Molecularización, genetización y centros de referencia: el Instituto de Bioquímica Clínica de Barcelona (1969-1980) / Molecularization, geneticization and reference centers: the Institute of Clinical Biochemistry of Barcelona (1969-1980)

En conjunto, la molecularización y la genetización de la biomedicina del siglo XX construyeron un enorme listado de enfermedades, la mayoría raras, con unas necesidades asistenciales muy específicas, una gran dependencia del laboratorio e importantes dificulta-des para la creación de expertos. Estos fenómenos indujeron grandes cambios en las redes asistenciales y en los itinerarios diagnósticos. Uno de los más significativos fue la aparición de centros de referencia en los que concentrar los recursos humanos y materiales para enferme-dades tan poco prevalentes. A partir del estudio del Instituto de Bioquímica Clínica “Fundación Juan March” de Barcelona, este artículo aborda la aparición de estos nuevos espacios en la España del Tardofranquismo. Farmacéuticos, pediatras, políticos y gestores sanitarios, con sus diferentes intereses, aparecen como actores involucrados en la forja de un instituto que en pocos años se erigió como centro de referencia nacional para enfermedades de depósito lisosomal. El trabajo revela la importancia que tuvo la sensibilidad social sobre la discapacidad intelectual como motor (y excusa) de la iniciativa, el papel de las fundaciones filantrópicas y la influencia de la ciencia norteamericana en todo el proceso, en circulación a través de los viajes de los científicos españoles al extranjero (AU)

La implantación de las gotas de leche en España (1902-1935): un estudio a partir de la prensa histórica / The establishment of milk depots in Spain (1902-1935): a study from the historical press

Las Gotas de Leche eran instituciones sanitarias que intervinieron en la reducción de la mortalidad infantil en España promoviendo la mejora en la higiene alimentaria de los recién nacidos. Este artículo reconstruye la trayectoria de su implantación hasta la Guerra Civil. Dada la limitada información estadística disponible, se ha empleado como base documental las hemerotecas históricas digitalizadas. El análisis de la misma y de otros estudios permite estimar que el despliegue de esta institución entre 1902 y 1935 involucró, al menos, a 79 localidades. Se establecieron mayoritariamente en capitales de provincia, en todas las regiones, incluido el protectorado español en Marruecos. Antes de 1936 tuvo lugar una secuencia completa de expansión y estabilización en la apertura de estos centros. La creación de Gotas de Leche parece que respondió más a la influencia de las instituciones médicas y benéficas existentes en una localidad que a los niveles de mortalidad infantil. El examen de las noticias de prensa muestra como la creación de una Gota de Leche no acostumbró a ser fruto de un proceso de decisión ágil ejecutado rápidamente. La gestión tampoco estuvo exenta de dificultades. Una parte relevante de las mismas eran de origen financiero o derivadas de una mayor demanda de sus servicios (AU)

Milk Depots were health care institutions involved in fighting against high levels of child mortality in Spain in the first third of 20th century. They promoted the improvement of food hygiene of the newborn. This article reconstructs the trajectory of its implementation until the Spanish Civil War. Given the limited number of statistical sources available, it has been used as documentary source digitized historical newspapers. Analysis of these documents and other published studies leads to the estimation that this institution was deployed in 79 cities between 1902 and 1935. Milk Depots were settled mostly in provincial capitals, in all regions, including the Spanish protectorate in Morocco. Before 1936, a complete sequence of expansion and stabilization took place in the opening of these centers. This opening seems to respond most to influence of existing medical and charitable institutions that infant mortality levels prevailing at that time. Examination of the news shows as setting up a Milk Depot was not the outcome of a simple decision process, implemented quickly. The management was not exempt from difficulties. They came mainly from the lack of financial support or they were consequence from greater demand for their services (AU)

[Jean-Jacques Lefrère: A miscarried ambition for blood safety in francophone Africa]. / Jean-Jacques Lefrère: une ambition fauchée pour la sécurité transfusionnelle en Afrique francophone.

The announcement of the death of Professor Jean-Jacques Lefrère caused considerable emotion and surprise within the francophone Africa blood transfusion research network. The group was created in 2007 in Paris. Each member that works within this group wanted to pay their last respects through dedicated publication for a brilliant researcher and writer. The tribute describes the creation of the group, its goals, its operations, its achievements and the prospects of its activities while emphasizing the essential role that Professor Lefrère played within the group.

Archivos, mucho ya hecho y mucho por hacer / Archivos, much accomplished, much left to do

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International trends in health science librarianship Part 10: The Greater China area.

This is the 10th in a series of articles exploring international trends in health science librarianship. This issue describes developments in health science librarianship in the first decade of the 21st century in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The next issue will report on Japan and South Korea. JM.

NCI's Physician Data Query (PDQ®) cancer information summaries: history, editorial processes, influence, and reach.

In the National Cancer Act of 1971, the Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) was given a mandate to "Collect, analyze, and disseminate all data useful in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, including the establishment of an International Cancer Research Data Bank (ICRDB) to collect, catalog, store, and disseminate insofar as feasible the results of cancer research undertaken in any country for the use of any person involved in cancer research in any country" (National Cancer Act of 1971, S 1828, 92nd Congress, 1st Sess (1971)). In subsequent legislation, the audience for NCI's information dissemination activities was expanded to include physicians and other healthcare professionals, patients and their families, and the general public, in addition to cancer researchers. The Institute's response to these legislative requirements was to create what is now known as the Physician Data Query (PDQ®) cancer information database. From its beginnings in 1977 as a database of NCI-sponsored cancer clinical trials, PDQ has grown to include extensive information about cancer treatment, screening, prevention, supportive and palliative care, genetics, drugs, and more. Herein, we describe the history, editorial processes, influence, and global reach of one component of the PDQ database, namely its evidence-based cancer information summaries for health professionals. These summaries are widely recognized as important cancer information and education resources, and they further serve as foundational documents for the development of other cancer information products by NCI and other organizations.

Valentino Braitenberg: From neuroanatomy to behavior and back.

This article compiles an expose of Valentino Braitenberg's singular view on neuroanatomy and neuroscience. The review emphasizes his topologically informed work on neuroanatomy and his dialectics of brain-based explanations of motor behavior. Some of his early ideas on topologically informed neuroanatomy are presented, together with some of his more obscure work on the taxonomy of neural fiber bundles and synaptic arborizations. His functionally informed interpretations of neuroanatomy of the cerebellum, cortex, and hippocampus, are introduced. Finally, we will touch on his philosophical views and the inextricable role of function in the explanation of neural behavior.

Meta-analysis and The Cochrane Collaboration: 20 years of the Cochrane Statistical Methods Group.

The Statistical Methods Group has played a pivotal role in The Cochrane Collaboration over the past 20 years. The Statistical Methods Group has determined the direction of statistical methods used within Cochrane reviews, developed guidance for these methods, provided training, and continued to discuss and consider new and controversial issues in meta-analysis. The contribution of Statistical Methods Group members to the meta-analysis literature has been extensive and has helped to shape the wider meta-analysis landscape.In this paper, marking the 20th anniversary of The Cochrane Collaboration, we reflect on the history of the Statistical Methods Group, beginning in 1993 with the identification of aspects of statistical synthesis for which consensus was lacking about the best approach. We highlight some landmark methodological developments that Statistical Methods Group members have contributed to in the field of meta-analysis. We discuss how the Group implements and disseminates statistical methods within The Cochrane Collaboration. Finally, we consider the importance of robust statistical methodology for Cochrane systematic reviews, note research gaps, and reflect on the challenges that the Statistical Methods Group faces in its future direction.

Cochrane methods--twenty years experience in developing systematic review methods.

This year, The Cochrane Collaboration reached its 20th anniversary. It has played a pivotal role in the scientific development of systematic reviewing and in the development of review methods to synthesize research evidence, primarily from randomized trials, to answer questions about the effects of healthcare interventions. We introduce a series of articles, which form this special issue describing the development of systematic review methods within The Cochrane Collaboration. We also discuss the impact of Cochrane Review methods, and acknowledge the breadth and depth of methods development within The Cochrane Collaboration as part of the wider context of evidence synthesis. We conclude by considering the future development of methods for Cochrane Reviews.

[The national plan for orphan rare diseases: nearly 10 years on]. / Le plan national maladies rares--bientôt 10 ans.

The management of orphan rare diseases has been the goal of two successive government plans since 2004. They allowed the management of these diseases to be handled initially through reference centers, then by specialized centers that were specifically created. The resulting benefits to patients, standardization of management protocols, dissemination of information through ORPHANET, and the development of both fundamental and clinical research have clearly justified the setting up of these plans. Other associated plans are expected to follow in the years to come.

Movimiento libertario y autogestión del conocimiento en la España del primer tercio del siglo XX: la sección «Preguntas y respuestas» / Libertarian movement and self-management of knowledge in the Spain of the first third of the 20th century: «Questions and answers» section (1930-1937) of the journal Estudios

Las secciones periodísticas de preguntas y respuestas reflejan y contribuyen a las sociedades en que se publican, y pueden desempeñar roles tan diferentes como constituirse en una herramienta para mantener la normatividad social o, por el contrario, en un instrumento para el cambio de las normas sociales. En un contexto de complejas relaciones entre expertos y no-expertos dentro del movimiento libertario en la España del primer tercio del siglo XX, la sección «Preguntas y respuestas» (1930-1937) de la revista anarquista Estudios (1928-1937) se revela como un ejemplo particularmente ilustrativo de gestión multidimensional de conocimiento a través de la redefinición efectiva de la participación de muy diferentes colectivos. En este trabajo, analizamos el intercambio entre el médico Roberto Remartínez (1895-1977), coordinador de la sección, y los lectores, e identificamos las características de la puesta en práctica del ideario libertario de autogestión a través de prácticas comunicativas en las que intervienen conjuntamente expertos y no-expertos (AU)

Newspaper Q&A sections reflect and contribute to the social historical context in which they are published, and they may play roles as distinct as becoming a tool to sustain social arrangements or, conversely, being an instrument for social change. In a context of complex relations between experts and non-experts within the libertarian movement in Spain in the first third of the 20th century, the Q&A section («Preguntas y respuestas», 1930-1937) of the anarchist magazine Estudios (1928-1937) constitutes a particularly illustrative example of the multidimensional management of knowledge through the effective redefinition of the participation of quite different groups. In this paper, we analyze the exchange between physician Roberto Remartínez (1895-1977), the section coordinator, and its readers, and identify features of the implementation of the libertarian principles of self-management throughcommunication practices in which experts and non-experts jointly take part (AU)

Prosocial behavior on the Net.

Volunteers and charitable organizations contribute significantly to community welfare through their prosocial behavior: that is, discretionary behavior such as assisting, comforting, sharing, and cooperating intended to help worthy beneficiaries. This essay focuses on prosocial behavior on the Internet. It describes how offline charitable organizations are using the Net to become more efficient and effective. It also considers entirely new models of Net-based volunteer behavior directed at creating socially beneficial information goods and services. After exploring the scope and diversity of online prosocial behavior, the essay focuses on ways to encourage this kind of behavior through appropriate task and social structures, motivational signals, and trust indicators. It concludes by asking how local offline communities ultimately could be diminished or strengthened as prosocial behavior increases online.

Infodir: la gestión de información para los directivos de salud / Infodir: Information Management for Health Care Directors

Se estudian los requisitos esenciales para la creación de un servicio de información a dirigentes, los antecedentes, así como la evolución histórica y el estado actual de Infodir, el servicio de gestión de información para los directivos de la salud en Cuba, que ofrece el Centro Nacional de Información de Ciencias Médicas desde el año 2001, primero en forma de boletín y después como página Web.

The essential requisites for the creation of an information center for the directors are studied, as well as the background, historic evolution, and the current state of Infodir, the information management system for the health care system directors in Cuba, offered by the Medical Sciences National Information Center since the year 2001, first as a publication and later as a web page.

Infodir: la gestión de información para los directivos de salud / Infodir: Information Management for Health Care Directors

Se estudian los requisitos esenciales para la creación de un servicio de información a dirigentes, los antecedentes, así como la evolución histórica y el estado actual de Infodir, el servicio de gestión de información para los directivos de la salud en Cuba, que ofrece el Centro Nacional de Información de Ciencias Médicas desde el año 2001, primero en forma de boletín y después como página Web(AU)

The essential requisites for the creation of an information center for the directors are studied, as well as the background, historic evolution, and the current state of Infodir, the information management system for the health care system directors in Cuba, offered by the Medical Sciences National Information Center since the year 2001, first as a publication and later as a web page(AU)