Self-censorship: should scientific journals decline to publish self-experimentation?

A virologist recently made headlines after successfully using an experimental form of oncolytic virotherapy to treat her own recurrent breast cancer. This case has come at a time when regulators are increasingly having to grapple with the proliferation of self-experimentation outside of accredited research institutions. There is, therefore, a pressing need to outline the key ethical dimensions of self-experimentation and to develop ethical guidance for journals that may be faced with decisions about whether to publish research involving self-experimentation.

Using fingermark powders and lifters on rhino horn to support anti-poaching efforts.

Wildlife poaching and the trade of wildlife items is a large area of illegal business that is alleged to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars. However, wildlife forensics remains an understudied field even though the consequences of poaching are catastrophic and can lead to the spread of zoonotic disease and a decrease in biodiversity. Even though fingermark analysis is cost-effective, easy to deploy in the field and has a long history of securing criminal convictions in court, wildlife forensics is mainly limited to DNA-based techniques.

A guide to ISO 21043 Forensic Sciences from the perspective of the forensic-data-science paradigm.

ISO 21043 is a new international standard for forensic science. It provides requirements and recommendations designed to ensure the quality of the forensic process. It includes Parts on: 1 vocabulary; 2 recovery, transport, and storage of items; 3 analysis; 4 interpretation; and 5 reporting.

An evaluation of the ACE-V latent fingerprint examination process in the Indonesian National Police.

This study investigated the implementation of ACE-V (Analysis, Comparison, Evaluation, and Verification) as the standard protocol for fingerprint examination in the Identification Centre of the Indonesian National Police. An online questionnaire-based survey was developed, and 71 Indonesian fingerprint examiners participated. The results showed significant variation in the sequential steps used during the examination process, suggesting the value of exploring more standardized procedures and improving transparency.

A preliminary survey of ethnic diversity and experience of discrimination in forensic science in the UK.

Bringing in diverse people to a scientific workplace can result in many different benefits including improved innovation and impact. This study investigates the current ethnic diversity in forensic science in the UK using an online questionnaire. The preliminary data collected were compared to census figures for scientific occupations, and it was found that minoritised individuals are under-represented.

Exploring e-scooter risk factors based on interpretable machine learning framework.

Introduction: The recent rise in e-scooter usage has reshaped urban mobility but has also led to a significant increase in e-scooter-related injuries, raising critical safety concerns. While existing research has primarily focused on post-crash medical outcomes and general risk comparisons, substantial gaps remain in identifying specific risk factors associated with e-scooter crashes and utilizing interpretable analytical approaches.

Method: This study addresses these gaps by analyzing 2,400 e-scooter crash records from the UK STATS19 database using advanced machine learning models to predict injury severity.

Safety and Effectiveness of Statins for Primary Prevention in Adults With Type 1 Diabetes: An Emulation.

Background: There is no consensus for using statins for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality in adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), because no randomized controlled trial has exclusively investigated statins in this population.

Objectives: In this study, the authors sought to evaluate the long-term risks and benefits of statins for primary prevention in adults with T1DM.

Methods: We performed a sequential target trial emulation comparing statin initiation vs noninitiation using UK primary care data from the IQVIA Medical Research Data database.

Prehospital 12-lead ECG and outcomes in acute coronary syndrome.

Importance/background: The 12-lead ECG is recommended in clinical guidelines for prehospital assessment of patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) presenting to Emergency Medical Services (EMS).

Objectives: To determine prehospital ECG (PHECG) utilisation since UK national rollout of primary percutaneous coronary intervention, and whether this is associated with clinical outcomes in patients with ACS.

Design: Population-based, linked cohort study using Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project data from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2017, related to patients with ACS conveyed by the EMS to hospital in England and Wales.

Electrophysiological findings in SH3TC2 neuropathy mimicking inflammatory neuropathies.

Background: Biallelic variants lead to autosomal recessive Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 4C (CMT4C) which is typically demyelinating and associated with early-onset spinal deformities. Electrophysiology typically reveals a non-uniform conduction velocity (CV) slowing, a pattern traditionally linked to inflammatory neuropathies, potentially leading to diagnostic misinterpretation.

Objective And Methods: Clinical and neurophysiological data from 19 patients belonging to 16 unrelated families with confirmed CMT4C were retrospectively collected across six neuromuscular reference centres in Brazil.

Accelerated long-term forgetting as a predictor of clinical onset in presymptomatic autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease.

Background: In Alzheimer's disease (AD), sensitive measures of cognitive decline prior to overt symptoms are urgently needed. Accelerated long-term forgetting (ALF), where new information is retained normally over conventional testing intervals but is then lost at an accelerated rate over the following days and weeks, has been identified cross-sectionally in presymptomatic autosomal dominant and sporadic AD cohorts. We aimed to assess whether ALF testing is predictive of proximity to future symptom onset.

Limited utility of faecal immunochemical testing in a colorectal cancer screening programme for adults with cystic fibrosis: insights from a prospective UK study.

Objective: People with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) are at significantly increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), prompting international recommendations for earlier screening with colonoscopy. The utility of faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) as a screening adjunct in pwCF remains unclear. This study evaluates FIT's diagnostic performance and uptake within a CRC screening programme in a UK CF centre.

Validating the PECARN rule to identify febrile infants at low risk of serious bacterial infections: an international validation study.

Objective: To externally validate the Paediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) rule for identifying febrile infants aged <60 days at low risk of serious bacterial infections (SBIs) and assess the utility of the rule with C reactive protein (CRP) instead of procalcitonin (PCT).

Methods: Secondary analysis of data from the Management and Outcomes of Fever in Children in Europe (MOFICHE) study (12 paediatric emergency departments in eight European countries, January 2017 to April 2018) and a Swedish study (four paediatric emergency departments, January 2014 to December 2020). Previously healthy febrile infants aged ≤60 days were included.

Experiences of using a physical activity and exercise digital intervention to reduce respiratory tract infections: a qualitative process evaluation.

Objectives: Increasing physical activity and effectively managing stress can positively impact immunity and may reduce the duration of respiratory tract infections (RTIs). As part of a larger trial, participants accessed a digital behavioural change intervention that encouraged physical activity and stress management to reduce RTIs. We aimed to understand the barriers and facilitators to engaging in physical activity and stress reduction.

Effectiveness of a centrally designed, large-scale, multisite undergraduate medical simulation programme: student-reported confidence across eight London hospitals in a UK medical school setting.

Objectives: Simulation is well established in medical education. However, with rising numbers of medical students globally, provision of high-quality, equitable simulation teaching on a large, multisite scale is increasingly challenging. We sought to explore whether a centrally designed, multisite simulation programme could enhance student confidence equitably across multiple clinical sites with differing resources.

How can cities accelerate, support and evaluate actions for active movement for health: protocol for CITY-MOVE, a multicase implementation research study in six cities in three continents.

Introduction: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a leading cause of global mortality, disproportionately affecting low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Physical inactivity, a key contributor to NCDs, is prevalent worldwide despite evidence supporting the health benefits of physical activity (PA). Cities, while often associated with barriers to PA, also present unique opportunities to enhance PA through systemic, context-sensitive interventions or so-called actions.

Quantitative retinal morphology and mortality in individuals with proliferative diabetic retinopathy: a retrospective cohort study in a large real-world population.

Objectives: To investigate whether quantitative retinal markers, derived from multimodal retinal imaging, are associated with increased risk of mortality among individuals with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), the most severe form of diabetic retinopathy.

Design: Longitudinal retrospective cohort analysis.

Setting: This study was nested within the AlzEye cohort, which links longitudinal multimodal retinal imaging data routinely collected from a large tertiary ophthalmic institution in London, UK, with nationally held hospital admissions data across England.

Dosage and safety of transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation for managing patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Although emerging evidence supports the short-term efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), including repetitive TMS (rTMS) and theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (TBS-TMS), and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for managing patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP), their clinical utility in managing CMP remains inconclusive. This uncertainty may arise from methodological limitations, including heterogeneity in treatment parameters such as stimulation targets and dosages. Additionally, safety profiles for these non-invasive brain stimulation interventions in patients with CMP remain insufficiently reported, with limited data on adverse events, cumulative risks and long-term safety outcomes.