Recent developments in health law in Greece

This article mainly analyzes the new Code of Ethics which is in place since 2005.     

Incestuous paternity detected by STR-typing of chorionic villi isolated from archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded abortion material using laser microdissection

Microscopic examination of a blood clot expelled by a physically and mentally disabled woman taken to the emergency room because of genital bleeding revealed the presence of chorionic villi encircled by decidua, hemorrhage, and necrosis. In order to identify the father of the product of conception, sections of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded abortion material were subjected to laser microdissection: DNA extraction from chorionic villi selectively isolated from the surrounding tissues allowed successful STR-typing of fetal cells, which was otherwise prevented by excess maternal DNA. The large number of homozygous genotypes in the fetal profile suggested incestuous paternity. Analysis of reference DNA samples from male relatives excluded the woman's father, paternal grandfather, and maternal grandfather, whereas the obligate paternal alleles of the fetus were constantly present in the genotypes of the woman's brother, clearly demonstrating brother-sister incest (probability of paternity > 99.99999%).     

Strategic Use of Evidence During Police Interviews: When Training to Detect Deception Works

Research on deception detection in legal contexts has neglected the question of how the use of evidence can affect deception detection accuracy. In this study, police trainees (N=82) either were or were not trained in strategically using the evidence when interviewing lying or truth telling mock suspects (N=82). The trainees’ strategies as well as liars’ and truth tellers’ counter-strategies were analyzed. Trained interviewers applied different strategies than did untrained. As a consequence of this, liars interviewed by trained interviewers were more inconsistent with the evidence compared to liars interviewed by untrained interviewers. Trained interviewers created and utilized the statement-evidence consistency cue, and obtained a considerably higher deception detection accuracy rate (85.4%) than untrained interviewers (56.1%).     

Entrepreneurship and University Licensing

Outside invention has gained in importance as universities are actively seeking commercialization of their inventions since the passage of the Bayh-Dole Act. The paper analyzes the incentives to invent for outside and inside inventors. It is shown that outside inventors have greater incentives to invent than incumbents. Outside inventors can always fully appropriate the gains from invention irrespective of market structures and firm behaviour. Moreover, outside invention prompts incumbents to commercialize an invention in contrast to inside invention. Embryonic inventions could best be commercialized by new enterprises due to the uncertainty of their outcomes. Cooperative invention could boost consumer welfare but constitutes a lackluster incentive to invent.     

Security,privacy and freedom and the EU legal and policy framework for biometrics

The adoption of the Treaty of Lisbon and the granting to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the same legal force as the Treaty has lent a new impulse to the consideration of fundamental human rights by the European Union (EU). The question remains, however, as to how this legal discourse, centred upon human rights, is actually shaping the EU regulatory framework in specific policy domains. The aim of this paper is to critically appraise the ways that the fundamental rights of security, privacy and freedom guaranteed by the Charter are being construed in the context of EU law and policy on biometrics, an ethically and morally sensitive security technology whose development and use are being actively promoted by the EU. We conclude that the interpretation of the pertinent rights, as well as their balancing, owes a great deal to the goals of EU policies for research and development, and under the auspices of Freedom, Security and Justice, shaped largely by political and economic considerations. These considerations then tend to prevail over ethically or morally-based legal claims.     

A Fatal Case of Anaphylactic Shock During Paragliding

Abstract: The growth in popularity of flying ultralight aircraft and paragliding has been associated with an increased involvement of Emergency Medical Services because of various types of trauma suffered from both inexperienced and skilled individuals. This case presentation reports on a paraglider pilot, who was seen spinning “unusually” rapidly toward the ground, without visible attempts to regain control of the aircraft. Besides the bilateral mydriasis and the absence of any ECG activity, there was a significant swelling of face, lips, neck, and tongue. Upon opening the mouth, a dead bee was found over the tongue, underneath the palate. A fatal anaphylactic shock was the likely cause of death of the pilot while still “in mid‐air.” This case is certainly different from the commonly reported accidents during paragliding. An updated review of the medical literature shows no reported cases of fatal anaphylactic shock during the practice of paragliding.     

Hair and urine testing to assess drugs of abuse consumption in couples undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART)

For the first time in Europe hair and urine testing have been applied to assess drugs of abuse consumption in couples undergoing assisted reproductive technology and the eventual association of toxic habits with other lifestyle, health status and sociodemographic factors was also investigated. Couples attending five assisted reproduction centers in Rome were invited to join the study. When they presented at the Centre for the visit, they were asked to answer a structured questionnaire concerning sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle habits, and at the same time to provide hair and urine samples. Hair and urine testing for drugs of abuse, urinary profile of principal endogenous steroids involved in fertility process (testosterone, epitestosterone, androsterone, etiocholanolone and dehydroepiandrosterone) and of alcohol and tobacco smoke biomarkers were performed with validated methodologies. Of the 594 enrolled individuals (297 couples), 352 (164 couples and 24 single individuals from the couple) completed the questionnaire and gave both hair and urine samples, apart from 3 bald men, who only gave urine samples. Urine testing showed an overall 4.8% (17 individuals) positivity to drugs of abuse: 4.2% to cannabinoids, 1.4% to cocaine and 0.85% to both drugs. Results of 4cm segment hair samples testing matched those from urine samples. Thus, taking together, results of urine and hair testing confirmed repeated use of cannabis, cocaine and both drugs in 3.7, 0.85 and 0.57% examined individuals, respectively. Drug consumers were in a statistically higher percentage active smokers and alcohol drinkers, less prone to physical activity and with a trend towards higher weight than non consumers. Finally, repeated drug consumption was associated with significant lower concentration of urinary testosterone in males and of urinary dehydroepiandrosterone in females. The findings of the present study confirm the suitability of urine testing to disclose recent drugs of abuse consumption and of hair analysis to verify repeated consumption. Association between different toxic habits and sedentary lifestyle is also substantiated by the obtained results in our cohort of couples attending assisted reproduction centers.     

Influence of CYP2D6 genotype on the disposition of the enantiomers of venlafaxine and its major metabolites in postmortem femoral blood

Venlafaxine (VEN) is an antidepressant drug mainly metabolized by the cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzyme CYP2D6 to the active metabolite O-desmethylvenlafaxine (ODV). VEN is also metabolized to N-desmetylvenlafaxine (NDV) via CYP3A4. ODV and NDV are further metabolized to N,O-didesmethylvenlafaxine (DDV). VEN is a racemic mixture of the S- and R-enantiomers and these have in vitro displayed different degrees of serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibition. The aim of the study was to investigate if an enantioselective analysis of VEN and its metabolites, in combination with genotyping for CYP2D6, could assist in the interpretation of forensic toxicological results in cases with different causes of deaths. Concentrations of the enantiomers of VEN and metabolites were determined in femoral blood obtained from 56 autopsy cases with different causes of death. The drug analysis was done by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) and the CYP2D6 genotyping by PCR and pyrosequencing. The mean (median) enantiomeric S/R ratios of VEN, ODV, NDV and DDV were 0.99 (0.91), 2.17 (0.93), 0.92 (0.86) and 1.08 (1.03), respectively. However, a substantial variation in the relationship between the S- and R-enantiomers of VEN and metabolites was evident (S/R ratios ranging from 0.23 to 17.6). In six cases, a low S/R VEN ratio (mean 0.5) was associated with a high S/R ODV ratio (mean 11.9). Genotyping showed that these individuals carried two inactive CYP2D6 genes indicating a poor metabolizer phenotype. From these data we conclude that enantioselective analysis of VEN and ODV can predict if a person is a poor metabolizer genotype/phenotype for CYP2D6. Knowledge of the relationship between the S- and R-enantiomers of this antidepressant drug and its active metabolite is also important since the enantiomers display different pharmacodynamic profiles.     

Family Closeness and Domestic Abuse Among Caribbean and South American Women in South Florida

This paper focuses on the importance of family member closeness as a protective factor against domestic abuse. We explore the link between long-lasting relations within the family and intra-familial violence perpetrated against women in Latino households in South Florida. We use data from an Inter-generational Transmission of Drug Use between Latina Mothers and Daughters (ITDMD) study. The study includes data on family relations and domestic abuse. We estimate a series of multivariate regressions to obtain the probability of abuse against women, the types of abuse inflicted and the relationship with the abusers. Our results indicate that among abused women, the effects of long-lasting relations within the family differ depending on the type of relationship between the abuser and the victim and the degree of closeness the victim feels towards other family members. Given these findings, there is a need to further study family relations and abuse in Latino households.     

The role of caste in the implementation of herbal gardens in Bangalore

Over the past few decades home garden research has emphasised the promotion of home gardening for nutritional and other welfare benefits for the poor in urban areas. Still, the urban communities who cultivate plants in their home gardens are in general represented as rather uniform groups, and no distinction is made in terms of caste, ethnic groups, or social class. This article asserts that social stratification represents an important aspect that needs to be taken into account while devising educational programmes and community projects for the promotion of home herbal gardens in urban areas.