Trends in life science grid: from computing grid to knowledge grid

BACKGROUND: Grid computing has great potential to become a standard cyberinfrastructure for life sciences which often require high-performance computing and large data handling which exceeds the computing capacity of a single institution. RESULTS: This survey reviews the latest grid technologies from the viewpoints of computing grid, data grid and knowledge grid. Computing grid technologies have been matured enough to solve high-throughput real-world life scientific problems. Data grid technologies are strong candidates for realizing "resourceome" for bioinformatics. Knowledge grids should be designed not only from sharing explicit knowledge on computers but also from community formulation for sharing tacit knowledge among a community. CONCLUSION: Extending the concept of grid from computing grid to knowledge grid, it is possible to make use of a grid as not only sharable computing resources, but also as time and place in which people work together, create knowledge, and share knowledge and experiences in a community

PRAVASTATIN VS GEMFIBROZIL IN THE TREATMENT OF PRIMARY HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA RID A-6707-2012

An increase in total and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations is related to the incidence of cardiovascular heart disease. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of pravastatin, an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, versus gemfibrozil, a fibrate, in the treatment of primary hypercholesterolaemia. 855 subjects (males and females, aged between 18 and 70 years) with total cholesterol (TC) concentrations > 240 mg/dl and triglyceride (TG) concentrations < 250 mg/dl were enrolled. After a pretreatment diet period, patients received either pravastatin 20 mg/day (659 patients) or gemfibrozil 1200 mg/day (196 patients). At the end of the 12-week treatment period, reductions in TC (-23%) and LDL-C (-31%) were noted in the pravastatin group. Gemfibrozil reduced TC by 16% and LDL by 20%. High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentrations increased in a similar way in the two groups: pravastatin +10%, gemfibrozil +11%. Triglycerides decreased by 14% with pravastatin and by 22% with gemfibrozil. Pravastatin and gemfibrozil were both well tolerated. No significant adverse events or variations in laboratory parameters occurred during this study