Answer to the Letter to the Editor of Benjamin John Floyd Dean et al. entitled 'no conflict of interest?' concerning 'antibiotic treatment in patients with chronic low back pain and vertebral bone edema (Modic type 1 changes): A double-blind randomized controlled trial of efficacy' by Albert HB et al., Eur Spine J (2013) 22:697-707

摘要

The writer of the Letter to the Editor wonders why since several of the authors of the papers are members of the MAST Academy that "no competing interest" was declared. This was not declared because there are/were no competing interests. The study was conducted from 2007 and the last one-year control was carried out in late 2009. After the independent statistical analysis was done, the paper was written and then sent to the first Journal in 2010. Having fulfilled this task, thoughts regarding the dissemination of this new knowledge to both health care professionals as well as the general public began to develop. Dedicated spine scientists joined the team and MAST was indeed set up as a limited company.