Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide: a systematic review of medical students' attitudes in the last 10 years.

This study aimed at examining the approval rate of the medical students' regarding active euthanasia, passive euthanasia, and physician-assisted-suicide over the last ten years. To do so, the arguments and variables affecting students' choices were examined and a systematic review was conducted, using PubMed and Web of Science databases, including articles from January 2009 to December 2018. From 135 identified articles, 13 met the inclusion criteria. The highest acceptance rates for euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide were from European countries. The most common arguments supporting euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide were the followings: (i) patient's autonomy (n = 6), (ii) relief of suffering (n = 4), and (ii) the thought that terminally-ill patients are additional burden (n = 2). The most common arguments against euthanasia were as follows: (i) religious and personal beliefs (n = 4), (ii) the "slippery slope" argument and the risk of abuse (n = 4), and (iii) the physician's role in preserving life (n = 2). Religion (n = 7), religiosity (n = 5), and the attributes of the medical school of origin (n = 3) were the most significant variables to influence the students' attitude. However, age, previous academic experience, family income, and place of residence had no significant impact. Medical students' opinions on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide should be appropriately addressed and evaluated because their moral compass, under the influence of such opinions, will guide them in solving future ethical and therapeutic dilemmas in the medical field.

Singultus as an Unusual Debut of Plasmodium vivax Malaria.

Singultus is a common symptom with usually benign consequences. Although some rare associations with severe diseases have been described, no previous relationship between singultus and Plasmodium vivax malaria has been reported. The aim of this report is to detail the case of a 25-year-old male who had an unusual presentation for both singultus and laboratory-confirmed vivax malaria. We describe this previously unreported association, hypothesize on the potential mechanism and review the literature on singultus and unusual presentations of Plasmodium infections.

Cathrombosis: Deep Vein Thrombosis After a Cat Bite - A Case Report.

Cat bites represent between 5-15% of all animal bites and are sometimes encountered by primary care and emergency department physicians. Other than polymicrobial infections, very few other complications have been reported. We present the case of a 75-year-old male who developed deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in his left leg where he had been bitten by a cat four days prior. Although it is not possible to describe a causal relationship, we discuss whether these events are related.