[Patients' attitudes to xenotransplantation: "I'll do anything, I don't want to die!"].
Transplantation of neural tissue is an effective therapeutical approach in Parkinson's disease, but the method is constrained by the lack of suitable donor material. Embryonic neural tissue from pigs, xenografts, is considered as an alternative source of donor tissue. The attitudes towards neural tissue grafting in general and xenografts in particular were investigated by interviewing a group of patients with Parkinson's disease. The analysis revealed an ambivalence regarding xenografts. A pragmatic view, with priority placed on survival over ethical and other reservations, became apparent.
Lundin
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Etnologiska institutionen, Lunds universitet. Susanne.Lundin@etn.lu.se
Widner
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H
D000818:Animals; D001294:Attitude to Health; D016380:Brain Tissue Transplantation / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D016332:Fetal Tissue Transplantation / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000601:surgery*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous / Q000523:psychology*