Physicians are in positions to make decisions on which lives depend. The question of who should be making decisions concerning medical research and practice is a moral issue. The problems of medical ethics concern such concepts as autonomy, burden of proof, coercion, informed consent, paternalism, and diminished capacity. (SW)

The special issue presents a collection of 10 studies presented at a major workshop on Usher's Syndrome (a condition of congenital deafness accompanied by progressive loss of vision) which was sponsored by the South Central Regional Center for Deaf-blind Children in Dallas, Texas, September, 1977. (IM)

The Portland, Oregon, YMCA Metro Fitness Center has been named by the National Y Board as the prototype for some 40 similar projects nationwide. The complete physical fitness facility includes research space for the University of Oregon Medical School to use for study in preventive medicine. (Author/MLF)

Reports on structural asymmetrics between the hemispheres which are found in the human brain. Auditory region and Sylvian Fissure asymmetry have also been observed in the fetus and in other primates. Describes research which has correlated asymmetries with hand preference, certain childhood learning disabilities and some dementing illnesses of…

Brief updates are presented regarding institutional patent arrangements and whether an institution, individual, or government owns a patent; the decision of the American Association for the Advancement of Science not to hold its convention in non-ERA-ratified states; and the impact of the Carter Administration budget on VA biomedical research.…

Reports on a variety of topics related to experimental design and analysis in the field of medical education. (CP)

Observers say the research effort to develop drugs to combat acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is increasingly well-funded but badly coordinated, with many universities not willing or not able to pull their weight. (MSE)

Efforts of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to combat AIDS are reported. Health implications of the viral disease are summarized, along with economic costs, research achievements, the importance of education, and appropriate and workable solutions. (LB)

A questionnaire developed and mailed to administrators of all accredited U.S., Canadian, and Puerto Rican medical schools, asked for information on courses offered in epidemiology, statistics, evaluation of medical literature, and research design. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of such courses. (Author/MLW)

A course to familiarize medical students with the principles of good medical research study design and analysis focuses on three types of studies: clinical trials, laboratory science, and epidemiology and biostatistics. (MSE)

A 2-month program for third-year students at Yeshiva's Albert Einstein College of Medicine that provides a model for integrating basic sciences and clinical training is described. It demonstrates the importance of lifelong learning in a field that constantly changes. (Author/MLW)

Describes development of a senior undergraduate level medical research class. The purpose of the class is to help health professionals critically analyze medical research and thus decide whether or not to use the results to change their professional practices. (CH)

At Sweden's Karolinska Institute, a resource allocation model for medical research in use since 1970 allows the research activity of the different departments to affect resource allocation direclty. (MSE)

Using a system dynamics simulation model, the long-term economic impacts of federally funded research cutbacks on an academic medical center are analyzed. The significant negative multiplier effects, due to the required diversion of institutional funds, are indicative of those that any research-oriented university would experience. (Author/MLW)