Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Informatics”

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 1,639 records · Page 91Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Informatics for protein identification by mass spectrometry.

High throughput protein analysis (i.e., proteomics) first became possible when sensitive peptide mass mapping techniques were developed, thereby allowing for the possibility of identifying and cataloging most 2D gel electrophoresis spots. Shortly thereafter a few groups pioneered the idea of identifying proteins by using peptide tandem mass spectra to search protein sequence databases. Hence, it became possible to identify proteins from very complex mixtures. One drawback to these latter techniques is that it is not entirely straightforward to make matches using tandem mass spectra of peptides that are modified or have sequences that differ slightly from what is present in the sequence database that is being searched. This has been part of the motivation behind automated de novo sequencing programs that attempt to derive a peptide sequence regardless of its presence in a sequence database. The sequence candidates thus generated are then subjected to homology-based database search programs (e.g., BLAST or FASTA). These homology search programs, however, were not developed with mass spectrometry in mind, and it became necessary to make minor modifications such that mass spectrometric ambiguities can be taken into account when comparing query and database sequences. Finally, this review will discuss the important issue of validating protein identifications. All of the search programs will produce a top ranked answer; however, only the credulous are willing to accept them carte blanche.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2005

[Professional health cards (CPS): informatic health care system in France].

The Professional Health Card Public interest group (Groupement d'Intérêt Public-Carte de professionnel de Santé (GIP-CPS)) was founded in 1993 as a joint initiative by the different parties involved in health care in France: the state, the representatives of the health care professions and the compulsory and complementary health insurance organizations. The CPS system enables safe exchange and electronic sharing of medical data. Via Intranet connections and Extranet hosting of medical files, databases, the CPS system enables health care professionals who access servers to be identified with certainty. For email exhanges, the CPS systems guarantees the sender's identity and capacity. The electronic signature gives legal value to the email. The system also enables confidential email. The health card system (CPS) contributes to making the health service efficient. Shared medical files, health care networks, health warning systems or electronic requests for reimbursement of health insurance expenses all use the CPS system. More than 300,000 health care professionals use it regularly. The freedom of movement of patients throughout Europe has led to the growth of exchanges and information sharing between health professionals in the States of the Union. More and more health professionals will be leaving their own countries to work in foreign countries in the future. It is essential that their freedom of movement is accompanied by the ability to prove their rights to practice.

Access to Information↗
PubMed2003

A structural-informatics approach for mining beta-sheets: locating sheets in intermediate-resolution density maps.

Here, we report a new computational method, called sheetminer, for mining beta-sheets in the density maps at intermediate resolutions of 6 to 10A. The method employs a multi-step ad hoc morphological analysis of density maps to identify the unique characteristics of beta-sheets. It was tested on density maps from 12 protein crystal structures that were artificially blurred to intermediate resolutions. There are a total of 35 independent beta-sheets with a wide distribution of morphology. The method successfully located 34 of them and missed only one. The method was also applied to an experimental 9A electron cryomicroscopic structure and an 8A X-ray density map. In both cases, the sheet-searching results were found to agree very well with known high-resolution crystal structures. Collectively, these results demonstrate clearly the robustness of sheetminer in locating the regions belonging to beta-sheets in the intermediate-resolution density maps. Furthermore, sheetminer is completely complementary to all other existing computational methods, including helixhunter and threading algorithms. Their combined usage has the potential to significantly enhance the computational modeling capacity for a much more complete interpretation of structural data at intermediate resolutions, from which extraction of functional information would be more effective. This is particularly important in the field of structural genomics, in which the fast screening approach may not always yield crystals that diffract to atomic resolution. An exciting future application of sheetminer is as a valuable tool for revealing the structures of amyloid fibrils that are rich in beta-motifs.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2001

Telehealth and the global health network in the 21st century. From homecare to public health informatics.

The Information Era we live in has created new challenges and opportunities. This age of information highways has an economic price, which has not been properly evaluated. Detailed studies are needed to prove the cost and medical effectiveness of these technologies as well as its effects in the quality of life. Our society's future may depend on it. People are living longer, discoveries in genetics and in information technology are not only helping produce newer drugs faster but also providing the opportunity to exploit new areas such as disease prevention. These technologies provide a variety of opportunities to address public health challenges such as universal access for the uneducated, counter-bioterrorism, telemedicine, distance education, and home care. These opportunities present new challenges such as: surveillance, privacy/confidentiality/security of personal information which will affect all of our lives. No strategy has been presented publicly (yet) addressing (neither) the benefits (n)or the pitfalls of such technologies. From an economic point of view it is an imperative necessity to understand the importance of the Information Technology Infrastructure (ITI) and what it is. The investments in creating and maintaining this ITI will not come from a single application area such as healthcare, but rather from a combination of sources such as electronic commerce, banking, financial, manufacturing, entertainment, travelling, weather forecasting, pharmaceuticals, education, defence and many other 'industries' or application areas.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Computing an organism: on the interface between informatic and dynamic processes.

The importance of interactions between processes at diverse space and time scales in biological information processing is a recurrent theme in the work of Michael Conrad (BioSystems, 1995: 35, 157-160; BioSystems, 1999: 52, 99-100). In this paper I present some results of explicit computational models that aim to capture and exploit some of the essential features of such multi-level processes. In the model formulation, I try to minimize the explicit definition of inter-level interactions, while providing the possibility of such interactions to develop. As often argued by Conrad inter-level interactions limit programmability. Indeed, we use an evolutionary process to derive the specific models. We study morphogenesis. We show that the interplay between cell adhesion and cell differentiation provides interesting mechanisms for morphogenesis. We also show that the interplay can both reduce and enhance small random fluctuations. We show that unequal cell cleavage in the early embryo-genesis reduces inter-individual variation of the morphemes developed from the same 'genome'. Our results suggest that, during evolution, the interplay between levels is exploited while it is at the same time reduced so as to give a certain primacy to inherited information.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Point of care testing informatics. The critical care-hospital interface.

Point of care testing (POCT), a new paradigm in laboratory testing, has recently been introduced to the critical care setting. In this model, laboratory testing is performed in the critical care vicinity by local bedside personnel. POCT devices perform user selected critical care tests on whole blood in a timely and accurate fashion. The POCT data, while used immediately at the bedside, must still be managed in accordance with regulatory guidelines and incorporated into the laboratory or hospital information system. Currently, critical care physicians are not educated and trained in the intricacies of laboratory data management and device interfacing. This article addresses the technical, political, and implementation issues surrounding POCT data management and interfacing as well as the philosophical and practical differences in laboratory data management between the central laboratory and POCT sites.

Clinical Laboratory Information Systems↗
PubMed1997

Informatics--genome and genetic databases.

Databases for biologists are becoming increasingly important. Some of these can be regarded as 'core' resources, such as the bibliographic databases, whereas others are of greater interest to specialists. As comparative genomics develops, however, even databases limited in their scope (e.g. to a single organism) are of great interest to a wider community.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Informatics and the immune system: the expanding IL-1 and B7 protein families.

Remarkable advances in our knowledge of the genome sequence have led to the creation of databases that afford the opportunity to discover genes based on the presence of specific sequence motifs. The application of this strategy to the identification of proteins in families of immunological interest has had a visible impact on the sizes of the interleukin 1/18 and the CD28/B7 costimulatory molecule families, among many others. This accelerated pace of discovery presents a new challenge to match the rate of discovery with biological understanding of the functions of these extended protein families.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Collaborative use of informatics among hospitals to benchmark medication use processes.

BACKGROUND: In spring 1995 pharmacists representing each of the 23 member hospitals in Synernet, a hospital cooperative in Maine, decided to collaborate in developing a multihospital medication use evaluation (MUE) program. The committee set up task forces for adverse drug reaction reporting and prevention, MUE plans, and medication error reporting and prevention, for exploration of opportunities to eliminate duplication of efforts, compare performance, and share best practices. PLANNING THE PROGRAM: The members retained a consulting firm to manage the SynRx medication use program from conceptualization through implementation. Modules--on individual drug dosing, switching from intravenous to oral administration, pharmacists' clinical recommendations, and surgical antibiotic prophylaxis--were designed so that participants could adopt the entire plan as a turnkey procedure by inserting their hospital name in the appropriate blanks, modify it to more closely fit their own organizations, use portions of it for inclusion in their current plans, or not use it at all. The goal was to build in maximum flexibility to accommodate the variations in the participating hospital pharmacies and their respective hospitals. RESULTS: Early program benefits include improvements in medication event reporting, documentation of the measured aspects of medication use, delivery of care processes, and administrative efficiency. LESSONS LEARNED AND CONCLUSIONS: The participants, consultants, and programmers involved in the SynRx program learned firsthand the complexity and magnitude of hospital medication use processes. Yet it is possible to overcome the wide variability in systems among hospitals to create standards that allow for more meaningful comparisons of medication use.

Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems↗
PubMed2003

Cancer imaging informatics workshop report from the Biomedical Imaging Program of the National Cancer Institute.

A group of experts on very large databases, quantitative imaging, data format standards development, image management and communications, and related technologies for cancer imaging met at a recent workshop sponsored by the BIP and discussed the key issues confronting this field. The BIP received recommendations regarding steps that can be taken to advance the technology and take advantage of the opportunities to improve collaboration and utility in cancer imaging. There are tremendous opportunities to change radically the way we use image information. These opportunities are most obvious in clinical research, in which we seek to advance the dissemination and use of cancer image data in research and practice. Important opportunities and new modes of information use are provided by supporting the entire "information cycle" of creation, dissemination, and collaboration in addition to image organization, access, presentation, and preservation. To learn more, visit the BIP Web site at www3 .cancer.gov/bip/steer_iasc.htm and join the image archive listserver at the NIH (ARCHIVE-COMM-L, available online at list.nihgov). These resources are open and available to all.

Diagnostic Imaging↗
PubMed2002

[Safety in radiotherapy: Control of software and informatics systems].

The development of computerized systems in radiotherapy opens new challenging possibilities. There is however a major risk of specific errors if the use of such systems is not properly controlled. On the other hand, the software sophistication, such as encountered in modern treatment planning systems (TPS), makes it very difficult to set up efficient quality assurance programs compatible with the workload of users in charge of daily routine. From the analysis of previous accidents involving TPS, we can conclude that the major risks are erroneous calculations of monitor units resulting from a poor understanding of the software capabilities combined to a lack of vigilance with respect to the data obtained from a computer. To reduce the risks, it is necessary to setup a comprehensive quality assurance program covering all steps of the process, including commissioning of a new system and systematic checks of individual treatment plans. Such a program offers the users the opportunity to acquire a deeper understanding of the system and avoid potential pitfalls. There is presently a lack of consensus for an international protocol related to quality assurance of computerized systems in radiotherapy. It is therefore important to define protocols at the national level, with special consideration of the aspects which are more likely to generate significant errors.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed2001

The impact of informatics and computational chemistry on synthesis and screening.

High-throughput synthesis and screening technologies have enhanced the impact of computational chemistry on the drug discovery process. From the design of targeted, drug-like libraries to 'virtual' optimization of potency, selectivity and ADME/Tox properties, computational chemists are able to efficiently manage costly resources and dramatically shorten drug discovery cycle times. This review will describe some of the successful strategies and applications of state-of-the-art algorithms to enhance drug discovery, as well as key points in the drug discovery process where computational methods can have, and have had, greatest impact.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

The impact of Life Science Identifier on informatics data.

Since the Life Science Identifier (LSID) data identification and access standard made its official debut in late 2004, several organizations have begun to use LSIDs to simplify the methods used to uniquely name, reference and retrieve distributed data objects and concepts. In this review, the authors build on introductory work that describes the LSID standard by documenting how five early adopters have incorporated the standard into their technology infrastructure and by outlining several common misconceptions and difficulties related to LSID use, including the impact of the byte identity requirement for LSID-identified objects and the opacity recommendation for use of the LSID syntax. The review describes several shortcomings of the LSID standard, such as the lack of a specific metadata standard, along with solutions that could be addressed in future revisions of the specification.

Computational Biology↗