Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

D Camacho

Publications and source records attributed to D Camacho.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Modelling and simulation for metabolomics data analysis.

The advent of large data sets, such as those produced in metabolomics, presents a considerable challenge in terms of their interpretation. Several mathematical and statistical methods have been proposed to analyse these data, and new ones continue to appear. However, these methods often disagree in their analyses, and their results are hard to interpret. A major contributing factor for the difficulties in interpreting these data lies in the data analysis methods themselves, which have not been thoroughly studied under controlled conditions. We have been producing synthetic data sets by simulation of realistic biochemical network models with the purpose of comparing data analysis methods. Because we have full knowledge of the underlying 'biochemistry' of these models, we are better able to judge how well the analyses reflect true knowledge about the system. Another advantage is that the level of noise in these data is under our control and this allows for studying how the inferences are degraded by noise. Using such a framework, we have studied the extent to which correlation analysis of metabolomics data sets is capable of recovering features of the biochemical system. We were able to identify four major metabolic regulatory configurations that result in strong metabolite correlations. This example demonstrates the utility of biochemical simulation in the analysis of metabolomics data.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2003

Molecular epidemiology of dengue virus type 3 in Venezuela.

During the past 40 years, dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS) have emerged in humans, with approximately 3 million cases reported and over 58 000 deaths. Dengue virus serotypes 1, 2 and 4 (DENV-1, -2 and -4) have been co-circulating in Venezuela for at least the past 10 years, causing minor or major outbreaks of dengue fever (DF) and DHF/DSS. The first recorded outbreak due to DENV-3 in Venezuela dates to 1964 and the virus then seems to have disappeared. However, DENV-3 re-appeared recently (in July, 2000) in Venezuela after 32 years of absence and produced a prolonged major outbreak, which, by the end of 2001, involved 83 180 cases of dengue, mostly DF (92 %). Previous phylogenetic studies revealed that the DENV-3 circulating during the 1960s Latin American outbreak was a genotype V virus. To gain a better understanding of the nature of the current epidemic, the complete sequence was determined of the envelope (E) gene of 15 Venezuelan DENV-3 viruses isolated during 2000 and 2001 from patients presenting with different disease severity. Sequence data were used in phylogenetic comparisons with global samples of DENV-3. Analysis revealed that the strain circulating in Venezuela is closely related to isolates that were previously present in Panama and Nicaragua in 1994 and since then have spread through Central American countries and Mexico. This study also confirms previous reports showing that the DENV-3 strain currently circulating in the Americas is related to the strain that caused DHF epidemics in Sri Lanka and India in 1989-1991 (genotype III). Finally, no evidence of the re-emergence of the strain that circulated in Venezuela in the late 1960s and 1970s (genotype V) was found.

Americas↗
PubMed2001

Molecular epidemiology of dengue type 2 virus in Venezuela: evidence for in situ virus evolution and recombination.

Epidemic outbreaks of dengue fever (DF) were first recorded in Venezuela in 1978 and were followed by the emergence of dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) outbreaks in 1989. To gain a better understanding of the nature of these epidemics, the complete envelope (E) gene sequence of 34 Venezuelan dengue type 2 (DEN-2) viruses, isolated between 1997 and 2000 was determined. Of these isolates, 16 were from patients with DF and 17 were from patients diagnosed with DHF. There were no diagnostic sequence differences between them, suggesting that the E gene alone does not determine disease severity. These sequence data were also used in phylogenetic comparisons with a global sample of DEN-2 viruses, including strains collected previously from Venezuela. This analysis revealed that the ancestors of the Venezuelan viruses were Asian in origin, implying that a DEN-2 virus strain from this region was introduced into Venezuela and the wider Caribbean region during the late 1970s or the early 1980s. The phylogenetic trees further indicate that evolution of DEN-2 virus in Venezuela has occurred in situ, with differentiation into a number of distinct but co-circulating lineages, rather than the repeated introduction of new strains from other localities. By incorporating additional sequence data from the virus capsid, premembrane and membrane genes, evidence is provided that a single Venezuelan strain sequenced previously, designated Mara4, is a recombinant virus, incorporating genome sequence from Venezuelan and Asian parental viruses.

Asia↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Promoting the advancement of minority women faculty in academic medicine: the National Centers of Excellence in Women's Health.

Minority physicians provide care in a manner that promotes patient satisfaction and meets the needs of an increasingly diverse U.S. population. In addition, minority medical school faculty bring diverse perspectives to research and teach cross-cultural care. However, men and women of color remain underrepresented among medical school faculty, particularly in the higher ranks. National data show that although the numbers of women in medicine have increased, minority representation remains essentially static. Studying minority women faculty as a group may help to improve our understanding of barriers to diversification. Six National Centers of Excellence in Women's Health used a variety of approaches in addressing the needs of this group. Recommendations for other academic institutions include development of key diversity indicators with national benchmarks, creation of guidelines for mentoring and faculty development programs, and support for career development opportunities.

Career Mobility↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Women's health centers and minority women: addressing barriers to care. The National Centers of Excellence in Women's Health.

New models of care delivery have been developed to better coordinate and integrate healthcare for women. In the United States, one of the challenges is to incorporate the needs of racial and ethnic minority populations into these newer care paradigms. This paper begins with a brief historical review of the experience of racial and ethnic minorities in the American healthcare system to provide a context for discussing barriers and limitations of more traditional models of women's healthcare. Specific approaches used by National Centers of Excellence in Women's Health are presented as examples of strategies that may be implemented by other communities to address these barriers.

Community Health Centers↗