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Biomedicine
Selected AbstractsMEMORY ORGANIZATION AS THE MISSING LINK BETWEEN CASE-BASED REASONING AND INFORMATION RETRIEVAL IN BIOMEDICINECOMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, Issue 3-4 2006Isabelle Bichindaritz Mémoire proposes a general framework for reasoning from cases in biology and medicine. Part of this project is to propose a memory organization capable of handling large cases and case bases as occur in biomedical domains. This article presents the essential principles for an efficient memory organization based on pertinent work in information retrieval (IR). IR systems have been able to scale up to terabytes of data taking advantage of large databases research to build Internet search engines. They search for pertinent documents to answer a query using term-based ranking and/or global ranking schemes. Similarly, case-based reasoning (CBR) systems search for pertinent cases using a scoring function for ranking the cases. Mémoire proposes a memory organization based on inverted indexes which may be powered by databases to search and rank efficiently through large case bases. It can be seen as a first step toward large-scale CBR systems, and in addition provides a framework for tight cooperation between CBR and IR. [source] Chemokines in pathology and medicineJOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, Issue 2 2001M. Baggiolini Abstract. Baggiolini M (Theodor Kocher Institute, University of Bern, and Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Bellinzona, Switzerland). Chemokines in pathology and medicine (Review). J Intern Med 2001; 250: 91,104. About 50 human chemokines and nearly 20 receptors have been identified and characterized in little more than a decade since the discovery of interleukin 8 (IL-8), the first chemotactic cytokine. Research in this field has dramatically changed our understanding of leucocyte traffic in inflammation and immunity. This paper has been written for scientists and practitioners in the field of medicine. It reviews in concise and intelligible form information that I consider useful for understanding the role of chemokines in human pathophysiology. The main areas covered are: (i) the basics of chemokine structures, mode of action, activities and selectivity; (ii) newer aspects of the broad involvement of chemokines in the regulation of immune defence and the housekeeping of the immune system; (iii) the role of chemokines in pathology as illustrated by animal models and studies of human diseases; and (iv) novel therapeutic approaches for a variety of inflammatory conditions, which are based on modulation of chemokine activity. [source] The Emergence of Integrative Medicine in Australia: The Growing Interest of Biomedicine and Nursing in Complementary Medicine in a Southern Developed SocietyMEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2008Hans Baer In this article, I examine the process by which some biomedical physicians and nurses in Australia have come to adopt various alternative therapies in their regimens of practice, largely in response to (1) the growing interest on the part of many Australians in what is generally called "complementary medicine", and (2) a recognition that biomedicine is not particularly effective in treating an array of chronic ailments. Some Australian biomedical physicians and nurses have come to embrace "integrative medicine," which purports to blend the best of biomedicine and complementary medicine, and have even created an Australasian Integrative Medical Association and established integrative medical training programs and centers. I argue that the adoption of alternative therapies and the development of integrative medicine on the part of Australian biomedical physicians and nurses constitute another national manifestation of the co-option of complementary and alternative medicine. [source] The Growing Interest of Biomedicine in Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Critical PerspectiveMEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2002Hans A. Baer No abstract is available for this article. [source] Toward an Integrative Medicine: Merging Alternative Therapies with BiomedicineAMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST, Issue 3 2006MARY M. CAMERON Toward an Integrative Medicine: Merging Alternative Therapies with Biomedicine. Hans Baer. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press, 2005. 203 pp. [source] Current Awareness in NMR in BiomedicineNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 8 2010Article first published online: 27 SEP 2010 In order to keep subscribers up-to-date with the latest developments in their field, John Wiley & Sons are providing a current awareness service in each issue of the journal. The bibliography contains newly published material in the field of NMR in biomedicine. Each bibliography is divided into 12 sections: 1 Reviews; 2 General; 3 Technology; 4 Contrast Agents; 5 Brain and Nerves; 6 Neuropathology; 7 Cancer; 8 Cardiac, Vascular and Respiratory Systems; 9 Liver, Kidney and Other Organs; 10 Muscle and Orthopaedic; 11 Plants, Micro-organisms and Parasites; 12 Others. Within each section, articles are listed in alphabetical order with respect to author. If, in the preceding period, no publications are located relevant to any one of these headings, that section will be omitted. [source] Current Awareness in NMR in BiomedicineNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 2 2010Article first published online: 22 FEB 2010 In order to keep subscribers up-to-date with the latest developments in their field, John Wiley & Sons are providing a current awareness service in each issue of the journal. The bibliography contains newly published material in the field of NMR in biomedicine. Each bibliography is divided into 12 sections: 1 Reviews; 2 General; 3 Technology; 4 Contrast Agents; 5 Brain and Nerves; 6 Neuropathology; 7 Cancer; 8 Cardiac, Vascular and Respiratory Systems; 9 Liver, Kidney and Other Organs; 10 Muscle and Orthopaedic; 11 Plants, Micro-organisms and Parasites; 12 Others. Within each section, articles are listed in alphabetical order with respect to author. If, in the preceding period, no publications are located relevant to any one of these headings, that section will be omitted. [source] Current Awareness in NMR in BiomedicineNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 10 2009Article first published online: 9 DEC 200 In order to keep subscribers up-to-date with the latest developments in their field, John Wiley & Sons are providing a current awareness service in each issue of the journal. The bibliography contains newly published material in the field of NMR in biomedicine. Each bibliography is divided into 12 sections: 1 Reviews; 2 General; 3 Technology; 4 Contrast Agents; 5 Brain and Nerves; 6 Neuropathology; 7 Cancer; 8 Cardiac, Vascular and Respiratory Systems; 9 Liver, Kidney and Other Organs; 10 Muscle and Orthopaedic; 11 Plants, Micro-organisms and Parasites; 12 Others. Within each section, articles are listed in alphabetical order with respect to author. If, in the preceding period, no publications are located relevant to any one of these headings, that section will be omitted. [source] Current Awareness in NMR in BiomedicineNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 6 2009Article first published online: 3 JUL 200 In order to keep subscribers up-to-date with the latest developments in their field, John Wiley & Sons are providing a current awareness service in each issue of the journal. The bibliography contains newly published material in the field of NMR in biomedicine. Each bibliography is divided into 12 sections: 1 Reviews; 2 General; 3 Technology; 4 Contrast Agents; 5 Brain and Nerves; 6 Neuropathology; 7 Cancer; 8 Cardiac, Vascular and Respiratory Systems; 9 Liver, Kidney and Other Organs; 10 Muscle and Orthopaedic; 11 Plants, Micro-organisms and Parasites; 12 Others. Within each section, articles are listed in alphabetical order with respect to author. If, in the preceding period, no publications are located relevant to any one of these headings, that section will be omitted. [source] Current Awareness in NMR in BiomedicineNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 8 2008Article first published online: 5 SEP 200 In order to keep subscribers up-to-date with the latest developments in their field, John Wiley & Sons are providing a current awareness service in each issue of the journal. The bibliography contains newly published material in the field of NMR in biomedicine. Each bibliography is divided into 11 sections: 1 Reviews; 2 General; 3 Technology; 4 Contrast Agents; 5 Brain and Nerves; 6 Neuropathology; 7 Cancer; 8 Cardiac, Vascular and Respiratory Systems; 9 Liver, Kidney and Other Organs; 10 Muscle and Orthopaedic; 11 Plants, Micro-organisms and Parasites; 12 Others. Within each section, articles are listed in alphabetical order with respect to author. If, in the preceding period, no publications are located relevant to any one of these headings, that section will be omitted. [source] Current Awareness in NMR in BiomedicineNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 4 2008Article first published online: 25 APR 200 In order to keep subscribers up-to-date with the latest developments in their field, John Wiley & Sons are providing a current awareness service in each issue of the journal. The bibliography contains newly published material in the field of NMR in biomedicine. Each bibliography is divided into 11 sections: 1 Reviews; 2 General; 3 Technology; 4 Contrast Agents; 5 Brain and Nerves; 6 Neuropathology; 7 Cancer; 8 Cardiac, Vascular and Respiratory Systems; 9 Liver, Kidney and Other Organs; 10 Muscle and Orthopaedic; 11 Plants, Micro-organisms and Parasites; 12 Others. Within each section, articles are listed in alphabetical order with respect to author. If, in the preceding period, no publications are located relevant to any one of these headings, that section will be omitted. [source] Current Awareness in NMR in BiomedicineNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 7 2006Article first published online: 31 OCT 200 In order to keep subscribers up-to-date with the latest developments in their field, John Wiley & Sons are providing a current awareness service in each issue of the journal. The bibliography contains newly published material in the field of NMR in biomedicine. Each bibliography is divided into 11 sections: 1 Books, Reviews ' Symposia; 2 General; 3 Technology; 4 Contrast Agents; 5 Brain and Nerves; 6 Neuropathology; 7 Cancer; 8 Cardiac, Vascular and Respiratory Systems; 9 Liver, Kidney and Other Organs; 10 Muscle and Orthopaedic; 11 Plants, Micro-organisms and Parasites; 12 Others. Within each section, articles are listed in alphabetical order with respect to author. If, in the preceding period, no publications are located relevant to any one of these headings, that section will be omitted. [source] Current Awareness in NMR in BiomedicineNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 5 2006Article first published online: 26 JUL 200 In order to keep subscribers up-to-date with the latest developments in their field, John Wiley & Sons are providing a current awareness service in each issue of the journal. The bibliography contains newly published material in the field of NMR in biomedicine. Each bibliography is divided into 11 sections: 1 Books, Reviews ' Symposia; 2 General; 3 Technology; 4 Contrast Agents; 5 Brain and Nerves; 6 Neuropathology; 7 Cancer; 8 Cardiac, Vascular and Respiratory Systems; 9 Liver, Kidney and Other Organs; 10 Muscle and Orthopaedic; 11 Plants, Micro-organisms and Parasites; 12 Others. Within each section, articles are listed in alphabetical order with respect to author. If, in the preceding period, no publications are located relevant to any one of these headings, that section will be omitted. [source] Current Awareness in NMR in BiomedicineNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 2 2006Article first published online: 16 MAR 200 In order to keep subscribers up-to-date with the latest developments in their field, John Wiley & Sons are providing a current awareness service in each issue of the journal. The bibliography contains newly published material in the field of NMR in biomedicine. Each bibliography is divided into 11 sections: 1 Books, Reviews ' Symposia; 2 General; 3 Technology; 4 Contrast Agents; 5 Brain and Nerves; 6 Neuropathology; 7 Cancer; 8 Cardiac, Vascular and Respiratory Systems; 9 Liver, Kidney and Other Organs; 10 Muscle and Orthopaedic; 11 Plants, Micro-organisms and Parasites; 12 Others. Within each section, articles are listed in alphabetical order with respect to author. If, in the preceding period, no publications are located relevant to any one of these headings, that section will be omitted. [source] Manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI)NMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 8 2004Alan P. Koretsky Abstract Manganese ion (Mn2+) is an essential metal that participates as a cofactor in a number of critical biological functions, such as electron transport, detoxification of free radicals and synthesis of neurotransmitters. Mn2+ can enter excitable cells using some of the same transport systems as Ca2+ and it can bind to a number of intracellular sites because it has high affinity for Ca2+ and Mg2+ binding sites on proteins and nucleic acids. Paramagnetic forms of manganese ions are potent MRI relaxation agents. Indeed, Mn2+ was the first contrast agent proposed for use in MRI. Recently, there has been renewed interest in combining the strong MRI relaxation effects of Mn2+ with its unique biology, in order to further expand the already broad assortment of useful information that can be measured by MRI. Such an approach has been continuously developed in the past several years to provide unique tissue contrast, to assess tissue viability, to act as a surrogate marker of calcium influx into cells and to trace neuronal connections. This special issue of NMR in Biomedicine on manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) is aimed at providing the readers of this journal with an extensive review of some of the most prominent applications of MEMRI in biological systems. Written by several of the leaders in the field, the reviews and original research articles featured in this special issue are likely to offer an exciting and inspiring view of the broad range of applications of MEMRI. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Current Awareness in NMR in BiomedicineNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 8 2004Article first published online: 23 DEC 200 In order to keep subscribers up-to-date with the latest developments in their field, John Wiley & Sons are providing a current awareness service in each issue of the journal. The bibliography contains newly published material in the field of NMR in biomedicine. Each bibliography is divided into 11 sections: 1 Books, Reviews ' Symposia; 2 General; 3 Technology; 4 Brain and Nerves; 5 Neuropathology; 6 Cancer; 7 Cardiac, Vascular and Respiratory Systems; 8 Liver, Kidney and Other Organs; 9 Muscle and Orthopaedic; 10 Plants, Micro-organisms and Parasites; 11 Others. Within each section, articles are listed in alphabetical order with respect to author. If, in the preceding period, no publications are located relevant to any one of these headings, that section will be omitted. [source] Current Awareness in NMR in BiomedicineNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 6-7 2003Article first published online: 3 DEC 200 In order to keep subscribers up-to-date with the latest developments in their field, John Wiley & Sons are providing a current awareness service in each issue of the journal. The bibliography contains newly published material in the field of NMR in biomedicine. Each bibliography is divided into 9 sections: 1 Books, Reviews ' Symposia; 2 General; 3 Technology; 4 Brain and Nerves; 5 Neuropathology; 6 Cancer; 7 Cardiac, Vascular and Respiratory Systems; 8 Liver, Kidney and Other Organs; 9 Muscle and Orthopaedic. Within each section, articles are listed in alphabetical order with respect to author. If, in the preceding period, no publications are located relevant to any one of these headings, that section will be omitted. [source] SUICIDE, RISK, AND INVESTMENT IN THE HEART OF THE AFRICAN MIRACLECULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 4 2009JULIE LIVINGSTON ABSTRACT This essay considers new forms of investment, risk, and self-determination, among Botswana's middle and aspirant classes, as well as the loneliness and rage that are at stake when they fail. In it, I use specific instances and more widespread talk of suicides and murder,suicides contemplated, attempted, and accomplished as a vehicle for pondering the social dimensions of investment, and the perils of secrecy and the loneliness that shadow it. Amid a new regime of risk, investment, and self-determination brought by discontinuities of economic boom and widespread AIDS death over the past decade, Batswana are facing new questions about how to invest in relationships, selves, and futures. The essay concludes with a radically different context, a cancer ward, where Batswana seek to exile suicide and nihilism from the beds, minds, and hearts of patients through processes of socialization and paternalism that deny self-determination, while at the same time questing for and demanding investment in high-tech biomedicine. [source] BIOETHNIC CONSCRIPTION: Genes, Race, and Mexicana/o Ethnicity in Diabetes ResearchCULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 1 2007MICHAEL J. MONTOYA This article is an examination of academic, corporate, and state-funded alliance of molecular, biological, computer, and clinical scientists who are conducting research into the genetic epidemiology of type 2 diabetes. Because type 2 diabetes affects human groups differently, researchers use ethnic and racial taxonomies to parse populations and social history to rationalize their categorical choices. In a process termed "bioethnic conscription," the social identities and life conditions of DNA donors are grafted into the biological explanations of human difference and disease causality in both objectionable and constructive ways. Bioethnic conscription is presented as an ethnographically sound alternative to the either,or proposition of the (R)ace,no race debate within biomedicine and anthropology. [source] Electroactivity of Nonconjugated Proteins and Peptides.ELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 23 2007Towards Electroanalysis of All Proteins Abstract Present proteomics and biomedicine require sensitive analytical methods for all proteins. Recent progress in electrochemical analysis of peptides and proteins based on their intrinsic electroactivity is reviewed. Tyrosine and/or tryptophan-containing proteins are oxidizable at carbon electrodes. At mercury electrodes all peptides and proteins (about 13 peptides and >25 proteins were tested) produce chronopotentiometric peak H at nanomolar concentrations. This peak is sensitive to changes in protein structure. Microliter sample volumes are sufficient for the analysis. Electrochemical methods can be used in studies of nucleic acid-protein interactions and can be applied in biomedicine. Examples of such applications in neurogenerative diseases and cancer are presented. [source] Biodegradable Porous Silicon Barcode Nanowires with Defined Geometry,ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 14 2010Ciro Chiappini Abstract Silicon nanowires are of proven importance in such diverse fields as energy production and storage, flexible electronics, and biomedicine due to the unique characteristics that emerge from their 1D semiconducting nature and their mechanical properties. Here, the synthesis of biodegradable porous silicon barcode nanowires by metal-assisted electroless etching of single-crystal silicon with resistivities ranging from 0.0008 to 10,, cm is reported. The geometry of the barcode nanowires is defined by nanolithography and their multicolor reflectance and photoluminescence is characterized. Phase diagrams are developed for the different nanostructures obtained as a function of metal catalyst, H2O2 concentration, ethanol concentration, and silicon resistivity, and a mechanism that explains these observations is proposed. These nanowires are biodegradable, and their degradation time can be modulated by surface treatments. [source] Nanoshells with Targeted Simultaneous Enhancement of Magnetic and Optical Imaging and Photothermal Therapeutic ResponseADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 24 2009Rizia Bardhan Abstract Integrating multiple functionalities into individual nanoscale complexes is of tremendous importance in biomedicine, expanding the capabilities of nanoscale structures to perform multiple parallel tasks. Here, the ability to enhance two different imaging technologies simultaneously,fluorescence optical imaging and magnetic resonance imaging,with antibody targeting and photothermal therapeutic actuation is combined all within the same nanoshell-based complex. The nanocomplexes are constructed by coating a gold nanoshell with a silica epilayer doped with Fe3O4 and the fluorophore ICG, which results in a high T2 relaxivity (390,mM,1,s,1) and 45× fluorescence enhancement of ICG. Bioconjugate nanocomplexes target HER2+ cells and induce photothermal cell death upon near-IR illumination. [source] Copper-Free Clickable CoatingsADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 21 2009Luiz A. Canalle Abstract The copper-catalyzed azide,alkyne 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition (CuAAC) is extensively used for the functionalization of well-defined polymeric materials. However, the necessity for copper, which is inherently toxic, limits the potential applications of these materials in the area of biology and biomedicine. Therefore, the first entirely copper-free procedure for the synthesis of clickable coatings for the immobilization of functional molecules is reported. In the first step, azide-functional coatings are prepared by thermal crosslinking of side-chain azide-functional polymers and dialkyne linkers. In a second step, three copper-free click reactions (i.e., the Staudinger ligation, the dibenzocyclooctyne-based strain-promoted azide,alkyne [3+2] cycloaddition, and the methyl-oxanorbornadiene-based tandem cycloaddition,retro-Diels,Alder (crDA) reaction) are used to functionalize the azide-containing surfaces with fluorescent probes, allowing qualitative comparison with the traditional CuAAC. [source] Poly(,-caprolactone)-Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes and Their Biodegradation Properties,ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 6 2006H.-L. Zeng Abstract Biodegradable poly(,-caprolactone) (PCL) has been covalently grafted onto the surfaces of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) by the "grafting from" approach based on in-situ ring-opening polymerization of ,-caprolactone. The grafted PCL content can be controlled easily by adjusting the feed ratio of monomer to MWNT-supported macroinitiators (MWNT-OH). The resulting products have been characterized with Fourier-transform IR (FTIR), NMR, and Raman spectroscopies, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). After PCL was coated onto MWNT surfaces, core/shell structures with nanotubes as the "hard" core and the hairy polymer layer as the "soft" shell are formed, especially for MWNTs coated with a high density of polymer chains. Such a polymer shell promises good solubility/dispersibility of the MWNT,PCL nanohybrids in low-boiling-point organic solvents such as chloroform and tetrahydrofuran. Biodegradation experiments have shown that the PCL grafted onto MWNTs can be completely enzymatically degraded within 4,days in a phosphate buffer solution in the presence of pseudomonas (PS) lipase, and the carbon nanotubes retain their tubelike morphologies, as observed by SEM and TEM. The results present possible applications for these biocompatible PCL-functionalized CNTs in bionanomaterials, biomedicine, and artificial bones. [source] The Medical History of South Africa: An OverviewHISTORY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 5 2008Anne Digby The article surveys half a century of historical writing on South African medicine, which is defined widely to include discussion of health care professions, public health, hospitals and asylums, and indigenous medicine as well as the cross-overs and hybridisation between biomedicine and indigenous medicine. A rapidly growing historiography has been influenced both by general literature in the history of medicine as well as by the more specific context of South Africa. Here the colonial and post-colonial pasts shape the present to an unusual extent and the legacy both of apartheid and of an ongoing democratic transformation impact on the historian's choice of subject. [source] Colloidal Tm3+/Yb3+ -Doped LiYF4 Nanocrystals: Multiple Luminescence Spanning the UV to NIR Regions via Low-Energy ExcitationADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 40 2009Venkataramanan Mahalingam Highly dispersible Tm3+/Yb3+ -doped LiYF4 nanocrystals were synthesized using a thermal decomposition method. Upon excitation with a NIR diode laser (980,nm), the dilute dispersion of the nanocrystals exhibits several strong emissions in regions spanning the deep-UV to NIR, all originating from a single dopant/sensitizer (Tm3+/Yb3+) combination. The material is envisioned to have potential interests in anti-counterfeiting, biomedicine and solution-based scintillation applications. [source] Recent Progress in Syntheses and Applications of Dumbbell-like NanoparticlesADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 30 2009Chao Wang Abstract This paper reviews the recent research progress in the syntheses and applications of dumbbell-like nanoparticles (NPs). It first describes the general synthesis of dumbbell-like NPs that contain noble metal and magnetic NPs/or quantum dots. It then outlines the interesting optical and magnetic properties found in these dumbbell NPs. The review further highlights several exciting application potentials of these NPs in catalysis and biomedicine. [source] Layer-by-Layer Hydrogen-Bonded Polymer Films: From Fundamentals to ApplicationsADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 30 2009Eugenia Kharlampieva Abstract Recent years have seen increasing interest in the construction of nanoscopically layered materials involving aqueous-based sequential assembly of polymers on solid substrates. In the booming research area of layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of oppositely charged polymers, self-assembly driven by hydrogen bond formation emerges as a powerful technique. Hydrogen-bonded (HB) LbL materials open new opportunities for LbL films, which are more difficult to produce than their electrostatically assembled counterparts. Specifically, the new properties associated with HB assembly include: 1) the ease of producing films responsive to environmental pH at mild pH values, 2) numerous possibilities for converting HB films into single- or two-component ultrathin hydrogel materials, and 3) the inclusion of polymers with low glass transition temperatures (e.g., poly(ethylene oxide)) within ultrathin films. These properties can lead to new applications for HB LbL films, such as pH- and/or temperature-responsive drug delivery systems, materials with tunable mechanical properties, release films dissolvable under physiological conditions, and proton-exchange membranes for fuel cells. In this report, we discuss the recent developments in the synthesis of LbL materials based on HB assembly, the study of their structure,property relationships, and the prospective applications of HB LbL constructs in biotechnology and biomedicine. [source] Phospho-proteomic immune analysis by flow cytometry: from mechanism to translational medicine at the single-cell levelIMMUNOLOGICAL REVIEWS, Issue 1 2006Omar D. Perez Summary:, Understanding a molecular basis for cellular function is a common goal of biomedicine. The complex and dynamic cellular processes underlying physiological processes become subtly or grossly perturbed in human disease. A primary objective is to demystify this complexity by creating and establishing relevant model systems to study important aspects of human disease. Although significant technological advancements over the last decade in both genomic and proteomic arenas have enabled progress, accessing the complexity of cellular interactions that occur in vivo has been a difficult arena in which to make progress. Moreover, there are extensive challenges in translating research tools to clinical applications. Flow cytometry, over the course of the last 40 years, has revolutionized the field of immunology, in both the basic science and clinical settings, as well as having been instrumental to new and exciting areas of discovery such as stem cell biology. Multiparameter machinery and systems exist now to access the heterogeneity of cellular subsets and enable phenotypic characterization and functional assays to be performed on material from both animal models and humans. This review focuses primarily on the development and application of using activation-state readouts of intracellular activity for phospho-epitopes. We present recent work on how a flow cytometric platform is used to obtain mechanistic insight into cellular processes as well as highlight the clinical applications that our laboratory has explored. Furthermore, this review discusses the challenges faced with processing high-content multidimensional and multivariate data sets. Flow cytometry, as a platform that is well situated in both the research and clinical settings, can contribute to drug discovery as well as having utility for both biomarker and patient-stratification. [source] Nonparametric Varying-Coefficient Models for the Analysis of Longitudinal DataINTERNATIONAL STATISTICAL REVIEW, Issue 3 2002Colin O. Wu Summary Longitudinal methods have been widely used in biomedicine and epidemiology to study the patterns of time-varying variables, such as disease progression or trends of health status. Data sets of longitudinal studies usually involve repeatedly measured outcomes and covariates on a set of randomly chosen subjects over time. An important goal of statistical analyses is to evaluate the effects of the covariates, which may or may not depend on time, on the outcomes of interest. Because fully parametric models may be subject to model misspecification and completely unstructured nonparametric models may suffer from the drawbacks of "curse of dimensionality", the varying-coefficient models are a class of structural nonparametric models which are particularly useful in longitudinal analyses. In this article, we present several important nonparametric estimation and inference methods for this class of models, demonstrate the advantages, limitations and practical implementations of these methods in different longitudinal settings, and discuss some potential directions of further research in this area. Applications of these methods are illustrated through two epidemiological examples. Résumé Modèles non-paramétriques à coefficients variables pour l'analyse de données longitudinales Les méthodes longitudinales ont été largement utilisées en biomédecine et en épidémiologie pour étudier les modèles de variables variant dans le temps, du type progression de maladie ou tendances détat de santé. Les ensembles de données d'études longitudinales comprennent généralement des ésultats de mesures répétées et des covariables sur un ensemble de sujets choisis au hasard dans le temps. Un objectif important des analyses statistiques consisteàévaluer les effets des covariables, qui peuvent ou non dépendre du temps, sur les résultats d'intérêt. Du fait que des modèles entièrement paramétriques peuvent faire l'objet d'erreur de spécification de modèle et que des modèles non-paramétriques totalement non-structurés peuvent souffrir des inconvénients de la «malédiction de dimensionnalité», les modèles à coefficients variables sont une classe de modèles structurels non-paramétriques particulièrement utiles dans les analyses longitudinales. Dans cet article, on présente plusieurs estimations non-paramétriques importantes, ainsi que des méthodes d'inférence pour cette classe de modéles, on démontre les avantages, limites et mises en ,uvre pratiques de ces méthodes dans différents contextes longitudinaux et l'on traite de certaines directions possibles pour de plus amples recherches dans ce domaine. Des applications de ces méthodes sont illustrées à travers deux exemples épidémiologiques. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||