A study of thirty patients who lapsed from treatment at the psychosomatic clinic of the Massachusetts Memorial Hospitals - April 1, 1947 to September 30, 1947

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University, 1949. This item was digitized by the Internet Archive

Biomedical Research Data Management Open Online Education: Challenges & Lessons Learned

The Best Practices for Biomedical Big Data project is a two year collaboration between Harvard Medical School and University of Massachusetts Medical School, funded by the NIH Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) Initiative for Resource Development. The Best Practices for Biomedical Research Data Management Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) provides training to librarians, biomedical researchers, undergraduate and graduate biomedical students, and other interested individuals on recommended practices facilitating the discoverability, access, integrity, reuse value, privacy, security, and long term preservation of biomedical research data. This poster highlights lessons learned from the first year of this project. Built upon the New England Collaborative Data Management Curriculum, the development team sought to use existing curricular materials to create a fully online course. The course is designed with an open course platform, WordPress Learning Management System (WPLMS), in order to facilitate broad access. Each of the MOOC’s nine modules is dedicated to a specific component of data management best practices and includes video lectures, presentation slides, research teaching cases, readings, activities, and interactive quizzes. The project team overcame multiple challenges related to creating an open online course: curriculum, audience and software. Working towards overcoming these, the Best Practices for Biomedical Research Data Management MOOC development team has moved slowly and deliberately, created additional content, and added content experts to provide guidance. These lessons learned will assist course development beyond this project, adding to best practices for creating massive open online courseware. Lessons learned include: teaching method influences the curriculum and content should not be developed in isolation from the teaching method; content is dependent on audience and supplementary content can be used to bridge audience gaps; and implementing new or unfamiliar technologies is challenging so allow more time in the timeline for project team to work with open source platform

Assessment of Data Management Services at New England Region Resource Libraries

Objective: To understand how New England medical libraries are addressing scientific research data management and providing services to their communities. Setting: The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, New England Region (NN/LM NER) contains 17 Resource Libraries. The University of Massachusetts Medical School serves as the New England Regional Medical Library (RML). Sixteen of the NER Resource Libraries completed this survey. Methods: A 40-question online survey assessed libraries’ services and programs for providing research data management education and support. Libraries shared their current plans and institutional challenges associated with developing data services. Results: This study shows few NER Resource Libraries currently integrate scientific research data management into their services and programs, and highlights the region’s use of resources provided by the NN/LM NER RML at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Conclusions: Understanding the types of data services being delivered at NER libraries helps to inform the NN/LM NER about the eScience learning needs of New England medical librarians and helps in the planning of professional development programs that foster effective biomedical research data services

Characterization of Recombination Events Leading to the Production of an Ecotropic Replication-Competent Retrovirus in a GP+envAM12-Derived Producer Cell Line

AbstractReplication-competent retrovirus (RCR) was identified in a GP+envAM12-derived producer cell, containing the MFG-S-Neo retroviral vector, using a marker rescue assay. Studies were undertaken to determine the origin and structure of this RCR. Receptor interference assays demonstrated that the virus was pseudotyped with an ecotropic envelope. Molecular analysis demonstrated the presence of a MoMLV ecotropic env recombinant where the neomycin resistance gene of the MFG-S-Neo vector was replaced by MoMLV ecotropic env. Additional recombinants linking the retroviral pol gene to neo and the neo gene to MoMLV env were also identified. A full-length MoMLV retroviral genome was detected by nested PCR in the contaminated amphotropic producer cells and in cells infected with its supernatant. Unexpectedly, this was also present in the GP+E86 packaging cells together with a previously undescribed envelope construct possessing a full 5′ and 3′ LTR, although these cells were consistently negative for the presence of RCR. These anomalies in the GP+E86 packaging cell line result in increased homology with the MFG-S-Neo vector, leading to an increased risk for the production of RCR. Our findings point to a need for increased vigilance when using these packaging lines to generate replication-defective retrovirus

A high-resolution map of human evolutionary constraint using 29 mammals.

The comparison of related genomes has emerged as a powerful lens for genome interpretation. Here we report the sequencing and comparative analysis of 29 eutherian genomes. We confirm that at least 5.5% of the human genome has undergone purifying selection, and locate constrained elements covering ∼4.2% of the genome. We use evolutionary signatures and comparisons with experimental data sets to suggest candidate functions for ∼60% of constrained bases. These elements reveal a small number of new coding exons, candidate stop codon readthrough events and over 10,000 regions of overlapping synonymous constraint within protein-coding exons. We find 220 candidate RNA structural families, and nearly a million elements overlapping potential promoter, enhancer and insulator regions. We report specific amino acid residues that have undergone positive selection, 280,000 non-coding elements exapted from mobile elements and more than 1,000 primate- and human-accelerated elements. Overlap with disease-associated variants indicates that our findings will be relevant for studies of human biology, health and disease

Entering and Exiting the Medicare Part D Coverage Gap: Role of Comorbidities and Demographics

Background: Some Medicare Part D enrollees whose drug expenditures exceed a threshold enter a coverage gap with full cost-sharing, increasing their risk for reduced adherence and adverse outcomes. Objective: To examine comorbidities and demographic characteristics associated with gap entry and exit. Design: We linked 2005-2006 pharmacy, outpatient, and inpatient claims to enrollment and Census data. We used logistic regression to estimate associations of 2006 gap entry and exit with 2005 medical comorbidities, demographics, and Census block characteristics. We expressed all results as predicted percentages. PATIENTS: 287,713 patients without gap coverage, continuously enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Part D (MAPD) plan serving eight states. Patients who received a low-income subsidy, could not be geocoded, or had no 2006 drug fills were excluded. Results: Of enrollees, 15.9% entered the gap, 2.6% within the first 180 days; among gap enterers, only 6.7% exited again. Gap entry was significantly associated with female gender and all comorbidities, particularly dementia (39.5% gap entry rate) and diabetes (28.0%). Among dementia patients entering the gap, anti-dementia drugs (donepezil, memantine, rivastigmine, and galantamine) and atypical antipsychoticmedications (risperidone, quetiapine, and olanzapine) together accounted for 40% of pre-gap expenditures. Among diabetic patients, rosiglitazone accounted for 7.2% of pre-gap expenditures. Having dementia was associated with twice the risk of gap exit. Conclusions: Certain chronically ill MAPD enrollees are at high risk of gap entry and exposure to unsubsidized medication costs. Clinically vulnerable populations should be counseled on how to best manage costs through drug substitution or discontinuation of specific, non-essential medications. © 2010 Society of General Internal Medicine

The Naturalized Gender Order Of Rock and Roll

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66933/2/10.1177_019685999501900104.pd

Health information use by patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) pre and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective We conducted an international survey of patients with SLE to assess their access, preference and trust in various health information sources pre-COVID-19 and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Patients with SLE were recruited from 18 observational cohorts, and patients self-reporting SLE were recruited through five advocacy organisations. Respondents completed an online survey from June 2020 to December 2021 regarding the sources of health information they accessed in the 12 months preceding (pre-11 March 2020) and during (post-11 March 2020) the pandemic. Multivariable logistic regressions assessed factors associated with accessing news and social media post-11 March 2020, and self-reporting negative impacts from health information accessed through these sources. Results Surveys were completed by 2111 respondents; 92.8% were female, 76.6% had postsecondary education, mean (SD) age was 48.8 (14.0) years. Lupus specialists and family physicians were the most preferred sources pre-11 March 2020 and post-11 March 2020, yet were accessed less frequently (specialists: 78.5% pre vs 70.2% post, difference -8.3%, 95% CI -10.2% to -6.5%; family physicians: 57.1% pre vs 50.0% post, difference -7.1%, 95% CI -9.2% to -5.0%), while news (53.2% pre vs 62.1% post, difference 8.9%, 95% CI 6.7% to 11.0%) and social media (38.2% pre vs 40.6% post, difference 2.4%, 95% CI 0.7% to 4.2%) were accessed more frequently post-11 March 2020 vs pre-11 March 2020. 17.2% of respondents reported negative impacts from information accessed through news/social media. Those outside Canada, older respondents or with postsecondary education were more likely to access news media. Those in Asia, Latin America or younger respondents were more likely to access social media. Those in Asia, older respondents, males or with postsecondary education in Canada, Asia or the USA were less likely to be negatively impacted. Conclusions Physicians, the most preferred and trusted sources, were accessed less frequently, while news and social media, less trusted sources, were accessed more frequently post-11 March 2020 vs pre-11 March 2020. Increasing accessibility to physicians, in person and virtually, may help reduce the consequences of accessing misinformation/disinformation