Etica e spiritualità alla fine della vita

L'accompagnamento nella fasi finali della vita umana ci richiama al valore etico e al contributo della spiritualità e delle religioni

Piccola filosofia per accompagnare la fine di una vita umana

Come accompagnare la fine di una vita umana, cercando di alleviare il dolore che la persona sta vivendo e di raccogliere la sofferenza che è presente in questo tempo? L'etica e la spiritualità possono portare un importante contributo in questa direzione

Enhancement umano: un dibattito in corso

Non è un caso che l’enhancement umano, cioè il potenziamento di capacità fisiche, cognitive ed emotive degli esseri umani con l’ausilio di tecnologie, sia diventato un tema centrale nei dibattiti etico-applicativi e nei tentativi contemporanei di arrivare a una comprensione più adeguata della natura umana. In esso si incontrano quesiti decisamente ricchi e complessi, sia dal punto di vista tecnoscientifico e medico sia da quello filosofico – e lo fanno in un modo che ci permette di vedere questi quesiti sotto una nuova luce. Il numero raccoglie alcune voci italiane, tedesche, inglesi e statunitensi su diversi aspetti della problematica dell’enhancement umano. Tra le tematiche discusse troviamo il potenziamento genetico, le dimensioni etiche dell’enhancement, la relazione uomo-tecnologia, il cosiddetto enhancement morale, la relazione tra enhancement ed eugenetica, la distinzione tra potenziamento e terapia e la rilevanza delle neuroscienze per lo sviluppo futuro delle bio-tecnologie, della medicina e dell’etica

Etica e professioni sanitarie in Europa. Un dialogo tra medicina e filosofia

This multilingual volume brings together some of the results of research conducted at the Department of Literature and Philosophy of the University of Trento (Italy), in collaboration with the Bruno Kessler Foundation (Trento, Italy). Topics related to ethics and professions in the healthcare and other fields were covered, analyzed both from a theoretical and an empirical perspective. After presenting some introductory thoughts on the distinction between different levels and forms of ethical reflection on healthcare and the significance of the individual moral conscience as far as these levels are concerned, the first part of the book discusses some European traditions in healthcare professional ethics: it includes a Spanish account of different moral traditions in healthcare ethics, a reconstruction of the British experience and evolution of this field, a report on the Belgian contemporary situation, a presentation of the role of the Medical Associations in the German area, a description of the evolution of medical ethics in Croatia and a focus on nursing ethics and medical ethics in Italy. Two empirical studies are then described: one qualitative based on 40 interviews with clinicians, and one quantitative based on a web survey of more than 1,000 physicians; the first was conducted in the Province of Trento, the second in that of Verona (Northern Italy). The book concludes with a number of interviews with clinicians and a philosophical reflection on the nature of the obligations related to the practice of caring. The book is intended to cover the main moral questions faced by clinicians today and to offer a novel self-representation of their work and its ethical meaning in contemporary healthcare practice. Medicine and philosophy have a long history of dialogue: this volume continues that discussion, searching for new ways to combine a strong scientific approach with reflections on the moral and anthropological structures of clinical practice

Influence of Parental Health Locus of Control on Behavior, Self-Management and Metabolic Control, in Pediatric Patients with Type 1 Diabetes

Background: Precision medicine in type 1 diabetes (T1D) treatment considers context and environmental data to subclassify patients. Parental Health Locus of Control PHLOC) could influence behavior, self-management, and metabolic control of children with T1D. Methods: No. 135 pediatric patients with T1D (No. 57 with HbA1c ≤ 7.0%, “optimal” group, and No. 78 with >7.0%, “sub-optimal” group) were enrolled in the study. History, anthropometric and diabetes management data were collected, as well as caregiver’s data about socioeconomic status (SES). The PHLOC scale questionnaire and a semi-structured interview were administered. Results: Access to technology was lower in the “sub-optimal” group and, in particular, in the ethnic minority subgroup, only 8% used them. In the “sub-optimal” group ethnic minority status was higher (24%), the caregiver had a lower SES and showed lower internal HLOC. Conclusions: New care models have to be implemented to ensure equity in diabetes care and precision treatment, particularly for ethnic minority groups, because SES and external PHLOC are still an important barrier to “optimal” diabetes control. In the “sub-optimal” group, we have to implement strategies aimed at increasing self-efficacy, while in the “optimal” one, a personalised approach should be considered to facilitate the shifting of responsibilities within the family, avoiding psychological distress

Genuine participation in participant-centred research initiatives : the rhetoric and the potential reality

The introduction of Web 2.0 technology, along with a population increasingly proficient in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), coupled with the rapid advancements in genetic testing methods, has seen an increase in the presence of participant-centred research initiatives. Such initiatives, aided by the centrality of ICT interconnections, and the ethos they propound seem to further embody the ideal of increasing the participatory nature of research, beyond what might be possible in non-ICT contexts alone. However, the majority of such research seems to actualise a much narrower definition of ‘participation’—where it is merely the case that such research initiatives have increased contact with participants through ICT but are otherwise non-participatory in any important normative sense. Furthermore, the rhetoric of participant-centred initiatives tends to inflate this minimalist form of participation into something that it is not, i.e. something genuinely participatory, with greater connections with both the ICT-facilitated political contexts and the largely non-ICT participatory initiatives that have expanded in contemporary health and research contexts. In this paper, we highlight that genuine (ICT-based) ‘participation’ should enable a reasonable minimum threshold of participatory engagement through, at least, three central participatory elements: educative, sense of being involved and degree of control. While we agree with criticisms that, at present, genuine participation seems more rhetoric than reality, we believe that there is clear potential for a greater ICT-facilitated participatory engagement on all three participatory elements. We outline some practical steps such initiatives could take to further develop these elements and thereby their level of ICT-facilitated participatory engagement.Peer reviewe

TGF-β concentrations and activity are down-regulated in the aqueous humor of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration

Controversy still exists regarding the role of the TGF-β in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), a major cause of severe visual loss in the elderly in developed countries. Here, we measured the concentrations of active TGF-β1, TGF-β2, and TGF-β3 by ELISA in the aqueous humor of 20 patients affected by nAMD, who received 3 consecutive monthly intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF-A antibody. Samples were collected at baseline (before the first injection), month 1 (before the second injection), and month 2 (before the third injection). The same samples were used in a luciferase-based reporter assay to test the TGF-β pathway activation. Active TGF-β1 concentrations in the aqueous humor were below the minimum detectable dose. Active TGF-β2 concentrations were significantly lower at baseline and at month 1, compared to controls. No significant differences in active TGF-β3 concentration were found among the sample groups. Moreover, TGF-β pathway activation was significantly lower at baseline compared to controls. Our data corroborate an anti-angiogenic role for TGF-β2 in nAMD. This should be considered from the perspective of a therapy using TGF-β inhibitors

Anime disincarnate e sé corporei: il ritorno del corpo nella spiritualità e dell'anima in bioetica

Che significato ha il termine “anima” e come si colloca il discorso sull’anima nelle riflessioni inerenti ai temi della vita, del nascere e del morire, dell’ammalarsi e del prendersi cura? Osserviamo nel dibattito presente due tendenze compresenti, che interpellano dimensioni fondamentali della vita umana: da un lato si osserva un ritorno e una ripresa del discorso sull’anima in bioetica; dall’altro, c’è una ripresa d’attenzione per il tema del corpo e della corporeità nell’ambito della spiritualità, dove il ruolo e il valore del corpo non erano forse stati mai così centrali. Quale contributo può derivare da questa rinnovata attenzione per anima, corpo e spiritualità nell’ambito della medicina e della sanità? Quale ruolo possono giocare etica e religione nel guardare a tali temi e nel rispondere alle domande che essi sollevano

Bibbia e ... bioetica. Un giudizio per le scelte di vita.

C'è uno scambio possibile tra Bibbia e bioetica? Il saggio considera quale contributo possa arrivare dalla tradizione ricca e lunga di un testo sacro ad una disciplina molto recente come la bioetica, che riflette sulle questioni dell'etica della vita

Un metodo, molti metodi per accostare la complessità. Le sfide della ricerca in bioetica

The method of research in bioethics can be considered paradigmatic in order to reflect on and understand the specificities and limits of the fields of study that are proposed as multi-, inter- and trans-disciplinary. After illustrating the different levels at which bioethics is articulated, the article illustrates som e research conducted with people in situations of disability in order to look at this condition through an 'ethical' lense