Supplement evidence and counter-evidence

Three 2022 papers, starting with a rabbit study of dietary supplements: “Adding native type II collagen (NC) to the combination of chondroitin sulfate (CS), glucosamine hydrochloride (GlHCl), and hyaluronic acid (HA) showed improvements on osteoarthritis progression. Disease progression was monitored at different time points using magnetic resonance imaging biomarkers, measurement of hyaluronic acid in synovial … Continue reading Supplement evidence and counter-evidence

Go with the Alzheimer’s Disease evidence

This 2021 study investigated gut microbiota differences between 100 AD patients and 71 age- and gender-matched controls: “Structural changes in fecal microbiota were evident in Chinese AD patients, with decreased alpha-diversity indices and altered beta-diversity ones, evidence of structurally dysbiotic AD microbiota. Interestingly, traditionally beneficial bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia, increase in these AD … Continue reading Go with the Alzheimer’s Disease evidence

A broccoli sprouts study that lacked evidence for human applicability

A 2020 study Combined Broccoli Sprouts and Green Tea Polyphenols Contribute to the Prevention of Estrogen Receptor–Negative Mammary Cancer via Cell Cycle Arrest and Inducing Apoptosis in HER2/neu Mice (not freely available) conclusion was: “Lifelong BSp [broccoli sprouts] and GTP [green tea polyphenol] administration can prevent estrogen receptor–negative mammary tumorigenesis through cell cycle arrest and … Continue reading A broccoli sprouts study that lacked evidence for human applicability

Burying human transgenerational epigenetic evidence

The poor substitutes for evidence in this 2018 US study guaranteed that human transgenerational epigenetically inherited effects wouldn’t be found in the generations that followed after prenatal diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure: “A synthetic, nonsteroidal estrogen, DES was administered to pregnant women under the mistaken belief it would reduce pregnancy complications and losses. From the late 1930s … Continue reading Burying human transgenerational epigenetic evidence

The arrogance of a paradigm exceeding its evidence

This 2018 commentary from the American College of Emergency Physicians by 7 physicians discussed the harm that will result from imposing a mandatory paradigm of sepsis treatment. I’ll quote sections that mention evidence: “These metrics [for pneumonia treatment] had little evidentiary basis but led to an institutional-fostered culture of overdiagnosis and overtreatment. Have we learned … Continue reading The arrogance of a paradigm exceeding its evidence

Little evidence for mitochondrial DNA methylation

This 2018 Japanese rodent study used three different techniques to detect mitochondrial DNA methylation: “Whilst 5-methylcytosine (5mC) is a major epigenetic mark in the nuclear DNA in mammals, whether or not mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) receives 5mC modification remains controversial. We used bisulfite sequencing, McrBC digestion analyses and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry, which are distinctly differing … Continue reading Little evidence for mitochondrial DNA methylation

Manufacturing PTSD evidence with machine learning

What would you do if you were a scientist who had strong beliefs that weren’t borne out by experimental evidence? Would you be honest with yourself about the roots of the beliefs? Would you attempt to discover why the beliefs were necessary for you, and what feelings were associated with the beliefs? Instead of the … Continue reading Manufacturing PTSD evidence with machine learning

Using citations to develop beliefs instead of evidence

This 2009 Harvard study analyzed how citations were used as tools to establish a belief. The researched data was gathered from 1992 to 2007 on a specific subject of Alzheimer’s research. The belief was: “β amyloid is produced by inclusion body myositis myofibres or is uniquely present in inclusion body myositis muscle.” The author used … Continue reading Using citations to develop beliefs instead of evidence

It is known: Are a study’s agendas more important than its evidence?

This 2015 Swiss human study’s Abstract began: “It is known that increased circulating glucocorticoids in the wake of excessive, chronic, repetitive stress increases anxiety and impairs Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) signaling.” The study had several statements that were unconvincingly supported by the study’s findings. One such statement in the Conclusions section was: “This study supports … Continue reading It is known: Are a study’s agendas more important than its evidence?

Conclusions without evidence regarding emotional memories

The last sentence in the Significance section of this 2015 Emory/Harvard rodent study was: “These data highlight the potential to exploit sensory system plasticity as a means of ameliorating negative emotional memories that may be tied to peripheral sensory systems.” The “ameliorating negative emotional memories” part of this statement was incongruent with what the study … Continue reading Conclusions without evidence regarding emotional memories

A study that provided evidence for basic principles of Primal Therapy

This 2015 Northwestern University rodent study found: “Fear-inducing memories can be state dependent, meaning that they can best be retrieved if the brain states at encoding and retrieval are similar. Memories formed in a particular mood, arousal or drug-induced state can best be retrieved when the brain is back in that state. “It’s difficult for … Continue reading A study that provided evidence for basic principles of Primal Therapy

What scientific evidence can be offered for Primal Therapy’s capability to benefit people’s lives?

Science demands some level of evidence. The usual practice is to develop one or more explanations – hypotheses – of a situation, and experimentally test them. An experiment’s findings are usually presented as evidence that each explanation of the tested situation may be either true or false. Findings often numerically express probabilities of committing two … Continue reading What scientific evidence can be offered for Primal Therapy’s capability to benefit people’s lives?

If research doesn’t provide causal evidence for effects, can epigenetics be forced in to explain everything?

This 2015 UK bird study found that older mothers had female children who had fewer offspring than did the rest of the house sparrow population. The finding applied also to older fathers and their male children. In general, if a study didn’t directly demonstrate cause and effect, it isn’t appropriate to force the use of … Continue reading If research doesn’t provide causal evidence for effects, can epigenetics be forced in to explain everything?

If research provides evidence for the causes of stress-related disorders, why only focus on treating the symptoms?

This 2014 rodent research reliably induced many disorders common to humans. Here are some post-birth problems the researchers caused, primarily by applying different types of stress, as detailed in the study’s supplementary material: Social defeat Social avoidance behavior Learned helplessness Irritable bowel syndrome Depression Anxiety Anhedonia Yet the researchers’ goal was to identify a brain … Continue reading If research provides evidence for the causes of stress-related disorders, why only focus on treating the symptoms?