Microbial DNA in Human Body Can Be Used to Identify Individuals

This article is about how scientists are now able to identify a person based on the collective DNA of the microbes in your body. Human-genomics researchers have grappled with privacy concerns for years. In 2013, scientists showed that they could name five people who had taken part anonymously in the international 1,000 Genomes project, by cross-referencing their DNA with a genealogy database that also contained ages, locations and surnames.

More recently, the microbiome’s influence on our health and behaviour has become a hot research topic. The data from human-microbiome studies tend to end up in public repositories, but is not certain whether microbiomes were permanent enough in individuals to identify them over time. It states that stool samples offered the best microbiome signatures and a person’s first sample could be linked to their second sample 86% of the time. Whereas skin samples could only be linked accurately one in every four times. 

The issue that comes up is privacy. Microbiomes could pose a privacy risk because they inevitably get jumbled up with human DNA. The odds of identifying someone on the basis of their microbiome is low but the proper steps should be taken in order to protect privacy. A director from the National Human Genome Research Institute said that an overreaction could slow the understanding of the microbiome. She also stated that we would want to keep it in open access because of the value it adds to science. 

Reference:

Callaway, E. (2015, May 13). Microbial DNA in Human Body Can Be Used to Identify Individuals. Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/microbial-dna-in-human-body-can-be-used-to-identify-individuals/

When Doctors Help a Patient Die

This articles talks about laws allowing doctors to end the life of a suffering patient.  Providing drugs for an immediate death of a patient seems contrary to the purpose of medicine.  One of five states has legalized this. A bio-ethicist stated that he found that for doctors, having the opportunity to help a patient die may resolve certain ethical issues but raises many others. Legally, the act of aiding or abetting the death of another has been considered a felony. Ethically, physician assistance in the death of a patient has been contrary to the precepts of bioethics. It is stated that in earlier times physicians took an oath that they would not provide any deadly substance to patients.

In Washington State, two doctors must verify that the patient is competent, suffering from a terminal illness and that death is expected within six months. The request must be made and confirmed by a second request after a 15-day waiting period. The process requires a doctor who is willing to write the prescription and a pharmacist who is willing to fill it. The patient must have the capacity to take the prescription independently; that is, it must not be administered by another party. Then the patient will decide when to take the medication.

This brings about many ethical issues. We put our animals down when they are suffering, why can’t we do it to ourselves? The ethical issues I see is that how do you determine if that person is in the right state of mind. I think that Washington States process for the procedure is very good. Death must be expected in six months and they patient decides when to take it. I believe that this will be considered more over the years and serious process procedures must be set in place before it is legalize in more places.

References:

McCormick, T. (2015, May 13). When Doctors Help a Patient Die. Retrieved from http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/05/13/the-ethics-for-doctors-in-helping-a-patient-die/

Human-Animal Hybrid

This article is about a newly discovered type of stem cell could help provide a model for early human development. Eventually, human organs can be grown in large animals for research or therapeutic purpose. Scientists stumbled upon an unknown variety of pluripotent cell, which can give rise to any type of tissue. They stumbled upon it while attempting to graft human pluripotent stem cells into mouse embryos. 

These cells more quickly and stably than other pluripotent cells. That is why they may be more useful for developing new therapies. Izpisua Belmonte sought to transplant known types of human pluripotent cell into mouse embryos in vitro. They were grown in different combinations of growth factors and chemicals. Eventually they found a solution that causes them to be most effective. However, they did not take well with the mouse.

Gene editing could help scientists to optimize human cells’ ability to grow within another species, allowing the creation of transgenic chimaeras. It is stated that using human cells to create animals with human organs is not unrealistic. With this arise ethical questions about creating human-animal hybrids. They acknowledge this concern, but the lab has already started to implant pig embryos with different cells.

Reference

Nature Magazine, & Reardon, S. (2015, May 7). New Type of Stem Cell Could Make It Easier to Grow Human Organs. Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-type-of-stem-cell-could-make-it-easier-to-grow-human-organs/

CNN physician-journalist poses ethical dilemma after treating Nepal victims

This article is about a physician-journalist who was filmed while performing surgery on earthquake victims in Nepal. Ethical questions have been raised after a CNN crew covering the Nepalese earthquake filmed its chief medical correspondent performing emergency brain surgery on an 8 year old girl. He also resuscitated a woman mid-air on a helicopter, using a cardiac thump. Dr Sanjay Gupta was reporting on the devastating earthquake and is said to have regularly stepped in to saves lives while covering the story.


Gupta is not new to carrying out medical procedures in front of the camera. He has also treated a young boy in the Middle East while on assignment as well as examined patients on camera after the earthquake in Haiti.

The article states that people are worried about the ethics of filming a journalist’s medical intervention. There’s certainly a possible confidentiality issue, as well as the potential for self-promotion. When you film the journalist performing medical procedures, they are now the story instead of the main story. Several ethics experts have previously raised questions over the conflicting instincts of a physician-journalist. There are uneasy feelings over how “news organizations at some point appear to be capitalizing for promotional reasons on the intervention by journalists”.

In Nepal, the CNN crew filmed surgery on eight-year-old Selena Dohal, who had a fractured skull after a roof collapsed in her home. Gupta was called on by Nepalese doctors to assist in this procedure. He described it as a makeshift operating room, using iodine and sterilized water to clean the injuries. He had no surgical drill to cut open Dohal’s skull because of the lack of electricity and had to use a saw. The other incident that was filmed was in a helicopter flight where a woman stopped breathing. With no defibrillator, Gupta delivered a heavy blow to her chest in a last-ditch attempt to restart her heartbeat. 

These actions were definitely heroic. However, was it unethical to film these procedures? Or was it to show the world how bad things are over there? Gupta could have chosen not to film the procedures but his job as a reporter was to capture these moments. Were his actions unethical?

References:

Elgot, J. (2015, May 1). CNN physician-journalist poses ethical dilemma after treating Nepal victims. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/may/01/cnn-physician-journalist-ethical-dilemma-nepal-sanjay-gupta

Marijuana and Kids

This article talks about the long lasting controversial issue of medical marijuana. It states that while nearly two-thirds of people agree that their state should allow medical marijuana for adults, half as many -- just over a third -- say it should be allowed for children. It also states that eighty percent of respondents say adults shouldn't be allowed to use medical marijuana in front of kids. States have now been permitting medical marijuana and only few enforce strict rules regarding use by children. The majority of Americans worry that exposure to marijuana may be harmful to kids' health.

The article states the from the Mott poll ten percent of respondents in the Mott poll either have a medical marijuana card or know someone who does, while 7 percent either use marijuana when children are present or know someone who does. Medical marijuana laws have been in the news around the country because of the ethical and legal complexity it has brought. There have even been cases of children even being taken away from parents using medical marijuana at home. In Maine, even though medical marijuana is legal, the state's Supreme Judicial Court ruled that it can make a person unfit as a parent and therefore risk custody rights.

More states are being faced with questions regarding if children that have qualifying conditions should be able to use it too. In Connecticut, they are considering a bill that would expand the state's medical marijuana program to children. In New Jersey, the health department recently took a step toward allowing edible medical marijuana for kids. Colorado permits a special strain of cannabis known as "Charlotte's Web" used by hundreds of children.

There is little science about the safety of treating children with medical marijuana. Research has indicated that children’s brains and nervous systems are especially vulnerable to the adverse effects of marijuana. This raises a concern in some people. Advocates for medical marijuana argue that it can be safe and effective for treating symptoms related to diseases such as cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS and epilepsy for adults and children. Others are concerned about inadequate scientific testing as a treatment, negative side effects on the brain and other organs and evidence that drug use early in life is more likely to lead to drug addiction in adulthood.

This is an ethical issue that we are being faced with and is very controversial. More research should be done on this subject in order to get more information on the affects it could have on children.

Reference:

University of Michigan Health System. (2015, April). Most Americans say medical marijuana shouldn't be used by kids or in front of kids, legal or not. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150420084545.htm