Kantianism and Utilitarianism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Kantianism and Utilitarianism - Essay Example This paper will focus on evaluating a euthanasia case of Brophy, using utilitarianism and Kantianism. Brophy is a patient in persistent vegetative state, whose wife expressed the intent of carrying out passive euthanasia.Kantianism. Immanuel Kant described a deontological ethical philosophy titled as ‘Kantianism’. He made it evident that in his view, duty, good will, and moral worth were critical aspects in determining of the action taken. In his view, one could only settle on morally worth decisions when guided by goodwill and duty. He opined that duty was the only reason that should motivate an ethical action (Abel 24). According to him, human beings are moral agents that should use reasoning while making ethical decisions. He highlighted that certain maxims were critical as guidelines of making ethical decisions. These principles were the product and reason and were namely duty, goodwill, and categorical imperative. Goodwill is a critical moral maxim because he highli ghted that without goodwill, any positive trait or action does not qualify to be good (46). Therefore, the will determining why an individual carries out a certain action cannot receive underestimation in deontology. He advanced his views to highlight that the only way in which an individual could exhibit good will was through taking action out of duty.In Kant’s definition, good will denotes the ability of human beings in taking decisions based on principles.

C-reactive protein as a novel biomarker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

C-reactive protein as a novel biomarker - Essay Example This process leads to the formation of foamy macrophages and atheromatous plaques and, finally, to atherothrombotic disease. Atherosclerosis is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Although measurement of lipid levels, stress testing, and coronary angiography are effective indicators of the extent and severity of the disease, circulating markers that could be easily and noninvasively measured would be powerful tools to diagnose, monitor, and intervene in this disease process. One promising marker is CRP, a major acute phase response protein synthesized in the liver in response to the elaboration of acute phase response cytokines, such as interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) (figure 1). Other associated acute phase proteins include serum amyloid A protein, fibrinogen, and mannan-binding lectin. CRP is a member of the pentraxin protein family, which is so named because these proteins possess five identical subunits. CRP, which is elaborated dramatically during acute inflammation, augments the immune response to certain antigens, activates complement, and increases the monocytic production of tissue factors (1). CRP binds to phosphoryl choline on bacterial surfaces, acting as an opsonin and playing a pivotal role in host defense. Interestingly, CRP also appears to bind low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in vitro, which suggests a direct interaction with the atherogenic lipids (2). Why use CRP as an indicator Atherogenesis is initiated by endothelial injury, which is followed by activation of endothelial cells, up-regulation of cytokines and adhesion molecules (eg, soluble intercellular adhesion molecules, E-selectin), and migration of inflammatory cells into the subendothelium (see figure 1). In this scenario, IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-alpha stimulate CRP synthesis by inducing hepatic gene expression (3). Because atherosclerosis is now considered an inflammatory disease and an elevated level of CRP in