BioMed Central Blog

Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome now publishing articles

Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome, the official journal of the Brazilian Diabetes Society (SBD), has launched with BioMed Central as the eighth addition to the Independent Journals Portfolio this year.

Through reporting on basic research and clinical studies exploring any area of research into diabetes and metabolic syndrome, the journal hopes to provide a means of increasing knowledge and stimulating research in the field. The journal aims to benefit health care providers by acting as a point of reference for improvement in the management of people afflicted by these conditions.

Passionate about the need for this publication, Editors-in-Chief, Daniel Giannella-Neto and Marilia de Brito Gomes, reflect in their launch editorial on how they hope the journal will provide a dedicated forum that will assist in paving the way to improving the diagnosis, treatment and care of patients, despite the many challenges. Also, excited by the benefits open access, online publishing affords researchers and practitioners in the field, they highlight how “having an open access journal is an excellent way for a professional society like SBD to fulfil its mission of furthering knowledge in its field”.

More details about Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome, including the instructions for authors for those interested in submitting to this exciting new journal, are available from the journal website.

Posted by Sally Robertson at 15:11    Comments (0)

BioMed Central pedals for pounds – the countdown begins

Help our cyclists in their mad dash to meet fundraising target

In just under a month four members of our editorial team, Helen, Matt, Ruth and Joe will take part in Computer Aid's Cycle Chile tour. They will tour the Andes in Patagonia in the beautiful Lake District to raise money for the Kenyatta University Programme. During the tour our team will visit lush rainforest, crystal clear lakes and the virgin coasts of the Pacific Ocean around Chiloe Island. However, don't be fooled, this is no easy ride. Over the six-day journey the team will ride around 375km including many steep ascents!

So how have our colleagues been preparing for the event? Joe cycles 15 miles a day to get to and from work.  Meanwhile, Helen has been running regularly and will be heading to the Highlands shortly to practice cycling on hills. She is also pleased to report that she has managed to give up smoking.

Ruth recently did a cycling tour of Holland, which she describes as '200 miles of windy flatness'. In addition, Ruth has discovered spin classes and finds herself strangely addicted. Matt's just returned from Italy, where he was able to cycle in warmer weather.

Without doubt our Cycle Chile team has the physical training under control but they still need your help to reach their fundraising target. If you would like to make a contribution to this worthy cause, please visit their justgiving page http://www.justgiving.com/bmcchile.

Posted by Charlotte Webber at 11:20    Comments (0)

Mining for disease genes

Posted by Rebecca Furlong at 11:17    Comments (0)

Investigative Genetics now open to submissions

Investigative Genetics, a new open access journal concerned with the development and application of molecular genetics within a wide range of science disciplines with societal relevance, is ready to accept submissions. Topics of interest include forensic issues and legal medicine, evolutionary, anthropological and historical studies, as well as epidemiology and biosafety.

This soon to be launched BioMed Central journal is overseen by co-Editors-in-Chief Bruce Budowle (University of North Texas Health Science Center, USA), Manfred Kayser (Erasmus University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Netherlands) and Antti Sajantila (University of Helsinki, Finland) who are supported by an expert Editorial Board.

For more information on Investigative Genetics please visit the journal website or contact the Editorial Office. Why not register for updates keeping you abreast of any journal developments?

Posted by Andrea Melendez at 17:59    Comments (0)

Science and technology news in the developing world

Patent offices in developing countries are to be offered free or low-cost access to a range of online scientific journals from the end of the year. The Access to Research for Development and Innovation (aRDi) scheme was launched by the UN World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in partnership with some major global publishers of scientific and technical journals.

Algeria has started to fund a US$1.4 billion, five year science and technology (S&T) programme that was promised in 2007. The money will help develop S&T research in Algeria, in areas chosen to meet the needs of all the country's provinces. There are plans for 34 projects (cut from 100 planned in 2007), which among other activities will create 15 new research units and 900 new laboratories, upgrade 583 existing laboratories and recruit more researchers.

One Laptop per Child (OLPC) recently launched a Global Center for Excellence in Laptops and Learning in Rwanda. The purpose of the Center is to create the highest quality examples of learning with connected laptops in schools and communities, support ongoing laptop implementation plans in Rwanda, and create an African regional laptop network. Last month OLPC's device reached 900,000 children of 31 different nationalities.

Earlier this year Vodafone, along with the United Nations and the Rockerfeller Foundation's mHealth Alliance joined forces to advance the use of mobile phones to better aid those in need of healthcare in the developing world. This new alliance wants to guide governments, NGOs, and mobile firms on how mobile technology can be used to help save lives.

In June Ghana hosted the 2009 Annual Ministerial Review of Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Regional meeting for Africa on e-health. The two-day meeting brought together more than 100 participants including health ministers, experts, policy makers and non governmental organizations to assess the utilization of ICT to respond adequately to health challenges faced by the continent. Speaking at the event, Dr.George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, Minister of Health in Ghana, said capacity building, promotion of networking, technology transfer and experience sharing between developed and developing countries were strategic tools for promoting quality healthcare delivery.

Posted by Charlotte Webber at 10:29    Comments (0)

Open access and the developing world - read the latest

WHO published a feature entitled Open access: a giant leap towards bridging health inequities, in their August 2009 edition of the Bulletin of the World Health Organisation. In this article the authors urge the United Nations and other international organizations to give strong support to the open access movement as a means of advancing health and development in emerging nations.

Meanwhile, several partners are running a survey of OA repositories in developing countries.  This study is part of a cooperative program between eIFL.net, the University of Kansas Libraries, the DRIVER project and Key Perspectives Ltd., and aims at creating an inventory of current digital repository activities in developing and transition countries, at both the infrastructure and services level.

In a recent International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications online discussion, participants were asked, Why are publishers participating in developing country access initiatives? Participants in the discussion included learned society and commercial scholarly publishers. It was found that the key motivations for publishers' participation include moral duty and a desire to serve their authors as best they can.

As part of the World Library and Information Congress 75th Annual General Conference and Assembly in Italy this year, Paraj Shukla and Anand P Singh presented a paper on open access initiatives for agriculture in India. In this article the authors conclude that formulation and implementation of an open access mandate within Indian NARS is fast becoming a reality.

Posted by Charlotte Webber at 09:28    Comments (0)

BMC-series hits the headlines

The BMC-series dominated the news in the past month. Research ranging from walking bats to the age-prioritized use of antivirals during an influenza pandemic proved to be popular stories in the international media.

A BMC Infectious Diseases article in which researchers warned that antiviral drugs 'should not be wasted on the elderly' was featured in Pulse. In other medical news, Nursing Times covered a BMC Medicine article which showed that blood transfusions are often associated with infection in heart bypass patients. Meanwhile research in BMC Neurology demonstrating that the misdiagnosis of disorders of consciousness still is commonplace appeared in New Scientist and The Economist.

Last week a study published in BMC Biology which found that the popular insect repellent deet is neurotoxic obtained coverage on NHS Choices and BBC News. In the same week research published in BMC Evolutionary Biology about bats that walk was covered in National Geographic in their August edition.

In the 15 August edition of Science News, research from BMC Genomics and BMC Evolutionary Biology were both featured in an article about the healing properties of snake venom. Meanwhile, another BMC Genomics study in which the authors mapped the saltwater crocodile genome appeared in Scientific American and GenomeWeb.

Posted by Charlotte Webber at 10:20    Comments (0)

Trial registration information made more accessible on the WHO website

Most of the content of the World Health Organisation International Clinical Trial Registry Platform (WHO ICTRP) has now been translated into the 6 UN languages: English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Russian and Arabic, in the hopes that this will enable improved awareness of clinical trial registration in non-English speaking countries.

The WHO ICTRP was created to ensure a complete and transparent view of ongoing and completed research to aid health care decision making and strengthen the current scientific evidence base. It is responsible for the current 20-item dataset that is used to standardise the information held by clinical trials registers internationally. The 20-item dataset is one of the items that has been translated; other translated information on the WHO ICTRP website includes other key news items and guidelines surrounding trial registration.

The WHO ICTRP also hosts the ICTRP Search Portal, which brings together data from nine WHO-compliant registers (including the ISRCTN Register – administered by BioMed Central’s sister company, Current Controlled Trials). The trial information held in the ICTRP Search Portal is currently only available in English.

Rebecca Green  - Senior Database Editorial Assistant
Current Controlled Trials Ltd 

Posted by Iain Hrynaszkiewicz at 12:42    Comments (0)

Disease risk is a family affair

“Musings on genome medicine: the value of family history”, a guest Musings article published this week in Genome Medicine, argues that genome sequencing will not supersede family history information in the assessment of disease risk any time soon.

Professor Angus Clarke emphasizes that while the potential for access to complete genomic information from healthy individuals as well as patients is useful for assessing some types of disease risk, it will not tell the full story for many years to come.  A complete genome sequence does not provide information about the many independent factors that can influence the effect of a given allele, such as modifier loci, epigenetic effects or environmental interactions, and consequently this sequence information cannot provide a secure basis for health care decisions.

This Musings article also highlights the importance of the family history in building a relationship between patient and clinician, and the insights gained into the individual’s emotional response to disease.  These issues must be considered in the development of regulations and guidelines for direct-to-consumer genomic tests.

Genome Medicine, BioMed Central’s premier medical journal, stands at the forefront of research and clinical practice in the post-genomic era. The journal is led by six Section Editors and is supported by a world renowned Editorial Board.

We welcome cutting-edge genomic and post-genomic research reporting findings that significantly advance our understanding and management of human health and disease.

Keep abreast of recent developments in these exciting times: register for article updates and submit your next manuscript of outstanding research to Genome Medicine.

Rebecca Furlong
Assistant Editor, Genome Medicine

Posted by Rebecca Furlong at 10:32    Comments (0)