Chapter 364 - 248: A One-Man Army (Part 2)

As Carter finished speaking, Wen Xuyang immediately grew agitated:

"The 97% threshold was established based on preliminary experiments with a large sample size as the most cost-effective standard with the greatest clinical guidance value. As for the sequencing depth, our equipment is fully…"

"Just to clarify."

The third person to stand up was a scholar from Germany. He had clearly been swept up by the momentum set by Hayes and Carter and had subconsciously taken the side of the doubters:

"Professor Wen, if you admit the 97% was for cost-effectiveness, then shouldn't the academic rigor of this paper, which attempts to define a new target, also be called into question? After all, here in Baltimore, we are discussing the frontiers of human medicine, not economics."

Questions began to bombard Wen Xuyang on stage.

"Regarding the lactulose washout period, how do you explain the 5% loss to follow-up rate?"

"After excluding the invalid data, the sample size didn't actually meet the required statistical power of 0.8, correct?"

"Is the 'regional specificity' you mentioned just an excuse for the fact that your data can't be replicated in Western populations?"

Wen Xuyang tried to explain.

But every time he spoke,

he was cut off at the slightest pause by another voice from the audience.

It was as if Baltimore's ice storm had shattered the windows of the centennial hall, blasting straight into Wen Xuyang's clothes...

The avalanche engulfed Xuyang.

One man's efforts seemed so frail in the face of overwhelming prejudice.

He realized he had no idea which question to answer first.

And just like that... he froze on stage.

In the center of the front row,

Professor Miller slowly raised his hand.

The conference hall quickly fell silent.

The session chairman immediately looked his way. "Professor Miller, please."

Miller stood up and said:

"Everyone, I think we've put too much pressure on this young scholar from China today."

"Professor Wen, we greatly admire the efforts of the team from Ruijin Hospital in the field of the gut microbiome. The path of scientific exploration is always fraught with difficulty."

"This is also why, as editorial board members of academic journals and as peer reviewers, we must act as gatekeepers. The questions our colleagues just raised are, in fact, the very reasons this paper was rejected previously."

Wen Xuyang clenched his jaw tightly, saying nothing.

Miller continued, "Science demands rigorous universality. We cannot lower global academic standards for the sake of some regional excuse. In recent years, we have indeed seen a trend where many scholars from developing medical environments are very eager to have their voices heard in top international journals."

"But sometimes, in the rush to showcase results, the data might be over-interpreted, or… when faced with inexplicable variables, some less-than-rigorous 'modifications' are made. We point out these problems to help you grow. I hope the team from Ruijin can go back, re-examine your model, and prepare more thoroughly. Thank you for your report, Professor Wen."

Miller sat down.

A low murmur of discussion rose from the audience, with many of the foreign scholars nodding in agreement.

In the third row,

Professor Zhou Deming's hands were clenched into fists.

'They had been navigating this circle for half their lives. How could they not hear the malice in Miller's words?'

'This wasn't just a rejection of one project. He was smearing all the Chinese scholars in attendance.'

'But could they lash out?'

'No.'

'Because this was an academic conference.'

'If they stood up and started a loud argument now, they would be immediately escorted out of the hall by security. The next day, they would be a laughingstock in the Western medical media.'

'This was the tragedy of playing an away game.'

'When playing by someone else's rules, in someone else's house, you even had to be careful about showing your anger.'

Shen Yu turned to look at Jiang He, her eyes filled with worry.

She knew Jiang He was up next, and she was terrified he would face the same suffocating onslaught…

Jiang He leaned back calmly in his chair, his face expressionless.

On stage, the session chairman said, "Thank you for your report, Professor Wen. It seems this research still needs some time to be refined. Now, let's move on to the next item on the agenda."

Wen Xuyang didn't even register walking back to his seat. The moment he sat down, he bowed his head and buried his face in his hands.

The conference proceeded as scheduled.

As long as the presenter wasn't Chinese, the atmosphere instantly turned congenial.

The questions were friendly, and the responses were cordial.

It was as if everyone had forgotten what the first Chinese presenter had just endured.

Finally,

the chairman announced, "Next, please welcome Dr. Jiang He from Affiliated Hospital No. 1. He will be reporting on the clinical validation data for an early prediction model of severe acute pancreatitis, or SAP."

Jiang He stood up.

Su Zhi immediately followed behind him, holding his materials and a USB drive.

All eyes converged on him.

Everyone knew this was the main event of the day!

He walked onto the stage. While Su Zhi set up the presentation, Jiang He put one hand in his pocket, raised the microphone slightly with the other, and said:

"Everyone."

"Before I officially begin my report, I'd like to take a few minutes of your time to address some of the academic questions raised earlier for Professor Wen from Ruijin Hospital and offer a supplementary explanation."

His words caused an uproar in the hall.

Down in the audience, Wen Xuyang, who had been covering his face, snapped his head up and stared at the stage in disbelief.

The three senior professors—Zhou Deming, Fu Yunshu, and Guo Fengwan—were also stunned. They never expected Jiang He to start like this, especially not now.

In the front row, Miller's brow furrowed slightly as he glanced over at the chairman.