Minimizing nocebo effect: Pragmatic approach.

The nocebo effect, the inverse of the placebo effect, is a well-established phenomenon, yet under-appreciated. It refers to nonpharmacological, harmful, or undesirable effects occurring after active or inactive therapy. The frequency of adverse events can dramatically increase by informing patients about the possible side effects of the treatment, and by negative expectations on the part of the patient.

Do not resuscitate, brain death, and organ transplantation: Islamic perspective.

Muslim patients and families are often reluctant to discuss and accept fatal diagnoses and prognoses. In many instances, aggressive therapy is requested by a patient's family, prolonging the life of the patient at all costs. Islamic law permits the withdrawal of futile treatment, including life support, from terminally ill patients allowing death to take its natural course.

Slowing the Tide of Alcohol Use Disorders.

Alcohol use disorders (AUDs)-a spectrum including at-risk drinking, alcohol abuse, dependence, and addiction-is a highly prevalent problem worldwide with a substantial economic impact. The toll of alcohol on individual health and healthcare systems is devastating. Alcohol is estimated to be the fifth leading risk factor for global disability-adjusted life years.

Pragmatic message to junior doctors.

Although several studies described the experience of doctors in their first postgraduate years, few shed the light on the ethical issues encountered by them. These doctors face a broad range of 'everyday' ethical challenges, from breach of confidentiality to truth-telling or improper informed consent. The daily ethical issues faced by junior doctors are not as dramatic as the major issues learned at medical school.

Ethical Dilemmas at the End of Life: Islamic Perspective.

Many Muslim patients and families are often reluctant to accept fatal diagnoses and prognoses. Not infrequently, aggressive therapy is sought by the patient or his/her family, to prolong the life of the patient at all costs. A series of searches were conducted of Medline databases published in English between January 2000 and January 2015 with the following Keywords: End-of-life, Ethics and Islam.

Assisted reproductive technology: Islamic Sunni perspective.

Background: Islam acknowledges that infertility is a significant hardship. Attempts to cure infertility are not only permissible, but also encouraged in Islam. Over the last three decades, a multitude of advances in assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) have appeared.

Kidney transplantation: ethical challenges in the Arab world.

There is a wide gap between organ supply and demand, which results in a very long waiting time for kidney transplantation and an increasing number of deaths of the patients while on the waiting list. These events have raised many ethical, moral and societal issues regarding organ donation, allocation and use of living donors through exploitation of the poor for the benefit of the wealthy. Success in the implementation of kidney transplantation programs in a country depends on various factors including the economic situation, religious approval, public views, medical expertise and existing legislation.

Ethical challenges of deactivation of cardiac devices in advanced heart failure.

More than 23 million adults worldwide have heart failure (HF). Although survival after heart failure diagnosis has improved over time, mortality from heart failure remains high. At the end of life, the chronic HF patient often becomes increasingly symptomatic, and may have other life-limiting comorbidities as well.

Western and Islamic bioethics: How close is the gap?

The relation between Islam and medicine has been described as intimate. Muslims are expected to be moderate and balanced in all matters, including health. Islamic law is based on a complete system of morality that can provide a moral context in medicine from a legal perspective.

Permissibility of prenatal diagnosis and abortion for fetuses with severe genetic disorder: type 1 spinal muscular atrophy.

Abortion has been largely avoided in Muslim communities. However, Islamic jurists have established rigorous parameters enabling abortion of fetuses with severe congenital abnormalities. This decision-making process has been hindered by an inability to predict the severity of such prenatally-diagnosed conditions, especially in genetic disorders with clinical heterogeneity, such as spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

Seeking remedy, abstaining from therapy and resuscitation: an islamic perspective.

This paper discusses the Islamic viewpoint on seeking remedy. It is imperative to seek remedy in life threatening situations or in case of highly infectious diseases. In such circumstances, the Muslim government can impose quarantine and enforcement of treatment to protect the community.