Our Bioethics Observatory wishes you and your family Merry Christmas with all the good wishes for the New Year 

nº 49

                                                             Contact us HERE   December 2016

REPORTS
Transsexuality diagnosis and treatment have been able to try to adapt the body to the mind, instead of trying to alleviate the cerebral problem

Transsexuality diagnosis and treatment

 The diagnosis of transsexualism is based on both medical and psychiatric findings, criteria that have been enshrined in medical guidelines, such as the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of … Read more.
Xenobiology and environment. There must be a balance in which the pursuit of benefits for humans is combined with respect for nature and its laws

Xenobiology and environment

Synthetic biology and xenobiology could be great tools for improving the environment, but there must be a balance in which the pursuit of benefits for humans is combined with respect for nature and its laws. Pope Francis published his encyclical Laudato si, in which he gave his views… Read more.

NEWS
Information about assisted reproduction worlwide techniques shows scarcely varied in recent years and still low. Percentage of twin births still high too.

Assisted reproduction worldwide

The situation of assisted reproduction in the world varies from country to country, and so must also be assessed globally. This has been done in a large study published in Human Reproduction . Data were collected … Read more.
Findings on mitochondrial DNA does not seem prudent to continue in mitochondrial replacement in humans when there is still so much to discover about mtDNA

New findings on mitochondrial DNA question further advances

Investigators at the National Centre for Cardiovascular Research in Madrid published an article in Nature, in which they showed that mice bred so that their nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA derive from different strains tend to age with better health … Read more.
Human infertility. Microsurgery for the treatment of Fallopian tube obstruction and its efficacy compared to in vitro fertilisation. Ethical approach

Microsurgery for the treatment of tubal obstruction. Ethical and medical aspects

One topic discussed in relation to the treatment of human infertility is the efficacy of tubal microsurgery for the treatment of Fallopian tube obstruction and its efficacy compared to in vitro fertilisation… Read more.
Contraceptives latest findings. Their efficacy, particularly when this is compared with natural fertility regulation methods

Contraceptives. Latest findings on their efficacy

One biomedical and social aspect of interest is to determine their efficacy, particularly when this is compared with natural fertility regulation methods, and most especially when it involves choosing contraceptives that acts through an anti-implantation mechanism… Read more.

IN BRIEF
CRISPR veterinary (genome editing) to attempt to halt a serious porcine disease

CRISPR veterinary (genome editing) to halt a serious porcine disease

CRISPR veterinary applied to prevent the spread of  the worst nightmares for any pig farme. The syndrome now affects these ungulates worldwide, causing disease, death and foetal deaths, to the point where it has been… Read more.
Cloned animals. Confirmation that cloned sheep can live a long healthy life. This finding opens an attractive field for producing cloned animals.

Confirmation that cloned sheep can live a long healthy life

After the cloning of Dolly the sheep  20 years ago this July, the possibility of using this technique to obtain animals that could be exploited has been suggested. However, one problem that Dolly seems, suffered premature aging and in turn was diagnosed with osteoarthritis at 5 years…Read more.
Assisted suicide law is limited in some countries in other is used in "patients with irremediable suffering of any kind" for facilitating it

Assisted suicide in differents countries

It is legal in four American states, Canada and four European countries. In the United States, assisted suicide law is exclusively limited to patients with terminal conditions. However, in other countries… Read more.
New diabetes treatment. The authors concluded that if used together with a pharmacological treatment the iPS cells produced could be used in treatments

Could diabetes be treated with pancreatic cells produced from the patient?

An interesting article in Nature has reported the possibility of producing pancreatic β-cells from iPS cells obtained using cells from the patient himself. The authors concluded that if used together with …Read more.
Multiple sclerosis treatment to some experts results are surprising, since this is the first clinical trial in which these outcomes have been obtained.

Bone marrow stem cells for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Surprising results

A recent study published in the The Lancet has shown surprising results.  The study included 24 patients, 1 of whom died, while the remaining 23 had an objective improvement, with 69.6% showing no disease activity… Read more.
Assisted suicide in children defended by UNICEF before the Canadian Senate

Assisted suicide in children defended by UNICEF before the Canadian Senate

The Canadian government has legalised euthanasia and assisted suicide. UNICEF Canada has declared itself in defence of the …

Read more.