BioMed Central Blog
BioMed Central to take on Nature in 10K charity run
On September 14th, a team of runners from BioMed Central will be taking part in a 10K race against our friends (and rivals) at Nature Publishing Group. BioMed Central’s team will be raising money for our partner charity Computer Aid International, which works to recycle computer equipment for use in developing countries.
You can support BioMed Central’s open access David as we take on the traditional publishing Goliath by sponsoring us via the BioMed Central team’s fundraising page.
Our plucky open access mascot turtle Gulliver is already in training, and he will be joined by around 15 BioMed Central staff, all of whom are aiming to complete the course in under an hour. For the latest updates on Gulliver’s progress, or to sponsor him, see his blog and/or Facebook page.
About Computer Aid and BioMed Central
Computer Aid International provides professionally refurbished computers for reuse in education, health and not-for-profit organizations in developing countries.
Computer Aid has provided over 170,000 PCs to where they are most needed in more than 100 countries across Africa and South America, and is the world's largest and most experienced ICT for Development provider.
BioMed Central has supported Computer Aid for some time, and the funds we have raised will be used to send a container-load of reconditioned computer equipment to Kenyatta University in Nairobi later this summer. You can also support Computer Aid by buying a BioMed Central journal T-shirt.
Read more about Computer Aid’s activities in this recent guest blog post by Computer Aid’s Stephen Campbell.
Posted by Matthew Cockerill at 10:47 Comments (0)
Conference bursaries enhance malaria mission
BioMed Central is offering a fund to help researchers in developing countries attend the conference, Parasite to Prevention. The conference, held in conjunction with Malaria Journal, takes place in Edinburgh, 20-22 October.
Researchers and graduate students from low-income and lower-middle income countries can apply for a conference bursary to cover the cost of their travel, accommodation and conference registration. Places are strictly limited. The scientific committee will award the conference bursaries based solely on the quality of the abstracts submitted.
The deadline to submit an abstract and apply for a bursary place is 6 August 2010.
This international conference brings together leading researchers and industry representatives who will review important recent findings in parasite and vector biology, disease pathophysiology and immunology, disease treatment, prevention and control. Attendees will learn about the latest developments in key areas and initiatives that are at the forefront of malaria research.
More speakers have now been confirmed for the conference, including Carol Sibley (University of Washington), Andrew Waters (Leiden University) and Tim Wells (Medicines for Malaria Venture).
David Brandling-Bennett, Senior Program Manager at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will give a keynote address at the conference gala dinner on Thursday, 21 October.
Anyone not from low-income and lower-middle income countries, can still submit an abstract for consideration if you register before 6 August 2010.
Posted by Charlotte Webber at 10:37 Comments (0)
Learn something new on World Environment Day
World Environment Day is this Saturday 5th June and to play your part maybe it’s time to find out a little more about our changing world and how to conserve the vital biodiversity of life that it supports. A new cross-journal thematic series presents a chance to brush up on your biodiversity knowledge.
To highlight the importance of biodiversity research and to celebrate 2010 as the United Nations’ International Year of Biodiversity, we recently launched a series on Open Access Biodiversity Research. The articles cover all aspects of biodiversity and environmental research, from the behavioural traits of sympatric fur seals influencing fine-scale species segregation, to the use of genetic tools to track evidence for hunting and smuggling of chimpanzees in Cameroon.
An editorial published today in BMC Ecology by BioMed Central’s Scientific Editor Hans Zauner, explains the need for biodiversity researchers to work together to increase knowledge and understanding of the complex web of life on earth, and how open access to research data is key to progress in working to conserve it. We have recently expanded the scope of BMC Ecology to emphasise the journal’s status as an ideal home for biodiversity research, offering immediate full open access to all articles and the opportunity to publish associated datasets as additional files.
Posted by Genevieve Horne at 17:51 Comments (0)
BMC Research Notes launches a new series on HIV/AIDS
With more than 30 million people living with HIV and over 50% of the population in some regions of the world such as Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and Middle East, HIV/AIDS is considered pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), who recently published a report highlighting the progress made over the last two years in this field.
In the fight against HIV/AIDS, access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) plays a pivotal role. While major progress has been made towards the goal defined at the 2005 UN Word summit of universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care by 2010, major efforts are still required to reduce inequalities in access to treatment. Moreover, populations at high risk of HIV are also usually the most at risk of developing opportunistic infections and co-infections such as tuberculosis and toxoplasmosis, so health strategies must go beyond ensuring equitable access to ART in low income areas.
To highlight manuscripts published in BMC Research Notes that explore various aspects of HIV/AIDS and its relation to opportunistic diseases and co-infections, the journal has launched a new topical series on HIV/AIDS and opportunistic diseases and co-infections.
This series – edited by Prof Subhash Parija of the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research,
India – presents a compilation of studies covering all aspects of HIV and known opportunistic malignancies and co-infections associated with HIV/AIDS. The objective of this series, in line with the goals and aims of BMC Research Notes, is to encourage scientists and public health experts to share in a rapid and barrier-free way information that could help the scientific and medical communities whose goal is to reduce the burden of populations affected by the HIV.
Guillaume Susbielle, In-house Editor - BMC Research Notes
Posted by Iain Hrynaszkiewicz at 11:47 Comments (2)
Last month, the National Institutes of Health announced a new initiative to strengthen medical education in Sub-Saharan Africa, in collaboration with the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR. This program is in support of PEPFAR's goal to increase the number of new health care workers by 140,000, and will also serve the related objectives of strengthening host-country medical education systems and enhancing clinical and research capacity in Africa.
A Thomson Reuters report found that Africa's contribution to the global body of scientific research is very small due to a "chronic lack of investment in facilities for research and teaching" – something which the authors of the report hope is remedied soon. The report noted that South Africa Egypt and Nigeria currently dominate the continent’s scientific output.
Meanwhile the BBC hosted a debate last week entitled ‘Is science Africa's doorway to success?’, following the establishment of Ethiopia’s first science academy. Readers were asked ‘Should African governments pour more money into science? Or concentrate on business and trade?’. All comments can be found at the BBC website.
In another article regarding the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences, Linda Nordling examines its recent launch, noting that hopes for government funding and independence remain high despite concerns over academic freedom.
South Africa is vying for a place in an international competition to host what will be the world’s biggest radio telescope, highlighting the mounting economic interest in ‘big science’ projects around the world. A remote spot in South Africa's Karoo desert hopes to provide a home to one of the most powerful scientific instruments in history, to shed light on how the universe began.
Finally, science journalists in Africa are to participate in a mentoring programme established by the World Federation of Science Journalists in conjunction with the UK's Department for International Development. The CAD$4.3-million (R31.5-million) SjCOOP project pairs experienced science journalists with beginners and offers training in Arabic, French and English.
Posted by Charlotte Webber at 11:57 Comments (0)
Technology and the developing world
In a four-part series, Afrinnovator interviews Ken Banks of FrontlineSMS and Kiwanja.net founder, about FrontlineSMS and mobile technology.
Meanwhile, eLearning Africa 2010’s 5th International Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training is still taking registrations for its event in Zambia late May.
In a Public Service article, Jeff Waage, Director of the London International Development Centre, discusses why policy, local knowledge and new innovations are critical in enhancing the capacity of science and technology to deliver in the developing world. He concludes that whilst building new science and technology with development will be a challenge we must help developing country partners to improve their national scientific capacity so that they may participate in global science and innovation.
Computer Aid International recently published a case study entitled ‘Preserving African history: Bamoun King's Palace’. Computer Aid International has provided over 500 PCs to the project which are being used for educational purposes as well as to document the history of the Bamoun people online.
Finally, Computer Aid International is still seeking participants for its Cycle Nepal Challenge. This once in a lifetime 10 day cycle challenge begins on the 30th October 2010 and lasts until the 8th November 2010. You will be cycling a land of diverse landscapes, peoples, customs, cultures and languages, from snow capped peaks to green sub tropical forests and paddy fields. For more information please contact Maurizio Borgatti.
Posted by Charlotte Webber at 12:04 Comments (0)
Towards malaria elimination - a new thematic series
Approximately half of the world's population is at risk of malaria, particularly those living in lower-income countries. This disease is curable and more importantly preventable, so why does a child continue die of malaria every 30 seconds?
A thematic series entitled ‘Towards malaria elimination’ published in Malaria Journal provides encouraging news about what is achievable with an integrated malaria elimination programme. The series provides a platform to catalyze all malaria research, reviews and debate, aiming to lead to malaria elimination and eradication in endemic areas.
One of the first articles published as part of the series reports on how effective measures combining four major control methods have produced a rapid decline in malaria morbidity and mortality on the island of Príncipe. The authors argue that to achieve elimination even more integrated programmes must be encouraged and sustained. Whilst countries such as Tunisia and the Maldives have proven that elimination of malaria from entire nations is possible, can these complex programmes be kept up in economically unstable countries?
Malaria Journal’s Editor-in-Chief Marcel Hommel, and the series Guest Editor, Marcel Tanner, explain that although significant gains have been made, a further coordinated effort by scientists, public health professionals, programme managers, funders and policy makers is still needed to progress malaria elimination further forward.
Posted by Alison Cobb at 10:32 Comments (0)
Technology in the developing world
eLearning Africa has announced that next year's conference, the fifth in the highly successful series of pan-African gatherings, will take place in Zambia from May 26th-28th, 2010. The Call for Papers deadline has now been extended to Friday, January 15th, 2010.
According to a recent article in InfoWorld, netbooks are gaining popularity in Africa.
Portability, low cost and minimal power demands are driving the trend as more Africans get Internet access. Major suppliers include Dell, Samsung, Asus, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Acer and the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC).
W3C recently released their "Mobile Web for Social Development Roadmap" a comprehensive document which sits at the heart of the wider work of the Mobile Web for Development Interest Group (MW4D).
Meanwhile, Mike Kellett and Joe Morgan, co-founders of IP2, a UK based joint venture which aims to provide a low-cost international mobile technology service, recently launched their global mobile platform at CES 2010. Unlike other similar services, IP2 is taking a different approach according to Kellett, "We have a system that doesn't depend on government intervention." IP2 will launch a cellular service based on the concept of VMSP, or virtual mobile service provider. Anyone can start a VMSP and sell services and handsets. Usually, a license to operate as a local mobile service provider can cost up to $5 million, but IP2 will be selling VMSP licenses for only $41,200.
Still on mobile phone technology, an report recently published on Zimbabwejournalists.com presented an African campaign which is using cell phone technology to expose stock-outs of essential medicines at public health facilities and put pressure on governments to address the issues.
The UN Foundation/Vodafone Foundation Partnership report published last week outlines examples of new technologies that mitigate conflicts and save lives worldwide. A report author said it reveals that aid agencies "fail to take advantage" of new tools available. It says a number of challenges remain to maximise the tools' potential. The report concludes that social networking tools such as Ushahidi, FrontlineSMS, Twitter, and Facebook, should become a primary and trusted source of information in situations such as natural disasters.
In other technology news, new communications applications are being pioneered across Africa with a view to eventual profit and based on meeting vital social needs. A new partnership launched in June between Google, MTN and the Grameen Foundation is facilitating small-scale enterprise by through the launch of a mobile-based 'Google Trader' application to all MTN customers in Uganda. Alongside a suite of four other applications, including a text service giving tips on sexual health or farming, subscribers will be able to use their phones to search and buy anything from a sack of bananas to a new house.
Last week saw the launch of MultiLearn, a system developed at the UW, which connects multiple keypads to a single computer. Early tests demonstrates that elementary school students using the tool are able to share a single screen while working on problems at their own pace, effectively quadrupling the number of computers available for math exercises.
In an ArsTechnica article, multi-hop mesh networking technologies are reviewed, particularly in developing countries. The author concludes that mesh networks may provide a cheap way to get villages in the developing world online, whilst not posing a serious threat to large telecommunication organisations in the developed world.
Finally, the Universidad de Los Andes in Venezuela has been described as a 'technology mecca' after the establishment and progress of its Institutional Repository over the past decade. Starting in 2000, the IR now holds some 19,000 records and has attracted 40,000,000 visits to its portal.
Posted by Charlotte Webber at 17:58 Comments (0)
General practice: does it really have an image problem?
The New York Times recently ran an article on primary care and why it is perceived as ‘not cool’ in America. Journal of Medical Case Reports is accepting more and more fascinating case reports from general practice, so can this be true? I put this question to two of the journal’s Deputy Editors from both sides of the transatlantic pond: Dr Geoff Wong – himself a practising NHS General Practitioner; and Dr Christian Koch a practising US physician specialising in endocrinology: does primary care have an image problem in the UK?
[Read More]Posted by Miriam Kingsley at 16:44 Comments (0)
New research in Genome Medicine examines the unique roles of PPARdelta
The distinct catabolic role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARδ) is reported in new research published in Genome Medicine, with therapeutic implications for type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome.
Modulators of the α and γ members of the PPAR protein family are currently used to treat symptoms of metabolic syndrome. However, the specific metabolic effects caused by activating the third member of the family, PPARδ, are less well understood.
Julian Griffin and colleagues examine the physiological and pharmacological effects of a synthetic ligand which activates PPARδ in their article “Increased hepatic oxidative metabolism distinguishes the action of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor delta from Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor gamma in the Ob/Ob mouse”.
The authors show that the activation of PPARδ has a different effect to that of its sister molecule PPARγ in obese mice. While both proteins have roles in improving glucose tolerance, PPARδ induced unique responses in liver and skeletal muscle tissues, switching from the lactic acid (Cori) cycle to ketone and fatty acid oxidative metabolism. This switch may contribute to the increased insulin sensitivity seen with PPARδ activation. These findings could give rise to further therapeutic applications for PPARδ agonists in the control of blood glucose and lipids.
For more great articles providing a post-genomic perspective of human health and disease, visit the Genome Medicine website.
Rebecca Furlong
Assistant Editor, Genome Medicine
Posted by Rebecca Furlong at 15:20 Comments (0)
New journal supplements provide useful resource for tackling disease in the developing world
We have published several supplements aimed at improving health in developing countries over the past month.
Last week, a collection of articles published in BMC Public Health concluded that money available to treat HIV/AIDS is sufficient to end the epidemic globally, but only if we act immediately to control the spread of the disease. This approach defies conventional thinking, which recommends gradual spending over 15-20 years. Canadian researchers led by Robert Smith? (the question mark is deliberate and not a typographical error) found that an aggressive program over five years is the only way to end the epidemic given our current resources. The study, part of a supplement on 'The OptAIDS project: towards global halting of HIV/AIDS' was based on a leading-edge mathematical model developed by mathematicians and biologists, who recently earned acclaim for a study on how best to handle a planetary invasion by zombies.
In a new supplement published in Malaria Journal, the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), the release of sexually sterile male insects to wipe out a pest population, is one suggested solution to the problem of malaria in Africa. The supplement, entitled 'Development of the sterile insect technique for African malaria vectors' reviews the history of the technique, and features details about its use in the elimination of malaria.
Finally, in conjunction with the Aids Vaccine 2009 conference in Paris last month, BioMed Central's open access journal Retrovirology published the meeting's scientific abstracts. This meeting was particularly relevant in view of the recent interest in the results of the RV1144 phase III Thai vaccine trial.
Posted by Charlotte Webber at 10:40 Comments (0)
Open access and the developing world - read the latest
As part of Open Access Week last month, Walter H. Curioso, M.D., M.P.H, Research Professor at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, talks about his views of open access and how it can help in developing countries
In other open access news, Denise Nicholson recently published her Tips for Developing Countries when reviewing Copyright Laws as part of the African Copyright & Access to Knowledge Project. Her recommendations include:
* ... Do not include protection for non-original databases. (It had little or no positive impact for rightsholders in the EU and created problems for users)". Original databases are protected by copyright like any original work. ...
* Promote Open Access, Open Source Software & Open Licensing (e.g. Creative Commons, etc.)
* Create and populate Open Access Institutional Repositories/Research Archives to showcase African research.
At a meeting on open access in agriculture, held at the International Centre for Crop Research for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad early September, Bruce Alberts, Editor-in-Chief or Science, called for open access to agricultural research in India to help drive development and reduce poverty. According to Alberts 'Given that agriculture is a "critical component" of India's science sector and that the country has a tremendous advantage in terms of diversity in agricultural science and practice, providing open access to agricultural research results could improve in national and state policymaking.'
In a comprehensive article recently published in the Times Higher Education Supplement, reporter Zoe Corbyn explores the pros and cons of open access, particularly in the developing world. In a blog piece entitled 'Revisiting OA', Barbara Kirsop of the Electronic Publishing Trust emphasises the need for instutional repositories in the developing world, concluding:
"Without a strong research base, the poorer countries will forever depend on donations and will be unable to contribute their essential and unique knowledge to the world's information pool."
Posted by Charlotte Webber at 14:44 Comments (0)
Science and technology news in the developing world
There's been a lot of focus on internet technology in the developing world recently. In late August Zunia Knowledge Exchange published a report which provides a detailed mapping of best practice for the implementation of sustainable local broadband access network.
Last month the BBC's dot.life blog explored how technology is shaping the developing world. In this series entitled 'Africa gets connected', Rory Cellan-Jones toured East Africa where a handful of commercial and government projects have been racing to give Africa the bandwidth it needs.
Meanwhile, in Central Africa, many countries are set to benefit from a $215 million World Bank backbone programme to provide reliable, high-speed, low-cost internet access to the region for the first time. Cameroon, Chad and the Central African Republic will take part in the initial phase.
Finally, in other technology news, Africa Gathering, a popular tech/Africa organisation, is holding an event in Nairobi on the 21st and 22nd December 2009. The organisers are now calling for papers.
Posted by Charlotte Webber at 17:39 Comments (0)
A new home for experimental stroke research
Today has seen the launch of Experimental &
Translational Stroke Medicine, a journal dedicated to the gathering and
dissemination of new knowledge in the field of experimental stroke research, with the
aim of improving the quality of stroke research and facilitating the successful
translation of novel treatment strategies into clinical practice.
Amongst the first articles to be published in the journal are detailed reviews on potential new drug candidates currently nearing the end of development such as the hematopoietic factors G-CSF (Minnerup et al), and EPO (Byts and Siren). A detailed review is given by Dr Linker and Dr Lee on recent MS models which are more clinically relevant than the established experimental autoimmune encephalitis. In addition, Dr Gee and colleagues provide clear-cut evidence regarding the possible detrimental effects of the mucosal administration of antigen in terms of autoimmunity.
With their primary aim being to improve the quality of research in this field and reduce translational failure from bench to beside, Editor-in-Chief Wolf-Rüdiger Schäbitz and Deputy Editor Christoph Kleinschnitz explain in their launch editorial how they believe that the open access format BMC offers "is ideally suited to rapidly and broadly disseminating novel findings and promoting fruitful discussion amongst active stroke researchers" and how they would like to “encourage the stroke community to make full use of this very welcome resource”.
For further information about the journal, please visit the journal’s website or view the instructions for authors if you would like to submit a manuscript.
Posted by Sally Robertson at 13:45 Comments (0)
Canadian research initiative seeks to increase child vaccination rates in developing countries
Research published today in a supplement entitled 'The fallacy of coverage: uncovering disparities to improve immunization rates through evidence' explains why some children in developing countries are not receiving vaccines. The supplement, published in BMC International Health and Human Rights also shows how targeted, low-cost interventions can increase vaccination rates, at times doubling or tripling the odds of children being vaccinated.
The supplement, funded by the Canadian International Immunization Initiative Phase 2, consists of thirteen articles, based on research conducted across the globe. In Pakistan, researchers found that discussions with communities about the costs and benefits of getting their children vaccinated can actually increase immunization rates. While in Burkina Faso, children are not being immunized even though the father has given permission to do so. The study from this country helps to show how this can be changed.
Immunization can and does save lives, contributing to reducing child mortality rates. The results from this project confirm the fact that if resources are well targeted and based on evidence, they can have a huge impact on children's lives.
This five-year research initiative was launched in September 2003, as part of a larger program funded by the Canadian International Development Agency and as part of the Global Health Research Initiative.
Posted by Charlotte Webber at 17:15 Comments (0)