Research and informed consent in Africa - another look
Article Abstract:
Some medical researchers from Western countries believe that the informed consent requirement should be waived for medical research in developing countries such as the African nations. Informed consent is the policy that patients or research participants should be fully informed of the risks of medical procedures or drugs before undergoing treatment. Individuals in favor of waiving the informed consent requirement in Africa base their argument on several reasons. First, Africans tend to view themselves as part of a family and village or tribe rather than as individuals. Perhaps informed consent for individuals should be obtained from heads of households and village or tribal chiefs rather than the individuals themselves. Second, it is difficult to obtain informed consent from individuals from developing countries because of language barriers and lack of education. Third, many researchers have a sense of urgency about many research projects in Africa such as development of an AIDS vaccine. Obtaining informed consent is time-consuming and expensive. All of these reasons can be refuted for practical and ethical reasons.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1992
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Stress, aging, and neurodegenerative disease
Article Abstract:
A study related with molecular pathways that modulate neurotoxicity of the [beta]-amyloid peptide, which is controlled, by another pathway that modulates aging is presented. The association between the life span and the cellular stress response is suggested by the insulin-signaling pathway's requirement for heat-shock factor 1 (HSF-1), the activator of the heat-shock response that induces the expression of molecular chaperones during stress.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 2006
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