LEGAL CULTURE AND LEGISLATION ON EUTHANASIA: A NEW LEVEL OF LEGAL REGULATION OR THE COLLAPSE OF THE LEGAL SYSTEM?

Euthanasia is a voluntary withdrawal from the life of a person suffering from an incurable disease or having a disease that causes him physical and mental suffering. This practice has been used since the period of antiquity, when in Ancient Rome and Sparta, the elderly and the disabled were thrown from the mountains. The need for such a policy was explained by the inability of the state to support weak members in the conditions of regular military campaigns. A similar position was supported by the Nazis of nazi Germany, who created gas chambers as an analogue of "easy death" for disabled citizens, which included people with mental disorders; people suffering from epilepsy; disabled people with any health abnormalities; patients who had been treated for more than 5 years. In addition to persons with various pathologies, representatives of Gypsy, Jewish, and Polish nationalities were included in the same group. It becomes obvious that in such a context, euthanasia is perceived as a clear abuse of the state to dispose of the lives of its citizens. In modern foreign countries and the Russian Federation, this procedure seems to be a way to satisfy the desire of a person suffering from an incurable or severe disease of both a somatic and mental nature, in a dignified and rapid termination of his existence. To what extent such a desire to classify oneself as deceased is voluntary and conscious and whether it fits into modern legal norms is considered in the presented publication, which at the same time offers more constructive ways to help individuals in need.

Voluntary Withdrawal in the Context of Attempt – A Defence?

Once a crime has been committed, full repentance and restoration do not have any bearing on liability, but may be taken into account in mitigation of sentence. On the other hand, there is no question of criminal liability ensuing for an attempt at a crime if there is a withdrawal from the envisaged crime while still in the stage of preparation, and before, in South African law, reaching the watershed moment of the “commencement of the consummation”. However, what occurs between the moment when the attempt begins, and the moment when the crime has been completed, where there has been a withdrawal from the criminal purpose, is more contested terrain. The disagreement does not apparently arise in the South African case law, where the few judgments that refer to this question have consistently held that where the accused withdraws after the commencement of the consummation of the crime, there will be attempt liability and, at best, the accused may rely on the abandonment as a mitigating factor in sentencing. However, as is discussed, prominent South African academic commentators, along with comparative sources in both the civil-law and common-law jurisdictions, demur from such an “unyielding analysis”, and would regard such withdrawal as giving rise to a defence to criminal liability. Which approach ought to be applied in South African law? The question may be posed as to how to categorise a defence of voluntary withdrawal? It is neither a justification ground nor a ground excluding fault, but rather a ground excluding punishment. The uniqueness of the defence is demonstrated in that the accused has already met all the requirements for liability, and thus it is not an intending criminal, but an actual criminal who is being considered. This is at least true of the common-law approach (also adopted by South African law), where a two-stage approach is applied to the trial, relating first to establishing criminal liability and followed, if guilt is so established, by an inquiry into sentence. At the outset, it may be stated that the view that is taken in the discussion that follows is that there is no good reason to treat voluntary abandonment as a special defence. As Yaffe has stated, to grant a defence on the basis of abandonment is to mistake the absence of a reason to issue a particular sanction rather than a lower one for a sufficient reason to issue no sanction at all.In the discussion that follows, the current case law is examined, whereafter the alternative approach contended for by some academic writers (and used in other jurisdictions) is discussed; the arguments for and against a renunciation defence are set out, before these aspects are drawn together in a final concluding analysis.

After Work in the United States and Sweden

This chapter investigates the health of the elderly in Sweden and the United States, focusing on populations that are no longer active in the labor force. For most workers in the United States and Europe, the working years are followed by a period of voluntary withdrawal from the labor market. Sweden earned third place on the Global AgeWatch ranking of ninety-six countries. The rating considers health outcomes, income security, financial capability, and an enabling environment in determining the best places to grow old. Meanwhile, the United States ranks ninth. The chapter looks at three social determinants that the World Health Organization has identified as the most important to healthy aging: (1) financial security, including the ability of the elderly to afford appropriate and safe housing, to maintain a nutritious diet, and to benefit from adequate means of transport; (2) social integration, the degree to which elderly people participate in the community, through continued employment, volunteering, or activity in sports, clubs, or other social organizations; and (3) access to preventive and curative health services, including long-term care, and the proximity of these services to the community in which elderly people live.

Consultation questions on publication ethics from 2016 to 2020 addressed by the Committee on Publication Ethics of the Korean Council of Science Editors

With the goal of improving the publishing ecosystem and promoting transparency in journal publishing, we describe some recent cases in scientific publishing in Korea. The current article summarizes ethical inquiries from domestic journals and publishers, most of whom are members of the Korean Council of Science Editors. We selected 15 representative questions asked during the last 4 years. Those inquiries were classified into hot topics such as plagiarism, duplicate publications, multiple submission, and others (informed consent, copyright, compliance with journal regulations, authors’ responsibilities, and voluntary retraction requests). When plagiarism is suspected, editors and reviewers should assess the situation following the relevant rules and procedures, and if necessary, the manuscript should be rejected. Cases of duplicate publication should be clearly stated in both papers based on the explicit agreement of the editor-in-chief of both journals. As a general rule, the entire content of an article should be published in one issue, but if the article is too long, it may need to be published in two issues. Permission from both journals is required. The abstract and references should be separated accordingly. In cases of copyright conflict, voluntary withdrawal of a paper, or non-compliance with publishing regulations, the manuscript must be withdrawn according to specific procedures (referring to the COPE flow chart). All correspondence regarding a manuscript should be with the corresponding author, who communicates directly with the journal. We hope that these recommendations will help readers in the field of scientific publishing to address issues related to publication ethics.

Barriers to Blood Donation Among Mbarara University of Science and Technology Students.

Background: Blood donation is the voluntary withdrawal of blood from an individual, after undergoing some medical screening in order to ensure the safety of both the donor and the recipient. Blood donation is crucial and indispensable in the medical process of saving lives. Globally, 112.5 million blood donations were made in 180 countries in 2013. Uganda needs at least 340,000 units of safe blood annually, but usually, only 200,000 units are collected yearly. Although massive blood donation campaigns are carried out to obtain blood, there is still more demand for blood within hospitals. Student populations are considered healthy, active, and receptive, thus, regarded as potential blood donors. This study sought to explore the barriers to blood donation among MUST students. Methodology: A qualitative descriptive design was used in this study. A purposive sampling method was used to select respondents from different faculties at MUST. Four FGDs were employed in the study and data were collected using a focus group discussion guide. Inductive content analysis was used to analyze data. Results: The study revealed different barriers to blood donation among students. Three broad themes were generated from the analysis; personal barriers related to blood donation, socio-cultural variations affecting blood donation, and the barriers concerning the blood donation process. Conclusion and recommendations: Although participants reported willingness to donate blood, it was found to be affected by barriers ranging from individuals related to the system/process in which blood is collected. Addressing these barriers may improve blood donation by MUST students.

Il vissuto di bambini e adolescenti con artrite idiopatica giovanile

Chronically ill children show an increased risk of developing a psychological-psychiatric disorder, with an important impact on their quality of life. The paper describes all the cases of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) in the Paediatric Rheumatology Unit in Ravenna with documented psychological-behavioural problems. 23% of juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients have psychological-behavioural problems and 9% have requested cognitivebehavioural therapy, with good results. One of the most significant aspects is the treatment with methotrexate (MTX), which is an important drug in the management of JIA cases and, as it is known, is burdened with side effects such as malaise and vomiting, even before its intake. Half of the patients on MTX therapy show this "intolerance", which sometimes also leads to the voluntary withdrawal of the drug. Therefore, an anticipatory approach to these issues and an adequate and timely psychological care are increasingly necessary.

To Withdraw or Not to Withdraw: A Structural Analysis of the Scope and Limits of Voluntary Withdrawal of Criminal Attempt in the Rome Statute

Voluntary withdrawal of criminal attempt is one of the fundamental institutes of the general part of criminal law, originally codified in international criminal law in the Rome Statute. Since the Statute attributed significant legal effects to withdrawal, which excludes the liability for criminal attempt, it is important to establish a clear understanding on its scope and limitations. This article analyses controversial issues related to the legal nature of withdrawal as grounds for exclusion of criminal liability, withdrawal of individual offenders and accomplices, and provides interpretations on potential solutions for these issues. The analysis is based on the subjective conception of withdrawal, under which its essence lays in the rejection of the initial criminal intent, while taking into consideration withdrawal in the context of international crime. Based on the analysis, an original three-level test for the determination of withdrawal in the future practice of the International Criminal Court, (icc) is proposed.

Do preceptorship and clinical supervision programmes support the retention of nurses?

Background: The reasons for nurse shortages are the ageing healthcare workforce, increasing demand for services, employee dissatisfaction, life–work imbalance and burnout. Aim: To review the literature to find out whether there is evidence to support preceptorship and clinical supervision programmes in retaining nurses, and particularly newly qualified nurses (NQNs), in clinical practice. Methods: A search of databases, as well as other sources, was carried out, with six studies selected for data analysis. Findings: Thematic analysis was used to synthesise the results and produced seven themes: increase satisfaction, gain competence and feel more confident; competencies of preceptors and supervisors; framework or model required; the challenge to the programmes; intention to stay and staff retention; voluntary withdrawal from the nursing profession; and further support for development. Conclusion: Training (preceptorship and clinical supervision programmes) is effective in retaining NQNs, increasing satisfaction, improving skills and competency and staff engagement; however, more support for both preceptors/supervisors and NQNs is needed to maximise the success of these programmes in the future.

Phase I pilot study of RRx-001 + nivolumab in patients with traditionally non-checkpoint inhibitor-responsive cancers (PRIMETIME).

e15119 Background: RRx-001 is a minimally toxic small molecule that downregulates CD47 via Myc inhibition and repolarizes tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). A phase 1 pilot study was undertaken to determine the safety and feasibility of RRx-001 and nivolumab in patients with advanced traditionally non-immunogenic cancers and no standard options. Methods: This single arm, open-label pilot study (NCT02518958) was designed to evaluate the safety profile of RRx-001 + nivolumab in patients with advanced malignancies. A 3+3 trial design was used to establish safety of the combination at each dose level and guide the decision to escalate dose. RRx-001 is infused once weekly while nivolumab is given at 3mg/kg once every 2 weeks. RRx-001 starting dose was 2 mg IV weekly with 4 dose level escalations up to 16 mg IV weekly. From January 2015 to November 2015, 12 patients received treatment for 4 cycles (total 12 weeks) with the combination due to unavailability of nivolumab, which was not supplied to the Sponsor. Treatment-emergent (all cause, TEAEs) and treatment-related (TRAEs) adverse events occurring within 16 weeks of the first dose of RRx-001 + nivolumab were characterized according to CTCAE v4.03. Results: 12 patients received > 1 dose of RRx-001 and nivolumab. One discontinuation occurred due to pneumonitis and one to voluntary withdrawal after a post-procedural infection. There were no dose-limiting toxicities. The main adverse event related to RRx-001 was pain on infusion (33.3%). The main adverse event related to the combination was pseudoprogression (larger tumors in symptomatically improved patients) (25%). The most common immune-related treatment-emergent AEs were pneumonitis (8.3%), and hypothyroidism (8.3%). Objective response rate at 12 weeks was 25% and the disease control rate (DCR) consisting of > SD was 67% by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.1. 25% of the patients progressed on the combination. Conclusions: RRx-001 + nivolumab was well-tolerated with preliminary evidence of anti-cancer activity in non-immunogenic cancers. Further analyses with a larger sample size are required to confirm activity. Clinical trial information: NCT02518958 .