Insuficientes políticas universitarias sobre integridad científica y su relación con la denegación de licenciamiento institucional

The aim of this study was to analyze the relation between institutional policies on scientific integrity and licensing of Peruvian universities. It is a descriptive study analyzing Peruvian regulations on university quality assessment, university licensing (accreditation), scientific integrity regulations and the denial of university operating licenses. It was found that, of the 48 universities and 2 graduate schools that did not meet the Basic Quality Conditions under the Peruvian Institutional Licensing Model, 32 universities and 1 graduate school (66%) had deficiencies related to required scientific integrity policies. The study concludes that universities’ scientific integrity policies are an important criterion for receiving Institutional Licensing in the Peruvian university system.El objetivo del estudio fue analizar la relación existente entre las políticas institucionales sobre integridad científica y la obtención de licenciamiento en universidades peruanas. Se trata de un estudio descriptivo de observación documental y análisis de la normativa peruana sobre evaluación de la calidad universitaria, licenciamiento de universidades, normativa de integridad científica y resoluciones de denegación de licencias de funcionamiento de universidades. Se encontró que, de las 48 universidades y 2 escuelas de postgrado que no demostraron en su evaluación el cumplimiento de las Condiciones Básicas de Calidad, bajo el Modelo de Licenciamiento Institucional, 32 universidades y 1 escuela de postgrado (66%) han sido observadas por presentar deficiencias en aspectos relacionados con políticas de integridad científica requisitas.  El estudio concluye en que la política universitaria de integridad científica es un criterio importante para recibir el Licenciamiento Institucional  en el sistema universitario peruano

Research Ethics Education for Community-Engaged Research: A Review and Research Agenda

Community engagement is increasingly becoming an integral part of research. “Community-engaged research” (CEnR) introduces new stakeholders as well as unique challenges to the protection of participants and the integrity of the research process. We—a group of representatives of CTSA-funded institutions and others who share expertise in research ethics and CEnR—have identified gaps in the literature regarding (1) ethical issues unique to CEnR; (2) the particular instructional needs of academic investigators, community research partners, and IRB members; and (3) best practices for teaching research ethics. This paper presents what we know, as well as what we still need to learn, in order to develop quality research ethics educational materials tailored to the full range of stakeholder groups in CEnR

Differential binding of Escherichia coli McrA protein to DNA sequences that contain the dinucleotide m5CpG

The Escherichia coli McrA protein, a putative C5-methylcytosine/C5-hydroxyl methylcytosine-specific nuclease, binds DNA with symmetrically methylated HpaII sequences (Cm5CGG), but its precise recognition sequence remains undefined. To determine McrA’s binding specificity, we cloned and expressed recombinant McrA with a C-terminal StrepII tag (rMcrA-S) to facilitate protein purification and affinity capture of human DNA fragments with m5C residues. Sequence analysis of a subset of these fragments and electrophoretic mobility shift assays with model methylated and unmethylated oligonucleotides suggest that N(Y > R) m5CGR is the canonical binding site for rMcrA-S. In addition to binding HpaII-methylated double-stranded DNA, rMcrA-S binds DNA containing a single, hemimethylated HpaII site; however, it does not bind if A, C, T or U is placed across from the m5C residue, but does if I is opposite the m5C. These results provide the first systematic analysis of McrA’s in vitro binding specificity

Caring for the silent stranger: Ethical hospital care for non-English speaking patients

The past generation's revolution in medical ethics has had a tremendous impact on the definition of the therapeutic relationship. Where the traditional virtuous physician motivated by philanthropy once practiced "therapeutic deception", today health care practitioners in a variety of disciplines are held to a professional standard which demands that the therapeutic relationship be based in good communication between patient and caregiver. Medical ethics now looks to the images of contractual negotiation and covenantal compassionate presence to overcome the clash of values which may occur when patient and caregiver meet as strangers. In the U.S., a significant number of hospital patients are not only strangers to their caregivers and American medicine, they are strangers to the very language in which differences could be explained and strong therapeutic relationships established. Non-English speaking patients pose a complex problem for the ethical dedication to informed consent, as they are unable to take an active part in treatment without translation. In a study of 226 Hispanic hospital patients, non-English speaking patients were shown to have limited understanding of their conditions and treatment, and almost no meaningful interaction with their caregivers. Ironically, where patient satisfaction with medical care has been shown repeatedly to be based in factors of communication, non-English speaking patients placed almost no importance on their communication with the staff. Overall they had little interest in the active role that contemporary ethics assigns to patients. Non-English speaking patients' limited role in their own care also poses legal questions about the validity of their consent to treatment. Few non-English speaking patients are provided with translation, even for official consent documents. There is some indication, moreover, that an inability to speak English contributes to longer hospital stays. Providing the professional medical translation which would afford non-English speaking patients the ethical hospital care that they deserve might not only ensure against litigation, it may also save money for hospitals, insurers, and public health funds

Education in Research Integrity and Governance of Science in the United States, Argentina, and Brazil

Despite increasing globalization in science, significant differences remain across the Americas in countries' approaches to research integrity. These differences are attributable to multiple factors, including the size of individual nations' scientific communities, the role of science in their national economies and strategies for development, and their overall approaches to policy and governance. A comparison of the United States, Argentina, and Brazil illustrates the importance of governance in relation to responses to perceived wrongdoing and the role of education in efforts to promote integrity in research. The United States' commitment to federal funding of science and science education has led to a federal regulatory response to research misconduct and an emphasis on compliance with federal mandates for research integrity education. By contrast, Argentina's shrinking public and private support of scientific research and education has diminished not only its scientific productivity but also the professional engagement necessary for effective governance and enforcement of ethical standards. Brazil's recent emergence as a leader in research and development, made possible in part by dedicated governmental funding for science, has been accompanied by both professional attention to international standards and calls for new educational initiatives in research integrity. These examples highlight how the political contexts of science and the national cultures in which research is conducted may present challenges to international efforts to establish a common educational commitment to research integrity

Latin American healthcare systems in times of pandemic

The COVID‐ 19 pandemic is a critical test for the already overburdened and mostly underfunded public healthcare systems of Latin America. In a region that suffers from severe inequalities, public healthcare systems are the only source of medical care for a large sector of the population who work in the informal economy or are unemployed. State‐run hospitals and clinics are already overstressed by continuous demand for treatment of vector‐borne diseases and community‐acquired infections as well as high rates of non‐communicable diseases. Ideological misconceptions and denial among Latin America’s political leaders prevented timely preparations for the pandemic and added to chronic governance problems. As ethical expertise in Latin America focuses on research ethics, few hospitals in the region have functioning clinical ethics committees or clinical ethics policy, forcing healthcare personnel to make excruciating treatment decisions in an environment dominated by material scarcity and public distrust. This essay examines the emergence of COVID‐19 in Latin America and the serious challenge that it poses for Latin America\u27s public healthcare systems