17
Aug
2011

How to properly read a scientific paper? Adolescent brain tumours and mobile phones

----- Original Message -----
From: Magda Havas
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 8:03 AM
Subject: HOW TO PROPERLY READ A SCIENTIFIC PAPER?ADOLESCENT BRAIN TUMOURS AND MOBILE PHONES.

For distribution:

August 17, 2011. Scientific documents published in peer-reviewed journals are intended to be read by scientists with specific areas of specialization. A layperson, a journalist and even a scientist?who specializes in a different field?may find reading and comprehending such a document difficult. Critiquing such documents is what we teach university students. Once they learn how to decipher a scientific paper and decompose a scientific study, they no longer need to rely on the opinion of others about that document. Teaching students how to think for themselves is one of the roles of a university professor.

I recently read Mobile phone use and brain tumors in children and adolescents: A multicenter case-control study, published in June 2011 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. What is in the abstract of this publication and what has been quoted by the press is not a fair and honest representation of the findings of this study.

If you want to know what is really happening with cell phones and cancer ? you need to learn how to read between the lines. That is what scientists do. They go beyond the abstract and read the document. They examine the results and compare their own conclusions to those of the authors'. Some authors who are dealing with controversial, contentious, politically charged issues or those who have a bias?financial or otherwise?may deemphasize a finding to minimize backlash directed at them or their study. But, if the authors are honest, the document will provide the truth?sometimes buried between the lines?for other scientists to find. The truth is out there. You just need to learn how to find it.

Let s examine the Röösli study and see what it really says. Click here for PDF of study.

The results in the abstract of this study, which is what most people read, state the following (emphasis and comments in square brackets [] are mine):

Regular users of mobile phones were not statistically significantly more likely to have been diagnosed with brain tumors compared with nonusers (OR = 1.36; 95% CI = 0.92 to 2.02).

Children who started to use mobile phones at least 5 years ago were not at increased risk compared with those who had never regularly used mobile phones (OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 0.70 to 2.28).

In a subset of study participants for whom operator recorded data were available, brain tumor risk was related to the time elapsed since the mobile phone subscription was started [notice no odds ratio is provided] but not to amount of use.

NO increased risk of brain tumors was observed for brain areas receiving the highest amount of exposure.

Based on these results it was natural for the authors to conclude the following:

The absence of an exposure-response relationship either in terms of the amount of mobile phone use or by localization of the brain tumor argues against a causal association.

Any parent, doctor, policy maker, journalist reading this would conclude that cell phone use by children?based on the conditions in this study?is unlikely to be harmful and indeed may be 'safe.'

But is this what the study showed or is the abstract misleading by omitting adverse outcomes?

To read more visit: http://www.magdahavas.com/2011/08/15/adolescent-brain-tumours-and-mobile-phones/


Dr Magda Havas


Informant: Iris Atzmon

--------

Wireless communication fields and non-specific symptoms of ill health

http://groups.google.com/group/mobilfunk_newsletter/t/fcf42dbad32f5772



More about the theme:

http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/search?q=mobilephone+use
http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=mobilephone+use
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/search?q=exposure
http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=exposure
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/search?q=children
http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=children
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/search?q=health
http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=health
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/search?q=tumor
http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=tumor
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/search?q=Röösli
http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=Röösli
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/search?q=Magda+Havas
http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=Magda+Havas

Bürgerwelle News

Suche

 

Aktuelle Beiträge

Schädlich fürs...
Schweizer Illustrierte So ein Handy wirkt Wunder:...
Starmail - 15. Mär, 13:52
Wie sich der ständige...
Zur Sache! Rheinland-Pfalz YouTube Wie viel Handykonsum...
Starmail - 15. Mär, 13:45
Mobilfunkgegner entdecken...
Aktivisten haben herausgefunden, dass nicht kontrolliert...
Starmail - 9. Mär, 13:26
Calls to scrap plans...
https://groups.google.com/ g/mobilfunk_newsletter/c/K NREMTpnLU8 -------- Phon e...
Starmail - 9. Mär, 12:53
Unfall wegen Handy am...
Presseportal Ein Krankenwagen musste jedoch nicht...
Starmail - 9. Mär, 12:45

Archiv

März 2024
Februar 2024
Januar 2024
Dezember 2023
November 2023
Oktober 2023
September 2023
August 2023
Juli 2023
Juni 2023
Mai 2023
April 2023
März 2023
Februar 2023
Januar 2023
Dezember 2022
November 2022
Oktober 2022
September 2022
August 2022
Juli 2022
Juni 2022
Mai 2022
April 2022
März 2022
Februar 2022
Januar 2022
Dezember 2021
November 2021
Oktober 2021
September 2021
August 2021
Juli 2021
Juni 2021
Mai 2021
April 2021
März 2021
Februar 2021
Januar 2021
Dezember 2020
November 2020
Oktober 2020
September 2020
August 2020
Juli 2020
Juni 2020
Mai 2020
April 2020
März 2020
Februar 2020
Januar 2020
Dezember 2019
November 2019
Oktober 2019
September 2019
August 2019
Juli 2019
Juni 2019
Mai 2019
April 2019
März 2019
Februar 2019
Januar 2019
Dezember 2018
November 2018
Oktober 2018
September 2018
August 2018
Juli 2018
Juni 2018
Mai 2018
April 2018
März 2018
Februar 2018
Januar 2018
Dezember 2017
November 2017
Oktober 2017
September 2017
August 2017
Juli 2017
Juni 2017
Mai 2017
April 2017
März 2017
Februar 2017
Januar 2017
Dezember 2016
November 2016
Oktober 2016
September 2016
August 2016
Juli 2016
Juni 2016
Mai 2016
April 2016
März 2016
Februar 2016
Januar 2016
Dezember 2015
November 2015
Oktober 2015
September 2015
August 2015
Juli 2015
Juni 2015
Mai 2015
April 2015
März 2015
Februar 2015
Januar 2015
Dezember 2014
November 2014
Oktober 2014
September 2014
August 2014
Juli 2014
Juni 2014
Mai 2014
April 2014
März 2014
Februar 2014
Januar 2014
Dezember 2013
November 2013
Oktober 2013
September 2013
August 2013
Juli 2013
Juni 2013
Mai 2013
April 2013
März 2013
Februar 2013
Januar 2013
Dezember 2012
November 2012
Oktober 2012
September 2012
August 2012
Juli 2012
Juni 2012
Mai 2012
April 2012
März 2012
Februar 2012
Januar 2012
Dezember 2011
November 2011
Oktober 2011
September 2011
August 2011
Juli 2011
Juni 2011
Mai 2011
April 2011
März 2011
Februar 2011
Januar 2011
Dezember 2010
November 2010
Oktober 2010
September 2010
August 2010
Juli 2010
Juni 2010
Mai 2010
April 2010
März 2010
Februar 2010
Januar 2010
Dezember 2009
November 2009

Status

Online seit 5232 Tagen
Zuletzt aktualisiert: 15. Mär, 13:52

User Status

Du bist nicht angemeldet.

Credits

Knallgrau New Media Solutions - Web Agentur f?r neue Medien

powered by Antville powered by Helma


xml version of this page
xml version of this page (summary)

twoday.net AGB