Trophic Transfer of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes at the Base of the Food Chain and Toxicological Response.

The potential for trophic transfer of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) was assessed using the green algae and the blue mussel in a series of laboratory experiments. Swanee River Natural Organic Matter (SRNOM)-dispersed SWCNTs were introduced into growing algal cultures. Light microscopical observations, confirmed by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy, showed that SWCNT agglomerates adhered to the external algal cell walls and transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) results suggested internalization.

Treatment needs in HIV prevention trials: using beneficence to clarify sponsor-investigator responsibilities.

Some participants will get HIV-infected in HIV prevention trials, despite risk reduction measures. The subsequent treatment responsibilities of sponsor-investigators have been widely debated, especially where access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is not available. In this paper, we explore two accounts of beneficence to establish whether they can shed light on sponsor-investigator responsibilities.

Ethical considerations related to the provision of care and treatment in vaccine trials.

Ethical principles of beneficence and justice combined with international human rights norms and standards create certain obligations on researchers, sponsors and public health authorities. These include treatment provision for participants enrolled in clinical trials of vaccines, drugs and other new preventive and curative technologies and methods. However, these obligations are poorly defined in practical terms, inconsistently understood or inadequately applied.

Challenges in the provision of ICU services to HIV infected children in resource poor settings: a South African case study.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic has placed increasing demands on limited paediatric intensive care services in developing countries. The decision to admit HIV infected children with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) into the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) has to be made on the best available evidence of outcome and the ethical principles guiding appropriate use of scarce resources. The difficulty in confirming the diagnosis of HIV infection and PCP in infancy, issues around HIV counselling, and the variance in the outcome of HIV infected children with PCP admitted to the PICU in African studies compound this process.