Chaos, Fractals, and Our Concept of Disease

Varela, Manuel; Ruiz-Esteban, Raul; Juan, María José

doi:10.1353/pbm.2010.0003

Cited by 31 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…Recently, the traditional tendency to dichotomize health and disease, physiological and pathological, has been revisited, leading to the idea that disease should be considered as a loss of inherent complexity, rather than a loss of order. Accordingly, fractal analysis has been used to assess how complexity was reduced as a consequence of pathological changes in biological systems assumed to behave as "chaotic" systems [84,85]. In the present survey, a significant complexity increase was associated with the modification of liver microscopic texture due to PFOA exposure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Perfluorooctanoic Acid Exposure Assessment on Common Carp Liver through Image and Ultrastructural Investigation

Manera

Dezfuli

Castaldelli

et al. 2019

IJERPH

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Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) poses particular concern as an emerging pollutant in both surface and ground waters. Fish, as a natural inhabitant of these waters and being highly representative of vertebrates, represents an ideal animal model to assess the toxic effects of PFOA. Hereby, liver microscopic texture was comparatively evaluated in individuals of common carp subchronically exposed to PFOA using grayscale differential box counting, a fractal analysis method. Furthermore, liver cytoplasmic glycogen areas and ultrastructure were also evaluated and compared to the image analysis findings. Redundancy Analysis was performed to assess, in summary, how much the variation of fractal dimension and lacunarity was explained by the concentration of PFOA in liver, the mass of liver and the number of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-immunoreactive nuclei. Treatment group ordination was better determined by fractal dimension than lacunarity. Interestingly, a significant complexity increase was associated with the modification of liver microscopic texture due to PFOA exposure. This complexity increase was related to “cloudy swelling”, possibly representing a primarily adaptive strategy against PFOA challenge, rather than a slight, reversible form of degeneration as traditionally proposed. The occurrence of endoplasmic reticulum stress, unfolded protein reaction and hormetic response was proposed and discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Perfluorooctanoic Acid Exposure Assessment on Common Carp Liver through Image and Ultrastructural Investigation

Manera

Dezfuli

Castaldelli

et al. 2019

IJERPH

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“…Many physiological systems are highly complex networks, with numerous recursive feed-back and feed-forward circuits, and thus they may be especially prone to develop chaotic behaviors and display fractal structures. Non-linear dynamics and fractal models have been increasingly applied in physiology and medicine ( 41 ).…”

Section: An Emergence Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fractals are spatial structures and have the properties of self-similarity (consists of miniature copies of itself at different levels of magnification) and/or fractal dimensions (the parameter of an object that displays how much space it occupies which is, unlike Euclidean geometry, not a whole dimension but a non-integer, the value of which is a measure of complexity), and/or rough outlines and infinite length ( 41 – 46 ). Fractals enable the creation of complex shapes.…”

Section: An Emergence Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Emergence Framework of Carcinogenesis

Sigston

Williams

2017

Front. Oncol.

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Experimental paradigms provide the framework for the understanding of cancer, and drive research and treatment, but are rarely considered by clinicians. The somatic mutation theory (SMT), in which cancer is considered a genetic disease, has been the predominant traditional model of cancer for over 50 years. More recently, alternative theories have been proposed, such as tissue organization field theory (TOFT), evolutionary models, and inflammatory models. Key concepts within the various models have led to them being difficult to reconcile. Progressively, it has been recognized that biological systems cannot be fully explained by the physicochemical properties of their constituent parts. There is an increasing call for a ‘systems’ approach. Incorporating the concepts of ‘emergence’, ‘systems’, ‘thermodynamics’, and ‘chaos’, a single integrated framework for carcinogenesis has been developed, enabling existing theories to become compatible as alternative mechanisms, facilitating the integration of bioinformatics and providing a structure in which translational research can flow from both ‘benchtop to bedside’ and ‘bedside to benchtop’. In this review, a basic understanding of the key concepts of ‘emergence’, ‘systems’, ‘system levels’, ‘complexity’, ‘thermodynamics’, ‘entropy’, ‘chaos’, and ‘fractals’ is provided. Non-linear mathematical equations are included where possible to demonstrate compatibility with bioinformatics. Twelve principles that define the ‘emergence framework of carcinogenesis’ are developed, with principles 1–10 encapsulating the key concepts upon which the framework is built and their application to carcinogenesis. Principle 11 relates the framework to cancer progression. Principle 12 relates to the application of the framework to translational research. The ‘emergence framework of carcinogenesis’ collates current paradigms, concepts, and evidence around carcinogenesis into a single framework that incorporates previously incompatible viewpoints and ideas. Any researcher, scientist, or clinician involved in research, treatment, or prevention of cancer can employ this framework.

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“…We still don't have a full-blown alternative paradigm to handle complex biological systems. Some areas such as nonlineal dynamics or fractal geometry [19] are introducing new insights both in basic and clinical sciences, while -omics, Genetics and Immunology are the perfect breeding ground for System Biology [20,21]. In general, the whole topic could be included in the broad field of General Systems Theory.…”

Section: Complex Network and General Systems Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Facing a Shift in Paradigm at the Bedside?

Vargas¹,

Varela²

2013

IJCM

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Our entire medical framework is based on the concept of disease, understood as a qualitative departure from normality (health) with a structural substrate (lesion), and usually an identifiable cause (aetiology). This paradigm is loaded with problems, some of which are discussed in the text. Nevertheless, we study, diagnose and treat diseases, and while often painfully conscious of the dysfunctionalities of this scheme, we can hardly imagine how we could practice medicine otherwise. However, most of the recent developments in basic sciences, and most notably in Immunology, Genetics and -omics, are inconsistent with this “health/disease” paradigm. The emerging scenario is that of complex networks, more in the spirit of Systems Biology. In these settings the qualitative difference between health and disease loses its meaning, and the whole discourse becomes progressively irreducible to our conventional clinical categories. As clinical research stagnates while basic sciences thrive, this gap is widening, and a change in the prevailing paradigm seems unavoidable. However, all our clinical judgments (including Bayesian reasoning and Evidence Based Medicine) are rooted in the disease/health dichotomy, and one can hardly conceive how they could work without it. The shift in paradigm will not be easy, and certain turmoil is to be expected.

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Chaos, Fractals, and Our Concept of Disease

Cited by 31 publications

References 73 publications

Perfluorooctanoic Acid Exposure Assessment on Common Carp Liver through Image and Ultrastructural Investigation

Perfluorooctanoic Acid Exposure Assessment on Common Carp Liver through Image and Ultrastructural Investigation

An Emergence Framework of Carcinogenesis

Facing a Shift in Paradigm at the Bedside?

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