The Ethics of Using Human Subjects in Clinical Trials Involving Radiopharmaceuticals

Author(s):  
Brian J. McParland
Author(s):  
Saleh A. Almatroodi ◽  
Mansoor Ali Syed ◽  
Arshad Husain Rahmani

Background:: Curcumin, an active compound of turmeric spice is one of the most-studies natural compounds and have been widely recognized as chemopreventive agents. Several molecular mechanisms have been proven, curcumin and its analogs play a role in cancer prevention through modulating various cell signaling pathways as well as inhibition of carcinogenesis process. Objective:: To study the potential role of curcumin in the management of various types of cancer through modulating cell signalling molecules based on available literature and recent patents. Methods:: A wide-ranging literature survey was performed based on Scopus, PubMed, PubMed central and Google scholar for the implication of curcumin in cancer management along with special emphasis on human clinical trials. Moreover, patents were searched through www.google.com/patents, www.freepatentsonline.com and www.freshpatents.com. Result:: Recent studies based on cancer cells have proven that curcumin have potential effects against cancer cells, prevent the growth of cancer and act as cancer therapeutic agents. Besides, curcumin exerted anticancer effects through inducing apoptosis, activating tumor suppressor genes, cell cycle arrest, inhibiting tumor angiogenesis, initiation, promotion and progression stages of tumor. It was established that co-treatment of curcumin and anti-cancer drugs could induce apoptosis and also play a significant role in the suppression of the invasion and metastasis of cancer cells. Conclusion:: Accumulating evidences suggest that curcumin has potentiality to inhibit cancer growth, induced apoptosis and modulate various cell signalling pathways molecules. Well-designed clinical trials of curcumin based on human subjects are still needed to establish the bioavailability, mechanism of action, efficacy and safe dose in the management of various cancers.


Science ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 288 (5473) ◽  
pp. 1949-1949
Author(s):  
E. Marshall

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo Cesar Morales Mayer ◽  
Caroline Amélia Gonçalves ◽  
Franz Porzsolt

Abstract Background: Evidence-Based healthcare deals basically with published clinical trials to guide the decision making on what treatment to use for any specific conditions.Aims: The present paper assessed the inclusion and exclusion criteria used in clinical trials of cervical cancer aiming at establishing a clear distinction between each criterion.Methods: We performed a bibliographical search in pubmed with the terms cervical cancer and treatment or therapy filtered for clinical trials with human subjects for the last ten years. A total of 30 papers were used extracting and classifying the inclusion and exclusion category according to the characteristic they described. Results: We found no clear parameter to establish which criteria could exclusively serve as inclusion or exclusion across the papers, about 56% of the categories identified were found either listed as inclusion or exclusion criteria or even as both in some cases.Conclusions: The key issue of selection criteria is not in its form but in its function, the first point to consider is if the trial is experimental (focused on efficacy and proof of principle) or observational (pragmatic trials, focused on effectiveness and real world conditions). We suggest, inclusion criteria should be broad, focused on the investigated condition; exclusion criteria should apply only to the subset of this “included” population, and do not take part in observational studies. These conclusions do not serve only for researchers but should affect practitioners and policy makers to correctly compare the results of investigated treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 181-195
Author(s):  
Anetta Jedličková

Abstract The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to essential adjustments in clinical research involving human subjects. The pandemic is substantially affecting most procedures of ongoing, as well as new clinical trials related to diseases other than COVID-19. Procedural changes and study protocol modifications may significantly impact ethically salient fundamentals, such as the risk-benefit profile and safety of clinical trial participants, which raise key ethical challenges the subject-matter experts must face. This article aims to acquaint a wide audience of clinical research professionals, ethicists, as well as the general public interested in this topic with the legal, ethical and practical considerations in the field of clinical trials during the COVID-19 pandemic and to support the clinical researchers and study sponsors to fulfil their responsibilities in conducting clinical trials in a professional way that does not conflict with any legal or ethical obligations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan Cwik

Design of clinical trials for germline gene editing stretches current accepted standards for human subjects research. Among the challenges involved is a set of issues concerning intergenerational monitoring—long-term follow-up study of subjects and their descendants. Because changes made at the germline would be heritable, germline gene editing could have adverse effects on individuals’ health that can be passed on to future generations. Determining whether germline gene editing is safe and effective for clinical use thus may require intergenerational monitoring. The aim of this paper is to identify and argue for the significance of a set of ethical issues raised by intergenerational monitoring in future clinical trials of germline gene editing. Though long-term, multigenerational follow-up study of this kind is not without precedent, intergenerational monitoring in this context raises unique ethical challenges, challenges that go beyond existing protocols and standards for human subjects research. These challenges will need to be addressed if clinical trials of germline gene editing are ever pursued.


2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 347-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jilles Heringa ◽  
Joseph Dute

Abstract The Commission has proposed a regulation ‘on clinical trials on medicinal products for human use’ to introduce one regulatory framework for clinical trials in the European Union. This regulation should replace the current clinical trials directive (2001/20/EC). In this article we describe and critically review the main provisions of the proposed regulation. We assess the consequences for a sound authorisation procedure of clinical trials and the level of protection for human subjects. We note that the proposed regulation is inconsistent with applicable international legal documents, such as the Biomedicine Convention and the Declaration of Helsinki. We conclude that the proposed regulation does not ensure a “high level of human health protection” — required by its legal basis in the TFEU — because it may force Member States concerned to accept a reporting Member States’ approval of — in their estimation — an unethical clinical trial.


2007 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Hedin ◽  
Kevin Whelan ◽  
James O. Lindsay

Human subjects and their enteric microbiota have evolved together to reach a state of mutual tolerance. Mounting evidence from both animal models and human studies suggests that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) represents a malfunction of this relationship. The enteric microecology therefore represents an attractive therapeutic target with few side effects. Probiotics and prebiotics have been investigated in clinical trials as treatments for IBD, with conflicting results. The evidence for the use of probiotics in the management of pouchitis is persuasive and several studies indicate their effectiveness in ulcerative colitis. Trials of probiotics and prebiotics in Crohn's disease are less convincing. However, methodologies vary widely and a range of probiotic, prebiotic and combination (synbiotic) treatments have been tested in a variety of patient groups with an assortment of end points. Conclusions about any one treatment in a specific patient group can therefore only be drawn on evidence from relatively small numbers of patients. The present article reviews the role of the intestinal microbiota in the pathogenesis of IBD and addresses the clinical evidence for the therapeutic manipulation of bowel microbiota using probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics in IBD.


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