Christen Rachul

Bio: Christen Rachul is an academic researcher from University of Manitoba. The author has contributed to research in topics: Medical tourism & News media. The author has an hindex of 17, co-authored 45 publications receiving 792 citations. Previous affiliations of Christen Rachul include University of Pennsylvania & Carleton University.

Reassessing direct-to-consumer portrayals of unproven stem cell therapies: is it getting better?

Abstract: Aim: To determine whether increased scrutiny of ‘stem cell tourism’ has resulted in changes to online claims by clinics that provide putative unproven stem cell treatments. Materials & methods: We analyzed historical and current versions of clinics’ websites. The study sample consisted of 18 websites included in a 2008 peer-reviewed study and an additional 12 clinics identified through the Google™ search engine. Results: Our analysis revealed similarities between historical and current stem cell treatment offerings, claims, representations of risk, benefit and efficacy and attention to social, ethical and regulatory concerns. Claims and representations remain overly optimistic. Current websites provide more detailed descriptions of treatment procedures and outcomes and are more aesthetically appealing. Noteworthy trends in the movements and locations of clinics was observed. Conclusion: Increased scrutiny of stem cell tourism has not had much impact on the online claims of clinics that provide putative un...

Stem cell clinics in the news

Abstract: 1243 respect, diagnostics are unusual compared with other domains where patent exclusivity has a role. We agree the evidence of harms from exclusive licensing is not systematic, but the evidence of benefit from patents in genetic diagnostics historically is even weaker. Finally, we appreciate there are indeed limits to BIO’s actions when questions of antitrust would arise in enforcing the existing norms on patenting and licensing genomic inventions. The licensing norms developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development2 (Paris), the US National Institutes of Health3 and the ‘Nine Points’ document on university technology licensing4 are all pro-competitive however, not anti-competitive. If a company is deviating from those norms, therefore, antitrust concerns would not arise; quite the reverse. We don’t suggest BIO act when antitrust would loom as an issue, but commenting on policies—such as enforcing patents when no test is available to patients— would rarely confront antitrust policy. The main underlying point is that problems with patents and exclusive licensing distinctive to diagnostics can be identified and dealt with, but only if the problems are acknowledged and acted upon. If BIO is turning its attention to these issues, then we will all benefit.

Implicit hype? Representations of platelet rich plasma in the news media.

Abstract: Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) has gained popularity in recent years for treating sports-related injuries and the news media frequently reports on elite athletes' and celebrities' use of PRP. We conducted a content analysis of newspaper coverage of PRP in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the United States. Findings show that news media coverage of PRP appears most frequently in sports-related stories, and in relation to elite athletes use of PRP. PRP injections are largely portrayed as a routine treatment for sports-related injuries and newspaper articles rarely discuss the limitations or efficacy of PRP. We argue that while news media coverage of PRP exhibits very few common hallmarks of hype, its portrayal as a routine treatment used by elite athletes and celebrities creates an implicit hype. This implicit hype can contribute to public misunderstandings of the efficacy of PRP.

Biobanking, Consent, and Control: A Survey of Albertans on Key Research Ethics Issues

Abstract: While the development of large scale biobanks continues, ethics and policy challenges persist. Debate surrounds key issues such as giving and withdrawing consent, incidental findings and return of results, and ownership and control of tissue samples. Studies of public perception have demonstrated a lack of consensus on these issues, particularly in different jurisdictions. We conducted a telephone survey of members of the public in Alberta, Canada. The survey addressed the aforementioned issues, but also explored public trust in the individuals and institutions involved in biobanking research. Results show that the Alberta public is fairly consistent in their responses and that those who preferred a broad consent model were also less likely to desire continuing control and a right to withdraw samples. The study raises questions about the role of public perceptions and opinions, particularly in the absence of consensus.

Health Misinformation and the Power of Narrative Messaging in the Public Sphere

Abstract: Numerous social, economic and academic pressures can have a negative impact on representations of biomedical research. We review several of the forces playing an increasingly pernicious role in how health and science information is interpreted, shared and used, drawing discussions towards the role of narrative. In turn, we explore how aspects of narrative are used in different social contexts and communication environments, and present creative responses that may help counter the negative trends. As traditional methods of communication have in many ways failed the public, changes in approach are required, including the creative use of narratives.

The seductive allure of neuroscience explanations

Abstract: Explanations of psychological phenomena seem to generate more public interest when they contain neuroscientific information. Even irrelevant neuroscience information in an explanation of a psychological phenomenon may interfere with people's abilities to critically consider the underlying logic of this explanation. We tested this hypothesis by giving nave adults, students in a neuroscience course, and neuroscience experts brief descriptions of psychological phenomena followed by one of four types of explanation, according to a 2 (good explanation vs. bad explanation) 2 (without neuroscience vs. with neuroscience) design. Crucially, the neuroscience information was irrelevant to the logic of the explanation, as confirmed by the expert subjects. Subjects in all three groups judged good explanations as more satisfying than bad ones. But subjects in the two nonexpert groups additionally judged that explanations with logically irrelevant neuroscience information were more satisfying than explanations without. The neuroscience information had a particularly striking effect on nonexperts' judgments of bad explanations, masking otherwise salient problems in these explanations.

Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years (0-4 years): An Integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep.

Abstract: The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology convened representatives of national organizations, research experts, methodologists, stakeholders, and end-users who followed rigorous and transparent guideline development procedures to create the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years (0–4 years): An Integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep. These novel guidelines for children of the early years embrace the natural and intuitive integration of movement behaviours across the whole day (24-h period). The development process was guided by the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument. Four systematic reviews (physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep, combined behaviours) examining the relationships within and among movement behaviours and several health indicators were completed and interpreted by a Guideline Development Panel. The systematic reviews that were conducted to inform the development of the guidelines, and the framework that was applied to develop the recommendations, followed the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology. Complementary compositional analyses were performed using data from the Canadian Health Measures Survey to examine the relationships between movement behaviours and indicators of adiposity. A review of the evidence on the cost effectiveness and resource use associated with the implementation of the proposed guidelines was also undertaken. A stakeholder survey (n = 546), 10 key informant interviews, and 14 focus groups (n = 92 participants) were completed to gather feedback on draft guidelines and their dissemination. The guidelines provide evidence-informed recommendations as to the combinations of light-, moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity, sedentary behaviours, and sleep that infants (<1 year), toddlers (1–2 years) and preschoolers (3–4 years) should achieve for a healthy day (24 h). Proactive dissemination, promotion, implementation, and evaluation plans were prepared to optimize uptake and activation of the new guidelines. These guidelines represent a sensible evolution of public health guidelines whereby optimal health is framed within the balance of movement behaviours across the whole day, while respecting preferences of end-users. Future research should consider the integrated relationships among movement behaviours, and similar integrated guidelines for other age groups should be developed.

Individual differences in reasoning: Implications for the rationality debate?-Open Peer Commentary-Differences, games, and pluralism

Abstract: Much research in the last two decades has demonstrated that human responses deviate from the performance deemed normative according to various models of decision making and rational judgment (e.g., the basic axioms of utility theory). This gap between the normative and the descriptive can be interpreted as indicating systematic irrationalities in human cognition. However, four alternative interpretations preserve the assumption that human behavior and cognition is largely rational. These posit that the gap is due to (1) performance errors, (2) computational limitations, (3) the wrong norm being applied by the experimenter, and (4) a different construal of the task by the subject. In the debates about the viability of these alternative explanations, attention has been focused too narrowly on the model response. In a series of experiments involving most of the classic tasks in the heuristics and biases literature, we have examined the implications of individual differences in performance for each of the four explanations of the normative/descriptive gap. Performance errors are a minor factor in the gap; computational limitations underlie non-normative responding on several tasks, particularly those that involve some type of cognitive decontextualization. Unexpected patterns of covariance can suggest when the wrong norm is being applied to a task or when an alternative construal of the task should be considered appropriate.