http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23493134

Ann Oncol. 2013 Mar 13. [Epub ahead of print]

Non-inferiority cancer clinical trials: scope and purposes underlying their design.

Riechelmann RP, Alex A, Cruz L, Bariani GM, Hoff PM.

Source

Discipline of Radiology and Oncology, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Instituto do Câncer de Estado de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Abstract

Background

Non-inferiority clinical trials (NIFCTs) aim to demonstrate that the experimental therapy has advantages over the standard of care, with acceptable loss of efficacy. We evaluated the purposes underlying the selection of a non-inferiority design in oncology and the size of their non-inferiority margins (NIFm's).

Patients and methods

All NIFCTs of cancer-directed therapies and supportive care agents published in a 10-year period were eligible. Two investigators extracted the data and independently classified the trials by their purpose to choose a non-inferiority design.

Results

Seventy-five were included: 43% received funds from industry, overall survival was the most common primary end point and 73% reported positive results. The most frequent purposes underlying the selection of a non-inferiority design were to test more conveniently administered schedules and/or less toxic treatments. In 13 (17%) trials, a clear purpose was not identified. Among the trials that reported a pre-specified NIFm, the median value was 12.5% (range 4%-25%) for trials with binary primary end points and Hazard Ratio of 1.25 (range 1.10-1.50) for trials that used time-to-event primary outcomes.

Conclusion

Cancer NIFCT harbor serious methodological and ethical issues. Many use large NIFm and nearly one-fifth did not state a clear purpose for selecting a non-inferiority design.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23494690

Hastings Cent Rep. 2013 Mar;43(2):2. doi: 10.1002/hast.146.

Information Ethics.

Kaebnick GE.

Abstract

The use of information raises a perplexing new set of questions in bioethics. One familiar subset of these has to do with the goal of improving medical practice by collecting information about it, in effect integrating practice and research. This topic was discussed in the January-February 2013 issue of the Report and in this issue is taken up again in Policy and Politics, where Michelle Meyer connects the issue to the evidence-based medicine movement. A somewhat less familiar set has to do with potentially dangerous information. In the lead article in this issue, David Resnik discusses the publication last year of two articles that described how researchers had developed new and more dangerous forms of H5N1, also known as bird flu, which has produced an extraordinary death rate when it has infected people but has not so far evolved into a form that can be easily transmitted from one person to another. Yet another set has to do with sharing clinical medical information using newly developed tools such as electronic health records. In an essay in this issue, Kyle Galbraith argues that these technologies also need to be usable for patients, but that "those who have the most to gain from increased access to their health information are often unlikely to be able to decipher that information and respond in a meaningful way."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23486108

Molecules. 2013 Mar 13;18(3):3312-38. doi: 10.3390/molecules18033312.

Relationship between Mood Change, Odour and Its Physiological Effects in Humans While Inhaling the Fragrances of Essential Oils as well as Linalool and Its Enantiomers.

Sugawara Y, Shigetho A, Yoneda M, Tuchiya T, Matumura T, Hirano M.

Source

Department of Health Science, Prefectural University of Hiroshima, Hiroshima 734-8558, Japan. sugawara@pu-hiroshima.ac.jp.

Abstract

Humans can detect and discriminate a vast number of odours. The number perceived as distinguishable is estimated to be more than ten thousand. Humans are capable of distinguishing even slight alterations in the structure of an odorous molecule. A pair of enantiomers of an odorant, which possess the same molecular structures except for the chiral position, can trigger profoundly different odour perceptions. How precisely can humans and their olfactory system detect and discriminate such a great variety of odours and such subtle differences in the molecular structures? In a series of studies, we have attempted to examine the relationship between mood change, odour and its physiological effects, by focusing on the possible verbal and non-verbal changes in humans induced by smelling the fragrances of essential oils as well as linalool and its enantiometric isomers. In this article, we provide an overview of our recent verbal and non-verbal studies. We then discuss how our findings may contribute to the assessment of psychophysiological responses of essential oils as well as how our research can contribute to the study of human chemoreception science, by shedding light on the sophistication of the olfactory system in its ability to detect and discriminate odors.

"...enjoyable eating experiences at home during childhood appear to promote healthy eating habits..."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23485628

J Nutr Educ Behav. 2013 Feb 26. pii: S1499-4046(12)00672-0. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2012.11.001. [Epub ahead of print]

Association of Enjoyable Childhood Mealtimes with Adult Eating Behaviors and Subjective Diet-related Quality of Life.

Ainuki T, Akamatsu R, Hayashi F, Takemi Y.

Source

Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, Japan.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

This study examined whether the experience of enjoyable mealtimes at home during childhood was related to eating behaviors and subjective diet-related quality of life in adulthood.

METHODS:

The study used data (n = 2,936) obtained from a research program about Shokuiku (food and nutrition education) conducted by the Cabinet Office in Japan in November and December 2009. The study employed logistic regression adjusted for all predictor variables.

RESULTS:

Enjoyable eating experiences in childhood were positively associated with a balanced diet (meals with 3 dishes; odds ratio [OR]: 1.78, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.45-2.19), eating vegetable dishes (OR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.37-2.12), and subjective diet-related quality of life scores (OR: 3.84, 95% CI: 3.14-4.70) in adulthood.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS:

This study suggests that enjoyable eating experiences at home during childhood appear to promote healthy eating habits and the development of a positive diet-related quality of life in the future.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23452074

Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2013 Mar 3. doi: 10.1111/ggi.12037. [Epub ahead of print]

Association of sarcopenia with functional decline in community-dwelling elderly subjects in Japan.

Tanimoto Y, Watanabe M, Sun W, Tanimoto K, Shishikura K, Sugiura Y, Kusabiraki T, Kono K.

Source

Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.

Abstract

AIM:

The present study aimed to determine the association of sarcopenia, defined by muscle mass, muscle strength and physical performance, with functional disability from a 2-year cohort study of community-dwelling elderly Japanese people.

METHOD:

Participants were 743 community-dwelling elderly Japanese people aged 65 years or older. We used bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to measure muscle mass, grip strength to measure muscle strength, and usual walking speed to measure physical performance in a baseline study. Functional disability was defined using an activities of daily living (ADL) scale and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) scale at baseline and during follow-up examinations 2 years later. Logistic regression analysis, adjusted for age and body mass index, was used to examine the association between sarcopenia and the occurrence of functional disability.

RESULTS:

In the present study, 7.8% of men and 10.2% of women were classified as having sarcopenia. Among sarcopenia patients in the baseline study, 36.8% of men and 18.8% of women became dependent in ADL at 2-year follow up. From the logistic regression analysis adjusted by age and body mass index, sarcopenia was significantly associated with the occurrences of physical disability compared with normal subjects in both men and women.

CONCLUSIONS:

Sarcopenia, defined by muscle mass, muscle strength and physical performance, was associated with functional decline over a 2-year period in elderly Japanese. Interventions to prevent sarcopenia are very important to prevent functional decline among elderly individuals. 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23493973

Chest. 2013 Mar 14. doi: 10.1378/chest.12-2414. [Epub ahead of print]

OZONE IS ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASED RISK OF RESPIRATORY EXACERBATIONS IN CYSTIC FIBROSIS PATIENTS.

Farhat SC, Almeida MB, Silva-Filho LV, Farhat J, Rodrigues JC, Braga AL.

Abstract

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND:

Tropospheric oxidant pollutants may injure the respiratory tract. Cystic fibrosis (CF) respiratory disease involves significant inflammation and excessive oxidative stress, and exposure to air pollutants can magnify the lung damage. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between the short-term variation in the concentration of air pollutants in metropolitan Sao Paulo and the occurrence of respiratory exacerbations in children and adolescents with CF.

METHODS:

A longitudinal panel of repeated measurements was obtained from 103 patients attending the outpatient center of our institution from September 6, 2006 through September 4, 2007. Daily concentrations of inhaled particulate matter (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3) and carbon monoxide (CO) and meteorological variables, such as the minimum temperature and relative humidity, were evaluated. The generalized estimation equation (GEE) model for binomial distribution was used to assess the impact of these measurements on the occurrence of acute respiratory exacerbations.

RESULTS:

In total, 103 CF patients (median age 8.9 years) made 408 visits, with a median ± SD of 4 ± 1.74 visits per patient (range 2-9). A respiratory disease exacerbation was diagnosed on 142 visits (38.4%). An interquartile range increase in the O3 concentration (45.62 µg/m3) had a positive, delayed (2 days after exposure) effect on the risk of a respiratory exacerbation (RR=1.86, 95% CI 1.14 - 3.02).

CONCLUSIONS:

This study demonstrates that exposure to short-term air pollution in a large urban center increases the risk of a pulmonary exacerbation in CF patients.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23482474

Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2013 Mar 12. [Epub ahead of print]

Comparison of Plaintiff and Defendant Expert Witness Qualification in Malpractice Litigation in Otolaryngology.

Eloy JA, Svider PF, Patel D, Setzen M, Baredes S.

Source

Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, USA.

Abstract

Objective

Malpractice litigation contributes to rising health care costs in the United States. The role of expert witness testimony has been controversial in the past, with medical professional societies issuing statements regarding ethical obligations of physicians. Our objectives were to examine the relative qualifications of expert witnesses testifying on behalf of plaintiffs vs defendants.

Study Design and Setting

Analysis of expert witness and physician demographic data available on several databases.MethodsThe Westlaw legal database (Thomson Reuters, New York, New York) was searched for otolaryngologist expert witness testimony. Length of experience, practice setting, and subspecialty training information were obtained from hospital, practice, departmental, and state licensing board sites. Scholarly impact was assessed using calculation of the h-index from the Scopus database.

Results

Plaintiff expert witnesses had significantly less experience than those testifying for defendants (31.8 vs 35.4 years, P = .047) and lower scholarly impact (h = 6.3 vs 10, P = .045). A significantly higher proportion of defendant witnesses were in academic practice (49.3% vs 31.7%, P = .042). No differences were detected in postresidency fellowship training patterns.

Conclusion

Upon comparison of otolaryngologist expert witnesses, practitioners testifying on behalf of plaintiffs had statistically fewer years of experience, had a lower scholarly impact, and were less likely to work in an academic setting. Otolaryngologists who repeatedly served as expert witnesses were more likely to be testifying on behalf of plaintiffs than defendants. Professional societies need to frequently update guidelines on expert witness testimony and address the ethical obligations of practitioners.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23493678

J Undergrad Neurosci Educ. 2012 Fall;11(1):A97-A105. Epub 2012 Oct 15.

The Value of Partnerships in Science Education: A Win-Win Situation.

de Lacalle S, Petruso A.

Source

Department of Biomedical Sciences, Charles R. Drew University, Los Angeles, CA 90059.

Abstract

An editorial in Science (Alberts, 2012) has expressed the need to teach "real science," firmly based on hands-on and inquiry methodology. Also in a recent article, Stevens (2011) highlighted the contrast between the emphasis that federal agencies and professional associations place on science outreach, and the scarcity of support for such activities at the classroom level. To bridge this gap, we have developed a way to redefine science education by involving college students and faculty in "real science" outreach. Incorporating outreach activities into a college science curriculum is an efficient means to affect not only future scientists but also the world at large with which scientists need to communicate. In this paper we describe a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) project. The project has been implemented in a minority setting, at a small college of allied health located in one of the most underserved areas of Los Angeles. Some of its outcomes were presented at two Society for Neuroscience meetings (Gizerian et al., 2009; Ayers and de Lacalle, 2010), before being also discussed as an example of outreach program during the FUN summer workshop in Pomona (California) in 2011. This project entails the development of a working partnership between K-12 institutions and college science students and faculty. Participation was voluntary (but college students could request community service credit) and most importantly built on student interests and connections with the community. The three components are described in terms of efficacy (i.e., impact on college students' communication skills) and community value (i.e., impact on educational outcomes for the partner K-12 institution).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23494698

Hastings Cent Rep. 2013 Mar;43(2):15-17. doi: 10.1002/hast.154.

What's So Meaningful about Meaningful Use?

Galbraith KL.

Abstract

The 2009 Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act aims to promote the use of electronic health records by providing over $27 billion in financial incentives for eligible health care providers who become "meaningful users" of them. The goal of increased "meaningful" electronic health record adoption is to create a more efficient, patient-centered health care system by lowering providers' administrative costs, improving coordination of care among multiple providers, and increasing patients' participation in and responsibility for their own care. Recently published data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics indicate that the HITECH Act's passage has led to a significant increase in electronic health record use among physicians. However, everyone involved in the conversations surrounding the HITECH Act-health care analysts, policy-makers, and providers alike-must recognize that "meaningful use" of electronic health records can only be authentically meaningful to both clinicians and patients when certain structural issues are also addressed.

Screening mammography: "The downside of the population screening is that participants are relatively often referred to a hospital for a diagnostic work-up (around 2%), and 70% of them are ultimately found not to have cancer."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23464582

Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2013;157(10):A5218.

[Effects of the population screening into breast cancer].

[Article in Dutch]

Verbeek AL, Broeders MJ, Otto SJ, Frachebou J, Otten JD, Holland R, den Heeten GJ, de Koning HJ.

Source

UMC St Radboud, Department for Health Evidence, Nijmegen.

Abstract

- Annually, in the Netherlands around 900,000 women between the ages of 50-75 years undergo mammography as part of a population screening into breast cancer.- In this way more than 5000 cases of breast cancer are detected (0.6% of women screened); 70% of these malignancies are < stage II, which is prognostically favourable.- Due to the early detection and treatment of breast cancer, the breast cancer death risk in those women who participate in the population screening is half that of women who choose not to be screened.- The downside of the population screening is that participants are relatively often referred to a hospital for a diagnostic work-up (around 2%), and 70% of them are ultimately found not to have cancer.- The positive predictive value of the population screening is 30%.- Early discovery also leads to over-diagnosis in patients with breast cancer that without screening would never have manifested itself. Based on computer simulations it has been estimated that in the Netherlands over-diagnosisoccurs in 9% of patients in whom breast cancer is detected during a population screening.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23476791

Int J Breast Cancer. 2013;2013:914053. doi: 10.1155/2013/914053. Epub 2013 Feb 6.

Ductal carcinoma in situ: what the pathologist needs to know and why.

Bane A.

Source

Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada L8V 1C3 ; Department of Oncology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada L8V 1C3.

Abstract

Ductal carcinoma is a proliferation of malignant epithelial cells confined to the ductolobular system of the breast. It is considered a pre-cursor lesion for invasive breast cancer and when identified patients are treated with some combination of surgery, +/- radiation therapy, and +/adjuvant tamoxifen. However, no good biomarkers exist that can predict with accuracy those cases of DCIS destined to progress to invasive disease or once treated those patients that are likely to suffer a recurrence; thus, in the era of screening mammography it seems likely that many patients with DCIS are overtreated. This paper details the parameters that should be included in a pathology report for a case of DClS with some explanations as to their importance for good clinical decision making.

"Judgment is morality’s essence, sociality its purpose."

http://www.the-american-interest.com/article-bd.cfm?piece=1378

From the March/April 2013 issue:Moral MatterIAIN DEWITT

"Still, something is missing. In Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite, Robert Kurzban, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, captures the missing element: 

One of the most peculiar things about humans is just how much they care about what other humans are up to. In essentially all of the rest of the natural world, unless one organism’s fate is intimately tied to another organism’s decision . . . organisms typically ignore one another. . . . Organisms should be designed . . . to pay attention only to those things that are directly relevant. We’re different. We seem to care a lot about what other humans are up to. And when other people . . . say some particular magical words, or try to sell (or rent) a body part . . . not only do we care, but we insist that they be punished. 

Judgment is morality’s essence, sociality its purpose. The integrated thesis is then that a judgmental temperament makes it easier for people to live in larger, denser groups, be they denizens of humanity’s first villages in the Neolithic Levant or present-day Manila with 47,000 inhabitants per square mile." 

"sanitation workers are many times more likely to be killed while on the job than cops or firemen are"

http://chronicle.com/article/Dr-Garbage-Studies-Local/137651/

March 4, 2013

'Dr. Garbage' Studies Unsung Local Tribe

By Lawrence Biemiller

New York

Robin Nagle's title at New York University—clinical associate professor of anthropology and urban studies—doesn't exactly strike fear in the hearts of men. But that green-and-black windbreaker she's wearing over several warm layers this chilly morning? That's another matter altogether. It's the style reserved for chiefs of New York City's Department of Sanitation, and white capital letters across the back spell out "DSNY ANTHROPOLOGIST."

........................

As a subject of anthropological research, DSNY is only a little more unusual than, say, a lost tribe in a remote rain forest, though it's more convenient—Manhattan 2, for instance, picks up around NYU. And certainly the department's rules and customs are as mysterious to the average New Yorker as those of, say, the Aleuts or the Swartzentruber Amish. Even so, Ms. Nagle's agent shopped her book around twice before Farrar, Straus and Giroux warily signed on for a revised version. It seems that marketing departments are as uneasy around manuscripts about sanitation workers as the public is around the workers themselves.

That is, in the end, the book's most telling point: Unlike police officers and firefighters endlessly celebrated as "first responders," sanitation workers are looked down upon. And that's when they are noticed at all, which they often are not—they work the avenues and streets as visible as ghosts and as honored as pickpockets. That is true, Ms. Nagle notes, even though sanitation workers are many times more likely to be killed while on the job than cops or firemen are. Working in traffic is dangerous, as are the collection trucks with their powerful compacting blades. Collecting refuse is, by one estimate, the fourth-riskiest career a person could pick (after fishing, logging, and piloting planes).

US Ag Sec: Obesity a national security risk

http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/03/15/childhood-obesity-threat-national-security

One More Reason to Rein in Childhood Obesity: It's a Threat to National Security

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack says that America must take action to end the epidemic—and not just for health reasons.

In an unexpected turn this week, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack went so far as to say that America’s obesity epidemic is hurting not just our health but the country’s security. In a speech in Portland, Maine, Secretary Vilsack said that “we must continue to take action today to ensure that today’s young people grow up healthy and strong, or we will see more challenges—everything from soaring health care costs to diminished national security and decreased business competitiveness.”

"...the Travis County district attorney’s office is conducting an investigation to determine whether the actions of former CPRIT employees were criminal."

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/us/texas-cancer-institute-waits-for-a-cloud-to-lift.html?_r=0

THE TEXAS TRIBUNE

Waiting for Cloud to Lift on State Cancer Institute

By BECCA AARONSON

Published: February 16, 2013

"When Texas voters approved the creation of the $3 billion Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas in 2007, state officials said they hoped it would help Texas become an epicenter of cancer research, accelerate the development of lifesaving treatments and expand prevention programs.

But a series of improprieties at the institute, known as Cprit, has endangered the state’s mission, and a moratorium placed on Cprit grants while leaders work to reform the institute has left Texas’ cancer community hanging in the balance.
.............................

But three of those grants — totaling $56 million — were approved without proper peer review, according to a state audit released in January. And the Travis County district attorney’s office is conducting an investigation to determine whether the actions of former Cprit employees were criminal.

The most problematic grant identified by auditors was the institute’s largest and most visionary: $25 million to establish a statewide clinical trial network, known as CTNeT, designed to expand access to cancer services and accelerate testing of new cancer treatments. An audit found that three high-ranking Cprit employees were members of CTNeT’s board of directors, and that the company received $6.8 million in advance payments not permitted under its contract.

CTNeT closed in January, and the state is trying to recover $1.3 million that was spent on prohibited expenses like employee bonuses and office furniture."

http://www.texastribune.org/2013/03/13/new-ut-arlington-president-calls-university-model/

New UT-Arlington President Calls University a "Model"

• by Reeve Hamilton
• March 13, 2013

Vistasp Karbhari, who was named the new president of the University of Texas at Arlington on Tuesday, said that he has no plans to dramatically alter the institution's current course.

Does "science" make you moral?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23483960

PLoS One. 2013;8(3):e57989. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057989. Epub 2013 Mar 6.

Does "science" make you moral? The effects of priming science on moral judgments and behavior.

Ma-Kellams C, Blascovich J.

Source

Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Previous work has noted that science stands as an ideological force insofar as the answers it offers to a variety of fundamental questions and concerns; as such, those who pursue scientific inquiry have been shown to be concerned with the moral and social ramifications of their scientific endeavors. No studies to date have directly investigated the links between exposure to science and moral or prosocial behaviors.

METHODOLOGYPRINCIPAL FINDINGS:

Across four studies, both naturalistic measures of science exposure and experimental primes of science led to increased adherence to moral norms and more morally normative behaviors across domains. Study 1 (n = 36) tested the natural correlation between exposure to science and likelihood of enforcing moral norms. Studies 2 (n = 49), 3 (n = 52), and 4 (n = 43) manipulated thoughts about science and examined the causal impact of such thoughts on imagined and actual moral behavior. Across studies, thinking about science had a moralizing effect on a broad array of domains, including interpersonal violations (Studies 1, 2), prosocial intentions (Study 3), and economic exploitation (Study 4).

CONCLUSIONSSIGNIFICANCE:

These studies demonstrated the morally normative effects of lay notions of science. Thinking about science leads individuals to endorse more stringent moral norms and exhibit more morally normative behavior. These studies are the first of their kind to systematically and empirically test the relationship between science and morality. The present findings speak to this question and elucidate the value-laden outcomes of the notion of science.

From Dana-Farber: Attitudes of patients with metastatic breast cancer toward research biopsies

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23493137

Ann Oncol. 2013 Mar 13. [Epub ahead of print]

Attitudes of patients with metastatic breast cancer toward research biopsies.

Seah DS, Scott SM, Najita J, Openshaw T, Krag K, Frank E, Sohl J, Stadler ZK, Garrett M, Silverman SG, Peppercorn J, Winer EP, Come SE, Lin NU.

Source

Deparment of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston.

Abstract

BackgroundResearch studies involving human tissue are increasingly common. However, patients' attitudes toward research biopsies are not well characterized, particularly when the biopsies are carried out outside the context of therapeutic trials.Patients and methodsOne hundred sixty patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) from two academic (n = 80) and two community (n = 80) hospitals completed a 29-item self-administered survey to evaluate their willingness to consider providing research purposes only biopsies (RPOBs) (as a stand-alone procedure) and additional biopsies (ABs) (additional needle passes at the time of a clinically indicated biopsy).ResultsEighty-two (51%) of 160 patients would consider having RPOBs, of which 42 (53%) and 40 (50%) patients were from academic and community hospitals, respectively. Patients who had more prior biopsies were less likely to consider RPOBs (RR = 0.6, 95% CI: 0.4-1.0, P = 0.03). Of 160 patients, 115 (72%) patients would consider having ABs. Of these, 64 (80%) and 51 (64%) patients from academic and community hospitals, respectively, would consider ABs (RR = 1.2, 95% CI: 1.0-1.5, P = 0.03).ConclusionsMany patients with MBC in both academic and community settings report willingness to consider undergoing biopsies for research. Further research is needed to understand ethical, logistical and provider-based barriers to broader participation in such studies.

From Mashhad U-Iran: Publication Ethics

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23493618

Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2012 Sep;15(5):1003-1007.

Publication Ethics: A Case Series with Recommendations According to Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Fazly Bazzaz BS, Sadeghi R.

Source

Biotechnology Research Centre, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

Abstract

Ethical misconduct is not a new issue in the history of science and literature. However, ethical misconducts in science have grown considerably in the modern era which is due to emphasis on the scientific proliferation in research institutes and gauging scientists according to their publications. In the current case series, several misconducts occurring over the previous years in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (Mashhad, Iran) either for Journals or Faculty members were gathered and specific recommendations were provided to avoid similar events in the future. All recommendations are according to Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

"The success of personalized nutrition is likely dependent upon the ability to integrate the scientific approach with everyday cultural, emotional,ethical, and sensual understandings of food."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23494484

Genes Nutr. 2013 Mar 15. [Epub ahead of print]

Food and health: individual, cultural, or scientific matters?

Nordström K, Coff C, Jönsson H, Nordenfelt L, Görman U.

Source

School of Education and Communication, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden, karin.nordstrom@hlk.hj.se.

Abstract

In personalized nutrition, food is a tool for good health, implying an instrumental relationship between food and health. Food receives a secondary value, while health would appear to be a descriptive biological concept. This article gives an introduction to cultural understandings of food and health. The wider definition of food and health is explored in relation to the commonly used scientific approach that tends to take a more reductionist approach to food and health. The different discourses on food and health are being discussed in relation to ethical aspects of personalized nutrition. The success of personalized nutrition is likely dependent upon the ability to integrate the scientific approach with everyday cultural, emotional,ethical, and sensual understandings of food. Health theories can be divided into two principal rival types-biostatistical and holistic. Biostatistical focuses on survival, while holistic focuses on ability as a precondition for health. Arguments in favor of a holistic and individualistic theory of health and illness are presented. This implies a focus on the ability of the individual to realize his or her "vital goals." A holistic and individualistic health concept may have a reinforcing effect on the individualized approach in personalized nutrition. It allows focus on individual health premises and related dietary means of health promotion, as well as an individualized perspective on the objectives of health promotion. An individualistic notion of health also indicates that people with high levels of vital goals benefit more easily. To reach beyond these groups is likely difficult. This potential injustice should be balanced with global preventive medical programs.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23493192

Curr Opin Oncol. 2013 Mar 13. [Epub ahead of print]

Biomarker-driven patient selection for early clinical trials.

Dienstmann R, Rodon J, Tabernero J.

Source

Molecular Therapeutics Research Unit, Medical Oncology Department, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain.

Abstract

PURPOSE OF REVIEW:

In this study we describe a new trend in biomarker-driven early drug development using enrichment and prescreening strategies. Technical and logistical obstacles that may hinder progress of this approach will be discussed, along with the ethical and financial concerns.

RECENT FINDINGS:

Advances in tumor biology and human genetics with the identification of driver events and critical dependencies together with the development of drugs for specific targets hold promise for an era of personalized oncology treatment. Phase I trials provide an arena for early hypothesis testing, examining not only safety and toxicity, but also target engagement, biologically effective dosages, and the appropriate patient population. Integrating biomarker development into the early testing of novel agents might provide clinically relevant therapeutic opportunities for patients with advanced-stage cancer and also accelerate the drug approval process.

SUMMARY:

After recent success stories with therapies targeting driver molecular aberrations in genetically defined tumor subtypes, innovative trials based on strong biological hypotheses are expected to bring further excitement to the field. Tumor heterogeneity and clonal evolution of the diverse populations of cancer cells during cancer progression, influenced by the effects of systemic treatments, will have to be taken into consideration in the scenario of drug development.

"propose that a minimum standard of public service activities be defined and required by all U.S. medical specialties in order to maintain board certification"

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23494703

Hastings Cent Rep. 2013 Mar;43(2):insidebackcover. doi: 10.1002/hast.160.

Health Reform and the Uninsured: The New Requirements of the Old Ethics.

Tunzi M.

Abstract

U.S. health reform will raise many familiar ethical issues over the next several years-old issues in new forms. One of these is the fate of individuals who will still be uninsured after implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. One way to think about meeting their needs is to appeal to the "social contract" around which the American Medical Association was originally formed. The AMA Code of Medical Ethics directs physicians to promote "access to medical care for all people" and to "share in providing care to the indigent." I propose that a minimum standard of public service activities be defined and required by all U.S. medical specialties in order to maintain board certification and/or professional society membership.

"He trained over a thousand oncological surgical pathology fellows, head and neck fellows, and surgeons."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23459837

Head Neck Pathol. 2013 Mar 5. [Epub ahead of print]

Dr. Andrew Huvos (1934-2006) Retrospective: A Tribute to the Pathologist and the Man.

Carlson DL.

Source

Breast and Head and Neck Pathology, Lab Medicine and Pathology, Cleveland Clinic Florida, 3100 Weston Rd, Weston, FL, 33331, USA, carlsod@ccf.org.

Abstract

Andrew G. Huvos was born in communist Budapest, Hungary, in March of 1934. At twenty-four he immigrated to New York City, working as a cytotechnologist at Delafield Hospital. Dr. Huvos attended the University of Gottingen Medical School in Germany, where he was awarded his MD degree. He completed a 1-year internship at New York Hospital, going on to Residency at Delafield Hospital and Fellowship at Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Huvos ascended through the ranks to Attending Pathologist and Member at Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied diseases, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City. Concurrently, he was appointed to Weill Medical College of Cornell University, where he was Professor of Pathology for over two decades. Dr. Huvos was an editorial referee for over half a dozen highly esteemed publications, including the New England Journal of Medicine and Cancer. He trained over a thousand oncological surgical pathology fellows, head and neck fellows, and surgeons. Dr. Huvos spent nearly 40 years at MSKCC and his career was accompanied by his authorship of 388 peer-reviewed publications and eighteen book chapters. His legacy leaves behind a generation of pathologists who have greatly benefited from his tutelage.

This is nonsense. "His smoking history was 30 pack-years."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23470780

Ind Health. 2012 Dec 26. [Epub ahead of print]

Lung Cancer Probably Related to Talc Exposure: A Case Report.

Kim J, Oak C, Jang T, Jung M, Chun B, Park EK, Takahashi K.

Source

Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, College of Medicine, Kosin University.

Abstract

Industrial talc has been widely circulated in the world for a long time. The pure talc has little effects on humans, but inhalation of talc contaminated with asbestos can causes severe asbestos-related diseases such as lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma. Herein, we represent a case of lung cancer after occupational exposure to industrial talc in the rubber manufacturing industry.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23469818

J Homosex. 2013 Apr;60(4):575-95. doi: 10.1080/00918369.2013.760321.

"That's So Gay!" Exploring College Students' Attitudes Toward the LGBT Population.

Holland L, Matthews TL, Schott MR.

Source

a Department of Sociology , Georgia Gwinnett College , Lawrenceville , Georgia , USA.

Abstract

Traditional students are often introduced to unfamiliar subcultures for the first time on the college campus. Recent high school graduates find themselves transitioning from an atmosphere in which homophobia is likely to be tolerated and possibly even expected to an educational setting in which diversity is promoted. Research shows that the college years are influential in the re-socialization of core values, yet very little work focuses on the ideological shifts that may take place in attitudes toward the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) population. The research presented in this study includes a modified version of LaMar and Kite's Component Measure, which has been broken down into 6 distinctive components of tolerance. In addition to examining religion, gender, and race-factors that have been correlated in past research with differing levels of tolerance toward the LGBT community-this study adds politics, sexual orientation, academic class standing, and college of major-variables that have received little or no attention in this literature. Higher levels of LGBT tolerance are consistently observed across the indexes among women, more liberal Christian traditions, non-Christian faiths, the non-religious, and those who self-identify as LGBT. The distinctive contribution of this study is that students in the College of Arts and Sciences and students further along in their college careers are also more tolerant. Based on these findings, recommendations are made for inter-college curriculum changes that integrate students in all disciplines and students of all classifications.