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Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences May 2020This report is an ethical analysis based on both facts and values. In fertilization (IVF), there is an intricate interaction between rapid scientific development and... (Review)
Review
This report is an ethical analysis based on both facts and values. In fertilization (IVF), there is an intricate interaction between rapid scientific development and changing societal values. In most countries, the ethical discussion is no longer on whether or not IVF in itself is ethically justifiable. Therefore, in this review, I discuss other ethical aspects that have emerged since IVF was first introduced, such as upper age limits, 'ownership' of gametes and embryos, IVF in single women and same-sex couples, preimplantatory genetic testing, social egg freezing, commercialization, public funding, and prioritization of IVF. Despite secularization, since religion still plays an important role in regulation and practices of IVF in many countries, positions on IVF among the world religions are summarized. Decision-making concerning IVF cannot be based only on clinical and economic considerations; these cannot be disentangled from ethical principles. Many concerns regarding the costs, effects, and safety of IVF subtly transcend into more complex questions about what it means to society to bear and give birth to children.
Topics: Age Factors; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Fertilization in Vitro; Global Health; Humans; Ownership; Patient Safety; Religion and Medicine
PubMed: 31686575
DOI: 10.1080/03009734.2019.1684405 -
PloS One 2022Free-roaming dog population management is conducted to mitigate risks to public health, livestock losses, wildlife conservation, and dog health and welfare. This study...
Free-roaming dog population management is conducted to mitigate risks to public health, livestock losses, wildlife conservation, and dog health and welfare. This study aimed to determine attitudes towards free-roaming dogs and their management and describe dog ownership practices in three European countries. We distributed an online questionnaire comprising questions relating to dog ownership practices and attitudes towards free-roaming dogs using social media. We used logistic regression and ordinal probit models to determine associations between demographic and other factors with ownership practices and attitudes towards free-roaming dogs. This study found that most surveyed respondents wanted to see a reduction in free-roaming dog numbers, and felt that this should be achieved through sheltering, catch-neuter-release, and by controlling owned dog breeding. We identified significant associations between both attitudes and ownership practices with gender, religious beliefs, age, education level, reason for dog ownership, previous experience with free-roaming dogs, and country of residence. Respondents who identified as: (i) male, (ii) holding religious beliefs, (iii) owning dogs for practical reasons, (iv) being young, or (v) having no schooling or primary education had a lower probability of neutering and a higher probability of allowing dogs to roam. Respondents who identified as: (i) female, (ii) feeling threatened by free-roaming dogs, (iii) older, or (iv) having more education had a higher probability of answering that increases in free-roaming dog numbers should be prevented. These findings can help to inform future dog population management interventions in these countries. We emphasise the importance of considering local attitudes and dog ownership practices in the development of effective dog population management approaches.
Topics: Animals; Dogs; Ownership
PubMed: 35235582
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252368 -
JAMA Network Open Oct 2023
Topics: Humans; Child; Young Adult; Adult; Ownership; Violence; Firearms
PubMed: 37851450
DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.40564 -
Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Jan 2022Cats have become increasingly common as companion animals, and in many countries their popularity now exceeds that of dogs. At the same time, human allergies (including... (Review)
Review
PRACTICAL RELEVANCE
Cats have become increasingly common as companion animals, and in many countries their popularity now exceeds that of dogs. At the same time, human allergies (including allergy to cats) have been increasing and it has been estimated that globally up to 10-20% of human adults are sensitised to cats.
AIM
This review summarises the available published data on how human allergy to cats affects cat ownership and considers the implications of the findings on the wider human-cat bond and how adverse effects can be minimised.
EVIDENCE BASE
Online databases were searched for all original studies up to December 2020 that had quantified the impact of human allergy to cats on ownership or relinquishment. Objective quantifiable data appeared to fall into three broad outcomes - (1) choosing to avoid cat ownership; (2) relinquishment of owned cats; and (3) return of cats after acquisition from a rehoming centre. The data retrieved on these topics are the focus of this review. In some studies, data from cats and dogs were combined and these have also been included in the review.
Topics: Animals; Cats; Humans; Hypersensitivity; Ownership; Pets
PubMed: 34622709
DOI: 10.1177/1098612X211013016 -
PloS One 2022The study examined the relationship between ownership structure and financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya for the period 2009-2020. The data were collected...
The study examined the relationship between ownership structure and financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya for the period 2009-2020. The data were collected from audited financial statements of 39 commercial banks in Kenya. Regression results found strong evidence on ownership structures in explaining the differences in commercial banks' financial performance. The results established that the greatest influence of ownership structures was on net interest margin at 53.04% and return on assets at 31.37%. Influence of ownership structures was found to be low on return on equity at 3.32% and earnings per share at 2.13%. The results found a negative association between state ownership and net interest margin, negative association between management ownership and both net interest margin and earnings per share, negative association between institutional ownership and return on assets and a negative association between foreign ownership and earnings per share. Based on the findings, commercial banks should vary their ownership structures to boost financial performance. Secondly, banks with high percentage of state ownership should consider partial privatization to improve corporate governance practices. Third, banks should adopt managerial ownership policy limiting the proportion of equity stock on executives to limit their powers in strategic decision making. Fourth, the study proposes a percentage limit on equity stock of an individual institutional investor. Lastly, the study proposes that bank's management to come up with a policy detailing the role and place of foreign investors in strategic decision making to ensure their presence in every decision undertaken by bank managers.
Topics: Internationality; Kenya; Ownership
PubMed: 35594258
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268301 -
Tidsskrift For Den Norske Laegeforening... Nov 2023
Topics: Humans; Ownership; Peer Review, Research; Publishing; Peer Group
PubMed: 37987061
DOI: 10.4045/tidsskr.23.0751 -
Global Health, Science and Practice Sep 2020Although enduringly intangible, community ownership is foundational to primary health care. This intangibility is a reminder of what programs can and should do (create...
Although enduringly intangible, community ownership is foundational to primary health care. This intangibility is a reminder of what programs can and should do (create space for dialogue, question their own choices, expand diversity in stakeholder voices making sense of program-induced changes, including through evaluation) and what they cannot do (manage someone else’s ownership).
Topics: Female; Humans; Ownership; Pregnancy; Primary Health Care; Zambia
PubMed: 33008849
DOI: 10.9745/GHSP-D-20-00427 -
The New England Journal of Medicine Feb 2014
Topics: Clinical Trials as Topic; Information Dissemination; Ownership
PubMed: 24450856
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMe1400850 -
International Journal of Environmental... Oct 2022This paper extends the concept of psychological ownership to the general natural environment, clarifies the concept of environmental psychological ownership, and...
This paper extends the concept of psychological ownership to the general natural environment, clarifies the concept of environmental psychological ownership, and analyzes the formation mechanism of environmental psychological ownership from three dimensions. According to the results of structural equation model based on data obtained from the questionnaire survey, pro-environment investment, environmental self-efficacy, and environmental knowledge are all positively associated with the individual's environmental psychological ownership, among which the correlation between environmental knowledge and environmental psychological ownership is the strongest. In addition, the environmental psychological ownership positively predicts the individual's pro-environmental intentions. The conclusion of the study can guide how to strengthen the environmental psychological ownership, thus providing a new perspective for pro-environmental behavior intervention.
Topics: Intention; Knowledge; Ownership; Self Efficacy; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 36231920
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191912621 -
BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) Jul 2023To review the evidence on trends and impacts of private equity (PE) ownership of healthcare operators.
OBJECTIVE
To review the evidence on trends and impacts of private equity (PE) ownership of healthcare operators.
DESIGN
Systematic review.
DATA SOURCES
PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, and SSRN.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR STUDY SELECTION
Empirical research studies of any design that evaluated PE owned healthcare operators.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
The main outcome measures were impact of PE ownership on health outcomes, costs to patients or payers, costs to operators, and quality. The secondary outcome measures were trends and prevalence of PE ownership of healthcare operators.
DATA SYNTHESIS
Studies were classified as finding either beneficial, harmful, mixed, or neutral impacts of PE ownership on main outcome measures. Results across studies were narratively synthesized and reported. Risk of bias was evaluated using ROBINS-I (Risk Of Bias In Non-randomised Studies of Interventions).
RESULTS
The electronic search identified 1778 studies, with 55 meeting the inclusion criteria. Studies spanned eight countries, with most (n=47) analyzing PE ownership of healthcare operators in the US. Nursing homes were the most commonly studied healthcare setting (n=17), followed by hospitals and dermatology settings (n=9 each); ophthalmology (n=7); multiple specialties or general physician groups (n=5); urology (n=4); gastroenterology and orthopedics (n=3 each); surgical centers, fertility, and obstetrics and gynecology (n=2 each); and anesthesia, hospice care, oral or maxillofacial surgery, otolaryngology, and plastics (n=1 each). Across the outcome measures, PE ownership was most consistently associated with increases in costs to patients or payers. Additionally, PE ownership was associated with mixed to harmful impacts on quality. These outcomes held in sensitivity analyses in which only studies with moderate risk of bias were included. Health outcomes showed both beneficial and harmful results, as did costs to operators, but the volume of studies for these outcomes was too low for conclusive interpretation. In some instances, PE ownership was associated with reduced nurse staffing levels or a shift towards lower nursing skill mix. No consistently beneficial impacts of PE ownership were identified.
CONCLUSIONS
Trends in PE ownership rapidly increased across almost all healthcare settings studied. Such ownership is often associated with harmful impacts on costs to patients or payers and mixed to harmful impacts on quality. Owing to risk of bias and frequent geographic focus on the US, conclusions might not be generalizable internationally.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION
PROSPERO CRD42022329857.
Topics: Humans; Ownership; Hospitals; Nursing Homes; Health Services; Outcome Assessment, Health Care
PubMed: 37468157
DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2023-075244