Identification and Characterisation of Technological Topics in the Field of Molecular Biology

This paper focuses on methodological approaches for characterising the specific topics within a technological field based on scientific literature data. We introduce a diachronic clustering analysis approach and some bibliometric indicators. The results are visualised with the software-tool Stanalyst [1]. We are applying our methods to the field "Molecular Biology". This field has grown a great deal in the last decade

Les méthodes bibliométriques en soutien d'une approche expert dans la détection de technologies prometteuses

That work is part of a European project the goal of which was the identification first of emerging and promising technologies having a strong link with the field of physics, and second of the scientific communities developing these technologies. We chose to use a bibliographical database and relied on its classification scheme to analyse the dynamics of the different thematic domains of the database. That approach is combined with an analysis done by experts who brought a prospective vision in their area of competence. In that article, we present the criteria that guided us for the choice of a database and our methodology which alternates between a bibliometric approach using the classification scheme and an expert-based approach to select the promising domains. That selection was done in successive steps starting with a hundred themes, then limiting them to 40 to finally end up with 10 promising technologies. The evolution of one of these themes is described in greater detail. We finish with a discussion of the constraints inherent to this kind of project.Ce travail s'inscrit dans le cadre d'un projet européen dont le but est l'identification, d'une part, des technologies émergeantes et prometteuses ayant des liens forts avec le domaine de la Physique et, d'autre part, des communautés scientifiques développant ces technologies. Nous avons choisi de travailler à partir d'une base de données bibliographique et de nous appuyer sur son plan de classement pour analyser la dynamique des différents domaines thématiques de la base. Cette approche a été combinée à une analyse réalisée par des experts qui nous ont apporté leur vision prospective de leurs domaines de compétence. Dans cet article, nous présenterons les critères qui nous ont guidés pour le choix de la base de données, puis nous décrirons notre méthodologie qui alterne les approches bibliométriques basées sur la notion de plan de classement et les approches par experts pour sélectionner les thématiques prometteuses. Cette sélection est réalisée par étapes successives partant d'une centaine de thématiques, puis les limitant à une quarantaine pour enfin aboutir à 10 technologies prometteuses. L'évolution d'une de ces thématiques est décrite de façon plus approfondie. Nous terminerons par une discussion sur les contraintes associées à ce type de projet

Identification of Emergent Research Issues: the Case of Optoelectronic Devices

International audienceThe optoelectronic devices field is one of the last decade's most promising technological fields. Light emitting diodes gain more applications in cars and housing lighting, OLED displays are introduced in electronic devices and consumer electronics. Optimization of lighting power and tuning of light spectrum are well known important research topics

Anastrozole for prevention of breast cancer in high-risk postmenopausal women (IBIS-II) : an international, double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial

This study was funded by Cancer Research UK (C569/A5032), the National Health and Medical Research Council Australia (GNT300755, GNT569213), Sanofi-Aventis, and AstraZeneca. Sanofi-Aventis and AstraZeneca provided anastrozole and matching placebo. The study sponsor was Queen Mary University of London.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Cohesin SMC1β protects telomeres in meiocytes

Telomeres fail to attach to the nuclear envelope and lose structural integrity in cells lacking SMC1β

Anastrozole versus tamoxifen for the prevention of locoregional and contralateral breast cancer in postmenopausal women with locally excised ductal carcinoma in situ (IBIS-II DCIS): a double-blind, randomised controlled trial

Background Third-generation aromatase inhibitors are more effective than tamoxifen for preventing recurrence in postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive invasive breast cancer. However, it is not known whether anastrozole is more effective than tamoxifen for women with hormone-receptor-positive ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Here, we compare the efficacy of anastrozole with that of tamoxifen in postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive DCIS. Methods In a double-blind, multicentre, randomised placebo-controlled trial, we recruited women who had been diagnosed with locally excised, hormone-receptor-positive DCIS. Eligible women were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio by central computer allocation to receive 1 mg oral anastrozole or 20 mg oral tamoxifen every day for 5 years. Randomisation was stratified by major centre or hub and was done in blocks (six, eight, or ten). All trial personnel, participants, and clinicians were masked to treatment allocation and only the trial statistician had access to treatment allocation. The primary endpoint was all recurrence, including recurrent DCIS and new contralateral tumours. All analyses were done on a modified intention-to-treat basis (in all women who were randomised and did not revoke consent for their data to be included) and proportional hazard models were used to compute hazard ratios and corresponding confidence intervals. This trial is registered at the ISRCTN registry, number ISRCTN37546358. Results Between March 3, 2003, and Feb 8, 2012, we enrolled 2980 postmenopausal women from 236 centres in 14 countries and randomly assigned them to receive anastrozole (1449 analysed) or tamoxifen (1489 analysed). Median follow-up was 7·2 years (IQR 5·6–8·9), and 144 breast cancer recurrences were recorded. We noted no statistically significant difference in overall recurrence (67 recurrences for anastrozole vs 77 for tamoxifen; HR 0·89 [95% CI 0·64–1·23]). The non-inferiority of anastrozole was established (upper 95% CI <1·25), but its superiority to tamoxifen was not (p=0·49). A total of 69 deaths were recorded (33 for anastrozole vs 36 for tamoxifen; HR 0·93 [95% CI 0·58–1·50], p=0·78), and no specific cause was more common in one group than the other. The number of women reporting any adverse event was similar between anastrozole (1323 women, 91%) and tamoxifen (1379 women, 93%); the side-effect profiles of the two drugs differed, with more fractures, musculoskeletal events, hypercholesterolaemia, and strokes with anastrozole and more muscle spasm, gynaecological cancers and symptoms, vasomotor symptoms, and deep vein thromboses with tamoxifen. Conclusions No clear efficacy differences were seen between the two treatments. Anastrozole offers another treatment option for postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive DCIS, which may be be more appropriate for some women with contraindications for tamoxifen. Longer follow-up will be necessary to fully evaluate treatment differences