BioMed Critical Commentary™

_______________The Other 90% of Science_______________

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PMID: 19421193

Bos PD et al
Nature 2009 Jun 18;459(7249):1005-9
Genes that mediate breast cancer metastasis to the brain.

2 comments exist on this article.

Weakly supported claims in Abstract

Rank: 1

BioMed Crit Comm 2010; 3:2044
Posted: Jun 11, 2010 CCID: 2044
Commentator: trugrl04	Ave. score of this commentator: 2.8 for 16 scored comments.

The purpose of an Abstract is to summarize the conclusions and supportive data from the longer text. In this report, the Abstract would be quite important, owing to the article containing 4.5 pages, the Methods section, another 2 pages, and the supplemental data, another 12 pages excluding tables. The Abstract, however, is a noteworthy example of a "conclusion salad" and, as such, is nearly useless. 1) The Abstract reports having isolated cells that preferentially infiltrate the brain, but omits to state whether the isolation was from patient samples or was from a more artificial source, omits to state how it was accomplished, and omits the data supporting the conclusion. 2) Gene expression analysis of "these cells", and the expression of a gene in breast cancer cells as enhancing cellular adhesion, is reported, but the Abstract omits to mention that only one cell line, MDA-MB-231, is cited in the Methods section as having been used, and omits to mention the assay used or the controls. 3) The Abstract mentions that certain genes were identified as "mediators of cancer cell passage through the blood-brain barrier", but omits to state what type of experiment was performed to establish this conclusion and what was the supporting data. 4) The Abstract reports a conclusion that cells were studied for their passage through the blood-brain barrier, but what assay was used is unstated, and the supportive data for the conclusion is omitted here.

Ambiguity in Abstract

Rank: 2

BioMed Crit Comm 2010; 3:2043
Posted: Jun 11, 2010 CCID: 2043
Commentator: trugrl04	Ave. score of this commentator: 2.8 for 16 scored comments.

The Abstract reports having studied "cells that preferentially infiltrate the brain from patients". Given this unfortunate wording, one may wonder: How did they obtain the brain from the patients in order to test infiltration into it? How did they keep the brain viable for the duration of the study? What level of generosity towards humanity would motivate a patient to volunteer for such a study?

Key authors in this publication:

Bos PD, Foekens JA, Gerald WL, Massagué J, Nadal C, Zhang XH.

View Linked Comments	PMID: 19421193
Bos PD et al Nature 2009 Jun 18;459(7249):1005-9 Genes that mediate breast cancer metastasis to the brain.