Improving systems to promote research integrity

@#Research integrity is manifested thru the use of honest and verifiable research methods with adherence to accepted professional codes. Recently, trustworthiness in research has been challenged by various forms of research misconduct, such as analytical flexibility, data dredging, HARKing (hypothesis after research knowledge), plagiarism, and selective and distorted reporting. Drivers of research misconduct have been identified as institutional--publication incentives to pursue a career, researcher--metric of success is publication volume, and the journal-- more likely to accept papers with positive. The open-access mode propelling the proliferation of predatory journals is causing a dilemma to sound research reporting. Measures were established to curtail research integrity challenges, such as study registration, open data, common reporting standards, a team of rivals, and blind analysis. This report will elaborate and provide insight into what influenced research misconduct, how it can be mitigated, and how to maintain a credible research environment.

Determination of normative bone mineral density values in Filipino women

OBJECTIVE: To obtain reference values of bone mineral density (BMD) for Filipino women in order to make a population-specific diagnosis of osteoporosis.SETTING: Osteoporosis Unit, Joint and Bone Center, Section of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Santo Tomas Hospital, Manila, Philippines. PARTICIPANTS: 442 healthy Filipino women volunteers recruited from the outpatient department, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology Clinic of the University of Santo Tomas Hospital and from within the University of Santo Tomas campus. Subjects with known underlying illness or conditions or intake of drugs that predispose to osteoporosis were excluded from the study. INTERVENTION: Bone mineral density (BMD) measurements, expressed in grams per square centimenter of the lumbar spine, non-dominant femur and non-dominant forearm were done in 442 consecutive healthy Filipino women using the LUNAR DPX-IQ machine. RESULTS: Means and standard deviations of BMD measurements at each site were calculated using Kwikstat software Version 3.6, Release 7. Results were grouped in decades to serve as reference per decade. CONCLUSION: BMD of these 442 healthy Filipino women may serve as an initial reference guide for the diagnosis of osteoporosis in Filipino women.

Intravascular lymphoma of the inferior turbinate: An unusual rhinologic presentation of a rare neoplasm

Objective: To present a unique case of intravascular lymphoma of the inferior turbinate because of its rarity, unusual clinical presentation and difficulty in establishing a diagnosis. Design: Case Report Setting: A tertiary hospital Patient: A 66-year-old male admitted to the hospital due to intermittent high grade fever of six months duration. Result: The patient presented with fever of unknown origin, and exhaustive laboratory, ancillary procedures and biopsies to rule in/out infectious, autoimmune and oncologic causes were performed to arrive at a diagnosis. Nasal endoscopy revealed an enlarged, hypertrophied and violaceous right inferior turbinate with watery to mucoid discharge and septal deviation to the right confirmed by CT scans of the paranasal sinuses. Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS), septoplasty and turbinoplasty with biopsy revealed intravascular lymphoma. Chemotherapy was deferred due to the deteriorating medical condition and the patient expired seven months after the initial onset of symptoms. Conclusion: Patients who present with fever of unknown origin should undergo a thorough otorhinolaryngologic examination to exclude primary ENT conditions and ensure proper management. Given its rarity and multiplicity of presentation, it is extremely difficult to make a diagnosis of intravascular lymphoma. A high index of suspicion of intravascular lymphoma is necessary so that timely acquisition of tissue biopsy of any lesion involved will make a definite diagnosis. (Author)