Dishonesty in scientific research

Fraudulent business practices, such as those leading to the Enron scandal and the conviction of Bernard Madoff, evoke a strong sense of public outrage. But fraudulent or dishonest actions are not exclusive to the realm of big corporations or to evil individuals without consciences. Dishonest actions are all too prevalent in everyone’s daily lives, because people are constantly encountering situations in which they can gain advantages by cutting corners. Whether it’s adding a few dollars in value to the stolen items reported on an insurance claim form or dropping outlier data points from a figure to make a paper sound more interesting, dishonesty is part of the human condition. Here, we explore how people rationalize dishonesty, the implications for scientific research, and what can be done to foster a culture of research integrity.     

国医大师熊继柏辨证化裁运用温胆汤验案举隅

温胆汤首载于《集验方》,具有理气化痰、和胃利胆之功效。国医大师熊继柏在该方的基础上进行加减化裁,形成了一系列具有代表性的温胆汤方剂,如枣仁温胆汤、大黄黄芩温胆汤、茵芩温胆汤等。本文通过列举熊老师辨证化裁运用温胆汤案例:失眠案、十二指肠淤积症案、黄疸案、肺动脉高压案、脑梗死后遗症案5则,通过对上述异病同治案例的分析,总结其运用温胆汤的临证经验,以示熊继柏教授的辨证思路,为临床上应用温胆汤提供参考。     

“标本配穴”电针对慢性心肌缺血模型大鼠线粒体结构及呼吸酶活性的影响

目的:以心肌线粒体为切入,观察“标本配穴”电针对慢性心肌缺血模型大鼠心肌线粒体结构、GAPDH、CS、CCO的酶活性及心肌组织ATP含量的影响,探讨“标本配穴”电针对慢性心肌缺血模型大鼠心肌线粒体的保护机制。方法:将30只Wistar雄性大鼠随机分为空白组、模型组、标本配穴组,每组10只。模型组、标本配穴组大鼠皮下注射盐酸异丙肾上腺素制备慢性心肌缺血大鼠模型。标本配穴组在造模结束后取“内关”“足三里”“关元”电针干预10 min,疏密波,2~100 Hz,1 mA,连续21天。运用透射电镜观察心肌线粒体结构变化,采用试剂盒检测3-磷酸甘油醛脱氢酶(GAPDH)、柠檬酸合成酶(CS)、细胞色素C氧化酶(CCO)的酶活性及心肌组织ATP含量。结果:与空白组比较,模型组线粒体结构破坏明显,大部分线粒体出现变形空泡化;而与模型组比较,标本配穴组线粒体结构损伤程度明显减轻。与空白组相比,模型组、标本配穴组心肌组织ATP含量、GAPDH、CS、CCO活性均明显降低(P<0.01)。但与模型组相比,标本配穴组4指标均显著增高(P<0.01),且心肌组织ATP含量与GAPDH、CS、CCO活性成线性相关。结论:在慢性心肌缺血状态下,标本配穴电针可提升线粒体呼吸酶活性,增加有氧呼吸产能效率,改善心脏能量代谢,从而减轻心肌细胞的结构破坏,对心肌组织起到保护作用。     

16种植物挥发油对柏子仁黄曲霉菌的抑制作用考察

目的:从16种植物(香茅、香叶、松节、山苍子、薄荷、干姜、丁香、姜黄、红花椒、肉桂、罗勒、迷迭香、青花椒、竹叶花椒、八角茴香、肉豆蔻)挥发油中筛选出对黄曲霉菌生长有较好抑制效果的植物挥发油。方法:采用平板培养法从柏子仁药材表面分离得到黄曲霉菌,利用水蒸气蒸馏法提取16种植物挥发油,采用滤纸片熏蒸后测定黄曲霉菌的菌落直径,对16种植物挥发油抑制黄曲霉菌生长的效果进行研究。结果:采用性状、显微及DNA条形码鉴定的方法从柏子仁药材上成功分离了黄曲霉菌,上述16种植物挥发油对黄曲霉菌的抑菌率分别为2. 93%,0. 05%,0. 37%,76. 07%,0. 34%,0. 15%,50. 05%,8. 51%,1. 43%,58. 20%,0. 07%,2. 60%,8. 73%,100. 00%,52. 62%,0. 07%。结论:16种植物挥发油对黄曲霉菌均有着不同程度的抑菌活性,其中竹叶花椒挥发油、山苍子挥发油、肉桂挥发油的抑菌效果较好,可为柏子仁生长储藏过程中防治黄曲霉菌的污染提供参考,并为植物挥发油作为中药仓储过程中的抑菌剂提供应用依据。     

Comparison of auditory steady-state response and click-evoked auditory brain response in infants with different types and degrees of hearing loss

Abstract

Background: Auditory steady-state response (ASSR) and click-evoked auditory brain response (c-ABR) have been used for hearing assessment for decades years, the correlation of the two methods and the effects of type and degree of hearing loss (HL) to the correlation in infants younger than 6?months of age are unclear.

Objectives: To compare the correlation of ASSR and c-ABR and then to analyse the effects of type and degree of HL on the correlation in infants younger than 6?months of age.

Material and methods: Retrospective study comparing ASSR thresholds at various frequencies with c-ABR thresholds. 182 ears from 96 infants were assessed and classified according to types and degrees of HL.

Results: The correlation coefficients were: 0.823, 0.864, 0.891, 0.871, 0.908, 0.915 and 0.913 between ASSR thresholds at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 2–4, 1–2–4, 0.5–1–2–4?kHz and c-ABR thresholds respectively. The correlation coefficients in the group of sensorineural HL (SHL) (r?=?0.763–0.900) were higher than conductive HL (r?=?0.309–0.619) across all frequencies. The coefficients of severe-profound SHL (r?=?0.595–0.790) were higher than mild-moderate SHL (r?=?0.434–0.687) across all frequencies.

Conclusions and significance: ASSR was one valuable cross-check measure by providing frequency specific information in auditory assessment.