Medical study: aspiring parents, genotypes and phenotypes: the unexamined myth of the perfect baby

Although many have argued that assisted reproductive technologies ("ARTs") attract those with a desire to genetically engineer their offspring, this claim has yet to be verified. To address this question, we surveyed three groups: the general public, people enrolling in an in vitro fertilization ("IVF") program, and pregnant couples. We asked subject which traits they would select in their children if it were possible to use a magic wand to do so and to value genetic relatedness. In our sample, the potential parents who were using ARTs were less likely to express a desire to select traits in their offspring than were the general public, and just as likely as the pregnant couples, Those using ARTs , however, place greater importance on having genetically related children than the others. Thus, the widely held view that reproductive technology is utilized by those most likely to favor genetic engineering is falsified by out findings.     

Predictions of Future Dangerousness in Capital Murder Trials: Is It Time to “Disinvent the Wheel?”

Although recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions regarding the death penalty (e.g., Atkins v. Virginia, 2002) have renewed interest in mental health issues, one topic that has not received much attention recently is the ongoing use of expert testimony to support claims that defendants represent a continuing threat to society. In this article, we (a) review prior research relevant to determining the accuracy of clinical predictions that capital defendants will commit future acts of criminal violence; (b) summarize new data from current and former death row inmates in Texas that bolster the claim that such predictions are gross overestimates of risk; and (c) review extant research addressing the potential utility of various risk assessment instruments that increasingly are being used to reinforce clinical predictions in capital trials. Despite significant recent advances in the field of risk assessment, clinical assertions that a defendant is likely to commit future violent acts appear to be highly inaccurate and ethically questionable at best. Moreover, available research offers little support for the claim that the accuracy of these predictions will be appreciably improved by relying on more structured risk assessment measures that have some demonstrated predictive validity in other contexts.Portions of this article were written while the first author was a member of the Department of Psychology at Sam Houston State University. The prison inmate data reported in this study also are described in a report by the Texas Defender Service, available at:     

Choosing Healthplans All Together: a deliberative exercise for allocating limited health care resources

CHAT (Choosing Healthplans All Together) is an exercise in participatory decision making designed to engage the public in health care priority setting. Participants work individually and then in groups to distribute a limited number of pegs on a board as they select from a wide range of insurance options. Randomly distributed health events illustrate the consequences of insurance choices. In 1999-2000, the authors conducted fifty sessions of CHAT involving 592 residents of North Carolina. The exercise was rated highly regarding ease of use, informativeness, and enjoyment. Participants found the information believable and complete, thought the group decision-making process was fair, and were willing to abide by group decisions. CHAT holds promise as a tool to foster group deliberation, generate collective choices, and incorporate the preferences and values of consumers into allocation decisions. It can serve to inform and stimulate public dialogue about limited health care resources.     

Perianal and vulvar Crohn's disease presenting as suspected abuse

Misdiagnosis of sexual abuse may arise in cases of vulvar and/or perianal diseases such as lichen sclerosus et atrophicus, Behcet's syndrome, bullous diseases, contact dermatitis, or neoplastic lesions. We present the case of a 7-year-old girl who was referred by her general paediatrician to the local hospital for perianal fissures and swelling of the labia majora. A report to the judicial authorities was made, for suspected sexual abuse, and the patient was transferred to the department of paediatric surgery. Here, histopathologic examination of vulvar and rectal biopsies revealed multiple non-caseating and non-confluent epithelioid-gigantocellular granulomas, consistent with a diagnosis of Crohn's disease, with cutaneous involvement of the genitalia. In cases of suspected sexual abuse, examination of children should be performed by a specialist in legal medicine in collaboration with a gynaecologist or paediatric surgeon. If the patient is hospitalised and the question of protection does not arise, physicians should exclude dermatological diseases before reporting to the judicial authorities.     

Preadolescents' Perceptions of Females' Body Size and Shape: Evolutionary and Social Learning Perspectives

One hundred and sixty-five Mexican American and Euro-American preadolescents' and their parents' perceptions of healthy and attractive female body sizes and shapes were examined in this study. Participants' perceptions of healthy and attractive female figures were assessed using a pictorial measure that systematically manipulated 3 levels of body size and 4 levels of body shape (i.e., waist-to-hip ratio; WHR). All participants tended to perceive females' with small WHRs as most healthy and attractive looking, while preadolescents expressed a preference for thinner female figures than did adults. Results further suggest that Euro-American and Mexican American participants report similar preferences for females' body sizes and shapes. However, little agreement was found between preadolescents' and their parents' preferences. Principles of evolutionary theory and social learning theory are used to interpret these findings, and implications for preadolescents' perceptions of their own developing bodies, body image, and related eating behaviors are discussed.     

Differentiating Peer Contexts and Risk for Adolescent Substance Use

The peer context is perhaps the most salient, robust predictor of an adolescent's substance use. However, in previous studies, the peer context is often poorly defined. The current study examined 3 models to understand how substance use within best friendships, peer cliques, and social crowds predicts adolescents' substance involvement. A sample of 377 high school juniors and seniors completed surveys assessing substance use and peer relationships. Results suggest that each of these 3 dimensions of the peer context uniquely predict adolescent substance use. Moreover, these peer contexts interacted in the prediction of adolescents' substance use such that adolescents who were more highly embedded in substance-using peer contexts showed greater risk for substance use whereas adolescents with substance-using best friends showed a reduced risk for substance use if they had other close friends who were less involved with substances.     

Causality of an accident in subsequent fatal pulmonary embolism a few hours after trauma

An 87-year-old woman, who was largely immobilized in a wheelchair, suffered rib fractures and an unstable fracture of the pelvic ring in a fall. Approximately 2 1/2 hours later she developed marked clinical symptoms of pulmonary thromboembolism and died 5 hours after the accident. The question to be discussed with regard to the causality was the unusually short interval of only 2 1/2 to 5 hours between the accident and the clinical signs of embolism leading to her death. Current literature gives only rough outlines stating that thromboembolism can occur as early as the first day after the trauma. An alternative theory explaining the pulmonary thromboembolism may be the breaking off of a pre-existing thrombus due to manipulation during transport or diagnostic measures in connection with the unstable fracture of the pelvic ring.     

The development of autonomy among learning handicapped and nonhandicapped adolescents: A longitudinal perspective

Factors that influence the development of adolescent autonomy were examined in a longitudinal study of 30 learning handicapped and 30 nonhandicapped adolescents. Autonomy was represented by three separate measures: distance from parental supervision, responsibility, and deviance. Findings suggest that handicapped adolescents lag behind their nonhandicapped peers in achieving separation from parental supervision, in part because of more restrictive parental rules. But the gap appears to be shrinking as the handicapped adolescents are making strides to catch up during the high school years. In both groups, the families where autonomy is achieved with the least amount of discord are those where parents relax control gradually during the period of adolescence.This research was supported by Grant No. HD23097 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.Received Ph.D. in Social Sciences from the University of California, Irvine. Current interests include adjustment problems of learning handicapped young adults.Received Ed.D. from Columbia University. Current interest is social competence and family relations of learning handicapped populations.