Transhumanist issues have been the subject of a considerable number of books; I have listed many of these in a short bibliography. While the list is not exhaustive, it is highly representative of the transhumanist literature. The list is presented in order of publication date and includes both works aimed at the intelligent layman as well as works aimed at the professional academic philosopher. Note that this list is not offered as a kind of hermeneutic key or guide to the field but rather merely provided to acquaint the reader with some of the more readable accounts. In each case in this list I have tried to summarize the key message of the book in one or two sentences.
Transhumanism is a relatively recent intellectual and cultural movement that promotes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding and evaluating potential means for enhancing the human organism, the human race and the human condition. Expressed in broad strokes, transhumanism seeks to produce “posthumans” who will variously live longer, be smarter, be stronger, be more peace-loving, or otherwise constitute an improvement over regular humanity in some nontrivial manner. It aims to achieve its goals primarily through technological innovation in fields such as genetic engineering, neuropharmacology, computer technology, artificial intelligence, and molecular nanotechnology. Some of the less mainstream transhumanist themes include efforts to develop conscious, self-aware computers, efforts to reanimate individuals deemed to be dead by ordinary clinical criteria, and even altering humans with a view to facilitating space colonization.
Transhumanist issues have been the subject of a considerable number of books; I have listed many of these in a short bibliography. While the list is not exhaustive, it is highly representative of the transhumanist literature. The list is presented in order of publication date and includes both works aimed at the intelligent layman as well as works aimed at the professional academic philosopher. Note that this list is not offered as a kind of hermeneutic key or guide to the field but rather merely provided to acquaint the reader with some of the more readable accounts. In each case in this list I have tried to summarize the key message of the book in one or two sentences. Sajayan A, Wicker J, Ungureanu N, Mendonca C, Kimani PK. Current practice of rapid sequence induction of anaesthesia in the UK - a national survey. Br J Anaesth. 2016 Sep;117 Suppl 1:i69-i74. doi: 10.1093/bja/aew017. PubMed PMID: 26917599.
The 'classical' technique of rapid sequence induction (RSI) of anesthesia was described almost 50 years ago. Since that time, new drugs, new equipment and new studies have led to enormous variation in RSI technique. In particular, the role of cricoid pressure remains controversial, lacking a solid evidenciary basis, while the classical prohibition of mask ventilation is now usually abandoned so as to avoid hypoxemia. This study is a report of a postal survey to characterize the current practice of rapid sequence induction (RSI) amongst UK anesthetists. The authors received 272 responses. Most respondents used 20-25° head up tilt for all RSIs and most used propofol as the induction agent. 92% of the anesthetists used cricoid pressure but only 17% of the respondents used mask ventilation to prevent hypoxemia. The authors concluded that there exists “persistent variation in the practice of RSI amongst the anaesthetists in the UK” and that the 'classical' RSI technique “is now seldom used.” The authors close by recommending the development of “consistent guidelines” for the practice of RSI. MORE READING (alphabetical order) Algie CM, Mahar RK, Tan HB, Wilson G, Mahar PD, Wasiak J. Effectiveness and risks of cricoid pressure during rapid sequence induction for endotracheal intubation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Nov 18;(11):CD011656. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011656.pub2. Review. PubMed PMID: 26578526. Butler J, Sen A. Best evidence topic report. Cricoid pressure in emergency rapid sequence induction. Emerg Med J. 2005 Nov;22(11):815-6. Review. PubMed PMID: 16244348; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC1726598. Istvan J, Belliveau M, Donati F. Rapid sequence induction for appendectomies: a retrospective case-review analysis. Can J Anaesth. 2010 Apr;57(4):330-6. doi: 10.1007/s12630-009-9260-1. PubMed PMID: 20049576. Neilipovitz DT, Crosby ET. No evidence for decreased incidence of aspiration after rapid sequence induction. Can J Anaesth. 2007 Sep;54(9):748-64. Review. PubMed PMID: 17766743. Schlesinger S, Blanchfield D. Modified rapid-sequence induction of anesthesia: a survey of current clinical practice. AANA J. 2001 Aug;69(4):291-8. PubMed PMID: 11759367. Schober P, Schwarte LA. Put pressure on the cricoid pressure. Emerg Med J. 2016 Nov 1. pii: emermed-2016-206294. doi: 10.1136/emermed-2016-206294. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 27803126. Trethewy CE, Burrows JM, Clausen D, Doherty SR. Effectiveness of cricoid pressure in preventing gastric aspiration during rapid sequence intubation in the emergency department: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials. 2012 Feb 16;13:17. doi: 10.1186/1745-6215-13-17. PubMed PMID: 22336284; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3296638. On December 15, 2016 I gave a PowerPoint presentation (4 MB) on achieving perioperative analgesia without using opioid drugs. Drugs discussed include acetominophen/paracetamol, lidocaine, ketamine, magnesium, dexamethasone, and more. Please use as you see fit.
Today I presented a talk on Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) at the 11th Pan Arab Congress of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Management in Dubai. My talk (4 MB, PowerPoint format) can be downloaded here. For an amazing animated depiction of the inner workings (molecular machinery) of eukaryotic cells I heartily recommend the following video. Some of the items covered include P-selectin, leukocyte adherence, extracellular matrix, the lipid bilayer, lipid rafts, chemokines, proteoglycans, G-protein-coupled receptors, signaling pathways, spectrin tetramers, the cytoskeleton, actin filaments, severing proteins, microtubules, vesicles and their transport within the cell, mitochondria, centrioles, nuclear pores, ribosomes, protein translocators, the endopasmic reticulum, the Golgi apparatus, and ICAM proteins. All this and more in a mere 8 minutes! Highly recommended. Yesterday and today I gave a series of anesthesia talks at the 2016 Arab Health Recruitment and Training Fair held in Abu Dhabi. Individuals interested in downloading the talks may do so here. Feel free to use these PowerPoint slide sets as you wish.
Anesthesia for the Trauma patient: New Data, New Concepts 2 MB A Brief History of Clinical Airway Management 7 MB New Developments in Perioperative Fluid Therapy 3 MB Difficult Airway Management in the ICU 11 MB New Developments in Clinical Airway Management 15 MB Urgent aeromedical evacuation of critically ill patients to destinations offering more advanced care can be a clinical challenge: space, drugs and equipment are necessarily limited and clinical backup is usually restricted to whatever electronic communication can be established. When airway challenges also arise (e.g., a need for tracheal intubation) the situation becomes even more complicated. Recently I updated my educational web site dealing with airway management in the air. It can be accessed here. Enjoy.
CRISPR is a naturally-occurring biological defense found in a wide range of bacteria. Decades ago bacteriologists observed strange patterns in some bacterial genomes, with particular DNA sequences repeated over and over, and with unique DNA sequences between the repeated material. They called this odd arrangement “clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats,” or CRISPR. When it was subsequently discovered that the unique DNA sequences located between the repeats matched the DNA of viruses known to prey on bacteria, it became apparent that CRISPR is part of a bacterial immune system. This system accordingly “holds on” to pieces of viral genome in order to later identify and destroy those viruses next time they attack. To actually destroy the viral invaders, a set of enzymes called Cas (CRISPR-associated proteins), snip the viral DNA of invading viruses in order to render them harmless.
The CRISPR/Cas genome editing methodology found in nature has now been ported to the laboratory where it has been suggested as a weapon against human viruses [1]. Similarly, it has been suggested as a means to induce or turn off gene expression to treat (for instance) autoimmune disease by manipulating how much of a partricular anti-inflammatory protein is made [2]. Now it looks like CRISPR/Cas may be useful in fighting cancer. All cancers have genetic mutations that result in damaged cellular operation [3]. These pathological changes to cellular programming may variously result in unwanted effects such as unrestricted cellular proliferation via unregulated cell growth or the induction of enzymes that render chemotherapeutic agents ineffective. This article [4] explains how CRISPR/Cas9 – based tools might allow researchers to precisely edit the genetic mechanism underlying cellular control for clinical purposes. However, the authors emphasize that the road ahead may not be straightforward: “Perhaps the greatest challenge ahead is the efficient delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 to the targeted cancer cells. A number of approaches are possible including viral transduction using adenovirus, adeno-associated virus (AAV) or lentiviruses and nonviral physical methods.” REFERENCES 1: White MK, Hu W, Khalili K. The CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing methodology as a weapon against human viruses. Discov Med. 2015 Apr;19(105):255-62. Review. PubMed PMID: 25977188; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4445958. 2: Jing W, Zhang X, Sun W, Hou X, Yao Z, Zhu Y. CRISPR/CAS9-Mediated Genome Editing of miRNA-155 Inhibits Proinflammatory Cytokine Production by RAW264.7 Cells. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:326042. doi: 10.1155/2015/326042. Epub 2015 Nov 30. PubMed PMID: 26697483; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4677169. 3: Pelengaris S, Khan M (Eds): The Molecular Biology of Cancer, Second Ed. Wiley- Blackwell, 2013. ISBN-10: 1118022874 4: White MK, Khalili K. CRISPR/Cas9 and cancer targets: future possibilities and present challenges. Oncotarget. 2016 Mar 15;7(11):12305-17. doi:10.18632/oncotarget.7104. Review. PubMed PMID: 26840090; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4914286. I recently updated my educational web site www.acidbasedisorders.com
In addition to a number of PowerPoint slidesets and other educational documents, the new site features an attempt to summarize the most important points in clinical physiology into a single page. Enjoy. |
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