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Analytical method comparison based upon statistical power calculations.

Testing for the equivalence of results generated by different analytical methodology is a common practice in the pharmaceutical sciences. Methodology changes are implemented for both scientific and economic reasons during a scientific study. Thus, the need to demonstrate the appropriateness of considering data generated by distinct methods as part of a single information population arises. This paper describes a rapid and simple approach to the statistical design and interpretation of method comparison experiments. The approach presented is based upon a statistical power calculation technique, a knowledge of the variability associated with the methods to be compared and the criteria for equivalence (the limits within which differences become immeasurable or, for practical purposes, insignificant). Reference tables are included which show necessary sample sizes for comparison experiments for common combinations of these three variables.

Chemistry Techniques, Analytical↗

Epigenesis and dynamic similarity in two regulatory networks in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Mucoidy and cytotoxicity arise from two independent modifications of the phenotype of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa that contribute to the mortality and morbidity of cystic fibrosis. We show that, even though the transcriptional regulatory networks controlling both processes are quite different from a molecular or mechanistic point of view, they may be identical from a dynamic point of view: epigenesis may in both cases be the cause of the acquisition of these new phenotypes. This was highlighted by the identity of formal graphs modelling these networks. A mathematical framework based on formal methods from computer science was defined and implemented with a software environment. It allows an easy and rigorous validation and certification of these models and of the experimental methods that can be proposed to falsify or validate the underlying hypothesis.

Epigenesis, Genetic↗

Women and smoking: issues and opportunities.

In March 2001, the U.S. Surgeon General released Women and Smoking, the second Surgeon General's report to focus on tobacco use among women, compelling the nation to make reducing tobacco use among women one of the highest priorities for women's health. Since 1980, 3 million women have died prematurely from smoking-related diseases and injuries. Lung cancer mortality rates among U.S. women have increased about 600% since 1950, and now lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women, having surpassed breast cancer in 1987. Although the report documents the devastating impact of the tobacco epidemic among women, a growing arsenal of science-based recommendations for implementing comprehensive tobacco control programs suggests that achieving the nation's ambitious Healthy People 2010 objectives, including cutting in half the rates of smoking among women and girls, is within our reach. While states continue to debate the use of tobacco settlement funds, it is important to note that when significant resources have been devoted to the implementation of evidence-based strategies, the results have been dramatic for the population overall and for women in particular. For example, in California, which has had a comprehensive tobacco control program for 11 years, smoking prevalence has declined throughout the 1990s at rates two or three times faster than in the rest of the country, and while lung cancer incidence rates increased by 13% among women in other parts of the United States, they decreased by 4.8% among women in California. These promising findings indicate that although tobacco-related diseases have become a women's health issue of epidemic proportions, we have the ability to reverse these trends.

Female↗

Commentary: experiences and challenges in industrialized countries.

Industrialized nations have been successful in reducing incidences of iron deficiency through utilization of multifaceted strategies that build on the capabilities of successful alliances between the public and private sectors. In comparison to developing nations, which have an estimated prevalence of iron deficiency of approximately 40%, the prevalence in industrialized countries is approximately 5%. Such low rates were achieved by various initiatives including widespread availability of affordable iron-fortified foods and implementation of national, science-based programs. Despite these successes, however, iron deficiency remains a critical problem among certain subpopulations (e.g., people of low socioeconomic status or recent immigrants who do not consume iron-fortified foods). Strengthening alliances among the private and public sectors and academia in communications efforts about iron deficiency and promoting iron-rich foods as well as iron-fortified foods is necessary to reduce iron deficiency in these populations.

Anemia, Iron-Deficiency↗

A collaborative approach to targeted treatment development for schizophrenia: a qualitative evaluation of the NIMH-MATRICS project.

INTRODUCTION: In 2002, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) initiated a multistakeholder research process designed to stimulate the development and evaluation of medications targeting the cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia. The first phase, Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS), sought consensus on laboratory measures for cognition, clinical trial outcome measures, and drug registration requirements. MATRICS constitutes a unique drug development model because it targeted a specific endophenotype of schizophrenia and because it engaged academic, industry, and government stakeholders in a consensus-oriented process. This study offers a preliminary qualitative evaluation of the NIMH-MATRICS project. METHOD: Interview data are used to describe how MATRICS participants regard 3 aspects of the development of cognitive medications: the definition of the treatment target, stakeholders' role in the early development process, and anticipated dissemination complexities. RESULTS: MATRICS participants describe the treatment target in highly varied ways and envision a wide range of public health benefits. MATRICS is perceived as inclusive, despite minimal representation from some end users. According to informants, clinical detection, documentation, and monitoring of cognition and functioning may prove problematic. More thoroughly than non-industry-employed informants, industry-employed MATRICS participants articulate strategies by which treatments can be integrated into clinical practice. DISCUSSION: The MATRICS process did not produce a clinical concept of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia, and significant challenges remain to be addressed regarding the rational clinical use of novel pharmaceuticals for cognition. Broader inclusion of end users in translational science projects may streamline implementation and facilitate improvements in real-world outcomes.

Biomedical Research↗

Clinical nurse specialist and evidence-based practice: managing anthracycline extravasation.

The clinical nurse specialist (CNS) is a clinical expert and client advocate in a specialized area of nursing practice, who directs efforts toward the improvement of nursing care. The CNS role is essential in closing the therapeutic gap between the development of science knowledge and its implementation in daily patient care situations. An essential step in developing evidence-based interventions is rating the quality of the evidence. An example of the CNS's role in improving care can be found in a response to an anthracycline extravasation. The clinical standard for extravasation was amended to incorporate new evidence-based guidelines that included prevention of extravasation and a new assessment method and intervention. When an extravasation is suspected with an anthracycline agent, a Wood's lamp (ultraviolet lamp) is shined on the area of interest, in a dark room. The anthracycline extravasation area, if present, will illuminate in the lamp's light. In addition to the standard interventions of topical DMSO applications, current literature also suggests an intravenous infusion of dexrazoxane (Zinecard) as an effective antidote to prevent tissue damage.

Adolescent↗

Screening, safety, and adverse events in physical activity interventions: collaborative experiences from the behavior change consortium.

Researchers who conduct physical activity (PA) intervention studies provide an invaluable opportunity to further the prevention science knowledge base for implementing and delivering PA programs. Despite recommendations that screening is important to increase patient safety, the specific screening criteria best suited for different community applications are unknown. To add to the limited knowledge base, we examined the screening procedures and the occurrence of adverse events among more than 5,500 participants from 11 diverse PA interventions participating in a trans-National Institutes of Health (NIH) collaborative known as the Behavior Change Consortium (BCC). Numerous adverse events occur in sedentary, chronically ill, or older populations, although few are attributed to activity/exercise interventions. No serious study-related adverse events (SRAEs) were reported across different screening practices, interventions, and/or populations. Relatively few minor SRAEs were reported (primarily musculoskeletal injuries), emphasizing the need to be aware of potential musculoskeletal sequelae during exercise interventions. One common characteristic of these studies is that they recommended "start low and go slow" strategies, with moderate intensity PA as the goal behavior. Recommendations to reframe the meaning and use of screening criteria to initiate PA in the community are discussed. Although we were unable to conduct generalizable quantitative analyses from our data, the combined experience of the BCC studies provides a unique opportunity to examine PA-related screening and safety issues across diverse populations, settings, and intervention programs.

Behavior Therapy↗

Survival of Vibrio cholerae O1 in ceviche and its reduction by heat pretreatment of raw ingredients.

The survival of Vibrio cholerae O1 serotypes Inaba and Ogawa was determined in ceviche prepared from inoculated ground fish. Ground mackerel purchased from a seafood distribution center was inoculated with V. cholerae and stored at 8 or 20 degrees C. Counts of V. cholerae decreased in 2.6 to 2.7 log10 CFU/g during 96 h of storage at 8 degrees C or 2.5 to 2.6 log10 CFU/g during 24 h at 20 degrees C. Survival studies indicated that serotype Inaba decreased its number following a linear or retarded trend, whereas serotype Ogawa followed an accelerated death trend. No effect of the initial level of inoculum was observed. Odor scores of ceviche indicated that this food became marginally acceptable within as little as 48 h of storage at 8 degrees C or 3 h at 20 degrees C and were related to total volatile nitrogen values but not to aerobic plate counts, pH, or coliform counts. A heat pretreatment that consisted of stirring 100 g of inoculated ground fish into 40 ml of boiling water produced an 8-log reduction of V. cholerae within 3 min without affecting the color, odor, or flavor of ceviche prepared with such pretreated fish. According to this study, V. cholerae present in contaminated ceviche will likely survive longer than the shelf life of this food. Preheating the ground raw fish used for preparing ceviche for 3 min should effectively eliminate V. cholerae O1, providing science-based conditions for implementing a critical control point if a hazard analysis critical control point plan were to be developed for preparation of ceviche.

Animals↗

Health care systems in Western Europe: an analytical approach.

Health care in the countries of Western Europe can be defined as a complex process of continuous innovation, i.e. of constantly implementing new combinations of science, technology, organisation, economics, politics, philosophy, opinions and fashion. Any element of this definition can influence the course of the health care process, whether or not combined with one or more of the other elements. This definition implies that health care systems as well as health care policy of the countries of Western Europe differ considerably. If we define a health care system as the legal and organisational framework, directed at producing, distributing, managing, regulating, supervising, co-ordinating and controlling health care activities in order to realise defined social health care values, no country can narrowly be compared to any other country. Such a comparison produces a huge basket of facts from which one can draw one conclusion only: each country acts to its own liking. The same applies for the concept of health care policy, i.e. a chosen course to achieve pre-set strategic objectives. Here too, every country acts to its own liking, where nobody is right and nobody is wrong. Consequently, the universal health care system does not exist. Consequently also, the analyst who takes a closer look at the health care systems of the countries of Western Europe, trying to map the differences, will discover a rather messy picture. All this being said, how do we deal with two burning questions? The first is: how can it be that, relatively speaking, the people of Western Europe are so healthy? Secondly: how do we clean up the mess or, in other words, how do we reform health care?

Delivery of Health Care↗

Systematic serials selection analysis in a small academic health sciences library.

This paper describes the implementation of a straightforward quantitative technique to analyze the serials collection of the Medical Library at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). Our simplified operations research approach resulted in a savings of nearly $1400 per year in subscriptions costs without reducing the net number of seven hundred titles or causing an imbalance in the subject distribution of our collection. By detailing both the rationale behind the process and the actual steps followed at UMKC, we hope to demonstrate that operations research techniques can be used practically and successfully even in small health sciences libraries. In the Appendix a more general and more rigorous operations research approach to the analysis of serials collections is also presented in a fashion that is, as far as possible, not mathematically forbidding.

Book Selection↗

How do we translate science into public health policy and law?

Scientific knowledge concerning effective preventive measures to preserve and protect the health of the public continues to grow exponentially. Methods for assessing the impact of population-based interventions such as policies and laws have also greatly increased in the past decade, including systematic approaches that allow general findings to be drawn from various studies, especially those developed as part of the Guide to Community Preventive Services (Community Guide). However, the translation of the collected scientific evidence gathered to date has been spotty and problematic. Success stories do exist, including community water fluoridation, a significant factor in improvements in reduction of tooth decay over the past 50 years. Even for interventions with a strong science base, such as community water fluoridation, significant barriers to implementation of effective strategies discovered through research remain. Barriers include public misunderstanding of health issues and proposed solutions such as fluoridation; lack of engagement on the part of the media in communicating known effective strategies; and reluctance on the part of policymakers to champion approaches that concern but may not be advocated by their constituencies. The increasing burden of chronic disease places public policymakers into non-traditional roles, such as advocating behavior change as a preventive measure. Science is a critical tool to help legislators and policymakers "connect the dots" between public policies. For example, the elimination or degrading of physical education programs in schools is an important factor in addressing the national epidemic of childhood overweight and obesity in addition to the increase in rates of Type II diabetes among children. This article provides an overview of the past, present, and future associated with translating science into public health policy and law, including a review of tools and strategies to address existing and expanding public health challenges. The article also provides and discusses examples of translating and implementing science-based solutions to address public health problems effectively.

Chronic Disease↗

Establishing a culture of care, conscience, and responsibility: addressing the improvement of scientific discovery and animal welfare through science-based performance standards.

Science-based performance standards offer a viable means of reducing regulatory burden while ensuring that research animal welfare and high-quality research data are realized. Unlike rigid regulations, science-based performance standards evolve as new information becomes available, thereby allowing new discoveries to be implemented in a timely manner and in a way that more effectively benefits the animals and the science. The implementation of performance standards requires a well-coordinated institutional team composed of the administration, research staff, the institutional animal care and use committee, professional and technical animal care personnel, occupational health and safety staff, and physical plant staff. This animal program team is best supported in an institutional environment that reflects a culture of care, compliance, and responsibility. In such a culture, the professional judgment exercised by the team is well grounded in meeting the diverse needs of the program's customers, who include the animals, the researchers, and research stakeholders such as the public. The institutional culture of care, compliance, and responsibility fosters workplace integrity, an ethics-based decision-making paradigm, sound understanding of institutional expectations through good communication and clear lines of authority, the hiring and retention of trained and well-qualified individuals, and a system for continuous development and improvement of the program.

Animal Care Committees↗

Deimplementation of inappropriate feeding practices in early care and education: a Hybrid Type 3 cluster-randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: The science of deimplementation-reducing harmful or ineffective practices-has focused almost exclusively on clinical prescribing, with no studies conducted in community or educational settings. Early care and education (ECE) settings offer a strategic venue for shaping eating behaviors, with children consuming up to 500 meals annually in these environments. However, ECE educators routinely use feeding practices that undermine self-regulation, including pressuring children to eat, rushing mealtimes, and offering food as reward. These practices contribute to food aversions, diminished self-regulation, and obesity risk. METHODS: We will conduct a Hybrid Type 3 cluster-randomized trial evaluating a co-designed deimplementation strategy package (WISE Words) across 88 ECE sites in Arkansas and Louisiana. Sites will be randomized 1:1 to WISE Words or usual practice, with usual practice sites receiving the intervention after two years (waitlist design). WISE Words includes six strategies: dynamic training using improvisation methods, peer learning collaboratives with goal setting, external facilitation, audit and feedback, environmental reminders, and tailored educational materials. The primary outcome is de-adoption of inappropriate feeding practices measured via direct mealtime observation (Table Talk). Secondary outcomes include adoption of evidence-based practices, acceptability, appropriateness, and sustainability at 12- and 24-months post-intervention. Child outcomes include Body Mass Index, skin carotenoid levels (Veggie Meter) willingness to try new foods (observed) and food neophobia (teacher and caregiver report). An explanatory sequential mixed methods design will test mechanisms of change derived from the Implementation Trust Building Theory of Change examining whether trust mediates strategy effects on outcomes. DISCUSSION: This trial extends deimplementation science into community settings by targeting culturally embedded behavioral practices rather than clinical prescribing behaviors. Results will inform approaches to shifting entrenched practices in ECE and similar settings while testing trust as a deimplementation mechanism. Sustainability assessments will address a notable gap, as few studies have examined whether deimplementation effects persist. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT07101321, July 20, 2025.

Humans↗

Use of Internet-based resources to support an introductory animal and poultry science course.

This article describes the development and implementation of a World Wide Web page to support a team-taught introductory animal and poultry science course. The objectives were to examine the capabilities of this type of instructional resource, determine students' willingness to use this type of resource, create opportunities for interactive learning, and improve students' enthusiasm for the subject area. A variety of course materials were made available through the Internet, including the class syllabus, lecture notes, and practice questions to support and augment class lectures. Additional on-line resources included a bulletin board for instructor announcements, a list-serve for student discussions concerning administrative and educational issues arising during the semester, a class E-mail list, and a page with links to other sites of agricultural interest. Materials were accessible from a variety of computer resources, including campus computing laboratories, dial-up access, and access via other Internet service providers. Use of the materials was evaluated by analysis of log files from the server. Effectiveness of the resources was determined from surveys of students conducted before and after implementation of the on-line resource. Students indicated that the most useful components of the Web page were the class notes and practice/review questions. Effectiveness of the site was related to the amount of material available through the site, the level of interaction, whether the task was required, and the ease of access to computers and the Web site. Student evaluations indicated that this form of instructional supplement is a viable method for enhancing the learning experience in the introductory animal sciences.

Animal Husbandry↗

A computerized cataloging management system for health science audiovisuals.

This paper describes the implementation of the Stanford Public Information and Retrieval System (SPIRES) by the University of Michigan Medical School Learning Resources Center. SPIRES is a bibliographic data base management system which offers on-line search capabilities and retrieval of data in programmable formats. The Learning Resource Center utilizes SPIRES for the interactive retrieval of cataloging data, bibliographical compilations, and book catalog production.

Audiovisual Aids↗

Social science research in malaria prevention, management and control in the last two decades: an overview.

In the recent past, considerable progress has been made in understanding how human behavior and social organization, macro- and micro-level economic processes, and health and political systems affect responses to malaria at global, national, community, household, and individual levels. Advances in malaria-related social, behavioral, economic, evaluation, health systems, and policy (social science) research have resulted in improvements in the design and implementation of malaria prevention, management and control (PMC) strategies. Indeed, the past two decades chronicle dramatic advances in the implementation of evidence-based interventions, drawn not only from biomedical but also from social science research. Malaria awareness-raising, advocacy, case management, and prevention efforts have reaped the benefits of social science research and as a result, many programs are implemented and evaluated in a more effective manner than in the past. However, the pace at which findings from social science research are integrated into program and policy implementation is unsatisfactory. Additionally, examples remain of programs that fail to utilize findings from social science research and as a result, achieve minimal results. Furthermore, there is a sizeable body of knowledge that is underutilized and which, if assimilated into programs and policies, could accelerate progress in malaria PMC. Examples include information on meaningful community participation, gender, socio-economic status, and health systems. Regrettably, although social science input is necessary for almost all interventions for malaria management and control, the numbers of scientists working in this area are dismal in most of the key disciplines-medical anthropology; demography; geography and sociology; health economics and health policy; social psychology; social epidemiology; and behavior-change communication. Further, skills of program workers charged with implementation of interventions and strategies at country level are most often inadequate. The Special Program for Research and training in tropical diseases (TDR) and the multi-lateral initiative on malaria (MIM) have remained in the forefront of capacity building for this area of research, but additional efforts are needed to bring more applied social scientists into the fold. Their skills are necessary to ensure that social science findings get to program planners and implementers in a useful form that allows for more rapid and appropriate integration of the results into malaria PMC programs and policies. A re-thinking of the current focus within capacity building efforts is proposed.

Communication↗

A hospital/school science fair mentoring program for middle school students.

The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the James P. Timilty Middle School established a partnership to enhance science education, promote faculty development, and improve the health status and academic performance of all Timilty students. This article describes one of the Partnership's Science Connection programs, the Science Fair Mentoring Program, designed to enhance middle school science education, inform urban early adolescents about professions in the health field, inspire them to pursue postsecondary study in the health sciences, and prepare them for rigorous academic work in high school. In this program, hospital-based clinical and research staff mentor young adolescent students. The authors describe the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the Science Fair Mentoring Program as an innovative learning experience.

Adolescent↗