scholarly journals Hahnemann and the methodology of pathogenetic trials in healthy volunteers: a reappraisal.

Author(s):  
Jim Rogers

This article assesses the guidelines and protocols that Hahnemann developed for homeopathic pathogenetic trials (HPTs) - often referred to as proving - and reappraise them in the light of more recent knowledge and protocols for clinical trials involving human subjects. Innovative features and methods introduced by Hahnemann and aimed at reducing bias are noted. A number of features which are now known to lead to bias in trials and which may be included in the reporting of symptoms are discussed in relation to HPTs. These features include: absence of control groups, absence of random allocation, absence of blinding, the inclusion of trivial and pre-existing symptoms, the inclusion of well-known acquaintances as trial participants, and the lack of definition of the healthy state. Advice from experts and papers published in recent decades related to the design of HPTs are discussed. The importance of developing methods to screen participants in HPTs for susceptibility to the tested medicine is discussed. The absence of trials meeting high quality standards in their design is highlighted. The article concludes with a plea for researchers to show the same desire for rigour and innovation that Hahnemann did in the development of HPTs, whilst fully recognising the requirements and protocols necessary for any trial of medicines on human beings, so that, as Hahnemann wanted, only reliable symptoms from HPTs will be admitted in the materia medica and clinical practice.

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 391
Author(s):  
Bianca Andrade ◽  
Marco Antonio Azevedo

Advocates of the Person-Centered Healthcare (PCH) approach say that PCH is a response to a failure of caring for patients as persons. Nevertheless, there are many human subjects falling to fulfill the requirements of a traditional philosophical definition of personhood. Hence, if we take, PCH seriously, a greater clarification of the key terminology of PCH is urgently needed. It seems necessary, for instance, that the concept of the person should be extended in order to include those individuals with insipient or immature levels of consciousness, as well as those who are severely and permanently mentally handicapped. In this article, we will depart from some well-known philosophical concepts of what it means to be a person and try to offer a broader and more inclusive meaning. We suggest that persons are human beings with a socially recognized biography, which implies to recognize as persons individuals with necessities, but also with narratives about their interests and claims, expressed sometimes by other people related to them. This is particularly the case of individuals that suffer from severe disorders of consciousness. For those, is not only care that matters; respect matters too. Caregivers should therefore not only sympathetically care for the well-being of these people; they should also be concerned to respect their interests and claims by interpreting them empathetically, in the light of their biographical story. Our conclusion is that, in order to be coherent, PCH must consider individuals with severe disorders of consciousness as persons and we think that our revised concept of personhood fits with this requirement.


2021 ◽  
Vol 237 ◽  
pp. 04003
Author(s):  
Binyu Lei ◽  
Qi Gao ◽  
Yanyao Cui

This paper explores urban strategies that address existing problems in Qiulin District, which is famous as a historic district with plenty of cultural memories in Harbin, China. In the paper, it firstly introduces the definition of historic district and made a brief review of academic literatures about space activation. It then takes Qiulin District in Harbin as a case to further discuss the current dilemma. In terms of land use, Qiulin District is primarily commercial and residential that increases the difficulty of activating this area. In accordance with demonstrated issues: 1) heritage buildings with limited value capture, 2) diverse business types challenged with urgent upgrading, 3) multiple high-quality resources utilized in weak synergy, it proposes three main strategies to solve problems. With introducing the concept of micro-reform, the strategies: 1) activate heritage buildings to recapture historic value, 2) extend outdoor space and upgrade commercial structure to enhance characteristic streets, 3) design for fun life to build inclusive network, compressively explore a number of possibilities to reflect the current situation and achieve visionary planning. Finally, this paper draws discussion about the significance of space activation for historic districts towards environmental sustainability and human beings.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 462
Author(s):  
Alice Palermiti ◽  
Alessia Cafaro ◽  
Sebastiano Barco ◽  
Paolo Bucchioni ◽  
Paolo Franceschini ◽  
...  

Medical cannabis is increasingly being used in the treatment and support of several diseases and syndromes. The quantitative determination of active ingredients (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, THC, and cannabidiol, CBD) in galenic oily preparations is prescribed by law for each produced batch. The aim of this work is to describe the organization of the titration activity centralized at three regional reference laboratories in Northern Italy. Pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical phases have been defined in order to guarantee high quality standards. A cross-validation between laboratories allowed for the definition of the procedures that guarantee the interchangeability between reference laboratories. The risk management protocol adopted can be useful for others who need to undertake this activity.


Author(s):  
Volker Scheid

This chapter explores the articulations that have emerged over the last half century between various types of holism, Chinese medicine and systems biology. Given the discipline’s historical attachments to a definition of ‘medicine’ that rather narrowly refers to biomedicine as developed in Europe and the US from the eighteenth century onwards, the medical humanities are not the most obvious starting point for such an inquiry. At the same time, they do offer one advantage over neighbouring disciplines like medical history, anthropology or science and technology studies for someone like myself, a clinician as well as a historian and anthropologist: their strong commitment to the objective of facilitating better medical practice. This promise furthermore links to the wider project of critique, which, in Max Horkheimer’s definition of the term, aims at change and emancipation in order ‘to liberate human beings from the circumstances that enslave them’. If we take the critical medical humanities as explicitly affirming this shared objective and responsibility, extending the discipline’s traditional gaze is not a burden but becomes, in fact, an obligation.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 414-431
Author(s):  
Katherine Wade*

Abstract It is important that clinical research with children is encouraged so that they are not exposed to the dangers of extrapolation from adult treatments. Clinical trials with investigational medicinal products (imps) are an important part of improving medical care for children. Both the 2001 Clinical Trials Directive and the 2014 Regulation recognise the need for such research, including the need for non-therapeutic trials with imps. However, it is also recognised that a balance must be struck between permitting tailored medical care for children as a group on the one hand, and protecting individual trial participants from harm on the other. A central issue in striking this balance relates to defining the threshold of risk which should be permitted in such research. This article provides a critical analysis of the current European law in relation to the definition of acceptable risk for non-therapeutic clinical trials with imps and makes recommendations for reform, drawing on law from the Council of Europe, as well as law from the us.


Author(s):  
Анна Юрьевна Белякова ◽  
Алена Алексеевна Самохвалова

В статье рассматривается определение остаточных знаний студентов. Для более эффективной и качественной оценки знаний по дисциплинам профессионального блока у студентов направления 09.03.03 - Прикладная информатика предлагается автоматизировать данный процесс. The article discusses the definition of residual knowledge of students. For a more efficient and high-quality assessment of knowledge in the disciplines of the professional block among students of the direction 09.03.03 - Applied Informatics, it is proposed to automate this process.


2010 ◽  
pp. 52-72
Author(s):  
Serena Zacchigna ◽  
Mauro Giacca

Since the early days of gene therapy, both the scientific community and the public have perceived the ethical challenges intrinsic to this discipline. First, the technology exploited by gene therapy is still experimental and burdened by important safety issues. Second, in several instances gene therapy aims at stably modifying the genetic characteristics of individuals. Third, the same modifications could in principle be applied also to embryos, foetuses or germ cells. Finally, while gene therapy applications are generally accepted for therapeutic purposes, the same gene transfer technologies could also be exploited to improve the aesthetic appearance, or the physical and intellectual performance of people. The definition of suitable guidelines for a controlled, ethically accepted translation of gene therapy to the clinics remains a major challenge for the near future.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr. Ayisha Shabbir

I am delighted and proud to welcome you to the second issue of Volume 2. Each article receivedand accepted is an important contribution to the already existing knowledge in the field of BiomedicalSciences. All the editorial team is excited about the progress of PBMJ as an international journal. Aseditor, I would like to express my heartiest congratulation to the team and welcome to the authors andreaders. I am also grateful to the advisory board and managing editors. I hope that PBMJ can promote theacademic and applicable research and improve the research activities and collaborations.I am aware of the bumps along the way, but we are determined to keep pursuing the research goalsto meet the high quality standards and move forward with great courage. If you have any suggestions toimprove, you may write to us as a reader. In the age of technology, I can actively conversate with thereaders and get their feedback to improve the quality with their valuable input.PBMJ will continue to serve the Biomedical Sciences as an outlet for high-quality research. This isan exciting time for the journal and we look forward to working with authors, the Editorial board and theteam to make PBMJ as a leading source for work in the space.Dr. Ayisha ShabbirEditorPakistan BioMedical Journal


Author(s):  
Igor I. Kartashov ◽  
Ivan I. Kartashov

For millennia, mankind has dreamed of creating an artificial creature capable of thinking and acting “like human beings”. These dreams are gradually starting to come true. The trends in the development of modern so-ciety, taking into account the increasing level of its informatization, require the use of new technologies for information processing and assistance in de-cision-making. Expanding the boundaries of the use of artificial intelligence requires not only the establishment of ethical restrictions, but also gives rise to the need to promptly resolve legal problems, including criminal and proce-dural ones. This is primarily due to the emergence and spread of legal expert systems that predict the decision on a particular case, based on a variety of parameters. Based on a comprehensive study, we formulate a definition of artificial intelligence suitable for use in law. It is proposed to understand artificial intelligence as systems capable of interpreting the received data, making optimal decisions on their basis using self-learning (adaptation). The main directions of using artificial intelligence in criminal proceedings are: search and generalization of judicial practice; legal advice; preparation of formalized documents or statistical reports; forecasting court decisions; predictive jurisprudence. Despite the promise of using artificial intelligence, there are a number of problems associated with a low level of reliability in predicting rare events, self-excitation of the system, opacity of the algorithms and architecture used, etc.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document