Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29511367›Full record

ReviewInternational journal of medical sciences2018

While it is not deliberate, much of today's biomedical research contains logical and technical flaws, showing a need for corrective action.

Yan He, Chengfu Yuan, Lichan Chen, Yanjie Liu, Haiyan Zhou, Ningzhi Xu, Dezhong Joshua Liao

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in International journal of medical sciences, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 30% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Yan HeKey Lab of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases of the Ministry of Education of China in Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou 550004, P. R. China.
Chengfu YuanDepartment of Biochemistry, China Three Gorges University, Yichang City, Hubei 443002, P.R. China.
Lichan ChenHormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN 55912, USA.
Yanjie LiuDepartment of Pathology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou 550004, P.R. China.
Haiyan ZhouClinical Research Center, Guizhou Medical University Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou 550004, P.R. China.
Ningzhi XuLaboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology & State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, PR China.
Dezhong Joshua LiaoKey Lab of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases of the Ministry of Education of China in Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou 550004, P. R. China.
Guiyang Medical University · CNAffiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University · CNChina Three Gorges University · CNChinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College · CNUniversity of Minnesota · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Biomedical research has advanced swiftly in recent decades, largely due to progress in biotechnology. However, this rapid spread of new, and not always-fully understood, technology has also created a lot of false or irreproducible data and artifacts, which sometimes have led to erroneous conclusions. When describing various scientific issues, scientists have developed a habit of saying "on one hand… but on the other hand…", because discrepant data and conclusions have become omnipresent. One reason for this problematic situation is that we are not always thoughtful enough in study design, and sometimes lack enough philosophical contemplation. Another major reason is that we are too rushed in introducing new technology into our research without assimilating technical details. In this essay, we provide examples in different research realms to justify our points. To help readers test their own weaknesses, we raise questions on technical details of RNA reverse transcription, polymerase chain reactions, western blotting and immunohistochemical staining, as these methods are basic and are the base for other modern biotechnologies. Hopefully, after contemplation and reflection on these questions, readers will agree that we indeed know too little about these basic techniques, especially about the artifacts they may create, and thus many conclusions drawn from the studies using those ever-more-sophisticated techniques may be even more problematic.

Indexed as

Biomedical ResearchBiotechnologyHumansArtifactsBiotechnologymicroRNAPolymerase chain reactionsreproducibilityReverse transcriptionsiRNA

Identifiers

PMID29511367
PMCPMC5835702
OpenAlexW2789884609

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.