Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

Based on the concept of doctor’s moral hazard behavior and the theoretical model of planned behavior, this paper constructs a theoretical model of doctor’s moral hazard behaviorm and analyzes the main influencing factors of doctor’s moral hazard behavior in detail, including behavioral attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. Combined with the results of questionnaire survey, this paper uses structural equation model and factor analysis to verify the hypotheses. The results show that in the theoretical model of doctor’s moral hazard behavior, doctors’ moral risk intentions are affected by three independent variables: behavioral attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. As an intermediary variable, moral risk intentions have a mediating effect on doctors’ moral hazard behavior. All path coefficients meet the requirements, and all assumptions of the model are verified. The theoretical model of doctor’s moral hazard behavior established in this study can effectively explain the occurrence law of doctor’s moral hazard behavior and can predict doctor’s moral hazard behavior according to the actual situation of various influencing factors. This provides an effective theoretical guidance for the next step to better carry out the relevant research on doctor’s moral hazard based on the management perspective, especially the establishment of prevention and control strategies for doctor’s moral hazard behavior.

In the past several decades, due to the severe shortage of transplantable organs, organ procurement from executed prisoners have been used to transplant organs, which goes against international ethics standards. As of January 2015, China phased out the use of executed prisoner organs and embarked on its transplant reform. Since then, many efforts have been made to meet the international ethics guidelines on organ transplants. In this study, we aim to elaborate on the status quo of organ procurement from executed prisoners from the perspective of ethics and law. Although China has made great progress in organ donation and transplantation, some Western transplant surgeons and bioethicists still hold outdated views on organ donation and transplantation in China, which will not bring any benefits to its development and will alienate it from the international transplant community. In this study, we propose that both the international transplant society and Chinese transplant community, with mutual cooperation and trust, should jointly make efforts to advance the development of organ donation and transplantation in China.

Background and Aims: Rhynchostele rossii is an orchid native to Mexico known as gallinitas (little chickens) that is threatened due to overexploitation for ornamental purposes, as a consequence of which it is necessary to realize efforts for its conservation. To date there are no reports of phytochemical studies of this orchid, although it is well known that species of the Orchidaceae family are a good source of bioactive and nutraceutical compounds (e. g. vanillin). Therefore, the main objective of this research was to establish a R. rossii in vitro germination protocol for propagation and determination of phenolic compounds that contribute to its phytochemical knowledge.Methods: A specimen of a wild plant and some seedlings obtained by in vitro culture were dried, milled and their components extracted with MeOH; anti-free radical activity (DPPH), total phenols and flavonoids were determined by spectrophotometric methods, and individual phenolic compounds were identified and quantified by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS).Key results: The root of the wild plant showed the highest content of total phenols and flavonoids with 121.60 mg GAE g-1 and 108.73 mg CE g-1, respectively, and the best anti-free radical activity with an IC50 53.63 μg ml-1. Extracts from seedlings obtained by in vitro culture also produced phenolic compounds, showing a total phenolic and flavonoid content of 37.35 mg GAE g-1 and 0.16 mg CE g-1, respectively. One coumarin (scopoletin) , three cinnamic acids (4-coumaric acid, ferulic acid and trans-cinnamic acid), three benzoic acids (vanillic acid, vanillin and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid) and three flavonoids (quercetin-3-D-galactoside, quercetin-3-glucoside and kaempferide) were identified and quantified by LC-MS.Conclusions: This study demonstrates that R. rossii is a potential source of antioxidant metabolites that can be obtained by in vitro culture, without harming the wild specimens.

Background and Aims: In September 2001, the coral reef of the San Lorenzo Channel, La Paz Bay, Gulf of California, Mexico, was affected by the stranding of the oil tank vessel “Lázaro Cárdenas II”. Soon afterwards, hurricane “Juliette” hit the area with strong winds and water movement, disturbing the reef again. After that, three zones could be observed in the reef: one directly impacted by the shipwreck, one indirectly impacted by the hurricane, which moved and accumulated the coral debris left by the shipwreck, and the third one, which was not impacted. Later, a monitoring program was established to determine the degree of recovery of macroalgal assemblages in both impacted zones compared with the non-impacted one. Methods: From February 2005 to December 2007, macroalgae were collected seasonally by scuba divers in the three zones. In each zone, three to five thalli of all conspicuous algae, five rocks and five fragments of dead coral covered with macroalgal turfs were collected. Species number and composition of macroalgae assemblages were compared between zones and between years. Key results: A total of 117 species were found, 70 belonged to the phylum Rhodophyta, 25 to Ochrophyta-Phaeophyceae, and 22 to Chlorophyta. Macroalgal species richness and composition of the impacted zones were not different from the control zone, even between years. Conclusions: Macroalgal assemblages in the San Lorenzo Channel coral reef were able to recover, regardless of the modification of the substrate caused by the stranding and the hurricane “Juliette” in 2001. Therefore, it is important to implement monitoring efforts in case of anthropogenic or natural disturbance to document the extension of damage, recovery of the communities, and propose mitigation strategies if necessary.