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Background; Each year, the International Medical Informatics Association Yearbook recognizes significant scientific papers, labelled as "best papers", published the previous year in the subfields of biomedical informatics that correspond to the different section topics of the journal. For each section, about fifteen pre-selected "candidate" best papers are externally peer-reviewed to select the actual best papers. Although based on the available literature, little is known about the pre-selection process. Objective: To move toward an explicit formalization of the candidate best papers selection process to reduce variability in the literature search across sections and over years. Methods: A methodological framework is proposed to build for each section topic specific queries tailored to PubMed and Web of Science citation databases. The two sets of returned papers are merged and reviewed by two independent section editors and citations are tagged as "discarded", "pending", and "kept". A protocolized consolidation step is then jointly conducted to resolve conflicts. A bibliographic software tool, Bib Review, was developed to support the whole process. Results: The proposed search strategy was fully applied to the Decision Support section of the 2013 edition of the Yearbook. For this section, 1124 references were returned (689 PubMed-specific, 254 WoS-specific, 181 common to both databases) among which the 15 candidate best papers were selected. Conclusions: The search strategy for determining candidate best papers for an IMIA Yearbook's section is now explicitly specified and allows for reproducibility. However, some aspects of the whole process remain reviewer-dependent, mostly because there is no characterization of a "best paper". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Manual mapping of laboratory data to Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) requires a major effort. Application of the LOINC mapping assistant RELMA V.6.6 can reduce the effort required for mapping. The goal of the paper is to perform a semi-automated mapping of Russian laboratory terms to LOINC.Methods: A semi-automated mapping of the 2563 terms from two clinics in Russia was performed. The first step was automatic mapping using RELMA V.6.6 and LOINC V.2.48 Russian translation by Yaroslavl state medical academy. The second step was a manual expert mapping. To evaluate the correctness of mapping all the mapped terms were reviewed by two experts.Results: The paper presents the results of semi-automatic mapping of Russian laboratory terms to LOINC. Two clinics (A and B) and a laboratory service participated in the project. The following results were achieved: mapping of 86% terms from Clinic A and 87% from Clinic B. It has to be mentioned that 99% of terms used in 2014 were mapped. In total 2398 out of 2563 were mapped.Discussion: The required effort was reasonable and the price of mapping and maintenance was considered as relatively low in comparison to manual methods.Conclusion: RELMA V.6.6 and LOINC V.2.48 offer the opportunity of a low effort LOINC mapping even for non-English languages. The study proved that the mapping effort is acceptable and mapping results are on the same level as the manual mapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speech-language pathologists and board-certified behavior analysts both provide important support services to children who are candidates for augmentative and alternative communication. Current assessment practices neglect critical socioecological factors that are necessary to inform communication-based interventions. By leveraging the unique knowledge, research, and expertise of both disciplines, an interprofessional approach to assessment may help realize individualized or precision interventions and personalized supports that address the unique communication needs of each person. The purpose of this article is to introduce a process-based approach to assessment called the "Applied Model of Interprofessional Collaboration—Assessment (AMIC–A)." The AMIC–A will be defined and detailed including the rationale for development, a description of the approach, and recommendations for implementation. A case study example is provided to illustrate implementation of the AMIC–A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is an intermediary mechanism of disease known to develop as a complication in other conditions like sepsis, trauma, cancer, or obstetrical disorders. Patients with DIC may present to different specialists depending on symptomology and as such a good understanding of the pathophysiological process is necessary to ensure best management. However, more recently, controversy has risen where experts doubt whether DIC really exists in many of the historically well-established diagnoses. This has led to confusion among both basic science researchers and clinical practitioners about when to consider DIC diagnosis. In this review, the various issues which have led to this uncertainty are addressed, including the problem with different terminologies, simpler explanation of current DIC diagnostic criteria, and reasons behind why the diagnosis may be overlooked or not considered at all, along with their possible solutions. It is hoped that the diagnostic aspects of DIC will come full circle, wherein the recent research can build up on what history had taught us and not refute its existence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on impact factors and the quality of publications in the journal's previous issues. Explored is the impact of the science journal on the quality of health and patient care. Issues on data analysis, information and database management and medical reporting in biomedicine and health care are also discussed.

The rich feature set and flexibility of mobile technology offers a host of novel opportunities to provide specific and timely supports to individuals with communication and memory disorders. These "just-in-time" (JIT) supports can be used as prompts, reminders, rewards, strategies to increase independence, and expressive language supports for children and adults with communication and memory disorders. The purpose of this article is to examine current research on, and propose future directions for, repurposing consumer products to enhance JIT communication within the field of augmentative and alternative communication. Initially, a brief history of JIT supports will be reviewed, including a timeline and history of JIT-enabling technology. Next, the taxonomy of JIT supports will be applied to current research in both individuals with autism spectrum disorder and individuals with acquired communication disorders (e.g., acquired brain injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) to illustrate current clinical implications and evaluate current limitations of JIT supports. Finally, future directions for research and expanded use of consumer products to provide JIT supports will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on how physicians encounter classic language such as Greek and Latin in the medical culture. He mentions that a common language had to be found which would be understandable to the educated scholar around the world when medicine slowly developed into a scientific specialty. An overview on the native French language and its contribution to scientific publication in medicine is also offered.