Scientism recognizes evidence only of the quantitative/general variety

Rationale, aims and objectivesMcHugh and Walker introduced a model of knowledge to demonstrate that EBM is a form of scientism that ignores important sources of knowledge thereby impairing the practice of medicine. We study the development of this model and explore additional applications.MethodsReview of the relevant literature and identification of possible areas for fruitful application.ResultsWe show that the McHugh and Walker model is closely related to the model of evidence considered earlier by Upshur et al. We also indicate that the utility of this model is not limited to showing scientism distorts clinical practice. Several representative applications are identified, including psychotherapy, the Salk polio vaccine trial, and the placebo effect.ConclusionsPriority should be given to Upshur et al for the development of a model that has far‐reaching application to medical epistemology. It is shown that all four of the types of evidence considered—qualitative/personal, qualitative/general, quantitative/general, and quantitative/personal—are required to adequately characterize epistemology in medical research and practice.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154650/1/jep13330_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154650/2/jep13330.pd

A biodiversity hypothesis

Biodiversity hypothesis states that contact with natural environments enriches the human microbiome, promotes immune balance and protects from allergy and inflammatory disorders. We are protected by two nested layers of biodiversity, microbiota of the outer layer (soil, natural waters, plants, animals) and inner layer (gut, skin, airways). The latter inhabits our body and is colonized from the outer layer. Explosion of human populations along with cultural evolution is profoundly changing our environment and lifestyle. Adaptive immunoregulatory circuits and dynamic homeostasis are at stake in the newly emerged urban surroundings. In allergy, and chronic inflammatory disorders in general, exploring the determinants of immunotolerance is the key for prevention and more effective treatment. Loss of immunoprotective factors, derived from nature, is a new kind of health risk poorly acknowledged until recently. The paradigm change has been implemented in the Finnish allergy programme (2008-2018), which emphasized tolerance instead of avoidance. The first results are promising, as allergy burden has started to reduce. The rapidly urbanizing world is facing serious biodiversity loss with global warming, which are interconnected. Biodiversity hypothesis of health and disease has societal impact, for example, on city planning, food and energy production and nature conservation. It has also a message for individuals for health and well-being: take nature close, to touch, eat, breathe, experience and enjoy. Biodiverse natural environments are dependent on planetary health, which should be a priority also among health professionals.Peer reviewe

Specificity in Arabidopsis thaliana recruitment of root fungal communities from soil and rhizosphere

Available online 10 January 2018Biotic and abiotic conditions in soil pose major constraints on growth and reproductive success of plants. Fungi are important agents in plant soil interactions but the belowground mycobiota associated with plants remains poorly understood. We grew one genotype each from Sweden and Italy of the widelystudied plant model Arabidopsis thaliana. Plants were grown under controlled conditions in organic topsoil local to the Swedish genotype, and harvested after ten weeks. Total DNAwas extracted from three belowground compartments: endosphere (sonicated roots), rhizosphere and bulk soil, and fungal communities were characterized from each by amplification and sequencing of the fungal barcode region ITS2. Fungal species diversity was found to decrease from bulk soil to rhizosphere to endosphere. A significant effect of plant genotype on fungal community composition was detected only in the endosphere compartment. Despite A. thaliana being a non-mycorrhizal plant, it hosts a number of known mycorrhiza fungi in its endosphere compartment, which is also colonized by endophytic, pathogenic and saprotrophic fungi. Species in the Archaeorhizomycetes were most abundant in rhizosphere samples suggesting an adaptation to environments with high nutrient turnover for some of these species. We conclude that A. thaliana endosphere fungal communities represent a selected subset of fungi recruited from soil and that plant genotype has small but significant quantitative and qualitative effects on these communities.Hector Urbina, Martin F. Breed, Weizhou Zhao, Kanaka Lakshmi Gurrala, Siv G.E. Andersson, Jon Ågren, Sandra Baldauf, Anna Roslin

Scaling and root planing with and without periodontal flap surgery

. Complete removal of calculus is a primary part of achieving a “biologically acceptable” tooth surface in the treatment of periodontitis. Rabbani et al. reported that a single episode of scaling did not completely remove subgingival calculus and that the deeper the periodontal pocket, the less complete the calculus removal. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of scaling relative to calculus removal following reflection of a periodontal flap. Each of 21 patients who required multiple extractions had 2 teeth scaled, 2 teeth scaled following the reflection of a periodontal flap, and 2 teeth serve as controls. Local anesthesia was used. Following extraction, the % of subgingival tooth surfaces free of calculus was determined using the method described by Rabbani with a stereomicroscope. Results showed that while scaling only (SO) and scaling with a flap (SF) increased the % of root surface without calculus, scaling following the reflection of a flap aided calculus removal in pockets 4 mm and deeper. Comparison of SO versus SF at various pocket depths for % of tooth surfaces completely free of calculus showed 1 to 3 mm pockets to be 86% versus 86%, 4 to 6 mm pockets to be 43% versus 76% and >6 mm pockets to be 32% versus 50%. The extent of residual calculus was directly related to pocket depth, was greater following scaling only, and was greatest at the CEJ or in association with grooves, fossae or furcations. No differences were noted between anterior and posterior teeth or between different tooth surfaces.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73823/1/j.1600-051X.1986.tb01461.x.pd

4 modalities of periodontal treatment compared over 5 years *

The purpose of the present study was to assess in a clinical trial over 5 years the results following 4 different modalities of periodontal therapy (pocket elimination or reduction surgery, modified Widman flap surgery, subgingival curettage, and scaling and root planing). 90 patients were treated. The treatment methods were applied on a random basis to each of the 4 quadrants of the dentition. The patients were given professional tooth cleaning and oral hygiene instructions every 3 months. Pocket depth and attachment levels were scored once a year. 72 patients completed the 5 years of observation. Both patient means for pocket depth and attachment level as well as % distribution of sites with loss of attachment ≥2 mm and ≥3 mm were compared. For 1-3 mm probing depth, scaling and root planing, as well as subgingival curettage led to significantly less attachment loss than pocket elimination and modified Widman flap surgery. For 4 6 mm pockets, scaling and root planing and curettage had better attachment results than pocket elimination surgery. For the 7-12 mm pockets, there was no statistically significant difference among the results following the various procedures.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72788/1/j.1600-051X.1987.tb02249.x.pd

Transgenic Biofortification of the Starchy Staple Cassava (Manihot esculenta) Generates a Novel Sink for Protein

Although calorie dense, the starchy, tuberous roots of cassava provide the lowest sources of dietary protein within the major staple food crops (Manihot esculenta Crantz). (Montagnac JA, Davis CR, Tanumihardjo SA. (2009) Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf 8:181–194). Cassava was genetically modified to express zeolin, a nutritionally balanced storage protein under control of the patatin promoter. Transgenic plants accumulated zeolin within de novo protein bodies localized within the root storage tissues, resulting in total protein levels of 12.5% dry weight within this tissue, a fourfold increase compared to non-transgenic controls. No significant differences were seen for morphological or agronomic characteristics of transgenic and wild type plants in the greenhouse and field trials, but relative to controls, levels of cyanogenic compounds were reduced by up to 55% in both leaf and root tissues of transgenic plants. Data described here represent a proof of concept towards the potential transformation of cassava from a starchy staple, devoid of storage protein, to one capable of supplying inexpensive, plant-based proteins for food, feed and industrial applications

Estimating the Capacity for ART Provision in Tanzania with the Use of Data on Staff Productivity and Patient Losses

BACKGROUND: International targets for access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) have over-estimated the capacity of health systems in low-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The WHO target for number on treatment by end 2005 for Tanzania was 10 times higher than actually achieved. The target of the national Care and Treatment Plan (CTP) was also not reached. We aimed at estimating the capacity for ART provision and created five scenarios for ART production given existing resource limitations. METHODS: A situation analysis including scrutiny of staff factors, such as available data on staff and patient factors including access to ART and patient losses, made us conclude that the lack of clinical staff is the main limiting factor for ART scale-up, assuming that sufficient drugs and supplies are provided by donors. We created a simple formula to estimate the number of patients on ART based on availability and productivity of clinical staff, time needed to initiate vs maintain a patient on ART and patient losses using five different scenarios with varying levels of these parameters. FINDINGS: Our scenario assuming medium productivity (40% higher than that observed in 2002) and medium loss of patients (20% in addition to 15% first-year mortality) coincides with the actual reported number of patients initiated on ART up to 2008, but is considerably below the national CTP target of 90% coverage for 2009, corresponding to 420,000 on ART and 710,000 life-years saved (LY's). Our analysis suggests that a coverage of 40% or 175,000 on treatment and 350,000 LY's saved is more achievable. CONCLUSION: A comparison of our scenario estimations and actual output 2006-2008 indicates that a simple user-friendly dynamic model can estimate the capacity for ART scale-up in resource-poor settings based on identification of a limiting staff factor and information on availability of this staff and patient losses. Thus, it is possible to set more achievable targets

The effects on chronic periodontitis of a subgingivally-placed redox agent in a slow release device

Adjunctive chemical agents can reduce the need for meticulous plaque control. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the periodontal treatment potential of subgingival application of the redox agent methylene blue in a slow release device. This randomized, single-blind, split-mouth study included 18 patients aged 35- 57 years, with chronic adult periodontitis, pocketing of at least 5mm and radiographic evidence of regular bone loss. All experimental sites received subgingival debridement at day 0. Test sites received 32% w/w methylene blue in the slow release device at days 0 and 28. Clinical examination and microbiological sampling were performed at days 0, 7, 28, 56 and 84. Clinical improvements were seen in both groups, but test sites showed consistently greater improvements, some of which were statistically significant (as determined by between-group comparisons utilising SNDs). Significant between-group differences in relation to baseline levels were seen in bleeding index at days 7 and 56, in probable pocket depth at day 56 and for the Perioscan BANA test at day 7. This pilot study thus showed that adjunctive methylene blue in a slow-release device can produce greater clinical and microbiological improvements than subgingival debridement alone.peer-reviewe

A G358S mutation in the Plasmodium falciparum Na⁺ pump PfATP4 confers clinically-relevant resistance to cipargamin

Diverse compounds target the Plasmodium falciparum Na(+) pump PfATP4, with cipargamin and (+)-SJ733 the most clinically-advanced. In a recent clinical trial for cipargamin, recrudescent parasites emerged, with most having a G358S mutation in PfATP4. Here, we show that PfATP4(G358S) parasites can withstand micromolar concentrations of cipargamin and (+)-SJ733, while remaining susceptible to antimalarials that do not target PfATP4. The G358S mutation in PfATP4, and the equivalent mutation in Toxoplasma gondii ATP4, decrease the sensitivity of ATP4 to inhibition by cipargamin and (+)-SJ733, thereby protecting parasites from disruption of Na(+) regulation. The G358S mutation reduces the affinity of PfATP4 for Na(+) and is associated with an increase in the parasite’s resting cytosolic [Na(+)]. However, no defect in parasite growth or transmissibility is observed. Our findings suggest that PfATP4 inhibitors in clinical development should be tested against PfATP4(G358S) parasites, and that their combination with unrelated antimalarials may mitigate against resistance development

Global Health Education: a cross-sectional study among German medical students to identify needs, deficits and potential benefits (Part 2 of 2: Knowledge gaps and potential benefits)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In Germany, educational deficits or potential benefits involved in global health education have not been analysed till now.</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>We assess the importance medical students place on learning about social determinants of health (SDH) and assess their knowledge of global health topics in relation to (i) mobility patterns, their education in (ii) tropical medicine or (iii) global health.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cross-sectional study among medical students from all 36 medical schools in Germany using a web-based, semi-structured questionnaire. Participants were recruited via mailing-lists of students' unions, all medical students registered in 2007 were eligible to participate in the study. We captured international mobility patterns, exposure to global health learning opportunities and attitudes to learning about SDH. Both an objective and subjective knowledge assessment were performed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>1126 online-replies were received and analysed. International health electives in developing countries correlated significantly with a higher importance placed on all provided SDH (p ≤ 0.006). Participation in tropical medicine (p < 0.03) and global health courses (p < 0.02) were significantly associated with a higher rating of 'culture, language and religion' and the 'economic system'. Global health trainings correlated with significantly higher ratings of the 'educational system' (p = 0.007) and the 'health system structure' (p = 0.007), while the item 'politics' was marginally significant (p = 0.053).</p> <p>In the knowledge assessment students achieved an average score of 3.6 (SD 1.5; Mdn 4.0), 75% achieved a score of 4.0 or less (Q₂₅= 3.0; Q₇₅= 4.0) from a maximum achievable score of 8.0. A better performance was associated with international health electives (p = 0.032), participation in tropical medicine (p = 0.038) and global health (p = 0.258) courses.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The importance medical students in our sample placed on learning about SDH strongly interacts with students' mobility, and participation in tropical medicine and global health courses. The knowledge assessment revealed deficits and outlined needs to further analyse education gaps in global health. Developing concerted educational interventions aimed at fostering students' engagement with SDH could make full use of synergy effects inherent in student mobility, tropical medicine and global health education.</p