Is acupuncture no more than a placebo? Extensive discussion required about possible bias

Discussion Document No . 3 Educational Neurosciences – More Problems than Promise ?

Is extended-release guaifenesin no better than a placebo?

In this issue of RESPIRATORY CARE, Hoffer-Schaefer et al1 report the results of a double-blind randomized placebocontrolled trial examining the effects of guaifenesin on both the volume and physical properties of sputum in patients with acute respiratory tract infections (RTIs). Guaifenesin has been marketed as an FDA-approved over-thecounter (OTC) expectorant medication with annual sales of ap...

Acupuncture is theatrical placebo.

P ain is a big problem. If you read about pain management centers, you might think it had been solved. It has not. And when no effective treatment exists for a medical problem, it leads to a tendency to clutch at straws. Research has shown that acupuncture is little more than such a straw. Although it is commonly claimed that acupuncture has been around for thousands of years, it has not always...

Abortion is more than a debate about conscientious objection.

Pettinger M, et al. Women’s Health Initiative Investigators. Effects of estrogen plus progestin on gynecologic cancers and associated diagnostic procedures: the Women’s Health Initiative randomized trial. JAMA 2003; 290: 1739–1748. 28 Archer DF. The effect of the duration of progestin use on the occurrence of endometrial cancer in postmenopausal women. Menopause 2001; 8: 245–251. 29 de Vries CS...

Keratin 13 is a more specific marker of conjunctival epithelium than keratin 19

Introduction To evaluate the expression patterns of cytokeratin (K) 12, 13, and 19 in normal epithelium of the human ocular surface to determine whether K13 could be used as a marker for conjunctival epithelium. Methods: Total RNA was isolated from the human conjunctiva and central cornea. Those transcripts that had threefolds or higher expression levels in the conjunctiva than the cornea wer...