Provided are abstracts of papers presented at the annual American Physiological Society meeting and International Conference on Hydrogen Ion Transport in Epithelia. Papers are grouped by such topic areas as lung fluid balance, renal cardiovascular integration, smooth muscle physiology, neuroendocrines (pituitary), exercise physiology, mechanics of…

Reviews the pros and cons of using animals or alternatives in scientific research. Such alternatives (as indicated in congressional bill HR 556) include mathematical models, isolated organs, tissue and cell cultures, computer simulations, mechanical models, and "lower" organisms among others. (SK)

Reports on what appears to be a promising approach to the treatment and spread of cancer. Utilizes a mutant of the common cold virus that appears to kill many kinds of cancer cells but not normal cells. (DDR)

Highlights the background, career, and major accomplishments of Robert Allan Weinberg, professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His accomplishments and research interests focus on oncogenes, genes capable of causing cancer. The discovery of these genes has revealed the central mechanism of cancer. (Author/JN)

Discusses unpaid postdoctoral researchers, especially those in biology and medicine, addressing reasons why they work without pay, how they receive funding, efforts to help them, their impacts on the field, and personal concerns. (DC)

Reviews a range of developments in methodology for studying digestive physiology including comparative anatomy, fistulas and canals, imaging, electromyography, and tracers. Exercises for gathering firsthand data on the use of tracers, analyzing secondhand data on tracers, and interpretation of comparative anatomy of bird stomachs are given as…

Describes the operation and early findings of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology, which allows researchers to look at brain events rather than just structures. (WRM)

Describes a process known as parthenogenesis which produces cloned, early-stage embryos and human embryos generated only from eggs. Speculates that this technology puts therapeutic cloning within reach. (DDR)

Presents information about the history, biology, and medical aspects of leprosy, including its description in historical documents, its cause and effects, statistics on its prevalence, and various attempts at treatment. Notes that leprosy is one of the few infectious diseases that, although treatable with medication, remains incurable. Contains 30…

Assesses the educational state-of-the-art regarding physiological simulation. States the importance of conventional physiology laboratory exercises involving living material. (MA)

Discusses the role and use of microcomputers in scientific research, from monitoring instruments to controlling experimental processes. Included are descriptions of a computer-controlled protein sequencer and gene synthesizer, and microcomputer uses in medicine, physiology, biochemistry, and geology. (JN)

The board that advises the Secretary of HEW on ethics has given a qualified approval for further review of federal funding for research on human embryos conceived in the laboratory. Issues and concerns that influenced the board's decision are addressed. (JMD)

States that the ethics of using animals in science should be debated; however, the history of medicine is so clear on the contribution of animal usage to our understanding of the causes, preventions, and cures of diseases that only the untutored or those with a hidden agenda could argue that animal research has not been fundamental to medical…

This book is a comprehensive resource of illustrative cases for classroom discussion of research ethics in the natural sciences, the behavioral sciences, and the humanities. The materials selected for inclusion are intended to speak to people in all disciplines, though the cases are drawn from biology, psychology, and history. They cover such…

A survey of 244 British university undergraduates in biology, computer science, and English investigated attitudes about various uses of animals, including killing animals to make luxury clothing, killing of animals for food, general and medical research using animals, and captivity. Response differences by discipline, gender, and age were also…