Ethical arguments concerning human-animal chimera research: a systematic review.

Background: The burgeoning field of biomedical research involving the mixture of human and animal materials has attracted significant ethical controversy. Due to the many dimensions of potential ethical conflict involved in this type of research, and the wide variety of research projects under discussion, it is difficult to obtain an overview of the ethical debate. This paper attempts to remedy this by providing a systematic review of ethical reasons in academic publications on human-animal chimera research.

Agenesis of the dorsal pancreas: a very rare entity causing diabetes mellitus.

Dorsal pancreatic agenesis is a very rare pancreatic developmental anomaly resulting in missing corpus and cauda of the pancreas. Due to improvements and more widespread use of advanced radiological techniques like CT or MRI, the possibility of finding this disorder is growing. Thus, this rare congenital condition, as well as a pancreas divisum and pseudo-agenesis secondary to chronic pancreatitis, must be considered in the differential diagnosis.

Human-Animal Chimeras and Hybrids: An Ethical Paradox behind Moral Confusion?

The prospect of creating and using human-animal chimeras and hybrids (HACHs) that are significantly human-like in their composition, phenotype, cognition, or behavior meets with divergent moral judgments: on the one side, it is claimed that such beings might be candidates for human-analogous rights to protection and care; on the other side, it is supposed that their existence might disturb fundamental natural and social orders. This paper tries to show that both positions are paradoxically intertwined: they rely on two kinds of species arguments, "individual species arguments" and "group species arguments," which formulate opposing demands but are conceptually interdependent. As a consequence, the existence of HACHs may challenge exactly those normative standards on which the protection of HACHs may eventually be based.

Bleeding Dieulafoy lesions of the small bowel: a systematic study on the epidemiology and efficacy of enteroscopic treatment.

Background: Dieulafoy lesions consist of aberrant submucosal arteries, which can cause severe GI bleeding. The predominant location of Dieulafoy lesions is the upper GI tract.

Objective: To our best knowledge, this is the first systematic study on the frequency of bleeding from Dieulafoy lesions in the small bowel and the efficacy of enteroscopic therapy regarding primary hemostasis and long-term follow-up.

[The frequency of wound infections after PEG-placement and utilization of glycogel wound dressing: a randomized controlled trial].

Background: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is the method of choice for long- term artificial enteral feeding. Standardized wound management such as daily dressing changes and local disinfection of the exit site helps to keep complication rates low. New bacteriostatic glycogel wound dressing has not yet been tested.

Long-term outcome following placement of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy in younger and older patients.

Objective: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is the method of choice in maintaining enteral nutrition in patients with swallowing and nutritional disorders of different etiology. The aim of this study was to assess the long-term outcome of patients following placement of a PEG.

Material And Methods: All patients who received a PEG between October 1999 and September 2000 were included in this prospective study.

ERCP is safe and effective in patients 80 years of age and older compared with younger patients.

Background: Biliary disease frequently occurs in the elderly, but there are limited data on ERCP in the elderly population.

Patients: A total of 502 patients (group A, 97; group B, 405) underwent 724 ERCP procedures.

Main Outcome Measurements: All consecutive ERCPs performed between 2000 and 2002 at a single center were retrospectively reviewed for patients >/=80 years old (group A) and patients <80 years old (group B) to evaluate endoscopic findings, interventions, complications, and mortality related to complications.

Colorectal cancer in geriatric patients: endoscopic diagnosis and surgical treatment.

Aim: To investigate the prevalence of colorectal cancer in geriatric patients undergoing endoscopy and to analyze their outcome.

Methods: All consecutive patients older than 80 years who underwent lower gastrointestinal endoscopy between January 1995 and December 2002 at our institution were included. Patients with endoscopic diagnosis of colorectal cancer were evaluated with respect to indication, localization and stage of cancer, therapeutic consequences, and survival.

[Indications and complications of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy].

Background: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) plays an important role in maintaining enteral nutrition in patients with swallowing disorders of different etiologies. The aim of our study was to record indications and complications of PEG-placement in a one-year period.

Methods: All patients were investigated prospectively regarding indications, wound infections, other complications and mortality between 1999-10-01 and 2000-09-30.