The common rule's ‘reasonable person’ standard for informed consent

Laura Odwazny and Benjamin Berkman have raised several challenges regarding the new reasonable person standard in the revised Common Rule, which states that informed consent requires potential research subjects be provided with information a reasonable person would want to know to make an informed decision on whether to participate in a study. Our aim is to offer a response to the challenges Odwazny and Berkman raise, which include the need for a reasonable person standard that can be applied consistently across institutional review boards and that does not stigmatize marginal groups. In response, we argue that the standard ought to be based in an ordinary rather than ideal person conception of reasonable person and that the standard ought to employ what we call a liberal constraint: the reasonability standard must be malleable enough such that a wide variety of individuals with different, unique value systems would endorse it. We conclude by suggesting some of the likely consequences our view would have, if adopted.     

Efficacy of choline and DHA supplements or enriched environment exposure during early adult obesity in mitigating its adverse impact through aging in rats

IntroductionThe aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of choline and DHA or exposure to environmental enrichment in obese adult and aging rats on alterations in body mass index, serum lipid profile and arterial wall changes, despite stopping high fat diet consumption and interventions during adulthood.Methods21 day old male Sprague Dawley rats were assigned as Experiment-1 & 2 - PND rats were divided into 4 groups with interventions for 7 months (n = 8/group). NC– Normal control fed normal chow diet; OB- Obese group, fed high fat diet; OB + CHO + DHA- fed high fat diet and oral supplementation of choline, DHA. OB + EE- fed high fat diet along with exposure to enriched environment .Experiment-2 had similar groups and interventions as experiment 1 but for next 5 months were fed normal chow diet without any interventions. Body mass index was assessed and blood was analyzed for serum lipid profile. Common Carotid Artery (CCA) was processed for Haematoxylin and eosin, Verhoff Vangeison stains. Images of tissue sections were analyzed and quantified using image J and tissue quant software.ResultsIn experiment.1, mean body mass index (p < 0.001), serum lipid profile (p < 0.01), thickness of tunica intima (p < 0.05), tunica media (p < 0.01) and percentage of collagen fibers (p < 0.01) of CCA were significantly increased in OB compared to NC. These were significantly attenuated in OB + CHO + DHA and OB + EE compared to OB. In experiment.2, mean body mass index (p < 0.01), serum lipid profile (p < 0.05) and thickness of tunica media of CCA (p < 0.01) were significantly increased in OB compared to NC. In OB + CHO + DHA and OB + EE, significant attenuation was observed in mean body mass index and mean thickness of tunica media compared to same in OB.ConclusionAdult obesity has negative impact on body mass index, serum lipid profile and arterial wall structure that persists through aging. Supplementation of choline and DHA or exposure to enriched environment during obesity attenuates these negative impacts through aging.     

Sequence of a gene encoding a (poly ManA) alginate lyase active on Pseudomonas aeruginosa alginate

Abstract To overcome problems associated with Western blotting of denatured proteins, we have used quantitative immunoelectrophoretic techniques to perform functional analysis of the Neisseria gonorrhoeae common antigen. Using these techniques, we show (a) that Neisseria gonorrhoeae expresses an antigen that is cross-reactive with the common antigen of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Legionella micdadei and with the GroEl-like protein of Chlamydia , and (b) that this N. gonorrhoeae common antigen has lectin-like activity and can be precipitated with three different sugars immobilized on agarose beads: α- d -glucosamine, maltose and fucose.     

The importance of competition,food, habitat,weather and phenotype for the reproduction of Buzzard Buteo buteo

Capsule Variation in reproduction between territories was strongly influenced by intra- and interspecific competition, phenotype, levels of rainfall and human disturbance.

Aims To assess the relative importance of competition, food, habitat quality, weather and phenotype as predictors of variation in reproduction in Buzzard.

Methods Annual breeding data were collected from 1989 to 1996 in a 300-km² study area and related to 35 independent variables through multivariate regression models.

Results Significant predictors of variation in reproduction between territories (78% variance explained) were variables describing intra- and interspecific competition, plumage morph, laying date, precipitation levels and anthropogenic disturbances in the breeding territory. Competition and plumage morph seem to be particularly important, as these variables explained a high level of variation (81%) in the 1996 reproduction of this population.

Conclusion The potential importance of competition, plumage morph and precipitation for reproduction in this Buzzard population is emphasized.     

Fluctuations in circumpolar seabird populations linked to climate oscillations

We found that synchronous fluctuations of two congeneric seabird species across the entire Arctic and sub-Arctic regions were associated with changes in sea surface temperatures (SST) that were linked to two climate shifts, in 1977 and again in 1989. As the SST changes linked to climate shifts were congruent at the scale of ocean basins, fluctuations of these species occurred similarly at continental or basin scale. Changes in colony sizes were examined for a decade following climate shifts. The magnitude of the SST shift was more important than its direction in determining the subsequent rate of population change. Seabirds declined when the SST shift was large and increased when the shift was small, although the effect differed between the Arctic-breeding species and the more temperate-breeding congener. The Arctic species, Thick-billed Murre ( Uria lomvia ) increased most rapidly when SST warmed slightly, while the temperate species, Common Murre ( Uria aalge ) showed most rapid increase with moderate cooling. Both showed negative trends with large temperature shifts in either direction. This pattern was replicated during both climate oscillations. Negative population trends in seabirds presumably indicate the alteration of underlying food webs. Hence, similar widespread fluctuations in response to climate shifts are likely for other ecosystem components (marine mammals, fish, and invertebrates).     

慢性前列腺炎与细菌L型

本文用自行研制的883L型增菌培养基对51例次慢性前列腺炎患者的前列腺液作L型培养,结果检出L型细菌27例,占52.9％,经返祖和药物敏感性测定,证明本组L型细菌特性与其他来源的L型细菌基本相符,提示慢性前列腺炎的病因、病理机制可能与细菌L型的感染相关。