Home  About us  Contact
 

Controversial Subject (controversial + subject)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Medical Sciences60%

Selected Abstracts

Controversial subjects in musculoskeletal care of haemophilia: cross fire

HAEMOPHILIA, Issue 2010
A. LLINáS
No abstract is available for this article. [source]

Acupuncture , a critical analysis

JOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, Issue 2 2006
E. ERNST
Abstract. Even though widely used in today's clinical practice, acupuncture has remained a controversial subject. Many reviews are currently available but most lack a critical stance and some are overtly promotional. The aim of this overview is to provide a balanced, critical analysis of the existing evidence. Some of the original concepts of traditional acupuncture are not supported by good scientific evidence. Several plausible theories attempt to explain how acupuncture works but none are proved beyond doubt. The clinical effectiveness of acupuncture continues to attract controversy. Many controlled clinical trials and numerous systematic reviews of these studies have been published. Considerable problems are encountered when interpreting these data. Heterogeneity is a significant drawback of both clinical trials and systematic reviews. Some of the controversies may be resolved through the use of the new ,placebo needles' which enable researchers to adequately control for placebo effects of acupuncture. The majority of studies using such devices fails to show effects beyond a placebo response. Acupuncture has been associated with serious adverse events but most large-scale studies suggest that these are probably rare. Nonserious adverse effects occur in 7,11% of all patients. In conclusion, acupuncture remains steeped in controversy. Some findings are encouraging but others suggest that its clinical effects mainly depend on a placebo response. [source]

Beneficial effects of high positive end-expiratory pressure in lung respiratory mechanics during laparoscopic surgery

ACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2 2009
L. F. MARACAJÁ-NETO
Background: The effect of neuromuscular blockade (NMB) and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) on the elastic properties of the respiratory system during pneumoperitoneum (PnP) remains a controversial subject. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of NMB and PEEP on respiratory mechanics. Methods: We performed a dynamic analysis of respiratory mechanics in patients subjected to PnP. Twenty-one patients underwent cholecystectomy videolaparoscopy and total intravenous anesthesia. The respiratory system resistance (RRS), pulmonary elastance (EP), chest wall elastance (ECW), and respiratory system elastance (ERS) were computed via the least squares fit technique using an equation describing the motion of the respiratory system, which uses primary signs such as airway pressure, tidal volume, air flow, and esophageal pressures. Measurements were taken after tracheal intubation, PnP, NMB, establishment of PEEP (10 cmH2O), and PEEP withdrawal [zero end-expiratory pressure (ZEEP)]. Results: PnP significantly increased ERS by 27%; both EP and ECW increased 21.3 and 64.1%, respectively (P<0.001). NMB did not alter the respiratory mechanic properties. Setting PEEP reduced ERS by 8.6% (P<0.05), with a reduction of 10.9% in EP (P<0.01) and a significant decline of 15.7% in RRS (P<0.05). These transitory changes in elastance disappeared after ZEEP. Conclusions: We concluded that the 10 cmH2O of PEEP attenuates the effects of PnP in respiratory mechanics, lowering RRS, EP, and ERS. These effects may be useful in the ventilatory approach for patients experiencing a non-physiological increase in IAP owing to PnP in laparoscopic procedures. [source]

DNA methylation with a sting: An active DNA methylation system in the honeybee

BIOESSAYS, Issue 3 2007
Matthias Schaefer
The existence of DNA methylation in insects has been a controversial subject over a long period of time. The recently completed genome sequence of the honeybee Apis mellifera has revealed the first insect with a full complement of DNA methyltransferases.1 A parallel study demonstrated that these enzymes are catalytically active and that Apis genes can be methylated in specific patterns.2 These findings establish bees as a model to analyze the function of DNA methylation systems in invertebrate organisms and might also be important to understand evolutionary aspects of DNA methylation in higher eukaryotes. BioEssays 29: 208,211, 2007. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

Pattern Bargaining: An Investigation into its Agency, Context and Evidence

BRITISH JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, Issue 1 2008
Franz Traxler
Pattern bargaining stands out as both an under-researched and controversial subject. This article is an analytical and empirical contribution to this debate. Theoretically, it provides a conceptual framework, which enables analysis to systematically differentiate between distinct forms of pattern bargaining in terms of scope, agency, development and function, which arise from differing contexts in terms of interest configuration, power relations and economic conditions. This framework is used to develop testable hypotheses on pattern bargaining as a mechanism of inter-industry bargaining co-ordination. The empirical part of the article examines these hypotheses for collective bargaining from 1969 to 2004 in Austria, which is commonly seen as a paradigm case of pattern bargaining. The article concludes by highlighting the broader implications its findings have from a cross-nationally comparative perspective. [source]