Moral enhancement,at the peak of pharmacology and at the limit of ethics

The debate over the improvement of moral capacity or moral enhancement through pharmacology has gained momentum in the last decade as a result of advances in neuroscience. These advances have led to the discovery and allowed the alteration of patterns of human behavior, and have permitted direct interventions on the neuronal structure of behavior. In recent years, this analysis has deepened regarding the anthropological foundations of morality and the reasons that would justify the acceptance or rejection of such technology. We present a review of proposals for pharmacological interventions directed directly towards moral enhancement. In addition, we identify the ethical dilemmas that such interventions may generate, as well as the moral assessment of the authors of these studies. There is a moderate consensus on the risks of any intervention on the intimate structure of the human condition, its autonomy and identity, but there are large differences in explaining the reasons for this concern and especially in justifying such interventions. These findings show that it is necessary to investigate the moral assessment of authors and the ethical dimension within the field of pharmacology in order to identify future trends.     

Age at menarche, at first intercourse, and at first pregnancy

Data from an urban sample of American women of reproductive ages demonstrate that age at menarche is correlated with age at first intercourse, that age at first intercourse is correlated with age at first pregnancy, and that menarche is therefore correlated with age at first pregnancy. This applied to both blacks and whites when examined for the early years of the reproductive cycle. Girls with early menarche, compared to those with late menarche, are more than twice as likely to have had intercourse by age 16, and almost twice as likely to have given birth or had a pregnancy terminated by age 18. It is therefore useful to think of the timing of menarche as an indicator of the probability of early intercourse and early childbearing.     

On the Bateleur, especially at the Nest

An account is given of one hundred hours of observations at a Bateleur'a nest in north-eastern Tanganyike Territory. The adults were a white-backed bird and a chestnut-backed, with a sub-adult; probably over three years old, in association with them. The youngster took 130 dap to fledge. During at least part of the time all its food was brought by the white-backed adult. When the fledgling was about one month old its feeds averaged about one in eight hours; during its last week in the nest feeds were nearly three times as frequent.
Literature and unpublished data are reviewed in relation to special points of interest, viz.:—
Slow development and maturation accords with longevity. Fledging period apparently longer than authentically recorded for any land bird. First wing-moult may have started before first flight.
Tail length is greater in proportion to wing in juveniles than in adults.
Proportion of white-becks to chestnut-backs differs in parts of Africa, being least in South africa. White-tailed birds seem confined to Sudanese semi-desert belt.
Voice, flight habits and wing-noises seem to differ in parts of Africa.
Food comprises both carrion and live prey, especially snakes, but not poultry or other birds. Claws are not less sharp than those of Stephanoaëtus and Polemaëtus .
Breeding records in Tropical Africa show, when analysed with reference to egg-dates, that as a rule in each area the young get through their fledging period, or at least the later, unbrooded part, during the local cool dry season.
Psychologically the Bateleur is most peculiar: in the wild it is shy of man, sociable with big birdv of its own and other species, and breeding birds tolerate sub-adults: in captivity it becomes unusually tame, has a grecting ceremony for friends and likes to be handled.     

Sirtuins at the crossroads of stemness,aging, and cancer

Sirtuins are stress‐responsive proteins that direct various post‐translational modifications (PTMs) and as a result, are considered to be master regulators of several cellular processes. They are known to both extend lifespan and regulate spontaneous tumor development. As both aging and cancer are associated with altered stem cell function, the possibility that the involvement of sirtuins in these events is mediated by their roles in stem cells is worthy of investigation. Research to date suggests that the individual sirtuin family members can differentially regulate embryonic, hematopoietic as well as other adult stem cells in a tissue‐ and cell type‐specific context. Sirtuin‐driven regulation of both cell differentiation and signaling pathways previously involved in stem cell maintenance has been described where downstream effectors involved determine the biological outcome. Similarly, diverse roles have been reported in cancer stem cells (CSCs), depending on the tissue of origin. This review highlights the current knowledge which places sirtuins at the intersection of stem cells, aging, and cancer. By outlining the plethora of stem cell‐related roles for individual sirtuins in various contexts, our purpose was to provide an indication of their significance in relation to cancer and aging, as well as to generate a clearer picture of their therapeutic potential. Finally, we propose future directions which will contribute to the better understanding of sirtuins, thereby further unraveling the full repertoire of sirtuin functions in both normal stem cells and CSCs.     

Changes in breast sensitivity at puberty,during the menstrual cycle,and at parturition.

Sensitivity to pain and touch was measured in the nipple, areola, and cutaneous breast tissue of prepubertal boys and girls, postpubertal men and nuliparous women before and after delivery. Before puberty there were no differences between the sexes, but after puberty the tactile sensitivity of all areas of the women''s breast was significantly greater than the men''s. Tactil sensitivity of all areas also varied during the menstrual cycle, with maximal sensitivity at midcycle and at menstruation; the mid-cycle peak was absent when the women were taking oral contraceptives. But the most dramatic changes occured within 24 hours of parturition, when there was a great increase in breast sensitivity. This may be the key event for activating the suckling-induced discharge of oxytocin and prolactin and inhibiting ovulation during lactation.     

Biological maturity at birth,the course of the subsequent ontogenetic stages and age at menarche

The main aim of the study was to assess the influence of biological maturity at birth on growth processes in the subsequent years and during puberty in girls. The material of this study comes from the outpatient clinic cards and cross-sectional research on girls from the province of Wielkopolska in Poland. It includes data of 527 girls. The influence of perinatal maturity on body weight in the later stages of ontogeny was determined with the use of the Kruskal–Wallis test and the Mann–Whitney U test. In order to determine the relationship between perinatal maturity and age at menarche, the survival analysis module was used.The results show a diverse influence of perinatal maturity on the values of body weight achieved in later years of life. The indicated predictive factors included both birth weight and gestational age. In the examined girls menarche occurred between the 10th year and the 17th year of life $(\overline{X}=12.87$, s = 1.26; Me = 13 years). The comparison showed a significant variation in age at menarche depending on the length of pregnancy (log-rank ${\chi }_2^2=27.068$, p < 0.0001) and birth weight (log-rank ${\chi }_2^2=23.241$, p < 0.0001). There was no variation in maturation of the examined girls conditioned by the occurrence of intra-uterine growth retardation (log-rank ${\chi }_2^2=2.046$, p > 0.05). Remote prognoses as to the postnatal development of preterm-born children and/or children with low birth weight indicate adverse influence of these variables on age at menarche. Perinatal biological maturity of a newborn conditions the course of postnatal development.