Vitalism in contemporary chiropractic: a help or a hinderance?

Background: Chiropractic emerged in 1895 and was promoted as a viable health care substitute in direct competition with the medical profession. This was an era when there was a belief that one cause and one cure for all disease would be discovered. The chiropractic version was a theory that most diseases were caused by subluxated (slightly displaced) vertebrae interfering with “nerve vibrations” (a supernatural, vital force) and could be cured by adjusting (repositioning) vertebrae, thereby removing the interference with the body’s inherent capacity to heal. DD Palmer, the originator of chiropractic, established chiropractic based on vitalistic principles. Anecdotally, the authors have observed that many chiropractors who overtly claim to be “vitalists” cannot define the term. Therefore, we sought the origins of vitalism and to examine its effects on chiropractic today. Discussion: Vitalism arose out of human curiosity around the biggest questions: Where do we come from? What is life? For some, life was derived from an unknown and unknowable vital force. For others, a vital force was a placeholder, a piece of knowledge not yet grasped but attainable. Developments in science have demonstrated there is no longer a need to invoke vitalistic entities as either explanations or hypotheses for biological phenomena. Nevertheless, vitalism remains within chiropractic. In this examination of vitalism within chiropractic we explore the history of vitalism, vitalism within chiropractic and whether a vitalistic ideology is compatible with the legal and ethical requirements for registered health care professionals such as chiropractors. Conclusion: Vitalism has had many meanings throughout the centuries of recorded history. Though only vaguely defined by chiropractors, vitalism, as a representation of supernatural force and therefore an untestable hypothesis, sits at the heart of the divisions within chiropractic and acts as an impediment to chiropractic legitimacy, cultural authority and integration into mainstream health care

Mise en place d'un traitement d'attendrissement par autoprotéolyse de chair de céphalopodes. Validation de l'efficacité du traitement par mesures rhéologiques et sensorielles

Dans le but de valoriser la production de l'encornet rouge Illex coindetii, qui présente une chair très dure, la recherche d'un traitement d'attendrissement par activation des protéases intramusculaires du manteau de ces encornets a été effectuée. La résolution du plan d'expérience a montré que l'attendrissement maximal dans le domaine expérimental était obtenu par l'incubation des encornets à pH 2 et à 45¼C. Une électrophorèse sur gel de polyacrylamide a montré que dans ces conditions de pH et de température les protéases, probablement des cathepsines D, dégradent de manière non spécifique les chaînes lourdes de la myosine du muscle d'encornet. Cette protéolyse affecte également la capacité de rétention d'eau des protéines ce qui se traduit notamment par une déshydratation importante des encornets au cours de la cuisson. Pour une incubation à pH2, aucune différence d'attendrissement n'a pu être démontrée par les tests de traction entre les températures de 45¼C, 55¼C et 60¼C. Seuls les produits traités à 55¼C, quelle que soit la durée d'incubation, sont perçus comme significativement moins durs et moins croquants que l'encornet rouge non traité, mais aussi plus rugueu

ZnO / CdTe core shell nanowires on tin dioxide thin films for solar cells

International audienc

ZnO / CdTe core shell nanowires on tin dioxide thin films for solar cells

International audienc

Acyl-Trafficking During Plant Oil Accumulation

Vegetable oils are an extremely important agricultural commodity. Their use has risen inexorably for the last 50 years and will undoubtedly be even more prevalent in the future. They have a role not only in foodstuffs but also as renewable chemicals. However, our understanding of their metabolism, and particularly its control, is incomplete. In this article we highlight current knowledge and its deficiencies. In particular, we focus on the important role that phosphatidylcholine plays in lipid accumulation and in influencing the quality of the vegetable oils produced