The medical provision of hydration and nutrition: two very different outcomes in Victoria and Florida

Decisions to withhold or withdraw medical hydration and nutrition are amongst the most difficult that confront patients and their families, medical and other health professionals all over the world. This article discusses two cases relating to lawful withdrawal and withholding of a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube (PEG) from incompetent patients with no hope of recovery. Victoria and Florida have statutory frameworks that provide for advance directives, however in both Gardner; Re BWV and Schindler v Schiavo; Re Schiavo the respective patients did not leave documented instructions. The article analyses the two cases and their outcomes from legal, medical and ethical perspectives.     

A line already drawn: the case for voluntary euthanasia after the withdrawal of life-sustaining hydration and nutrition

When life-sustaining hydration and nutrition is withheld from an incompetent and immobile patient like Terri Schiavo, death comes to the patient by dehydration within about two weeks. Americans should be permitted to arrange for euthanasia at that point, as opposed to merely dehydrating to death, and should be able to incorporate their desire for euthanasia into an advance directive. A state constitutional right of privacy could provide the legal avenue permitting effectuation of such a choice.     

医疗纠纷案例鉴定及解决方式转变的研究

目的以某综合性三甲医院2009—2011年全部已结案医疗纠纷病例为研究对象,探讨医疗纠纷解决机制及相关医疗纠纷鉴定的转变。结果2009—2011年3年中,共结案医疗纠纷106例,其中医院自行和解结案26件,占24．5％;第三方调解结案21件,占19．8％;法院判决和调解结案59件,占55．7％。建议医疗机构应充分发挥第三方解决医疗纠纷的能力,重视医疗纠纷鉴定。     

Portable high‐resolution automated 3D imaging for footwear and tire impression capture

The forensic science community raised the need for improved evidence recognition, collection, and visualization analytical instrumentation for field and laboratory use. While the 3D optical techniques for imaging static objects have been extensively studied, there is still a major gap between current knowledge and collecting high‐quality footwear and tire impression evidence. Among optical means for 3D imaging, digital fringe projection (DFP) techniques reconstruct 3D shape from phase information, achieving camera‐pixel spatial resolution. This paper presents a high‐resolution 3D imaging technology using DFP techniques dedicated to footwear and tire impression capture. We developed fully automated software algorithms and a graphical user interface (GUI) that allow anyone without training to operate for high‐quality 3D data capture. We performed accuracy evaluations and comparisons comparing with the commercial high‐end 3D scanner and carried out qualitative tests for various impressions comparing with the current practices. Overall, our technology achieves similar levels of accuracy and resolution with a high‐end commercially available 3D scanner, while having the merits of being (1) more affordable; (2) much easier to operate; and (3) more robust. Compared with the current practice of casting, our technology demonstrates its superiority because it (1) is non‐destructive; (2) collects more evidence detail than casts, especially when an impression is fragile; (3) requires less time and money to collect each piece of evidence; and (4) results in a digital file that can easily be shared with other examiners.     

商标产品平行进口若干法律质疑与排除

在梳理主流观点的基础上,对商标产品平行进口的主体、对象、是否须存在两个进口行为,以及是否是真品,分别对传统观点提出质疑,进行理论辨析,最后指出,平行进口商不能仅局限于进口国的销售商,经合法授权的进口商也可能实施平行进口行为,并且进口国的商标权利人不能仅局限于已实施了销售情形,也包括为实施销售正在进行准备工作的情形:在若干不同法域下受到保护的商标权利主体的同一性是构成平行进口的基石,如果进口商的商品来源于其他权利人或是仿冒产品,那么就是典型意义上的商标侵权而非平行进口.     

对我国营养立法可行性的探讨

营养立法对促进全国的营养工作,改善我国居民的营养与健康状况具有重要意义,也是实现全面“小康”社会的关键。本文对我国目前营养立法的可行性进行了探讨,从政策基础、社会经济发展状况、营养科技条件、社会需求和营养立法的经验五个方面的分析来看,尽管还存在一些困难,但是,现阶段营养立法在我国切实可行,在党和政府的关怀和领导下,通过营养专业人员和各界人士的共同努力,相信营养法会早日颁布,使我国营养工作走上更加规范的法制化轨道。