Health related research in Bangladesh: MEDLINE based analysis.
(17/1000)
BACKGROUND: Health research is not a priority sector in Bangladesh. By and large, physicians and academicians are neither interested nor are they properly trained to conduct quality research. The objective of this study is to quantify the volume of researches related to health in Bangladesh with a view to propose remedial measures. METHODS: Data regarding health research, originating from Bangladesh during the period of 1990-1996, were extracted from MEDLINE database using certain inclusion criteria. Data on name of the institution, main author (Bangladeshi or foreigner), country of publication, and research topics were abstracted and analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: A total of 580 (on average 83 per year) articles met the inclusion criteria. About two-third (64.0%) of the researches were from International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh, followed by Institute of Post Graduate Medicine & Research with 5.7%. Seven medical colleges and one dental college collectively contributed 5.8%. Infectious diseases was the single largest (54.8%) topic dealt with, followed by non-infectious diseases (7.7%), and nutrition and nutrition-related diseases (6.9%). CONCLUSION: The number of research articles from Bangladesh is very small possibly owing to the lack of proper training and funding shortage. Incorporating research methodology in both graduate and postgraduate medical education, appointing researchers in clinical and academic departments and allocating more funding towards research activities are necessary to boost health related research activities in Bangladesh. (+info)
Reports of randomized trials in acute stroke, 1955 to 1995. What proportions were commercially sponsored?
(18/1000)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Research in acute stroke has expanded rapidly. Many potentially important interventions lack commercial potential (eg, admission to a stroke unit). We therefore wished to examine the frequency of reports of randomized trials of interventions for acute stroke over the past 40 years, the source of support for such trials, the reporting of the commercial involvement, and whether the proportion of commercially supported trials had changed. METHODS: Eligible trials were identified from the Cochrane Stroke Group's specialized register of controlled clinical trials. We included all randomized trials in patients with acute stroke which published a full text report, in English, between 1955 and 1995. Two reviewers independently extracted data on the involvement of the pharmaceutical industry in all eligible trials. RESULTS: There was a substantial increase in the number of acute stroke trials published per year between 1955 and 1995. The description of pharmaceutical industry involvement in each trial report was poor. Only a minority of supported trials made explicit statements about the role of the sponsoring company. The proportion of trials apparently supported by the pharmaceutical industry has increased substantially. CONCLUSIONS: The increasingly important role of the pharmaceutical industry in evaluating new treatments gives substantial scope for bias and may not be in the interests of public health. Poor reporting of the sponsor's involvement suggests that modifications to the guidelines for the reporting of randomized controlled trials to include more details of the sponsor's involvement in the design, conduct, management, analysis, and reporting of the trial are justified. (+info)
Office of Research Integrity: a reflection of disputes and misunderstandings.
(19/1000)
Each year, the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) provides billions of dollars to support over 30,000 extramural research grants to more than 2,000 institutions in the U.S. and other countries. The Office of Research Integrity (ORI) is responsible for protecting the integrity of the research supported by the grants awarded for the PHS extramural research program. One of its responsibilities includes monitoring investigations into alleged or suspected scientific misconduct by institutions that receive the PHS funds. However, not all of the alleged or suspected scientific misconduct meet the the PHS definition of scientific misconduct. Among the wide range of allegations that the ORI receives are those that are ultimately determined to be authorship disputes. This article will report on ORI's functions and review some of the commonly reported allegations that do not constitute scientific misconduct according to the PHS definition. (+info)
International Agency for Research on Cancer fellowships programme-over 30 years of experience.
(20/1000)
In 1966 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) initiated a fellowship programme designed for young postdoctoral scientists from any country in the world who wish to receive training in another country in an area relevant to the aetiology and pathogenesis of cancer. Various disciplines are covered such as cellular and molecular biology, pathology, genetics and biochemistry, and particular attention is given to training in cancer epidemiology. A total of 471 fellowships have been awarded during the last 32 years, averaging 15 fellowships per year, and representing approximately one in four of the applications evaluated every year. Thirty-six percent of the total number of fellowships awarded have come from developing countries and eastern Europe. North America and western Europe are the regions preferentially selected by 98% of the fellows for training, with the USA (48%) and the UK (19%) remaining the most frequently selected countries for a host laboratory. Approximately 82-85% of fellows returned to their home countries and around 82% remain active in cancer research. A total of 101 fellowships have been awarded in epidemiology or biostatistics with the majority of IARC fellows in epidemiology originating from developing countries or developed countries in which the teaching of chronic diseases epidemiology is deficient. In addition, the IARC has received considerable input into its activities through its fellowship programme. The IARC fellowship programme is an effective tool in the provision of training in cancer research to young scientists worldwide, selected on the basis of scientific excellence and has made a substantial contribution to the development of cancer research in many countries. (+info)
Circular epidemiology.
(21/1000)
Circular epidemiology can be defined as the continuation of specific types of epidemiologic studies beyond the point of reasonable doubt of the true existence of an important association or the absence of such an association. Circular epidemiology is an extreme example of studies of the consistency of associations. A basic problem for epidemiology is the lack of a systematic approach to acquiring new knowledge to reach a goal of improving public health and preventive medicine. For epidemiologists, research support unfortunately is biased toward the continued study of already proven hypotheses. Circular epidemiology, however, freezes at one point in the evolution of epidemiologic studies, failing to move from descriptive to analytical case-control and longitudinal studies, for example, to experimental, clinical trials. Good epidemiology journals are filled with very well-conducted epidemiologic studies that primarily repeat the obvious or are variations on the theme. (+info)
Management of major trauma: changes required for improvement.
(22/1000)
AIMS: To describe the views of key healthcare professionals on the changes they considered to be important in the reduction of major trauma mortality between 1988 and 1995 in Leeds. METHODS: Qualitative unstructured interviews with a purposive sample of 10 healthcare professionals deemed to be key personnel by an experienced consultant who had provided acute trauma care throughout the relevant period. Each interview was tape recorded and transcribed; each transcript was analysed for important themes by two independent researchers who then discussed their results to resolve any differences in interpretation. RESULTS: Three categories of change became evident: "policy", "infrastructure", and "philosophy of care". Each of these categories seemed to be equally important. Policy changes identified as important were the Royal College of Surgeons of England's report into trauma care (1988), the setting of standards for paramedic training, and the national audit of major trauma outcomes. Important infrastructure changes identified were training in advanced trauma life support, decreased ambulance response times, reorganisation towards "consultant led" hospital services, and an emphasis on quality monitoring. Changes in philosophy of care were increases in levels of teamwork, commitment, communication, and confidence. Together these facilitated an overall restructuring and refocusing of care. CONCLUSIONS: No individual change is seen as dominant for improved care, but rather a strategic mixture of facilitating national and regional policy guidance, organisational restructuring, and congruent professional attitudes were integral components leading to the observed changes. Improving outcomes in other areas is likely to involve an integrated series of changes which must be managed as a total system. (+info)
Centers needed to study women's environmental health.
(23/1000)
The view of women as primarily fecund beings goes back to prehistory, where it is expressed in the well-known series of Venuses--stone figures of women with enlarged breasts, who are often represented as pregnant. Although the Venus figures date from the late Paleolithic era, this view of women did not change much in the next 20,000 years. With the approaching millennium, however, the field of health research has begun to consider women apart from their children or prospective progeny. Reflecting this shift in viewpoint, funds for research on the environmental health of women have now become available. However, no coordinated program has been launched on the scale of the newly established Centers for Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research (1). Should women, like children, be the focus of a concerted research effort? (+info)
A profile of the members of FASEB societies: NIH awards, degrees, and institutional affiliations, 1999.
(24/1000)
Data from the FASEB Directory of Members and NIH were used to develop a statistical profile of the members of FASEB Societies. For the U.S.-based scientists (exclusive of retired and student members), the most frequently reported degree was a research doctorate (69. 6%). A substantial fraction, however, reported medical degrees (19. 2%) or both research and medical degrees (8.0%). The majority of members of FASEB Societies listed academic affiliations in the directory. Industrial affiliations were reported, however, in 9.7% of the entries with smaller fractions listing associations with hospitals, independent research institutes, and government agencies. Just over one-fourth of the members of FASEB Societies were principal investigators on NIH research grants. These investigators received one-half of all NIH grants and nearly 60% of the RO1 grants. (+info)