Welcome To Meso! [No Discussion, Please]

[Michael Scally MD]

I want to provide you with a brief message that might be helpful. For me, Meso is a forum for scientifically supported discussion. However, there is plenty of room for anecdotal evidence since this is where the science begins. Also, Meso is the best for support and discussion on all men's health issues. There is alot of serious debate going on here, but there is just as much ribbing and fun.

The following resources are invaluable when researching health issues.

It is important to understand laboratory studies. Take a moment to download the following: Tables of Normal Laboratory Values, Systeme International (SI) Conversion Factors for Selected Laboratory Components, and a Diagnostic Handbook - The Interpretation of Laboratory Tests: https://thinksteroids.com/community/threads/134282198

DailyMed (DailyMed: About DailyMed) provides high quality information about marketed drugs. This information includes FDA approved labels (package inserts). This Web site provides health information providers and the public with a standard, comprehensive, up-to-date, look-up and download resource of medication content and labeling as found in medication package inserts. The National Library of Medicine (NLM) provides this as a public service and does not accept advertisements.

PubMed (PubMed home) lets you search millions of journal citations and abstracts in the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, and preclinical sciences. It includes access to MEDLINE® and to citations for selected articles in life science journals not included in MEDLINE. PubMed also provides access to additional relevant Web sites and links to the other NCBI molecular biology resources. PubMed is a free resource that is developed and maintained by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), at the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), located at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS - ARS : Home) is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. Nutrient Data Laboratory: Links to about a dozen data sets prepared on food composition, nutrients, phytonutrients, and other topics.

USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference - Nutrient Data Products and Services This page provides access to Release 22 (Nutrient Data Products and Services) of the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. You can either view the data here or download the data files and documentation in several different formats for use on your computer. An online search is also provided so you can look up the nutrient content of 7,538 different foods directly from this home page.

The International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements (IBIDS - International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements (IBIDS) Database) database provides access to bibliographic citations and abstracts from published, international, and scientific literature on dietary supplements. IBIDS is a collaboration between two US government agencies: the Office of Dietary Supplements of the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC - Food and Nutrition Information Center) of the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA - United States Department of Agriculture - Home) National Agricultural Library (NAL - National Agricultural Library).

Dietary Supplement Ingredient Database - Dietary Supplements Ingredient Database

The Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL), Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center (BHNRC), part of the USDA Agricultural Research Service, working with the Office of Dietary Supplements, NIH, and other federal agencies, has developed a Dietary Supplement Ingredient Databases (DSID) to estimate levels of ingredients in dietary supplement products.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM - National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine [NCCAM] - nccam.nih.gov Home Page) is the Federal Government's lead agency for scientific research on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Complementary and alternative medicine is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine.

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Welcome To Meso!

FDA Website Can Help Consumers Find All Approved Drugs.

The New York Times (3/27, B2, Singer - http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/27/business/27nitroside.html ) reported, "If consumers want to know for sure whether the drugs that pharmacists are using to fill their prescriptions have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, they can check the FDA's website." The agency's website includes "both an online database of approved drugs, called drugs@fda, as well as an electronic catalog of approved drugs, called the Orange Book," where "people can look up medications by the brand name or active ingredient." The Times added, "As many as two percent of the prescriptions dispensed in the United States may be for drugs that the FDA has not formally approved, the agency estimates."

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Welcome To Meso!

Did you ever need the chemical formula or picture of a drug? ChemID is the place. Numerous chemical synonyms, structures, regulatory list information, and links to other databases containing information about the chemicals. ChemIDplus Advanced

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Welcome To Meso!

Quertle® is the easiest to use, yet most powerful search engine for the biomedical literature. Using cutting-edge, semantic-driven text analytics Quertle finds conceptual relationships, not just query terms scattered throughout a document. Quertle's innovative Power Terms™, representing entire classes of related concepts such as "diseases", and automatic identification of key concepts provide the user with the relevant literature and an intuitive way to explore it.

Why Quertle is Different

It's easy - Quertle's friendly interface makes it simple to search and refine results.
It's powerful - Using advanced semantics, Quertle finds quality results, not just long lists.
It's inclusive - All of PubMed (MEDLINE) plus an ever increasing number of full-text documents.
NEW: More content - News (so you can find information before publication) and whitepapers.

Quertle? - Intelligent semantic queries of MEDLINE (PubMed) and the biomedical literature

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Welcome To Meso!

The Institute of Medicine (IOM - IOM Home - Institute of Medicine ) is an independent, nonprofit organization that works outside of government to provide unbiased and authoritative advice to decision makers and the public.

Established in 1970, the IOM is the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences, which was chartered under President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Nearly 150 years later, the National Academy of Sciences has expanded into what is collectively known as the National Academies, which comprises the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Research Council, and the IOM.

Our Mission

The Institute of Medicine serves as adviser to the nation to improve health.

Our Work

The IOM asks and answers the nation’s most pressing questions about health and health care. Our aim is to help those in government and the private sector make informed health decisions by providing evidence upon which they can rely. Each year, more than 2,000 individuals, members, and nonmembers volunteer their time, knowledge, and expertise to advance the nation’s health through the work of the IOM.

Many of the studies that the IOM undertakes begin as specific mandates from Congress; still others are requested by federal agencies and independent organizations. While our expert, consensus committees are vital to our advisory role, the IOM also convenes a series of forums, roundtables, and standing committees, as well as other activities, to facilitate discussion, discovery, and critical, cross-disciplinary thinking.

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Welcome To Meso!

The DrugBank [ http://www.drugbank.ca/ ] database is a unique bioinformatics and cheminformatics resource that combines detailed drug (i.e. chemical, pharmacological and pharmaceutical) data with comprehensive drug target (i.e. sequence, structure, and pathway) information. The database contains nearly 4800 drug entries including >1,350 FDA-approved small molecule drugs, 123 FDA-approved biotech (protein/peptide) drugs, 71 nutraceuticals and >3,243 experimental drugs. Additionally, more than 2,500 non-redundant protein (i.e. drug target) sequences are linked to these FDA approved drug entries. Each DrugCard entry contains more than 100 data fields with half of the information being devoted to drug/chemical data and the other half devoted to drug target or protein data.

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Welcome To Meso!

An excellent link for injections (provided by @MAYO ) is the following: Prentice Hall Drug Guide open access: Medication Administration

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Welcome To Meso!

The Cochrane Collaboration - The Cochrane Collaboration | Working together to provide the best evidence for health care , established in 1993, is an international network of people helping healthcare providers, policy makers, patients, their advocates and carers, make well-informed decisions about human health care by preparing, updating and promoting the accessibility of Cochrane Reviews – over 4,000 so far, published online in The Cochrane Library.

The Cochrane Collaboration is an international, independent, not-for-profit organisation of over 28,000 contributors from more than 100 countries, dedicated to making up-to-date, accurate information about the effects of health care readily available worldwide.

Our contributors work together to produce systematic reviews of healthcare interventions, known as Cochrane Reviews, which are published online in The Cochrane Library. Cochrane Reviews are intended to help providers, practitioners and patients make informed decisions about health care, and are the most comprehensive, reliable and relevant source of evidence on which to base these decisions.

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Welcome To Meso!

Patient Request for Copy of an Article Recently Published by The Endocrine Society Journals
Patient Access

Please use this request for articles recently published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Endocrinology, Molecular Endocrinology, or Endocrine Reviews.

Note that all articles published more than 12 months ago back to 1997 are free to all online.

To receive your copy of the requested article, please provide the following information:

Article information, including author(s), title of journal, title of article, issue date and page number. This information is available free online for all articles in the Table of Contents.
Your name and e-mail address.

Please e-mail this information to Scott C. Herman at sherman@endo-society.org so that the staff at The Endocrine Society can assist you.

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Welcome To Meso!

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) provides guidance, sets quality standards and manages a national database to improve people’s health and prevent and treat ill health. Welcome to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

NHS Evidence NHS Evidence | Search Engine for Evidence in Health and Social Care was launched in 2009 to manage the synthesis and spread of knowledge in the NHS. Its introduction has ensured that everyone working in health and social care has free access to the quality-assured, best-practice information required to inform evidence-based decision making, quickly and easily. On NHS Evidence users can search more than 150 sources simultaneously, including internationally respected evidence-based sources such as the Cochrane Library, British National Formulary and Map of Medicine. The types of resources available include guidelines, drug information, primary research and clinical summaries. NHS Athens account holders can also get free access to paid-for databases of evidence, e-books and key journals.

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Welcome To Meso!

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) NCCN - Evidence-Based Cancer Guidelines, Oncology Drug Compendium, Oncology Continuing Medical Education , a not-for-profit alliance of 21 of the world’s leading cancer centers, is dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers. The primary goal of all NCCN initiatives is to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of oncology practice so patients can live better lives.


NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines™) - Access to the NCCN Guidelines™ is FREE. The NCCN Guidelines are posted with the latest update date and version number. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Welcome To Meso!

Ochsner SA, Watkins CM, LaGrone BS, Steffen DL, McKenna NJ. Tissue-Specific Transcriptomics and Cistromics of Nuclear Receptor Signaling: A Web Research Resource. Mol Endocrinol:me.2010-0216. Tissue-Specific Transcriptomics and Cistromics of Nuclear Receptor Signaling: A Web Research Resource -- Ochsner et al., 10.1210/me.2010-0216 -- Molecular Endocrinology

Nuclear receptors (NRs) are ligand-regulated transcription factors that recruit coregulators and other transcription factors to gene promoters to effect regulation of tissue-specific transcriptomes. The prodigious rate at which the NR signaling field has generated high content gene expression and, more recently, genome-wide location analysis datasets has not been matched by a committed effort to archiving this information for routine access by bench and clinical scientists. As a first step towards this goal, we searched the MEDLINE database for studies, which referenced either expression microarray and/or genome-wide location analysis datasets in which a NR or NR ligand was an experimental variable. A total of 1122 studies encompassing 325 unique organs, tissues, primary cells, and cell lines, 35 NRs, and 91 NR ligands were retrieved and annotated. The data were incorporated into a new section of the Nuclear Receptor Signaling Atlas Molecule Pages, Transcriptomics and Cistromics, for which we designed an intuitive, freely accessible user interface to browse the studies. Each study links to an abstract, the MEDLINE record, and, where available, Gene Expression Omnibus and ArrayExpress records. The resource will be updated on a regular basis to provide a current and comprehensive entrez into the sum of transcriptomic and cistromic research in this field.


The Nuclear Receptor Signaling Atlas (NURSA) was created to foster the development of a comprehensive understanding of the structure, function, and role in disease of nuclear receptors (NRs) and coregulators. NURSA seeks to elucidate the roles played by NRs and coregulators in metabolism and the development of metabolic disorders (including type 2 diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, and lipid dysregulation), as well as in cardiovascular disease, oncology, regenerative medicine and the effects of environmental agents on their actions. NURSA | Nuclear Receptor Signaling Atlas | Receptors, Coactivators, Corepressors and Ligands

NURSA provides an online animated, narrated tutorial: Nuclear Receptor Signaling: Concepts and Models. The tutorial has been peer-reviewed and published in Science's Signal Transduction Knowledge Environment (STKE). McKenna NJ and O'Malley BW (2005) An interactive course in nuclear receptor signaling: concepts and models. Sci STKE. 2005, tr22. http://www.nursa.org/flash/gene/nuclearreceptor/start.html

The course notes (attached) are downloadable at http://www.nursa.org/flash/gene/nuclearreceptor/course_workbook.pdf

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Welcome To Meso!

GeneReviews - -- GeneReviews -- NCBI Bookshelf - are expert-authored, peer-reviewed disease descriptions that apply genetic testing to the diagnosis, management, and genetic counseling of patients and families with specific inherited conditions.

Published exclusively online, each GeneReview entry is: (1) peer reviewed for accuracy by (a) editorial staff experts in clinical genetics, laboratory genetics, and genetic counseling and by (b) acknowledged international subject experts; (2) updated by the author(s) in a formal comprehensive process every two to three years or as needed; and (3) revised by the author(s) or editorial staff whenever significant changes in clinically relevant information occur.

GeneReviews are part of the GeneTests Web site, which also includes: a Laboratory Directory of US and international laboratories offering molecular genetic testing, specialized cytogenetic testing, and biochemical testing for inherited disorders; a Clinic Directory of US and international genetics clinics providing genetic evaluation and genetic counseling; Resources that are consumer health-oriented organizations and disease registries; Educational materials; and an Illustrated Glossary of genetic counseling and testing terms.

For example, Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bookshelf/br.fcgi?book=gene&part=androgen .

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Welcome To Meso!

Health Services/Technology Assessment Text (HSTAT) is a Web-based resource of full-text documents that provide health information and support health-care decision making. -- Health Services/Technology Assessment Text (HSTAT) -- NCBI Bookshelf

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Welcome To Meso!

Pillbox - Pillbox - prototype pill identification system - enables rapid identification of unknown solid-dosage medications (tablets/capsules) based on physical characteristics and high-resolution images. Once a medication is identified, Pillbox provides links to drug information and drug labels. The National Library of Medicine is partnering with the Food and Drug Administration to enhance patient safety by providing an identification and reference system for solid-dosage medications.

"Poison control centers get more than 1 million calls a year about medicines that need to be identified. And maybe you've been in situations when pills seem to wander away from their labeled bottles, and you don't know what they are." Now, however, "the National Institutes of Health is developing a way to quickly identify medications based on appearance. Pillbox, in its beta testing phase, gives possibilities for your mystery pill based on its shape, color, size, imprint, and 'scoring.'" In addition, there is "an advanced search so you can go the other way: Search for a drug and see what it's supposed to look like." Notably, "the National Library of Medicine and the Food and Drug Administration are working on photographing more pills."

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Welcome To Meso!

Watch live FDA webcasts!

FDALive.com is a division of Video On Location Inc. (VOLi.com). VOLi.com is a full service video production company in business since 1986. VOLi.com was the first company to videotape an FDA advisory meeting in 1989. In 1998, FDALive.com was created and the innovator of every broadcast and archive media provided today. FDALive - The World's Leading Source for FDA Broadcasting

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Welcome To Meso!

Dartmouth Atlas Project
Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care

Understanding of the Efficiency and Effectiveness of the Health Care System

For more than 20 years, the Dartmouth Atlas Project has documented glaring variations in how medical resources are distributed and used in the United States. The project uses Medicare data to provide information and analysis about national, regional, and local markets, as well as hospitals and their affiliated physicians. This research has helped policymakers, the media, health care analysts and others improve their understanding of our health care system and forms the foundation for many of the ongoing efforts to improve health and health systems across America.


Recently released: Quality of End-of-Life Cancer Care for Medicare Beneficiaries: Regional and Hospital-Specific Analyses, posted November 16, 2010, explores such topics as whether Medicare patients with advanced cancer will die in comfortable surroundings while receiving hospice care, or in the hospital. The likelihood of each outcome varies markedly depending on where patients live and receive care. Researchers found no consistent pattern of care or evidence that treatment patterns follow patient preferences, even among the nation’s leading academic medical centers. Rather, with one in three Medicare cancer patients spending their last days in hospitals and intensive care units, the report’s findings demonstrate that many clinical teams aggressively treat patients with curative attempts they may not want, at the expense of improving the quality of their life in their last weeks and months. http://www.dartmouthatlas.org/downloads/reports/Cancer_report_11_16_10.pdf

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Welcome To Meso!

MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a web-based publication of virtually all MIT course content.
OCW is open and available to the world and is a permanent MIT activity.
Free Online Course Materials | MIT OpenCourseWare
Free Online Course Materials | Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology | MIT OpenCourseWare

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Welcome To Meso!

Explorations In Statistics

Curran-Everett D. Explorations in statistics: standard deviations and standard errors. Advan Physiol Edu 2008;32(3):203-8. Explorations in statistics: standard deviations and standard errors -- Curran-Everett 32 (3): 203 -- Advances in Physiology Education

Learning about statistics is a lot like learning about science: the learning is more meaningful if you can actively explore. This series in Advances in Physiology Education provides an opportunity to do just that: we will investigate basic concepts in statistics using the free software package R. Because this series uses R solely as a vehicle with which to explore basic concepts in statistics, I provide the requisite R commands. In this inaugural paper we explore the essential distinction between standard deviation and standard error: a standard deviation estimates the variability among sample observations whereas a standard error of the mean estimates the variability among theoretical sample means. If we fail to report the standard deviation, then we fail to fully report our data. Because it incorporates information about sample size, the standard error of the mean is a misguided estimate of variability among observations. Instead, the standard error of the mean provides an estimate of the uncertainty of the true value of the population mean.


Curran-Everett D. Explorations in statistics: hypothesis tests and P values. Advan Physiol Edu 2009;33(2):81-6. Explorations in statistics: hypothesis tests and P values -- Curran-Everett 33 (2): 81 -- Advances in Physiology Education

This second installment of Explorations in Statistics delves into test statistics and P values, two concepts fundamental to the test of a scientific null hypothesis. The essence of a test statistic is that it compares what we observe in the experiment to what we expect to see if the null hypothesis is true. The P value associated with the magnitude of that test statistic answers this question: if the null hypothesis is true, what proportion of possible values of the test statistic are at least as extreme as the one I got? Although statisticians continue to stress the limitations of hypothesis tests, there are two realities we must acknowledge: hypothesis tests are ingrained within science, and the simple test of a null hypothesis can be useful. As a result, it behooves us to explore the notions of hypothesis tests, test statistics, and P values.


Curran-Everett D. Explorations in statistics: confidence intervals. Advan Physiol Edu 2009;33(2):87-90. Explorations in statistics: confidence intervals -- Curran-Everett 33 (2): 87 -- Advances in Physiology Education

This third installment of Explorations in Statistics investigates confidence intervals. A confidence interval is a range that we expect, with some level of confidence, to include the true value of a population parameter such as the mean. A confidence interval provides the same statistical information as the P value from a hypothesis test, but it circumvents the drawbacks of that hypothesis test. Even more important, a confidence interval focuses our attention on the scientific importance of some experimental result.


Curran-Everett D. Explorations in statistics: the bootstrap. Advan Physiol Edu 2009;33(4):286-92. Explorations in statistics: the bootstrap -- Curran-Everett 33 (4): 286 -- Advances in Physiology Education

This fourth installment of Explorations in Statistics explores the bootstrap. The bootstrap gives us an empirical approach to estimate the theoretical variability among possible values of a sample statistic such as the sample mean. The appeal of the bootstrap is that we can use it to make an inference about some experimental result when the statistical theory is uncertain or even unknown. We can also use the bootstrap to assess how well the statistical theory holds: that is, whether an inference we make from a hypothesis test or confidence interval is justified.


Curran-Everett D. Explorations in statistics: power. Advan Physiol Edu 2010;34(2):41-3. Explorations in statistics: power -- Curran-Everett 34 (2): 41 -- Advances in Physiology Education

This fifth installment of Explorations in Statistics revisits power, a concept fundamental to the test of a null hypothesis. Power is the probability that we reject the null hypothesis when it is false. Four things affect power: the probability with which we are willing to reject-by mistake-a true null hypothesis, the magnitude of the difference we want to be able to detect, the variability of the underlying population, and the number of observations in our sample. In an application to an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee or to the National Institutes of Health, we define power to justify the sample size we propose.


Curran-Everett D. Explorations in statistics: correlation. Advan Physiol Edu 2010;34(4):186-91. Explorations in statistics: correlation -- Curran-Everett 34 (4): 186 -- Advances in Physiology Education

This sixth installment of Explorations in Statistics explores correlation, a familiar technique that estimates the magnitude of a straight-line relationship between two variables. Correlation is meaningful only when the two variables are true random variables: for example, if we restrict in some way the variability of one variable, then the magnitude of the correlation will decrease. Correlation cannot help us decide if changes in one variable result in changes in the second variable, if changes in the second variable result in changes in the first variable, or if changes in a third variable result in concurrent changes in the first two variables. Correlation can help provide us with evidence that study of the nature of the relationship between x and y may be warranted in an actual experiment in which one of them is controlled.

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Welcome To Meso!

FDA Basics for Industry
FDA Basics for Industry is aimed at improving communication between FDA and industry by making basic information about the regulatory process more accessible to industry in a user-friendly format.
http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/FDABasicsforIndustry/ucm2024416.htm