On a Romanian attempt to legislate on medically assisted human reproduction

The paper presents and briefly analyses some of the provisions of a Romanian legislative proposal which arrived at the Presidency for ratification twice, in slightly different forms, and which was rejected twice: the first time at the Presidency in October 2004, and the second at the Constitutional Court in July 2005. The proposal was finally dropped in February 2006. My intention here is to point to some of the most problematic deficiencies of the legislative document in the hope that this may assist with future debates and regulations on assisted reproduction either in Romania or elsewhere. I have isolated the features to be discussed under two headings: (1) whose are the rights to reproduce, that the document claimed to ‘acknowledge, regulate and guarantee’ and (2) what is the status of the embryo, the child and the surrogate mother?     

黄芩的生物学研究进展

药用黄芩为唇形科(Labiatae)黄芩属(Scutellaria)多年生草本植物黄芩(Scutellaria baicalensisGeorgi)的干燥根,是我国大宗中药材之一,药用历史悠久。我们对其原植物黄芩的种质资源、形态结构、生长发育、繁殖方式等方面的研究进展,以及黄芩药材的解剖学研究和显微鉴定等进行了系统考察和总结,可为深入进行原植物黄芩的生物学研究及药用黄芩的真伪鉴别和提高药用部分的质量和产量提供依据和资料。     

Assisted Reproduction and Distributive Justice

The Canadian province of Quebec recently amended its Health Insurance Act to cover the costs of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). The province of Ontario recently de‐insured IVF. Both provinces cited cost‐effectiveness as their grounds, but the question as to whether a public health insurance system ought to cover IVF raises the deeper question of how we should understand reproduction at the social level, and whether its costs should be a matter of individual or collective responsibility. In this article I examine three strategies for justifying collective provisions in a liberal society and assess whether public reproductive assistance can be defended on any of these accounts. I begin by considering, and rejecting, rights‐based and needs‐based approaches. I go on to argue that instead we ought to address assisted reproduction from the perspective of the contractarian insurance‐based model for public health coverage, according to which we select items for inclusion based on their unpredictability in nature and cost. I argue that infertility qualifies as an unpredictable incident against which rational agents would choose to insure under ideal conditions and that assisted reproduction is thereby a matter of collective responsibility, but only in cases of medical necessity or inability to pay. The policy I endorse by appeal to this approach is a means‐tested system of coverage resembling neither Ontario nor Quebec's, and I conclude that it constitutes a promising alternative worthy of serious consideration by bioethicists, political philosophers, and policy‐makers alike.     

蜜蜂繁殖冲突与雌性蜜蜂信息素研究进展

在营造社会性生活的蜜蜂群体里,蜂王释放出蜂王信息素来控制工蜂卵巢发育及改造王台特性,并吸引雄蜂为之交配,使蜂群正常繁衍。本文在国内外相关研究的基础上,对蜜蜂各蜂种、亚种以及特殊蜂群无政府主义蜂群、海角蜜蜂等雌性蜜蜂信息素成分以及含量变化进行综合论述,并对蜂王主要信息素对工蜂和雄蜂生理影响以及今后的研究趋势作扼要介绍。     

短时高温对莲草直胸跳甲成虫存活及繁殖的影响

采用短时高温处理研究了40～47℃高温对莲草直胸跳甲Agasicles hygrophila Selma & Vogt成虫存活以及40～44℃对雌成虫繁殖的影响。结果表明:(1)处理1h后,随着温度的上升,莲草直胸跳甲雌雄成虫的存活率均随着温度的上升而下降,44℃时,雌成虫的存活率开始显著高于雄成虫;处理温度为40℃时,雌雄成虫存活率也随着处理时间的延长而下降,7h时,雌成虫的存活率开始显著高于雄成虫。此外,雌成虫致死90%的温度和时间分别高于雄成虫1.31℃和1.29h,均表明雌成虫的耐热能力比雄成虫强,但差异仅在胁迫强度偏大时表现为显著;(2)40～44℃短时高温影响莲草直胸跳甲成虫的繁殖。与对照处理相比,40、42和44℃高温处理1h后,雌成虫的寿命和产卵量变化不显著,但均引起了其产卵前期的延长和10日龄成虫产卵停滞,44℃时,平均停滞时间达2.62d,子代卵的孵化率则从40℃的88.67%下降到44℃的79.84%,44℃时显著低于对照。     

厚颌鲂(Megalobrama pellegrini)的繁殖生物学特征

从长江上游一级支流龙溪河收集了1382尾厚颌鲂开展繁殖生物学研究。结果表明,厚颌鲂繁殖期为4～7月份,盛期为4～5月份,在繁殖季节可借第二性征辨别性别。繁殖群体主要由2、3龄个体组成,总性比♀∶♂＝1∶1.83。厚颌鲂2龄初次性成熟（♀∶75%;♂∶94.7%）,3龄个体全部成熟。最小性成熟雌性全长189.0mm,体长158.0mm,体重72.1g,成熟系数2.7%;雄性全长179.0mm,体长149.0mm,体重57.1g,成熟系数2.2%。厚颌鲂绝对怀卵量为(59587.22±59018)粒,相对怀卵量为(212.64±89.50)粒/g或(230.96±137.63)粒/mm,绝对怀卵量和相对怀卵量均在5龄大幅增长。比较繁殖力以3龄组最高,2、4、5龄组相近。集群繁殖需要18℃以上水温和其他一些生态因子刺激,亲鱼追逐约1h左右产卵。     

Involve both genetic and environmental factors to build monkey models of mental disorders

正Dear Editor,Mental diseases,such as schizophrenia,are typically the result of multiple abnormalities,including neurobiological,psychological and sociological processes,particularly the environmental and genetic disorders(Bailey,2000).Consequently,in psychic medicine,animal models should be developed via methods consistent with their associated theories of mental disorders.However,many conventional models are constructed via genetic manipulations or surgical operations to the nervous system(Bezard,2006,van der Staay,2006,2009),e.g.administrate animals with agonists or antagonists of various neurotransmitters or drugs to reproduce human mental disorders.The usage of these methods,which should be considered as simple neuro-pharmacological     

肉苁蓉(Cistanche deserticola)种内的变异式样

用比较形态解剖学的方法对肉苁蓉的营养器官和繁殖器官进行比较,研究了名贵中药肉苁蓉营养器官和繁殖器官的变异式样。发现肉苁蓉种内具有不同形态特点的类型,造成中药肉苁蓉中在其药理、药效等方面也存在着差异。     

厚颌鲂(Megalobrama pellegrini)的繁殖生物学特征

从长江上游一级支流龙溪河收集了1382尾厚颌鲂开展繁殖生物学研究。结果表明,厚颌鲂繁殖期为4—7月份,盛期为4—5月份,在繁殖季节可借第二性征辨别性别。繁殖群体主要由2、3龄个体组成,总性比♀：♂=1：1．83。厚颌鲂2龄初次性成熟（♀：75％;♂：94．7％）,3龄个体全部成熟。最小性成熟雌性全长189．0mm,体长158．0mm,体重72．1g,成熟系数2．7％;雄性全长179．0mm,体长149．0mm,体重57．1g,成熟系数2．2％。厚颌鲂绝对怀卵量为（59587．22±59018）粒,相对怀卵量为（212．64±89．50）粒／g或（230．96±137．63）粒／mm,绝对怀卵量和相对怀卵量均在5龄大幅增长。比较繁殖力以3龄组最高,2、4、5龄组相近。集群繁殖需要18℃以上水温和其他一些生态因子刺激,亲鱼追逐约1h左右产卵。     

A RIGHT TO REPRODUCE?

How should we conceive of a right to reproduce? And, morally speaking, what might be said to justify such a right? These are just two questions of interest that are raised by the technologies of assisted reproduction. This paper analyses the possible legitimate grounds for a right to reproduce within the two main theories of rights; interest theory and choice theory.