Anotated Bib. III

http://www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov/about/organization/advisorycommittee/2005Sep/Pages/Tab-7-Informed-Consent-for-Genetic-Research-on-Stored-Tissue-Samples.pdf

Clayton, Ellen, and Karen Steinburg. "Informed Consent for Genetic Research on Stored Tissue Samples." Informed Consent for Genetic Research on Stored Tissue Samples. Jama, 13 Dec. 1995. Web. 24 Oct. 2009. http://www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov/about/organization/advisorycommittee/2005Sep/Pages/Tab-7-Informed-Consent-for-Genetic-Research-on-Stored-Tissue-Samples.pdf.


This excerpt was posted online.  It is from a book, and it is a collaboration of ideas about informed consent.  The ideas and problems that revolve around the topic are discussed.  This helps create ideas about the tissue debate's main issue: property.

I said "NO!"

I have given the gift of blood to Lifeblood twice.  I have been turned down once because my blood pressure was not where it needed to be.  I don't mind giving blood to help aid in its uses, but I really hate it when their representatives call.  Tonight, I was on the phone with a lady from Lifeblood for approximately thirty minutes.  She insisted on me coming in to donate some of my platelets.  I told her I had a busy schedule, yet she continued to carry on.  She urged me to make an appointment for tomorrow or Wednesday.  I refused to make an appointment.  She would not take no for an answer, so she put me down for an appointment next Thursday.  Needless to say, I will not be there.

During this unecessary thirty minute chat, I learned that platelets can only be saved for five days.  The platelets become perishable thereafter.  In the past and in Europe, seven days is the maximum shelf life.  However, the platelets may not be as good or adequate.

176

What is Property?

Ashley Livingston


Wendy Sumner-Winter

English1010

24 October 2009



Tissues as Human Property?



Tissues are a “collection of similar cells that group together to perform a specialized function” (Carpi). Tissues and cells may be used for research to study diseases. They can also be used to help discover cures. Tissues that are removed from the body during surgery may not simply be kept by the doctor. If there are some tissues or cells “left over that can be used for research” (HTA), the patient must give the doctor permission through written consent. Written consent is a form the patient has to complete; the form allows the patient to either give the doctor rights to perform research on the tissues or the patient can choose to say no. Written consent may be overridden on “living patients if the samples are anonymous” (HTA). The issue has to be passed through an ethics committee first, though. A person may also donate their tissues after his/her death. Consent is always needed unless the person was deceased before September 1, 2006. If records show no sign of consent, permission can be requested from a close relative. The huge question past written consent is: Who does the tissues belong to? The term “property” cannot be defined. A decision has yet to be made as to who owns the tissues.

http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=KJzdZVRT7WjKSKpT0GpqkMVCPL525yDh7LLTq9hTp9gdxzGLWpxP!-82436048!-1854981251?docId=5002303854

Nelkin, Dorothy, and Lori Andrews. "Homo Economicus: Commercialization of Body Tissue in the Age of Biotechnology." Hastings Center Report (1998).

This article is not free, but the basis of the trial excerpt gave me some fresh ideas.


The article was written by Dorthi Nelkin and Lori Andrews on an internet site.  The article focuses on the debate for tissue ownership as a money making opportunity.  The article states that manufacturers may use body parts that have been extracted as ingredients or parts in some of the products they may produce.  The article directs attention to commercialization of body tissues beyond medical purposes.  It gives an example of how DNA from someone famous could be used in a marketed product and then sold.  The article gives me a new approach on my topic.  It creates another perception of how commercialization is and can be done.

That's it Let's Just Say We Came From a Stork

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/48616/description/Fossil_find_sparks_debate_on_primate_origins


These findings are very interesting.  I think the whole idea of evolution is so complex.  It seems simply, but there is so many gaps that have to be accounted for.  This finding, however, is a good example of the work we are doing today.  We are still digging-literally, digging-for evidence.  We are looking for answers that will solve such a big puzzle.  Is there anyway we will ever know?  I'm not sure if there will ever be a conclusion, or a sound, solid finding that will support all evidence.  The creatures' sizes amaze me.  In the article, the animals weights are dramatically smaller than today's primates.  It is very strange.

Got an Angel to my left and a Devil on my shoulder.......

As I prepare myself for my midterms or just the homework load in general, I find it harder and harder to stay awake to study. The moment I open a book or begin studying, you can basically "stick a fork in me-I'm DONE!"  So, what is the trick?  How do people do it?  I have yet to learn what it takes.  I know that I have to do better, but I cannot seem to motivate myself or discipline myself to do better.  How can I stay up when I am dog-tired?  Coffee and caffeinated products do not seem to help anymore.  I have built a tolerance level to both.  I was reading some tips online and the passage gave some strategies for staying up in order to complete an assignment.

1.  Exercise
2.  Eat good foods while studying.
3.  Drink water while studying.
4.  Do something to increase blood flow.
5.  Do not sit in a comfortable place.
6.  Take breaks in between studying time.

My biggest problem is convincing myself that I need a nap.  I hate whenever I do this because I accomplish nothing.  I hope to improve my studying habits, so I can improve my grades.

Annoted Bibliography I

New England Journal of Medicine.  Body of Research — Ownership and Use of Human Tissue.  R. Alta Charo, J.D. Volume 355:1517-1519 October 12, 2006 Number 15



http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/355/15/1517
 
This article was posted by the New England Journal of Medicine.  The main argument within the excerpt is the unclear definition of property?  Who can have own your body?  The questions arise as the debate over human tissue continues.  The debate lacks property establishment which seems to be the ultimate problem over this topic.  The article also addresses a particle case involving a prostate cancer surgeon, Catalona.  He had received the consent of his patients and collected tissue samples during his time with them at Washington University.  The doctor relocated to practice elsewhere, but the courts would not allow him to relocate the sample of tissue as well; this was dictated even after the patients gave another consent to have their tissues to be moved to the doctor's new location.  Why does written consent not override any decision?

I Got Ya Where I Want Ya......

If a centralized DNA database was to arise, I believe it would become a failed operation.  As technology increases, so does many people's awarness and the proper way to use the new technologies.  A DNA sample has to correspond to a name, and a name must correspond with a social security number.  If this information were to be lost, a crisis would result, and many people would be at risk.  I think that DNA database should be use for record keeping of potential people that endager society- whatever that offense may be.  It would help with identification of crooked individuals that might "change" their name in every crime they may commit. 

Word Count: 111

Memphis Drivers are Contributors to EXTREME Road Rage

When I drive home from school somedays, I like to crack my windows and turn the radio off.  I do this if I have a headache or if I want to just relax and think.  While I was driving home, I became more and more aware of my frustrations with most of the drivers that surrounded me.  In one drive home, I had almost been hit, I counted, at least five times.  My count did not include how many times I had to slam on my brakes because someone decided to swerve over without looking.  I didn't include how many times someone pulled out in front of me and decided to do an average of ten to twenty miles under the speed limit.  The count did not include how many cut me off whenever I needed to switch lanes. It also did not include how many times I had to brake because someone was sitting in the middle of moving traffic-on the wrong side, of course-in order to get to the other side.  This is more than apparent that Memphis has a problem with many of its drivers.  How could a problem like this be fixed? Why are the driver's tests designed so that anyone can pass?  The system has major flaws.  My test to get my license included a two minute drive around the little square of Covington at a speed of twenty-five miles per hour.  Who cannot pass under these strict limitations? Please!


Oh, and I also had to brake because a speeding hub cap was advancing towards my car. 

Word Count: 262

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmDOodc0j28
I'm not sure exactly how I came across this video, but I really like it. 

The guy in the video was talking about how many Americans think that any immigrant should learn English and something about the United States.  He said that 92% of all immigrants pass the test that they take after becoming legal.   The same test was administered to high school students in Oklahoma.  Less than 25% passed.  The numbers are drastically different opening the broader topic of this video: Education.  The guy is baffled by how much the students don't know.  He feels very strongly about education.  I agree with this man.  The lack of education is shocking.

My second outside event was the reading from Robert Root.  I was hoping that he would be more reserved than McCarthy. 

When I first walked in there was a few others in our class that attended as well.  I was glad that I was not the only one about to waste a good hour for this boring event.  I sat down and started talking.  After a few minutes passed a handful of people had piled into the place.  I noticed how different and diverse many of the spectators looked.  I assumed that if this author could attract such a variety of people then his work must be somewhat bearable.  To my surprise, the event wasn't too dry, and Robert Root was not so bad himself. 

McCarthy: An Example of Willpower

Mike McCarthy is willpower.  He is an excellent example of how sheer determination can carry you through the "thick and the thin" to overcome obstacles and ultimately lead you to your life's ambitions.  He carries himself nobly and reinforces his work through his passions.  As my peers and I transition from high school to college, we lack, for the most part, discipline and willpower.  After hearing a professional talk about what it takes to achieve so-called dreams, it makes me realize how much time I have wasted.  The same time that I chose to sacrifice my schoolwork for wasteful, useless activities is the time that I could have studied or completed an assignment early with better context.  I have always wanted to become a pediatric oncologist, and by doing the simple act of procrastination, I have chosen to eliminate willpower and discipline from my quest for knowledge.  I hope to develop the same mentality that prepared McCarthy for his accomplishments.