Scientific Papers and Patents on Substances with Unproven Effects

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergei V. Jargin
Keyword(s):  
Medical Research ◽  
Dietary Supplements ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Scientific Papers ◽  
Constructive Discussion

It is evident from reviewing scientific literature that the quality of argumentation in some areas of medical research has deteriorated during the last decades. Publication of a series of questionable reliability has continued without making references to the published criticism; examples are discussed in this review. Another tendency is that drugs without proven efficiency are advertised, corresponding products patented and marketed as evidence-based medications. Professional publications are required to register drugs and dietary supplements to obtain permissions for the practical use; and such papers appeared, sometimes being of questionable reliability. Several examples are discussed in this review when substances without proven effects were patented and introduced into practice being supported by publications of questionable reliability. Some of the topics are not entirely clear; and the arguments provided here can induce a constructive discussion.

scholarly journals The Prevalence of Inappropriate Image Duplication in Biomedical Research Publications

mBio ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth M. Bik ◽  
Arturo Casadevall ◽  
Ferric C. Fang
Keyword(s):  
Biomedical Research ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Scientific Journals ◽  
Marked Variation ◽  
The Past ◽  
Inaccurate Data ◽  
Research Publications ◽  
Scientific Papers ◽  
Actual Prevalence

ABSTRACT Inaccurate data in scientific papers can result from honest error or intentional falsification. This study attempted to determine the percentage of published papers that contain inappropriate image duplication, a specific type of inaccurate data. The images from a total of 20,621 papers published in 40 scientific journals from 1995 to 2014 were visually screened. Overall, 3.8% of published papers contained problematic figures, with at least half exhibiting features suggestive of deliberate manipulation. The prevalence of papers with problematic images has risen markedly during the past decade. Additional papers written by authors of papers with problematic images had an increased likelihood of containing problematic images as well. As this analysis focused only on one type of data, it is likely that the actual prevalence of inaccurate data in the published literature is higher. The marked variation in the frequency of problematic images among journals suggests that journal practices, such as prepublication image screening, influence the quality of the scientific literature.

Anti-psychotics: To withdraw or not to withdraw?

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S752-S752
Author(s):  
C. Ferreira ◽  
S. Alves ◽  
C. Oliveira ◽  
M.J. Avelino
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Psychiatric Patients ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Online Searching ◽  
Cardiac Side Effects ◽  
Scientific Papers ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
Few Data

IntroductionAnti-psychotics constitute a class of psychotropic drugs used for the treatment and prophylaxis of several disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and psychotic depression. Frequently, clinicians are asked by their patients to withdraw this medication. In some cases, that may be related to notable side effects. However, it may actually indicate an inadequate control of the psychiatric disorder with poor insight.AimsThe goal of this work is to systematically review the scientific literature in order to understand if there are consistent data that support anti-psychotics withdraw in specific clinical situations.MethodsThe literature was reviewed by online searching using PubMed®. The authors selected scientific papers with the words “anti-psychotics” and “withdraw” in the title and/or abstract, published in English.Results and discussionAnti-psychotics improve prognosis and enhance patients’ quality of life. There are few data in the literature regarding recommendations that support anti-psychotic withdraw in psychiatric patients. Very specific conditions must exist for withdrawing anti-psychotics, like neuroleptic malignant syndrome, cardiac side effects, and change of diagnosis or prolonged remission after a first and single psychotic event. When that decision is made, it should be done slowly and carefully and both the patient and his family should be involved.ConclusionsThere is no evidence in the literature that supports withdraw of anti-psychotics for the majority of psychiatric situations. When specific conditions are present that possibility must then be considered, however, with careful consideration and after discussion with the patient and parties involved in patient's care.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals The Prevalence of Inappropriate Image Duplication in Biomedical Research Publications

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth M. Bik ◽  
Arturo Casadevall ◽  
Ferric C. Fang
Keyword(s):  
Biomedical Research ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Scientific Journals ◽  
Marked Variation ◽  
The Past ◽  
Inaccurate Data ◽  
Research Publications ◽  
Scientific Papers ◽  
Actual Prevalence

ABSTRACTInaccurate data in scientific papers can result from honest error or intentional falsification. This study attempted to determine the percentage of published papers containing inappropriate image duplication, a specific type of inaccurate data. The images from a total of 20,621 papers in 40 scientific journals from 1995-2014 were visually screened. Overall, 3.8% of published papers contained problematic figures, with at least half exhibiting features suggestive of deliberate manipulation. The prevalence of papers with problematic images rose markedly during the past decade. Additional papers written by authors of papers with problematic images had an increased likelihood of containing problematic images as well. As this analysis focused only on one type of data, it is likely that the actual prevalence of inaccurate data in the published literature is higher. The marked variation in the frequency of problematic images among journals suggest that journal practices, such as pre-publication image screening, influence the quality of the scientific literature.

scholarly journals Information seeking and evaluation: a multi-institutional survey of veterinary students

2019 ◽  
Vol 107 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin R. B. Eldermire ◽  
Suzanne Fricke ◽  
Kristine M. Alpi ◽  
Emma Davies ◽  
Andrea C. Kepsel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Evidence Based Medicine ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Scientific Paper ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Scientific Papers ◽  
Based Medicine ◽  
Veterinary Faculty

Objective: To practice evidence-based medicine, clinicians must be competent in information literacy (IL). Few studies acknowledge the critical role that reading strategies play in IL instruction and assessment of health professional students. The purpose of this study was to understand the information-seeking and evaluation behaviors of doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) students in regard to scientific papers.Methods: The authors studied DVM student behaviors across eight programs in North America using a web-based survey of closed- and open-ended questions about finding and evaluating scientific papers, including a task to read a linked scientific paper and answer questions about it.Results: A total of 226 individuals responded to the survey. The sections of a scientific paper that were most commonly read were the abstract, introduction, and conclusions. Students who reported reading a higher proportion of scientific papers were more likely to feel confident in their abilities to interpret them. A third of respondents answered open-ended questions after the paper reading task. Respondents felt the least amount of confidence with one of the final steps of evidence-based medicine, that of interpreting the significance of the paper to apply it in veterinary medicine.Conclusions: DVM students may lack the skills needed to evaluate scientific literature and need more practice and feedback in evaluating and interpreting scientific papers. Librarians who support DVM students can (1) help DVM students to efficiently evaluate scientific literature, (2) seek training opportunities in alternative modes of teaching and learning IL skills, and (3) partner with veterinary faculty and clinicians to provide students with practice and feedback in information evaluation.

scholarly journals Use of statistics in the Psychiatric Bulletin: author guidelines

2007 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 265-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Sayeed Haque ◽  
Sanju George
Keyword(s):  
Medical Research ◽  
Appropriate Use ◽  
Inappropriate Use ◽  
Scientific Papers

Inappropriate use of statistics can seriously undermine the validity of published medical research. This paper aims to make recommendations to authors on the use and presentation of statistics in submissions to the Psychiatric Bulletin. We derive our recommendations from a review of the quality of statistical reporting in 50 consecutive ‘original’ papers published in the Psychiatric Bulletin. However simple the methodology of a study, adequate emphasis needs to be given to the correct and appropriate use and presentation of statistics in scientific papers.

scholarly journals A practical conservation tool to combine diverse types of evidence for transparent evidence-based decision-making

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alec Philip Christie ◽  
Harriet Downey ◽  
Winifred F Frick ◽  
Matthew Grainger ◽  
David O'Brien ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Decision Context ◽  
Combining Evidence ◽  
Practitioner Knowledge ◽  
Evidence Based Decision Making ◽  
Conservation Decisions

Making the reasoning and evidence behind conservation decisions clear and transparent is a key challenge for the conservation community. Similarly, combining evidence from diverse sources (e.g., scientific vs non-scientific information) into decision-making is also difficult. Our group of conservation researchers and practitioners has co-produced an intuitive tool and template (Evidence-to-Decision (E2D) tool: www.evidence2decisiontool.com) to guide practitioners through a structured process to transparently document and report the evidence and reasoning behind decisions. The tool has three major steps: 1. Define the Decision Context; 2. Gather Evidence; and 3. Make an Evidence-Based Decision. In each step, practitioners enter information (e.g., from the scientific literature, practitioner knowledge and experience, and costs) to inform their decision-making and document their reasoning. The tool packages this information into a customised downloadable report (or is documented if using the offline template), which we hope can stimulate the exchange of information on decisions within and between organisations. By enabling practitioners to revisit how and why past decisions were made, and integrate diverse forms of evidence, we believe our open-access tool’s template can help increase the transparency and quality of decision-making in conservation.

scholarly journals The Effect of Hatha Yoga on Psychoemotional Characteristics in Healthy Subjects

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (92) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eglė Kasparavičiūtė ◽  
Laimonas Šiupšinskas ◽  
Jonas Poderys
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Hatha Yoga ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
General Effect ◽  
Emotional Lability ◽  
Yoga Group ◽  
Scientific Papers ◽  
One Year ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Yoga Practitioners

Research background and hypothesis. There is a lack of evidence-based information about the effect of hatha yoga on psychoemotional characteristics of healthy people in recent scientific papers. Most of the researchers use self-reported methods to evaluate psychoemotional factors. We used objective method to find out what kind of effect could be found on psychoemotional characteristics of yoga practitioners. Hypothesis: hatha yoga practice has different effect on psychoemotional characteristics in beginners and advanced yoga practitioners.Research aim was to evaluate the effect of hatha yoga on psychomotoric tone, extra-introversity, aggression, emotional lability and anxiety in healthy subjects.Research  methods.  40  healthy  persons  with  no  reported  diseases  participated  in  the  research.  Participants were  divided  into  two  groups:  beginners  (practicing  yoga  for  not  more  than  one  year,  n  =  22)  and  advanced (practicing yoga for at least two years, n = 18) yoga practitioners. Psychoemotional characteristics: inborn and present psychomotoric tone, extra-introversity, aggression, emotional lability and anxiety were measured using the Myokinetic Psyhodiagnosis of D. Emilio Mira (Simon, 1943) test. The research data was compared with standard limits and between the beginners and advanced yoga practitioners groups.Research results. Hatha yoga had general effect on psychoemotional status in the beginners and advanced yoga practitioners. Psychomotoric tone increased and emotional lability decreased in both groups (p < 0.05). Psychomotoric tone, extra-introversity and emotional lability were within the standard limits. Anxiety and aggression were lower in both groups in 6-months period. Aggression and emotional lability in the beginners’ group was lower compared to those in the advanced yoga group (p < 0.05).Discussion and conclusions. Almost all psychoemotional characteristics were within the standard limits in both groups of yoga practitioners. The bigger effect of hatha yoga was found in the yoga beginners’ group. The evidence-based information in scientific literature about the effect of yoga on psychoemotional characteristics with objective measures is still missing.Keywords: hatha yoga, psychomotoric test, psychoemotional characteristics.

scholarly journals STARE-HI – Statement on Reporting of Evaluation Studies in Health Informatics

2013 ◽  
Vol 04 (03) ◽  
pp. 331-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Brender ◽  
J. Talmon ◽  
N. de Keizer ◽  
P. Nykänen ◽  
M. Rigby ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
Health Informatics ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Evaluation Studies ◽  
Qualitative Evaluation ◽  
Evaluation Study ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Quality Of Reporting ◽  
Proper Context

SummaryBackground: Improving the quality of reporting of evaluation studies in health informatics is an important requirement towards the vision of evidence-based health informatics. The STARE-HI – Statement on Reporting of Evaluation Studies in health informatics, published in 2009, provides guidelines on the elements to be contained in an evaluation study report.Objectives: To elaborate on and provide a rationale for the principles of STARE-HI and to guide authors and readers of evaluation studies in health informatics by providing explanatory examples of reporting.Methods: A group of methodologists, researchers and editors prepared the present elaboration of the STARE-HI statement and selected examples from the literature.Results: The 35 STARE-HI items to be addressed in evaluation papers describing health informatics interventions are discussed one by one and each is extended with examples and elaborations. Conclusion: The STARE-HI statement and this elaboration document should be helpful resources to improve reporting of both quantitative and qualitative evaluation studies. Evaluation manuscripts adhering to the principles will enable readers of such papers to better place the studies in a proper context and judge their validity and generalizability, and thus in turn optimize the exploitation of the evidence contained therein.Limitations: This paper is based on experiences of a group of editors, reviewers, authors of systematic reviews and readers of the scientific literature. The applicability of the details of these principles has to evolve as a function of their use in practice.

scholarly journals The Practical Alternative to the p Value Is the Correctly Used p Value

2021 ◽  
pp. 174569162095801
Author(s):  
Daniël Lakens
Keyword(s):  
Null Hypothesis ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
P Value ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Statistical Software ◽  
P Values ◽  
Statistical Inferences ◽  
Equivalence Tests

Because of the strong overreliance on p values in the scientific literature, some researchers have argued that we need to move beyond p values and embrace practical alternatives. When proposing alternatives to p values statisticians often commit the “statistician’s fallacy,” whereby they declare which statistic researchers really “want to know.” Instead of telling researchers what they want to know, statisticians should teach researchers which questions they can ask. In some situations, the answer to the question they are most interested in will be the p value. As long as null-hypothesis tests have been criticized, researchers have suggested including minimum-effect tests and equivalence tests in our statistical toolbox, and these tests have the potential to greatly improve the questions researchers ask. If anyone believes p values affect the quality of scientific research, preventing the misinterpretation of p values by developing better evidence-based education and user-centered statistical software should be a top priority. Polarized discussions about which statistic scientists should use has distracted us from examining more important questions, such as asking researchers what they want to know when they conduct scientific research. Before we can improve our statistical inferences, we need to improve our statistical questions.

Misophonia: An Evidence-Based Case Report

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 685-690
Author(s):  
C. S. Vanaja ◽  
Miriam Soni Abigail
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Case Report ◽  
Case History ◽  
Pure Tone ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Management Option ◽  
Pure Tone Audiogram

Purpose Misophonia is a sound tolerance disorder condition in certain sounds that trigger intense emotional or physiological responses. While some persons may experience misophonia, a few patients suffer from misophonia. However, there is a dearth of literature on audiological assessment and management of persons with misophonia. The purpose of this report is to discuss the assessment of misophonia and highlight the management option that helped a patient with misophonia. Method A case study of a 26-year-old woman with the complaint of decreased tolerance to specific sounds affecting quality of life is reported. Audiological assessment differentiated misophonia from hyperacusis. Management included retraining counseling as well as desensitization and habituation therapy based on the principles described by P. J. Jastreboff and Jastreboff (2014). A misophonia questionnaire was administered at regular intervals to monitor the effectiveness of therapy. Results A detailed case history and audiological evaluations including pure-tone audiogram and Johnson Hyperacusis Index revealed the presence of misophonia. The patient benefitted from intervention, and the scores of the misophonia questionnaire indicated a decrease in the severity of the problem. Conclusions It is important to differentially diagnose misophonia and hyperacusis in persons with sound tolerance disorders. Retraining counseling as well as desensitization and habituation therapy can help patients who suffer from misophonia.

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