Use Of Standardized Nomenclature Research Articles

Recommendations for performing measurements of apparent equilibrium constants of enzyme-catalyzed reactions and for reporting the results of these measurements.

The measurement of values of apparent equilibrium constants K' for enzyme-catalyzed reactions involve a substantial number of critical details, neglect of which could lead to systematic errors. Here, interferences, impurities in the substances used, and failure to achieve equilibrium are matters of substantial consequence. Careful reporting of results is of great importance if the results are to have archival value. Thus, attention must be paid to the identification of the substances, specification of the reaction(s), the conditions of reaction, the definition of the equilibrium constant(s) and standard states, the use of standard nomenclature, symbols, and units, and uncertainties. This document contains a general discussion of various aspects of these equilibrium measurements as well as STRENDA (Standards for Reporting Enzymology Data) recommendations regarding the measurements and the reporting of results.

The Michigan Radiation Oncology Quality Consortium: A Novel Initiative to Improve the Quality of Radiation Oncology Care

Numerous quality measures have been proposed in radiation oncology, and initiatives to improve access to high-complexity care, quality, and equity are needed. We describe the design and evaluate effect of a voluntary statewide collaboration for quality improvement in radiation oncology initiated a decade ago. We evaluate compliance before and since implementation of annual metrics for quality improvement, using an observational data set with information from more than 20,000 patients treated in the 28 participating radiation oncology practices. At thrice-yearly meetings, experts have spoken regarding trends within the field and inspired discussions regarding potential targets for quality improvement. Blinded data on practices at various sites have been provided. Following Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence guidelines, we describe the approach and measures the program has implemented. To evaluate effect, we compare compliance at baseline and now with active measures using mixed effects regression models with site-level random effects. Compliance has increased, including use of guideline-concordant hypofractionated radiation therapy, doses to targets or normal tissues, motion management, and consistency in delineating and naming contoured structures (a precondition for quality evaluation). For example, use of guideline-concordant hypofractionation for breast cancer increased from 47% to 97%, adherence to target coverage goals and heart dose limits for dose increased from 46% to 86%, motion assessment in patients with lung cancer increased from 52% to 94%, and use of standard nomenclature increased from 53% to 82% for lung patients and from 80% to 94% for breast patients (all P < .001). Although observational analysis cannot fully exclude secular trends, contextual data revealing slow uptake of best practices elsewhere in the United States and qualitative feedback from participants suggests that this initiative has improved the consistency, efficiency, and quality of radiation oncology care in its member practices and may be a model for oncology quality improvement more generally.

Tractography dissection variability: What happens when 42 groups dissect 14 white matter bundles on the same dataset?

White matter bundle segmentation using diffusion MRI fiber tractography has become the method of choice to identify white matter fiber pathways in vivo in human brains. However, like other analyses of complex data, there is considerable variability in segmentation protocols and techniques. This can result in different reconstructions of the same intended white matter pathways, which directly affects tractography results, quantification, and interpretation. In this study, we aim to evaluate and quantify the variability that arises from different protocols for bundle segmentation. Through an open call to users of fiber tractography, including anatomists, clinicians, and algorithm developers, 42 independent teams were given processed sets of human whole-brain streamlines and asked to segment 14 white matter fascicles on six subjects. In total, we received 57 different bundle segmentation protocols, which enabled detailed volume-based and streamline-based analyses of agreement and disagreement among protocols for each fiber pathway. Results show that even when given the exact same sets of underlying streamlines, the variability across protocols for bundle segmentation is greater than all other sources of variability in the virtual dissection process, including variability within protocols and variability across subjects. In order to foster the use of tractography bundle dissection in routine clinical settings, and as a fundamental analytical tool, future endeavors must aim to resolve and reduce this heterogeneity. Although external validation is needed to verify the anatomical accuracy of bundle dissections, reducing heterogeneity is a step towards reproducible research and may be achieved through the use of standard nomenclature and definitions of white matter bundles and well-chosen constraints and decisions in the dissection process.

The effect of massive transfusion protocol implementation on the survival of trauma patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Massive transfusion protocol (MTP) has been widely adopted for the care of bleeding trauma patients but its actual effectiveness is unclear. An earlier meta-analysis on the implementation of MTP for injured patients from 1990 to 2013 reported that only 2 out of 8 studies showed statistical improvement in survival. This study aimed to conduct an updated systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of implementing an MTP on the mortality of trauma patients. MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library and Google scholar databases were systematically searched for relevant studies published from 1st January 2008 to 30th September 2019 using a combination of keywords and additional manual searching of reference lists. Inclusion criteria were: original study in English, study population including trauma patients, and comparison of mortality outcomes before and after institutional implementation of an MTP. Primary outcomes were 24-hour, 30-day, and overall mortality. Fourteen studies met inclusion criteria, analysing outcomes from 3,201 trauma patients. There was a wide range of outcomes, patient populations, and process indicators utilised by the different authors. MTP significantly reduced the overall mortality for trauma patients (OR 0.71 [0.56-0.90]). No significant reduction was seen in either the 24-hour mortality (OR 0.81 [0.57-1.14]) or the 30-day mortality (OR 0.73 [0.46-1.16]). However, when mortality timing was unspecified, mortality was statistically reduced (OR 0.69 [0.55-0.86]). The present study found a significant reduction in mortality following MTP implementation and thus it should be recommended to all institutions managing acutely injured patients. To better identify which elements of an MTP contribute to this effect, we encourage the use of standard nomenclature, indicators, protocols and patient populations in all future MTP studies.

Standardization of Nomenclature for Ocular Tuberculosis – Results of Collaborative Ocular Tuberculosis Study (COTS) Workshop

ABSTRACT Purpose: To standardize a nomenclature system for defining clinical phenotypes, and outcome measures for reporting clinical and research data in patients with ocular tuberculosis (OTB). Methods: Uveitis experts initially administered and further deliberated the survey in an open meeting to determine and propose the preferred nomenclature for terms related to the OTB, terms describing the clinical phenotypes and treatment and reporting outcomes. Results: The group of experts reached a consensus on terming uveitis attributable to tuberculosis (TB) as tubercular uveitis. The working group introduced a SUN-compatible nomenclature that also defines disease “remission” and “cure”, both of which are relevant for reporting treatment outcomes. Conclusion: A consensus nomenclature system has been adopted by a large group of international uveitis experts for OTB. The working group recommends the use of standardized nomenclature to prevent ambiguity in communication and to achieve the goal of spreading awareness of this blinding uveitis entity.

Searching the Mouse Genome Informatics (MGI) Resources for Information on Mouse Biology from Genotype to Phenotype.

The Mouse Genome Informatics (MGI) resource provides the research community with access to information on the genetics, genomics, and biology of the laboratory mouse. Core data in MGI include gene characterization and function, phenotype and disease model descriptions, DNA and protein sequence data, gene expression data, vertebrate homologies, SNPs, mapping data, and links to other bioinformatics databases. Semantic integration is supported through the use of standardized nomenclature, and through the use of controlled vocabularies such as the mouse Anatomical Dictionary, the Mammalian Phenotype Ontology, and the Gene Ontologies. MGI extracts and organizes data from primary literature. MGI data are shared with and widely displayed from other bioinformatics resources. The database is updated weekly with curated annotations, and regularly adds new datasets and features. This unit provides a guide to using the MGI bioinformatics resource. © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Investigations of the use of Medical Terms of Chinese Medical Journal

Aim to investigate the use of medical terms in Chinese Medical Journal.Methods Through the Chinese Medical Association area of WANGFANG datebase,we selected the nonstandard nomenclature of 100 medical terms as keywords,all the fields as Search Options and Journal of Chinese Medical Association as Journal categories to trace articles in periodicals from 2006 to 2010.Results Some journals still use nonstandard nomenclature,79％ of the 100 nonstandard nomenclature were used.Standard nomenclature and nonstandard nomenclature were used interchangeably in 80％ of the top 10 medical terms.Conclusions It is not optimistic about the use of Standard nomenclature in Chinese Medical Journal.Great attention shall be paid to the standard use of medical terms.The article analyzed the reasons about the use of nonstandard nomenclature and proposed measures to change the status. Key words: Medical Terminology; normalization; ZhongHua series of magazines; countermeasure

Guidelines for Imaging and Staging of Neuroblastic Tumors: Consensus Report from the International Neuroblastoma Risk Group Project

Neuroblastoma is an enigmatic disease entity; some tumors disappear spontaneously without any therapy, while others progress with a fatal outcome despite the implementation of maximal modern therapy. However, strong prognostic factors can accurately predict whether children have "good" or "bad" disease at diagnosis, and the clinical stage is currently the most significant and clinically relevant prognostic factor. Therefore, for an individual patient, proper staging is of paramount importance for risk assessment and selection of optimal treatment. In 2009, the International Neuroblastoma Risk Group (INRG) Project proposed a new staging system designed for tumor staging before any treatment, including surgery. Compared with the focus of the International Neuroblastoma Staging System, which is currently the most used, the focus has now shifted from surgicopathologic findings to imaging findings. The new INRG Staging System includes two stages of localized disease, which are dependent on whether image-defined risk factors (IDRFs) are or are not present. IDRFs are features detected with imaging at the time of diagnosis. The present consensus report was written by the INRG Imaging Committee to optimize imaging and staging and reduce interobserver variability. The rationales for using imaging methods (ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, and scintigraphy), as well as technical guidelines, are described. Definitions of the terms recommended for assessing IDRFs are provided with examples. It is anticipated that the use of standardized nomenclature will contribute substantially to more uniform staging and thereby facilitate comparisons of clinical trials conducted in different parts of the world.

HLA genotyping in the international Type 1 Diabetes Genetics Consortium

Background Although human leukocyte antigen (HLA) DQ and DR loci appear to confer the strongest genetic risk for type 1 diabetes, more detailed information is required for other loci within the HLA region to understand causality and stratify additional risk factors. The Type 1 Diabetes Genetics Consortium (T1DGC) study design included high-resolution genotyping of HLA-A, B, C, DRB1, DQ, and DP loci in all affected sibling pair and trio families, and cases and controls, recruited from four networks worldwide, for analysis with clinical phenotypes and immunological markers.Purpose In this article, we present the operational strategy of training, classification, reporting, and quality control of HLA genotyping in four laboratories on three continents over nearly 5 years.Methods Methods to standardize HLA genotyping at eight loci included: central training and initial certification testing; the use of uniform reagents, protocols, instrumentation, and software versions; an automated data transfer; and the use of standardized nomenclature and allele databases. We implemented a rigorous and consistent quality control process, reinforced by repeated workshops, yearly meetings, and telephone conferences.Results A total of 15,246 samples have been HLA genotyped at eight loci to four-digit resolution; an additional 6797 samples have been HLA genotyped at two loci. The genotyping repeat rate decreased significantly over time, with an estimated unresolved Mendelian inconsistency rate of 0.21%. Annual quality control exercises tested 2192 genotypes (4384 alleles) and achieved 99.82% intra-laboratory and 99.68% inter-laboratory concordances.Limitations The chosen genotyping platform was unable to distinguish many allele combinations, which would require further multiple stepwise testing to resolve. For these combinations, a standard allele assignment was agreed upon, allowing further analysis if required.Conclusions High-resolution HLA genotyping can be performed in multiple laboratories using standard equipment, reagents, protocols, software, and communication to produce consistent and reproducible data with minimal systematic error. Many of the strategies used in this study are generally applicable to other large multi-center studies.

Searching the Mouse Genome Informatics (MGI) resources for information on mouse biology from genotype to phenotype.

The Mouse Genome Informatics (MGI) resource provides the research community with access to information on the genetics, genomics, and biology of the laboratory mouse. Core data in MGI include gene characterization and function, phenotype and disease model descriptions, DNA and protein sequence data, gene expression data, mammalian orthologies, SNPs and PCR polymorphisms, mapping data, and links to other bioinformatics databases. Data integration is supported through the use of standardized nomenclature, and through the use of controlled vocabularies such as the mouse Anatomical Dictionary, the Mammalian Phenotype Ontology, and the Gene Ontologies. MGI extracts and organizes data from primary literature. MGI data are shared with and widely displayed from other bioinformatics resources. The database is updated nightly with curated annotations, and regularly adds new datasets. This unit provides a guide to using the MGI bioinformatics resource.

Searching the Mouse Genome Informatics (MGI) Resources for Information on Mouse Biology from Genotype to Phenotype

The Mouse Genome Informatics (MGI, http://www.informatics.jax.org/) resource provides the research community with access to information on the genetics, genomics, and biology of the laboratory mouse. Core data in MGI include gene characterization and function, phenotype and disease model descriptions, DNA and protein sequence data, gene expression data, mammalian orthologies, polymorphisms, mapping data, and links to other bioinformatics databases. Semantic integration is supported through the use of standardized nomenclature and controlled vocabularies such as the mouse Anatomical Dictionary and the Gene Ontologies. MouseBLAST offers a fast, sequence-based method for identifying genes and searching for similarity, and provides links from sequence to MGI biological data. MGI extracts and organizes data from primary literature. MGI data are shared with and widely displayed by other bioinformatics resources. The database is updated nightly with curated annotations and regularly adds new datasets and enhances user interface features. This unit provides a guide to using the MGI bioinformatics resource.