Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Medicine

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Welcome to the doctor's mess! There are only a few rules:
1. Don't shout, remain civil and treat each other with respect.
2. Please wash any cups you use and clean up, let's not make a mess out of this mess!
3. The 7 o'clock news always has priority on the tv, except when The Simpsons are on.



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Input requested, one sentence in the M.D. article

I know we've been through all this already, but could people state their opinions on the following sentence, which appears in the doctor of medicine article.

United States and Canada

Source: "Physicians and Surgeons". Occupational Outlook Handbook. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Dept of Labor.

If this is done incorrectly, I apologize. The quote is correct/accurate but I am not familiar with the source that is quoted. The alternative to M.D. (allopathy) is D.O. (osteopathy). The former term is a reference to the use of antimicrobials which tend to put pathogens in an [opposing, if I remember correctly] environment to which the term "allo" refers. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.100.188.20 (talk) 08:07, 25 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Comments

Thanks for your input. Bryan Hopping T 01:47, 12 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Intelligibility

I just wanted to drop in and ask if the members of this project can please make their articles more intelligible. I find (and I'm sure I'm not alone in this) that a lot of the medical-related articles are almost unreadable to the average person and tend to use far too much medical jargon to make sense of the subject. Are there any guidelines in this wikiproject regarding this? Thanks for letting me put in my 2 cents. Kristamaranatha (talk) 07:48, 12 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Our guidelines at WP:MEDMOS remind editors to aim for the "general reader". I think this is possible for most of a medical article, but there are some sections/topics that really are head-hurtingly difficult. If you let us know which articles you found unintelligible, then perhaps someone here can improve them. Thanks for the comment. Colin°Talk 09:46, 12 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Well ... ummmm ... this handy dandy new tool appeared at FAC, and although I haven't quite figured it out, I think I'm pretty depressed about it. Readability tool SandyGeorgia (Talk) 21:30, 12 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I ran a couple of articles (higher readability score is better):
Not happy. Our featured articles are at a college level; is that where we want to be? SandyGeorgia (Talk) 21:44, 12 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Ima Hogg, readability score 52, ages 16–18 SandyGeorgia (Talk) 21:59, 12 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
You must really be more specific about the articles you are concerned about. Some of our better articles have very little jargon indeed, or do a great job at clarifying it. Would you expect any less jargon from other technical fields like engineering or mathematics? JFW | T@lk 21:34, 12 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I think these scores are great. Wikipedia is supposed to be written for adults, right? That means that anything around age 18-20 is right on target.
Also, the whole article doesn't have to be accessible to children or young teens -- or even to nonexperts. I fully expect a young teen to skip some parts of an article. My eyes glaze over on some paragraphs. That doesn't mean that I want them removed. We just need to have a simple paragraph at the beginning of a technical section that summarizes it, or a simple sentence at the beginning of a complicated paragraph.
I wonder whether it's possible to perform the same search on the less technical sections. I'd also like to know whether the algorithm fusses about vocabulary. Rhabdomyolysis is probably a "college-age or beyond" vocabulary word according to most lists, but you can hardly write the article without mentioning its name. WhatamIdoing (talk) 02:19, 13 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
One problem I see is that it needs to be readable to the editors themselves. Sure, we can go through an article and change a bunch of complex sentences into simple sentences by removing conjunctions. The result would be less words/sentence which would increase the Flesch Reading Ease score. Unfortunately, by doing so we would decrease access to the article because people don't want to sit around reading a bunch of 5 word sentences that could be combined into a single sentence.
Would you rather read that, or this:
translation of above: I see a problem. Editors need to be able to read their work too. Sure, we can edit an article. We can remove complex sentences. The result would be less words/sentence. This would increase the Flesch Reading Ease score. Unfortunately, less people would be able to read it. No one wants to read sentences like this. These sentences can be combined into fewer sentences.
The first paragraph has a score of 62.4 while the second one, which has the exact same information, has a score of 81. Personally, if I had a choice, I'd rather read the first paragraph. -JPINFV (talk) 17:17, 14 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
There is of course the WP:Simple English Wikipedia (see Main Page and Simple English Wikipedia expanded description) for a younger reading-age audience, although relatively few articles have been stripped down for this project. Finally we generally write articles to the level of secondary-education/undergraduate level (i.e. the finer nuances of views and opinions in post-doctorial circles generally are not included in our articles, but neither do we litter articles with warnings to younger children "don't do this at home" or "ask an adult to supervise you") :-) David Ruben Talk 20:13, 14 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Hmm, a thorny issue. To become featured, an article must be comprehensive. With medical articles, this invariably requires a significant amount of technical and specialist information. I'm inclined to agree with JPINFV. I'm not convinced that the automated assessment is a fair representation of readability.
Another criterion for FA is "brilliant prose". The FAC reviewers assess this at candidacy. Sandy, if you think that too many featured medical articles lack this quality, perhaps the problem lies with the FAC procedure? Do you think that the reviewers are not assessing prose quality stringently enough? Axl (talk) 10:52, 26 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
"Our featured articles are at a college level; is that where we want to be?" — Sandy
In my opinion: yes. Otherwise the articles would not be comprehensive. Axl (talk) 11:02, 26 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Just to clarify (for this side of the pond) - I'd agree if by "college" you mean undergraduate, with the prose sufficiently well written that it can also be followed by those in senior (aka high) school. David Ruben Talk 23:54, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

A few suggestions and opinions

Readability scores depend mainly upon the number of characters per word, the number of words per sentence, and the use of passive voice. The greater these numbers, more difficult the passage becomes, and lower the scores. Now, the medical parlance is such that "by default" the words are lengthy (sample echocardiography or electroencephalography)--how does one shorten them? Moreover, if a certain concept is difficult to explain, automatically the sentences tend to become lengthy. I faced the same problem in writing the article on polyclonal response. No doubt, to understand such concepts one on an average does require higher intelligence. May be what can be attempted is that the important core facts expressed in simpler language can be highlighted (my attempt, whereas the elaboration that follows can take its own linguistic course. Of course, I firmly believe that the explanation that could be provided by such a platform as Wikipedia should not be limited to only keep the readability scores favorable.
I have one more idea, but that might require sweeping changes in the goals and policies of Wikipedia--same topics could be covered in (two) separate articles, one for the laypersons (amateur), and the other for advanced concepts (professional).
Would love to know what you all feel.
Regards.
PS: Most of the ideas I'd formed on readability scores are based on the concepts given in the "Help" section of Microsoft Word.
Ketan Panchal, MBBS (talk) 20:06, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The medical jargon issue is one that is difficult to get around. In practice we have the good old Three-Letter-Acronyms (TLA's) and will often make use of these (even though they may have more than three letters) as well as other shortened notations. Can we do this with the wikipedia MOS (I shall have to go look it up)? I'm suggesting things like echocardiography (ECHO) being referred to as ECHO thereafter, or electroencephalography (EEG) being referred to as EEG. Orinoco-w (talk) 23:31, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
You are free to propose that at WT:MEDMOS if you want. However, it might be better to leave that up to editor discretion instead of setting a sweeping rule. WhatamIdoing (talk) 05:43, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

www.uptodate.com/patients links on multiple pages

New user Jgervais118 (talk · contribs) has started by adding external links on multiple pages to http://www.uptodate.com/patients Now the site looks interesting, its articles credited to named authors, has an impressive list of contributing medical/paramedical editors and articles do cite sources. I've not heard of uptodate.com before now, so do people have any thoughts ? 3600 medical editors would seem impressive... we obviously can't have each & every medical website being allowed to have a link on each of wikipedia's medical articles, but we do allow the very comprehensive eMedicine... so I suppose the question is, is uptodate.com better, more comprehensive or more notable than eMedicine which we do allow in the {{Infobox Disease}} ? David Ruben Talk 18:25, 22 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Only the "patient information" pages meet WP:EL since the professional pages require a subscription. I agree the pages seem to be written and edited by good quality authors and the material looks OK too. However, I've yet to find a page that doesn't stumble on the EL "Links normally to be avoided" of "Any site that does not provide a unique resource beyond what the article would contain if it became a Featured article." Comparing our featured articles with their patient articles, I either didn't find a free equivalent, or it was much less comprehensive. Looking beyond the a single article, the site's usefulness as a "resource" is limited because the internal links mostly lead off to subscription-only material (which is too advanced for the general reader anyway).
Does anyone here have access to the subscription material? How does it compare to a review article in a medical journal? The material is written by professionals and reviewed by an editorial system. I don't see anything that would cause those pages to fail WP:V or WP:RS. That's not to say there aren't better or more accessible sources. Colin°Talk 19:15, 22 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
UpToDate has become an indispensible resource for many physicians, at least in the US. It's extremely widely used as an informational resource by physicians. Basically, they have experts describe and summarize the primary evidence in an area into a concise, clinically useful page or two. They're quite well-established - I think they're much better and more useful than eMedicine - and they get real, nationally or internationally known experts to write and edit the pages, which is good. I find it difficult to live without UpToDate, as I suspect do many physicians of my geographical and generational niche.

I currently have access, though I'm not sure how long I will continue to since the price is becoming exorbitant. It's not quite like a review article in a journal - it's not peer-reviewed, and the content is constantly updated and not static - but it's a very reliable source of useful medical information and expert summary of medical evidence. For Wikipedia, I'd suggest that we should be mining it for citations rather than citing UpToDate directly, particularly as it's subscriber-only. I think this is a reasonable source in terms of WP:V and WP:RS, but probably not a great external link, largely because of the need for subscription. MastCell Talk 19:23, 22 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The dynamic aspect you describe also counts against its use as a source. Although we can mention the last-updated & when-cited dates for any source, these are of limited use if you can't retrieve that version using archive.org or some other facility. Colin°Talk 19:53, 22 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I have used uptodate in the past. It is reliable and well-respected among the medical community. However it is expensive, and certainly is not accessible to the general Wikipedia reader. I agree with MastCell. Axl (talk) 12:14, 23 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks everyone, I've posted to Jgervais118, and I think all but a couple of the free-for-patients links have now been removed. David Ruben Talk 00:10, 24 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

UpToDate has been around and respected for quite a while and used a lot here in Belgium too, but UpToDate for patients is quite new. Last December, a ran a little project to check Wikipedia's rank on Google and other search engines for health queries; UpToDate for patients scored poorly, so it is yet to become a notorious source of patient information. --Steven Fruitsmaak (Reply) 22:00, 25 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

On the reliability of letters to the editor

Are "letters to the editor" published in peer-reviewed journals considered reliable sources on Wikipedia? I was told that some letters are "vetted" when the journal editor(s) accept them for publication. I am wandering whether this one is "vetted" because I'm using it as a source of criticism in the article "Paleolithic diet". Thanks. --Phenylalanine (talk) 01:11, 24 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I think you're okay there. Think of it as being more like a magazine article than a scientific report. You're allowed to cite The Economist or New Scientist, and this material has similar qualities. WhatamIdoing (talk) 05:49, 24 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Letters are typically not peer reviewed, just reviewed by the journal editors. This effectively reduces their scientific power, but not dramatically. --Steven Fruitsmaak (Reply) 21:57, 25 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
That's an important point - they're reviewed in the same sense that letters to the editor published in a reputable newspaper are reviewed. An editor thought they made an interesting or debatable point. They are not vetted extensively for scientific accuracy, and they naturally tend to reflect the specific opinion of the letter writer. They are potentially citable, but we should be careful not to put them on the same level of reliability/weight as actual journal articles. BTW, "Rapid Responses" from the BMJ seem to make frequent appearances when there's a minoritarian POV to be pushed - these are a special case and are no more reliable than lightly-moderated blog commentary. MastCell Talk 22:13, 25 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
What about NEJM? They ran a blatantly inaccurate full journal article on Tourette's once, they never retracted, but they did run one letter to the editor the next month from a neurologist, who pointed out that their article was just Wrong. How did that happen? In this case, the Letter to the editor was more accurate than the peer-reviewed journal article. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 22:19, 25 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Board certification

Board certification claims to be a US-specific thing, until the last section, which mentions other countries. Do non-US specialists get board certified, or is there another term? Is there a way to internationalize this article? WhatamIdoing (talk) 03:43, 25 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Last section is not about other countries, but (I think) the American orgianisations recognising doctors in foreign countries. In UK specialisation is via training time as a Registrar and relevant Royal College examinations - pass the examinations and one is a specialist and able to have that recorded in the General Medical Council register (list of doctors). However the threshold for passing the revelant college exams is, as far as I know, fixed each year to allow a set number through supposedly to maintain standards, but the cynic in me thinks just to get resit examination fee income for the colleges - my year of sitting the MCQ paper (many years ago) of some 200 questions, just 13 questions discriminated between distinction and a "poor fail"... not that I'm bitter... not :-) - anyway thats my perspective as a GP - but would need hospital doctor to give actual current details. David Ruben Talk 04:27, 25 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
In the UK entry to the specialist register by the GMC is by certification of the completion of training (CCT), which is awarded after registrar work for a set duration and meeting a set curriculum. Contrary to David, the exams are typically required prior to entry into a specialist training programme (apart from MRCPath, which is an exit exam). Some specialties are now introducing a knowledge-based exam prior to CCT. JFW | T@lk 07:01, 25 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
(I stand corrected) So Part 1 Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (assuming that is what it is still called) is nowdays done when? and what about completing MRCP - previously done around SHO to Registrar step up, but now that SHO/Registrar post are merged, how has this changed ? Indeed can one now gain CCT without seeking to join the relevant Royal College (in same way a GP can complete General Practice Vocational Training without opting to try and join the RCGP) ?David Ruben Talk 18:30, 25 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Part 1 is done from 18 months after qualifying, and Part 2 (Written) and PACES soon afterwards. In the past PACES could only be done after 18 months of unselected acute medical take (some people tell me this has changed). But PACES is not a prerequisite (more a desiderata) for entry into the ST3 (formerly specialist registrar) grade. In practice, one is still expected to hold PACES (i.e. full membership) by the end of ST3 as it is a marker of career progression too. JFW | T@lk 10:27, 29 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Medicine Collaboration of the Forthnight

 Thank you for your support of the Medicine Collaboration of the Week.
This week Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was selected.
Hope you can help…


NCurse work 10:03, 26 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

AIDS FAR

Wikipedia:Featured article review/AIDS has been up for over a month now; would editors please visit, discuss whether issues have been addressed, and enter a Remove or Keep declaration as appropriate? SandyGeorgia (Talk) 22:29, 26 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hemostatic agent article and Antihemorrhagics

Hemostatic agent was originally created to focus on topical antihemorrhagic products like QuikClot. It is now starting to focus on other antihemorrhagics as well. Since there is no article on antihemorrhagics, I am currently proposing that this article focus on the ATC code B02 drugs in addition to the topical products. Any input you have would be welcomed at Talk:Hemostatic agent#Focus of article. --Scott Alter 22:55, 27 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hatzfeldt Syndrome

Calling all WikiDocs... :) The above article, which has been around since November 2007 and appears quite clearly a hoax to me, is up for deletion. Any comments are welcome, as are additions or corrections over at Fuzzform's detailed critique of the article at my Talk page. Best, Fvasconcellos (t·c) 23:00, 29 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

S3 and S4 split/merge

I have proposed a split (or perhaps a merge) of the information for heart sounds S3 and S4. Discussion is at Talk:Heart sounds; please opine there. - Draeco (talk) 05:15, 30 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Help, fast

I'm going to be out all afternoon, but I put a placeholder for Coeliac disease at Wikipedia:Today's featured article/requests when an opening came up. Somebody please go over there fast and finish it. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 16:42, 30 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Celiac ganglia

Hello Residents of the Mess:

I just stumbled on the article Celiac ganglia, while using the "Random Article" "button".

I realize this is a technical matter but could there be a sentence or two or three in the article devoted to an indication in laymen's terms of what this Celiac ganglia thing is.

Perhaps, to be more specific, could there be a small section entitled: "To put that more simply" or "If you did not follow that" or "In other words" or "In plain English" or some such thing.

This section might have a sentence on the function of this body part, one on how big it is, where it is (just below the lungs and at the front), what it looks like, what would happen if a person did not have these (but only if that can be expressed simply).

Just an idea. Wanderer57 (talk) 01:04, 1 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I made some small improvements to the lead. It would be great if someone else could add to that effort. WhatamIdoing (talk) 05:02, 1 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hitlist

These have been on my list for a while, and I'm just not getting to them. If anyone knows something about these subjects, please feel free:

Thanks, WhatamIdoing (talk) 05:02, 1 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Myelofibrosis and polycythemia are on my to-do list. I know something about them. Once things in real life quiet down, I will prioritize them. MastCell Talk 16:20, 1 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks, MastCell.
I don't suppose that we have a cardiologist in the house? AV reentrant tachycardia means nothing to me. WhatamIdoing (talk) 23:11, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Well, I've done some cardiology. Ksheka (talk · contribs) (previously a prolific contributor) and MoodyGroove (talk · contribs) are cardiologists, but they are not around often. In this case, AVRT is a synonym of AV nodal reentrant tachycardia, to which I have redirected it. It is a form of supraventricular tachycardia that is sustained by "feedback-like" activity surrounding the atrioventricular node. JFW | T@lk 15:02, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Argh, obviously I mixed up AVNRT with WPW. Fixed, anyway. And I've expanded (though not sourced) the AVNRT article. JFW | T@lk 15:54, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Bot adding DOIs

Please see User talk:Smith609 for discussion of some issues. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 19:07, 1 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Sigh. I reverted the misguided bot's edit to "Lung cancer". Axl (talk) 09:09, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

DOI bot discussion at WP:AN: [1] SandyGeorgia (Talk) 03:33, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Merge suggested of Pannus and Cutis pleonasmus

So I'm looking through some stuff for one of my classes and I came across a month old proposed merge with zero discussion. The proposed merge is to move Cutis pleonasmus into Pannus. I figured I might as well let everyone else know that that had been proposed. -JPINFV (talk) 20:40, 1 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Citation style in medical journals?

What is the most widely used citation style in medical journals? Many thanks! --Phenylalanine (talk) 13:18, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals are widely followed. They require the use of the Vancouver style for citation formatting. See this summary. PubMed follows this style, though they drop any restriction on the length of author lists (et al), which is understandable since they are a database, not paper. Colin°Talk 21:27, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Many thanks! --Phenylalanine (talk) 02:57, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Peer review request for Pulmonary contusion

If someone with medical expertise could participate in Wikipedia:Peer review/Pulmonary contusion/archive1, I would be much obliged. Thanks! delldot talk 16:47, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I will lend a hand. NCurse work 18:45, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks a ton! More reviewers are of course very welcome as well. delldot on a public computer talk 00:16, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Osteotomy

There's a question at Talk:Osteotomy about whether the images are really from an osteotomy. If you know something about this, please have a look. Thanks, WhatamIdoing (talk) 20:18, 3 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Article title: "Rhythm" or "Calendar"?

There's currently discussion on the article title for the rhythm/calendar methods. "Rhythm" appears to be both used for a specific method and the most common lay term for these types of systems. The World Health Organization uses "Rhythm" for a specific method but uses the term "Calendar-based methods" when referring to them as a group, and there's a question over whether WP:MEDMOS#Naming conventions would support the WHO term. Talk:Calendar-based methods#Name change, scroll to near bottom of section. Any outside input would be appreciated. LyrlTalk C 11:29, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Content of cervical cap article

Ongoing debate over the multiple issues regarding content of cervical cap article. A previous request generated helpful opinions, but unfortunately failed to take the discussion to consensus. Current topic is content of the infobox: discussion. LyrlTalk C 11:29, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Try mediation. --Una Smith (talk) 13:42, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Request for review of articles

I have created the articles--polyclonal response and clone (cell biology), of which the former has been extensively expanded and modified. Would some one review it and make suggestions as to what more would be required to upgrade it on quality assessment scale?

Regards.

Ketan Panchal, MBBS (talk) 15:10, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

A doubt

Why the contraction of pronator quadratus produces pronation, and not supination? Think of it, unlike pronator teres, it is not attached to a more proximal fixed point like the medial border of the humerus. This muscle runs absolutely perpendicular to the radius and the ulna.

I have thought about it, and feel that when the forearm is supine, there's no further margin for supination, so the muscle acts to bring the radius closer to the ulna, and not vice versa. And, when the forearm is pronated fully, the muscle must be getting so much relaxed (consequently, also shortened) that its contraction cannot further shorten the fibers, hence no movement occurs in this position.

Well, this is just a guess. It'd be nice if someone approves of it, or corrects my ideas. Regards.

PS: I have posted the same comment on the talk page of the concerned article.

Ketan Panchal, MBBS (talk) 19:47, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Er... maybe someone closer to their gross anatomy days can answer. I've finally got the smell of formaldehyde out of my hair and clothing, and most of those details have gone with it. MastCell Talk 19:04, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Aspirin

Aspirin is a Good Article nominee, here. --Una Smith (talk) 04:53, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I'll notify WP:PHARM. They need to know. JFW | T@lk 20:51, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Diagnostic test promotion?

Oddben (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log) has added information to several articles pertaining to diagnostic tests. The edits look promotional to me, and he has also repeatedly added the same external links. I've removed the external links, but left the other edits. Can someone with more experience in this area please look at the edits of this user and determine if any of them contain useful information, or whether they should just be reverted as merely promotional? Deli nk (talk) 13:59, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Promotional and non-encylopedic. You did right by removing them. MastCell Talk 19:03, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Actually, I only removed the external links, not the rest of the information. Also, I received this reply from Oddben on my talk page, in which he explains his edits: I see that my edits are being monitored, and now I understand why. I am not employed by Phadia. My reasons for mentioning them are merely personal due to a recent exposure to them...and I noticed on investigation that they and their services are not really represented in Wikipedia (and believe me - they should be). So, I have taken it upon myself to provide an educational link-through of the afflictions that they can diagnose along with link-ups from the various afflictions to a diagnostic resource that hopefully clinicians can find and use to solve patients allergy issues more promptly. Before starting out, I typed (for example) Pepsi (etc) and concluded that the mention and link of the Phadia website to be a lot more beneficial to public wellbeing than a soft drink manufacturer that dominates the global market!
Deli nk (talk) 19:41, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Elimination diet

Do we need an article defining "elimination diet"? The closest there is now on Wikipedia is some discussion of diagnosis on Food intolerance. --Una Smith (talk) 17:03, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I will post an invite on the respective talk pages. --Una Smith (talk) 05:06, 9 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

A related issue is the respective meanings of "allergy", "sensitivity", and "intolerance". See some discussion here. --Una Smith (talk) 17:05, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]


Color code of limb leads of an Electrocardiogram

From the article Electrocardiogram I have learned that obviously the color coding of electrodes used for the limb leads is different in different countries: The coding explained in the article is different from the one used in here in Germany. Now I am wondering how widespread the color coding mentioned in the article actually is. US? UK? other English speaking countries? And how widespread are other color codings? If you know the color coding in your country or other countries, please visit Talk:Electrocardiogram#Color_code_of_limb_leads and help to fill out the table. Thanks, --Dietzel65 (talk) 07:01, 9 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Primary peritoneal cancer

We have an anon who's determined to put a badly formatted link to her(?) website in the introduction. I think I've deleted it about once a week for a month now. Unless there's an irritable admin who feels like blocking an anon or semi-protecting the page just for fun, it might be nice if several other editors could watchlist this for the next week or two. Thanks, WhatamIdoing (talk) 06:34, 9 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Semiprotected 2 weeks. Anon informed. JFW | T@lk 11:28, 9 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Epidural analgesia or anesthesia

I'd like to ask anyone interested to express their opinion on the talk page whether the article Epidural should be renamed to Epidural analgesia or Epidural anesthesia if at all. --Eleassar my talk 12:25, 9 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Onion Juice Therapy

Onion Juice Therapy comes across to me as something that is merely promotional trying to sound scientific, but I don't know enough to really tell. Anyone want to take a look? It's currently up for deletion at AFD, too. Deli nk (talk) 19:56, 9 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The article is being considered for deletion Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Onion Juice Therapy. It was speedy deleted the first time. IMO the article relies on deductive reasoning and thus WP:OR. The association of dietary phytochemicals with reduced risk of chronic diseases such as cancers is used by the creator and major contributer of article to deduce that onion juice is an effective cure for cancers. The only reliable source used is "Varietal Differences in Phenolic Content and Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Activities of Onions" The rest are Pseudoscience. I agree that quercetin may be useful but I disagree with the deductive reasoning of the article. [2] This is just my opinion in talkspace! Nk.sheridan   Talk 23:32, 9 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  1. ^ Physicians and Surgeons. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Dept of Labor. [3]
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