Journal of Personalized Medicine

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Open AccessArticle

A Longitudinal Study of Health Improvement in the Atlanta CHDWB Wellness Cohort

by Rubina Tabassum, Lynn Cunningham, Emily Hope Stephens, Katelyn Sturdivant, Gregory S. Martin, Kenneth L. Brigham and Greg Gibson

J. Pers. Med. 2014, 4(4), 489-507; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm4040489 - 22 Dec 2014

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 7946

Abstract

The Center for Health Discovery and Wellbeing (CHDWB) is an academic program designed to evaluate the efficacy of clinical self-knowledge and health partner counseling for development and maintenance of healthy behaviors. This paper reports on the change in health profiles for over 90 traits, measured in 382 participants over three visits in the 12 months following enrolment. Significant changes in the desired direction of improved health are observed for many traits related to cardiovascular health, including BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol, and arterial stiffness, as well as for summary measures of physical and mental health. The changes are most notable for individuals in the upper quartile of baseline risk, many of whom showed a positive correlated response across clinical categories. By contrast, individuals who start with more healthy profiles do not generally show significant improvements and only a modest impact of targeting specific health attributes was observed. Overall, the CHDWB model shows promise as an effective intervention particularly for individuals at high risk for cardiovascular disease. Full article

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Open AccessArticle

Promoting Precision Cancer Medicine through a Community-Driven Knowledgebase

by Nophar Geifman, Izhak Haviv, Razelle Kurzrock and Eitan Rubin

J. Pers. Med. 2014, 4(4), 475-488; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm4040475 - 15 Dec 2014

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 9292

Abstract

Increasing efforts are being dedicated towards improving cancer care via personalized medicine. These efforts depend to a large degree on the availability of a knowledge foundation. Unfortunately, existing knowledge linking cancer drugs and potential efficacy biomarkers is in its infancy; and where links are known, they are frequently unstructured and poorly documented. We have developed a new open-access knowledgebase for precision cancer medicine (the PCM Wiki and Knowledgebase). This knowledgebase was constructed using an innovative, two-pronged approach involving a structured knowledgebase at the back-end, and an intuitive knowledge-sharing interface and user-friendly query engine in front. The knowledgebase was seeded with several patient case reports and information was mined via text-mining and literature review by human curators. Using our novel Wiki-based platform to present and share knowledge stored in the PCM knowledgebase, users are able to suggest corrections, propose additions or point to errors in the knowledgebase. The result is a community-driven evolving knowledgebase holding integrated and consolidated knowledge of markers and indications for personalized cancer medicine. We suggest that the PCM Knowledgebase and Wiki could serve as an important tool for the advancement of clinical trials and care in the field of precision cancer medicine. Full article

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Open AccessArticle

Community Engagement for Big Epidemiology: Deliberative Democracy as a Tool

by Rebekah E. McWhirter, Christine R. Critchley, Dianne Nicol, Don Chalmers, Tess Whitton, Margaret Otlowski, Michael M. Burgess and Joanne L. Dickinson

J. Pers. Med. 2014, 4(4), 459-474; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm4040459 - 20 Nov 2014

Cited by 34 | Viewed by 9936

Abstract

Public trust is critical in any project requiring significant public support, both in monetary terms and to encourage participation. The research community has widely recognized the centrality of public trust, garnered through community consultation, to the success of large-scale epidemiology. This paper examines the potential utility of the deliberative democracy methodology within the public health research setting. A deliberative democracy event was undertaken in Tasmania, Australia, as part of a wider program of community consultation regarding the potential development of a Tasmanian Biobank. Twenty-five Tasmanians of diverse backgrounds participated in two weekends of deliberation; involving elements of information gathering; discussion; identification of issues and formation of group resolutions. Participants demonstrated strong support for a Tasmanian Biobank and their deliberations resulted in specific proposals in relation to consent; privacy; return of results; governance; funding; and, commercialization and benefit sharing. They exhibited a high degree of satisfaction with the event, and confidence in the outcomes. Deliberative democracy methodology is a useful tool for community engagement that addresses some of the limitations of traditional consultation methods. Full article

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Open AccessArticle

A Phase I Study of High-Dose Calcitriol in Combination with Temozolomide for Patients with Metastatic Melanoma

by Erin Pettijohn, Brenda Martone, Alfred Rademaker and Timothy Kuzel

J. Pers. Med. 2014, 4(4), 448-458; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm4040448 - 17 Oct 2014

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 7397

Abstract

Background: Temozolomide is efficacious as an oral alternative for patients with metastatic melanoma (MM). Calcitriol has anti-proliferative properties and vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphisms are associated with alterations in melanoma susceptibility and progression. Methods: Tem 150 mg/m² was administered on days 2–8 and 16–22 every 28 days. Calcitriol was given on days 1 and 15 every 28 days. VDR gene analysis was completed using PCR-RFLP based assays. Tolerability was the primary objective with secondary objectives of time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS). Results: Twenty pts with MM were registered. Cytopenias and thrombosis were the most common grade 3 or 4 toxicities. Median TTP was 1.8 mo. Pts with high-risk VDR genotype tt+/−ff (n = 6) had an OS of 3.8 mo from time of enrollment, compared to 7.4 mo for those with non-tt/ff genotypes (n = 11), although not statistically significant (HR = 1.20, 95% CI 0.41–3.53, p = 0.74). Conclusions: The extended dosing of Tem with calcitriol is a well-tolerated regimen. The trend toward improved OS in non-tt/ff VDR genotypes is consistent with prior studies associating the tt/ff genotype with biologic aggressiveness. Full article

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J. Pers. Med., Volume 4, Issue 4 (December 2014) – 4 articles , Pages 448-507

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