiting practical application to IMED scenarios, with most guidance potentially applicable to IMED rendered irrelevant to most IMED scenarios by its restriction to incompetence. In addition, guidelines often sent conflicting signals about prioritizing honesty with and autonomy of patients versus not criticizing the care provided by a fellow practitioner.ConclusionsEthics codes provide little guidance on communication regarding IMED scenarios, and in some cases, the guidance is internally conflicting. National professional and patient safety organizations should work to provide a framework for providers and facilities to communicate regarding these ethically and professionally challenging scenarios.
| S-EPMC7483979 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Use of a placebo control in surgical trials is a divisive issue. We argue that, in principle, placebo controls for surgery are necessary in the same way as for medicine. However, there are important differences between these types of trial, which both increase justification and limit application of surgical studies. We propose that surgical randomised placebo-controlled trials are ethical if certain conditions are fulfilled: (1) the presence of equipoise, defined as a lack of unbiased evidence for efficacy of an intervention; (2) clinically important research question; (3) the risk to patients is minimised and reasonable; (4) there is uncertainty about treatment allocation rather than deception; (5) there is preliminary evidence for efficacy, which justifies a placebo-controlled design; and (6) ideally, the placebo procedure should have some direct benefit to the patient, for example, as a diagnostic tool. Placebo-controlled trials in surgery will most often be justified when surgery is performed to improve function or relieve symptoms and when objective outcomes are not available, while the risk of mortality or significant morbidity is low. In line with medical placebo-controlled trials, the surgical trial (1) should be sufficiently powered and (2) standardised so that its results are valid, (3) consent should be valid, (4) the standard treatment or rescue medication should be provided if possible, and (5) after the trial, the patients should be told which treatment they received and there should be provision for post-trial care if the study may result in long-term negative effects. We comment and contrast our guidelines with those of the American Medical Association.
| S-EPMC5256399 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In 2004 and 2005, the first clinical trials were launched to investigate the use of tenofovir for HIV prevention in Cambodia,Cameroon, Nigeria and Thailand. Controversies erupted over the ethical integrity of the research protocol. We reflect on the events that ledto the controversies and identified that scientific and ethical concerns raised by members of local communities at each of these sites wereerased by trialists, causing crisis that led to premature shut down the early PrEP trials. In the aftermath of these trials, the World HealthOrganisation, UNAIDS, and AVAC developed ethics guidelines intended to recognize the concerns as authentic, and developed guidelines toimprove researchers' engagement of communities in biomedical HIV prevention trial design and implementation. Our findings suggest thatthe ethics guidelines are limited in its ability to address power inequalities that leads to voice erasures and non-recognition of localcompetencies. Rather the ethical documents enabled trialists to gain a new sense of authority through the interpretations of ethical researchconduct enabling trialists regain power that can further entrench inequality and voice erasures. To address concerns with what seems anintractable problem, we suggested models of engagement for off-shored research may be the option.
| S-EPMC7448920 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundClinical practice guidelines (CPGs) aim to improve professionalism in health care. However, current CPG development manuals fail to address how to include ethical issues in a systematic and transparent manner. The objective of this study was to assess the representation of ethical issues in general CPGs on dementia care.Methods and findingsTo identify national CPGs on dementia care, five databases of guidelines were searched and national psychiatric associations were contacted in August 2011 and in June 2013. A framework for the assessment of the identified CPGs' ethical content was developed on the basis of a prior systematic review of ethical issues in dementia care. Thematic text analysis and a 4-point rating score were employed to assess how ethical issues were addressed in the identified CPGs. Twelve national CPGs were included. Thirty-one ethical issues in dementia care were identified by the prior systematic review. The proportion of these 31 ethical issues that were explicitly addressed by each CPG ranged from 22% to 77%, with a median of 49.5%. National guidelines differed substantially with respect to (a) which ethical issues were represented, (b) whether ethical recommendations were included, (c) whether justifications or citations were provided to support recommendations, and (d) to what extent the ethical issues were explained.ConclusionsEthical issues were inconsistently addressed in national dementia guidelines, with some guidelines including most and some including few ethical issues. Guidelines should address ethical issues and how to deal with them to help the medical profession understand how to approach care of patients with dementia, and for patients, their relatives, and the general public, all of whom might seek information and advice in national guidelines. There is a need for further research to specify how detailed ethical issues and their respective recommendations can and should be addressed in dementia guidelines. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.
| S-EPMC3742442 | biostudies-literature
Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC9302581 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Behavioural tests of the magnetic compass of birds and corresponding immunohistological studies on the activation of retinal cryptochrome 1a, the putative receptor molecule, showed oriented behaviour and activated Cry1a under 373 nm UV, 424 nm blue, 502 nm turquoise and 565 nm green light, although the last wavelength does not allow the first step of photoreduction of cryptochrome to the semiquinone form. The tested birds had been kept under 'white' light before, hence we suggested that there was a supply of semiquinone present at the beginning of the exposure to green light that could be further reduced and then re-oxidized. To test the hypothesis in behavioural experiments, we tested robins, Erithacus rubecula, under various wavelengths (1) after 1 h pre-exposure to total darkness and (2) after 1 h pre-exposure to the same light as used in the test. The birds were oriented under blue and turquoise light, where the full cryptochrome cycle can run, but not under green light. This finding is in agreement with the hypothesis. Orientation under green light appears to be a transient phenomenon until the supply of semiquinone is depleted.
| S-EPMC4254397 | biostudies-other
Project description:Varroa destructor is an ectoparasitic mite of honeybees which vectors a range of pathogenic viruses, the most notable being Deformed wing virus (DWV). Mites parasitise bees during pupal development and male honeybees, drones, have a longer development cycle than female workers (24 versus 21 days), allow for more progeny mites to develop per foundress (1.6-2.5 compared to 0.7-1.45). How this longer exposure time influences evolution of the transmitted virus population is unknown. Using uniquely tagged viruses recovered from cDNA we investigated the replication, competition and morbidity of DWV genotypes in drones. Assays examining virus replication and morbidity revealed drones are highly susceptible to both predominant genotypes of DWV. In virus passage studies using an equimolar inocula of major DNA genotypes and their recombinants, the recombinant form dominated but did not reach 100% of the virus population within 10 passages. Using an in-silico model of the virus-mite-bee system we examined bottlenecks during virus acquisition by the mite and subsequent injection of viruses into the host, which may play a significant role in shaping virus diversity. This study furthers our understanding of the variables influencing DWV diversity changes and provides insight into areas of future research in the mite-virus-bee system.
| S-EPMC10281807 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo assess the pattern of instructions regarding the ethical requirements given to authors in various Pediatric Dental Journals.Material & methodsA cross-sectional survey of 'instructions for authors,' for analysis of guidelines on ethical processes, was done. Instructions to authors in journals of pediatric dentistry across the globe were reviewed for guidelines with regards to fourteen key ethical issues. Descriptive statistics were used, and results were expressed in percentages as well as numbers.ResultsOf the 18journals of pediatric dentistry, all 14 ethical issues were covered by the instructions to authors in only three journals with only 50% of these providing clarity about authorship using ICMJE guidelines. Furthermore, COI declaration was found to be present as mandatory in about 44% of the journals. 38.9% of the sampled journals mentioned guidelines on research misconduct, publication issues such as plagiarism, overlapping/fragmented publications, and availability of raw research data from authors. Guidelines on handling of complaints about editorial team was provided to authors by slightly over 33% of the selected pediatric dentistry titles while handling of complaints about authors and reviewers were mentioned in 16.7%and 55.6% of the journals respectively.ConclusionA significant proportion of Journals of Pediatric Dentistry did not provide adequate instructions to authors regarding ethical issues.
| S-EPMC8769321 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Most in vivo models of ischaemic stroke target the middle cerebral artery and a spectrum of stroke severities, from mild to substantial, can be achieved. This review describes opportunities to improve the in vivo modelling of ischaemic stroke and animal welfare. It provides a number of recommendations to minimise the level of severity in the most common rodent models of middle cerebral artery occlusion, while sustaining or improving the scientific outcomes. The recommendations cover basic requirements pre-surgery, selecting the most appropriate anaesthetic and analgesic regimen, as well as intraoperative and post-operative care. The aim is to provide support for researchers and animal care staff to refine their procedures and practices, and implement small incremental changes to improve the welfare of the animals used and to answer the scientific question under investigation. All recommendations are recapitulated in a summary poster (see supplementary information).
| S-EPMC5669349 | biostudies-literature