Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Community Networks”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,117 records · Page 62Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Establishing physician networks within evolving antitrust guidelines.

Rapid changes in health care are being driven by the growth of managed care. Health plans have become more aggressive in negotiating with physicians, and providers have increasingly chosen to establish networks in response. Because these provider networks frequently represent horizontal forms of integration between competitors, antitrust issues have become increasingly important. This article addresses current antitrust law as it relates to physician networks. In particular, it reviews the most recent statements of antitrust enforcement policy of the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission concerning physician networks. Procompetitive activities by physician networks are central to the latest rulings.

Antitrust Laws↗
PubMed1992

Psychoactive drug prescribing in the Tasmanian community.

OBJECTIVE: To gather data on the prescribing of psychoactive drugs (benzodiazepines, antidepressants and antipsychotics) using a network of Tasmanian community pharmacies. DESIGN SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The prescribing of psychoactive drugs in the community was studied during 1989 using data retrospectively obtained from computerised dispensing systems in 11 community pharmacies in Tasmania. The data collection procedure included all prescriptions dispensed in the pharmacies, irrespective of supply under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, the Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme or as a private prescription. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Results of the pooled data were quantified by both the number of prescriptions and the defined daily doses (DDDs) dispensed for the psychoactive drugs. RESULTS: When extrapolated to the population of Tasmania, the estimated annual prescribing rates for the benzodiazepines, antidepressants and antipsychotics (including lithium) were 853.3, 316.2 and 54.8 prescriptions per 1000 persons, respectively. Prescriptions for the psychoactive drugs accounted for 13.2% of all prescriptions dispensed. In terms of DDDs, the estimated prescribing rates for the total Tasmanian population for the benzodiazepines, antidepressants and antipsychotics were 47.8, 12.5 and 2.1 DDDs per 1000 persons per day, respectively. The rate of benzodiazepine prescribing appeared to be high in comparison with the limited Australian data available. The relative prescribing rates of the long acting benzodiazepine hypnotics, flunitrazepam and nitrazepam, were also disturbingly high. CONCLUSIONS: This study has demonstrated the potential value of comprehensive pharmacoepidemiological data obtained from a network of community pharmacists and will form the basis for future studies using an expanded collection procedure.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗
PubMed2006

Nonequilibrium dynamics of language games on complex networks.

The naming game is a model of nonequilibrium dynamics for the self-organized emergence of a linguistic convention or a communication system in a population of agents with pairwise local interactions. We present an extensive study of its dynamics on complex networks, that can be considered as the most natural topological embedding for agents involved in language games and opinion dynamics. Except for some community structured networks on which metastable phases can be observed, agents playing the naming game always manage to reach a global consensus. This convergence is obtained after a time generically scaling with the population's size N as t(conv) approximately N(1.4+/-0.1), i.e., much faster than for agents embedded on regular lattices. Moreover, the memory capacity required by the system scales only linearly with its size. Particular attention is given to heterogeneous networks, in which the dynamical activity pattern of a node depends on its degree. High-degree nodes have a fundamental role, but require larger memory capacity. They govern the dynamics acting as spreaders of (linguistic) conventions. The effects of other properties, such as the average degree and the clustering, are also discussed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Toward an understanding of microbial communities through analysis of communication networks.

Bacteria receive signals from diverse members of their biotic environment. They sense their own species through the process of quorum sensing, which detects the density of bacterial cells and regulates functions such as bioluminescence, virulence, and competence. Bacteria also respond to the presence of other microorganisms and eukaryotic hosts. Most studies of microbial communication focus on signaling between the microbe and one other organism for empirical simplicity and because few experimental systems offer the opportunity to study communication among various types of organisms. But in the real biological world, microorganisms must carry on multiple molecular conversations simultaneously between diverse organisms, thereby constructing communication networks. We propose that biocontrol of plant disease, the process of suppressing disease through application of a microorganism, offers a model for the study of communication among multiple organisms. Successful biocontrol requires the sending and receiving of signals between the biocontrol agent and the pathogen, plant host, and microbial community surrounding the host. We are using Bacillus cereus, a biocontrol agent, and the organisms it must interact with, to dissect a communication network. This system offers an excellent starting point for study because its members are defined and well studied. An understanding of signaling in the B. cereus biocontrol system may provide a model for network communication among organisms that share a habitat and provide a new angle of analysis for understanding the interconnections that define communities.

Bacillus cereus↗
PubMed2006

Representation strategies in public participation in health policy: the Aboriginal Community Health Council.

Within Canada's Aboriginal population, an ongoing health promotion strategy has been the facilitation of community participation in the development and application of health policy. The Calgary Health Region's Aboriginal Community Health Council has provided a setting for involving the local Aboriginal population in health policy and program development for over a decade. This paper represents the results of a case study to identify the Council's strategies for this work. Data sources included documents, such as meeting minutes and other reports; key informant interviews with past and present Council members and health region representatives; and participant observation of Council functions. Although direct membership in the Council provided a core approach for representing the community, other strategies were actively utilized to involve the public. These included building links and partnerships with community organizations, networking, consultation activities and the identification of special needs groups.

Canada↗
PubMed2026

Metagenome-scale modeling to assess microbiome metabolic complementarity for precision microbiota transplantation therapies.

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) holds therapeutic promise beyond recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection, but clinical outcomes remain unpredictable and donor-selection strategies remain limited, in part because the role of donor‒recipient metabolic interactions in shaping the post-FMT community remains poorly understood. Here, we leverage metagenome-scale metabolic modeling to quantify metabolic niche complementarity between donor and recipient microbiomes and predict post-FMT community composition. Using MICOM-derived metabolic models, we show that donor genomes whose metabolic flux profiles are more dissimilar from the recipient community colonize at significantly higher rates in a murine FMT model. In a human IBS trial, the same metric predicted post-FMT community composition via leave-one-out cross-validation and captured known disease-associated alterations in short-chain fatty acid, sulfur, and gas metabolism. We then performed 2,548 in silico FMT simulations between IBS-D/M patients and donors from the OpenBiome biobank to evaluate personalized donor screening, identifying super-donors characterized by high taxonomic diversity, broad metabolic niche coverage, and community interaction networks dominated by cross-feeding rather than competition. Together, these results support metabolic niche complementarity as a potential determinant of post-FMT community composition and provide a mechanistic basis for evaluating donor-recipient metabolic compatibility. This framework offers a scalable approach for generating testable hypotheses for personalized donor selection.

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation↗
PubMed2004

Medical genetic services in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Rio de Janeiro is a state with close to 15 million inhabitants and approximately 250,000 births per year. The state counts nine clinical genetic units in public institutions, providing for 9,400 outpatient consultations yearly, which is insufficient to cover the estimated needs. Laboratory tests such as cytogenetics, inborn errors of metabolism and molecular studies are available on a limited basis. Newborn screening in the public health system is being performed for phenylketonuria, congenital hypothyroidism and sickle cell disease. In the state there are also special treatment programs for osteogenesis imperfecta and Gaucher's disease, subsidized by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Presently, efforts of medical geneticists are concentrated on highlighting the practical relevance of clinical genetics, and the need to integrate the specialty into the public health system in a functional network of genetic services.

Brazil↗
PubMed1998

Strategies for clinics. How integrated delivery systems are applying automation at their group practices.

Integrated delivery systems that have created or acquired physician group practices are attempting to determine the best way to apply information technology at these sites. This involves standardizing on one practice management system for all sites, determining the feasibility of installing electronic patient records systems and expanding computer networks to accommodate the exchange of data among outpatient as well as inpatient sites.

Community Networks↗