Previous Research Experience Research Articles

Exploring participants’ characteristics and self-assessed readiness to conduct clinical trials in general practice – baseline analysis of the RaPHaeL practice-based research network

Background Primary care is integral to healthcare systems extending beyond traditional illness management to include preventive care, chronic disease management, and health promotion. Practice-based research networks (PBRNs) have emerged as essential infrastructures for conducting clinical research in primary care. This study explores the establishment of the ‘Research-Practices Halle-Leipzig’ (RaPHaeL) PBRN in Germany, evaluating the characteristics and research readiness of participating practices. Methods A cross-sectional survey (MORNING II) was conducted among all general practitioners (GPs) joining the RaPHaeL PBRN, assessing socio-demographic characteristics, practice infrastructure, and research readiness. After a descriptive analysis, we compared data with a previous study (MORNING) to examine potential differences between PBRN participants and non-participants. We developed a research readiness score (RRS) to quantify practices’ ability to perform clinical research subtasks. Results The response rate was 97.1% and our participants were often male, involved in undergraduate education, generally interested in research or had previous research experiences. However, they differed widely in age and size, staff structure, and patient demographics of their practices. Initially, around two-thirds of the practices were not sufficiently prepared to conduct clinical trials (self-assessed feasibility of relevant subtasks). If further research and documentation tasks are required, patient recruitment estimations are lower than for patient identification and information. Conclusion This study highlights the variability in research readiness among GP practices and shows the need for targeted training. By systematically assessing and enhancing research capabilities of participating GPs, PBRNs can facilitate high-quality clinical research in primary care to improve patient outcomes and healthcare delivery.

Optimizing Influencer Marketing Strategies in the Beauty Industry: Case Analysis

As social media platforms have matured, influencer marketing has increasingly gained favor among advertisers. This study explores the optimization strategies for influencer marketing in the beauty industry. Through case analysis and previous research experiences, it is recommended that suitable influencers for different brands and products be selected. The findings indicate that influencer marketing significantly enhances brand awareness and consumer trust. However, brands need to make precise selections based on target customer groups, brand image and story, and influencer types. The three key factors proposed in this studytarget customer groups, brand value and story, and creator typesoffer specific brand guidance when choosing influencers. By optimizing influencer selection strategies, beauty brands can build their brand image more effectively and improve market competitiveness. The conclusions emphasize that influencer marketing should become a necessary promotional tool for beauty products. The study also highlights future research directions, including applying these strategies in other industries and more systematic data research.

PA experiences in clinical trials.

Physician associate/assistant (PA) experience in clinical trials is poorly documented in medical literature. This survey aimed to describe the characteristics and experiences of PAs in clinical trial research. We performed descriptive analyses of data gathered in 2022 by the American Academy of Physician Associates and published in the organization's annual Salary Report, specifically of respondents who indicated experience in traditional and/or decentralized clinical trials. About 73% of PAs eligible for the clinical trials survey indicated they were either involved in clinical trials or had been involved in the past and were interested in working in clinical trials in the future. PAs often serve in subinvestigator roles and perform various clinical trial tasks regardless of previous research experience. PAs working in clinical trials demonstrated broad responsibilities and skills in the research setting. They leveraged benefits to working in clinical trials despite institutional barriers. Clinical research may fit into numerous PAs' practices and let them contribute to medical advancements.

Exploring genetic counselors' practice of discussing clinical trials with patients

AbstractDespite concerted and accelerated efforts to increase the knowledge of medicine and disease via clinical studies, clinical trials continue to face low enrollment for all patient groups. The dissemination of the availability of clinical trials to individuals with or at risk for hereditary disorders is critical. This study acts as a foundation in determining an unexplored role of clinical trial discussion in genetic counseling practice. Board‐certified, patient‐facing genetic counselors in the United States were invited to participate in an anonymous survey via the National Society of Genetic Counselors. Between February and April 2022, 157 participants (N = 157) completed the survey on clinical trial discussion with patients, barriers, and facilitators to discussing clinical trials with patients, research experience, and demographics. Survey results identified that most respondents have discussed the availability of clinical trials with a patient (85%). Almost one‐third have previous research experience working for a clinical trial (30%). Most agreed that discussions of clinical trials are within the scope of genetic counseling (82%); however, one‐third were not comfortable discussing them with patients (34%). Respondents who know how to find specific clinical trials (p < 0.001) were reportedly more likely to be comfortable discussing clinical trials with their patients. In addition to clinical research exposure, this study suggests that further education and training is necessary for genetic counselors to learn how to find and identify specific clinical trials for their patients. In turn, we hope for this to increase genetic counselors' comfort of clinical trial discussion.

Factors influencing career choices and post-fellowship perspectives in adult hematology/oncology fellows: A nationwide cross-sectional study.

9016 Background: The aim ofour study was to explore the characteristics, aspirations, and factors influencing career choices among adult Hematology/Oncology (HO) fellows, as well as their post-fellowship perspectives. Methods: An anonymous 25-question survey was distributed online to adult HO fellowship programs in the United States. The survey collected data on demographics, educational background, career plans, and specific factors influencing career choices. Results: Of the 56 fellows completing the survey, 54% identified as male, and 46% as female. The majority were White (40%), followed by Asian (34%), Middle Eastern (12%), Hispanic (7%), and Black (3%). Most fellows (79%) were aged 30-34 years, and 68% were MD graduates of US/Caribbean schools. A significant proportion expressed certainty (80%) during residency about pursuing adult HO as a career. Thirty eight percent of the respondents planned to practice both hematology and Oncology. While 39% hoped to work in an academic/university setting, 41% planned to stay within the community. Geographically, 45% preferred suburban, and 39% urban areas. Only 3% of respondents had plans to pursue a career in classical hematology. Factors influencing career choice included clinical interest in the field (98%), previous research experience in HO (54%), career mentorship (70%), lifestyle considerations (66%), and perceived job market (60%) (Table). Almost all respondents (97%) expressed a high likelihood of pursuing adult HO fellowship if they had to choose again. Fellows were confident about finding positions aligned with their interests, including clinical (72%), providing research opportunities (43%), and those offering intellectual stimulation (73%). While the majority were confident in achieving work-life balance (84%), 16% expressed some concerns. Conclusions: This study offers valuable insights into the factors influencing career choices among adult HO fellows. The findings emphasize the necessity of adjusting strategies to align with the evolving needs and aspirations of prospective fellows. Key initiatives could include fortifying career mentorship programs, providing increased support for those interested in classical hematology, fostering research experiences during residency training, and actively promoting a diverse and inclusive environment. Understanding these aspects and results is crucial for program directors, educators, and policymakers to optimize training programs and support the diverse needs of future practitioners in the field. [Table: see text]

SUBJECT-OBJECT DIRECTION OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION PROBLEMS: METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS OF FORMULATION AND WAYS TO SOLVE THEM

The article actualizes the methodological problem of specifying the directions of scientific researches in the specialty «Public Administration and Governance» in the third year of higher education. The relevant problem is considered through the prism of the absence of an officially approved standard of higher education at the educational and scientific level in the relevant specialty. Attention is drawn to the fact that the organization of scientific researches in the field of knowledge «Public Administration and Governance», in contrast to the researches carried out within the field of science «Public Administration» are carried out by applicants for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy without ensuring compliance of the content of qualification work with any directions of scientific research institutionalized at the state level. The article substantiates the fundamental difference between the methodological support of the applicant's choice of a scientific degree of subject-object direction of scientific research which is carried out in the field of knowledge «Public Administration and Governance» and in the field of science «Public Administration». Attention is drawn to the fact of absence of officially institutionalized at the state level for the field of knowledge «Public Administration and Governance» directions of organization of scientific research becomes the reason for actualization of risks of incorrect choice by the applicant for the degree «Doctor of Philosophy» of the focus of his scientific research. In contrast, a researcher who prepares a qualification work within the field of science «Public Administration», for example, the applicant for a doctoral degree in public administration, despite their conceptual maturity as a scientist, has a completely exhaustive list of research areas within the officially approved specialty passports. It is proposed to solve the problem of inconsistency of the researcher's previous research experience with the level of methodological support for the choice of the subject-object direction of scientific research through the prism of expanding (changing) the list of specialties within the field of knowledge «Public Administration and Management» and/or providing for separate specializations within the existing specialty. On the one hand, such a step, will allow to order the directions of scientific researches in accordance with the focus of attention of a particular field of knowledge, and on the other hand, it will contribute to improving of the quality of preparation and conducting of scientific research. The indirect result of expanding (changing) the list of specialties within the field of knowledge «Public Administration and Governance» may be its further development, for example, in the direction of ensuring correlation with the field of science «Public Administration».

Analysis of Technical Specialists’ Scientific Training: The Role of Written Academic Discourse

The development and implementation of the written academic discourse course as one of the aspects of technical specialists’ scientific training gives students an opportunity to get acquainted with research culture that promotes the introduction and development of research skills in future engineers. The article presents an overview of the existing practices of written academic discourse in the process of scientific training technical specialists on the basis of interdisciplinary theoretical understanding. The authors review the previous experience of research that reflects the linguacultural, psychological, communicative characteristics of written academic discourse in the context of analysis of the main types of students’ scientific training. The authors consider in detail the characteristics of written academic discourse in the expanded understanding of the term, conduct a comparative analysis of domestic and foreign experience, outline ways of further research of its influence on the process of technical specialists’ teaching. The present study was carried out in the of implementation of the project «Intensification of scientific and professional language training of technical specialists in the context of education digital transformation» for 2023-2025, with the financial support of the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Grant No. 19678460). In this paper the authors analyze the main types of scientific training of students on the basis of comparative analysis of the domestic and international best practices and consider in detail the aspects of written academic discourse and its impact on the training process in the sphere of research.

Guidelines for Application of High-Content Screening in Traditional Chinese Medicine: Concept, Equipment, and Troubleshooting

High-content screening (HCS) technology combines automated high-speed imaging hardware and single-cell quantitative analysis. It can greatly accelerate data acquisition in cellular fluorescence imaging and is a powerful research technique in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). An increasing number of laboratories and platforms, including TCM laboratories, have begun utilizing HCS systems. However, this technology is still in its infancy in TCM research and there is a lack of sufficient experience with the associated concepts, instrument configurations, and analysis methods. To improve the understanding of HCS among researchers in the field of TCM, this paper summarizes the concept of HCS, software and hardware configuration, the overall research process, as well as common problems and related solutions of HCS in TCM research based on our team’s previous research experience, providing several research examples and an outlook on future perspectives, aiming to provide a technical guide for HCS in TCM research.

Predicting Student Placement in College Using Machine Learning

Abstract: The research on student placement prediction in higher education has been a focal point, addressing challenges related to balanced accuracy and generalization across diverse datasets. Prior studies grappled with issues in feature representation and interpretability. This study aims to overcome these challenges by introducing a comprehensive machine learning framework for student placement prediction, leveraging advanced techniques in exploratory data analysis, preprocessing, and model evaluation. Drawing on previous research experiences, our proposed work targets specific issues related to feature engineering, categorical variable representation, and result interpretability. The methodology employs key libraries, including NumPy, pandas, Matplotlib, Seaborn, Plotly, scikit-learn, WordCloud, and DateTime, for efficient data manipulation, visualization, and analysis. Ensemble learning techniques, such as Random Forest and XGBoost, along with traditional algorithms like Decision Trees and K-Nearest Neighbors, contribute to enhancing predictive accuracy and model robustness. To fine-tune the models, a Randomized Search for Hyperparameters is implemented for the XGBoost classifier, optimizing parameters like learning rate, maximum depth, minimum child weight, gamma, and colsample by tree. This approach effectively addresses overfitting and underfitting issues, maximizing overall model performance. The accuracy percentages achieved through our models represent significant advancements. For instance, the Decision Tree model achieves an accuracy of 87.74%, the Random Forest model achieves 87.60%, the XGBoost model achieves 87.60%, and the K-Nearest Neighbors model achieves 85.18%. These results underscore the effectiveness of our approach in achieving high accuracy while maintaining interpretability.

Research status of low-temperature operation effect and strengthening measures of constructed wetlands

Constructed wetlands are a new method of wastewater treatment, which has the advantages of low cost, ease of implementation, and high ecological benefits, and has been applied in many scenarios. However, this method also has certain limitations, manifested in reduced purification efficiency or even complete failure under low temperatures. This article analyzes the influencing factors of low-temperature operation of constructed wetlands, explores its operational effectiveness in low-temperature areas, and summarizes previous research experience, and then proposes some suggestions for the current situation. The research in this article can provide theoretical references for wetland wastewater treatment, and also provide references for subsequent similar research.

Confidence, attitude, and practice of scientific research among health professions' students in the United Arab Emirates.

This study aimed to assess the confidence, attitude, and scientific research practices of undergraduate students of different health profession specialties. In this cross-sectional study, an online-based questionnaire was distributed as a Google Form via groups and pages of medical universities available on social media sites such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter to the second- to sixth-year students of different health profession specialties in different universities across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the period from October through December 2023 using the convenience sampling technique. The questionnaire included four parts that assessed socio-demographics and custom-designed research-related questions (6 items), perceived confidence (8 items), attitudes (14 items), and the practice in the context of scientific research and its implementation (9 items). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore the variables associated with the study outcomes, including confidence, attitudes, and practice levels. The study included 522 undergraduate students. The participants reported low confidence, a negative attitude, and low scientific research practice. Regression results revealed that individuals without prior research experiences were less likely to have high confidence and practice compared to those with previous research experience (OR = 0.634, 95% CI: 0.426-0.945, p = 0.025; and OR = 0.139, 95%Cl: 0.090-0.216, P<0.001, respectively). Additionally, participants who reported difficulty in differentiating between various literature resources were less likely to have high confidence and practice compared to those who reported the ability to differentiate (OR = 0.627, 95% CI: 0.42-0.935, p = 0.022, and OR = 0.370, 95%Cl: 0.237-0.579, p<0.001, respectively). Furthermore, individuals who had not taught research methods in their undergraduate studies were less likely to have high practice (OR = 0.505, 95%Cl: 0.309-0.823, p = 0.06). Undergraduates of different medical specialties in the UAE demonstrated acceptable levels of confidence and attitude toward scientific research, with several areas for practice improvement. Education and training courses focusing on various aspects of scientific research should be incorporated into the medical curricula in order to enhance students' confidence and practice of scientific research.

Navigating challenges in radiography research: radiographers' perspectives in Saudi Arabia.

Radiography is a crucial healthcare specialty that requires ongoing research to advance imaging technologies and techniques. Despite this, radiographers are faced with obstacles such as time constraints, lack of resources, and the need for training on new technologies, which can discourage their research involvement. This study aims to provide a more representative understanding of the radiography research culture in Saudi Arabia, building upon previous studies. Following the approval of an ethics committee at Taibah University (2024/173/302 DRD), a cross-sectional survey was conducted from January to March 2024 among registered radiographers in Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire was distributed via social media platforms using a snowball sampling strategy to reach a diverse group of radiographers across different regions and institutions. Participants provided informed consent before completing the questionnaire. The questionnaire, originally in English, was translated into Arabic and validated by two bilingual academics. It included sections on demographics, previous research experience, barriers to research involvement, factors encouraging research engagement, and self-assessment of research competencies. Descriptive statistics and Cronbach's alpha were used to analyze the data. A total of 105 radiographers participated in the study, with 41% having prior research involvement. Among those engaged, the most common activity was data collection (65%), followed by preparation of scientific articles (49%). Challenges such as the lack of a research-focused culture (48%), insufficient awareness of opportunities (36%), and time constraints (34%) were prominent barriers to research participation. Encouraging factors included the need for research training (63%), support from research groups (51%), and allocated research time (50%). Respondents assessed their research skills, with confidence varied across skills, with 50% feeling capable of initiating research and 51% of participating, yet a significant proportion expressed uncertainties, especially in statistical knowledge and research methodology. Most of the surveyed radiographers did not engage in research. However, there is a substantial interest in enhancing research involvement, with training, collaborative groups, and organizational support identified as key factors encouraging participation. The findings suggest that addressing these barriers can foster a more robust research culture, leading to improved diagnostic practices.

"I Am Interested!": The Voices of the Community and Their Participation in Health Advisory Boards.

Researchers can often be challenged by meaningful efforts to involve the public and communities in research. Community and health advisory boards (HABs) offer an opportunity to create a fully intentional and honest relationship between researchers and the community. Most recently, the All Indiana (IN) for Health HAB had four openings and a call was published to our community of over 13,800 individuals in the All IN for Health newsletter. Four hundred eighty-eight individuals submitted applications to become part of the board. In what follows, we share the lessons in motivations and interests of individuals who responded. The application process included the following questions: What lived experiences and/or personal interests have motivated you to be involved in All IN for Health? Please explain why you are interested in being an All IN for HAB member. Our analysis approach was qualitative and centered on narrative research. We organize the findings in two categories: Motivation and Interests. Individuals were motivated to participate based on family or friend diagnosis, personal diagnosis, roles as caregivers, desire to impact change and advocacy, role as health professional, and previous participation in research. Interests followed similar themes beginning with crediting their interest to a diagnosis. In addition, we categorized desire to share their experience, personal positionality, and previous research experience, and contributing to the education of student/trainee. By understanding motivations, we understand needs. This information can be used for other advisory boards, as well as recruitment into research participation and health care advocacy.

Research on the Anchoring Bias in Stock Investment: Evidence from Chinese Stock Market

Under the influence of factors such as information loss, information asymmetry and personal experience, people can be easily affected by anchoring effect and make wrong decisions. The anchoring effect is a cognitive bias whereby an individual's decisions are influenced by a particular reference point or anchor. This influence can be reflected in many aspects, such as the promotion activities in shopping malls, the choice of insurance products, or the decision to sell or buy in the stock market. In recent years, scholars have gradually found that anchoring effect will influence various decisions made by investors in the stock market to a certain extent, and therefore affect the price of individual stocks in the stock market. Based on previous research experience, the paper summarizes the changes in investors' decisions caused by anchoring deviation in China's stock market and its impact on specific stock prices. Therefore, this study on anchoring bias in the stock market has important implications for investors, traders, and financial analysts. By understanding the ways in which cognitive biases can shape decision-making in the stock market, individuals can take steps to mitigate the effects of these biases and make more rational investment decisions.

“Why Did Devon Just Leave the Classroom?”: Disability Studies in Education-Informed Related Service Provision

Public schools often schedule related services by using a mix of pull-out and push-in instruction, referred to as service delivery models. This poses challenges because the transitions to and from services are obvious to other students and can influence student identities and result in a loss of academic instructional time. This article shares inclusive approaches for novice teachers to learn how to organize related service provision in ways that strengthen student identities as individuals with disabilities. By focusing on how our previous teaching and research experiences inform our pedagogical design in our teacher education courses, we seek to open the door for future research on how related services are constructed and enacted in public schools that are working towards more inclusive pedagogy and practice. In this article we share how both authors are rethinking teacher education curriculum as a potential site for helping beginning educators understand the array of service delivery models and to address ways to conceptualize how related services are offered to students in PreK-12 schools across all classroom settings.

1.C. Workshop: COVID-19 and strategies to improve pandemic preparedness in Africa: Results of 4 systematic reviews

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on mortality and health service utilisation globally. However, its impact in low- and lower middle-income countries (LLMIC), in particular in sub-Saharan Africa, remains poorly understood. The German West-African Centre (G-WAC) for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention aims to contribute to a better understanding of the pandemic and to strengthen pandemic preparedness in the region. Objectives The workshop aims to provide an overview of available research on four aspects that are key for understanding the COVID-19 pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa and to support improved pandemic preparedness in the region: (1) the impact of the pandemic on excess mortality, (2) the changes in health services utilisation, (3) the different strategies that support community engagement, and (4) the role of mHealth tools for community-based disease surveillance. Together with workshop participants, we intend to discuss challenges and opportunities for research on the COVID-19 pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa and the potential for research to contribute to better pandemic preparedness. We also wish to receive input for the further research agenda of G-WAC. Added value The workshop will bring together the findings of four systematic reviews that provide complementary evidence contributing to a better understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa. It will provide a platform for researchers engaged in related work in Africa or Europe to share their experiences and to contribute to shaping the future research agenda of G-WAC. Coherence of workshop Following a brief introduction explaining the underlying research concept that links the four systematic reviews, results will be presented for: (1) a systematic review and meta-analysis of excess mortality, reporting pooled excess mortality estimates; (2) a scoping review illustrating the range of approaches and settings where research has been conducted on health service utilisation during the pandemic; (3) a scoping review of the various strategies that have been used to foster community engagement to strengthen infection control activities; and (4) a scoping review of different mobile phone-based tools that support Community Health Workers engaged in infectious disease surveillance. Format This is a regular workshop consisting of four brief (7 mins) presentations. Each presentation will be followed by 5 mins discussions, giving room to the audience for questions and comments that relate findings to previous research experiences. Another 10 mins are reserved at the end to discuss further research needs. Several polling rounds will engage the audience and collect input on (a) research experiences in sub-Saharan Africa, (b) reflections about the relevance of presented results, and (c) suggestions for further research. Key messages • The workshop will summarise existing evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mortality and health service utilisation in sub-Saharan Africa. • Community participation may support improved pandemic preparedness and response by contributing to early detection of outbreaks and the successful implementation of infection control activities.

Mechanisms of defect formation in Ti-6Al-4V product during re-melting of layers in selective laser melting

Knowledge of defect formation mechanisms in the manufacturing process helps improve product quality. In this study, defect formation due to re-melting of each layer in selective laser melting of Ti-6Al-4V demonstrated the physical behavior in the manufacture of metallic parts. The re-melting strategy was based on scanning with low energy density (ED) and increased ED with various combinations of laser processing parameters. The increased EDs and their parameters, namely laser power, scanning speed, and hatch distance, were selected based on the previous research experience by the authors. The concept of selecting a low ED followed by a high ED was to reduce the spattering of the powder material during the process. The low ED caused partial sintering of the powder, while the high ED caused the melting of the material, resulting in different metallurgical properties of the manufactured parts. Densities, pore properties, porosity in the initial layers, surface morphologies, and microstructures in the defective areas of the samples were studied to determine the effects of re-melting. Advantages and disadvantages were found with respect to the range of applications of the products.

Research capacity, motivators and barriers to conducting research among healthcare providers in Tanzania’s public health system: a mixed methods study

BackgroundBuilding health research capacity in low- and middle-income countries is essential to achieving universal access to safe, high-quality healthcare. It can enable healthcare workers to conduct locally relevant research and apply findings to strengthen their health delivery systems. However, lack of funding, experience, know-how, and weak research infrastructures hinders their ability. Understanding research capacity, engagement, and contextual factors that either promote or obstruct research efforts by healthcare workers can inform national strategies aimed at building research capacity.MethodsWe used a convergent mixed-methods study design to understand research capacity and research engagement of healthcare workers in Tanzania’s public health system, including the barriers, motivators, and facilitators to conducting research. Our sample included 462 randomly selected healthcare workers from 45 facilities. We conducted surveys and interviews to capture data in five categories: (1) healthcare workers research capacity; (2) research engagement; (3) barriers, motivators, and facilitators; (4) interest in conducting research; and (5) institutional research capacity. We assessed quantitative and qualitative data using frequency and thematic analysis, respectively; we merged the data to identify recurring and unifying concepts.ResultsRespondents reported low experience and confidence in quantitative (34% and 28.7%, respectively) and qualitative research methods (34.5% and 19.6%, respectively). Less than half (44%) of healthcare workers engaged in research. Engagement in research was positively associated with: working at a District Hospital or above (p = 0.006), having a university degree or more (p = 0.007), and previous research experience (p = 0.001); it was negatively associated with female sex (p = 0.033). Barriers to conducting research included lack of research funding, time, skills, opportunities to practice, and research infrastructure. Motivators and facilitators included a desire to address health problems, professional development, and local and international collaborations. Almost all healthcare workers (92%) indicated interest in building their research capacity.ConclusionIndividual and institutional research capacity and engagement among healthcare workers in Tanzania is low, despite high interest for capacity building. We propose a fourfold pathway for building research capacity in Tanzania through (1) high-quality research training and mentorship; (2) strengthening research infrastructure, funding, and coordination; (3) implementing policies and strategies that stimulate engagement; and (4) strengthening local and international collaborations.

Cancer Research in Vulnerable Populations: A Call for Collaboration and Sustainability From MENAT Countries.

Cancer is a major burden across Middle East, North Africa, Türkiye (MENAT). Many MENAT countries experience multiple conflicts that compound vulnerabilities, but little research investigates the linkages between vulnerability and cancer research. This study examines the current level and the potential for cancer research among vulnerable populations in the MENAT region, aiming to provide direction toward developing a research agenda on the region's vulnerable populations. Expert-driven meetings were arranged among the 10 authors. After obtaining institutional review board approval, a self-administered online survey questionnaire was circulated to more than 500 cancer practitioners working in 22 MENAT countries. Two hundred sixteen cancer practitioners across the MENAT region responded. Fifty percent of the respondents identified clinical research in vulnerable patients with cancer as a significant issue; 21.8% reported previous research experience that included vulnerable populations, and 60% reported encountering vulnerable populations in their daily clinical practice. The main barriers to conducting research were lack of funding (60%), protected time (42%), and research training (35%). More than half of the respondents believed that wars/conflicts constituted an important source of vulnerability. The most vulnerable cancer populations were the elderly, palliative/terminally ill, those with concomitant mental health-related issues, those with other chronic illnesses, and socioeconomically deprived patients. Results support that a major effort is needed to improve cancer research among vulnerable cancer populations in the MENAT region. We call for interdisciplinary research that accounts for the region's unique, compounding, and cumulative forms of vulnerability. This cancer research agenda on different vulnerable populations must balance sociobehavioral studies that explore sociopolitical barriers to quality care and clinical studies that gauge and refine treatment protocols. Building a research agenda through collaboration and solidarity with international partners is prime time.

Scientific connotation of the compatibility of traditional Chinese medicine from the perspective of the intestinal flora.

Revealing the connotation of the compatibility of Chinese medicines (CM) is a requirement for the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). However, no consensus exists on the specific mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine compatibility (TCMC). Many studies have shown that the occurrence and development of diseases and the efficacy of CM are closely related to intestinal flora (IF), which may provide a new perspective to understand the theory of TCM. This study aimed to summarize the relationship between the changes in IF before and after the compatibility of different drugs and the synergistic, toxicity reduction, and incompatibility effects of drug pairs from the perspective of the effects of CM on the IF and the regulation of microbial metabolites. These studies showed that the effect of drug pairs on the composition of the IF is not a simple superposition of two single drugs, and that the drug pairs also play a specific role in regulating the production of intestinal bacterial metabolites; therefore, it has a different pharmacodynamic effect, which may provide a perspective to clarify the compatibility mechanism. However, research on the interpretation of the scientific connotations of TCMC from the perspective of the IF is still in its infancy and has limitations. Therefore, this study aimed to summarize previous research experience and proposed to conduct a deep and systematic study from the perspective of drug pair dismantling, IF, intestinal bacteria metabolite, organism, and disease to provide a reference for scientific research on the compatibility mechanism of CM.