Taking No for an Answer and Other Business Mistakes
Taking No for an Answer and Other Business Mistakes
1) The disorganization around deployment science is unacceptable.
- The average member of the public doesn't know what to think. Consuming reports on Middle East deployment exposures is confusing.
- Countries involved issue sporadic, inconsistent and conflicting reports.
- When researchers revisit the issues that started in early 1990's, they almost always contradict the reports that originally devalued further science.
- There is no roadmap forward in deployment research.
- With no planning for consistent updates, the public is left without structure and unable to anticipate.
Recognizing political and scientific frustration, we need to move forward. We must accept that earlier reports took no for an answer, forgoing the opportunity to be watchful guardians for hundreds of thousands of individuals over upcoming several decades. Obvious opportunities to be detailed in areas such as neurological, cardiovascular, and cancer health have been bypassed. We need to move on, and move on quickly.
Where can we align internationally in biological research around Middle East deployments? Animal models.
- A coordinated research response in cellular and biological insight has always been necessary for medicine.
- International coordination moves us on from those who waste time as we communicate courage, confidence and focus to the public.
- Understanding limitations, disadvantages and alternatives to animal models can align international advances.
- As in everything else around deployment science, knowledge will benefit the communities who live and migrate through these areas as well.
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3) Animal model strategies as the ignition.
The international community can focus on specific recommendations from the United States working groups around GWI, and the international community can enhance international efforts in TBI science for the 19+ years of deployments since 9/11.
There is an advantage to global health oversight in this research realm. Global health oversight provides consensus in transitions from animal to alternative models, and global health oversight provides clarity in current animal model direction.
Global health oversight assures that funding is not wasted, animals are not tortured and science is not haphazard with animal model use. There is no better time than now; there is no better ignition than of deployment science.
a. Align qualified prospects of animal model
recommendations. Relevant to Gulf War exposures of chemicals
and other stressors, animal models have demonstrated alterations in nervous
system outcomes (behavior, cognition, neurotransmission, intracellular
signaling, molecular and cellular disruptions of axonal transport); liver and
cardiovascular function; genomic, proteomic, lipidomic and metabolomic
profiles, and mitochondrial changes. Where is this in country report
acknowledgement, detailing individual research institution participation?
b. Advance recommendations for long term studies; animal models for
prolonged, chronic and compounded exposures. What is the strategic movement on
mathematical model consensus for this?
c. Partner for specialty recommendations. In example, evaluation of immune
parameters in animal models, with a special emphasis to Gulf War exposures, is recommended. Where
are the specialty medicine partnerships to steer this consensus?
d. Coordinate biomarker science. Recommendations including using animal models
for biomarkers. Where is the funding to assist this roadmap, or move the
roadmap off imperfect animal science? “Animal research to identify
biomarkers indicative of past exposures to Gulf War-related toxic compounds
that can be applied to Gulf War veterans is important. This includes studies
that identify persistent or “downstream” changes in biochemical processes and
those that identify persistent changes in the central nervous system and in
autonomic function associated with Gulf War-related exposures and conditions. Exploratory
biomarker research in animal models that assesses genomic, genetic, epigenetic,
proteomic, metabolomic and lipidomic pathways of exposure effect may also be
informative.”
e. Formalize draft plans and have the international community hold all accountabile. The United States VA 2012-2016 draft plans indicate that animal model research could include: sensitive indices of
neuropathology used in contemporary neuroscience (degeneration stains, glial activation
stains, myelin stains), neuroinflammatory processes associated with glial
activation in the central nervous system, autonomic nervous system pathology
and function, systemic immune parameters, with an emphasis on those parameters
that sensitize ill veterans to chronic multisymptom illness, and sensitive
indicators of altered hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function. Where is
the international research community consensus on this movement, with funding
from medical specialties as networks?
f. Be responsible for the past. From 2014, the Congressionally Directed Medical
Research Program (CDMRP): the Gulf War Illness Research Program (GWIRP) funded
57 projects, 18 treatment studies and 7 preclinical animal model studies. Where was the international
community in alignment on these 7 studies, and where was the greater healthcare
industry participation?
g. Involve. What is the timeline for involving research
institutions located in Middle East territories?
h. Advance into therapeutics. Animal models are recommended for rapid
screening of potential therapies for those affected by Gulf War illness. What
is the strategic fast-track plan, including statistical strategy, optimal trial
design and methodology at time of application and contracted epidemiologist
oversight?
i. Incorporate current exposures and injuries. Animal models used for traumatic brain injury
science remain without clear agenda, and as imperfect science. In the meantime,
the deployed individuals continue to experience TBI without scientific support
at the cellular and biological level. To avoid waste, suffering and
disorganized discord, and to advance overall prevention and treatment for TBI, will
there be an international health oversight in TBI and animal models?
j. Be honest. Animal models are not humans, and the
limitations are serious. This remains a continued issue for scientists. What is
the international plan for aligned funding, data sharing and advancement? A
perfect start would be in deployment science initiative.Breakthroughs in deployment science will rapidly advance with alternatives to animal models, let's get honest.
k. Do better. Reports indicate there is no one animal model
recognized as a gold standard for deployment science. When will the international
community work with up-and-coming human virtual modeling, specifically for the
brain, and when will the international community work with innovations in chip
science? What is the timeline for greater health research integration of deployment
science that involves non-animal models?
l. Open up. TBI affects our deployed population, and yet the
science around it remains private. Why is this acceptable?
m. Use common sense. Everyone involved in these conflicts remains
young, and young at heart. Why are we not following and responding to cancer
trajectories for the deployed, cohesively?
A strategic roadmap that starts with animal model consensus for
deployment science is non-biased, adds massive value to all of biomedical
science and we’re not peppering people with the ridiculous refrain of “we’re
not sure if and how deployment exposure affected health”.
When groups of the population are sent in to resolve and
prevent catastrophic conflict, catastrophic things may happen to them. So, we work
toward successful improvement. What else do you do?
Refs running the game:
Examples of clear inconsistencies between peer countries:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/gulf-veterans-illnesses
https://www.va.gov/RAC-GWVI/RACReport2014Final.pdf
https://www.va.gov/RAC-GWVI/VA_draft_strategic_plan.pdf
Examples of update-seeking in GWI outside of US:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1569618/
Examples of structure-seeking around TBI:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/joim.12909
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/jnr.24079
Examples of TBI science not available to the public:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12035-018-1454-5
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S002013831000224X
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