Lactobacillus acidifarinae sp. nov. and Lactobacillus zymae sp. nov., from wheat sourdoughs.

Three heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria, obtained from Greek and Belgian artisanal wheat sourdoughs, were preliminarily identified as Lactobacillus brevis-like after screening using whole-cell protein fingerprinting and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The three sourdough isolates showed nearly identical sequences (>99.7 % sequence similarity), and highest similarities of 98.2 and 97.6 % were obtained to the species Lactobacillus spicheri and Lactobacillus brevis, respectively. Growth characteristics, biochemical features, amplified fragment length polymorphism fingerprinting, DNA-DNA hybridizations and DNA G+C contents demonstrated that the isolates represent two novel Lactobacillus species. The names Lactobacillus acidifarinae sp. nov. and Lactobacillus zymae sp. nov. are proposed and the type strains are LMG 22200(T) (=R-19065(T)=CCM 7240(T)) and LMG 22198(T) (=R-18615(T)=CCM 7241(T)), respectively.

Aquaspirillum dispar Hylemon et al. 1973 and Microvirgula aerodenitrificans Patureau et al. 1998 are subjective synonyms.

The 16S rDNA sequences of [Aquaspirillum] dispar LMG 4329(T) and Microvirgula aerodenitrificans SGLY2(T) (=LMG 18919(T)) were found to be very similar (>99 %). DNA-DNA hybridizations between the two strains revealed a high level of DNA-DNA binding (84 %), showing that they represent a single species. M. aerodenitrificans and [A.] dispar were also phenotypically very similar. It is concluded that [A.] dispar and M. aerodenitrificans are subjective synonyms. As [A.] dispar was wrongly assigned to the genus Aquaspirillum, we propose that strains of [A.] dispar must be reclassified in the genus MICROVIRGULA: The name Microvirgula aerodenitrificans must be retained for the unified taxon since it is the type of the genus MICROVIRGULA:

How useful is Leuven personalism in the world of bioethics? The test case of artificial insemination.

Personalism in ethics denotes any system based upon the value of the person. Several versions of personalist morals have been developed over the past 50 years. Some have had particular interest in the field of medical ethics. Here the question is being studied about one such system, the so-called Leuven personalist morals and its usefulness in today's world of bioethics. In order to test the usefulness of this system the case of artificial insemination is examined both in the early 1970s in the context of the Leuven clinics and, subsequently, in the 1990s in a US policy document. The investigation reveals strengths and weaknesses of this personalism. Regarding AID it reveals unresolved oppositions. The conclusion seems to be that this personalism had, no doubt, a profound impact upon medical ethics within its own circle but, as regards the universal usefulness of the system, serious doubts remain.

The European convention on bioethics.

Nearly fifteen years after the Council of Europe first called for a pan-European convention on issues in bioethics to harmonize disparate national regulations, in November 1996 the council's Committee of Ministers approved the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine for formal adoption. The draft convention, released in July 1994, provoked strong public, professional, and governmental debate among European nations, particularly regarding provisions for biomedical research with subjects unable to give informed consent. If ratified, the "bioethics convention" will become the first such document to have binding force internationally.

Active euthanasia in The Netherlands.

Active euthanasia in the Netherlands remains a topic for both professional and public debate. However, many aspects of the medical practice of active euthanasia remain unclear, and no figures on the actual incidence of this practice exist. Legally, active euthanasia is a criminal offense, but a pattern of jurisprudence has developed since the first court case in 1973 that has allowed physicians to practice euthanasia under certain strict conditions. Two proposals, one from the Royal Dutch Medical Association and one from a government-appointed state commission, have advised that the current law be changed. While the debate continues, a number of Dutch institutions have developed procedures and policies to enable physicians and health care providers to participate in active euthanasia in an acceptable and controllable manner. However, many Dutch physicians remain uncomfortable with the professional and public tolerance of this practice.

KIE: A Dutch bioethicist discusses the status of voluntary, active euthanasia as it is practiced currently in the Netherlands, and traces the medical, legal, and public policy developments in the issue from the early 1970s to the late 1980s. While Dutch courts have allowed physicians to practice euthanasia under certain strict conditions, legally the act is a criminal offense and carries the risk of prosecution. De Wachter emphasizes that many questions about active euthanasia remain unresolved, and maintains that the several thousand deaths by euthanasia believed to take place each year in the Netherlands occur without a moral, social, legal, and medical framework.

Interdisciplinary bioethics: but where do we start? A reflection of epochè as method.

It is generally accepted that bioethics is an interdisciplinary science. Why this is so and what it means is not always clear or agreed upon and, in this author's view, its implications are insufficiently researched. On the basis of involvement in projects which were labelled interdisciplinary, the author reflects upon the method of interdisciplinarity, especially to its starting point. It is suggested that interdisciplinarity cannot thrive unless it curbs, from the very start, the inevitable reductions of all monodisciplinary approaches. This effort is called methodical epoché, ideally the temporary suspension of all known methods. Its purpose is to achieve an interdisciplinary way of stating the question. Until then no breakdown of the global question by particular methods of single disciplines ought to be attempted. Realistic variations of this ideal are also discussed.

KIE: Drawing on his experience in coordinating an interdisciplinary bioethical research project in Holland, the author proposes a theoretical model for developing a global approach to the study of bioethical issues that transcends traditional single-disciplinary methods of analysis.

Is death and dying merely an ethical issue?

Some people worry about the current tendency to ignore the distinction of religious and ethical issues in the area of death and dying. This article attempts to identify sources and consequences of such blending. One of the countries offering a microcosm of religious and ethical trends with regard to death and dying is the Netherlands. Issues identified in Dutch society are, therefore, being compared with similar listings in North American and European literature on death and dying. In an even more paradigmatic way the unfinished debate on the distinction between active and passive euthanasia remains representatives of a religious approach to death and dying.

Teaching medical ethics: University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

During his internship the medical student often feels a basic need for ethical discussion. The department of medical ethics at the University of Nijmegen offers a monthly discussion in single clinical departments. The ethicist is then assisted by staff responsible for guiding the interns. These discussions, based on daily experience, aim at critical evaluation of ways the profession is being exercised. As such they form an essential counterpart to the more theoretical learning in classrooms and seminars during previous years. The method is rather flexible. Either an inventory of problems is made, followed by a selection and discussion of one problem. Or a discussion is initiated by an introduction by either staff or ethicist. The actual programme and its origin, the objectives and some of the problems of such a programme are presented in this article.