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Death, dying and informatics: misrepresenting religion on MedLine

BACKGROUND: The globalization of medical science carries for doctors worldwide a correlative duty to deepen their understanding of patients' cultural contexts and religious backgrounds, in order to satisfy each as a unique individual. To become better informed, practitioners may turn to MedLine, but it is unclear whether the information found there is an accurate representation of culture and religion. To test MedLine's representation of this field, we chose the topic of death and dying in the three major monotheistic religions. METHODS: We searched MedLine using PubMed in order to retrieve and thematically analyze full-length scholarly journal papers or case reports dealing with religious traditions and end-of-life care. Our search consisted of a string of words that included the most common denominations of the three religions, the standard heading terms used by the National Reference Center for Bioethics Literature (NRCBL), and the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) used by the National Library of Medicine. Eligible articles were limited to English-language papers with an abstract. RESULTS: We found that while a bibliographic search in MedLine on this topic produced instant results and some valuable literature, the aggregate reflected a selection bias. American writers were over-represented given the global prevalence of these religious traditions. Denominationally affiliated authors predominated in representing the Christian traditions. The Islamic tradition was under-represented. CONCLUSION: MedLine's capability to identify the most current, reliable and accurate information about purely scientific topics should not be assumed to be the same case when considering the interface of religion, culture and end-of-life care

What is Life Worth? A Rough Guide to Valuation

In this speculative article, the aim is to elaborate a definition of life that is not biological, and a valuation of it that is not commodified. This is undertaken by the development of an understanding of death as a process which is embedded in the life of a community. The idea is that we can best understand what life is worth by first understanding what death means

Under-five mortality and child-abuse-related-deaths in the former USSR. Is there an under-reporting of abuse-related deaths?

The study explores the former USSR countries `Under-fives’ Child Mortality Rates (CMR) and Child-Abuse-Related-Deaths (CARD), since the end of the Soviet Union and asks whether there has been an `under-reporting’ of CARD? W.H.O. under-five mortality rates per million (pm) were extracted for 1988-90 compared with 2008-10 for CMR and confirmed and possible CARD. Possible CARD are Undetermined Deaths(UnD) and Ill-Defined Signs & Symptoms (IDSS) and as these categories have been linked to under-reporting of CARD. CMR and CARD odds ratio calculated and correlated to determine possible underreporting of CARD. Seven countries met the UNICEF objective of reducing CMR; five halving their previous USSR rate. Russian CARD at 29pm is highest but six countries rates were less than 10pm. Undetermined Deaths (UnD) increased in Kazakhstan 13-fold, Belarus 8 times, Ukraine seven and in Russia more than four. Ill-defined deaths trebled in Belarus, and rose more than 25% in Kazakhstan, Georgia and Ukraine. CARD significantly correlated with UnD but not with CMR. Odds ratios of CMR to CARD categories were substantial, more than 4.1:1 in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine, indicating possible under-reporting of CARD. Despite CMR improvements, this first-ever study of former USSR countries should alert the authorities of Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and the Ukraine to the extent of possible child abuse

Reflections on Transpersonal Psychology’s 40th Anniversary, Ecopsychology, Transpersonal Science, and Psychedelics: A Conversation Forum

Recollections of humanistic and transpersonal psychology’s origin’s morph into the pros and cons of humanistic/transpersonal oriented schools developing APA accredited clinical programs. This discussion dovetails with the question will ATP ever become an APA division, raising an interesting alternative for those of us considering a career in counseling: becoming a spiritual coach. Enter the issue of psychedelic therapy and the Supreme Courts decision to allow ayahuasca as a sacrament by the Uniao Do Vegetal Church, and the importance of why humanistic and transpersonal psychology need to clearly map out the territories and sub-divisions of science and religion. Finally this conversation raises a concern, that Maslow’s call for a “trans-human” psychology sought to encourage creating what we now call ecopsychology

Examining Patient Conceptions: A Case of Metastatic Breast Cancer in an African American Male to Female Transgender Patient

An African American male to female transgender patient treated with estrogen detected a breast lump that was confirmed by her primary care provider. The patient refused mammography and 14 months later she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer with spinal cord compression. We used ethnographic interviews and observations to elicit the patient’s conceptions of her illness and actions. The patient identified herself as biologically male and socially female; she thought that the former protected her against breast cancer; she had fears that excision would make a breast tumor spread; and she believed injectable estrogens were less likely than oral estrogens to cause cancer. Analysis suggests dissociation between the patient’s social and biological identities, fear and fatalism around cancer screening, and legitimization of injectable hormones. This case emphasizes the importance of eliciting and interpreting a patient’s conceptions of health and illness when discordant understandings develop between patient and physician

Dismay, Dissembly and Geocide:Ways Through the Maze of Trumpist Geopolitics

Written in the still-unfolding aftermath of Donald Trump's accession to the office of President of the United States, this article picks up and expands upon some of the key points raised by Kyle McGee's Heathen Earth, particularly concerning the forms of political violence emergent in an age ever-increasingly defined by climate change and the strategies of analysis, theorisation and critique that these geohistorical developments demand. Much like McGee's book, it takes a particularly troubling contemporary political event as a spur to develop thoughts deriving from more long-term projects concerning the way we have come to divide up the world and the manner in which these divisions are contestedpublishersversionNon peer reviewe