Last data update: May 06, 2024. (Total: 46732 publications since 2009)
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Query Trace: Sowell A[original query] |
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Scientific document review at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: The CLEAR approach
Iskander JK , Calugar A , Peavy RD , Sowell A . Am J Public Health 2017 107 (6) 858-859 Scientists at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publish an average of 50 peer-reviewed articles per week,1 in addition to numerous other widely disseminated materials. Review of scientific content at CDC is a key process by which the agency maintains high scientific standards. Formal CDC review processes, referred to as clearance, recently have come under scrutiny2 but have been upheld as crucial to maintaining the agency’s scientific reputation.3 | To help this process, particularly for short-term midcareer fellowships at CDC beginning in 2012, a review framework was developed empirically following the review of hundreds of scientific articles and incorporated into the curriculum. To facilitate its assimilation, the framework was captured in the mnemonic CLEAR, standing for Clarity, Logic, Ethics, Agency, and Relevance. This novel approach provides insight into the scientific review process at CDC, but also could be applied more broadly to improve the quality of public health science. | Our framework includes a three-level comment structure (Table 1) that prioritizes comments for author response. The most important distinction is between comments that require action by the author to correct errors of fact or policy misstatements (level 1) and comments intended to improve clarity or editorial changes (levels 2 and 3), for which the author has some discretion in responding. Use of the three-level comment system allows reviewers to refine their reviewing style and focus on communicating level 1 issues to the author. |
Circulating carotenoids and risk of breast cancer: pooled analysis of eight prospective studies
Eliassen AH , Hendrickson SJ , Brinton LA , Buring JE , Campos H , Dai Q , Dorgan JF , Franke AA , Gao YT , Goodman MT , Hallmans G , Helzlsouer KJ , Hoffman-Bolton J , Hulten K , Sesso HD , Sowell AL , Tamimi RM , Toniolo P , Wilkens LR , Winkvist A , Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A , Zheng W , Hankinson SE . J Natl Cancer Inst 2012 104 (24) 1905-16 BACKGROUND: Carotenoids, micronutrients in fruits and vegetables, may reduce breast cancer risk. Most, but not all, past studies of circulating carotenoids and breast cancer have found an inverse association with at least one carotenoid, although the specific carotenoid has varied across studies. METHODS: We conducted a pooled analysis of eight cohort studies comprising more than 80% of the world's published prospective data on plasma or serum carotenoids and breast cancer, including 3055 case subjects and 3956 matched control subjects. To account for laboratory differences and examine population differences across studies, we recalibrated participant carotenoid levels to a common standard by reassaying 20 plasma or serum samples from each cohort together at the same laboratory. Using conditional logistic regression, adjusting for several breast cancer risk factors, we calculated relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using quintiles defined among the control subjects from all studies. All P values are two-sided. RESULTS: Statistically significant inverse associations with breast cancer were observed for alpha-carotene (top vs bottom quintile RR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.71 to 1.05, Ptrend = .04), beta-carotene (RR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.70 to 0.98, Ptrend = .02), lutein+zeaxanthin (RR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.70 to 1.01, Ptrend = .05), lycopene (RR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.62 to 0.99, Ptrend = .02), and total carotenoids (RR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.68 to 0.96, Ptrend = .01). beta-Cryptoxanthin was not statistically significantly associated with risk. Tests for heterogeneity across studies were not statistically significant. For several carotenoids, associations appeared stronger for estrogen receptor negative (ER(-)) than for ER(+) tumors (eg, beta-carotene: ER(-): top vs bottom quintile RR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.36 to 0.77, Ptrend = .001; ER(+): RR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.66 to 1.04, Ptrend = .06; Pheterogeneity = .01). CONCLUSIONS: This comprehensive prospective analysis suggests women with higher circulating levels of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein+zeaxanthin, lycopene, and total carotenoids may be at reduced risk of breast cancer. |
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