Research Library

The intense marketing of unproven stem cell interventions has become an international health concern. The authors offer resources and suggestions for physicians seeking to effectively counsel patients and respond to their questions about various stem cell therapies.

The unproven stem cell intervention industry is a worldwide, direct-to-consumer market where clinics offer stem cells or stem cell-derived components to patients with little to no scientific or clinical basis. In this paper, the authors call for the establishment of a World Health Organization Expert Advisory Committee on Regenerative Medicine to tackle this issue and provide guidance. Stem Cell Reports: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stemcr.2021.05.004

It now seems technically feasible to culture human embryos beyond the “fourteen‐day limit,” which has the potential to increase scientific understanding of human development and perhaps improve infertility treatments. Robust stakeholder engagement preceded adoption of the fourteen‐day limit and should arguably be part of efforts to reassess it, write the authors.

U.S. studies suggest that the Uber ride-sharing service may reduce alcohol-related driving fatalities. This study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, examines the effect of Uber on traffic deaths in South Africa, where driving fatalities are twice the global average and over 60 percent are alcohol-related.

The authors compare views on the relationship between faith and health for two groups that are overrepresented in American Christianity and underrepresented in medical careers (African Americans and Latinos) with a group that is similarly religious but comparatively well-represented in medical professions (Korean Americans).

The authors investigate whether stance of a religious tradition toward capitalism will help shape individual scientists’ views on science commercialization and whether the religious tradition of scientists correlates with their attitude toward the commercialization of science.

Data from a survey of 892 scientists in Taiwan demonstrate that while scientists perceive religion and scientific research as generally separate in the abstract, in practice, they regard the boundary between religion and their workplace as somewhat permeable.

Both black Americans and Latinos have concerns about science teachers being biased. Yet, the groups differ in their assessment of the danger of anti-religious bias, according to findings by the authors. Published by Review of Religious Research.

Drawing on a nationally representative survey of US adults, the authors examine what factors — when individuals have a question about science — shape respondent’s likelihood of turning to science-based versus religion-based sources.

The dramatic deterioration in state finances during the Great Recession raised concerns regarding government’s ability to support community health and education. In this study published in the National Tax Journal, the authors find that state revenue declines lead to short and long terms cuts in children’s Medicaid benefits, and declines in elderly Medicaid enrollment, and that larger cuts (nominal and proportional) in education spending versus Medicaid occurred.