scholarly journals From Medical Imaging to Radiomics: Role of Data Science for Advancing Precision Health

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Capobianco ◽  
Marco Dominietto
Keyword(s):  
Data Science ◽  
Response To Therapy ◽  
Data Types ◽  
Clinical Value ◽  
Multiple Data ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Personal Histories ◽  
Treatment Plans ◽  
Precision Health

Treating disease according to precision health requires the individualization of therapeutic solutions as a cardinal step that is part of a process that typically depends on multiple factors. The starting point is the collection and assembly of data over time to assess the patient’s health status and monitor response to therapy. Radiomics is a very important component of this process. Its main goal is implementing a protocol to quantify the image informative contents by first mining and then extracting the most representative features. Further analysis aims to detect potential disease phenotypes through signs and marks of heterogeneity. As multimodal images hinge on various data sources, and these can be integrated with treatment plans and follow-up information, radiomics is naturally centered on dynamically monitoring disease progression and/or the health trajectory of patients. However, radiomics creates critical needs too. A concise list includes: (a) successful harmonization of intra/inter-modality radiomic measurements to facilitate the association with other data domains (genetic, clinical, lifestyle aspects, etc.); (b) ability of data science to revise model strategies and analytics tools to tackle multiple data types and structures (electronic medical records, personal histories, hospitalization data, genomic from various specimens, imaging, etc.) and to offer data-agnostic solutions for patient outcomes prediction; (c) and model validation with independent datasets to ensure generalization of results, clinical value of new risk stratifications, and support to clinical decisions for highly individualized patient management.

scholarly journals The role of previously undocumented data in the assessment of medical trainees in clinical competency committees

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 286-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Tam ◽  
Anupma Wadhwa ◽  
Maria Athina Martimianakis ◽  
Oshan Fernando ◽  
Glenn Regehr
Keyword(s):  
Relevant Information ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Clinical Competency ◽  
Instrumental Case Study ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Multiple Data ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Direct Feedback

Abstract Introduction The clinical competency committee (CCC) comprises a group of clinical faculty tasked with assessing a medical trainee’s progress from multiple data sources. The use of previously undocumented data, or PUD, during CCC deliberations remains controversial. This study explored the use of previously undocumented data in conjunction with documented data in creating a meaningful assessment in a CCC. Methods An instrumental case study of a CCC that uses previously undocumented data was conducted. A single CCC meeting was observed, followed by semi-structured individual interviews with all CCC members (n = 7). Meeting and interview transcripts were analyzed iteratively. Results Documented data were perceived as limited by inaccurate or superficial data, but sometimes served as a starting point for invoking previously undocumented data. Previously undocumented data were introduced as summary impressions, contextualizing factors, personal anecdotes and, rarely, hearsay. The purpose was to raise a potential issue for discussion, enhance and elaborate an impression, or counter an impression. Various mechanisms allowed for the responsible use of previously undocumented data: embedding these data within a structured format; sharing relevant information without commenting beyond one’s scope of experience; clarifying allowable disclosure of personal contextual factors with the trainee pre-meeting; excluding previously undocumented data not widely agreed upon in decision-making; and expecting these data to have been provided as direct feedback to trainees pre-meeting. Discussion Previously undocumented data appear to play a vital part of the group conversation in a CCC to create meaningful, developmentally focused trainee assessments that cannot be achieved by documented data alone. Consideration should be given to ensuring the thoughtful incorporation of previously undocumented data as an essential part of the CCC assessment process.

scholarly journals Functional and Clinical Impact of CircRNAs in Oral Cancer

Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1041 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ion Cristóbal ◽  
Cristina Caramés ◽  
Jaime Rubio ◽  
Marta Sanz-Alvarez ◽  
Melani Luque ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oral Cancer ◽  
Clinical Outcome ◽  
Noncoding Rnas ◽  
Clinical Impact ◽  
Response To Therapy ◽  
Circular Rnas ◽  
Clinical Value ◽  
Cancer Pathogenesis ◽  
Novel Biomarkers

The increasing number of recently published works regarding the role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in oral cancer highlights the key contribution of this novel class of endogenous noncoding RNAs as regulators of critical signaling pathways and their clinical value as novel biomarkers. This review summarizes and puts into context the existing literature in order to clarify the relevance of circRNAs as novel mediators of oral cancer pathogenesis as well as their potential usefulness as predictors of clinical outcome and response to therapy in this disease.

scholarly journals Attitudes of medical doctors and nurses towards the role of the nurses in the primary care unit in Italy

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (04) ◽  
pp. 407-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria R. Gualano ◽  
Fabrizio Bert ◽  
Valeria Adige ◽  
Robin Thomas ◽  
Gitana Scozzari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Power Sharing ◽  
Care Organization ◽  
Clinical Value ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Supportive Role ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Working Together

AimAim of the present study was to assess the knowledge of the potential role of nurses in the primary care setting and to analyse the attitudes towards their utilization by nurses and General Practitioners (GPs) in a region of Italy.BackgroundNowadays, in Italy, the role of the nurse in primary care is still under-recognized and most primary care medical offices are managed individually by a physician.MethodsThe study consists of a questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey carried out in Piedmont, Italy, between February and September 2015.FindingsWe included 105 participants, 57 nurses and 48 physicians. The presence of a nurse working together with the GP was defined as ‘useful’ by 54.4% of nurses (versus 60.4% of physicians), as ‘essential’ by 45.6% of nurses (versus 25.0% of physicians), as ‘marginal’ by no nurses (versus 14.6% of physicians) and as ‘unimportant’ by none (P=0.002). Thus, physicians seemed to be less favorable towards a full collaboration and power-sharing with nurses. Furthermore, GPs and nurses showed a different attitude towards the role of nurses in primary care: while nurses highlighted their clinical value, physicians tended rather to recognize them a ‘supportive’ role. Moreover, only 20.8% of the physicians interviewed stated that they worked with a nurse. At the multivariate analysis, the age class resulted to be a significant predictor of the perception that the presence of a nurse working with the GP is essential: participants >50 years had an OR of 0.03 (P=0.028). Although the primary care organization appears still largely based on a traditional physician-centric care model, the positive attitude of nurses and young GPs towards a more collaborative model of primary care might represent a promising starting point.

scholarly journals Data Science Applications in Pandemic: A survey on COVID-19 Outbreak Tools

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amal Alzhrani ◽  
Ahmad salem Almalki
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Data Science ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Smartphone Apps ◽  
Multiple Data ◽  
The World ◽  
Vision 2030

Abstract While the world steps backward, Saudi Arabia took two steps forward. the Saudi Vision 2030 framework was launched in 2017 to create digital transformation in the various sector to improve the quality of life. The COVID-19 has made it possible to promote and test the strength of digital transformation and adoption. In Saudi Arabia, the use of artificial intelligence applications to integrate multiple data sources across potential outbreaks should be further discussed. Decreasing the number of smartphone apps and combining their features may also improve and encourage their use. In this paper, in this paper we present an exhaustive survey on COVID-19 outbreak tools/apps and the role of Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA).

scholarly journals Trends and gaps in precision health research: a scoping review

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. e056938
Author(s):  
John Noel Viana ◽  
Sarah Edney ◽  
Shakuntla Gondalia ◽  
Chelsea Mauch ◽  
Hamza Sellak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Complex Data ◽  
Data Types ◽  
Multiple Data ◽  
Health Studies ◽  
Precision Health

ObjectiveTo determine progress and gaps in global precision health research, examining whether precision health studies integrate multiple types of information for health promotion or restoration.DesignScoping review.Data sourcesSearches in Medline (OVID), PsycINFO (OVID), Embase, Scopus, Web of Science and grey literature (Google Scholar) were carried out in June 2020.Eligibility criteriaStudies should describe original precision health research; involve human participants, datasets or samples; and collect health-related information. Reviews, editorial articles, conference abstracts or posters, dissertations and articles not published in English were excluded.Data extraction and synthesisThe following data were extracted in independent duplicate: author details, study objectives, technology developed, study design, health conditions addressed, precision health focus, data collected for personalisation, participant characteristics and sentence defining ‘precision health’. Quantitative and qualitative data were summarised narratively in text and presented in tables and graphs.ResultsAfter screening 8053 articles, 225 studies were reviewed. Almost half (105/225, 46.7%) of the studies focused on developing an intervention, primarily digital health promotion tools (80/225, 35.6%). Only 28.9% (65/225) of the studies used at least four types of participant data for tailoring, with personalisation usually based on behavioural (108/225, 48%), sociodemographic (100/225, 44.4%) and/or clinical (98/225, 43.6%) information. Participant median age was 48 years old (IQR 28–61), and the top three health conditions addressed were metabolic disorders (35/225, 15.6%), cardiovascular disease (29/225, 12.9%) and cancer (26/225, 11.6%). Only 68% of the studies (153/225) reported participants’ gender, 38.7% (87/225) provided participants’ race/ethnicity, and 20.4% (46/225) included people from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. More than 57% of the articles (130/225) have authors from only one discipline.ConclusionsAlthough there is a growing number of precision health studies that test or develop interventions, there is a significant gap in the integration of multiple data types, systematic intervention assessment using randomised controlled trials and reporting of participant gender and ethnicity. Greater interdisciplinary collaboration is needed to gather multiple data types; collectively analyse big and complex data; and provide interventions that restore, maintain and/or promote good health for all, from birth to old age.

INTERPRETATION OF SINO-RUSSIAN CULTURE AND HUMANITIES COOPERATION IN THE NEW ERA

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 186-193
Author(s):  
REN YANYAN ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Current Status ◽  
Human Relations ◽  
New Era ◽  
Russian Culture ◽  
The People ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Cooperative Partnership ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
The Belt And Road

The friendship between nations lies in the mutual affinity of the people, and the people’s affinity lies in the communion of hearts. The cultural and humanities cooperation between China and Russia has a long history. In recent years, under the role of the“Belt and Road” initiative, the SCO, and the Sino-Russian Humanities Cooperation Committee, Sino-Russian culture and humanities cooperation has continued to deepen. Entering a new era, taking the opportunity to promote Sino-Russian relations into a “new era China-Russia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership”, the development of human relations between the two countries has entered a new historical starting point, while also facing a series of problems and challenges. This article is based on the current status of Sino-Russian human relations in the new era, interprets the characteristics of Sino-Russian human relations in the new era, analyzes the problems and challenges of Sino-Russian human relations in the new era, and tries to propose solutions and solutions with a view to further developing Sino-Russian cultural and humanities relations in the new era. It is a useful reference, and provides a reference for future related research, and ultimately helps the Sino-Russian cultural and humanities relations in the new era to be stable and far-reaching.

La conexión entre política de cohesión y gobernanza económica en la UE: Eficiencia del nuevo marco para abordar las consecuencias de la crisis

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 44-62
Author(s):  
Laura Gómez Urquijo
Keyword(s):  
Social Protection ◽  
Economic Governance ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Investment Funds ◽  
Current Economic Crisis ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
New Economic Governance ◽  
Social Protection Systems ◽  
New Instruments

The objective of this article is to contribute to the discussion on the validity of new instruments to enhance cohesion in the European Union (EU). First, we question to which extent cohesion policy is submitted to the new economic governance. Second, we discuss this subordination affects the fulfillment of cohesion aims. This question is especially relevant due to the increase of inequalities in the current economic crisis and the great diversity among State Members (including social protection systems and expenses). Thus, our starting point is the new economic governance framework and its impact on the fulfillment of cohesion objectives. Statistical data are considered with this aim. Next, we will assess the role of European Structural and Investment Funds to eventually compensate public expense cuts, as well as its subordination to the macroeconomic government. This aspect will be contrasted through the study of Country Specific Recommendations given by the European Semester. Spanish El objetivo de este artículo es contribuir a la discusión sobre la validez de los nuevos instrumentos para fomentar la cohesión en la Unión Europea. Nos preguntamos en qué modo queda sometida la política de cohesión a la nueva gobernanza económica y cómo afecta a la efectividad para cubrir susfines. Esta cuestión es particularmente relevante ante el incremento de las desigualdades suscitado en la crisis económica actual. Por ello, nuestro punto de partida es el nuevo marco de gobernanza económica y su impacto en el cumplimiento de los objetivos de cohesión, considerando para ello datos estadísticos. A continuación, valoraremos, el papel de los Fondos Estructurales y de Inversión Europeos como posibles compensadores de la reducción del gasto público así como su subordinación al gobierno macroeconómico. Esta cuestión será contrastada también a través del examen de las Recomendaciones Específicas por país dadas por el Semestre Europeo. French Le but de cet article est de contribuer à la discussion sur la validité de nouveaux instruments pour promouvoir la cohésion dans l'UE. Nous avons considéré, d'une part, en quoi la politique de cohésion est soumise à la nouvelle gouvernance économique et, d'autre part, la façon dont elle utilise l'efficacité pour répondre à ses fins.Cette question est particulièrement pertinente étant donnée l'augmentation de l'inégalité soulevée par la crise économique actuelle, dans un contexte de grande diversité d'États membres, notamment en ce qui concerne les systèmes de protection sociale et les dépenses publiques. Par conséquent, notre point de départ s'inscrit dans le nouveau cadre de gouvernance économique et son impact sur la mise en œuvre des objectifs de cohésion, à partir de la prise en compte de données statistiques. Pour ce faire, nous évaluons le rôle des Fonds Structurels Européens, leur capacité de compenser la réduction des dépenses publiques et leur subordination au gouvernement macroéconomique. Ce e question sera également abordée par l'examen des recommandations spécifiques par pays fournies par le Semestre Européen.

PD-L1 Inhibitors for the Treatment of Prostate Cancer

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (15) ◽  
pp. 1558-1565
Author(s):  
Matteo Santoni ◽  
Francesco Massari ◽  
Liang Cheng ◽  
Alessia Cimadamore ◽  
Marina Scarpelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
T Lymphocytes ◽  
Chronic Inflammation ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Response To Therapy ◽  
Complex Series

The carcinogenesis of prostate cancer (PCa) results from a complex series of events. Chronic inflammation and infections are crucial in this context. Infiltrating M2 type macrophages, as well as neutrophils and T lymphocytes, contribute to PCa development, progression and response to therapy. The preliminary findings on the efficacy of immunotherapy in patients with PCa were not encouraging. However, a series of studies investigating anti-PD-L1 agents such as Atezolizumab, Avelumab and Durvalumab used alone or in combination with other immunotherapies, chemotherapy or locoregional approaches are in course in this tumor. In this review, we illustrate the role of immune cells and PD-L1 expression during PCa carcinogenesis and progression, with a focus on ongoing clinical trials on anti-PD-L1 agents in this context.

scholarly journals Cancer, Retrogenes, and Evolution

Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 72
Author(s):  
Klaudia Staszak ◽  
Izabela Makałowska
Keyword(s):  
Specific Resistance ◽  
Neoplastic Transformation ◽  
Resistance Mechanisms ◽  
Response To Therapy ◽  
Additional Gene ◽  
Cancer Subtypes ◽  
Gene Copies ◽  
Specific Cancer ◽  
Evolution Of Genomes

This review summarizes the knowledge about retrogenes in the context of cancer and evolution. The retroposition, in which the processed mRNA from parental genes undergoes reverse transcription and the resulting cDNA is integrated back into the genome, results in additional copies of existing genes. Despite the initial misconception, retroposition-derived copies can become functional, and due to their role in the molecular evolution of genomes, they have been named the “seeds of evolution”. It is convincing that retrogenes, as important elements involved in the evolution of species, also take part in the evolution of neoplastic tumors at the cell and species levels. The occurrence of specific “resistance mechanisms” to neoplastic transformation in some species has been noted. This phenomenon has been related to additional gene copies, including retrogenes. In addition, the role of retrogenes in the evolution of tumors has been described. Retrogene expression correlates with the occurrence of specific cancer subtypes, their stages, and their response to therapy. Phylogenetic insights into retrogenes show that most cancer-related retrocopies arose in the lineage of primates, and the number of identified cancer-related retrogenes demonstrates that these duplicates are quite important players in human carcinogenesis.

scholarly journals Thermal Physics and Glaucoma II: Preliminary Evidences for a Thermophysical Design of a Possible Visible-Light-Photons Therapy

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 6301
Author(s):  
Giulia Grisolia ◽  
Mariarosa Astori ◽  
Antonio Ponzetto ◽  
Antonio Vercesi ◽  
Umberto Lucia
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Thermodynamic Approach ◽  
Equilibrium Thermodynamic ◽  
Pharmacological Treatments ◽  
Light Stimulation ◽  
Cell Behaviour ◽  
Thermal Physics ◽  
Starting Point

Recently, a non-equilibrium thermodynamic approach has been developed in order to model the fundamental role of the membrane electric potential in the cell behaviour. A related new viewpoint is introduced, with a design of a photobiomodulation treatment in order to restore part of the visual field. Here, a first step in experimental evidence of the validity of the thermodynamic approach is developed. This result represents the starting point for future experimental improvements for light stimulation in order to improve the quality of life of the patients. The future possible therapy will be in addition to the pharmacological treatments.

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