Patient-tailored Workflow Patterns from Clinical Practice Guidelines Recommendations

Abstract MobiGuide is a project devoted to the development of a patient-centric decision support system based on computerized clinical guidelines for chronic illnesses including Atrial . In this paper we describe the process o

HSP60 as a Target of Anti-Ergotypic Regulatory T Cells

The 60 kDa heat shock protein (HSP60) has been reported to influence T-cell responses in two ways: as a ligand of toll-like receptor 2 signalling and as an antigen. Here we describe a new mechanism of T-cell immuno-regulation focused on HSP60: HSP60 is up-regulated and presented by activated T cells (HSP60 is an ergotope) to regulatory (anti-ergotypic) T cells. Presentation of HSP60 by activated T cells was found to be MHC-restricted and dependent on accessory molecules - CD28, CD80 and CD86. Anti-ergotypic T cells responded to T-cell HSP60 by proliferation and secreted IFNγ and TGFβ1. In vitro, the anti-ergotypic T cells inhibited IFNγ production by their activated T-cell targets. In vivo, adoptive transfer of an anti-ergotypic HSP60-specific T-cell line led to decreased secretion of IFNγ by arthritogenic T cells and ameliorated adjuvant arthritis (AA). Thus, the presentation of HSP60 by activated T cells turns them into targets for anti-ergotypic regulatory T cells specific for HSP60. However, the direct interaction between the anti-ergotypic T regulators (anti-HSP60) and the activated T cells also down-regulated the regulators. Thus, by functioning as an ergotope, HSP60 can control both the effector T cells and the regulatory HSP60-specific T cells that control them

Defining the needs and improving the wellbeing of healthy brca1 and brca2 mutation carriers

Bibliography: p. 235-260Some pages are in colour

Learning from Context to Improve Business Processes

K. Ploesser, M. Peleg, P.Soffer, M. Rosemann, and J. Recker, are members of a team of researchers from Queensland University, Australia, Stanford University, USA and Haifa University, Israel, who are currently investigating how context-awareness can become an integral part of business process modeling. They argue that to get to the next level of process management we must broaden our analysis beyond internal processes to the contextual environment in which the processes are embedded. Read this compelling Article for their take on how this will impact business process management in the future

Should Sabbath Prohibitions Be Overridden to Provide Emotional Support to a Sick Relative?

Background There is a consensus among the halachic authorities that life-saving actions override Sabbath prohibitions. They are painstaking in securing that the sanctity of the Sabbath is maintained but that not a single life be lost. Objective This manuscript examines if and when a relative’s presence at the bedside of a seriously ill individual is potentially life-saving against the backdrop of the scientific literature. It specifically addresses the permissibility of traveling in a motorized vehicle, generally prohibited on the Sabbath, to be with one’s relative in hospital for the provision of emotional support. Methods Discourse of the halachic issues in the context of the scientific literature. Results Stress, mental or physical, has been determined as a potentially life-threatening condition in many disease entities. The literature attests to both the patient’s and the professionals’ perception of the curative potential of the presence of loved ones by advocating for the patient and relieving stress in the hospital experience. Emotional support from a loved one is perceived by some patients as vital to survival. There is halachic consensus that a patient’s perception of the emotional need for a relative’s presence is sufficient to permit overriding rabbinic prohibitions. Torah prohibitions, which may be overridden for medical needs, may be overridden for emotional support, providing a health professional or family member attests to the fulfilment of this specific need as diminishing the danger to the patient’s life. In certain cases, the latter contingency is unnecessary. Conclusions Emotional support has an impact on the patient’s health status; the degree to which its impact is strong enough to save life is still being studied. As more data from scientific studies emerge, they may be relevant to sharpening the halachic rulings with respect to the issue at hand

A Goal-based approach for business process learning

Abstract. We establish a business process learning model as part of a process lifecycle management approach. We define business process learning as the mechanism which provides the ability to perform a specific process better with time, based upon the experience acquired while executing the process, which is reflected through the accomplishment of better soft-goals. The Learning Business Process Model (LPM) relates the process outcomes, the process context and the process soft-goal measurement in order to establish proposals for paths that would improve the soft-goal outcomes. We demonstrate LPM through a process adopted from a real life scenario of a family's busy morning routine