That forgetfulness...

You are talking to a friend and forget something important. It happens few more times. You start wondering if this is just part of growing old or is it Alzheimer’s, like your mother had?
A different scenario: you find your loved one becoming forgetful. You wonder if this could be that dreaded Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s affects about 4.5 million people in the country. Sometimes it is hard to make a precise diagnosis, especially in early stages.
A research published in Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences reports that we may have a skin test for accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. Once available, this test will be an important step toward early diagnosis and treatment of this incapacitating disease.
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Using prison inmates as research subjects

A federal panel suggests that government should loosen the restrictions that limit drug research on prison inmates, says an August 13, 2006 New York Times report.
I am sure research will be done after obtaining (required) informed consent from the research subjects.
The society has decided that certain actions are not justifiable even if they happen between two consenting sides. These are the situations where one side is expected to have undue advantage over the other. The situations include a sexual relationship between a physician and a “consenting” patient and a relationship between a boss and a “consenting” subordinate. I think consent for research on a person within the four walls of a prison could be added to that list.
There is an argument that research trials will bring cutting edge treatment to prison inmates. As a general rule, volunteering for research is seen as an action for the greater good, and not necessarily for the good of the research subject for two reasons. One, a new medicine being tested has not yet completely proven its safety and effectiveness. Two, if you are a research subject in a randomized trial (common research design), your chances of getting “new cutting edge” treatment or a sugar pill are fifty-fifty.
It is very expensive to conduct clinical trials and it is hard to find research subjects. But performing research on prison inmates in an unquestionably ethical way will be a challenge.
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