Abortion: between moral decision and clinical practice

Department of Philosophy and Bioethics, Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, The 8th International Medical Congress for Students and Young Doctors, September 24-26, 2020Introduction. In the present, abortion is a polarizing and divisive issue that raises discussions about ethical and medical problem. Actually, the abortion ethics became more emphasized with the appearance of the question “When does a human life begin?” Despite of different medical achievements and the evolving of ethics, abortion remains a multilateral topic. Aim of the study. The analysis of abortion from a bioethical perspective for facilitating the multilateral approach of the life`s beginning and interruption.Materials and methods. WHO`s guideline about safe abortion, legislative acts of the Republic of Moldova about women`s health protection, statistical year-books, different sources from bioethical, social and ethical areas, own sociological analyzes based on different observations. Results. Over time, the subject of abortion has evaluated in parallel with morality and social traditions strongly connected with different culture forms. Also have appeared various specialized structures in public health system, which deal with the elaboration of the new, more efficient methods of abortion. Thereby now, we have a medical comfort of abortion, feticide being a common practice that is considered a banal, accessible medical procedure. In parallel, the ethical approach of this problem does not have a clear answer, so the discussions on the abortion topic continues in condition of the new technological society. Conclusions. 1. The women`s right to abortion results from their bodily autonomy, considered to be a fundamental human right, but the abortion cannot be a norm in our society, it continues to be an unsolved, difficult ethical problem; 2. Bioethics is looking for optimal ways of avoiding the moral conflicts and gives different logical recommendations that correspond with its principles; so bioethics carries out its main function of protecting the human`s life, in any form of its manifestation; 3. In the present day, it becomes necessary to have an interdisciplinary approach of the abortion problem, with the aid of bioethics

Optimization of wavelength range and data interval in chemometric analysis of complex pharmaceutical mixtures

AbstractThe performance of different chemometric approaches was evaluated in the spectrophotometric determination of pharmaceutical mixtures characterized by having the amount of components with a very high ratio. Principal component regression (PCR), partial least squares with one dependent variable (PLS1) or multi-dependent variables (PLS2), and multivariate curve resolution (MCR) were applied to the spectral data of a ternary mixture containing paracetamol, sodium ascorbate and chlorpheniramine (150:140:1, m/m/m), and a quaternary mixture containing paracetamol, caffeine, phenylephrine and chlorpheniramine (125:6. 25:1.25:1, m/m/m/m). The UV spectra of the calibration samples in the range of 200–320nm were pre-treated by removing noise and useless data, and the wavelength regions having the most useful analytical information were selected using the regression coefficients calculated in the multivariate modeling. All the defined chemometric models were validated on external sample sets and then applied to commercial pharmaceutical formulations. Different data intervals, fixed at 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0point/nm, were tested to optimize the prediction ability of the models. The best results were obtained using the PLS1calibration models and the quantification of the species of a lower amount was significantly improved by adopting 0.5 data interval, which showed accuracy between 94.24% and 107.76%

Development and validation of a dynamic material flow analysis model for French copper cycle

This study performs a quantitative description of the copper life cycle at the scale of France from 2000 to 2009 with special focus on waste streams. The approach is based on substance flow analysis and includes data reconciliation. The model takes into account the relationships between economic system, resource consumption, product manufacturing, waste generation and pollution, thus broadening the traditional scope of process systems engineering. The more important results concern waste management since France exports most of its collected copper wastes because there is no industry for recycling low-grade scrap. The paper shows the interest of using substance flow analysis methodology coupled with data reconciliation to obtain a precise cartography of a substance flow inside a large area. Indeed, statistic data from institutional organisms and industries may vary from one source to the other, and the utilization of the redundancy of information is an efficient tool for obtaining more precise data. Moreover, the dynamic analysis allows modelling the stock evolution with more accuracy than in previous studies. Finally, theresults are compared with existing values for other countries or continents, and some perspectives concerning theuse of copper in France are given

Comparative study of extraction techniques for Cynara scolymus L. cultivated in the Republic of Moldova

Introduction: Artichoke Cynara scolymus L. is a plant native to the Mediterranean basin with a long folk histoi) in treating many liver diseases was introduced and adapted to specific climatic conditions of the Republic of Moldova. Aim: lhis study aimed to analyze artichoke leaves extraction to identify its contents and to optimize conventional extraction of biologically active compounds various extraction techniques, solvent ratio were used. Materials and methods: The dry leaves of C. scolymus L.were provided from the Centre for the Cultivation of Medicinal plants of the State Medical and Pharmaceutical University “Nicolae Testemitanu”. The powdered leaves were subjected to extraction by Soxhlet extraction, maceration and percolation with ethanol (35, 70 and 90 %) and absolute methanol, using several sampling techniques multiple stage extraction, Squibb’s and Bosin’s exhaustive extraction. The extracts were further subjected to phytochemical tests using standard procedures. Rezults: The tested ethanol plant extracts contained appreciable amounts of flavonoids. The highest flavonoids yield were exhibited in extracts with ethanol 70% as solvent: artichoke tincture (1:5) - (1,38%); fluid extract (1:2) - (0.77%). Generally higher total flavonoids content were obtained using aqueous (2,06 %) and methanol solvents (5,62%), as compared to the respective ethanol solvents. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that the aqueous and methanol extracts can be used as raw materials for artichoke dry extract obtain. The Bosin percolation with ethanol 70% solvent was the suitable method for reaching fluid extracts with the highest yield of the flavonoids content

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF USING DESALINATED WATER IN CONCRETE PRODUCTION IN AREAS AFFECTED BY FRESHWATER SCARCITY

Up to 500 litres of water may be consumed at the batching plant per cubic meter of ready mix concrete, if water for washing mixing trucks and equipment is included. Demand for concrete is growing almost everywhere, regardless of local availability of freshwater. The use of freshwater for concrete production exacerbates stress on natural water resources. In water-stressed coastal countries such as Israel, desalinated seawater (DSW) is often used in the production of concrete. However, the environmental impacts of this practice have not yet been assessed. In this study the effect of using DSW on the water and carbon footprints of concrete was investigated using life cycle assessment. Water footprint results highlight the benefits of using DSW rather than freshwater to produce concrete in Israel. In contrast, because desalination is an energy intensive process, using DSW increases the greenhouse gas intensity of concrete. Nevertheless, this increase (0.27 kg CO2e/m3 concrete) is small, if compared to the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of concrete. Our results show that using untreated seawater in the mix (transported by truck from the coast) in place of DSW, would be beneficial in terms of water and carbon footprints if the batching plant were located less than 13 km from the withdrawal point. However, use of untreated seawater increases steel reinforcement corrosion, resulting in loss of structural integrity of the reinforced concrete composite. Sustainability of replacing steel with non-corrosive materials should be explored as a way to reduce both water and carbon footprints of concrete

Observed Differences between Males and Females in Surgically Treated Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Among Non-manual Workers: A Sensitivity Analysis of Findings from a Large Population Study

Objectives: We aimed at assessing whether differences among males and females in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) epidemiology might be attributable to segregation with respect to occupational biomechanical exposures or differential access to care by sex. Methods: We analysed surgically treated cases of CTS occurring among non-manual workers in Tuscany between 1997 and 2000. We conducted a Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the difference in occupational biomechanical exposures between males and females necessary to explain the observed incidence rate ratios. We also accounted for the sex-specific probability of receiving surgery after the diagnosis of CTS, as women were reported to be more likely to undergo surgery in a subset of our study population. We quantified the hypothetical biomechanical overload through the hand activity level (HAL) metric proposed by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. To quantify the effect of HAL on CTS risk, we assumed a prior distribution based on findings from two large cohort studies of industrial workers. Results: After adjustment for the probability of receiving surgery, women showed a 4-fold incidence of CTS as compared with men. To explain this association among non-manual workers, women should have an average value of HAL at least 5 points higher. Conclusions: Our analysis does not support the hypothesis that the difference in CTS incidence between males and females is entirely attributable to occupational risk factors or to differential access to surgery. The causal pathway between sex and CTS might include more determinants such as hormonal factors, anthropometric characteristics, and non-occupational exposure to biomechanical overload (e.g. household tasks)

Reporting only relative effect measures was potentially misleading: some good practices for improving the soundness of epidemiological results

Objective: In the medical and epidemiological literature there is a growing tendency to report an excessive number of decimal digits (often three, sometimes four), especially when measures of relative occurrence are small; this can be misleading. Study Design and Setting: We combined mathematical and statistical reasoning about the precision of relative risks with the meaning of the decimal part of the same measures from biological and public health perspectives. Results: We identified a general rule for minimizing the mathematical error due to rounding of relative risks, depending on the background absolute rate, which justifies the use of one or more decimal digits for estimates close to 1. Conclusions: We suggest that both relative and absolute risk measures (expressed as a rates) should be reported, and two decimal digits should be used for relative risk close to 1 only if the background rate is at least 1/1,000 py. The use of more than two decimal digits is justified only when the background rate is high (i.e., 1/10 py)

Environmental impacts of using desalinated water in concrete production in areas affected by freshwater scarcity

Up to 500 litres of water may be consumed at the batching plant per cubic meter of ready mix concrete, if water for washing mixing trucks and equipment is included. Demand for concrete is growing almost everywhere, regardless of local availability of freshwater. The use of freshwater for concrete production exacerbates stress on natural water resources. In water-stressed coastal countries such as Israel, desalinated seawater (DSW) is often used in the production of concrete. However, the environmental impacts of this practice have not yet been assessed. In this study the effect of using DSW on the water and carbon footprints of concrete was investigated using life cycle assessment. Water footprint results highlight the benefits of using DSW rather than freshwater to produce concrete in Israel. In contrast, because desalination is an energy intensive process, using DSW increases the greenhouse gas intensity of concrete. Nevertheless, this increase (0.27 kg CO2e/m3 concrete) is small, if compared to the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of concrete. Our results show that using untreated seawater in the mix (transported by truck from the coast) in place of DSW, would be beneficial in terms of water and carbon footprints if the batching plant were located less than 13 km from the withdrawal point. However, use of untreated seawater increases steel reinforcement corrosion, resulting in loss of structural integrity of the reinforced concrete composite. Sustainability of replacing steel with non-corrosive materials should be explored as a way to reduce both water and carbon footprints of concrete

Modification of Interleukin-15 Serum Levels in Workers Exposed to Chemotherapeutic Agents

Cytostatic anticancer drugs are known as carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic risk factors for health care workers occupationally exposed. It has been demonstrated that the administration of interleukin-15 in rat models of colon carcinoma protects against chemotherapy-induced gastrointestinal toxicities. We found that occupational exposure to chemotherapeutic antiblastic agents in vivo modified circulating levels of interleukin-15 in 17 health care workers exposed to antineoplastic drugs in relation to their jobs and in as many healthy age- and sex-matched subjects. Health care workers displayed significantly higher circulating interleukin-15 levels compared to their age-matched controls. If this increase representing an anticancer response remains to be established, these findings strengthen the idea of a therapeutic use of interleukin-15 in the field of cancer

Can Public Construction and Demolition Data Describe Trends in Building Material Recycling? Observations From Philadelphia

There is a significant amount of waste generated during construction and demolition (C&D) activities, but few data to understand the sources, age, spatial origin, and its fate following entry into the waste management system. With few public records that track C&D waste flows, we turned to industry and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) to quantify C&D data and meta-data using material flow analysis (MFA). LEED databases are not normally used to build life cycle inventories or material flow accounts because they do not house sufficiently detailed data. We propose using the geo-referenced data on reused C&D waste in LEED databases to source parameters needed to build MFA models that support a circular building materials economy. By quantifying the change in C&D waste flow over years 2007–2017 and the diversion of materials from landfills from buildings in the United States City of Philadelphia, we found that, on average, 81% of total incoming waste was diverted from landfill and recycled into secondary materials markets. From LEED spatial data, we found that 77% of buildings sampled diverted C&D waste activities and installed building materials with recycled content. Although these findings describe material reuse metrics from different system boundaries in the built environment that cannot be statistically validated, they provide complementary data to describe C&D recycling performance benchmarks and incentive for future data collection to study and track trends in building material reuse. This case study highlights observations of C&D recovery and reuse from two separate but related operations, which could suggest that policies that incentivize C&D material reuse could promote a circular flow of building materials