Critical Scrutiny Needed

Needed: closer scrutiny of clinical trials.

How many people know that eight patients in Hyderabad who were administered recombinant streptokinase to test its efficacy and safety have died? According to the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), the trial was being conducted by the drug’s manufacturer Shantha Biotechnics without taking clearance. Not surprisingly, the company denies the allegation claiming that it had taken permis...

Careful screening and scrutiny needed to select ambulatory surgery patients.

Scrutiny of the Critical Exponent Paradigm, as Exemplified by Gelation

The conflict between classical and modern theories of criticality is resolved by recognising that both theories work with approximate models, whose relative merits can be assessed by their response to efforts to refine them. Contrary to many claims, critical exponents are not tools fitted to discriminate between different models. True, Riemannian theory which characterises analytic functions in...

Under Scrutiny

Folic acid under scrutiny

A consideration of the absorption and metabolism of folic acid in human subjects is timely, owing to the recent recommendation by the UK Government’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition that a mandatory folic acid fortification programme be implemented in the UK. In this issue of the British Journal of Nutrition, Wright et al. take us through the processes of absorption and metabolism of...