Science, Politics, and Values: The Politicization of Professional Practice Guidelines

The Connecticut Attorney General’s recent allegations that the Infectious Disease Society of America violated antitrust law through its treatment guidelines for Lyme disease were neither based in sound science or appropriate legal judgment. Strong scientific evidence favors IDSA’s position that chronic infection with the etiologic agent of Lyme disease does not occur in the absence of objective signs of ongoing infection and that long-term antibiotic use to treat dubious infection, recommended in the quasi-scientific guidelines put forth by the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), are of no benefit. In siding with ILADS and other chronic Lyme disease advocates, ultimately forcing IDSA to settle lest it expend exorbitant legal costs, the attorney general abused science and his public trust. This case exemplifies the politicization of health policy and confuses the relative spheres inhabited by normative discourse and scientific inquiry. Science should provide the evidentiary base for normative discussions, and values and politics will always be important in deciding how science is applied for human benefit. But a wall of separation is needed between science, values, and politics, as medical science, and the patients who depend on it, is too important for political distortion

The Limits of Government Regulation of Science

The recent controversy over the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity’s (NSABB) request that Science and Nature redact key parts of two papers on transmissible avian (H5N1) influenza reveal a troubled relationship between science and security. While NSABB’s request does not violate the First Amendment, efforts to censor the scientific press by force of law would usually be an unconstitutional prior restraint of the press absent a compelling state interest. The constitutional validity of conditions on grant funding to require pre-publication review of unclassified research is unclear but also arguably unconstitutional. The clearest case where government may restrict publication is when research has been properly classified as a security risk. It is less clear whether government may suppress the publication of “controlled unclassified information” (CUI). The key inquiry is whether the information poses a genuine security risk and the restraint is the least restrictive alternative. At the same time, the federal government has fairly broad latitude to protect sensitive data in its sole possession from disclosure under FOIA. We propose that future decisions on dual-use research should be taken through a fair and transparent institutional review process, likely best modeled on the institutional biosafety committees required for recombinant DNA research

Are low tolerable upper intake levels for vitamin a undermining effective food fortification efforts?

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a major health problem, particularly in low-resource countries, putting an estimated 125-130 million preschool-aged children at increased risk of morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases. Vitamin A supplementation reduces VAD and increases child survival; it is complemented by fortifying foods with vitamin A. Concern over increased risk of bone fracture associated with vitamin A intakes below the tolerable upper intake level (UL) among populations in affluent countries conflicts with the need to increase intakes in less developed countries, where populations are at greater risk of VAD and intakes are unlikely to reach the UL as diets include fewer foods containing retinol while vitamin A from carotenoids poses no risk of overdose. With the implementation of recently developed risk management tools, vitamin A can be used safely in food fortification, including point-of-use fortification in the context of supplementation among specific target groups in low-resource countrie

Probing the Complex and Variable X-ray Absorption of Markarian 6 with XMM-Newton

We report on an X-ray observation of the Seyfert 1.5 galaxy Mrk 6 obtained with the EPIC instruments onboard XMM-Newton. Archival BeppoSAX PDS data from 18-120 keV were also used to constrain the underlying hard power-law continuum. The results from our spectral analyses generally favor a double partial-covering model, although other spectral models such as absorption by a mixture of partially ionized and neutral gas cannot be firmly ruled out. Our best-fitting model consists of a power law with a photon index of 1.81+/-0.20 and partial covering with large column densities up to 10^{23} cm**-2. We also detect a narrow emission line consistent with Fe Kalpha fluorescence at 6.45+/-0.04 keV with an equivalent width of ~93+/-25 eV. Joint analyses of XMM-Newton, ASCA, and BeppoSAX data further provide evidence for both spectral variability (a factor of ~2 change in absorbing column) and absorption-corrected flux variations (by ~60%) during the ~4 year period probed by the observations.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures. accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journa

Effects of Concurrent Resistance and Aerobic Training on Load-Bearing Performance and the Army Physical Fitness Test

The purpose of this research was to determine the effects of high intensity endurance training (ET) and resistance training (RT) alone and in combination on various military tasks. Thirty-five male soldiers were randomly assigned to one of four training groups: total body resistance training plus endurance training (RT + ET), upper body resistance training plus endurance training [UB + ET), RT only, and ET only. Training was performed 4 days per week for 12 weeks. Testing occurred before and after the 12-week training regimen. All groups significantly improved push-up performance, whereas only the RT + ET group did not improve sit-up performance. The groups that included ET significantly decreased 2-mile run time, however, only RT + ET and UB + ET showed improved loaded 2-mile run time. Leg power increased for groups that included lower body strengthening exercises (RT and RT + ET). Army Physical Fitness Test performance, loaded running, and leg power responded positively to training, however, it appears there is a high degree of specificity when concurrent training regimens are implemented

Aptamer-based multiplexed proteomic technology for biomarker discovery

Interrogation of the human proteome in a highly multiplexed and efficient manner remains a coveted and challenging goal in biology. We present a new aptamer-based proteomic technology for biomarker discovery capable of simultaneously measuring thousands of proteins from small sample volumes (15 [mu]L of serum or plasma). Our current assay allows us to measure ~800 proteins with very low limits of detection (1 pM average), 7 logs of overall dynamic range, and 5% average coefficient of variation. This technology is enabled by a new generation of aptamers that contain chemically modified nucleotides, which greatly expand the physicochemical diversity of the large randomized nucleic acid libraries from which the aptamers are selected. Proteins in complex matrices such as plasma are measured with a process that transforms a signature of protein concentrations into a corresponding DNA aptamer concentration signature, which is then quantified with a DNA microarray. In essence, our assay takes advantage of the dual nature of aptamers as both folded binding entities with defined shapes and unique sequences recognizable by specific hybridization probes. To demonstrate the utility of our proteomics biomarker discovery technology, we applied it to a clinical study of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We identified two well known CKD biomarkers as well as an additional 58 potential CKD biomarkers. These results demonstrate the potential utility of our technology to discover unique protein signatures characteristic of various disease states. More generally, we describe a versatile and powerful tool that allows large-scale comparison of proteome profiles among discrete populations. This unbiased and highly multiplexed search engine will enable the discovery of novel biomarkers in a manner that is unencumbered by our incomplete knowledge of biology, thereby helping to advance the next generation of evidence-based medicine

Educating and training a workforce for nutrition in a post-2015 world.

Nearly all countries in the world today are burdened with malnutrition, manifesting as undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and/or overweight and obesity. Despite some progress, efforts to alleviate malnutrition are hampered by a shortage in number, skills, and geographic coverage, of a workforce for nutrition. Here, we report the findings of the Castel Gandolfo workshop, a convening of experts from diverse fields in March 2014 to consider how to develop the capacity of a global cadre of nutrition professionals for the post-2015 development era. Workshop participants identified several requirements for developing a workforce for nutrition, including an ability to work as part of a multisectoral team; communication, advocacy, and leadership skills to engage decision makers; and a set of technical skills to address future challenges for nutrition. Other opportunities were highlighted that could immediately contribute to capacity development, including the creation of a consortium to link global North and South universities, online training modules for middle managers, and practical, hands-on experiences for frontline nutrition workers. Institutional and organizational support is needed to enable workshop recommendations on education and training to be effectively implemented and sustained. The findings from the Castel Gandolfo workshop can contribute to the delivery of successful nutrition-relevant actions in the face of mounting external pressures and informing and attaining the forthcoming Sustainable Development Goals

Performance of CMS muon reconstruction in pp collision events at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

The performance of muon reconstruction, identification, and triggering in CMS has been studied using 40 inverse picobarns of data collected in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV at the LHC in 2010. A few benchmark sets of selection criteria covering a wide range of physics analysis needs have been examined. For all considered selections, the efficiency to reconstruct and identify a muon with a transverse momentum pT larger than a few GeV is above 95% over the whole region of pseudorapidity covered by the CMS muon system, abs(eta) < 2.4, while the probability to misidentify a hadron as a muon is well below 1%. The efficiency to trigger on single muons with pT above a few GeV is higher than 90% over the full eta range, and typically substantially better. The overall momentum scale is measured to a precision of 0.2% with muons from Z decays. The transverse momentum resolution varies from 1% to 6% depending on pseudorapidity for muons with pT below 100 GeV and, using cosmic rays, it is shown to be better than 10% in the central region up to pT = 1 TeV. Observed distributions of all quantities are well reproduced by the Monte Carlo simulation.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Performance of CMS muon reconstruction in pp collision events at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

The performance of muon reconstruction, identification, and triggering in CMS has been studied using 40 inverse picobarns of data collected in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV at the LHC in 2010. A few benchmark sets of selection criteria covering a wide range of physics analysis needs have been examined. For all considered selections, the efficiency to reconstruct and identify a muon with a transverse momentum pT larger than a few GeV is above 95% over the whole region of pseudorapidity covered by the CMS muon system, abs(eta) < 2.4, while the probability to misidentify a hadron as a muon is well below 1%. The efficiency to trigger on single muons with pT above a few GeV is higher than 90% over the full eta range, and typically substantially better. The overall momentum scale is measured to a precision of 0.2% with muons from Z decays. The transverse momentum resolution varies from 1% to 6% depending on pseudorapidity for muons with pT below 100 GeV and, using cosmic rays, it is shown to be better than 10% in the central region up to pT = 1 TeV. Observed distributions of all quantities are well reproduced by the Monte Carlo simulation.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO