2002 Meeting
INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE ON COMPLEMENTARY, ALTERNATIVE
AND INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE RESEARCH
April 12 – 14, 2002
Copley Marriott Hotel
Boston, MA
SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACT SUBMISSION FORM
Please type required information into spaces provided. Please be absolutely accurate as this
Information will be used in preparing the syllabus.
Abstract Title
ALL CAPITAL LETTERS AN ANALYSIS OF THE “SIMILARITY LAW LIKE” AND
QUANTITATIVE EFFECTS OF ULTRA HIGH DILUTIONS ON
PLANT MODEL SYSTEMS
Authors L.Betti, D.Nani, M.Brizzi, L.Lazzarato, M.Peruzzi, G.Trebbi, G.L.Calzoni
Initials or first names must
precede last name
Presenting Author D.Nani
Corresponding Author* L.Betti (1)
D.Nani (2)
Institution Dip. di Scienze e Tecnologie Agroambientali, University of Bologna (1)
Gruppo Medico Antroposofico Milano (2)
Mailing Address Via Filippo Re 8, 40126 Bologna (1)
Via Plinio 45, 20129 Milano (2)
Address Line 2
City, State, Zip Bologna, Italy 40126 (1)
Milano, Italy 20129 (2)
Title Doctor (1)
Medical Doctor (2)
Office telephone +39 051 2091436 (1)
+39 02 70636614
Fax +39 051 2091439 (1)
Email lbetti@agrsci.unibo.it (1)
morfing@libero.it (2)
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presentation. This person is responsible for disseminating information to all other authors.
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_x__ Basic Science (includes botanicals, nutritionals ___Research Methodology
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A part of the results will be presented as oral communication at the GIRI Meeting in Paris, 10th December
2001, but have not been published yet
Please “sign” this application with your initials: _L.B.______
All abstracts accepted for presentation during the 2002 Boston meeting will automatically be
included in a publication and website that is part of the conference program. The abstract will
include the corresponding author’s institutional address. Please check below if you do not wish to
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have your abstract published. This will not affect consideration of your abstract for acceptance.
Please do not publish this abstract even if accepted for presentation at the conference.
Abstract Form
AN ANALYSIS OF THE “SIMILARITY LAW LIKE” AND QUANTITATIVE EFFECTS OF ULTRA
HIGH DILUTIONS ON PLANT MODEL SYSTEMS
Betti L., Nani D., Brizzi M., Lazzarato L., Peruzzi M., Trebbi G., Calzoni G.L.
University of Bologna, Italy
The aim of our research group is to develop in vitro model systems based on higher plants to assess the
biological effects of ultra high dilutions. In the present work we describe the more recent results we
obtained on two plant models: tobacco/tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) interaction and in vitro wheat
germination. Aqueous solutions of Arsenicum album (As2O3) were prepared in a standardized process of
stepwise dilution (1:10 or 1:100) and succussion. In tobacco/TMV model the working variable was the
number of local hypersensitive lesions per leaf disk, counted three days after virus inoculation. As 2O3
treatments 5x and 45x induced a significant and replicable decrease in hypersensitive lesion number vs.
controls. 5C potency showed a significant and replicable increase of lesion number, whereas As 2O3 45C
was not significant. Moreover, since our results showed an effect of As 2O3 extreme dilutions on
hypersensitive reaction, we carried out poisoning tests on healthy tobacco plants in hydroponic culture
with ponderal As2O3 (by analogy with “remedy proving”). The detected symptoms are quite similar, at a
macroscopic level, to hypersensitive lesions due to TMV inoculation. These preliminary studies, which
will be further investigated by microscopic analyses, seem to confirm the law of similarity.
About wheat model we evaluated the influence of temperature and ageing on As2O3 45x and H2O 45x
effectiveness in stimulating germination. We have compared each treatment with control group at the
same temperature (20°, 40°, 70° and 100°C). We used the Poisson distribution for modeling the number
of non-germinated seeds: we detected a highly significant stimulating effect of As2O3 45x, at 20°, 40° and
70°C, and a slightly significant stimulating effect at 100°C, which seems to be the “critical point”. When
considering H2O 45x, we detected a significant stimulating effect only at 20°C. We have also computed
the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval for each comparison. The lower point of the interval is
greater than 1 for As2O3 45x, at 20°, 40° and 70°C. The OR increases dramatically when excluding the
data taken from the first 12 or 24 experiments, and all the comparisons considered become significant.
These data show that temperature has a greater influence on potentised water than on potentised arsenic,
and that ageing significantly increases the effectiveness of homepathic treatments.
Abstract to include the following: Size and font requirements:
TITLE: ALL CAPITAL LETTERS
Authors, presenting author Abstract box size:
underlined. 6.5” wide; 5.0” high
A statement of the purpose Type must fit inside the box
of the study, preferably one Margin settings to use:
sentence. Top, 1.0” Right, 1.0”
A statement of the methods Left, 1.0” Bottom 5.5”
used. Font no smaller than 11 point
A summary of the results
presented in sufficient detail
to support the conclusions.
A statement of the
conclusions reached.
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Instructions for writing, preparing and submitting abstracts:
Abstract submission form instructions may be found at www.compmed.caregroup.org/sci-conf/ You
are required to submit your abstract as a Word document. Documents can be submitted via email or
sent on a floppy disk by mail.
Abstracts postmarked after December 11, 2001 will not be reviewed.
A panel of academic experts will review all abstracts. Reviewers will be blinded to the authors and
their institutions during the selection process. All abstracts are reviewed, but we anticipate receiving
far more abstracts than can be accepted. Only those abstracts judged to be of the highest quality and
relevance will be accepted.
Authors of abstracts chosen for presentation will be asked to confirm their plans for presentation at
the conference. Presenters must register to attend the meeting.
The titles should be brief and indicate the content of the abstract.
Do not use abbreviations in the title.
Identify the corresponding author of the paper who will serve as the administrative contact.
Organize the body of the abstract as follows:
A statement of the purpose of the study, preferably in one sentence.
A statement of the methods used.
A summary of the results presented in sufficient detail to support the conclusions.
A statement of the conclusions reached. It is not satisfactory to state “the results will be
discussed”.
If a product was tested or private, commercial or industrial support was provided for the
project, you must provide details on the abstract submission form.
The conference directors will require all presenting authors to complete a disclosure of dual
commitments. You will not need to complete this information at the time of submission. A
form will be sent to authors as an enclosure to the acceptance letter. This information will be
published as part of the conference syllabus.
Acknowledgement will be sent via email to the corresponding author within two weeks of receipt of
abstracts. Corresponding authors will be notified regarding the decision by February 15, 2002.
SUBMISSIONS and QUESTIONS
Contact: Robert Scholten
Phone: 617-632-7770
Fax: 617-632-7772
Email: camr@caregroup.harvard.edu
Shipping address: Center for Complementary and Integrative Medical Research
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, WKN-4
330 Brookline Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
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