[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.

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.

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.

Five decades of tick-man interaction in Denmark--an analysis.

The tick Ixodes ricinus (L.) is a known vector of several zoonotic diseases such as Tick Borne Encephalitis (TBE), Lyme borreliosis and ehrlichiosis. The interaction between humans and ticks are at the very core of our understanding of the epidemiology of tick borne zoonoses, but only few experimental studies have been performed. Hence our understanding of the epidemiology of tick-borne disease has to rest on the assumption that the potential tick activity, which is reflected in tick samples from the vegetation or samples from animals, corresponds with tick-human interaction. Observations which may reflect the long term tick-human contact are available in Denmark. These observations are records of requests for information on I. ricinus forwarded to the Danish Pest Infestation Laboratory (DPIL). This article was based on the assumption that the request could be seen as a measure of tick-human interaction reflecting the tick densities in relative terms. The perceived tick densities given by the number of requests on I. ricinus divided by the total number of requests to DPIL was fairly stable from 1965 to 1985, while it doubled during the late 1980's reaching a higher level in the beginning of the 1990's. The perceived density was well explained by the variation in temperature, solar radiation (monthly measurement) and deer abundance (yearly assessments). The measure of deviation, i.e. the ratio between observed requests + 1 and modelled requests + 1, for the individual years varied between 0.91 and 1.20, with considerable within-year variation. A gradual change in periodicity of the residual might suggest gradually changing tick population dynamics. In conclusion, the perceived tick densities appear to be consistent with the current knowledge of tick ecology and tick-transmitted diseases.

Historia del servicio de catálogo colectivo de publicaciones seriadas en Ciencias de la Salud de Cuba / History of Serial Publication Union Catalogs Service in Health Care Sciences in Cuba

Se ofrece una panorámica de la historia del servicio de catálogo colectivo de publicaciones seriadas del Centro Nacional de Información de Ciencias Médicas/Biblioteca Médica Nacional, desde su creación hasta la época actual. Las fuentes de datos para la confección de los apuntes históricos se obtuvieron de testimonios personales y del estudio de la bibliografía sobre el tema. Se aborda el desarrollo y evolución de este servicio y se destacan los períodos que han marcado cambios y retos para su mejor desenvolvimiento, principalmente a partir de la introducción de las nuevas tecnologías en su gestión. El catálogo colectivo constituye una herramienta imprescindible para la localización de las publicaciones seriadas biomédicas en el país y para la obtención de estadísticas sobre su uso, útiles para elaborar los planes de selección y adquisición de fuentes de información en el Sistema Nacional de Información de Ciencias Médicas