Opportunities For Medical Research Research Articles

Application of machine learning in medicine

In the past decades, the quantity and complexity of medical data have been increasing, such as medical images, genomics data, physiological signals and so on. These data contain a lot of valuable information, but traditional analysis methods and manual feature extraction have been unable to effectively deal with these large-scale and high-dimensional data. The rapid development of machine learning technology has brought new opportunities for medical research and clinical practice. Machine learning algorithms can learn and discover patterns, laws and prediction models from large-scale data, thus helping doctors and researchers to make more accurate and personalized diagnosis and treatment decisions. The application of machine learning in medicine has become a research field of great concern in recent years. This paper studies the application of machine learning in medicine, such as medical image diagnosis, genomics and drug discovery, and analyzes the relevant technical methods and ideas of machine learning in medicine, and analyzes the main algorithms and usage methods used in medical image diagnosis, such as convolution neural network and other deep learning algorithms. Through detailed analysis and research, it is found that machine learning provides a new method and tool, which can effectively process large-scale and complex medical data in medicine, bring more possibilities for medical diagnosis, treatment and research, and provide support for individualized medical care.

Opportunities and obstacles in linking large health care registries: the primary secondary cancer care registry - breast cancer

BackgroundThe growing volume of health data provides new opportunities for medical research. By using existing registries, large populations can be studied over a long period of time. Patient-level linkage of registries leads to even more detailed and extended information per patient, but brings challenges regarding responsibilities, privacy and security, and quality of data linkage. In this paper we describe how we dealt with these challenges when creating the Primary Secondary Cancer Care Registry (PSCCR)- Breast Cancer.MethodsThe PSCCR – Breast Cancer was created by linking two existing registries containing data on 1) diagnosis, tumour and treatment characteristics of all Dutch breast cancer patients (NCR), and 2) consultations and diagnoses from primary care electronic health records of about 10% of Dutch GP practices (Nivel-PCD). The existing registry governance structures and privacy regulations were incorporated in those of the new registry. Privacy and security risks were reassessed. Data were restricted to females and linked using postal code and date of birth. The breast cancer diagnosis was verified in both registries and for a subsample of 44 patients with the GP as well.ResultsA collaboration agreement was signed in which the organisations retained data responsibility and accountability for ‘their’ registry. A Trusted Third Party performed the record linkage. Ten percent of the patients with breast cancer could be linked to the primary care registry, as was expected based on the coverage of Nivel-PCD, and finally 7 % could be included. The breast cancer diagnosis was verified by the GP in 42 of the 44 patients.ConclusionsWe developed and validated a procedure for patient-level linkage of health data registries without a unique identifier, while preserving the integrity and privacy of the original registries. The method described may help researchers wishing to link existing health data registries.

Regenerative Neurology and Regenerative Cardiology: Shared Hurdles and Achievements.

From the first success in cultivation of cells in vitro, it became clear that developing cell and/or tissue specific cultures would open a myriad of new opportunities for medical research. Expertise in various in vitro models has been developing over decades, so nowadays we benefit from highly specific in vitro systems imitating every organ of the human body. Moreover, obtaining sufficient number of standardized cells allows for cell transplantation approach with the goal of improving the regeneration of injured/disease affected tissue. However, different cell types bring different needs and place various types of hurdles on the path of regenerative neurology and regenerative cardiology. In this review, written by European experts gathered in Cost European action dedicated to neurology and cardiology-Bioneca, we present the experience acquired by working on two rather different organs: the brain and the heart. When taken into account that diseases of these two organs, mostly ischemic in their nature (stroke and heart infarction), bring by far the largest burden of the medical systems around Europe, it is not surprising that in vitro models of nervous and heart muscle tissue were in the focus of biomedical research in the last decades. In this review we describe and discuss hurdles which still impair further progress of regenerative neurology and cardiology and we detect those ones which are common to both fields and some, which are field-specific. With the goal to elucidate strategies which might be shared between regenerative neurology and cardiology we discuss methodological solutions which can help each of the fields to accelerate their development.

Beit Memorial Fellowships for Medical Research

AT the annual meeting held on July 11 of the Trustees of the Beit Memorial Fellowships for Medical Research, an important change of policy was announced. The Trustees have decided to institute a professorial fellowship of tenure similar to that of a university chair. No award has yet been made. This action is the result of a proviso in the original trust deed, whereby the trustees are empowered, after the expiration of twenty years, to modify the regulations for the award of fellowships. When the Beit Memorial Trust was created, the opportunities for medical research in Great Britain were scanty Sir Otto Beits gift, followed by Lord Iveaghs benefaction for the building of the Lister Institute, enormously improved the situation. Then came further openings through the Medical Research Committee and its successor, the Medical Research Council. The late Sir Walter Morley Fletcher now became the dominant figure in the development of medical research, and the obituary notice of him which appeared in our issue of July 1 (p. 17) is the story of its progress. The policy of the Beit trustees has been to provide opportunities for junior workers, many of whom have passed into posts, such as chairs of physiology and pathology, where their research work could be continued. Prolonged clinical research has, however, not been provided for. The Medical Research Council has maintained a senior post for clinical research since 1916, the holder of which, Sir Thomas Lewis, has made noteworthy contributions to knowledge. This post has recently been endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Medical Research Council has created another. Now the Beit trustees are adding a third post, to be held at a medical centre in Great Britain where facilities for clinical research are available.

The Growing Opportunities for Medical Research

The Growing Opportunities for Medical Research