Research — not regulations — should guide medical marijuana use, journal editor says
Editorial ran with study about marijuana for diabetes control, which made headlines after it was published in The American Journal of Medicine
By Joseph Alpert, MD
For centuries, cannabis sativa, more commonly known as marijuana, has been used as a folk remedy to relieve pain, improve mood, and increase appetite. In 1937, Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the US Marijuana Tax Act that made it illegal to sell or use this herb. Nevertheless, cannabis continued to be used by a small number of citizens in the United States. As a result of the 1937 law, as well as further criminalizing legislation passed during the Nixon administration, marijuana has become a major source of income for illegal drug smugglers. … What is very clear is that we desperately need a great deal more basic and clinical research into the short- and long-term effects of this agent in a variety of clinical settings, such as cancer, diabetes, and frailty of the elderly. I would like to call on the National Institutes of Health and the Drug Enforcement Administration to collaborate in developing policies to implement solid scientific investigations that would lead to information assisting physicians in the proper use and prescription of THC in its synthetic or herbal form.
Public Policy
The Impact of Science: how research can be measured and spending maximized
Policymakers, academics and industry professionals gather to discuss challenges and trends in Europe at The Impact of Science conference
Health and Medicine
What exactly does an editor do?
11 tasks performed by editors of medical journals
Health and Medicine
New osteoporosis drug combination outperforms current alternatives
New study in The Lancet looks at trial combining the bone-building drug teriparatide with denosumab, a targeted therapy to stop bone loss
Economics
Economic growth and sustainability – are they mutually exclusive?
Striking a balance between unbounded economic growth and sustainability requires a new mindset
Open Access
Elsevier on pricing and California open-access legislation
Elsevier’s spokesman discusses the company’s approach to being pro-open access — but against inflexible mandates
Health and Medicine
Cloning provides human embryonic stem cells with promise for personalized medicine
For the first time, a team of scientists has used SCNT to produce human embryonic stem cells
Publishing Ethics
High-tech approaches to high-tech fraud
Journal editors and institutions are using technology to spot plagiarism and image manipulation
Perspective
China and cyberwarfare — insights from a military computer scientist
The relationship of cyber-war to Chinese military thought and why a multidisciplinary approach is needed
Innovation in Publishing
Executable papers in computer science go live on ScienceDirect
Team seeks feedback on pilot of Collage Authoring Environment
Women in Science
Celebrating women in science: new resources and studies to download
Find stories and reports for Women’s History Month — and share your own news, tips and resources
Research Matters
Maps reveal how Japan’s cities were destroyed during World War II
Essay on incendiary bombings awarded 2012 Best Paper Prize by the Journal of Historical Geography
Mendeley
Elsevier welcomes Mendeley
Elsevier’s acquisition of an innovative research management and social collaboration tool will enable the platform to further expand, giving researchers access to more content
Publishing Matters
Which author did what?! Clarifying attribution in a digital world
‘Contributorship’ would show how authors contributed to the research — from designing the experiment to securing funding and writing it up
Career Advice
9 things you should consider before embarking on a PhD
The ideal research program you envision is not what it appears to be
Awards
Call for award nominations for early-career women scientists in developing countries
The Elsevier Foundation, TWAS and OWSD announce 2014 awards for chemistry
Perspective
Counterterrorism expert: ‘Boston Marathon bombing is a game changer’
Violent extremist threat can never be eliminated, but vigilance and community engagement could prevent another 4/15
Scientific Discovery
Journal publishes unpublished manuscript by Crick and Wyman
‘A Footnote on Allostery,’ written in 1965, is now available in Elsevier’s Journal of Molecular Biology
Mendeley
What you REALLY want to know about Mendeley and Elsevier
Mendeley co-founder answers the questions you’ve been posting on Twitter and the blogosphere
Health and Medicine
PracticeUpdate provides summaries of medical news and studies, curated by experts
Users can sign up for email digests with expert commentary in six specialties
Public Health
Scaling back polio eradication would be devastating, 480 experts say
In the journal Vaccine, they issue a declaration urging governments and scientists to continue fight again crippling disease
Career Advice
8 myths of leadership (by a STEM leader)
Tips from the author of ‘Transforming your STEM Career Through Leadership and Innovation’
Publishing Matters
‘A Tale of Fonts’ illuminates the history of the House of Elzevier
Elsevier works with Leiden University scholars to publish book about its historic namesake
Awards
Mosby’s Superheroes of Nursing contest seeks nominations
Competition recognizes work and dedication of individual nursing professionals
Health and Medicine
Genetic factor predicts success of weight-loss surgery
Findings in American Journal of Human Genetics could help doctors identify patients well suited for gastric bypass
Health and Medicine
Kids with brains that under-react to painful images
Children with conduct problems have an atypical brain response to seeing other people in pain, say researchers in Current Biology
Open Access
What changes when publishing open access — understanding the fine print
A brief guide to author and user rights, user licenses and new developments in OA publishing
Research Evaluation
The Netherlands – a top research nation
Revealing research performance facts from Elsevier’s home country
Awards
Elsevier Foundation seeks grant proposals for New Scholars and Innovative Libraries programs
Programs promote gender equality in academia or build capacity in developing-world libraries
Pharma-Biotech
Behind the magic of taking a pill
How researchers develop drugs — and how PharmaPendium’s new Metabolizing Enzymes and Transporters module can help them make better decisions
Industrial Safety
What caused the West Fertilizer Co. explosion?
Lessons from history – and a famous handbook on reactive chemical hazards – make the answer more obvious than it was to many journalists
Health and Medicine
Engineered spider protein used for anti-venom vaccine against ‘brown recluse’
New approach to act as model for the development of non-toxic vaccines against Loxosceles spider venoms, say researchers in the journal Vaccine
Publishing Matters
Trade sanctions against Iran affect publishers
Elsevier explains legal issues to its editors and works with publishers and research community to ‘pursue ‘balance in the law’
Peer Review
Chinese guide to peer review aims to help public make sense of science claims
Adaptation of ‘I Don’t Know What to Believe’ based on input from research community in China.
Homeland Security
Counterterrorism expert on testifying before Congress on the Boston bombings
Elsevier author Erroll Southers reflects on his testimony and the challenge that ensued
Publishing Tips
10 things you need to know about the publishing process
Dr. Boyana Konforti is the Editor of Cell Reports, an open-access broad-scope journal published by Elsevier’s Cell Press. She has been a professional editor for over 14 years. At a recent Elsevier authors workshop hosted by Columbia University, she walked through the process by which papers are selected and peer reviewed, highlighting key points authors need to know about the publishing process. …
Videos
-
Video: scientists honored by Elsevier Foundation for pioneering work in life sciences
-
Video: Winner of 2011 Environmental Challenge installs arsenic groundwater removal system in Cambodia
-
Tutorial: Getting your paper noticed
-
Presentation: ‘Where research goes, so go research libraries and scholarly publishing’
-
Tutorial: How to review a manuscript — #2 the peer review process
-
Tutorial: How to review a manuscript — #1 intro to peer review
-
Research4Life provides access to research in developing world
-
AWIS program on work-life satisfaction
-
Webcast: The Impact Factor and other Bibliometric Indicators
-
How to be a successful editor in the 21st century
