Cancer control through principles of systems science, complexity, and chaos theory: A model

Cancer is a significant medical and societal problem. This reality arises from the fact that an exponential and an unrestricted cellular growth destabilizes human body as a system. From this perspective, cancer is a manifestation of a system-in-failing

Sensing risk, fearing uncertainty: systems science approach to change

Background: Medicine devotes its primary focus to understanding change, from cells to network relationships; observations of non-linearity are inescapable. Recent events provide extraordinary examples of major non-linear surprises within the societal system: human genome-from anticipated 100,000+ genes to only 20,000+; junk DNA-initially ignored but now proven to control genetic processes; economic reversals-bursting of bubbles in technology, housing, finance; foreign wars; relentless rise in obesity, neurodegenerative diseases. There are two attributes of systems science that are especially relevant to this research: One—it offers a method for creating a structural context with a guiding path to pragmatic knowledge; and, two—it gives pre-eminence to sensory input capable to register, evaluate, and react to change. Materials/Methods: Public domain records of change, during the last 50 years, have been studied in the context of systems science, the dynamic systems model, and various cycles. Results/Conclusions: Change is dynamic, ever-present, never isolated, and of variable impact; it reflects innumerable relationships among contextual systems; change can be perceived as risk or uncertainty depending upon how the assessment is made; risk is quantifiable by sensory input and generates a degree of rational optimism; uncertainty is not quantifiable and evokes fear; trust is key to sharing risk; the measurable financial credit can be a proxy for societal trust; expanding credit dilutes trust; when a credit bubble bursts, so will trust; absence of trust paralyzes systems' relationships leading to disorganized complexity which prevents value creation and heightens the probability of random events; disappearance of value, accompanied by chaos, threatens all systems. From personal health to economic sustainability and collective rationality, most examined components of the societal system were found not to be optimized and trust was not in evidence

Is U.S. health care an appropriate system? A strategic perspective from systems science

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Context</p> <p>Systems science provides organizational principles supported by biologic findings that can be applied to any organization; any incongruence indicates an incomplete or an already failing system. U.S. health care is commonly referred to as a system that consumes an ever- increasing percentage of the gross domestic product and delivers seemingly diminishing value.</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>To perform a comparative study of U.S. health care with the principles of systems science and, if feasible, propose solutions.</p> <p>Design</p> <p>General systems theory provides the theoretical foundation for this observational research.</p> <p>Main Outcome Measures</p> <p>A degree of compliance of U.S. health care with systems principles and its space-time functional location within the dynamic systems model.</p> <p>Results of comparative analysis</p> <p>U.S. health care is an incomplete system further threatened by the fact that it functions in the zone of chaos within the dynamic systems model.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Complying with systems science principles and the congruence of pertinent cycles, U.S. health care would likely dramatically improve its value creation for all of society as well as its resiliency and long-term sustainability.</p> <p>Immediate corrective steps could be taken: Prioritize and incentivize <it>health </it>over <it>care</it>; restore fiscal soundness by combining health and life insurance for the benefit of the insured and the payer; rebalance horizontal/providers and vertical/government hierarchies.</p

Craniofacial surgery for nonmelanoma skin malignancy: Report of an international collaborative study

AbstractBackground.This study examined the efficacy of craniofacial surgery (CFS) in treating locally advanced nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC).Methods.One hundred twenty patients who underwent CFS for NMSC were identified from 17 participating institutions. Patient, tumor, and treatment information was analyzed for prognostic impact on survival.Results.Surgical margins were negative in 74%, close in 3%, and involved in 23% of patients. Complications occurred in 35% of patients, half of which were local wound problems. Operative mortality was 4%. Median follow‐up interval after CFS was 27 months. The 5‐year overall survival (OS), disease‐specific survival (DSS), and recurrence‐free survival (RFS) rates were 64%, 75%, and 60%, respectively. Squamous cell histology, brain invasion, and positive resection margins independently predicted worse OS, DSS, and RFS.Conclusion.CFS is an effective treatment for patients with NMSC invading the skull base. Histology, extent of disease, and resection margins are the most significant predictors of outcome. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 200

Colon Cancer and Physical Activity: A Content Analysis of Reciprocal Relationship

Background Colon cancer is among the leading causes of cancer mortality and its incidence is increasing worldwide. This is true in spite of broad basic research into colon cancer while, concurrently, physical activity has been shown to offer significant preventive potential. This background led to the formulation of the following research questions: • Why is physical activity so effective in decreasing the incidence of colon cancer? • Is there a common denominator to colon cancer and physical activity, which has a reciprocal function? • Knowing the potential for public health impact of physical activity on colon cancer, has physical activity-colon cancer relationship been in the forefront of research efforts? Methods Content analysis of archival literature has been carried out on census of 32,822 message units, extracted from the National Library of Medicine and its PubMed database. The following search terms were used: colon cancer, physical activity, melatonin, age/genetics, diet (obesity, vitamin D, calcium), immunity/inflammation, and bioactive substances incorporating insulin-like growth factor 1, interleukins, and prostaglandins. The research timeframe for each category began with the first article published and ended with the last one printed in 2005. Results/Conclusions The effectiveness of physical activity in decreasing the incidence of colon cancer is likely the result of its biologic activity within not one or two but all of the major known colon cancer etiologies, demonstrating a powerful reciprocal relationship. Melatonin is identified as a plausible common denominator of colon cancer and physical activity. The greatest volume of publications deals with colon cancer and genetics. A significant societal health care impact could be achieved by adopting physical activity as a major cancer control strategy

A comparison of a positive exponential curve with a linear one expresses the relationship between normal and malignant growth (Modified from Kurtzweil)

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Cancer control through principles of systems science, complexity, and chaos theory: A model"</p><p></p><p>International Journal of Medical Sciences 2007;4(3):164-173.</p><p>Published online 5 Jun 2007</p><p>PMCID:PMC1891444.</p><p>© Ivyspring International Publisher. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/). Reproduction is permitted for personal, noncommercial use, provided that the article is in whole, unmodified, and properly cited.</p

Similarity between Mandelbrot fractal pattern and cancer (Merkel cell carcinoma)

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Cancer control through principles of systems science, complexity, and chaos theory: A model"</p><p></p><p>International Journal of Medical Sciences 2007;4(3):164-173.</p><p>Published online 5 Jun 2007</p><p>PMCID:PMC1891444.</p><p>© Ivyspring International Publisher. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/). Reproduction is permitted for personal, noncommercial use, provided that the article is in whole, unmodified, and properly cited.</p

This model conceptualizes the existence of and , with ongoing pendulum-like transitions of life entities through them

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Cancer control through principles of systems science, complexity, and chaos theory: A model"</p><p></p><p>International Journal of Medical Sciences 2007;4(3):164-173.</p><p>Published online 5 Jun 2007</p><p>PMCID:PMC1891444.</p><p>© Ivyspring International Publisher. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/). Reproduction is permitted for personal, noncommercial use, provided that the article is in whole, unmodified, and properly cited.</p