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Opinion Pieces Respond To Obama's Call For 'Empathy' In Supreme Court Justice
Two newspapers recently published opinion pieces responding to President Obama"s comments on the need for "empathy" in candidates to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter. Summaries appear below.~ Ellen Goodman, Boston Globe: When discussing Souter"s replacement, Obama said he will seek a nominee ""who understands that justice isn"t about some abstract theory. ... It is also about how our laws affect the daily realities of people"s lives,"" Globe columnist Goodman writes in an opinion piece. According to Goodman, Obama"s emphasis on the need for judicial "empathy" has sparked outrage among a "phalanx of horrified conservatives" who claim that "empathy is just a code word for the sentimental liberal bias in favor of underdogs over the Constitution." However, she continues, "let us remember that empathy is not sympathy. It doesn"t require that we take sides. Nor is it an emotional shortcut that upends all legal reasoning to declare a winner." According to Goodman, empathy "is rather the ability to imaginatively enter into the experience of others." She writes that the "capacity to recognize another person"s reality is not just liberal," adding that empathy "doesn"t trump reason, it informs reason." Goodman writes, "The truth is that we want judges who "get it,"" adding that the "myth of justice as a matter of pure objective reasoning that could be meted out by a computer is just that, a myth" (Goodman, Boston Globe, 5/22).~ Mike Rosen, Denver Post: Although Obama"s emphasis on empathy might seem "[c]ompassionate and seductive" to some, his stance "represents a radical and dangerous departure from traditional American jurisprudence," radio host Rosen writes in a Post opinion piece. Rosen writes, "When empathetic judges rule on their feelings, they are exceeding their authority," adding that the "role of the judicial branch of our government is to rule on the Constitution as written and the law as passed by Congress and signed by the president." According to Rosen, the courts "are a co-equal branch of government, not a superior branch," and judges should not "rule on what they think the law ought to be" because that would be "government by a presumptuous, unelected judiciary." Rosen continues that "judges are referees, not rule makers" because they are "not there to empathize with the fans or the players. They represent the rule book, and they aren"t authorized to … make it "fairer."" According to Rosen, the "dispute between conservatives and liberals on judicial activism is philosophical and irreconcilable." He concludes that Senate confirmation hearings for Obama"s nominee "should make for an interesting debate on these principles" (Rosen, Denver Post, 5/22).

The Risk Factors For Sporadic Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers in China. Although the association between the epidemiological factors and sporadic colorectal cancer has been studied, the relation between smoking, alcohol drinking, family history of cancer, body mass index (BMI) and sporadic colorectal cancer still remains uncertain. So it is important to investigate the role of these factors in the development of sporadic colorectal cancer.
News of the day
Michigan Doctors Flee Medicaid Program Cuts
Michigan"s Medicaid program is growing by as many as 15,000 people a month, but fewer physicians are accepting new patients insured by the program, which physicians say pays too little to cover their costs, the Associated Press reports. Meanwhile, the Michigan governor"s office announced an additional 4 percent cut last month, which "will lower payments across the board for hospitals, dentists and doctors who treat Medicaid patients." The article notes that in Michigan, the program currently insures a record 1.6 million residents.
Oncology

Radiofrequency Ablation Durable After 2 Years, Compares Favorably With Endoscopic Resection For Advanced Disease, Reduces Risk For Cancer Progression

Results from a number of clinical trials were presented during the Digestive Disease Week (DDW) in Chicago this week, revealing new outcomes data related to endoscopic radiofrequency ablation using the HALO ablation system for eradicating a pre-cancerous esophageal condition known as Barrett"s esophagus. Among them, reports included durability outcomes from a randomized sham-controlled trial, safety and efficacy outcomes from a large U.S. registry of 429 patients, a randomized trial comparing ablation to endoscopic resection, and the largest European series to date in patients with high-grade dysplasia and early cancer. As the DDW meeting commenced, the New England Journal of Medicine published a landmark paper entitled, "Radiofrequency Ablation for Barrett"s Esophagus Containing Dysplasia." This is a U.S. randomized sham-controlled trial demonstrating high rates of complete eradication of Barrett"s and dysplasia in the ablation group as compared to control, as well as a significant reduction in cancer progression. At DDW, researchers presented new data from this now published trial, showing that the ablation effect achieved at 1 year follow-up was highly durable at the 2-year follow-up. In the largest patient series to date, "Radiofrequency Ablation of Barrett"s Esophagus: Outcomes of 429 Patients from a Multi-center Community Practice Registry," U.S. investigators reported a low stricture risk (about 1%) and no serious adverse events. After an average of 2 ablation procedures using the HALO ablation system and 20-month follow-up, 77% of patients were cured of their Barrett"s disease. For those patients that had baseline evidence of dysplasia, 100% had complete eradication of all signs of dysplasia. These data comport with published data from predominantly tertiary referral centers. A European multi-center randomized trial included 47 patients with Barrett"s containing dysplasia and early cancer that were randomized to receive either endoscopic resection or radiofrequency ablation with the HALO ablation system. While both interventions had very high complete eradication rates (95-100%), endoscopic resection was associated with a significantly higher risk of complications. Based on these results, investigators concluded that the optimal approach is to focally resect visible lesions followed by radiofrequency ablation for complete eradication of the remaining Barrett"s tissue. In the largest European series reported to date, "Radiofrequency Ablation for Eradication of Barrett"s Esophagus Containing High-Grade Dysplasia or Early Cancer: A Prospective Series of 73 Patients," researchers combined a baseline focal endoscopic resection for disease staging, and then applied serial RFA with the HALO ablation system. A complete response was achieved in 95% of patients without occurrence of serious adverse events. "Barrett"s esophagus places a patient at a significantly higher risk for developing esophageal adenocarcinoma," commented David S. Utley, M.D., chief medical officer for BARRX Medical. "Researchers at this national meeting are reporting the results of a number of well-designed clinical trials using endoscopic radiofrequency ablation to completely eradicate the Barrett"s tissue. Each unique study design offers new data that continues to establish an evidence-based role for radiofrequency ablation in managing this disease state." BARRX Medical, Inc.


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