Need for analysis drives data warehouse appeal.
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Many different resources are needed for analyzing relevant experimental data in drug design. Currently this data is difficult to access, because it is stored in heterogeneous databases, spread over many platforms, poorly interconnected, incomplete, erroneous, or just not electronically available. In order to establish a high quality database for drug design we have developed a new demand-driven methodology for integrating and semantically enriching heterogeneous data from different research areas and for migrating the data into an object-oriented database management system. In this way we have established a database containing well-prepared, relevant data needed for drug design and offering the advantages of modern database technology, like a comprehensive object-oriented data model, a flexible declarative query language and support for persistent storage and sharing of data in a multi-user environment.
It has recently been stated that a database is an essential tool in the management of CF. The purpose of this work is to create a specific database allowing optimal performance of storage, search and retrieval functions on patients with CF. A specific database was developed using a Windev licence, for application via Microsoft supported platforms or Intranet system. The database allows real-time point of care data management of medical, investigational and administrative data. It is currently being used in the 6 Belgian reference centres. It represents a useful tool for gathering information on routine clinical and lab data, bacteriology, treatments, complications and specific outcomes for clinical and research purposes. The ongoing evolution of the database includes enhancements toward research data orientation including comparison of patient data between different centres and completeness of the National CF registry questionnaire. A complimentary copy of the software can be provided to multidisciplinary accredited CF centres worldwide upon request.
Clinical databases are continually growing and accruing more patient information. One of the challenges for managing this wealth of data is efficient retrieval and analysis of a broad range of image and non-image patient data from diverse data sources. This article describes the design and implementation of a new class of research data warehouse, neuroinformatics database system (NIDS), which will alleviate these problems for clinicians and researchers studying and treating patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy. The NIDS is a secured, multi-tier system that enables the user to gather, proofread, analyze, and store data from multiple underlying sources. In addition to data management, the NIDS provides several key functions including image analysis and processing, free text search of patient reports, construction of general queries, and on-line statistical analysis. The establishment of this integrated research database will serve as a foundation for future hypothesis-driven experiments, which could uncover previously unsuspected correlations and perhaps help to identify new and accurate predictors for image diagnosis.
If an institution needed a radiation safety database, where would they begin? Would they buy or design a database? If they purchase a database, should it be a commercial off-the-shelf system? Or should they use a hosted database accessed from the Internet? What should the database do? What should be its purpose? Many aspects of system design are the same at any institution. Therefore, the design, development, and deployment of a radiation safety computer system is discussed that primarily is useful for a large biomedical research institution but could be adapted to smaller facilities. The discussion also includes the use of a hosted database system but not developed systems that could be purchased.
BACKGROUND: Improvements of bio-nano-technologies and biomolecular techniques have led to increasing production of high-throughput experimental data. Spotted cDNA microarray is one of the most diffuse technologies, used in single research laboratories and in biotechnology service facilities. Although they are routinely performed, spotted microarray experiments are complex procedures entailing several experimental steps and actors with different technical skills and roles. During an experiment, involved actors, who can also be located in a distance, need to access and share specific experiment information according to their roles. Furthermore, complete information describing all experimental steps must be orderly collected to allow subsequent correct interpretation of experimental results. RESULTS: We developed MicroGen, a web system for managing information and workflow in the production pipeline of spotted microarray experiments. It is constituted of a core multi-database system able to store all data completely characterizing different spotted microarray experiments according to the Minimum Information About Microarray Experiments (MIAME) standard, and of an intuitive and user-friendly web interface able to support the collaborative work required among multidisciplinary actors and roles involved in spotted microarray experiment production. MicroGen supports six types of user roles: the researcher who designs and requests the experiment, the spotting operator, the hybridisation operator, the image processing operator, the system administrator, and the generic public user who can access the unrestricted part of the system to get information about MicroGen services. CONCLUSION: MicroGen represents a MIAME compliant information system that enables managing workflow and supporting collaborative work in spotted microarray experiment production.
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We have designed and built a database management system, the computer assisted patient evaluation (CAPE) system, for use in patient management, research, and administration in our anesthesia practice. An important part of the system is the use of specially designed forms on which anesthesiologists record patient histories and management information during the course of patient care. The forms provide means for convenient and complete record keeping, as well as for direct computerization. We demonstrate the flexibility and utility of the CAPE system by presenting a series of examples of its use. These include development and implementation of a preoperative screening program to identify patients at high risk of postoperative respiratory complications; a study of anesthesia technique and outcome; auditing for quality of care; and utilization review of respiratory therapy.
Effective information management of the pharmacogenomics discipline presents many unique challenges. Genetic and genomic data generated via high-throughput methods need to be integrated with phenotypic data which are defined at multiscale levels, ranging from the molecular to the clinical level. Repositories storing these data are distributed and vary in terms of syntax and semantics which result in issues concerning data exchange and integration. The application of the emerging semantic web offers a promising solution to these interoperability issues.
Internet access to mixed text/image databanks is finding application in the medical world. An example is a database of medical X-rays and associated data consisting of demographic, socioeconomic, physician's exam, medical laboratory and other information collected as part of a nationwide health survey conducted by the government. Another example is a collection of digitized cryosection images, CT and MR taken of cadavers as part of the National Library of Medicine's Visible Human Project. In both cases, the challenge is to provide access to both the image and the associated text for a wide end user community to create atlases, conduct epidemiological studies, to develop image-specific algorithms for compression, enhancement and other types of image processing, among many other applications. The databanks mentioned above are being created in prototype form. This paper describes the prototype system developed for the archiving of the data and the client software to enable a broad range of end users to access the archive, retrieve text and image data, display the data and manipulate the images. System design considerations include; data organization in a relational database management system with object-oriented extensions; a hierarchical organization of the image data by different resolution levels for different user classes; client design based on common hardware and software platforms incorporating SQL search capability, X Window, Motif and TAE (a development environment supporting rapid prototyping and management of graphic-oriented user interfaces); potential to include ultra high resolution display monitors as a user option; intuitive user interface paradigm for building complex queries; and contrast enhancement, magnification and mensuration tools for better viewing by the user.
The massively parallel hybridization technologies by DNA chips and microarrays make it possible to monitor expression patterns of the whole set of genes in a genome under various conditions. The vast amount of data generated by such technologies necessitates the development of a new database management system that integrates expression data with other molecular biology databases and various analysis tools. We report here an extension of our KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) and DBGET/LinkDB systems for analyzing gene expression data in conjunction with pathway information and genomic information. It is now possible to make use of expression data for the reconstruction of pathways from the complete genome sequences.
Therapy of hypertension is still more or less empirical. Several classes of antihypertensive medications are known, the effect of which is based on different mechanisms. The efficacy of the treatment is not always a reliable indication of the appropriate selection as a good therapeutical response can sometimes be achieved at the expense of humoral simulation. This can lead to harmful increased synthesis of trophic hormones. The program for PC called HYPERTENZE supports decision making in therapy of arterial hypertension. It gives a sequence of decisions based on clinical experience using a series of parameters. The program is using the Microsoft Access language of the Access database system and due to the Access Developers Toolkit it does not require Access to be installed on the user's computer. The program HYPERTENZE offers the user essential information and explanation of the decisions in a graded form. The price list of equivalent medications can be updated by the user himself. It seems that this program might be very useful for Czech general practitioners.
The Medical Information, Communication and Archive System (MICAS) is a multivendor incremental approach to picture archiving and communications system (PACS). It is a multimodality integrated image management system that is seamlessly integrated with the radiology information system (RIS). Phase II enhancements of MICAS include a permanent archive, automated workflow, study caches, Microsoft (Redmond, WA) Windows NT diagnostic workstations with all components adhering to Digital Information Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standards. MICAS is designed as an enterprise-wide PACS to provide images and reports throughout the Strong Health healthcare network. Phase II includes the addition of a Cemax-Icon (Fremont, CA) archive, PACS broker (Mitra, Waterloo, Canada), an interface (IDX PACSlink, Burlington, VT) to the RIS (IDXrad) plus the conversion of the UNIX-based redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID) 5 temporary archives in phase I to NT-based RAID 0 DICOM modality-specific study caches (ImageLabs, Bedford, MA). The phase I acquisition engines and workflow management software was uninstalled and the Cemax archive manager (AM) assumed these functions. The existing ImageLabs UNIX-based viewing software was enhanced and converted to an NT-based DICOM viewer. Installation of phase II hardware and software and integration with existing components began in July 1998. Phase II of MICAS demonstrates that a multivendor open-system incremental approach to PACS is feasible, cost-effective, and has significant advantages over a single-vendor implementation.
Computers and data management in respiratory care reflect the larger practices of hospital information systems: the diversity of conference topics provides evidence. Respiratory care computing has shown a steady, slow progression from writing programs that calculate shunt equations to departmental management systems. Wider acceptance and utilization have been stifled by costs, both initial and on-going. Several authors pointed out the savings that were realized from information systems exceeded the costs of implementation and maintenance. The most significant finding from one of the presentations was that no other structure or skilled personnel could provide respiratory care more efficiently or cost-effectively than respiratory therapists. Online information resources have increased, in forms ranging from peer-reviewed journals to corporate-sponsored advertising posing as authoritative treatment regimens. Practitioners and patients need to know how to use these resources as well as how to judge the value of information they present. Departments are using computers for training on a schedule that is more convenient for the staff, providing information in a timely manner and potentially in more useful formats. Portable devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) have improved the ability not only to share data to dispersed locations, but also to collect data at the point of care, thus greatly improving data capture. Ventilators are changing from simple automated bellows to complex systems collecting numerous respiratory parameters and offering feedback to improve ventilation. Clinical databases routinely collect information from a wide variety of resources and can be used for analysis to improve patient outcomes. What could possibly go wrong?
Scientific databases are generally accessible to the public via the Internet. Reports of most peer-reviewed (quotable) research is thus available to researchers and others. However, other reports and information of interest to researchers and teachers such as poster presentations at congresses, articles describing techniques and teaching material, and details of vocational and continuing education courses (nonquotable literature) generally do not appear in such databases. This nonquotable literature is often of great use to teachers. A project was therefore initiated at the Münster Dental Clinic which aimed to address the problem by developing a database of all publications and other printed material produced by the staff (faculty). After a systematic search, all such publications (quotable and nonquotable) were entered in the database which is partially accessible via the Internet and fully accessible via the Münster Dental Clinic's Intranet. The complete list can be found in the protected Intranet areas, which can be accessed by all the Dental Clinic's staff members. The database also permits Münster Clinic staff to access the Internet and locate those publications that are on the Internet by year of publication and topic.
BACKGROUND: Integration of heterogeneous data types is a challenging problem, especially in biology, where the number of databases and data types increase rapidly. Amongst the problems that one has to face are integrity, consistency, redundancy, connectivity, expressiveness and updatability. DESCRIPTION: Here we present a system (Biozon) that addresses these problems, and offers biologists a new knowledge resource to navigate through and explore. Biozon unifies multiple biological databases consisting of a variety of data types (such as DNA sequences, proteins, interactions and cellular pathways). It is fundamentally different from previous efforts as it uses a single extensive and tightly connected graph schema wrapped with hierarchical ontology of documents and relations. Beyond warehousing existing data, Biozon computes and stores novel derived data, such as similarity relationships and functional predictions. The integration of similarity data allows propagation of knowledge through inference and fuzzy searches. Sophisticated methods of query that span multiple data types were implemented and first-of-a-kind biological ranking systems were explored and integrated. CONCLUSION: The Biozon system is an extensive knowledge resource of heterogeneous biological data. Currently, it holds more than 100 million biological documents and 6.5 billion relations between them. The database is accessible through an advanced web interface that supports complex queries, "fuzzy" searches, data materialization and more, online at http://biozon.org.