"Repeated Hierarchies": Uneven Participation in Research of Ethical Spaces in Hospitals.

We present a case study of uneven participation in a focus group discussion with health care professionals involved in local ethical committees. We conclude that the status of the different participants did not give adequate space for full participation of the members involved. Two commentators were invited to comment on the case study to enable further reflection on the methodology used for the target group.

Falling on deaf ears: a qualitative study on clinical ethical committees in France.

The French medical context is characterized by institutionalization of the ethical reflection in health care facilities and an important disparity between spaces of ethical reflection. In theory, the healthcare professional may mobilise an arsenal of resources to help him in his ethical reflection. But what happens in practice? We conducted semi-structured interviews with 22 health-care professionals who did and did not have recourse to clinical ethical committees.

Gut Health in the era of the human gut microbiota: from metaphor to biovalue.

The human intestinal ecosystem, previously called the gut microflora is now known as the Human Gut Microbiota (HGM). Microbiome research has emphasized the potential role of this ecosystem in human homeostasis, offering unexpected opportunities in therapeutics, far beyond digestive diseases. It has also highlighted ethical, social and commercial concerns related to the gut microbiota.

Much more than a gene: hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, reproductive choices and family life.

This article presents the results of a study that investigates the way in which carriers of a mutation on the BRCA1 or the BRCA2 gene, associated with a high risk of breast and ovarian cancer, make their reproductive decisions. Using semi-structured interviews, the study explored the way in which these persons reflected on the acceptability of taking the risk of transmitting this mutation to the next generation, the arguments they used in favor or against taking that risk, and in the light of these arguments, their opinion on the acceptability of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) as a reproductive option. The findings suggest that when carriers are planning to have a(nother) child, they are mainly concerned by the risk of transmitting 'much more than a gene': essentially painful experiences not only with respect to health, such as undergoing cancer surveillance or combatting one's own illness, but also with regards to family life, such as witnessing the illness and death of a close relative, encountering difficulties in finding a partner or reconsidering one's plans to have a family.