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Since they were first derived more than three decades ago, embryonic stem cells have been proposed as a source of replacement cells in regenerative medicine, but their plasticity and unlimited capacity for self-renewal raises concerns about their safety, including tumour formation ability, potential immune rejection, and the risk of differentiating into unwanted cell types. We report the medium-term to long-term safety of cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) transplanted into patients. In the USA, two prospective phase 1/2 studies were done to assess the primary endpoints safety and tolerability of subretinal transplantation of hESC-derived retinal pigment epithelium in nine patients with Stargardt's macular dystrophy (age >18 years) and nine with atrophic age-related macular degeneration (age >55 years). Three dose cohorts (50 000, 100 000, and 150 000 cells) were treated for each eye disorder. Transplanted patients were followed up for a median of 22 months by use of serial systemic, ophthalmic, and imaging examinations. The studies are registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, numbers NCT01345006 (Stargardt's macular dystrophy) and NCT01344993 (age-related macular degeneration). There was no evidence of adverse proliferation, rejection, or serious ocular or systemic safety issues related to the transplanted tissue. Adverse events were associated with vitreoretinal surgery and immunosuppression. 13 (72%) of 18 patients had patches of increasing subretinal pigmentation consistent with transplanted retinal pigment epithelium. Best-corrected visual acuity, monitored as part of the safety protocol, improved in ten eyes, improved or remained the same in seven eyes, and decreased by more than ten letters in one eye, whereas the untreated fellow eyes did not show similar improvements in visual acuity. Vision-related quality-of-life measures increased for general and peripheral vision, and near and distance activities, improving by 16–25 points 3–12 months after transplantation in patients with atrophic age-related macular degeneration and 8–20 points in patients with Stargardt's macular dystrophy. The results of this study provide the first evidence of the medium-term to long-term safety, graft survival, and possible biological activity of pluripotent stem cell progeny in individuals with any disease. Our results suggest that hESC-derived cells could provide a potentially safe new source of cells for the treatment of various unmet medical disorders requiring tissue repair or replacement. Advanced Cell Technology.

The fear for charities of being on the wrong side of the law when it comes to campaigning has always been strong. Recent UK legislation on political campaigning has caused considerable consternation, bringing some difficult issues to the fore. This paper reviews recent evidence on legislation, referring to previous regulatory experience to put new developments in a clear context of charity and electoral law. It highlights ambiguities and suggests how further regulatory guidance might help.

While there is a central assumption that charities can be key implementers of Big Society ideals, this paper will consider whether there is compatibility between the political rhetoric of the Big Society and its delivery through the charitable sector. It will be maintained that, while much obvious synergy exists, there are inherent difficulties, at both the practical and theoretical level, for the large‐scale involvement of charities and their volunteers in the delivery of the Big Society. At the practical level, it will be seen that some amendments to the legal framework, so as to accommodate the greater use of charities and volunteers within the Big Society, may need to be brought into effect. However, at the foundational level, an examination of the core characteristics of charities and their substantive legal principles reveals some more fundamental impediments to their fulfilling Big Society objectives laid out for them by government.

This article details the creation and features of the Aspiring Principals Program, an intentional, mutually beneficial partnership between the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

This article details the process of recruiting and starting a cohort to prepare Latinx school administrators to fill impending positions in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School district. The authors provide the context and steps of establishing the administrator preparation program.

Managers, donors, regulators and reporters care about fundraising cost ratios (donations divided by costs) despite their many shortcomings. In this paper we discuss the unintended but harmful side effects resulting from the pressure to minimise cost ratios in the areas of compliance and regulatory costs, misleading solicitations and misled donors, inefficient generation of donations, and inefficient provision of services. We conclude with a brief discussion of alternative approaches to stemming fundraising abuses.

Research on charity regulation is frequently triggered by charity law developments. However, it is often unclear what impact such research has on policy makers and parliamentarians shaping charity regulation. Both authors of this paper were called to give evidence to the Parliamentary Joint Committee examining the draft Bill that led to the Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Act 2016. We review the possible impact of our evidence on the ultimate Act and on charity regulation more broadly.

Objective and Participants: The authors evaluated psychosocial factors of stress and their effects on the prevalence of low back pain (LBP) among a population of college students in a major university in Colorado. Methods: This was a nested cross-sectional study of 973 respondents who completed the National College Health Assessment survey. The authors evaluated a subset of questions pertaining to psychosocial stressors against the presence of LBP. Results: The annual prevalence of LBP among the population studied was 42.8%. The stressful psychosocial variables of feeling very sad, exhausted, and overwhelmed were associated with the prevalence of LBP. Conclusions: The prevalence of LBP among this younger population is significant and understudied.

The legal landscape for charities and their interaction with discrimination law has changed significantly as a result of the enactment of the Equality Act 2010. This article examines the intersection of modern equality law and charity law, which is an important yet little understood area of law for charities. As a result of the renewed focus on equality law and the significant tightening up of the exemptions from anti-discrimination law that charities previously enjoyed, charities will now need to ensure that their activities are Equality Act 2010-compliant. This article investigates a number of specific collision areas that these developments raise for charities, such as the potential for 'beneficiary discrimination', 'volunteer discrimination' and 'trustee discrimination'. It also considers the public sector equality duty which may well place additional pressure on charities wanting to be commissioned by public bodies to provide public services.

There is increasing concern with the cost effectiveness of charities' fund‐raising activities. Using a recent decision of the US Supreme Court as a backdrop, this paper examines the regulation of professional fund‐raising and the associated issues relating to fund‐raising costs. Whilst there are no legal limits on fund‐raising costs in England and Wales, there are some elements of legal regulation which may indirectly impose some limitations on costs. As well as these legal tools, a number of other mechanisms, both current and proposed, which may help donors to decide which charities to support, taking into account their fund‐raising efficiency, will also be considered. The paper finally acknowledges that whilst limiting the costs of fund‐raising is a desirable objective, achieving this aim is by no means simple. It is hoped that current and proposed measures based on the theory of ‘let the donor’ decide will help to achieve this aim.