Sustainability considerations for clinical and translational research informatics infrastructure

A robust biomedical informatics infrastructure is essential for academic health centers engaged in translational research. There are no templates for what such an infrastructure encompasses or how it is funded. An informatics workgroup within the Clinical and Translational Science Awards network conducted an analysis to identify the scope, governance, and funding of this infrastructure. After we identified the essential components of an informatics infrastructure, we surveyed informatics leaders at network institutions about the governance and sustainability of the different components. Results from 42 survey respondents showed significant variations in governance and sustainability; however, some trends also emerged. Core informatics components such as electronic data capture systems, electronic health records data repositories, and related tools had mixed models of funding including, fee-for-service, extramural grants, and institutional support. Several key components such as regulatory systems (e.g., electronic Institutional Review Board [IRB] systems, grants, and contracts), security systems, data warehouses, and clinical trials management systems were overwhelmingly supported as institutional infrastructure. The findings highlighted in this report are worth noting for academic health centers and funding agencies involved in planning current and future informatics infrastructure, which provides the foundation for a robust, data-driven clinical and translational research program

The Children's Respiratory and Environmental Workgroup (CREW) birth cohort consortium: design, methods, and study population

Background: Single birth cohort studies have been the basis for many discoveries about early life risk factors for childhood asthma but are limited in scope by sample size and characteristics of the local environment and population. The Children’s Respiratory and Environmental Workgroup (CREW) was established to integrate multiple established asthma birth cohorts and to investigate asthma phenotypes and associated causal pathways (endotypes), focusing on how they are influenced by interactions between genetics, lifestyle, and environmental exposures during the prenatal period and early childhood. Methods and results: CREW is funded by the NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program, and consists of 12 individual cohorts and three additional scientific centers. The CREW study population is diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, geographical distribution, and year of recruitment. We hypothesize that there are phenotypes in childhood asthma that differ based on clinical characteristics and underlying molecular mechanisms. Furthermore, we propose that asthma endotypes and their defining biomarkers can be identified based on personal and early life environmental risk factors. CREW has three phases: 1) to pool and harmonize existing data from each cohort, 2) to collect new data using standardized procedures, and 3) to enroll new families during the prenatal period to supplement and enrich extant data and enable unified systems approaches for identifying asthma phenotypes and endotypes. Conclusions: The overall goal of CREW program is to develop a better understanding of how early life environmental exposures and host factors interact to promote the development of specific asthma endotypes.HHS/NIH [5UG3OD023282]; Columbia University [P01ES09600, R01 ES008977, P30ES09089, R01 ES013163, R827027]; Tucson Children's Respiratory Study (TCRS) [NHLBI 132523]; Infant Immune Study (IIS) [HL-56177]; Childhood Origins of Asthma Study (COAST) [P01 HL070831, U10 HL064305, R01 HL061879]; Wayne County Health, Environment, Allergy and Asthma Longitudinal Study (WHEALS) [R01 AI050681, R56 AI050681, R01 AI061774, R21 AI059415, K01 AI070606, R21 AI069271, R01 HL113010, R21 ES022321, P01 AI089473, R21 AI080066, R01 AI110450, R01 HD082147]; Fund for Henry Ford Health System; Childhood Allergy Study (CAS) [R01 AI024156, R03 HL067427, R01 AI051598]; Blue Cross Foundation Johnson; Fund for Henry Ford Hospital; Microbes, Allergy, Asthma and Pets (MAAP) [P01 AI089473]; Infant Susceptibility to Pulmonary Infections and Asthma following RSV Exposure (INSPIRE) [NIH/NIAID U19 AI 095227, NIH/NCATS UL1 TR 002243, NIH/NIAID K24 AI 077930, NIH/NHLBI R21 HD 087864, NIH/NHLBI X01 HL 134583]; Wisconsin Infant Study Cohort (WISC) [U19 AI104317, NCATS UL1TR000427]; Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH) [U54 OH010170]; RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA; NIH [U24OD023382]; Urban Environment and Childhood Asthma Study (URECA) [NO1-AI-25482, HHSN272200900052C, HHSN272201000052I, NCRR/NIH RR00052, M01RR00533, 1UL1RR025771, M01RR00071, 1UL1RR024156, UL1TR001079, 5UL1RR024992-02, NCATS/NIH UL1TR000040]; Cincinnati Childhood Allergy and Air Pollution Study (CCAAPS) [R01 ES11170, R01 ES019890]; Epidemiology of Home Allergens and Asthma Study (EHAAS) [R01 AI035786]Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Field and Laboratory Studies Provide Insights into the Meaning of Day-Time Activity in a Subterranean Rodent (Ctenomys aff. knighti), the Tuco-Tuco

South American subterranean rodents (Ctenomys aff. knighti), commonly known as tuco-tucos, display nocturnal, wheel-running behavior under light-dark (LD) conditions, and free-running periods >24 h in constant darkness (DD). However, several reports in the field suggested that a substantial amount of activity occurs during daylight hours, leading us to question whether circadian entrainment in the laboratory accurately reflects behavior in natural conditions. We compared circadian patterns of locomotor activity in DD of animals previously entrained to full laboratory LD cycles (LD12∶12) with those of animals that were trapped directly from the field. In both cases, activity onsets in DD immediately reflected the previous dark onset or sundown. Furthermore, freerunning periods upon release into DD were close to 24 h indicating aftereffects of prior entrainment, similarly in both conditions. No difference was detected in the phase of activity measured with and without access to a running wheel. However, when individuals were observed continuously during daylight hours in a semi-natural enclosure, they emerged above-ground on a daily basis. These day-time activities consisted of foraging and burrow maintenance, suggesting that the designation of this species as nocturnal might be inaccurate in the field. Our study of a solitary subterranean species suggests that the circadian clock is entrained similarly under field and laboratory conditions and that day-time activity expressed only in the field is required for foraging and may not be time-dictated by the circadian pacemaker

Áreas de produção de algodão em Mato Grosso: nematoides, murcha de fusarium, sistemas de cultivo, fertilidade e física de solo.

A produção de algodão no estado de Mato Grosso é comprovadamente eficiente e rentável. A cada safra aumentam a tecnificação da cultura e o conhecimento acumulado. Reflexo disso é o crescimento da área ocupada por essa cultura em Mato Grosso, que representa mais de 50% do algodão plantado no país. No entanto, problemas relacionados à ocorrência de nematoides e doenças a eles associadas vêm crescendo e preocupando os produtores. Existem vários exemplos de inviabilidade de áreas em função desses parasitas, principalmente em locais que foram tradicionais no cultivo do algodoeiro. Práticas de manejo deverão ser incentivadas para reduzir ou pelo menos manter estável o problema. Para que a melhor estratégia possa ser utilizada, além de quantificar quais são as espécies presentes, é fundamental conhecer o sistema de produção no qual atua o produtor, o histórico da área, bem como as condições físicas e químicas do solo. O trabalho aqui relatado enfoca um esforço nesta direção, realizado em parceria entre o Instituto Mato-grossense do Algodão (IMAmt), a Associação Mato-grossense dos Produtores de Algodão (AMPA), o Instituto Brasileiro do Algodão (IBA), a Associação dos Produtores de Sementes de Mato Grosso (Aprosmat) e quatro unidades da Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa): a Embrapa Agrossilvipastoril, Embrapa Algodão, Embrapa Instrumentação e Embrapa Agropecuária Oeste.bitstream/item/115841/1/cpamt-2014-matos-producao-algodao-mt.pd

Reviewing the integration of patient data: how systems are evolving in practice to meet patient needs

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The integration of Information Systems (IS) is essential to support shared care and to provide consistent care to individuals – patient-centred care. This paper identifies, appraises and summarises studies examining different approaches to integrate patient data from heterogeneous IS.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The literature was systematically reviewed between 1995–2005 to identify articles mentioning patient records, computers and data integration or sharing.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 3124 articles, 84 were included describing 56 distinct projects. Most of the projects were on a regional scale. Integration was most commonly accomplished by messaging with pre-defined templates and middleware solutions. HL7 was the most widely used messaging standard. Direct database access and web services were the most common communication methods. The user interface for most systems was a Web browser. Regarding the type of medical data shared, 77% of projects integrated diagnosis and problems, 67% medical images and 65% lab results. More recently significantly more IS are extending to primary care and integrating referral letters.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>It is clear that Information Systems are evolving to meet people's needs by implementing regional networks, allowing patient access and integration of ever more items of patient data. Many distinct technological solutions coexist to integrate patient data, using differing standards and data architectures which may difficult further interoperability.</p

O Brasil e as negociações multilaterais

O artigo procura demonstrar que o Brasil sempre favoreceu a participação em fóruns multilaterais e que esta tendência tem se acentuado na década de 1990.<br>The article seeks to show that Brazil has favored multilateral instances throughout its history. In the nineties, this trend has increased