The ethical dimensions of wildlife disease management in an evolutionary context.

Best practices in wildlife disease management require robust evolutionary ecological research (EER). This means not only basing management decisions on evolutionarily sound reasoning, but also conducting management in a way that actively contributes to the on-going development of that research. Because good management requires good science, and good science is 'good' science (i.

Towards improving the ethics of ecological research.

We argue that the ecological research community should develop a plan for improving the ethical consistency and moral robustness of the field. We propose a particular ethics strategy--specifically, an ongoing process of collective ethical reflection that the community of ecological researchers, with the cooperation of applied ethicists and philosophers of biology, can use to address the needs we identify. We suggest a particular set of conceptual (in the form of six core values--freedom, fairness, well being, replacement, reduction, and refinement) and analytic (in the forms of decision theoretic software, 1000Minds) tools that, we argue, collectively have the resources to provide an empirically grounded and conceptually complete foundation for an ethics strategy for ecological research.

How to address the ethics of reproductive travel to developing countries: a comparison of national self-sufficiency and regulated market approaches.

One of the areas of concern raised by cross-border reproductive travel regards the treatment of women who are solicited to provide their ova or surrogacy services to foreign consumers. This is particularly troublesome in the context of developing countries where endemic poverty and low standards for both medical care and informed consent may place these women at risk of exploitation and harm. We explore two contrasting proposals for policy development regarding the industry, both of which seek to promote ethical outcomes and social justice: While one proposal advocates efforts to minimize cross-border demand for female reproductive resources through the pursuit of national self-sufficiency, the other defends cross-border trade as a means for meeting the needs of vulnerable groups.

The ethics of moral compromise for stem cell research policy.

In the US, stem cell research is at a moral impasse-many see this research as ethically mandated due to its potential for ameliorating major diseases, while others see this research as ethically impermissible because it typically involves the destruction of embryos and use of ova from women. Because their creation does not require embryos or ova, induced pluripotent stem cells offer the most promising path for addressing the main ethical objections to stem cell research; however, this technology is still in development. In order for scientists to advance induced pluripotent stem cell research to a point of translational readiness, they must continue to use ova and embryos in the interim.

Market stimulus and genomic justice: evaluating the effects of market access to human germ-line enhancement.

The concept of "market stimulus"--the idea that free markets can play a role in widening access to new technologies--may help support the view that parents should be permitted to purchase germ-line enhancements. However, a critical examination of the topic shows that market stimulus, even if it applies to human genomic interventions, does not provide sufficient reason for deregulating germ-line enhancements because: (1) it could widen the gap between the rich and the poor; (2) even if it does not widen the gap, it might not sufficiently benefit the poor; and (3) it could have harmful effects for future generations.

The ethical physician encounters international medical travel.

International medical travel occurs when patients cross national borders to purchase medical goods and services. On occasion, physicians in home countries will be the last point of domestic contact for patients seeking healthcare information before they travel abroad for care. When this is the case, physicians have a unique opportunity to inform patients about their options and help guide them towards ethical practices.

When mirrors lie: "visual capture" of arm position impairs reaching performance.

If we stand at a mirror's edge, we can see one half of our body reflected in the mirror, as if it were the other half of our body, seen "through" the mirror. We used this mirror illusion to examine the effect of conflicts between visually and proprioceptively specified arm positions on subsequent reaching movements made with the unseen right arm. When participants viewed their static left arm in the mirror (i.

Assessing drought-related ecological risk in the Florida Everglades.

In the winter-spring of 2001, South Florida experienced one of the worst droughts in its recorded history. Out of a myriad of ecological concerns identified during this time, the potential for catastrophic peat fire and negative impacts to wading bird reproduction emerged as critical issues. Water managers attempted to strike a balance between the environment and protection of water supplies for agriculture and urban interests.

Plasma fatty acids and [13C]linoleic acid metabolism in preterm infants fed a formula with medium-chain triglycerides.

Most preterm infant formulas contain medium-chain triacylglycerols (MCT), but the effects of MCT on polyunsaturated fatty acid status and metabolism are controversial. Thus, we studied the effects of MCT on linoleic acid metabolism using stable isotopes. Enterally fed preterm infants were randomized to receive for 7 days 40% of fat as MCT (n = 10) or a formula without MCT (n = 9).

Short-term fish oil supplementation improved innate immunity, but increased ex vivo oxidation of LDL in man--a pilot study.

Background: Fish and fish oils are rich in the two long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3). The n-3 LCPUFAs have been reported to have beneficial effects on cardiovascular functions, but their role in relation to immune functions is still controversial.

Aim Of The Study: The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of supplementation with fish oil on immune cell functions in human subjects.

Anandamide and diet: inclusion of dietary arachidonate and docosahexaenoate leads to increased brain levels of the corresponding N-acylethanolamines in piglets.

Endogenous ligands of cannabinoid receptors have been discovered recently and include some N-acylethanolamines (NAEs; e.g., N-arachidonoylethanolamine) and some 2-acylglycerols (e.

Malondialdehyde measurement in urine.

Malondialdehyde (MDA) is an end product of lipid peroxidation and is a frequently measured index of these processes. The thiobarbituric acid (TBA) test is commonly used to measured MDA, but its specificity is questionable due to the presence of interfering chromogens. Wade and van Rij described in 1988 a method which removes these chromogens by HPLC.

Effects of 9,12,15-octadecatrien-6-ynoic acid on the metabolism of arachidonic acid in platelets and on the platelet aggregation.

An acetylenic fatty acid: 9,12,15-octadecatrien-6-ynoic acid (dicranin), extracted from Dicranum Scoparium was preincubated with platelets stimulated by exogenous arachidonic acid (20:4 n-6). Dicranin (10(-4) M) weakly inhibited the cyclooxygenase activity as assessed by measurement of 12-hydroxy-heptadecatrienoic acid (HHT) In contrast, the 12-hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE) synthesized by the 12-lipoxygenase was strongly increased by about 650%. The same effects were observed with 10(-6) M of dicranin but to a lesser extent.

Selective effects of dietary fats on vascular 13-HODE synthesis and platelet/vessel wall interactions.

Fish oil (FO) diets are associated with decreased thrombosis, which is though to be related, in part, to changes in platelet and vessel wall prostanoid synthesis. Recently, we found that 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (13-HODE) synthesized in the vessel wall from linoleic acid (LA, 18:2 n-6) via the lipoxygenase pathway, also decreases platelet/vessel wall interactions. Thus, we determined whether diets containing fish oil, walnut oil (rich in linoleic acid), black currant seed oil (rich in both linoleic and gamma linolenic acids, 18:3 n-6), or lard influenced vessel wall 13-HODE synthesis and platelet/vessel wall adhesion in rabbits.