Julian Kirchherr, assistant professor of Sustainable Business and Innovation Studies at Utrecht University, has published The Lean PhD: Radically Improve the Efficiency, Quality and Impact of Your Research, which "...fundamentally challenges the way in which PhDs are currently pursued" and "...applies lean methodologies - which have been embraced by start-ups - to the doctoral research process," according to the publisher's promotional materials. A review in the Chronicle of Higher Education recounts the author's emphasis on the value of getting thoughts down on paper in "good enough" form, then seeking feedback that informs revision or even radical changes of direction. Gathering feedback, notes the Chronicle,  "...can serve both to help sharpen arguments and analysis, but also to evade a common pitfall of dissertation preparation: grinding, often crippling isolation."

Alexandra Newman and her colleagues in Owens lab at UVa ar e celebrating  the selection of their scientific artwork for the cover of the August 9, 2018, issue of JCI Insight.  Their article, titled "Irradiation abolishes smooth muscle investment into vascular lesions in specific vascular beds," examines the effects of lethal irradiation on the ability of smooth muscle cells to respond to a variety of vascular insults, including atherosclerotic lesion development or vessel injury. The cover fluorescence image illustrates the lack of carotid artery YFP+ SMC neointimal investment following lethal irradiation and bone marrow transplant.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an alert in July calling attention to reports linking canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) with consumption of "exotic" diets rich in peas, lentils, other legume seeds, or potatoes. Large and giant breed dogs, including Great Danes, Boxers, and Newfoundlands, are prone to DCM, while it is less common in small and medium breed dogs. However, the cases that have been reported to the FDA have included breeds not typically genetically predisposed to the disease. The condition is linked to a deficiency in taurine, an essential dietary amino acid for dogs. Chicken and beef are high in taurine, but ingredients found in some grain-free foods have little or none.

Revisions to the Common Rule, a set of regulations shaping federally-funded human subjects, take effect early next year. The modifications aim to strengthen protections for study participants and streamline administrative requirements for investigators. Consent forms are a principal focus of improvement, with the goal of providing candidate subjects with needed information to grant consent that is truly informed. Moreover, it must be made clear when and if an individual's clinical research results will be shared with subjects. Compliance with most changes is expected by January 21, 2019, but an additional year is allowed to adapt to the unified IRB requirements applied to multi-institutional studies.

A letter published last year in the  Journal of the American College of Cardiology notes that premature vascular aging and hypertension may be more prevalent in children conceived with assisted reproductive technology (ART). Flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery was reduced in adolescents conceived via ART. Occurrence of arterial hypertension (>130/80 mmHg) was 6-fold higher in the ART group. Although the study population was small, the number potentially affected is large: 2-5% of children born in developed countries were conceived with the help of ART, and such individuals total 6 million worldwide.  This may also be of interest.