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Critical Scrutiny

There are a few ways to reduce research misconduct, writes Brendan Maher at the Nature News blog. Maher helped host a panel discussion for a Science Online NYC event Tuesday night that focused on the increased rates of retracted papers in recent years. The Office of Research Integrity's John Krueger notes that while there has been an increase in retractions, that does not mean that there has been a rise in misconduct. Instead, papers are subjected to more scrutiny, Maher writes. Indeed, Liz Williams, the executive editor of the Journal of Cell Biology, said that her journal has a full-time person to check figures from accepted papers for signs of manipulation. Further, Retraction Watch's Ivan Oransky added that both readers and the community are also looking at papers with critical eyes.

The Scan

Positive Framing of Genetic Studies Can Spark Mistrust Among Underrepresented Groups

Researchers in Human Genetics and Genomics Advances report that how researchers describe genomic studies may alienate potential participants.

Small Study of Gene Editing to Treat Sickle Cell Disease

In a Novartis-sponsored study in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that a CRISPR-Cas9-based treatment targeting promoters of genes encoding fetal hemoglobin could reduce disease symptoms.

Gut Microbiome Changes Appear in Infants Before They Develop Eczema, Study Finds

Researchers report in mSystems that infants experienced an enrichment in Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and Finegoldia and a depletion of Bacteroides before developing eczema.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment Specificity Enhanced With Stem Cell Editing

A study in Nature suggests epitope editing in donor stem cells prior to bone marrow transplants can stave off toxicity when targeting acute myeloid leukemia with immunotherapy.