Breaking down silos: The Gastroenterology Immunology Neuroscience (GIN) Discovery Program - a new model for research.

The Gastroenterology Immunology Neuroscience (GIN) Discovery Program represents a new model for research that overcomes the limitations imposed by traditional "research silos" in science. By uniting these three fields, the GIN Program aims to enhance the understanding and treatment of chronic conditions through a system-wide perspective focusing on the gut-immune-brain axis. Key initiatives include monthly interdisciplinary seminars, an annual symposium, and GINnovate, a commercialization and entrepreneurship event. Additionally, the program offers a seed grant competition for early and mid-career researchers, promoting advancements in gut-immune-brain axis research through the power of collaboration. The GIN Program in a short period of time has facilitated the formation of a vibrant community, captivating attention from both national and international institutions. This effort to break down barriers in research aims to inspire similar models that prioritize open communication, mutual respect and a commitment to impactful science.

Workshop report - interdisciplinary metabolomic epidemiology: the pathway to clinical translation.

Metabolomic epidemiology studies are complex and require a broad array of domain expertise. Although many metabolite-phenotype associations have been identified; to date, few findings have been translated to the clinic. Bridging this gap requires understanding of both the underlying biology of these associations and their potential clinical implications, necessitating an interdisciplinary team approach. To address this need in metabolomic epidemiology, a workshop was held at Metabolomics 2023 in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada that highlighted the domain expertise needed to effectively conduct these studies -- biochemistry, clinical science, epidemiology, and assay development for biomarker validation -- and emphasized the role of interdisciplinary teams to move findings towards clinical translation.

Fifty Years of Connection: Characterizing the Social Network of a Primary Care Research Organization.

PURPOSE: This study marks the 50th anniversary of NAPCRG (formerly the North American Primary Care Research Group) by examining social connections among members. METHODS: This descriptive social network analysis was conducted via the Program to Analyze, Record, and Track Networks to Enhance Relationships (PARTNER) survey tool. RESULTS: Responses from 906 participants resulted in 1,721 individuals with 5,196 partner relationships. Most relationships (60%) were characterized as having an integrated level of collaboration. Many relationships led to a research paper (58%) or a grant (34%). CONCLUSIONS: This social network analysis of NAPCRG members' relationships described over 5,000 relationships, many producing publications, grants, and perceived advancements in primary care.

Let's get biophysical - How to get your favorite protein's digits.

In these days of information overload and high-throughput analysis, it is easy to lose focus on the study of individual proteins. It is our conjecture that such investigations are still crucially important and offer uniquely penetrative insights. We thus present a discussion of biophysical methods to allow readers to get to know their protein of interest better. Although this perspective is not written with the expert in mind, we hope that for interdisciplinary scientists, or researchers who do not routinely perform biophysical analyses, the content will be helpful and inspiring.

Better communication between experts is needed to solve the environmental origins of birth defects.

More than 6% of babies are born with a structural or functional defect, and many of these need special care and treatment to survive and thrive. Such defects can be inherited, arise through exposure to altered conditions or compounds in the womb, or result from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Since the 1940s, animal experiments and epidemiological studies have identified many environmental factors that can cause particular birth defects. More recently, advances in genomics have allowed a simple genetic diagnosis in ∼ 30% of birth defects. However, the cause of the remainder is a mystery. I believe that a key limiter to successful identification of new environmental factors is that clinicians, epidemiologists and developmental biologists all approach the topic from different angles. I propose that better communication between such experts will further increase our understanding of the environmental causes of birth defects, and potentially reduce their global burden.

What if we consider research teams as teams?

Research teams are an important means by which knowledge is generated in Health Professions Education (HPE). Although funding agencies encourage the formation of interdisciplinary and interprofessional research teams, we know little about how our interdisciplinary and interprofessional research teams are functioning, nor how best to ensure their success. Indeed, while HPE Scholarship Units and research environments have been the object of study, little work has been focused on research teams themselves. In this article, the authors propose that research teams should be studied as unique instantiations of teams where several individuals work together towards a common goal. Considering research teams as a team can encourage attention to how effective teams are built, supported, and celebrated, it can acknowledge that competent individuals may form incompetent teams, and it opens important avenues for future research. Turning our attention to better understanding how and when research teams thrive should support the development of more effective teams; resulting in reduced waste and redundancy, better mobilization of team members' time and skills, and enhanced knowledge generation. Considering research teams as teams, encourages an understanding that these teams require care, commitment, and effort to sustain them, and it acknowledges that pursuing research in a team context is both a collaborative and a social endeavour.

Overarching Priorities for Health and Care Research in the United Kingdom: A Coproduced Synthesis of James Lind Alliance 'Top 10s'.

INTRODUCTION: James Lind Alliance (JLA) Priority Setting Partnerships (PSPs) produce 'Top 10' lists of health and care research priorities through a structured, shared decision-making process with patients or service users, carers and health or care professionals who identify questions that are most important to them. To date, over 150 PSPs in different areas of health and care have published research priorities. Some PSPs share similar priorities, which could be combined, promoted and addressed through collaborative research to increase value and reduce research waste. AIM: The aim of this study was to identify overarching themes common to JLA PSP priorities across different areas of health and care. METHODS: Our analysis included 'Top 10' research priorities produced by UK-based JLA PSPs between 2016 and 2020. The priorities were coded deductively by the Health Research Classification System (HRCS) health category and research activity. We then carried out online workshops with patients, service users and carers to generate new codes not already captured by this framework. Within each code, multistakeholder inductive thematic analysis was used to identify overarching themes, defined as encompassing priorities from three or more PSPs covering two or more health categories. We used codesign methods to produce an interactive tool for end users to navigate the overarching themes. RESULTS: Five hundred and fifteen research priorities from 51 PSPs were included in our analysis. The priorities together encompassed 20 of 21 HRCS health categories, the most common being 'generic health relevance' (22%), 'mental health' (18%) and 'musculoskeletal' (14%). We identified 89 overarching themes and subthemes, which we organised into a hierarchy with seven top-level themes: quality of life, caregivers and families, causes and prevention, screening and diagnosis, treatment and management, services and systems and social influences and impacts. CONCLUSION: There are many overarching themes common to research priorities across multiple areas of health and care. To facilitate new research and research funding, we have developed an interactive tool to help researchers, funders and patients or service users to explore these priority topics. This is freely available to download online. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Patients or service users and carers were involved throughout the study, including deciding the aims, designing the study, analysing priorities to identify themes, interpreting and reporting the findings.

Comprehensive review of emerging contaminants: Detection technologies, environmental impact, and management strategies.

Emerging contaminants (ECs) are a diverse group of unregulated pollutants increasingly present in the environment. These contaminants, including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, endocrine disruptors, and industrial chemicals, can enter the environment through various pathways and persist, accumulating in the food chain and posing risks to ecosystems and human health. This comprehensive review examines the chemical characteristics, sources, and varieties of ECs. It critically evaluates the current understanding of their environmental and health impacts, highlighting recent advancements and challenges in detection and analysis. The review also assesses existing regulations and policies, identifying shortcomings and proposing potential enhancements. ECs pose significant risks to wildlife and ecosystems by disrupting animal hormones, causing genetic alterations that diminish diversity and resilience, and altering soil nutrient dynamics and the physical environment. Furthermore, ECs present increasing risks to human health, including hormonal disruptions, antibiotic resistance, endocrine disruption, neurological effects, carcinogenic effects, and other long-term impacts. To address these critical issues, the review offers recommendations for future research, emphasizing areas requiring further investigation to comprehend the full implications of these contaminants. It also suggests increased funding and support for research, development of advanced detection technologies, establishment of standardized methods, adoption of precautionary regulations, enhanced public awareness and education, cross-sectoral collaboration, and integration of scientific research into policy-making. By implementing these solutions, we can improve our ability to detect, monitor, and manage ECs, reducing environmental and public health risks.

Exploring barriers to accessing mental health services within minoritised communities in Nottingham City, UK - a creative participatory approach to service improvement.

OBJECTIVES: We use an art-based approach to engage and involve members of African, African Caribbean and Muslim communities' in exploring barriers to accessing and using mental health services in the co creation and co-production of mental health communication material. STUDY DESIGN: A creative practice approach underpinned by the principles of participatory action research was used. METHODS: Seven community-based interactive workshops were held between February and June 2022 at three community centres in Nottingham, UK Attendees were invited to take part in open discussions around the conceptualisations of mental health, well-being and emotional health and to draw or describe their experiences of accessing mental health services. RESULTS: Attendance was higher than anticipated, with 72 individuals from African, African Caribbean and Pakistan communities taking part in the workshops. What emerged was the low level of understanding of the services available in addressing mental health. In addition, it was felt that health professionals in the National Health Service (NHS) do not sufficiently acknowledge or consider the ethnic, social, cultural and economic factors influencing the mental health and emotional well-being of minoritised communities. Attendees critiqued and provided feedback on service providers' posters and leaflets. They commented on the lack of key information provided, the inclusion of what was viewed as irrelevant content and the use of unfamiliar terminology. Some attendees created mock-ups of what they believed a good poster should look like. CONCLUSION: A creative practice approach that follows the principles of participatory action research can play an important role in engaging members of minoritised communities in the co-production and co-design of services. This approach highlighted the need to establish trust and shared ownership among marginalized communities affected by inequities of mental health service provision.

Community responses to persons with aphasia participating in CoActive therapeutic theatre: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Persons with aphasia (PWA) experience a number of communicative and social-emotional challenges. Reported experiences of PWA include but are not limited to, being misunderstood, isolated, frustrated, and infantilised. AIMS: The aim of this pilot study, involving a Life Participation Approach to Aphasia (LPAA), conducted over the course of 2 years, was to understand community perceptions of aphasia while PWA engaged in an interprofessional treatment program involving speech and drama therapy. METHODS & PROCEDURES: The interprofessional treatment program involved PWA participating in a therapeutic theatre program using the CoActive Therapeutic Theater (CoATT) while also receiving speech-language therapy. Each year, the PWA performed a different, original therapeutic theatre production for a public audience, at the culmination of their interprofessional treatment program. In this paper, we share data obtained from perspectives of audience members who witnessed the theatre production and aphasia education during the first year of the study and friends and family of PWA who participated in the therapeutic theatre process during the second year of the study. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: Responses from audience members who participated in aphasia education and witnessed the therapeutic theatre performance by the PWA during the first year, indicated an increased knowledge of aphasia. Friends and family members of PWA who witnessed their loved ones engaging in the CoATT process through interprofessional treatment, in the second year, reported that their loved ones benefited from the CoATT process, which was distinct from other therapeutic processes to their knowledge and that they were impacted by watching their loved one perform. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: These initial findings create footing towards understanding impact of therapeutic theatre in combination with speech-language therapy in the lives of PWA. They help us to obtain an initial appreciation of how therapeutic theatre and aphasia education help connect PWA and their community. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on this subject Caregivers and communities at large play a significant role in and substantially impact the recovery of their loved ones (Dalemans et al., 2010; Grawburget et al., 2013; Kniepmann & Cupler, 2014) with aphasia. However, existing research suggests that persons with aphasia (PWA) are often misunderstood, isolated and infantilised by their communities. What this paper adds to existing knowledge The findings of our study reveal that friends, families and extended communities of PWA gain a positive and deep understanding of challenges experienced by PWA through therapeutic theatre supported by speech language therapy, based in a new CoActive Therapeutic Theatre (CoATT) model. This PWA community also agrees that therapeutic theatre in combination with speech-language therapy provides confidence and camaraderie between PWAs and strengthen connection between all constituencies. These results support the need for interprofessional intervention within the framework of a Life Participation Approach to Aphasia (LPAA). What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Treatment paradigms that bring PWAs in contact with their communities using an LPAA approach can increase confidence and social engagement for PWAs potentially leading to better outcomes for their individual speech-language therapy as well as create means of educating communities about PWA, and their stories.

Incorporating the Distress Thermometer into preoperative vital signs in patients undergoing ambulatory oncology surgery: a pilot feasibility study.

BACKGROUND: Despite the extensive literature supporting distress screening at relevant transitions of care, the implementation of distress screening remains limited in ambulatory surgery settings. Our multidisciplinary team completed a pilot study to assess the feasibility and acceptability of including a standardized psychosocial assessment, the Distress Thermometer (DT), with the collection of admission vital signs by Patient Care Technicians (PCTs) in patients undergoing oncology surgery. METHODS: We assessed feasibility by the response rate and acceptability through discussions with the PCTs. RESULTS: Of the 189 men who underwent radical prostatectomy at our center, 71 were approached with the DT scale, and all patients who were approached completed the DT with no missing data. The staff reported no issues with data collection. A total of 21/71 (30%; 95% CI 19%, 42%) reported a clinically relevant distress DT ≥ 4. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated that incorporating the DT into vital sign collection was feasible, acceptable, and provided a valuable assessment.

Cyanobacterial blooms management: A simulation-based optimization method.

Controlling cyanobacterial blooms is not only an engineering and technical issue but also an optimization problem in environment management. Under budget constraints, a novel simulation-based optimization model for cyanobacterial control is constructed in this study. The simulation model is used for simulating cyanobacteria growth and diffusion processes. The optimization model is utilized to determine the optimal search and treatment path. Through the interactive coupling of simulation modeling and resource allocation optimization, this research provides decision-makers with new operational guidelines for cyanobacterial control. Our test results demonstrate that the initial invasion frequency has a greater economic impact than invasion abundance. The nearby cells to the initial invasion are affected first, and then the influence radiates outward in a diffusion pattern. Using a slow search speed and a treatment frequency of every 10 days can achieve the lowest possible economic losses in most test scenarios. Moreover, we also find that the optimal search and treatment paths revolve around the initial invasion location. This study is a typical interdisciplinary research, which can assist water resource managers in making more accurate decisions regarding cyanobacteria removal paths, removal frequencies, and treatment speeds.

[DEVELOPMENT OF THE SECTOR of R&D development in Russian HIGHER medical education in digitization conditions].

The article considers results of study of the R&D sector directions development in system of Russian medical higher education in the context of digitization. The analysis made it possible to substantiate timeliness and importance of solving problems of improving medical services quality against the background of necessity for medical workers to systematically master breakthrough digital technologies in current medical practice. This conditions importance to ensure efficiency of R&D in Russian higher medical education in the context of digitization. The main models of organization of activities in the field of R&D are characterized, taking into account sources of financing and staffing. Based on on-line surveys of students in Google docs about their attitude to their further participation in R&D during education and after graduation, weak motivation to be engaged in R&D during their university education was revealed that is justified by non-obviousness of prospects of financial remuneration. Along with this, study established high degree of interest among students to mastering breakthrough digital technologies in order to further apply them in medical practice together with the latest medical technologies.

Scientific Fluency as the Greatest Strength of Chemical Biologists.

Chemical biology has developed into an influential discipline in biological research, largely thanks to synergistic relationships that have arisen from the inclusion of students from diverse scientific backgrounds. We believe the greatest strengths of our field rely on active communication between fields and the fluency of chemical biologists in traversing them. In this special issue, besides cutting-edge chemical biology research articles, we will also highlight nonscientific topics about scientific training and mentorship to foster the training of next-generation chemical biologists.

Primary Care Research: Looking Back and Moving Forward With Reflections on NAPCRG's First 50 Years.

NAPCRG celebrated 50 years of leadership and service at its 2022 meeting. A varied team of primary care investigators, clinicians, learners, patients, and community members reflected on the organization's past, present, and future. Started in 1972 by a small group of general practice researchers in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, NAPCRG has evolved into an international, interprofessional, interdisciplinary, and intergenerational group devoted to improving health and health care through primary care research. NAPCRG provides a nurturing home to researchers and teams working in partnership with individuals, families, and communities. The organization builds upon enduring values to create partnerships, advance research methods, and nurture a community of contributors. NAPCRG has made foundational contributions, including identifying the need for primary care research to inform primary care practice, practice-based research networks, qualitative and mixed-methods research, community-based participatory research, patient safety, practice transformation, and partnerships with patients and communities. Landmark documents have helped define classification systems for primary care, responsible research with communities, the central role of primary care in health care systems, opportunities to revitalize generalist practice, and shared strategies to build the future of family medicine. The future of health and health care depends upon strengthening primary care and primary care research with stronger support, infrastructure, training, and workforce. New technologies offer opportunities to advance research, enhance care, and improve outcomes. Stronger partnerships can empower primary care research with patients and communities and increase commitments to diversity and quality care for all. NAPCRG offers a home for all partners in this work.

Evaluation of the Oral Health Knowledge Network's Impact on Pediatric Clinicians and Patient Care.

PURPOSE: Oral disease has a major impact on the overall health of US children, with dental caries being the most prevalent chronic disease in this age group. Given nationwide shortages of dental professionals, interprofessional clinicians and staff with proper training can influence oral health access. The American Academy of Pediatrics created the Oral Health Knowledge Network (OHKN) in 2018 to bring together pediatric clinicians via monthly virtual sessions to learn from experts, share resources, and network. METHODS: The Center for Integration of Primary Care and Oral Health partnered with the American Academy of Pediatrics to evaluate the OHKN in 2021. The mixed method evaluation included an online survey and qualitative interviews among program participants. They were asked to provide information on their professional role and prior commitment to medical-dental integration as well as feedback on the OHKN learning sessions. RESULTS: Of the 72 program participants invited, 41 (57%) completed the survey questionnaire and 11 took part in the qualitative interviews. Analysis showed that OHKN participation supported both clinicians and nonclinicians in integrating oral health into primary care. The greatest clinical impact was incorporating oral health training for medical professionals (cited by 82% of respondents), while the greatest nonclinical impact was learning new information (cited by 85% of respondents). The qualitative interviews highlighted the participants' prior commitment to medical-dental integration as well as drivers for their current medical-dental integration work. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the OHKN had a positive impact on pediatric clinicians and nonclinicians and, as a learning collaborative, successfully educated and motivated health care professionals to improve their patients' access to oral health through rapid resource sharing as well as clinical practice change.

Characteristics and Emerging Trends in Research on Rehabilitation Robots from 2001 to 2020: Bibliometric Study.

BACKGROUND: The past 2 decades have seen rapid development in the use of robots for rehabilitation. Research on rehabilitation robots involves interdisciplinary activities, making it a great challenge to obtain comprehensive insights in this research field. OBJECTIVE: We performed a bibliometric study to understand the characteristics of research on rehabilitation robots and emerging trends in this field in the last 2 decades. METHODS: Reports on the topic of rehabilitation robots published from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2020, were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection on July 28, 2022. Document types were limited to "article" and "meeting" (excluding the "review" type), to ensure that our analysis of the evolution over time of this research had high validity. We used CiteSpace to conduct a co-occurrence and co-citation analysis and to visualize the characteristics of this research field and emerging trends. Landmark publications were identified using metrics such as betweenness centrality and burst strength. RESULTS: Through data retrieval, cleaning, and deduplication, we retrieved 9287 publications and 110,619 references cited in these publications that were on the topic of rehabilitation robots and were published between 2001 and 2020. Results of the Mann-Kendall test indicated that the numbers of both publications (P<.001; St=175.0) and citations (P<.001; St=188.0) related to rehabilitation robots exhibited a significantly increasing yearly trend. The co-occurrence results revealed 120 categories connected with research on rehabilitation robots; we used these categories to determine research relationships. The co-citation results identified 169 co-citation clusters characterizing this research field and emerging trends in it. The most prominent label was "soft robotic technology" (the burst strength was 79.07), which has become a topic of great interest in rehabilitative recovery for both the upper and lower limbs. Additionally, task-oriented upper-limb training, control strategies for robot-assisted lower limb rehabilitation, and power in exoskeleton robots were topics of great interest in current research. CONCLUSIONS: Our work provides insights into research on rehabilitation robots, including its characteristics and emerging trends during the last 2 decades, providing a comprehensive understanding of this research field.

Cancer and COVID-19 research studies with team science: a bibliometric study.

Team science refers to research initiatives considered in collaboration with scientists from different disciplines or fields. This paper presents a bibliometric analysis for visualization of global research activity concerning the combination of cancer and the COVID-19 pandemic using a team science approach. A bibliometric study was implemented using Web of Science from 2019 to 2021. We analyzed citations to identify description and citations analysis of results, most prolific countries, international research collaboration, most prolific institutions, research areas, most cited papers, and most productive journals. The preliminary data of 2,313 studies that adopted a team science approach were recorded and analyzed. Team science is becoming progressively popular in cancer research. The United States was the most active country, followed by Italy and China. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy had the highest level of cooperation with other countries. The most prolific institution was Harvard University, followed by University of London and the University of Texas System. Head and Neck Journal for the Sciences and Specialties of the Head and Neck, Frontiers in Oncology, and eCancerMedicalScience were the most productive journals. Governments, organizations, policymakers, and researchers should pay attention to team science approach at times of disasters such as cancer and COVID-19 to achieve the best strategies for controlling cancer that is currently a world problem.

Achieving Optimal Population Cardiovascular Health Requires an Interdisciplinary Team and a Learning Healthcare System: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

Population cardiovascular health, or improving cardiovascular health among patients and the population at large, requires a redoubling of primordial and primary prevention efforts as declines in cardiovascular disease mortality have decelerated over the past decade. Great potential exists for healthcare systems-based approaches to aid in reversing these trends. A learning healthcare system, in which population cardiovascular health metrics are measured, evaluated, intervened on, and re-evaluated, can serve as a model for developing the evidence base for developing, deploying, and disseminating interventions. This scientific statement on optimizing population cardiovascular health summarizes the current evidence for such an approach; reviews contemporary sources for relevant performance and clinical metrics; highlights the role of implementation science strategies; and advocates for an interdisciplinary team approach to enhance the impact of this work.

New directions in cancer and aging: State of the science and recommendations to improve the quality of evidence on the intersection of aging with cancer control.

BACKGROUND: The global population of older cancer survivors is growing. However, the intersections of aging-related health risks across the cancer control continuum are poorly understood, limiting the integration of aging into cancer control research and practice. The objective of this study was to review the state of science and provide future directions to improve the quality of evidence in 6 priority research areas in cancer and aging. METHODS: The authors identified priority research areas in cancer and aging through an evidence-based Research Jam process involving 32 investigators and trainees from multiple disciplines and research centers in aging and cancer; then, they conducted a narrative review of the state of the science and future directions to improve the quality of evidence in these research areas. Priority research areas were defined as those in which gaps in scientific evidence or clinical practice limit the health and well-being of older adults with cancer. RESULTS: Six priority research areas were identified: cognitive and physical functional outcomes of older cancer survivors, sampling issues in studies of older cancer survivors, risk and resilience across the lifespan, caregiver support and well-being, quality of care for older patients with cancer, and health disparities. Evidence in these areas could be improved through the incorporation of bias reduction techniques into longitudinal studies of older cancer survivors, novel data linkage, and improved representation of older adults in cancer research. CONCLUSIONS: The priority research areas and methodologies identified here may be used to guide interdisciplinary research and improve the quality of evidence on cancer and aging.