A quick, reliable staining technique for human sperm morphology.

The evaluation of sperm morphology is still an important parameter in the diagnosis of the infertile male. Most techniques used for staining human sperm are very time-consuming. A routine stain used for determining differential count of leucocytes (Diff-Quik stain) was evaluated against the standard Papanicolaou stain. Morphology results from 20 duplicate semen smears using both staining methods were determined separately by 2 technicians using a blind protocol. No significant differences were observed when comparing the two staining methods (paired Student's t-test). The advantages of the Diff-Quik stain are: a) complete staining-to-reading time under 7 min, b) commercially prepared reagents, and c) case of staining procedure.Articl

Medical decisional capacity among children with HIV

Medical decisional capacity (DC) refers to the ability to understand, appreciate, and make meaningful decisions about one\u27s health. This is an important construct for children living with HIV whose involvement in their medical care has important implications for disease management. In this study, we assessed the relationship among DC, developmental stage, intellectual ability, and social-emotional functioning of children with and without HIV infection (n_50). We hypothesized a positive correlation between variables, but did not expect to find a difference in DC between groups. Results provided partial support for our hypotheses. There was a positive relationship between developmental stage and understanding, which is but one dimension of DC. Children with HIV infection obtained significantly lower scores on measures of intellectual and adaptive functioning, but there was no significant difference in DC between groups. Findings suggest that children living with HIV have the capacity to meaningfully participate in their healthcare despite lower intellectual and adaptive functioning

The ethics of paying drug users who participate in research: a review and practical recommendations

THE PAYMENT OF RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS raises ethical and empirical questions that have special importance in addictions research involving drug-dependent participants. Despite a now large literature on human subjects payment, what is still needed is practical guidance for investigators and ethics committees. This paper reviews the literature on: current payment practices and guidelines; defining features of undue and due incentives and fair reimbursement; and the significance of risks and harms that may arise from paying drug using participants. We conclude that research payments are ethically acceptable in most circumstances of addictions research, but should be closely scrutinized in situations where these may exacerbate existing harms or create additional risks for participants and investigators. General principles, key questions and procedural options are highlighted for an applied approach to ethical research payments. Future research directions are identified