Moral analysis of the Sherri Finkbine case in the light of thomistic ethical teaching

Autori u ovom radu, analizirajući slučaj Sherri Finkbine, majke koja je 1962. napravila pobačaj svoga djeteta, nastoje u svjetlu nauka svetoga Tome Akvinskog dati odgovore na pobačaj kao jedno od gorućih kontroverznih pitanja današnjice. Sam rad je podijeljen u tri poglavlja. U prvom uvodnom poglavlju autori najprije opisuju sam slučaj iznoseći činjenice i okolnosti u kojima se dogodio pobačaj pred očima javnosti. Nakon toga u drugom poglavlju prave moralnu raščlambu njezina čina u svjetlu tomističkog nauka, pogotovo zato što se u nekim krugovima od šezdesetih godina naovamo smatralo da je nauk svetoga Tome o stanju embrija mogao ići njoj u prilog. U tom smislu propitali su slučaj iz biološke, pravne i sociološke perspektive, ukazujući na ćudoredni nauk sv. Tome pri svakoj od navedenih stavki. Naposljetku u trećem poglavlju daju završnu teološku sintezu cijelog slučaja naglašjući, u svjetlu tomističke moralne teologije, da je Sherri pogriješila u prosudbi svoje savjesti, te time pogriješila u svom ćudorednom izboru, bez obzira na liječnike i javno mnijenje koje ju je podupiralo.By analyzing the case of Sherri Finkbine, a mother who had an abortion in 1962, the authors of this paper seek to answer some abortion-related questions in the light of the ethical teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas, as the abortion debate presents one of today’s most pressing controversial issues. The paper is divided into three parts. In the introductory part, the authors first describe the case itself by presenting the facts as well as the circumstances in which the abortion took place before the eyes of the public. Furthermore, in the second part, the authors make a moral analysis of Finkbine’s act in the light of Thomistic teaching, especially due to the fact that, in certain circles from the 1960s onwards, it was believed that St. Thomas’ teaching on the state of the embryo could work to Finkbine’s advantage. In that sense, the authors analyze the case through a biological, legal and sociological perspective, pointing to the Thomistic moral doctrine at each of the mentioned views. Lastly, the third part provides a final theological synthesis of the whole case, putting a strong emphasis, in the light of Thomistic teaching, on the fact that Sherri made a grave error in judgment of her own conscience and thus erred in her moral choices, regardless of the doctors and public opinion that supported her choice

Moral analysis of the Sherri Finkbine case in the light of thomistic ethical teaching

Autori u ovom radu, analizirajući slučaj Sherri Finkbine, majke koja je 1962. napravila pobačaj svoga djeteta, nastoje u svjetlu nauka svetoga Tome Akvinskog dati odgovore na pobačaj kao jedno od gorućih kontroverznih pitanja današnjice. Sam rad je podijeljen u tri poglavlja. U prvom uvodnom poglavlju autori najprije opisuju sam slučaj iznoseći činjenice i okolnosti u kojima se dogodio pobačaj pred očima javnosti. Nakon toga u drugom poglavlju prave moralnu raščlambu njezina čina u svjetlu tomističkog nauka, pogotovo zato što se u nekim krugovima od šezdesetih godina naovamo smatralo da je nauk svetoga Tome o stanju embrija mogao ići njoj u prilog. U tom smislu propitali su slučaj iz biološke, pravne i sociološke perspektive, ukazujući na ćudoredni nauk sv. Tome pri svakoj od navedenih stavki. Naposljetku u trećem poglavlju daju završnu teološku sintezu cijelog slučaja naglašjući, u svjetlu tomističke moralne teologije, da je Sherri pogriješila u prosudbi svoje savjesti, te time pogriješila u svom ćudorednom izboru, bez obzira na liječnike i javno mnijenje koje ju je podupiralo.By analyzing the case of Sherri Finkbine, a mother who had an abortion in 1962, the authors of this paper seek to answer some abortion-related questions in the light of the ethical teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas, as the abortion debate presents one of today’s most pressing controversial issues. The paper is divided into three parts. In the introductory part, the authors first describe the case itself by presenting the facts as well as the circumstances in which the abortion took place before the eyes of the public. Furthermore, in the second part, the authors make a moral analysis of Finkbine’s act in the light of Thomistic teaching, especially due to the fact that, in certain circles from the 1960s onwards, it was believed that St. Thomas’ teaching on the state of the embryo could work to Finkbine’s advantage. In that sense, the authors analyze the case through a biological, legal and sociological perspective, pointing to the Thomistic moral doctrine at each of the mentioned views. Lastly, the third part provides a final theological synthesis of the whole case, putting a strong emphasis, in the light of Thomistic teaching, on the fact that Sherri made a grave error in judgment of her own conscience and thus erred in her moral choices, regardless of the doctors and public opinion that supported her choice

Extramedullary plasmacytoma of the tongue base: A rare presentation of head and neck plasmacytoma

Introduction. Special entities like solitary bone plasmocytoma (SBP) or extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP) can be found in a less than 5% of patients with plasma cell disorders. EMP of the tongue represents very rare localization of the head and neck plasmacytoma. Case report. We report a case of 78-years-old woman who developed EMP of the tongue base detected by the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the head and neck region. Immunohistochemical profile of the tumor tissue biopsy (CD38, IgG, kappa positivity) indicated diagnosis of EMP. The diagnosis was established with additional staging which confirmed the absence of other manifestation of the disease. The patient was treated with 40 Gy of radiotherapy in 20 doses resulting in the achievement of the complete remission of the disease. This case was discussed with the reference to the literature. Conclusion. EMP of the tongue base is a very rare entity of plasma cell dyscrasias. Appropriate irradiation results in the achievement of a long-term remission and a potential cure of the disease

Easily Applicable Predictive Score for Differential Diagnosis of Prefibrotic Primary Myelofibrosis from Essential Thrombocythemia

Essential thrombocythemia (ET) and prefibrotic primary myelofibrosis (prePMF) initially have a similar phenotypic presentation with thrombocytosis. The aim of our study was to determine significant clinical-laboratory parameters at presentation to differentiate prePMF from ET as well as to develop and validate a predictive diagnostic prePMF model. This retrospective study included 464 patients divided into ET (289 pts) and prePMF (175 pts) groups. The model was built using data from a development cohort (229 pts; 143 ET, 86 prePMF), which was then tested in an internal validation cohort (235 pts; 146 ET, 89 prePMF). The most important prePMF predictors in the multivariate logistic model were age ≥ 60 years (RR = 2.2), splenomegaly (RR = 13.2), and increased lactat-dehidrogenase (RR = 2.8). Risk scores were assigned according to derived relative risk (RR) for age ≥ 60 years (1 point), splenomegaly (2 points), and increased lactat-dehidrogenase (1 point). Positive predictive value (PPV) for pre-PMF diagnosis with a score of ≥points was 69.8%, while for a score of ≥3 it was 88.2%. Diagnostic performance had similar values in the validation cohort. In MPN patients with thrombocytosis at presentation, the application of the new model enables differentiation of pre-PMF from ET, which is clinically relevant considering that these diseases have different prognoses and treatments

Experimental Investigation of Thermal Properties of Frozen Tap, Demineralized, and Sea Water

This paper reports an experimental investigation of the thermal properties of frozen tap, demineralized, and sea water. The presented research assists in a better understanding of the thermal properties of ice and the processes within it and contributes regarding the generation of novel experimental data. The thermal conductivity was measured in a range from −14 °C to −33 °C using the Transient Plane Source (TPS) method. Ice blocks were placed in an expanded polystyrene box in the freezer, which is where the measurements took place. The thermal conductivity of the tap water ice was observed to vary in a range from 1.915 ± 0.005 Wm−1K−1 at −14 °C to 2.060 ± 0.004 Wm−1K−1 at −33 °C. The values obtained for the ice made of demineralized water differed by less than 10%. The thermal conductivity of the sea ice was shown to be more temperature dependent, with the values ranging from 1.262 ± 0.005 Wm−1K−1 at −14 °C to 1.970 Wm−1K−1 ± 0.004 at −33 °C. A noticeable fall in the thermal conductivity of the sea ice was observed in the temperature range from −26 °C to −19 °C. A possible reason for this could be the increased precipitation of salt in that temperature range. Measurements of thermal diffusivity displayed similar trends as those of thermal conductivity. Specific volumetric heat capacity was indirectly calculated

Heart Failure with Mid-Range or Mildly Reduced Ejection Fraction in the Era of Sodium–Glucose Co-Transporter 2 Inhibitors: Do We Now Provide Better Care for the “Middle Child of HF”? Real-World Experience from a Single Clinical Centre

Heart failure (HF) with mid-range or mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF) is a separate clinical entity in the HF spectrum, with a left ventricular ejection fraction ranging from 40 to 49%. While sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors have become the cornerstone therapy for the entire HF spectrum, there are a few clinical trials of HFmrEF. This prospective observational study was conducted at Dubrava University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia, from May 2021 to October 2023. We recruited 137 participants diagnosed with HFmrEF at admission. The majority were male, with a median age of 72 and overweight. A total of 110 participants were followed for 6 months and LVEF remained the same in the majority of patients (n = 62, 56.4%), improved in 32 patients (29.1%), and decreased in 3 patients (2.73%). A total of 64 participants were followed for 12 months: 39 remained the same (60.94%) and 25 improved. There were 13 deaths in (9.5%). While the empagliflozin group had a lower BMI at 6-month- and lower HbA1c at 12-month follow-up, there were no differences in death, HF hospitalizations, ER visits, or urinary tract infections in between groups. Despite recent and daily advances in the treatment of all HF phenotypes, HFmrEF still represents a challenge in everyday clinical practice