Gerard Goggin, Apps: From Mobile Phones to Digital Lives, 2021, Cambridge, UK: Polity, 166 pp., 23.95(paperback),23.95 (paperback), 64.95 (hardcover), $18.00 (e-book)

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Preempting Discrimination: Lessons from the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act

The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act ( GINA\u27), enacted in May 2008, protects individuals against discrimination by insurance companies and employers on the basis of genetic information. GINA is not only the first civil rights law of the new millennium, but it is also the first preemptive antidiscrimination statute in American history. Traditionally, Congress has passed retrospective antidiscrimination legislation, reacting to existing discriminatory regimes. However, little evidence indicates that genetic-information discrimination is currently taking place on a significant scale. Thus, unlike the laws of the twentieth century, GINA attempts to eliminate a new brand of discrimination before it takes hold. This Article provides a detailed look at this unprecedented new statute, beginning with its initial introduction in 1995. Next, the Article examines the justifications for passing preemptive genetic-information discrimination legislation, concluding that Congress had twin objectives: a research justification and an antidiscrimination justification. Lastly, the Article explores the implications of passing antidiscrimination legislation absent a history of discrimination. It concludes that GINA\u27s preemptive nature may be both its greatest attribute and its deepest flaw

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationAsthma is a common disease that is most frequently treated with inhaled glucocorticoids which are used to decrease inflammation and mucus production in the airways. However, about 30% of asthma patients do not respond to treatment. A possible hypothesis for glucocorticoid insensitivity is increased metabolism of inhaled glucocorticoids by cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) enzymes, particularly in the lung. The objectives for this dissertation were to evaluate the metabolism of five inhaled glucocorticoids (budesonide, beclomethasone dipropionate, fluticasone propionate, triamcinolone acetonide, and flunisolide) by CYP3A enzymes, and to determine if treatment with glucocorticoids in lung cells induced CYP3A enzyme expression, further increasing the metabolism of glucocorticoids in the lung. All three CYP3A enzymes (CYP3A4, 3A5, and 3A7) metabolized the five glucocorticoids, but to varying degrees and with unique products. CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 were the most efficient at metabolizing the glucocorticoids; CYP3A7 had the lowest rates of metabolism. The most common metabolites produced by CYP3A enzymes with triamcinolone acetonide, budesonide, flunisolide, and beclomethasone dipropionate were 6β-hydroxylated and Δ6-dehydrogenated product, all of which are believed to be clearance metabolites. Investigation into the metabolism of beclomethasone dipropionate by A549 lung cells showed that a dehydrogenated P450-mediated metabolite, [M5], was produced, decreasing bioavailability of the active drug. It was also demonstrated that CYP3A5 mRNA was induced in A549 cells with glucocorticoid treatment. The induction of CYP3A mRNA was blocked when cells were co treated with esterase inhibitors and BDP, confirming the active metabolite, beclomethasone 17-monopropionate ([M1]), was mediating the induction of CYP3A5 mRNA, presumably through the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). CYP3A5 mRNA induction was also attenuated by inhibiting GR using the antifungal drug, ketoconazole, further supporting the hypothesis that glucocorticoids binding to GR was the mechanism of CYP3A5 induction in A549 cells. Additional experimentation with primary cells (NHBE, lobar, SAEC, BEAS-2B, and tracheal cells) demonstrated that only SAEC cells expressed CYP3A5. However, CYP3A5 mRNA was not induced in SAEC cells with glucocorticoid treatment despite extensive manipulation of cell culture conditions, such as removing hydrocortisone and utilizing charcoal-stripped FBS for treatment, which could have interfered with the mechanism observed in A549 cells. Overall, the collective results described in this dissertation support the hypothesis that increased metabolism of glucocorticoids in the lung could lead to decreased bioavailability of pharmacologically active drug, and that continued treatment with inhaled glucocorticoids could perpetuate the inefficacy by inducing CYP3A5 enzymes, potentially causing glucocorticoid insensitivity seen in patients

Panes/Pains of Privilege

In Panes of the Glass Ceiling, Kerri Lynn Stone explores how unspoken beliefs rooted in gender stereotypes contribute to workplace inequalities for women. This article, reflecting on Stone\u27s work, discusses how Stone critiques employment discrimination law\u27s inadequacy in addressing these issues and proposes reforms, emphasizing the need for cultural changes beyond legal remedies. The article contextualizes Stone\u27s observations within the framework of privilege, underscoring the invisible nature of privilege in the workplace and advocating for a broader societal shift to dismantle deeply ingrained unspoken beliefs

Nudge-Proof: Distributive Justice and the Ethics of Nudging

A review of Cass R. Sunstein, The Ethics of Influence: Government in the Age of Behavioral Science