"...memory manipulation, which promises to take away that which is bad in human experience, also removes that which enables human beings to be good."

New Bioeth. 2018 Sep 19:1-29. doi: 10.1080/20502877.2018.1520535. [Epub ahead of print]

The Neurostructure of Morality and the Hubris of Memory Manipulation.

DePergola PA 2nd1,2.

Author information

1

a Department of Medicine , University of Massachusetts Medical School , Worcester , MA , USA.

2

b Division of Humanities and Fine Arts , College of Our Lady of the Elms , Chicopee , MA , USA.

Abstract

Neurotechnologies that promise to dampen (via pharmacologicals), disassociate (via electro-convulsive therapy), erase (via deep brain stimulation), and replace (via false memory creation) unsavory episodic memories are no longer the subject of science fiction. They have already arrived, and their funding suggests that they will not disappear anytime soon. In light of their emergence, this essay examines the neurostructure of normative morality to clarify that memory manipulation, which promises to take away that which is bad in human experience, also removes that which enables human beings to be good. Concepts such as free will, moral responsibility, and the neurobiological basis of moral reasoning are explored to underscore the fundamental hubris inherent to the memory manipulation enterprise.

“Preventing the spread of breast cancer, and finding ways to treat it effectively when it does, remains our greatest research challenge to improving survival – but we need the government..."

Breast cancer charity demands action to avert rise in deaths

Death toll projected to climb by 2022 due to increase in incidence of disease and ageing population

“Preventing the spread of breast cancer, and finding ways to treat it effectively when it does, remains our greatest research challenge to improving survival – but we need the government to take every available opportunity to save lives.”

"Studies have demonstrated a connection between obesity and a person's risk of developing colon and other gastrointestinal cancers."

Breaking the link between obesity, gastrointestinal cancers

Studies have demonstrated a connection between obesity and a person's risk of developing colon and other gastrointestinal cancers. Now, scientists are investigating approaches that can break this relationship.

In an article in the journal Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, UNC Lineberger's Stephen Hursting, Ph.D., MPH, along with Cornelia Ulrich, Ph.D., MS, the director of the Huntsman Cancer Institute's National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and colleagues, reviewed findings from research looking at the biological links between obesity and cancers of the colon, rectum, pancreas, liver, esophagus, gallbladder and stomach, as well as published studies on how diet, exercise, weight loss surgery, and other weight-related interventions may help reverse this connection.

"book inflation"

The Guardian view on lengthening books: read them and weep

“We occasionally felt that inside the book we read was a better one – sometimes a thinner one – wildly signalling to be let out,” said Kwame Anthony Appiah, their chairman.

Most readers can empathise, and may feel that the word “occasionally” was tactful. One book survey found that the average number of pages had increased from 320 to 400 pages between 1999 and 2014. Some think that the shift to digital formats has contributed, not least in removing the fear of being crushed beneath your duvet by your bedtime reading. Val McDermid, another of the judges, cited the inexperience of editors; commercial pressures which deny them the time they need to spend on books; and the unwillingness of writers to listen. The phenomenon of “book inflation” over careers has been noted: the last part of Karl Ove Knausgård’s My Struggle runs to almost 1,200 pages, and Paul Auster’s most recent novel 4321 is almost as long as his previous three books put together. The approving may credit increased boldness and mastery of material. The unimpressed blame growing authorial egos.

Am J Public Health. 2018 Sep 25:e1-e3. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2018.304582. [Epub ahead of print]

The Physician's Duty to Treat During Pandemics.

Orentlicher D1.

Author information

1

David Orentlicher is with the William S. Boyd School of Law and the Health Law Program, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Abstract

Physicians assume a primary ethical duty to place the welfare of their patients above their own interests. Thus, for example, physicians must not exploit the patient-physician relationship for personal financial gain through the practice of self-referral. But how far does the duty to patient welfare extend? Must physicians assume a serious risk to their own health to ensure that patients receive needed care? In the past, physicians were expected to provide care during pandemics without regard to the risk to their own health. In recent decades, however, the duty to treat during pandemics has suffered from erosion even while the risks to physicians from meeting the duty has gone down. After exploring the historical evolution of the duty to treat and the reasons for the duty, I conclude that restoring a strong duty to treat would protect patient welfare without subjecting physicians to undue health risks. 

Report: New Jersey obesity rate at an all-time high

Report: New Jersey obesity rate at an all-time high

EDISON -

More than 27 percent of the population in New Jersey is obese, according to the Trust for America's Health.

The report shows New Jersey ranks 41st in the nation.

"Lee also gained, however, the maturity through adversity – what the Chinese call “eating bitterness”– to merge his brawling tendencies with a philosophical approach to combat."

Eating bitterness

Kevin Chong considers the story of an iconic cross-cultural star

"At this point, the brash young man became an underdog. While studying at high school and then at the University of Washington, Lee washed dishes at a restaurant of a family friend; he married Linda Emery, whose mother disapproved of their mixed-race union. Lee also gained, however, the maturity through adversity – what the Chinese call “eating bitterness”– to merge his brawling tendencies with a philosophical approach to combat. He developed a martial arts style of his own, Jeet Kune Do (Way of the Intercepting Fist), that combined kung fu – known for its complex movements – with more efficient forms of fighting such as fencing and boxing."

Obesity to become leading cause of cancer in women

"Many of the physical and chemical changes in the body caused by obesity can promote cancer and can actually help certain cancers to spread, such as prostate and breast cancer," added Bevan, who was not involved in the report.

Obesity (still) On the Rise in the U.S.

Obesity On the Rise in the U.S.

More than two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese 

Strength-Based Exercises May Help Kids Fight Obesity

According to the study published in the journal Sports Medicine, motivating children to do strength-based exercises like squats, push-ups, and lunges could play a crucial role in managing obesity

"According to the study published in the journal Sports Medicine, motivating children to do strength-based exercises like squats, push-ups, and lunges could play a crucial role in managing obesity. As per the study, taking part in exercises that cause muscles to contract, and strengthen muscles and bones, reduce children's body fat percentage. The findings also suggest an increase in muscle mass gained from strength-based exercises could help boost children's metabolism and energy levels. The effects were small but meaningful, prompting calls for further research to find out how resistance training could treat and prevent the growing issue of child obesity."

Rev Sci Tech. 2018 Apr;37(1):123-129. doi: 10.20506/rst.37.1.2745.

Ethical issues surrounding the transplantation of organs from animals into humans.

Shaw D, Dondorp W, De Wert G.

Abstract

in English, French, Spanish

In this paper, the authors provide an analysis of the ethical issues surrounding the transplantation of organs from animals into humans. The main objections to xenotransplantation relate to safety concerns for the recipient; public health concerns about new viruses spreading from animals to humans; the possibility of animals developing human features; concerns about human dignity; and the fact that animals must be sacrificed so humans can benefit from their organs. Despite these objections, the urgency of the organ shortage situation is such that xenotransplantation may be justified, if further advances make it a realistic possibility.

J Med Philos. 2018 Sep 5;43(5):527-546. doi: 10.1093/jmp/jhy022.

Why "Moral Enhancement" Isn't Always Moral Enhancement: The Case of Traumatic Brain Injury in American Vets.

Hardcastle VG1.

Author information

1

Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Kentucky, USA.

Abstract

In this article, I argue that as we learn more about how we might intervene in the brain in ways that impact human behavior, the scope of what counts as "moral behavior" becomes smaller and smaller because things we successfully manipulate using evidence-based science are often things that fall outside the sphere of morality. Consequently, the argument that we are morally obligated to morally enhance our neighbors starts to fall apart, not because humans should be free to make terrible choices, but because morality is not something subject to such manipulation. To illustrate my argument, I shall use the rise of veteran diversion courts in the United States as a putative instance of an intervention designed to change human behavior for the better. Part of my purpose in working my way through this case study is to demonstrate that many philosophers have the psychology of immoral action wrong.

"In 2012, by comparison, not a single state had an adult obesity rate over 35 percent."

America's Obesity Problem Is Getting Even Worse

Six states in particular—Iowa, Ohio, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and South Carolina—had their adult obesity rate increase from 2016 to 2017. Seven states—Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and West Virginia—had an adult obesity rate over 35 percent, while 22 states had a rate hovering between 30 and 35 percent. West Virginia had the highest obesity rate among adults, at 38.1 percent. Only two states, Hawaii and Colorado, had an adult obesity rate lower than 25 percent of adults.

In 2012, by comparison, not a single state had an adult obesity rate over 35 percent.

"Professors and students shouldn’t be afraid to express themselves, make mistakes, find better ways of thinking and living through passionate disputation."

Have parents made their kids too fragile for the rough-and-tumble of life?


"The authors are right to push back hard against the cultivation of fragility and victimhood, and to defend free speech as essential to the mission of higher education. Professors and students shouldn’t be afraid to express themselves, make mistakes, find better ways of thinking and living through passionate disputation. Lukianoff and Haidt’s insights on the dangers of creating habits of 'moral dependency' are timely and important, and the concluding self-help section of the book is reasonable: Keep ’em safe, but not too safe. Things may not be what they used to be, but that common-sense advice still rings true enough."

"Adult obesity also differs by race, ethnicity[,] and education..."

Obesity In TN: New Maps Show How Common It Is

Obesity prevalence in the U.S. "remains high," according to new self-reported data released by the CDC.

Adult obesity also differs by race, ethnicity and education, the CDC notes. According to the data, adults without a high school degree had the highest prevalence of obesity at 35.6 percent while college graduates had the lowest prevalence of obesity at 22.7 percent. Discussing the disparities in adult obesity based on race, the CDC said black Americans had a 39 percent prevalence of obesity, hispanics had a 32.4 percent prevalence while white Americans had the lowest obesity prevalence at 29.3 percent.

Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2018 Aug 22. doi: 10.5858/arpa.2018-0313-SA. [Epub ahead of print]

Keep Calm and Tweet On: Legal and Ethical Considerations for Pathologists Using Social Media.

Gardner JM, Allen TC1.

Author information

1

From the Department of Pathology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock (Dr Gardner); and Department of Pathology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson (Dr Allen).

Abstract

Recent privacy breaches by a major social media company have again raised questions from some pathologists regarding the legality and ethics of sharing pathology images on social media. The authors examined ethical principles as well as historic and legal precedents relevant to pathology medical photography. Taking and sharing photographs of pathology specimens is embedded into the culture of the specialty of pathology and has been for more than a century. In general, the pathologist who takes the photograph of a gross or microscopic specimen owns the copyright to that photograph. Patient consent is not legally or ethically required to take or use deidentified photographs of pathology specimens. Current US privacy laws (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act [HIPAA] of 1996) permit public sharing of deidentified pathology photographs without specific patient consent, even on social media. There is no case law of action taken against pathologists for sharing deidentified pathology images on social media or elsewhere. If there is any legal risk for pathologists or risk of patient harm in sharing pathology photographs, it is very small. The benefits of professional social media use for pathologists, patients, and society are numerous and well documented in the literature.

7 states have obesity rates above 35 percent, report finds

Only two states — Hawaii and Colorado — and the District of Columbia had obesity rates below 25 percent.

Seven states — Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and West Virginia — had adult obesity rates above 35 percent. West Virginia held the highest rate at just over 38 percent.

Mississippi has 2nd-highest adult obesity rate in US

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi has the second-highest adult obesity rate in the country, with only West Virginia having a higher rate.

Those findings are included in a national report released Wednesday, which shows Mississippi's rate tops 37 percent, up from around 24 percent in 2000. The information comes from the nonpartisan Trust for America's Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Mississippi's problem is most acute in people aged 45 to 64, with an obesity rate reaching 42 percent. The report shows disparities by race, with about 45 percent of black adults in Mississippi considered obese, compared to 32 percent of white adults.

Mothers’ own health influences obesity in children, study confirms

What they found was that 5.3 per cent of those children became obese in those five years. The risk of becoming obese was lower in children whose mothers had a body mass index between 18.5 and 24.9, engaged in at least 150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous physical activity, did not smoke and consumed alcohol in moderation.

How obesity may harm memory and learning

In obese mice, rogue immune cells chomp nerve cell connections

"Like people, mice that eat lots of fat quickly pack on pounds. After 12 weeks of a high-fat diet, mice weighed almost 40 percent more than mice fed standard chow. These obese mice showed signs of diminished brainpower, neuroscientist Elizabeth Gould of Princeton University and colleagues found. Obese mice were worse at escaping mazes and remembering an object’s location than mice of a normal weight.

On nerve cells, microscopic knobs called dendritic spines receive signals. Compared with normal-sized mice, obese mice had fewer dendritic spines in several parts of the mice’s hippocampi, brain structures important for learning and memory."

Middle-aged drinkers in UK should have alcohol free days

"The more alcohol people drink, the greater their risk of developing a number of serious potentially life limiting health conditions, such as high blood pressure and heart disease, as well as seven types of cancer, PHE said."

Jog your memory: Treadmill desks don’t hinder thinking but can hamper memory

Jog your memory: Treadmill desks don’t hinder thinking but can hamper memory

"A person must cut 3,500 calories to lose one pound, so if treadmill desks were widely adopted in the workplace, they could have a positive impact on weight loss. Obesity is a major public health problem in the US, with roughly two-thirds of adults and one-third of children either overweight or obese."

Health Informatics J. 2018 Sep 7:1460458218796599. doi: 10.1177/1460458218796599. [Epub ahead of print]

Legal and ethical issues surrounding the use of crowdsourcing among healthcare providers.

Sims MH, Hodges Shaw M1, Gilbertson S2, Storch J3, Halterman MW1.

Author information

1

University of Rochester Medical Center, USA.

2

University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, USA.

3

The State University of New York, USA.

Abstract

As the pace of medical discovery widens the knowledge-to-practice gap, technologies that enable peer-to-peer crowdsourcing have become increasingly common. Crowdsourcing has the potential to help medical providers collaborate to solve patient-specific problems in real time. We recently conducted the first trial of a mobile, medical crowdsourcing application among healthcare providers in a university hospital setting. In addition to acknowledging the benefits, our participants also raised concerns regarding the potential negative consequences of this emerging technology. In this commentary, we consider the legal and ethical implications of the major findings identified in our previous trial including compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, patient protections, healthcare provider liability, data collection, data retention, distracted doctoring, and multi-directional anonymous posting. We believe the commentary and recommendations raised here will provide a frame of reference for individual providers, provider groups, and institutions to explore the salient legal and ethicalissues before they implement these systems into their workflow.

"The benefits of professional social media use for pathologists, patients, and society are numerous and well documented in the literature."

Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2018 Aug 22. doi: 10.5858/arpa.2018-0313-SA. [Epub ahead of print]

Keep Calm and Tweet On: Legal and Ethical Considerations for Pathologists Using Social Media.

Gardner JM, Allen TC1.

Author information

1

From the Department of Pathology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock (Dr Gardner); and Department of Pathology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson (Dr Allen).

Abstract

Recent privacy breaches by a major social media company have again raised questions from some pathologists regarding the legality and ethics of sharing pathology images on social media. The authors examined ethical principles as well as historic and legal precedents relevant to pathology medical photography. Taking and sharing photographs of pathology specimens is embedded into the culture of the specialty of pathology and has been for more than a century. In general, the pathologist who takes the photograph of a gross or microscopic specimen owns the copyright to that photograph. Patient consent is not legally or ethically required to take or use deidentified photographs of pathology specimens. Current US privacy laws (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act [HIPAA] of 1996) permit public sharing of deidentified pathology photographs without specific patient consent, even on social media. There is no case law of action taken against pathologists for sharing deidentified pathology images on social media or elsewhere. If there is any legal risk for pathologists or risk of patient harm in sharing pathology photographs, it is very small. The benefits of professional social media use for pathologists, patients, and society are numerous and well documented in the literature.

No: Diet pills may sound great, but are they a magic bullet?

DR MICHAEL MOSLEY: Diet pills may sound great, but are they a magic bullet?

"There are a raft of other pills that claim to reduce weight. Some are stimulants that suppress the appetite – these work but are generally outlawed in the UK as they are dangerous. Others, available over the counter, swell in the stomach leading to a feeling of fullness or claim to ‘boost the metabolism’ but there is scant evidence that these do anything."