There is no defence for 'Conscientious objection' in reproductive health care.

A widespread assumption has taken hold in the field of medicine that we must allow health care professionals the right to refuse treatment under the guise of 'conscientious objection' (CO), in particular for women seeking abortions. At the same time, it is widely recognized that the refusal to treat creates harm and barriers for patients receiving reproductive health care. In response, many recommendations have been put forward as solutions to limit those harms.

Anti-D in a mother, hemizygous for the variant RHD*DNB gene, associated with hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn.

Background: Individuals with the partial D phenotype when exposed to D+ red blood cells (RBCs) carrying the epitopes they lack may develop anti-D specific for the missing epitopes. DNB is the most common partial D in Caucasians and the clinical significance for anti-D in these individuals is unknown.

Study Design And Methods: This article describes the serologic genotyping results and clinical manifestations in two group D+ babies of a mother presenting as group O, D+ with alloanti-D.

Mechanisms of automaticity and anticipatory control in fluid intelligence.

The constructs of fluid (Gf) and crystalized (Gc) intelligence represent an early attempt to describe the mechanisms of problem solving in the vertebrate brain. Modern neuroscience demonstrates that problem solving involves interplay between the mechanisms of automaticity and anticipatory control, enabling nature's elegant solution to the challenges animals face in their environment. Studies of neural functioning are making clear the primary role of cortical-subcortical interactions in the manifestation of intelligent behavior in humans and other vertebrates.

Hemolytic transfusion reaction attributable to anti-Dia.

In situations when a patient's antibody detection test is negative, many institutions have moved from an indirect antiglobulin test (IAT) crossmatch to an electronic crossmatch system. Here we report a case of an acute hemolytic transfusion reaction attributable to anti-Dia in a patient with a negative antibody detection test. A 22-year-old female patient with a diagnosis of β thalassemia and sickle cell anemia commenced a routine exchange transfusion of 5 units of red blood cells (RBCs) in the apheresis unit as part of her regular treatment.

Implicit Working Memory: Implications for Assessment and Treatment.

Working memory (WM) impacts a gamut of cognitive abilities, but implicit WM is typically not considered in assessment or treatment, which may explain the variability of results in reviews of WM training. The role of implicit WM in adaptive behavior is reviewed. All we do is action based.

Yes we can! Successful examples of disallowing 'conscientious objection' in reproductive health care.

Reproductive health care is the only field in medicine where health care professionals (HCPs) are allowed to limit a patient's access to a legal medical treatment - usually abortion or contraception - by citing their 'freedom of conscience.' However, the authors' position is that 'conscientious objection' ('CO') in reproductive health care should be called dishonourable disobedience because it violates medical ethics and the right to lawful health care, and should therefore be disallowed. Three countries - Sweden, Finland, and Iceland - do not generally permit HCPs in the public health care system to refuse to perform a legal medical service for reasons of 'CO' when the service is part of their professional duties.

The role of the thalamus in ADHD symptomatology and treatment.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic disorder with symptoms of inattention and impulsivity that partially remit with age. A review of longitudinal studies of children and adolescents with ADHD showed that the majority will have continued cognitive and functional impairments into adulthood. The thalamus likely plays a prominent role in ADHD symptomatology, based on evidence that the thalamus generates waking-state electroencephalography (EEG) rhythms along with extensive thalamic neural circuitry connections with cortical and subcortical areas.

Attention: an evolving construct.

We review the implications of large-scale brain systems on the construct of attention by first focusing on significant theories and discoveries during the previous 150 years and then considering how the comparatively recent discovery of large-scale brain systems may render previous conceptualizations of attention outdated. Seven functional brain networks are briefly reviewed and the implications of emerging principles of brain functioning for test construction and neuropsychological evaluation are considered. To remain a relevant discipline moving into the 21st century, the field of neuropsychology needs to apply the principles that have been discovered about brain networks to better inform our understanding of attention as well as our ever-refining evaluation of this construct.

Large-scale brain systems and subcortical relationships: practical applications.

This article describes an interactive paradigm for understanding brain functioning. This model requires both explicit and implicit learning processes. This paradigm is illustrated through the interpretation of practical examples of behavior.

Large-scale brain systems and subcortical relationships: the vertically organized brain.

This article reviews the vertical organization of the brain. The cortico-basal ganglia and the cerebro-cerebellar circuitry systems are described as fundamental to cognitive and behavioral control. The basal ganglia anticipate and guide implicitly learned behaviors on the basis of experienced reward outcomes.

The small-world organization of large-scale brain systems and relationships with subcortical structures.

Brain structure and function is characterized by large-scale brain systems. However, each system has its own "small-world" organization, with sub-regions, or "hubs," that have varying degrees of specialization for certain cognitive and behavioral processes. This article describes this small-world organization, and the concepts of functional specialization and functional integration are defined and explained through practical examples.

Structure and function of large-scale brain systems.

This article introduces the functional neuroanatomy of large-scale brain systems. Both the structure and functions of these brain networks are presented. All human behavior is the result of interactions within and between these brain systems.

The neuropsychology of attention: revisiting the "Mirsky model".

Nearly 25 years ago, Mirsky and colleagues proposed a multiple-component model of attention. It was proposed that attention was characterized by several distinct elements that were organized into a system. A putative neuroanatomical substrate of this model of attention was proposed.

Determinants of emergency contraceptive use after unprotected intercourse: who seeks emergency contraception and who seeks abortion?

Objective: To compare differences in contraceptive characteristics and the knowledge of emergency contraception (EC) between women who used EC after unprotected intercourse and those who sought abortion.

Design: A questionnaire survey.

Setting: A Hungarian university hospital.

Neuropsychological assessment of persons with physical disability, visual impairment or blindness, and hearing impairment or deafness.

Conducting assessment with individuals with physical disability, visual impairment or blindness, and hearing impairment or deafness poses significant challenges for the neuropsychologist. Although standards for psychological testing have been devised to address assessment of persons with disabilities, little research has been conducted to validate neuropsychological test accommodation and modification practices that deviate from standard test administration or to develop test parameters and interpretive guidelines specifically for persons with different physical or sensory disabilities. This paper reviews issues pertaining to neuropsychological test selection and administration, common accommodation and modification practices, test development and validation, and disability-related factors that influence interpretation of test results.