Evaluating the dissemination of evolutionary biology concepts in medicine

Darwin's theory of evolution, which is based on variation, heredity, and selection, includes all biological fields and spreads to other areas such as philosophy. Medicine is an example of how the evolutionary perspective can greatly improve the understanding of concepts in an area, as human health and pathological conditions are under the effect of evolution. Evolutionary medicine is an emerging paradigm for understanding human heterogeneity, health, and diseases. Nevertheless, there are indications that medical research and practice are only marginally affected by these ideas. Here, we investigate how concepts of biological evolution are employed in medical research. We use a bibliometric approach to look for the presence and frequency of biological evolution-related concepts in medical articles. The distribution of these concepts over the years is analyzed according to the medical specialty and the impact of the journal. Our data showed that: i) only a small percentage of articles in medical journals have an evolutionary perspective; ii) medical journals where these evolution-based articles are published focus on basic science, theoretical medicine, and less frequently, on applied medicine; iii) these articles are mostly from the microbiology, immunology, neurology, psychology, behavior, and oncology fields; and iv) viruses are the most frequently covered microorganisms, followed by bacteria, fungi, and protozoans. The collection of our results, considering the importance of evolutionary medicine in the medical field, highlights the need for a decisive change in perspective in medical research.

Do medicine and cell biology talk to each other? A study of vocabulary similarities between fields

A close interaction between basic science and applied medicine is to be expected. Therefore, it is important to measure how far apart the field of cell biology and medicine are. Our approach to estimating the distance between these fields was to compare their vocabularies and to quantify the difference in word repertoire. We compared the vocabulary of the title and abstract of articles available in PubMed in two selected high-impact journals in each field: cell biology, medicine, and translational science. Although each journal has its own editorial policy, we showed that within each field there is a small vocabulary difference between the two journals. We developed a word similarity index that can measure how much journals share a common vocabulary. We found a high similarity index between each cell biology (91%), medical (71-74%), and translational journal (65%). In contrast, the comparison between medicine and biology journals produced low correlation values (22-36%), suggesting that their vocabularies are quite dissimilar. Translational medicine journals had medium similarity values when compared to cell biology journals (52-70%) and medicine journals (27-59%). This approach was also performed in 10-year periods to evaluate the evolution of each field. Using the "onomics" strategy presented here, we observed that differences in vocabulary of basic science and medicine have been increasing over time. Since translational medicine has an intermediate vocabulary, we confirmed that translational medicine is an efficient approach to bridge this gap.

EviSIP: using evidence to change practice through mentorship - an innovative experience for reproductive health in the Latin American and Caribbean regions

Maternal mortality is unacceptably high in our region. In 2015, the Latin American Center for Perinatology and Women´s Reproductive Health (CLAP) created a regional network of institutions including 16 countries, committed to improving epidemiological surveillance and healthcare of women in a situation of abortion or near miss event, using a common platform, the Perinatal Information System (SIP). The objective of the current pilot project was to test a new method of study called EviSIP (Evidence from SIP), a method of generating information on maternal near miss and abortion for the region. We describe the implementation of this initiative in reproductive healthcare facilities using SIP. Junior researchers/clinicians from these countries were included, along with expert researchers in reproductive health from across the world. Articles were produced with data on maternal near miss and abortion gathered from the SIP of each participating sentinel center; and recommendations from experts. EviSIP was the first joint workspace to discuss patient outcomes after treatment of abortion or near miss cases, with data analysis of each Sentinel Center; discuss and analyze data among centers, at a country and regional level; discuss the main outcomes and their impact on changing procedures and policies; strengthen the operational research capacity of the centers; develop and encourage the publication of scientific articles. The EviSIP initiative also promoted training of healthcare professionals in research. EviSIP provided a unique opportunity to train for research and mentorship and was pivotal to the production of scientific knowledge of reproductive health in the region. (AU)

La mortalidad materna es inaceptablemente alta en nuestra región. En 2015, el Centro Latinoamericano de Perinatología y Salud Reproductiva de la Mujer (CLAP) creó una red regional de instituciones que incluye 16 países, comprometidas con mejorar la vigilancia epidemiológica y la atención de la salud de las mujeres en situación de aborto o cuasi accidente, utilizando un método común. plataforma, el Sistema de Información Perinatal (SIP). El objetivo del proyecto piloto actual era probar un nuevo método de estudio llamado EviSIP (Evidence from SIP), un método para generar información sobre el cuasi accidente y el aborto materno en la región. Describimos la implementación de esta iniciativa en instalaciones de salud reproductiva utilizando SIP. Se incluyeron investigadores / médicos jóvenes de estos países, junto con investigadores expertos en salud reproductiva de todo el mundo. Se elaboraron artículos con datos sobre casi accidentes maternos y abortos recopilados del SIP de cada centro centinela participante; y recomendaciones de expertos. EviSIP fue el primer espacio de trabajo conjunto para discutir los resultados de los pacientes después del tratamiento de un aborto o casos de casi accidentes, con análisis de datos de cada Centro Sentinel; discutir y analizar datos entre centros, a nivel nacional y regional; discutir los principales resultados y su impacto en el cambio de procedimientos y políticas; fortalecer la capacidad de investigación operativa de los centros; Desarrollar y fomentar la publicación de artículos científicos. La iniciativa EviSIP también promovió la formación de los profesionales sanitarios en investigación. EviSIP brindó una oportunidad única para capacitarse en investigación y tutoría y fue fundamental para la producción de conocimiento científico sobre salud reproductiva en la región. (AU)