Taitavaa manipulointia

Vastine Osmo Tammilason kirjoitukseen "Geenit, ympäristö ja käyttäytyminen" TT -lehdessä 1/2004

Kirjallisuutta

Virallisten vastaväittäjien Helsingin yliopiston oikeustieteelliselle tiedekunnalle antama 16.5.2003 päivätty lausunto

Muutama repliikki Osmo Tammisalolle

Vastine Osmo Tammisalon kirjoituksille TT 2/2004 ja TT4/2004

Kaikesta tieteestä tiedottaminen tarpeetonta ja mahdotonta

Vastine esim. Petter Portinin kirjoitukseen HS/10.4.2004 otsikolla "Tieteen tehtävä on palvella ympäröivää yhteiskuntaa"

Vanhasen tutkimus on kauttaaltaan virheellinen

Vastine emeritusprofessori Tatu Vanhasen yhteenvetoon tutkimustuloksistaan TT-lehdessä 6/2004

Rivastigmine for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders: A randomized crossover pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of rivastigmine for the treatment of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) in a cohort of long-lasting aviremic HIV+ patients. METHODS: Seventeen aviremic HIV+ patients with HAND were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study to receive either oral rivastigmine (up to 12 mg/day for 20 weeks) followed by placebo (20 weeks) or placebo followed by rivastigmine. Efficacy endpoints were improvement on rivastigmine in the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog) and individual neuropsychological scores of information processing speed, attention/working memory, executive functioning, and motor skills. Measures of safety included frequency and nature of adverse events and abnormalities on laboratory tests and on plasma concentrations of antiretroviral drugs. Analyses of variance with repeated measures were computed to look for treatment effects. RESULTS: There was no change on the primary outcome ADAS-Cog on drug. For secondary outcomes, processing speed improved on rivastigmine (Trail Making Test A: F(1,13) = 5.57, p = 0.03). One measure of executive functioning just failed to reach significance (CANTAB Spatial Working Memory [strategy]: F(1,13) = 3.94, p = 0.069). No other change was observed. Adverse events were frequent, but not different from those observed in other populations treated with rivastigmine. No safety issues were recorded. CONCLUSIONS: Rivastigmine in aviremic HIV+ patients with HAND seemed to improve psychomotor speed. A larger trial with the better tolerated transdermal form of rivastigmine is warranted. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class III evidence that rivastigmine is ineffective for improving ADAS-Cog scores, but is effective in improving some secondary outcome measures in aviremic HIV+ patients with HAND.

Millainen genomitietopankki Suomeen?

Vastine TT-lehden numerossa 8/2004 olleeseen Kirsti Käpyahon, Leena Peltonen-Palotien, Markus Perolan ja Tero Piispasen artikkeliin

Wound infection following stoma takedown: primary skin closure versus subcuticular purse-string suture.

Abstract: Background Stoma closure has been associated with a high rate of surgical site infection (SSI) and the ideal stoma-site skin closure technique is still debated. The aim of this study was to compare the rate of SSI following primary skin closure (PC) versus a skin-approximating, subcuticular purse-string closure (APS). Methods All consecutive patients undergoing stoma closure between 2002 and 2007 by two surgeons at a single tertiary-care institution were retrospectively assessed. Patients who had a new stoma created at the same site or those without wound closure were excluded. The end point was SSI, determined according to current CDC guidelines, at the stoma closure site and/or the midline laparotomy incision. Results There were 61 patients in the PC group (surgeon A: 58 of 61) and 17 in the APS group (surgeon B: 16 of 17). The two groups were similar in baseline and intraoperative characteristics, except that patients in the PC group were more often diagnosed with benign disease (p = 0.0156) and more often had a stapled anastomosis (p = 0.002). The overall SSI rate was 14 of 78 (18%). All SSIs occurred in the PC group (14 of 61 vs. 0 of 17, p = 0.03). Conclusions Our study suggests that a skin-approximating closure with a subcuticular purse-string of the stoma site leads to less SSI than a primary closure. Randomized studies are needed to confirm our findings and assess additional end points such as healing time, cost, and patient satisfaction.