Mirroring Nature

This chapter provides discussion of the visual ways of learning basic physical and chemical concepts related to symmetry and the crystalline structures. All kinds of symmetrical structures are present in substances and their various molecular compositions that are researched in fields related to pharmacology. Great part of technologies, methodologies, tools, and applications require knowledge visualization skills to understand and present concepts and processes. Exploration of science-based concepts and nature-related processes supports attaining visualization literacy, which is needed for explaining physical and chemical notions, clinical procedures, and publicizing clinical and mobile medical informatics. This chapter discusses the ways of preparing to this task artists, graphic designers, computer graphics students, as well as people in charge of hospitals, medical centers, and pharmaceutical industries who hire designers. The chapter offers exercises in visualization of scientific concepts by providing two projects about basic science-related themes: (1) Symmetry and pattern in animal world: geometry and art, and (2) Crystals and crystal caves. Each project invites the reader to create visual presentation of the theme.

Improving Pharmaceutical Care through the Use of Intelligent Pharmacoinformatics

The expansion of drug-related problems urged healthcare organizations to adopt Pharmacoinformatics to signal, analyze and report Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs). Data for this study have been compiled from local and international sources such as WHO. The study resulted into the development of an intelligent multi-agent decision support system including a process model, a multi-agent architecture and an integrated data processing model with clear description of agent functionalities. The model reflects three main modules: a data capture and update module, diagnosis module and a pharmaceutical care and drug monitoring module. The study also reflected on the practical and managerial environment of the model and the basic considerations to be taken into account. The study also provided some important recommendations.

Information Quality Issues in the Identification and Tracking of Drugs within the Pharmaceutical Industry

This contribution examines solutions how Information Quality (IQ) dimensions as a framework along with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and the Electronic Product Code Information System (EPCIS) as tools may improve needed drug trackability and traceability capabilities in the pharmaceutical industry (PI). For years counterfeit drugs have been impacting the industry and putting patients' health in danger. We analyze applications, methods and practices in the improvement of the quality of drug tracking and tracing. The potential of IQ, RFID, EPCIS and related applications and technologies suggest and design corresponding information and materials flows. This research presents examinations, reviews and recommendations and utilizes two theoretical frameworks: Transaction Cost Theory and Collective Action Theory. This setting may be viewed as a large, complex and international web of corporations, legislation, regulatory efforts, compliance regimes, manufacturers, wholesalers, pharmacies, importers as well as rapidly advancing technologies and applications.

Policy Planning to Support Technological Innovation in the Pharmaceutical Industry

The pharmaceutical industry is often characterized as a research-driven sector because of its exceptionally high ratio of R&D inputs to sales. Development of novel drugs is very difficult because of several issues including heavy investment, high risks, and long development cycle. Government plays an important role in regulating the development of the pharmaceutical industry. This is true for all phases in pharmaceutical development: from R&D to market. This chapter will focus on the discussion of prospective high-tech areas, development strategies, and innovation resources in the pharmaceutical industry. Expert opinions were analyzed based on the conditions in China's biopharmaceutical sector. Policy recommendations are provided to support technological innovation.

Cluster Origin of Solvation Features of C-Nanostructures in Organic Solvents

The existence of fullerenes, Single-Wall Carbon Nanocones (SWNCs), especially Nanohorns (SWNHs), Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube (SWNT) (CNT) (NT), NT-Fullerene Bud (NT-BUD), Nanographene (GR) and GR-Fullerene Bud (GR-BUD) in cluster form is discussed in organic solvents. Theories are developed based on columnlet, bundlet and droplet models describing size-distribution functions. The phenomena present a unified explanation in the columnlet model in which free energy of cluster-involved GR comes from its volume, proportional to number of molecules n in cluster. Columnlet model enables describing distribution function of GR stacks by size. From geometrical considerations, columnlet (GR/GR-BUD), bundlet (SWNT/NT-BUD) and droplet (fullerene) models predict dissimilar behaviours. Interaction-energy parameters are derived from C60. An NT-BUD behaviour or further is expected. Solubility decays with temperature result smaller for GR/GR-BUD than SWNT/NT-BUD than C60 in agreement with lesser numbers of units in clusters. Discrepancy between experimental data of the heat of solution of fullerenes, CNT/NT-BUDs and GR/GR-BUDs is ascribed to the sharp concentration dependence of the heat of solution. Diffusion coefficient drops with temperature result greater for GR/GR-BUD than SWNT/NT-BUD than C60 corresponding to lesser number of units in clusters. Aggregates (C60)13, SWNT/NT-BUD7 and GR/GR-BUD3 are representative of droplet, bundlet and columnlet models.

Web 2.0 Tools in Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Education

Web 2.0 technologies are being rapidly integrated in higher education, which dramatically influences the ways learners approach and use information. Knowledge transfer has evolved into a two-way process. Users no longer simply consume and download information from the web; they create and interact with it. Several theoretical works were developed in order to discuss the possibilities of integration of Web 2.0 tools in Pharmacy, Medicine, Allied Health, Nursing and many other Biomedical Areas. Other works have started gathering qualitative and quantitative evidence of the importance of Web 2.0 tools in the learning process. By performing this integrative review, this paper will provide an overview of what is being done in biomedical and pharmaceutical education, and elaborate some of the potential opportunities and challenges that these applications present. With this updated review we hope to give our contribution to consolidate research in this promising area.

Open Access Initiatives in Medical Biology

Open Access (OA) is reshaping the world by redefining the scholarly communication methods with focus on building a knowledge society. It has the power to democratize the knowledge by removing hurdles from free access to scholarly works while encouraging knowledge sharing. Institutional Repositories (IRs) play a vital role in the OA movement by facilitating the Green Route to Open Access. In India, some elite educational and research institutes such as the Indian Statistical Institute, some CSIR Laboratories, IITs, and IIMs have taken significant initiatives in building IRs. In addition to theses, a few Universities have also taken the initiative and now have their own IRs as their proudest possession. However, many Indian Irs, once functional are in bad shape and a few have been closed. This paper deals with IR initiatives in the discipline of Medicine and Biology including. The paper discusses their scope, collection strength, growth rate and their current status.

How to Identify Rheumatic Diseases by General Physicians

A large part of the population in countries in process of development ignores what Rheumatic Diseases are, and general practitioners are in most cases unaware of enough information to identify them and the treatments to successfully control them. A proposal to help those general practitioners to detect if an articular condition belongs to a Rheumatic Disease case is to present them the clinical semiology that should lead them to redirect the given conditions to a specialist on the subject, a rheumatologist. The clinical semiology is presented by an automated algorithm inside a goal-based software agent, containing all the necessary information to identify the seven most common inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases, and fourteen of the non-inflammatory ones. The purpose of this tool is to provide the general practitioner with the correct information to redirect the patient with a rheumatologist, in order for it to receive the appropriate medication to be controlled.

STRIPA

Polypharmic patients are patients who chronically use five or more medicines. The number of polypharmacy patients continues to increase even though it is a risk factor for morbidity and mortality. A medication review is an important measure to mitigate medication risks. It is known to effectively reduce the number of drug related problems per (polypharmic) patient. STRIP is a Dutch method to perform a structured medication review. Based on this method, the STRIPA(ssistent) tool is developed. However, whether or not this app is considered useful by the healthcare professional is not known yet. In order to assess this, a systematic literature study is conducted. In addition, an effectiveness study design is described. The results show that there is indeed a need for medication reviews and Dutch healthcare professionals are likely to adopt new technologies, an effectiveness study based on a randomized controlled trial is necessary to assess the effectiveness of STRIPA.