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Oligonucleotide-based gene therapy for cardiovascular disease.

Gene therapy is emerging as a potential strategy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease such as restenosis after angioplasty, vascular bypass graft occlusion, transplant coronary vasculopathy, homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia and cystic fibrosis, for which no known effective therapy exists. Gene therapy requires efficient in vivo gene transfer technology. During the past decade, many gene transfer methods including viral transfer techniques have been developed, and some are being applied clinically in human gene therapy studies. Molecular biology and pathophysiology of the cardiovascular system have started to emerge, and the time is ripe for the introduction of gene therapy to the management of cardiovascular disorders. In this review, we have focused on the future potential of oligonucleotide-based gene therapy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗

Technology and women's health in developing countries.

In developing countries is medical technology transfer reaching women? Do women control new technologies or are they only passive recipients? What is the impact of these new technologies on women's health and welfare? To answer these questions this article explores concepts of health, technologies, and women, then gives findings from an extensive literature search on contraception, childbirth, immunization, essential drugs, oral rehydration therapy, water, sanitation, and breast-feeding. The article concludes with recommendations on pre-project planning studies, monitoring, and evaluation.

Developing Countries↗

The meaning of communication: experiences with augmentative communication devices.

This study is a secondary analysis of data collected from end-users of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices as part of a project of the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technology Transfer (T2RERC). The original data, obtained from a Web-based focus group, were used to identify unmet consumer needs in existing AAC devices. The purpose of the secondary analysis was to give context to the original study through phenomenological interpretation of the narratives, thereby gaining an understanding of the common meanings and shared experiences and practices of people who use AAC technology. Underlying this study is the interpretive approach of Heideggerian hermeneutics; through reflective thinking, understanding of the human situation of AAC users in everyday life is uncovered or extended. Six themes and one constitutive pattern emerged to explain the participants' experiences with AAC devices: (a) maintaining effective communication, (b) interacting in various situations, (c) AAC device-imposing limitations, (d) wading through prepackaged technology, (e) AAC device giving more than a voice, (f) accepting the AAC device. The constitutive pattern was communication technology enables humanness. This information will make rehabilitation nurses aware of the value of the AAC device for the users and the limitations that the technology may impose on the users, as well as the need for others to accept the device. Nurses gaining this understanding may facilitate integration of AAC systems and the development of patient/nurse communication partnerships.

Adolescent↗

Research & development methodology for recycling residues as building materials--a proposal.

This article presents a proposal of methodology for conducting such research and development. The data/statistics waste collection statistics phase must cover geographical distribution, seasonal variations on production rates, waste management practices, current applications and their related costs and revenues. Waste characterisation must be comprehensive with physical, environmental and chemical aspects, including waste variability and waste contamination from shipping, handling and storage activities. Based on the previous results a broad forecast of potential applications must be developed based on very simple rules like minimisation of transportation distances and energy consumption, etc. Marketing evaluation is a very important step, frequently neglected when choosing the best applications for a particular waste. Other steps are product development and performance evaluation. Environmental evaluation of the new technology is very important because not all recycling is environmentally sound. This evaluation must be based on the life cycle assessment (LCA) and has to consider the environmental benefit of avoiding landfill disposal of the waste, and could include leaching or other specific tests or simulations. Also, the technological transference phase must be carefully planned and developed. Each proposed step is discussed, examples are given and needs for further research emphasised.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗

The U.S. pharmaceutical industry: why major growth in times of cost containment?

Growth in utilization rather than price, particularly since 1994, has been the primary driver of increased pharmaceutical spending. In this paper I focus on four factors that have increased utilization, even as cost containment efforts have flourished: (1) "the importance of being unimportant"; (2) increased third-party prescription drug coverage; (3) the introduction of successful new products; and (4) aggressive technology transfer and marketing efforts by pharmaceutical firms. I also consider the roles that these four factors are likely to play in the future.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.↗

Medical outreach to Armenia by telemedicine linkage.

Telemedicine, an electronic mode of transmitting medical information interactively between remote sites, was launched as an educational support for a 3-year-old medical partnership between Boston University School of Medicine and Emergency Hospital, of Yerevan, Armenia. Emergency Hospital is the first site in Armenia to have an audiographic teleconference capability linking it to a major medical center. Emergency Hospital and Boston University School of Medicine share the remote connection in order to allow educational conferences, peer consultations, and distance learning to take place, thus enhancing the partnership's aims to improve the emergency and trauma care system of Yerevan. To date, eight teleconferences have been transmitted linking 100 physicians, nurses and hospital administrators. The teleconference program provides, in effect, a formal continuing medical education program for Emergency Hospital. It is a key tool of low-cost technology transfer with the potential of broadening resources over the wide territory of the 15 republics of the former Soviet Union. The telemedicine system is comprised of Optel Communications' Remote Viewing System computer hardware and software plus two dedicated AT&T telephone lines. The system has been in use at Boston University School of Medicine for live voice and still image transmission between international sites since 1987. This level of technology suited environmental conditions in Armenia, marked by frequent power outages and unreliability of local telephone connections. A protocol for presentations was established governing length of time, number of visuals per session, visual format, compatibility with interpretive services, congruence with project mission, and adaptability to local conditions that was shown to provide clear and concise delivery of the information necessary. This paper reports the process of development, installation, and initial use of the technology in one nation of the post-Soviet world.

Armenia↗

Postgraduate programs in molecular epidemiology.

Molecular epidemiology is a new field that has recently emerged from the integration of molecular biology into epidemiologic research. As yet, few countries have significant capabilities in molecular epidemiology due to a lack of trained molecular epidemiologists, and a shortage of necessary equipment and supplies. Thus, there is a great need for: 1) training in methods for integrating molecular biology and human genetics into epidemiology and public health, and 2) advanced biotechnology equipment, reagents and supplies for molecular analyses of potential genetic and environmental risk factors. The International Molecular Epidemiology Task Force (IMETAF) was established in 1993, and is actively contributing to the development of training programs, as well as effective technology transfer in several countries. This paper focuses on approaches for enhancing training opportunities in molecular epidemiology, many of which are being supported by IMETAF.

Canada↗

The Type 1 Diabetes Genetics Consortium.

The Type 1 Diabetes Genetics Consortium (T1DGC) is an international, multicenter program organized to promote research to identify genes and their alleles that determine an individual's risk for type 1 diabetes (T1D). The primary goal of the T1DGC is to establish resources and data that can be used by, and that is fully accessible to, the research community in the study of T1D. All the information on T1DGC can be accessed at the following web address: http://www.t1dgc.org. A resource base of well-characterized families is being assembled that will facilitate the localization and characterization of T1D susceptibility genes. From these families, the T1DGC is establishing banks of DNA, serum, plasma, and cell lines, as well as useful databases. The T1DGC also sponsors training opportunities (bioinformatics) and technology transfer (HLA genotyping).

Alleles↗

Noninfectious gene transfer and expression systems for cancer gene therapy.

Gene therapy provides a significant opportunity to devise novel strategies for the control or cure of cancer. Success of this modality will ultimately depend on the ability to express a therapeutic gene of interest at high levels, and specific gene delivery to targeted tumor cells will minimize toxicities. Although current gene therapy trials typically use viral-based, infectious vectors to express suitable target genes in human cancer cells, these vectors have significant limitations in their expression characteristics, lack of specificity in targeting tumor cells for gene transfer, and safety concerns regarding induction of secondary malignancies and recombination to form replication-competent virus. These limitations have refocused efforts to develop noninfectious gene transfer technologies for in vivo gene delivery of plasmid-based expression vectors. This article reviews recent developments in non-infectious gene transfer techniques, including liposome and receptor-mediated methods, which can efficiently deliver plasmid vectors into tumor cells in vivo. Additionally, strategies are reviewed for efficiently expressing target genes in tumor cells, including use of tissue-specific promoters, inducible promoters, and replication-control sequences to regulate extrachromosomal amplification of vector DNA in human tumor cells. Optimal coupling of these noninfectious gene transfer and expression technologies have the potential to yield safe and effective gene therapies for patients with cancer.

Gene Transfer Techniques↗

Transfer of research-based HIV prevention interventions to community service providers: fidelity and adaptation.

HIV prevention research interventions usually follow protocols with specific procedures. If a community-delivered intervention uses the same procedures with the same populations as those in the original research, the behavior change effects should be similar. However, community-based providers may not replicate an intervention exactly as it was conducted in the effectiveness study. Adaptation may be needed to better meet the needs of the clients, community, or organization. We propose that interventions can be defined in terms of core elements likely to be responsible for effectiveness. These core elements cannot be changed without fundamentally changing the intervention, whereas other characteristics may be modified without altering effectiveness. HIV prevention researchers and service providers can collaborate to develop interventions that not only are effective but can also be successfully implemented by service organizations. If researchers actively involve service providers and community members in intervention planning, technology transfer goals can be better achieved.

Community Health Services↗

[National survey of the infrastructure of research centers in advanced biotechnology and molecular epidemiology in Mexico].

An International Molecular Epidemiology Task Force group (IMETAF) was established in 1993, where the Mexican group include as their objectives: the evaluation of the main public health problems that could be improvement through molecular epidemiology; the analysis of the interaction between molecular biology and epidemiology; development of international nets of collaboration and the establishment of surveys toward the prevention and control of some diseases. As part of a general strategy the Mexican scientific committee developed the first national infrastructure survey of the centers of biotechnology and molecular epidemiology. This survey obtained data trough a questionnaire of the general characteristics the development of the molecular epidemiology, the main tools of surveys, equipment, material and reagents, the personnel trained in biotechnology, epidemiology and public health, the needs of training, the national and international nets, how to develop molecular epidemiology and areas to be considered. The results give a general idea of the possibilities to develop the field in Mexico. More than 50% are currently working in this theme. The majority in infectious diseases. The centers have the equipment, material reagents and human resources well trained to incorporate the molecular epidemiology in their usual work. They reported the need of technology transfer to develop collaborations and courses, symposia or congresses. We conclude that Mexico has the capability and the infrastructure to develop molecular epidemiology. A survey is needed on animals.

Academies and Institutes↗

Substance abuse counselors' treatment philosophy and the content of treatment services provided to offenders in drug court programs.

A study of treatment offered to drug court participants was designed to link the beliefs, philosophies, and knowledge of the counselors with the services offered in treatment sessions. The study is limited to four jurisdictions, two rural and two urban, but, within these four jurisdictions, the treatment services provided are representative of the services offered to the general addict community. Surveys were conducted with over half the treatment counselors providing services and structured observations were conducted with over half of the normal group therapy sessions offered in a given month. Survey findings reveal that treatment counselors support a number of different causes for substance abuse. Counselors also do not have a strong affiliation for any one model that defines their treatment approaches. Observations confirmed an eclectic approach to treatment sessions in practice. A number of technology transfer and management issues are identified from the study including the need for the development of a better understanding among treatment providers as to the recovery process, the role of treatment in the process, and critical components of therapeutic interventions.

Adult↗

Institutional linkages: strategic bridges for research capacity strengthening.

The establishment and strengthening of research capacity in developing countries is of prime importance in empowering these countries to find rational and efficient solutions to their health problems through scientific research. Institutional linkages with other researchers in the North and South greatly facilitate the process of research strengthening through graduate study programs, technology transfer, 'hands-on' research training in the field, expanded networking with partners' contacts, and continued scientific exchanges in the context of actual research programs. This paper describes the experiences of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, the Philippines, in the area of research capacity development. Strengths and weaknesses of various approaches in institutional strengthening are discussed.

Financing, Organized↗

The Malaria Research and Reference Reagent Resource (MR4) Center--creating African opportunities.

The Malaria Research and Reference Reagent Resource Center (MR4) is a program to support the international malaria research community. The primary goal is to improve access to well-characterized quality-controlled parasite, host and vector reagents for standardization of assays and other general research purposes. MR4 is open to all scientists worldwide, however many of its inaugural activities will have a focus in Africa, where the concept for the MR4 was born. Reagents are donated to the MR4 Center by malaria researchers and their institutions for distribution to other investigators special arrangements are also possible for developing reagents in-house, or for coordinating reagents for multi-site studies. In addition to providing reagents, the MR4 also aims to promotoe technology transfer and to foster scientific exchange between new and established malaria researchers. This will be done via workshops, training programs, and dissemination of information (electronic and hard copy). Suggestions for reagents, information resources, or training opportunities are welcome from the research community to make this a responsive, service-oriented program.

Africa↗

Appropriateness and variation of surgical treatment of breast cancer in Italy: when excellence in clinical research does not match with generalized good quality care. Progetto Oncologia Femminile.

To assess appropriateness of surgical care delivered to breast cancer patients in Italy and quantify the use of unnecessary radical procedures, a retrospective charts review of patients treated in 1988-1989 was conducted. A series of 1724 consecutive patients (median age 61 years; range 17-89) treated in 63 hospitals selected from within 8 regions with newly diagnosed operable breast carcinoma was evaluated. Overall, 541 (38%) patients had inappropriate surgery with more than two thirds of it being accounted for by the use of unnecessary mutilating Halsted mastectomy. Substantial geographic variation emerged in the overall rates of appropriateness (range 88-52%) which were not substantially affected by allowance for imbalances in patient- and hospital-related variables. Despite the important contribution given by Italian clinical researchers to the demonstration that less radical surgery can be as good as more radical procedures, still a substantial proportion of breast cancer patients are treated too aggressively. Besides pointing to the urgent need of interventions aimed at facilitating the process of technology transfer in order to promote more appropriate surgical care, these results suggest that efforts to increase patients' participation into treatment decision and awareness about alternative treatment options are warranted.

Adolescent↗

Online research to guide knowledge management planning.

The current paper describes the process and results of an effort to find a way to effectively manage and diffuse prevention knowledge. This study shows the role that today's communication technologies can play in ensuring collaboration and participation in both the design and use of a knowledge management system (KMS) for prevention research, practice and policy. In the context of this study, 'prevention research' includes primary through tertiary prevention efforts consistent with general applied public health research in the US. An online Delphi study was used to engage a set of prevention research constituencies in the design of a mechanism to enhance the potential for effective technology transfer. A three-round Delphi was conducted with 58 stakeholders and key informants involved in prevention: government-level policy makers, researchers and front-line practitioners. The study resulted in consensus on 34 functions and 32 output/content elements of a proposed web-based KMS called PreventionEffects.net. The paper also describes the implications of both the processes of development and the benefits of the proposed system for those interested in prevention.

Delphi Technique↗

Medical innovation and institutional interdependence: rethinking university-industry connections.

University-industry research collaborations have been key to a continued high degree of technological innovation in medicine. Recently, however, critical questions have been posed about the potential negative aspects of highly productive means of encouraging innovation. Concerns center on blurring roles between academic research and the commercial world and the implications of universities' newfound readiness to benefit financially from their intellectual property. The roles of both parties are often inadequately captured by considering members of university faculties as single-mindedly devoted to the advancement of fundamental knowledge and industrial firms as mere developers of university research. Rather, medical innovation depends on extensive interactions between universities and industry, with knowledge and technology transfer flowing in both directions. These interactions have had important public health and economic benefits. Yet, there is a risk to the university-industry relationship if the cultural and ethical principles of one partner overwhelm those of the other. Therefore, universities and industry need to maximize the upsides of collaboration and minimize the downsides by means of internal organizational change as well as formation of new models of collaboration, such as intellectual partnerships or virtual research organizations. This article reviews the numerous institutional patterns of innovation and draws implications for organizational and public policies.

Biomedical Research↗

Benefits of collaborative learning for environmental management: applying the integrated systems for knowledge management approach to support animal pest control.

Resource management issues continually change over time in response to coevolving social, economic, and ecological systems. Under these conditions adaptive management, or "learning by doing," offers an opportunity for more proactive and collaborative approaches to resolving environmental problems. In turn, this will require the implementation of learning-based extension approaches alongside more traditional linear technology transfer approaches within the area of environmental extension. In this paper the Integrated Systems for Knowledge Management (ISKM) approach is presented to illustrate how such learning-based approaches can be used to help communities develop, apply, and refine technical information within a larger context of shared understanding. To outline how this works in practice, we use a case study involving pest management. Particular attention is paid to the issues that emerge as a result of multiple stakeholder involvement within environmental problem situations. Finally, the potential role of the Internet in supporting and disseminating the experience gained through ongoing adaptive management processes is examined.

Animals↗