Eponyms or Descriptive Equivalent Terms? The Question of Scientific Accuracy in Medical Discourse

A large part of medical lexicon is made up of eponymous terms. These have often been an object of debate and disagreement among specialists and linguists. More precisely, some claim that eponyms should be maintained, while others are inclined to substitute them with descriptive equivalent terms. The aim of this work is to highlight the importance of linguistic accuracy in medical communication through the analysis of the main advantages and disadvantages involved in both the use of eponyms and descriptive terms. The work is divided into four main parts. The first part provides a classification of the various types of medical eponyms, according to the types of names they can include. The second part is an examination of the current controversy about eponyms, with a discussion of the main reasons in favour of and against their use in medical discourse. The third part focuses on positive and negative pragmatic aspects in the use of eponyms in medical discourse, while in the fourth and last part attention is paid to the inaccuracy of some descriptive denominations

Medical English textbooks for Italian university students. Do they meet the Miur educational instructions about scientific English learning? Three works under investigation

The ever increasing diffusion of English as the language of communication and scientific literature worldwide has made EMP (English for Medical Purposes) learning an integral part of medical students\u2019 syllabuses. In medical English courses, teachers generally make use of textbooks which through a variety of activities usually involve all linguistic skills and provide students with the necessary means to communicate effectively and properly in their professional field. If we agree that a basic knowledge of general English should be assumed when undertaking any EMP course, then it follows that this specialist learning requires familiarity with a) specialised lexis and b) the morphosyntactic structure of scientific discourse. Specialized communication in English, especially the written variety, prioritises linguistic phenomena such as nominalization and premodification more frequently than general English does. Medical English textbooks for undergraduates are thus designed to develop the four skills of reading, speaking, listening and writing in a way that encourages students to acquire linguistic competences in both specialized oral and written communication. However, the space and significance attributed to each skill in coursebooks will vary according to the specific volume in question as specific authors show preferences for one skill over others

Plurilingualism, Multilingualism, and Lingua Franca English in Today's Globalised World

We live in a multilingual world where English serves as the language of international communication. It permeates every sphere of life, from education to trade, from employment to scientific literature. However, parallel to English as the lingua franca of worldwide exchange, several other languages co-exist and overlap in our multilingual and multicultural society. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the central role of plurilingualism as a way to support multilingualism and linguistic diversity but also as a very important means to enhance cognitive abilities, including metalinguistic awareness. It also considers the prominent role of English as the shared language of worldwide interaction. The ultimate aim of this study is to encourage reflection on a new vision of language teaching, which fosters knowledge of languages as a primary source of social and individual benefits, and, at the same time, focuses on lingua franca English for effective communication in the global society

The Translation of Chinese Medical Terms into English. Linguistic Considerations on the Language of TCM

The growing diffusion of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) in the Western world on the one hand, and the major role of English as the language of scientific communication and international exchange on the other, have led to the need for accuracy and standardization in the English terminology of Chinese medical concepts. The complexity of Chinese medical language, not only due to the innumerable quantity of ideograms1, but above all to their correct interpretation and to the philosophical foundations which TCM is based upon, has raised several debates among linguists, translators and physicians. One of the main issues concerns the approach to be adopted in the translation of Chinese terms into the English language. More precisely, a source-oriented choice, and in particular that which makes use of loan-translations, is claimed to respect the integrity of the original Chinese concepts and to present them as they come into native people\u2019s mind. On the other hand, a target-oriented method, which basically turns out to be a westernization of Chinese concepts, makes TCM easier to understand for the international medical community. The work is divided into three main parts. The first part investigates the literal translation - in particular that suggested by the English sinologist and linguist Nigel Wiseman - as a form of source-oriented approach in the translation of TCM terminology into the English language. The second part discusses the question of the translation of the basic Chinese concepts of q\uec and d\ue0o, while the third and final part focuses on some Chinese crucial denominations whose current English equivalents have been an object of attention by TCM scholars and physicians regarding their lack of terminological correctness and precision. The purpose of this work is to highlight some of the major difficulties that the translation of TCM terminology into a Western language, especially the English one, entails, as radically different cultures are involved, and the implications that the general tendency to the westernization of Chinese medical concepts necessarily leads to in the translating process

Biomarkers of clinical benefit for anti-epidermal growth factor receptor agents in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains by far the major cause of cancer-related death in the Western world in both men and women. The majority of patients will be diagnosed with metastatic disease, and chemotherapy doublets remain the cornerstone of treatment for these patients. However, chemotherapy has a minimal impact on long-term survival and prognosis remains poor for these patients. Further improvement in treatment is likely to require incorporation of novel targeted therapies. Among these agents, inhibitors of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) have demonstrated significant activity in the first-, second- or third-line treatment of NSCLC. The purpose of current paper is to present the evidence for using several proposed molecular biomarkers as a tool for selection of NSCLC patients for anti-EGFR treatment. According to current data, EGFR mutation status appears to be the strongest predictor for the selection of NSCLC patients to first-line treatment with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors vs chemotherapy. Use of other biomarkers remains investigational

Pemetrexed plus carboplatin in elderly patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma: combined analysis of two phase II trials

The incidence of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) in elderly patients is increasing. In this study, pooled data from two phase II trials of pemetrexed and carboplatin (PC) as first-line therapy were retrospectively analysed for comparisons between age groups. Patients received pemetrexed 500 mg m−2 and carboplatin AUC 5 mg ml−1 min−1 intravenously every 21 days with standard vitamin supplementation. Elderly patients were defined as those ⩾70 years old. A total of 178 patients with an ECOG performance status of ⩽2 were included. Median age was 65 years (range 38–79), with 48 patients ⩾70 years (27%). Grade 3–4 haematological toxicity was slightly worse in ⩾70 vs <70-year-old patients, with neutropenia observed in 25.0 vs 13.8% (P=0.11), anaemia in 20.8 vs 6.9% (P=0.01) and thrombocytopenia in 14.6 vs 8.5% (P=0.26). Non-haematological toxicity was mild and similar in the two groups. No significant difference was observed in terms of overall disease control (60.4 vs 66.9%, P=0.47), time to progression (7.2 vs 7.5 months, P=0.42) and survival (10.7 vs 13.9 months, P=0.12). Apart from slightly worse haematological toxicity, there was no significant difference in outcome or toxicity between age groups. The PC regimen is effective and well tolerated in selected elderly patients with MPM

Gefitinib in patients with progressive high-grade gliomas: a multicentre phase II study by Gruppo Italiano Cooperativo di Neuro-Oncologia (GICNO)

To investigate the role of gefitinib in patients with high-grade gliomas (HGGs), a phase II trial (1839IL/0116) was conducted in patients with disease recurrence following surgery plus radiotherapy and first-line chemotherapy. Adult patients with histologically confirmed recurrent HGGs following surgery, radiotherapy and first-line chemotherapy, were considered eligible. Patients were treated with gefitinib (250 mgday−1) continuously until disease progression. The primary end point was progression-free survival at 6 months progression-free survival at 6 months (PFS-6). Tissue biomarkers (epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene status and expression, phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt) expression) were assessed. Twenty-eight patients (median age, 55 years; median ECOG performance status, 1) were enrolled; all were evaluable for drug activity and safety. Sixteen patients had glioblastoma, three patients had anaplastic oligodendrogliomas and nine patients had anaplastic astrocytoma. Five patients (17.9%, 95% CI 6.1–36.9%) showed disease stabilisation. The overall median time to progression was 8.4 (range 2–104+) weeks and PFS-6 was 14.3% (95% CI 4.0–32.7%). The median overall survival was 24.6 weeks (range 4–104+). No grade 3–4 gefitinib-related toxicity was found. Gefitinib showed limited activity in patients affected by HGGs. Epidermal growth factor receptor expression or gene status, and p-Akt expression do not seem to predict activity of this drug

Genomic activation of the EGFR and HER2-neu genes in a significant proportion of invasive epithelial ovarian cancers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The status of the EGFR and HER2-neu genes has not been fully defined in ovarian cancer. An integrated analysis of both genes could help define the proportion of patients that would potentially benefit from targeted therapies.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We determined the tumour mutation status of the entire tyrosine kinase (TK) domain of the EGFR and HER2-neu genes in a cohort of 52 patients with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer as well as the gene copy number and protein expression of both genes in 31 of these patients by DGGE and direct sequecing, immunohistochemistry and Fluorescent in Situ Hybridisation (FISH).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The EGFR was expressed in 59% of the cases, with a 2+/3+ staining intensity in 38%. HER2-neu expression was found in 35%, with a 2/3+ staining in 18%. No mutations were found in exons 18–24 of the TK domains of EGFR and HER2-neu. High polysomy of the EGFR gene was observed in 13% of the invasive epthelial cancers and amplification of the HER2-neu gene was found in 10% and correlated with a high expression level by immunohistochemistry.</p> <p>Mutations within the tyrosine kinase domain were not found in the entire TK domain of both genes, but have been found in very rare cases by others.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Genomic alteration of the HER2-neu and EGFR genes is frequent (25%) in ovarian cancer. EGFR/HER2-neu targeted therapies should be investigated prospectively and specifically in that subset of patients.</p