Research ethics

A prevailing view holds that the main goal of mental health promotion is to maintain and improve positive mental health, which is not merely defined by the absence of mental disorders, but by the presence of certain abilities. There are, however, challenges associated with this view that this paper aims to identify and explore. We start by highlighting three requirements for an ethically and politically justified mental health promotion scheme: (i) using a positive concept of mental health that (ii) respects the neutrality principle while (iii) not being overly permissive...

BACKGROUND: Improving access to mental health data to accelerate research and improve mental health outcomes is a potentially achievable goal given the substantial data that can now be collected from mobile devices. Smartphones can provide a useful mechanism for collecting mental health data from young people, especially as their use is relatively ubiquitous in high-resource settings such as the United Kingdom and they have a high capacity to collect active and passive data. This raises the interesting opportunity to establish a large bank of mental health data from young people that could be accessed by researchers worldwide, but it is important to clarify how to ensure that this is done in an appropriate manner aligned with the values of young people...

This preliminary ethical appraisal from the STOPSTORM.eu consortium is meant to raise critical points that clinicians administering stereotactic arrhythmia radioablation should consider to meet the highest standards in medical ethics and thus promote quality of life of patients recruited for radiotherapy treatments at a stage in which they experience a significant degree of vulnerability.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) research is increasing, and there is a need for a more standardized approach for methodological and ethical review of this research. A supplemental review process for EDI-related human subject research protocols was developed and implemented at a pediatric academic medical center (AMC). The goal was to ensure that current EDI research principles are consistently used and that the research aligns with the AMC's declaration on EDI. The EDI Research Review Committee, established in January 2022, reviewed EDI protocols and provided recommendations and requirements for addressing EDI-related components of research studies...

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) is an emerging and disruptive technology that has attracted considerable interest from researchers and educators across various disciplines. We discuss the relevance and concerns of ChatGPT and other GAI tools in environmental psychology research. We propose three use categories for GAI tools: integrated and contextualized understanding, practical and flexible implementation, and two-way external communication. These categories are exemplified by topics such as the health benefits of green space, theory building, visual simulation, and identifying practical relevance...

BACKGROUND: Corynebacterium diphtheriae infection, causing diphtheria, is a public health concern, particularly in developing nations like Pakistan. Despite immunization efforts, recent outbreaks since 2022 have emphasized the continuing threat. This study focuses on describing the clinical characteristics of children with diphtheria-induced myocarditis and exploring the association between early cardiac abnormalities, future fatality rates, and contributing factors. METHODS: A one-year cross-sectional study was undertaken at Lady Reading Hospital MTI Peshawar, encompassing 73 pediatric patients diagnosed with diphtheria-associated myocarditis...

INTRODUCTION: Breaking bad news is one of the most difficult responsibilities in medical practice. Although medical staff in clinical practice often encounter situations that necessitate the announcement of unpleasant news, there is a lack of training regarding their communication with patients and their families. Effective interaction between medical staff and pregnant women constitutes a crucial component of breaking down unpleasant news. This research aimed to investigate the knowledge and attitude of health professionals, particularly obstetricians, and midwives, regarding the announcement of bad news during prenatal screening...

The journey of clinical research in India spans centuries, marked by significant milestones and advancements in scientific, ethical, and regulatory domains. From early trials conducted by pioneers like James Lind to modern standards shaped by landmark events such as the Nuremberg Code and the adoption of Good Clinical Practice guidelines, India's progression reflects a commitment to ethical conduct and patient welfare. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has played a pivotal role in this evolution, establishing national research centers and ethical committees to oversee biomedical research...

Robot animals, designed to mimic living beings, pose ethical challenges in the context of caring for vulnerable patients, specifically concerning deception. This paper explores how emotions become a resource for dealing with the misinformative nature of robot animals in dementia care homes. Based on observations of encounters between residents, care workers, and robot animals, the study shows how persons with dementia approach the ambiguous robots as either living beings, material artifacts, or something in-between...

Scientific progress heavily relies on rigorous research, adherence to scientific standards, and transparent reporting. Animal models play a crucial role in advancing biomedical research, especially in the field of gene therapy. Animal models are vital tools in preclinical research, allowing scientists to predict outcomes and understand complex biological processes. The selection of appropriate animal models is critical, considering factors such as physiological and pathophysiological similarities, availability, and ethical considerations...

BACKGROUND: The dissemination of clinical trial results is an important scientific and ethical endeavour. This survey of completed interventional studies in a French academic center describes their reporting status. METHODS: We explored all interventional studies sponsored by Rennes University Hospital identified on the French Open Science Monitor which tracks trials registered on EUCTR or clinicaltrials.gov, and provides an automatic assessment of the reporting of results...

This article responds to Coope's call for the medical humanities to address the climate crisis as a health issue. Coope proposes three areas for progress towards ecological thinking in healthcare, with a focus on ecological mental health. The article emphasises the need to understand the cultural dimensions of mental health and proposes an interdisciplinary approach that integrates insights from the arts and humanities. It examines the impact of climate change on mental health, drawing on The Rockefeller Foundation - Lancet Commission on Planetary Health and recent studies...

In the late twentieth century, increasing numbers of women in wealthy nations waited until they were aged in their 30s to give birth and become parents. This article examines responses to the changing demographics of maternity among social researchers, doctors, pregnant women and mothers in Aotearoa New Zealand. The article analyses raw research data from historical social survey projects The Right Time (interviews completed in 1982-1983) and Motherhood After 30 (1987) by the grassroots organisation the Society for Research on Women in New Zealand...

BACKGROUND: Retraction of scientific publications is an important check on scientific misconduct and serves to maintain the integrity of the scientific literature. The present study aims to examine the prevalence, trends, and characteristics of retracted spine literature across basic science and clinical spine literature. METHODS: Multiple databases were queried for retracted papers relating to spine or spine surgery, between January 2000 and May 2023. Of 112,668 publications initially identified, 125 were ultimately included in the present study following screening by two independent reviewers...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

A recent article in Perspectives on Psychological Science (Webb & Tangney, 2022) reported a study in which just 2.6% of participants recruited on Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk) were deemed "valid." The authors highlighted some well-established limitations of MTurk, but their central claims-that MTurk is "too good to be true" and that it captured "only 14 human beings . . . [out of] N = 529"-are radically misleading, yet have been repeated widely. This commentary aims to (a) correct the record (i.e., by showing that Webb and Tangney's approach to data collection led to unusually low data quality) and (b) offer a shift in perspective for running high-quality studies online...

BACKGROUND: Rare diseases in Europe are defined as diseases with a prevalence of less than 5 per 10,000 people. Despite their individual rarity, the total number of rare diseases is considerable. Rare diseases are often chronic and complex, affecting physical, mental, and neurological health. People with rare diseases face challenges such as delayed diagnosis, limited medical support, and financial burden. Caregivers, usually family members, bear significant physical and emotional burdens...

OBJECTIVES: Clinical trials of innovative neural implants are rapidly increasing and diversifying, but little is known about participants' post-trial access to the device and ongoing clinical care. This exploratory study examines common practices in the planning and coordination of post-trial access to neurosurgical devices. We also explore the perspectives of trial investigators on the barriers to post-trial access and ongoing care, as well as ethical questions related to the responsibilities of key stakeholder groups...

Introduction Indirect laryngoscopy has become a widely accepted method for learning the techniques of airway management. The incorporation of small, less expensive, and yet more reliable video cameras in laryngoscopes has given the process of laryngoscopy and intubation a big leap. The King Vision video laryngoscope (Medline Industries, USA) has demonstrated promise in several settings while the Linscope video laryngoscope (Centrum, Turkey) is a newly launched device and no literature is available to the best of our knowledge...