Patenting of Human Genes and Living Organisms: An Ethical Point of View

Abstract Background The outbreak of SARS in 2002 lead to a public health ethics discourse. The crisis management of that time was ethically analysed and lessons to be learned discussed. Scholarship and WHO, among others, developed an ethics of pandemic preparedness. The current “corona crisis” also faces us with ethical challenges. This presentation is comparing the two crises from an ethical point of view and a focus on Europe. Methods An ethics framework for pandemic preparedness (Schröder et al. 2006 and Schröder-Bäck 2014) is used to make a synopsis of ethical issues. Ethical aspects of 2002 and 2020 that were discussed in the literature and in the media are compared. For 2020, the focus is on interventions in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Results Topics that emerged from the 2002 crisis were, among others, revolving around aspects of stigmatisation and fair distribution of scarce resources (esp. vaccines, antivirals). Currently, most urgent and ethically challenging aspects relate to social distancing vs. autonomy: Isolation and quarantine are handled differently across Europe and the EU. Questions of transferability of such interventions prevail. Contexts vary vertically over time (2002 vs. 2020) and horizontally (e.g. between Italy and Germany at the same time). Furthermore, trust in authorities, media and health information is a key issue. Conclusions Ethical aspects are key for good pandemic preparedness and management. The context of the crises between 2002 and 2020 has slightly changed, also based on “lessons learned” from 2002. This has implications on ethical issues that are being discussed. New lessons will have to be learned from the 2020 crisis. Key messages Pandemic preparedness and outbreak management entail many ethical tensions that need to be addressed. Currently, questions of trust and transferability are key to the crisis management, further ethical issues could still emerge.

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A Review on Coordination Properties of Al(III) and Fe(III) toward Natural Antioxidant Molecules: Experimental and Theoretical Insights

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26092603 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (9) ◽

pp. 2603

Author(s):

Luana Malacaria ◽

Giuseppina Anna Corrente ◽

Amerigo Beneduci ◽

Emilia Furia ◽

Tiziana Marino ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chemical Properties ◽

Natural Antioxidants ◽

Point Of View ◽

Water Soluble ◽

Natural Antioxidant ◽

Theoretical Point ◽

Structure And Properties ◽

Coordination Properties ◽

Soluble Molecule ◽

Living Organisms

This review focuses on the ability of some natural antioxidant molecules (i.e., hydroxycinnamic acids, coumarin-3-carboxylic acid, quercetin, luteolin and curcumin) to form Al(III)- and Fe(III)-complexes with the aim of evaluating the coordination properties from a combined experimental and theoretical point of view. Despite the contributions of previous studies on the chemical properties and biological activity of these metal complexes involving such natural antioxidants, further detailed relationships between the structure and properties are still required. In this context, the investigation on the coordination properties of Al(III) and Fe(III) toward these natural antioxidant molecules might deserve high interest to design water soluble molecule-based metal carriers that can improve the metal’s intake and/or its removal in living organisms.

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Palliative Sedation: An Exploration from a Christian Ethical Point of View

Looking Beneath the Surface ◽

10.1163/9789401209830_015 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. 227-241

Keyword(s):

Palliative Sedation ◽

Point Of View ◽

Ethical Point

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Williams on Ethics, Knowledge, and Reflection

Philosophy ◽

10.1017/s0031819103000330 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 78 (3) ◽

pp. 337-354 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

A. W. Moore

Keyword(s):

Moral Philosophy ◽

Final Section ◽

Point Of View ◽

The Other ◽

Ethical Knowledge ◽

Ethical Point ◽

The One

The author begins with an outline of Bernard William's moral philosophy, within which he locates William's notorious doctrine that reflection can destroy ethical knowledge. He then gives a partial defence of this doctrine, exploiting an analogy between ethical judgements and tensed judgements. The basic idea is that what the passage of time does for the latter, reflection can do for the former: namely, prevent the re-adoption of an abandoned point of view (an ethical point of view in the one case, a temporal point of view in the other). In the final section the author says a little about how reflection might do this.

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Comentarios a la propuesta del Parlamento Europeo y del Consejo del certificado verde digital. Protección de datos sanitarios y análisis ético jurídico

Bioderecho.es ◽

10.6018/bioderecho.481951 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Gloria María González Suárez

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

European Commission ◽

Health Data ◽

Current Situation ◽

Point Of View ◽

Free Movement ◽

The European Union ◽

Legal Questions ◽

Ethical Point ◽

The Right

Con motivo de la situación actual a la que nos enfrentamos por la pandemia de la COVID-19 se ha planteado en diversas ocasiones la implantación de un certificado verde digital. El 17 de marzo de 2021 la Comisión Europea presentó una propuesta de creación del certificado con el fin de facilitar el ejercicio del derecho a la libre circulación dentro de la Unión Europea durante la pandemia. Todo ello plantea diversas cuestiones jurídicas en cuanto a la protección de datos sanitarios, el derecho a la libre circulación y la eficacia y proporcionalidad de medidas que deben ser objeto de análisis tanto desde el punto de vista jurídico como del punto de vista ético ya que, en ciertas ocasiones la aplicación de medidas puede afectar al derecho a la igualdad de los ciudadanos. Due to the current situation we are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation of a digital green certificate has been proposed on several occasions. On March 17, 2021, the European Commission presented a proposal to create the certificate in order to facilitate the exercise of the right of free movement within the European Union during the pandemic. All this raises various legal questions regarding the protection of health data, the right of free movement and the efficacy and proportionality of measures that must be analyzed from both the legal and ethical point of view since, on certain occasions the application of measures may affect the right of equality of citizens.

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SOMEONE BETWEEN: ETHICAL AND MEDICAL PROBLEMS OF HUMAN AND (NON)HUMAN ANIMAL ENHANCEMENT

Society Register ◽

10.14746/sr.2019.3.3.12 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 179-191 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

AGNIESZKA ŻOK ◽

EWA BAUM

Keyword(s):

Immune System ◽

Side Effects ◽

Medical Technology ◽

Point Of View ◽

Medical Problems ◽

Healthy Life ◽

Incurable Illness ◽

Ethical Point ◽

Human Animal ◽

Personalised Therapy

Human dreams of a long and healthy life are becoming increasingly real. The advancement of medical technology allows to modify the genome or personalised therapy in order to avoid troublesome side effects. This process also leads to the blurring of boundaries between humans and animals. Rats with induced human diseases are used for testing drugs for incurable illness; humanised pigs can donate organs that are compatible with the genome and immune system of the recipient. A brave new human is approaching, and new “human” animals are making this possible. The main objective of the article is to show the differences between the refinement of people and other animals and to analyse this phenomenon from an ethical point of view.

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Problemi morali nel trattamento della preeclampsia e della corioamnionite

Medicina e Morale ◽

10.4081/mem.2008.279 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 57 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Maurizio P. Faggioni

Keyword(s):

19Th Century ◽

Double Effect ◽

Point Of View ◽

Alternative Solution ◽

Ethical Point ◽

Principle Of Double Effect ◽

Catholic Tradition ◽

The 19Th Century ◽

Difficult Situations

Fra le patologie della gravidanza la corioamnionite e la preeclampsia rappresentano situazioni difficili sia dal punto di vista clinico sia dal punto di vista etico. L’articolo affronta con particolare attenzione il problema dell’anticipazione del parto prima che il feto abbia raggiunto la soglia della viabilità. Vengono esaminate le posizioni principali della Tradizione cattolica e le risposte a specifici quesiti date dal Sant’Uffizio tra la fine del XIX secolo e l’inizio del XX. L’Autore ritiene che l’applicazione del principio del duplice effetto a queste situazioni non sia del tutto convincente e propone una soluzione alternativa nella individuazione del solo bene possibile. ---------- Chorioamnionitis and preeclampsy represent difficult situations among pregnancy pathologies both from a clinical and from an ethical point of view. The article treats with particular attention the issue of induced preterm parturition before fetus has reached the threshold of viability. The main positions of the Catholic Tradition and the answers given by the Holy Office at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th are examined. The author believes that the application of the principle of double effect to such situations is non completely convincing and he proposes as an alternative solution the identification of the only possible good.

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Bioinspired Algorithms in Solving Three-Dimensional Protein Structure Prediction Problems

Bio-Inspired Computing for Information Retrieval Applications - Advances in Knowledge Acquisition, Transfer, and Management ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-2375-8.ch012 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 316-337

Author(s):

Raghunath Satpathy

Keyword(s):

Protein Structure ◽

Protein Structure Prediction ◽

Structure Prediction ◽

Tertiary Structure ◽

3D Structure ◽

Prediction Method ◽

Optimization Methods ◽

Point Of View ◽

Living Organisms ◽

Prediction Problems

Proteins play a vital molecular role in all living organisms. Experimentally, it is difficult to predict the protein structure, however alternatively theoretical prediction method holds good for it. The 3D structure prediction of proteins is very much important in biology and this leads to the discovery of different useful drugs, enzymes, and currently this is considered as an important research domain. The prediction of proteins is related to identification of its tertiary structure. From the computational point of view, different models (protein representations) have been developed along with certain efficient optimization methods to predict the protein structure. The bio-inspired computation is used mostly for optimization process during solving protein structure. These algorithms now a days has received great interests and attention in the literature. This chapter aim basically for discussing the key features of recently developed five different types of bio-inspired computational algorithms, applied in protein structure prediction problems.

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e-Health Technologies in Home Care Nursing

Advances in Healthcare Information Systems and Administration - Human-Centered Design of E-Health Technologies ◽

10.4018/978-1-60960-177-5.ch007 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 154-178 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Hartmut Remmers ◽

Manfred Hülsken-Giesler

Keyword(s):

Home Care ◽

Technical Assistance ◽

The Elderly ◽

Point Of View ◽

Health Technologies ◽

Nursing Science ◽

Home Care Nursing ◽

Rights Protection ◽

Ethical Point ◽

Identity Privacy

The innovative impact of advancing e-Health technologies is more frequently being discussed in nursing science. Nurses play an important role in collecting data and giving support to other users, especially in home care. Since issues of acceptance play a major role, the following article, which presents findings based on a focus group consisting of the elderly, caretaking relatives and professional nurses, is discussed from an ethical point of view in the context of international debate. It is interesting to note, that to some extent there is substantial ambivalence in the willingness to integrate such technologies into daily care. A need for technical assistance is clearly recognizable, however, limits as well. The authors’ findings indicate that a fundamental discussion on the relevance of e-Health methods in professional nursing needs to be held. It should address the ethical questions of often conflicting interests and rights (protection of identity, privacy and safety) in situations of high vulnerability.

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