The Lancet  
Mar 15, 2014  Volume 383  Number 9921   p927 – 1012
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Editorial
Global elderly care in crisis
The Lancet
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The world’s population is ageing rapidly at an unprecedented rate. The proportion of people aged over 60 years will double from about 11% to 22% between 2000 and 2050. Population ageing has profound implications for the burden of disease and social and health-care systems. How well prepared are countries to cope with these changing demographics? Unfortunately, current elderly care systems worldwide are already unable to address the soaring demand from fast growing numbers of older people, even in higher-income countries.

Viewpoint
The right to participate in high-risk research
David Shaw
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Institutional review boards have a reputation for impeding research. Indeed, many studies are poorly designed, exploit participants, or do not ask a relevant question;1 the rejection of such protocols by institutional review boards is entirely proper. However, institutional review boards also frequently reject or tamper with perfectly sound and relevant studies to protect participants from harm,2 in accordance with the widely accepted message that “clinical research is justified only when participants are protected from excessive risks”.