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This article was nominated for deletion on 26 June 2006. The result of the discussion was keep.

Untitled

This is the content of UCLA's press release on January 11, 2008, available at http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-headlines-jan-11-2008-43001.aspx, which is the UCLA Newsroom site, accessed on January 12, 2008: New Drug May Help Combat Alzheimer’s Research by Dr. Edward Tobinick, assistant clinical professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, on a new drug that may help reverse some of the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease was featured Thursday by FOX News, BBC News, Bloomberg, the Times Online (U.K.), the Daily Telegraph (U.K.) and Asian News International and Wednesday by United Press International. Tobinick was quoted in the Bloomberg article. The previous edit was erroneous.Tnfinfo (talk) 22:52, 13 January 2008 (UTC)TNFinfo.

THis articles current state is appallingly bad. Midgley 12:56, 5 July 2006 (UTC)

Regarding: "He is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and in full-time private practice." Although Tobinick's PR material claims that he is affiliated with UCLA, his name does not turn up during a search of the faculty roster at the David Geffen School of Medicine: http://dgsom.healthsciences.ucla.edu/research/institution/search-faculty/. -AED 08:08, 22 July 2006 (UTC)

AED has searched the wrong database. Dr. Tobinick is listed as a member of the UCLA Clinical Faculty in the UCLA Department of Medicine's Clinical Faculty database at: http://www.clinfac.med.ucla.edu//. -tnfinfo 13:37 EDT, 22 July 2006 (UTC)

Not my fault that the proper link was not originally provided. Per Misplaced Pages:Citing sources, whomever made the assertion should have cited it properly in the first place. -AED 18:12, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

Regarding: "For these novel treatment methods he has been issued multiple U.S. patents, including 6,015,557 (Tumor necrosis factor antagonists for the treatment of neurological disorders) ; 6,177,077 ; 6,419,934 ; and 6,982,089 ." This is poorly written and needs to be clarified. In context of the article, the antecedent of "these novel treatment methods" appears to be patents 6,982,089 and 6,419,934; therfore, the article reads as though he has been issued multiple U.S. patents because he was issued other patents. -AED 05:48, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

Please address this comment or the statement will be removed. -AED 18:12, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

"These novel treatment methods" refers to anti-TNF treatment for neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's Disease, and anti-TNF treatment of influenza, with or without the addition of oseltamivir, and all three patent references are therefore appropriate (this addresses the comments immediately above and below) -tnfinfo 18:30 EDT, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, but it still doesn't make sense. If "these novel treatment methods" refers to patents X and Y, then the sentence read as such: "For patents X and Y he has been issued multiple U.S. patents, including patents A, B, C, and D." -AED 22:49, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

If one reads the patents carefully, it will be apparent that the claims overlap, and, therefore, the wording as used makes sense. For example, the 6,015,557 patent claims anti-TNF treatment for neurological disorders; the 6,177,077 patent specifically claims anti-TNF treatment of Alzheimer's Disease, and the 6,419,934 patent claims anti-TNF treatment of myasthenia gravis, both of which are subsets of the larger universe of neurological disorders which are amenable to treatment with biological anti-TNF molecules, such as etanercept, the specific concept which was originated by the patent holder. Thank you for pointing out the link, which has been corrected. -tnfinfo 19:30 EDT, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

AED's changes have again required rewording due to his apparent bias. For example his wording "his website claims that the patented methods are original concepts" is unnecessary and improperly demeaning, since claims which are patented are a priori original, since novelty (originality) is a necessary prerequisite to obtain a patent. . -tnfinfo 08:26 EDT, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

Cease with the personal attacks. If you think my edits are improper or changes are necessary, then make them. Perhaps you should read Misplaced Pages:Autobiography prior to leveling charges of bias. -AED 18:12, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

Regarding: "In addition, he originated the concept of the potential utility of etanercept, alone or in combination with oseltamivir for treatment of influenza (U.S. patent 6,419,934, filed September 5, 2000 ), including H5N1 influenza (avian flu)." The citation for this statement does not refer to oseltamivir or influenza. The proper link needs to be supplied. -AED 18:29, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for correcting the link. First of all, United States Patent 6,419,934 mentions influenza but not specifically "H5N1" or "avian flu". I don't doubt that the patent covers this, but as written it suggests that he had the uncanny ability to foresee way back in 2000 that H5N1 would be a problem in 2003. His letter to the editor regarding SARS does mention avian influenza but again it was written after well after the outbreak. -AED 23:16, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

Adding a medref template to the page?

This article is ostensibly the Bio page of Edward Tonbinick, however the vast majority of the subject matter covered on the page involve that of pharmacological trials, most of them unsourced or poorly sourced. Per. the WP:BLP guidelines any unsourced or poorly sourced claim should be deleted immediately. That would be the vast majority of this article. However, most of the claims are not personal in nature (in fact the majority of papers cited do not pertain to Dr. Tobinick at all), and seem to rather fall in under WP:MEDRS. I consider this a medical, rather than biographical page, in which case WP:MEDPRI and WP:EXCEPTIONAL apply (see also WP:SCIRS). There are clear guidelines as to what constitutes appropriate WP:MEDRS sourcing, and this article fails to live up to it.

Unless medical claims are sourced appropriately according to WP:MEDPRI, or the claims are removed from the BLP page, i propose adding a Medref template until such times as claims are sourced appropriately.

--SwampRaccoon (talk) 16:46, 25 July 2014 (UTC)

I agree, I think the Medref is warranted.

Proper Stranger (talk) 19:49, 25 July 2014 (UTC)

"Disiplinary Action"

Is it possible to get consensus on the "Disiplinary Action" section? The information is factually correct, does the fact that it comes from someone with potential bias make it unusable?

I also found a citation for it on the website of the California Medical Board itself: http://www2.mbc.ca.gov/PDL/Image.aspx. But since that includes an address, I am not sure if it's allowed.

Proper Stranger (talk) 21:03, 5 August 2014 (UTC)

Original source for disciplinary action?

Perhaps a link to the Medical Board of California's Newsletters (PDFs) would be a more objective reference for information on disciplinary action?

2007 newsletter

2007 Hot Sheet

Unvandalizor (talk) 17:17, 6 August 2014 (UTC)

"Newsletter - summary inaccurate and misleading"

No suspension, stayed. No admissions, no findings of guilt. Settlement agreed to by the Medical Board of California. No mention Board cited mitigating circumstances: "Published, peer reviewed scientific studies since May, 2002, have provided evidence that perispinal etanercept is effective for treatment of disk related pain." No mention “ordered by the Medical Board of California...Certificate be fully restored to clear status….” Rjwrjw100 (talk) 11:24, 8 August 2014 (UTC)

Peer-reviewed author, his work controversial, randomized double-blind placebo studies in support of his work removed.

The author is his work. Edits remove four randomized double-blind placebo studies that support Dr. Tobinick's invention of etanercept for disk pain relief, and one randomized double-blind placebo study that supports Dr. Tobinick's invention of etanercept for Alzheimer’s Disease:

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-response, and preclinical safety study of transforaminal epidural etanercept for the treatment of sciatica. Cohen SP, Bogduk N, Dragovich A, Buckenmaier CC 3rd, Griffith S, Kurihara C, et al. Anesthesiology. 2009;110(5):1116–26. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=cohen+transforaminal+etanercept

Epidural administration of spinal nerves with the tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor, etanercept, compared with dexamethasone for treatment of sciatica in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis: a prospective randomized study. Ohtori S, Miyagi M, Eguchi Y, Inoue G, Orita S, Ochiai N, et al. Spine (Phila Pa 1976).2012;37(6):439–44. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=ohtori+dexamethasone+etanercept

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, trial of transforaminal epidural etanercept for the treatment of symptomatic lumbar disc herniation. Freeman BJ, Ludbrook GL, Hall S, Cousins M, Mitchell B, Jaros M, et al. Spine (Phila Pa 1976).2013;38(23):1986–94. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=freeman+transforaminal+etanercept

Sainoh T, Orita S, Yamauchi K, Suzuki M, Sakuma Y, Kubota G, et al. Intradiscal administration of tumor necrosis factoralpha inhibitor, etanercept, clinically improves intractable discogenic low back pain: a prospective randomized study. In: International society for the study of the lumbar spine 40th annual meeting; Scottsdale (AZ); 2013. http://www.issls.org/wp-content/themes/isslsweb/issls_pdf/oral%20and%20special%20posters.pdf

Dr. Tobinick's invention of etanercept for Alzheimer's Disease is supported in a recent double-blind placebo trial at the University of Southampton in the UK:

Arthritis Drug Shown to Slow Alzheimer’s Down http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-07-arthritis-drug-shown-alzheimer.html Rjwrjw100 (talk) 11:27, 8 August 2014 (UTC)

discussion

Rjwrjw100, Misplaced Pages is a collaborative effort, please enter into a discussion here, putting forth your reasons, so that the issues can be resolved. I would like the opportunity to get other editors' opinions.

Proper Stranger (talk) — Preceding undated comment added 16:31, 8 August 2014

Proper Stranger, thank you for your invitation to enter the discussion. I, too, would like to resolve the issues.

Specifically, I would like to discuss the two edits you made on August 8, 2014. I believe they lack a Neutral Point of View (NPOV).

Proper Stranger, NPOV is the second of the Five Pillars of Misplaced Pages. It is a critical function of Misplaced Pages to present fairly all points of view. Anything less than NPOV is misleading, unfair to the Misplaced Pages community, and not the Misplaced Pages Way.

Your two edits of 8 August 2014 fail the NPOV standard for Misplaced Pages, and should be removed.

In your edit 16:27, 8 August 2014, you removed positive Random Controlled Trials supporting the doctor’s work. Yet you left other studies.

Proper Stranger, why have you cherry picked the evidence, and just removed the positive trial results? On what basis do you omit some of the studies, and not others?

NPOV requires that you represent “fairly, proportionately, and, as far as possible, without bias, ALL of the significant views.” (emphasis mine).

A scientific and objective way to discuss the doctor’s inventions is to list a complete set of evidence. Include all the observational studies and clinical trials, for those of us who want to have an objective and honest discussion.

Selectively removing only the positive trials is not impartial; it is not Misplaced Pages neutral point of view.

Your edit time-stamped 16:26, 8 August 2014, is with regard to a section you previously inserted entitled, “Disciplinary Action.”

This section also lacks a fair and balanced presentation. It does not present ALL the significant points. It is not NPOV.

You claim your newsletter source is “an accurate representation”. I am shocked. It is a one-paragraph summary of a 21-page Order; a summary by definition being incomplete, and non-comprehensive. On the Talk page you were clearly aware of the original document.

Why do you prefer a secondary source to the primary source? The secondary source fails verifiability (V) when the original document, titled, “Stipulated Settlement and Disciplinary Order”, is publicly available online.

You failed to note the Board conceded Circumstances in Mitigation: "Published, peer reviewed scientific studies since May, 2002, have provided evidence that perispinal etanercept is effective for treatment of disk related pain."

I posted the above quote on this Talk page before you made your edit. You did not include it in your edit. You were clearly aware of the original document. Yet your presentation did not include both sides. Why were you were selective? Why did you present only part of the evidence? Your presentation did not include all sides, and was therefore not impartial (NPOV).

You failed to note that although there was an accusation, the parties agreed to a stipulated settlement, and therefore there were no findings by the adjudicatory body.

You failed to note the Stipulated Settlement makes it clear probation was successfully completed, and therefore no suspension was applied.

Lastly, you ignored that the Medical Board of California issued an Order Restoring License to Clear Status: “ordered by the Medical Board of California...Certificate be fully restored to clear status….”

Proper Stranger, NPOV is critical to Misplaced Pages. It is imperative to present fairly all points of view. Anything less is misleading, and unfair to the Misplaced Pages community.

Alzheimer’s Disease is a scourge to humanity, a pandemic of world proportions. It is critical to present these issues fairly, to the readers so concerned with treatments for these neurological disorders. Rjwrjw100 (talk) 13:01, 10 August 2014 (UTC)

Protected edit request on 10 August 2014

This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= or |ans= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

Please revert the protected page to the protected version from August 4, 2014.

The current protected page contains two recent edits by User: Proper Stranger that are in violation of NPOV. As noted on the Talk page, Proper Stranger cherry picked evidence. He removed positive clinical trial results, while leaving other results in. The results of his edits do not present all the significant points of view. His edits fail to conform to Misplaced Pages NPOV standards.

The doctor’s work with etanercept is an issue of public importance. It is unconscionable that evidence was removed, that all significant views are not presented.

The page without all the evidence should not be the protected page.

If this request to revert the protected page to the protected version from August 4, 2014, is denied, please unprotect the page to allow proper editing that observes NPOV. Proper Stranger’s edits of 8 August 2014, included in the current protected version, fail the NPOV standard.

Thank you. ThirtyCat (talk) 14:26, 10 August 2014 (UTC)

Not done: I don't think it's fair to characterise the edits in question as " positive clinical trial results, while leaving other results in". Proper Stranger's rationale for removing the information was that it wasn't relevant to the article's topic. This is fair enough, as this article is a biography of Tobinick; detailed information on the clinical trials of etanercept would probably be better off in the Etanercept article. This falls into the realm of content disputes, and we resolve content disputes by building consensus, and where necessary, undergoing dispute resolution. So reverting at this point would be premature. Best — Mr. Stradivarius 15:02, 10 August 2014 (UTC)

Mr. Stradivarius, I respectfully disagree. The Johns Hopkins and Walter Reed Army Medical Center study that reported unfavorable results was left in, while five positive randomized clinical trials were removed (Cohen, Freeman, Ohtori, Sainoh, Sedger). Why was the unfavorable trial left in? Why is IT relevant to the article’s topic, and the other positive trials not so?! This is cherry picked, biased editing, not NPOV. As the article stands now it misinforms, it misleads, because NPOV is not being enforced. ALL the information, good or bad, needs to be presented with NPOV. Otherwise one of the Five Pillars of Misplaced Pages is being tossed aside. ThirtyCat (talk) 16:53, 10 August 2014 (UTC)

My response:

Another important aspect of Misplaced Pages is to assume good faith. The reason that I left in the Johns Hopkins cite was simply an oversight. My intention was to remove all references to papers on which Tobinick was not an author. In looking through them, I missed that one, it's as simple as that. If we can agree that the only papers that belong on a page about Edward Tobinick are papers of which he is an author, I'll be happy to remove that one. I'm hesitant to just make that edit without consensus since this page has been edited and reverted too many times recently, so I'm asking for agreement on that point first.

As for the disciplinary action, the newsletter can reasonably be considered a secondary source (a newsletter is similar to a newspaper, there is some amount of editorial oversight, it is likely that in an organization like the medical board the newsletter would be written by people unconnected with actual decisions, etc.). The Misplaced Pages preference is for secondary sources. If you recall the history of this particular section, My first attempt included much of the information that you are now saying ought to be included. You reverted that on the grounds that the source I cited was biased, even though it was very clear that the information presented was thorough and accurate (that CaseWatch page, if you look at it, includes a copy of the actual decision, so you can easily fact-check it). You reverted it a second time on the grounds that it was a paraphrase. So, taking your own reasons for those reverts into account, my latest attempt cited an unbiased source and quoted it exactly. Now you are complaining that the reference should include information that you yourself earlier reverted. I will be happy to put back the more complete information if you will allow the CaseWatch site to be cited. The disciplinary action DID happen, it is part of Tobinick's history, I believe it belongs on his page; to leave it out would be inaccurate by way of omission. Is there some way that we can come to an agreement as to how to include it?

As for this comment, "Alzheimer’s Disease is a scourge to humanity, a pandemic of world proportions. It is critical to present these issues fairly," I agree with it. However, THIS page is not about Alzheimer's Disease nor is it about entanercept. It is not the proper place for general information about either.

Proper Stranger (talk) 21:53, 10 August 2014 (UTC)

A Response to Mr. Stradivarius

Mr. Stradivarius, I must beg to differ, specifically with two of the points you discuss.

Your suggestion that “detailed information on the clinical trials of etanercept would probably be better off in the Etanercept article” does not describe an issue with this biography. There has been no detailed information on the clinical trials discussed on this page.

This is the biography of a physician who is the inventor of new methods of treatment for neurological disorders. The inventions are why the doctor is notable. You can’t separate the doctor and his inventions. The inventions belong on the page.

While there have been no detailed discussions of clinical trials in this article, note of all trials and news stories should be listed, as they represent the response to these inventions. It is the comprehensive and objective listing that readers want, and expect. It is not NPOV to cherry pick which trials or news stories are included, as Proper Stranger has done.

How is the recent Daily Mail (UK) (this article having been removed by Proper Stranger), “Arthritis drug could also halt Alzheimer's: Treatment found to stop progression of memory loss and poor mood” article not relevant to the topic? The doctor’s invention for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease, first reported in 2006, has again been reported on by a major London newspaper, its efficacy being confirmed by a randomized clinical trial. This is not detailed information of a clinical trial that belongs on another page. This is news of the results of a randomized clinical trial, from a major news source, confirming the efficacy of a new method of treatment by the inventor. This is exactly the subject of this article.

The doctor is the holder of the following patents for his inventions: U.S. patents 6419944, 6537549, 7214658, 7629311, 8119127, and 8236306, and Australian patent 758,523. The reporting of all trials and news stories relative to these invented new methods of treatment is exactly the kind of comprehensive, objective evidence the reader wants and deserves, and which is required by NPOV.

Intractable spinal pain is a major public health problem around the world. This page discusses a doctor and his new methods of treatment for this health problem. Is there evidence of the efficacy of these inventions? Yes, there is. Four randomized clinical trials (their listings removed by Proper Stranger) report on the efficacy of these treatments.

Proper Stranger removed the listing of trials and news stories that speak to the efficacy of these inventions. He did not remove detailed discussions of the trials themselves, which he argues belong on another page. But mentions of the results of these trials, as a reflection of the inventions, belong on this page. And they must not be selectively edited out.

Regarding your statement that you “don’t think it’s fair to characterize the edits in question as “ positive clinical trial results, while leaving other results in.”” I can’t help but think that’s exactly what was done. Why leave a trial with unfavorable results (Johns Hopkins Walter Reed), but remove the positive trials? Why does the unfavorable trial remain? How is it different?! If the stated purpose is to remove what is relevant to the article’s topic, how is this trial more relevant to the topic than the positive trials? The selective removal of positive trial results appears to be simply because they were positive. This is not NPOV.

The cherry picked version of this article, as edited by Proper Stranger, should not be allowed to mislead and misinform readers for a minute more. Please revert this page to the protected version of 4 August 2014.

Thank you. Rjwrjw100 (talk) 22:15, 10 August 2014 (UTC)

response:

Rjwrjw100, as I said, leaving the Johns Hopkins trial was a mistake on my part, it was not intentional. Let's remove it, agreed?

And I again maintain that including papers on a bio page where the subject of the page is not among the authors of the paper is just not appropriate. Unless, perhaps, the papers specifically talk about the subject (in this case Tobinick) as a person, as opposed to simply being a trial of something that relates to the subject.

Also, what about the disciplinary action section? If you are ok with using the CaseWatch page as the source, we can include all of the additional information that you believe was missing from the medical board newsletter.

Proper Stranger (talk) 00:29, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

discussion

Rjwrjw100, I would still like to have a discussion. I will remove the Johns Hopkins trial as soon as the protection is lifted. Do you agree then that papers not authored by Tobinick will remain off the page? Can we cite the CaseWatch page about the disciplinary action and include complete information? Proper Stranger (talk) 01:23, 17 August 2014 (UTC)

Response

Proper Stranger, the Disciplinary Action section is inappropriate, WP:BLPPRIMARY. “Do not use trial transcripts and other court records, or other public documents, to support assertions about a living person.”

A brief description of all randomized clinical trials and studies relevant to these inventions of new methods of treatment is warranted. These are not In-depth discussions. Likewise, articles relevant to these inventions, no matter the author, belong here, too. Rjwrjw100 (talk) 11:34, 24 August 2014 (UTC)

NPOV

This article is making medical claims based on primary sources. Fixed some of the issues but their are more. Doc James (talk · contribs · email) (if I write on your page reply on mine) 03:50, 17 September 2014 (UTC)

“Editors must take particular care when writing biographical material about living persons. Contentious material about a living person that is unsourced or poorly sourced should be removed immediately.”

1. Source article utilized by Proper Stranger is improper and violates WP:BLP and WP:RS. As but one of several factually false allegations is the article’s quote, “I can tell you this stuff is nonsense”. This statement is false and defamatory in light of four favorable randomized clinical trials of etanercept for these disorders that have been reported since this article, thereby negating the article’s statement that “this stuff is nonsense. The source is outdated. See Scientific References(1-4) below; etc.
2. The source article, reference 18, used by Proper Stranger, is additionally inaccurate; factually false; falsely defamatory, and omits important material facts. The example above is but one of multiple examples, but this is sufficient to require its immediate removal as per WP:BLP, WP:V, and WP:RS: “Editors must take particular care when writing biographical material about living persons. Contentious material about a living person that is unsourced or poorly sourced should be removed immediately.”

References

1. Freeman BJ, Ludbrook GL, Hall S, Cousins M, Mitchell B, Jaros M, et al. Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled, Trial of Transforaminal Epidural Etanercept for the Treatment of Symptomatic Lumbar Disc Herniation. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2013;38(23):1986-94. Epub 2013/10/30.
2. Holmes C, Butchart J, Wolfe L, Davies L, Dodge S, Lewsey I, et al. The Safety and Tolerability of Etanercept in Alzheimer's Disease (STEADI-09): a phase II double blind randomised placebo controlled trial. 2014 Alzheimer's Association International Conference; 16 July 2014; Copenhagen, Denmark2014.
3. Ohtori S, Miyagi M, Eguchi Y, Inoue G, Orita S, Ochiai N, et al. Epidural administration of spinal nerves with the tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor, etanercept, compared with dexamethasone for treatment of sciatica in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis: a prospective randomized study. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2012;37(6):439-44. Epub 2011/10/25.
4. Sainoh T, Orita S, Yamauchi K, Suzuki M, Sakuma Y, Kubota G, et al. Intradiscal Administration of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Inhibitor, Etanercept, Clinically Improves Intractable Discogenic Low Back Pain. Global Spine J. 2014;04(st3.06).

Rjwrjw100 (talk) 00:24, 18 September 2014 (UTC)

New methods of treatment of neurological disorders

Jmh649, aka Doc James, aka James Heilman MD is a “Canadian ER doc”. You have made many changes to the page, including your 03:54, 17 September revision when you replaced the word “new” with the word “potential” so that the lead sentence to the article read: “Edward Lewis Tobinick is an American physician who is the inventor of potential methods of treatment of neurological disorders.” Your edit is incorrect, in that it implies that there is not published, peer-reviewed evidence that etanercept is effective for any neurological disorder. See Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of “potential”: 1. Existing in possibility: capable of development into actuality i.e. potential benefits; 2. Expressing possibility. This definition denies the existence of published peer-reviewed evidence. As detailed in References 1-4 below, and as detailed in the scientific publications of Tobinick and colleagues and others (see http://www.tobinick.com/tnf-brain-syndrome/ ; http://www.tobinick.com/tobinick-scientific-publications/ ) there exists reliable, published, peer-reviewed scientific studies, including double-blind, randomized studies that negate Heilman’s false imputation. Tobinick has indeed invented new, innovative, patented (e.g. U.S. patents 6,419,944; 6,537,549; 6,982,089, etc.) methods of treatment utilizing etanercept for treatment of neurological disorders. Dr. Heilman, please be advised that this is not simply a typical article about a simple medical topic. This is an article about a living human, and WP:BLP gives specific guidance, as follows: “Editors must take particular care when adding information about living persons to any Misplaced Pages page. Such material requires a high degree of sensitivity, and must adhere strictly to all applicable laws in the United States, to this policy, and to Misplaced Pages's three core content policies…. the possibility of harm to living subjects must always be considered when exercising editorial judgment.” In addition, etanercept is being utilized for indications with significant unmet medical need. Please edit accordingly.

References

1. Freeman BJ, Ludbrook GL, Hall S, Cousins M, Mitchell B, Jaros M, et al. Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled, Trial of Transforaminal Epidural Etanercept for the Treatment of Symptomatic Lumbar Disc Herniation. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2013;38(23):1986-94. Epub 2013/10/30.
2. Holmes C, Butchart J, Wolfe L, Davies L, Dodge S, Lewsey I, et al. The Safety and Tolerability of Etanercept in Alzheimer's Disease (STEADI-09): a phase II double blind randomised placebo controlled trial. 2014 Alzheimer's Association International Conference; 16 July 2014; Copenhagen, Denmark2014.
3. Ohtori S, Miyagi M, Eguchi Y, Inoue G, Orita S, Ochiai N, et al. Epidural administration of spinal nerves with the tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor, etanercept, compared with dexamethasone for treatment of sciatica in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis: a prospective randomized study. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2012;37(6):439-44. Epub 2011/10/25.
4. Sainoh T, Orita S, Yamauchi K, Suzuki M, Sakuma Y, Kubota G, et al. Intradiscal Administration of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Inhibitor, Etanercept, Clinically Improves Intractable Discogenic Low Back Pain. Global Spine J. 2014;04(st3.06).

Rjwrjw100 (talk) 01:00, 18 September 2014 (UTC)

We do not use primary sources to make medical claims per WP:MEDRS Doc James (talk · contribs · email) (if I write on your page reply on mine) 01:27, 18 September 2014 (UTC)

With respect to make more definitive claims rather than stating “potential”, would like to see inclusive in a major medical guideline, approval by the FDA or a positive Cochrane review. Best Doc James (talk · contribs · email) (if I write on your page reply on mine) 01:50, 18 September 2014 (UTC)

Lead sentence

Have changed the lead sentence to "Edward Lewis Tobinick is an American physician who is known for the study and promotion of etanercept as a potential treatment for neurological disorders." What are peoples thoughts? Doc James (talk · contribs · email) (if I write on your page reply on mine) 01:47, 18 September 2014 (UTC)

The lead sentence should be restored to: Edward Lewis Tobinick is an American physician who is the inventor of new methods of treatment of neurological disorders. This is evident from many secondary sources, as well as high quality literature reviews, as per WP:MEDRS. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Horseman49 (talk • contribs) 03:58, 18 September 2014 (UTC)

High quality secondary sources? You mean like a Cochrane review? Or position statement by a major medical organizations? --Doc James (talk · contribs · email) (if I write on your page reply on mine) 07:54, 18 September 2014 (UTC)

I don't think the first sentence currently looks good because it cites scientific journal articles for a biographical summary. So to me it reads as original research because it lacks WP:Text-source integrity. That said, it could be that other sources (I haven't read them) say as much. Biosthmors (talk) pls notify me (i.e. {{U}}) while signing a reply, thx 14:57, 18 September 2014 (UTC)

Agree those sources never supported the first sentence thus removed. Doc James (talk · contribs · email) (if I write on your page reply on mine) 04:56, 19 September 2014 (UTC)

Removed list of "scientific publications"

Misplaced Pages is not a dumping ground for lists of articles people happen to have written. Search engines can be used to get that kind of thing; it is not encyclopedic. Alexbrn 03:53, 18 September 2014 (UTC)

Neutrality

I have made an edit to the page to remove the description of Tobinick's legal action as an "attack". My general concern is that this article simply adopts the critical tone of Novella of Science Based Medicine. I have tagged the article as needing neutrality work. Biosthmors (talk) pls notify me (i.e. {{U}}) while signing a reply, thx 20:13, 18 September 2014 (UTC)

On neutrality, what specificially needs now to be done? Alexbrn 20:30, 18 September 2014 (UTC)

As I allude to/mention above, I think the first sentence is off/misleading and lacks WP:INTEGRITY by citing those two academic papers. And the second sentence is concerning as well. I'm not sure if we should be using the "rather than" construction. Taken together, the first two sentences look juxtaposed to debunk the reliability of the individual, which doesn't seem appropriate. I also think it's likely we're giving undue weight to the Science Based Medicine coverage, which is highly critical of the subject. Biosthmors (talk) pls notify me (i.e. {{U}}) while signing a reply, thx 20:56, 18 September 2014 (UTC)

Trimmed the bit that he is not a neurologist. Anything further? Doc James (talk · contribs · email) (if I write on your page reply on mine) 23:19, 18 September 2014 (UTC)

Following Misplaced Pages Core Principles

Jmh649, aka James Heilman, MD, has edited this “biographical page”, (http://en.wikipedia.org/Edward_Tobinick), more than 20 times, since 2:55, 17 September 2014. His most recent edit, as of this writing, is 5:45, 18 September 2014. That is more than 20 edits in approximately 27 hours.

Jmh649 edits with a negative tone (see 5:45, 18 September 2014). He removes arguments, rather than fairly explaining both sides. He uses improper sources. He has not participated on the Talk page. He has taken an informed, well-researched biography, and reduced it to a critical, negative, one-sided, poorly sourced diatribe.

Biographies of Living Persons “must be written with the greatest care and attention to verifiability, neutrality, and avoidance of original research.” (WP:BLP) They “must not take sides, but should explain the sides, fairly and without bias. This applies to both what you say and how you say it.” (WP:NPOV) Contentious material about living persons…that is unsourced or poorly sourced…should be removed immediately and without waiting for discussion.” (WP:BLP)

“Questionable sources are those that…have an apparent conflict of interest…Avoid self-published sources….” (WP:V)

Edward Tobinick and Steven Novella are opposing litigants in a current lawsuit. It is taking sides (a violation of NPOV) to use Novella’s self-published blog, specifically a webpage that directly attacks Tobinick (http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/enbrel-for-stroke-and-alzheimers/ ), as a source in the biographical page, as Jmh649 does. Jmh649 also uses a defamatory CaseWatch page targeted at Tobinick as a source in the biographical page; it, too, is a one-sided, defamatory self-published blog, with which Novella is affiliated.

Further, the biographical page, as constructed by Jmp649, has had placed into it yet another source, an article in The Oklahoman (http://newsok.com/oklahoma-doctors-question-a-california-physicians-treatment-for-strokes/article/3576689 ) that also falsely targets Tobinick. This source is also defamatory and contains false and/or misleading statements of fact and/or opinion. It is also outdated, dating from 2011 and omits material facts; for example, it does not take mention nor take into account four randomized, double-blind clinical trials of etanercept, one for Alzheimer’s, three for neurological spine pain, that showed statistically significant clinical results in subjects who received etanercept vs. controls, all of which were completed after this source was published and have been detailed in my previous post on this Talk page. Jmh649 reverted (removed) the page edited by me that excluded this defamatory, outdated, and improper source. His improper reversion was clearly in violation of WP:BLP (Contentious material about living persons…that is unsourced or poorly sourced…should be removed immediately and without waiting for discussion.” (WP:BLP))

Positive articles about the subject of the biographical page (Tobinick) from leading news sources such as the BBC, or the International Business Times, have been removed by Jmh649 from the biographical page. Likewise, he has removed nearly all of the more than 20 peer-reviewed scientific articles that were formerly mentioned, and all reports of favorable placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials from the biographical page. What is left is negative opinion, poorly sourced on self-published blogs, and outdated, defamatory news items.

What is Jmp649’s justification for removing all of Dr. Tobinick’s professional affiliations, medical board specialty certifications, and relevant professional medical presentations from his biographical page? What is Jmp649’s justification for highlighting in the biographical page the webpage of another physician (Novella) who is the subject of a lawsuit by Dr. Tobinick specifically alleging the inclusion of false and defamatory statements of fact on the very webpages that Jmp649 highlights and hyperlinks to on his altered version of the biographical page?

The biographical page, as it stands in its current revision, is not an objective article, and the biographical page as revised by Jmp649 flagrantly violates Misplaced Pages guidelines for composing the biography of a living person. As a veteran Misplaced Pages administrator, Jmh649 should know better; this is intentional and reckless behavior. This is not compatible with core Misplaced Pages policies, including WP:BLP, WP:NPOV, etc. For these reasons Jmh649 should refrain from any further participation on this page, and I plan to revert all of his edits and restore the version that was in place prior to his participation. Additionally Jmp649 should be blocked from further reverts, edits, etc. by the WP:3RR rule. Rjwrjw100 (talk) 21:00, 18 September 2014 (UTC)

A "neutral point of view" does not mean "even-Steven treatment for all sides". The WP:GEVAL section of the NPOV policy is the most relevant section. Specifically, when we're writing articles about a disputed medical treatment or scientific idea, and the current mainstream scientific or medical viewpoint is skeptical or outright hostile to the idea, then the Misplaced Pages article must (to comply with NPOV and Misplaced Pages's principles) also give the reader a skeptical or unfavorable impression of the subject. WhatamIdoing (talk) 21:20, 18 September 2014 (UTC)

Current mainstream opinion is positive

It is UNTRUE that prevailing mainstream opinion is skeptical or outright hostile. An example of current mainstream opinion follows: Redacted copyvio from here. Gotham1234 (talk) 21:57, 18 September 2014 (UTC)

An op-ed published in the same journal does not establish mainstream opinion. We need to find multiple high quality sources per WP:MEDRS such as review articles or statements from major medical associations saying positive things before we can say mainstream opinion is "positive". The only sources I have found that have been published about this topic have been published by Tobinick himself and cannot be used as a judge of what independent medical researchers and practitioners think about it. Yobol (talk) 22:28, 18 September 2014 (UTC)

That was an editorial by an independent scientist on a different continent, who is one of the most respected scientific authorities in his field.Gotham1234 (talk) 00:04, 19 September 2014 (UTC)

Editorials are not considered as high quality compared to reviews in the literature, per WP:MEDRS. Please review this guideline. Yobol (talk) 00:12, 19 September 2014 (UTC)

Usually, if mainstream opinion is positive, then the pharma company that stands to profit from it (and without lifting a finger or paying a dime to increase their sales, even) doesn't have a note on their website saying that it is "biologically implausible" and that they want nothing to do with it. Usually, if mainstream opinion is positive, the practitioner doesn't have his medical license threatened, nor do research universities make a point of saying that they have nothing to do with him, nor does he move to a state whose regulation of physicians' actions is notoriously lax. I'm therefore dubious of this claim that mainstream current opinion is actually positive. (Perhaps it should be positive, but my WP:CRYSTAL ball is broken, so I'm going only by what I see in the sources.) WhatamIdoing (talk) 01:42, 19 September 2014 (UTC)

Yes that is sort of my take aswell. Doc James (talk · contribs · email) (if I write on your page reply on mine) 04:58, 19 September 2014 (UTC)

WP:MEDRS

"Ideal sources...include...position statements from nationally or internationally recognized expert bodies...." WP:MEDRS The Alzheimer's Research UK is the UK's leading dementia research charity, not a news source. They are making a position statement, "Arthritis drug shown to slow Alzheimer's down". Rjwrjw100 (talk) 14:22, 19 September 2014 (UTC)

As it says on the page "You are in: > Home > News > Latest news > News". Using flimsy sources like this to contradict stronger ones is exactly what MEDRS say we should not do. Alexbrn 14:25, 19 September 2014 (UTC)

Agree that this is not a position statement. The people quoted in this news article can't really take a position, other than one saying something about encouraging early results, because the primary data had not even been released to them yet. EricEnfermero 14:39, 19 September 2014 (UTC)

The report is taken from the University of Southampton. Neither the University of Southampton or the Alzheimer Research UK can be called "flimsy" sources. This is reliable secondary source.Rjwrjw100 (talk) 14:43, 19 September 2014 (UTC)

The source doesn't even mention Tobinick. See WP:COATRACK, WP:SYNTH. (As an aside, I agree that a news release by a charity does not meet MEDRS - the original trial results do not even appear to have been published yet in any peer-reviewed format - though I submit this source has no place here because it also doesn't even discuss Tobinick). Yobol (talk) 15:56, 19 September 2014 (UTC)

press releases are not position statements Doc James (talk · contribs · email) (if I write on your page reply on mine) 01:02, 20 September 2014 (UTC)

A new article, demonstrating further efficacy of Perispinal Etanercept in treatment of stroke patients at Dr Tobinick's Institute of Neurological Recovery clinic has been added. http://www.odt.co.nz/regions/southland/316690/stroke-treatment-has-dramatic-effectSKKB8 (talk) 03:24, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

The popular press does not demonstrate the effectiveness of anything. A review article may do that when published by a high quality source. Doc James (talk · contribs · email) (if I write on your page reply on mine) 03:34, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

The apparently selective process of removing some news items which are postive towards Dr Tobinick's work and citing lack of scientific integrity and placing news items which are negative towards the treatment, and suggesting that they have credibility causes me concern. SKKB8 (talk) 05:24, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

See WP:MEDRS. Claims about health have particular sourcing requirements. What is it otherwise that you think may currently be improperly sourced? Alexbrn 05:28, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

I would add that right now the article focuses on facts that are already related in reliable sources. It avoids making conclusions. For example, it tells the story about the Cedars-Sinai study, but it avoids drawing conclusions about the therapy or about Tobinick. Any attempt to draw such conclusions would not meet WP policies. If there's another side to that story or to any of this stuff, it can be told too, as long as it has appeared in a reliable source.

Along the same line, when we talk about an article that covers a patient who got better under Tobinick's care, we don't say that that is evidence of the effectiveness of the treatment or anything like that. Only a reliable source could come to that conclusion. It's also normal for an encyclopedia to write in summary style and not to list great detail of every news article covering a subject. EricEnfermero 05:55, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

• Redirect-Class biography pages