Research Library

The second largest percentage of new HIV infections in the United States occurs among people aged 13 to 24 years old. Yet very few state minor consent laws explicitly authorize adolescents to consent to preventive services for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections without parental permission.

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) play a critical role in hindering the advancement of the world's Muslim-majority countries. This paper examines the impact of NTDs on human development in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

This journal article assesses the burden of Chagas disease in Texas, concluding that transmission of the disease from Latin America to Texas has occurred for at least the past seven decades. The authors recommend steps to broaden awareness and study of Chagas disease.

This journal article examines the risks patients face in seeking experimental stem cell-based interventions from clinics outside the United States. The authors advocate for new public policies that encourage patients to remain in clinical trials in the U.S.

Children living in food-insecure households face myriad challenges to their well-being. This journal article assesses the impact of food insecurity on the academic achievement, behavior and health of young children.

This journal article examines the spread of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Middle East countries occupied by the Islamic State and discusses ways to treat and prevent them.

Health care providers add multiple processes to the care of complex cancer patients, believing they prevent and/or ameliorate complications. However, the relationship between these processes, complication remediation, and expenditures is unknown.

While the Food and Drug Administration currently regulates storage and use of cord blood (CB) in the United States, other state and federal guidelines on CB education, awareness and ethical considerations remain variable, and no mandatory international guidelines exist. To help organize and coordinate efforts across the United States and other nations, policymakers should implement regulations for high quality standards for both private and public CB banks.

Regenerative medicine and stem cell research are exciting new fields. But as the fields progress toward clinical therapies, controversies emerge. Hype surrounding stem cell research has caused an increase in their use in interventions that are not clinically proven. Furthermore, the regulatory agencies have a lot of difficulty dealing with cell therapies, which are distinctly different from drugs and medical devices they more commonly approve. To move the field forward, advocates, regulators and scientists need to come together to find new options for stem cell research oversight that protects both the patients and the research field.

While global attention in West Africa is focused on the emergence of Ebola virus infection, new information from the published literature and World Health Organization databases reveals that many other neglected tropical diseases are far more widespread and also require urgent attention.