The chemical dimension of the function of the brain is discussed in this article. The chemical transmitters or substances are related to the excitatory or inhibitory influence on neurons. (Author/SA)

Discusses the difficulties involved in determining the cost of clinical research in light of the changing health care market. These include confusion about terminology, lack of specificity, estimation of the cost of complications, duration of patient participation, and the assignment of personnel and infrastructure costs. (MDM)

Discusses the growth in the quantity of scientific literature and advances in information retrieval techniques to find relevant articles. Explores user behavior and information requirements of scientists as they interact with medical literature to answer research questions and introduces METIS (Multi-user extraction and information synthesis) to…

Lessons learned from experience about shaping science policy include (1) the partnership between health and science interests is fundamental; (2) research fund allocation should be based on scientific merit; (3) better data and careful analysis are vital to decision making; and (4) policy principles should be clear and concise. (Author/MSE)

Six articles are presented on the use of human subjects in research on acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Topics include the ethics of human experimentation, female and pediatric AIDS patients, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and AIDS among correctional inmates, community-based AIDS research, and clinical trials of HIV…

Describes the symptoms, such as appetite change and mood fluctuation, basic mechanisms, and some treatments of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Carbohydrate-Craving Obesity (CCO) and Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). Provides several tables and diagrams, and three reading references. (YP)

A study to test whether or not a computer network can be used to ease the isolation of housebound AIDS patients and help them get advice and make decisions about their health care is described. The research is supported by the National Institutes of Health. (MLW)

Reviews theory and methods used by the field of biological psychology to study stress that have potential for understanding how behavioral and biological adaptations to the stress of exercise are integrated. The overview focuses on anxiety, depression, and physiological responsiveness to nonexercise stressors from the perspective of biological…

Introduces Minority Opportunities in Research programs of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences: Minority Access to Research Careers Program, Minority Biomedical Research Support Program, National Minority Predoctoral Fellowship Program, and Research Supplements for Underrepresented Minorities Program. These programs provide financial…

Highlights ethical issues for human subject research, identifying principles that form the construct of a code of research ethics and evaluating against this construct past human experimentation and current research in human movement studies. The efficacy of legislation and self-regulation is examined. Particular attention is given to the context…

Despite key changes in the federal Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) research program, activists and some scientists are frustrated that not enough has been done and the actions taken have not had sufficient impact on the problem. Controversy over basic vs. clinical-trial research persists. (MSE)

Two articles discuss the clustering of composite representations in the Cystic Fibrosis Document Collection from the National Library of Medicine's MEDLINE file. Clustering is evaluated as a function of the exhaustivity of composite representations based on Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and citation indexes, and evaluation of retrieval…

The scientific community's expectations for biomedical research exceed funding capacity. Despite national social and economic problems, funding for biomedical research is already high. Additional funds will not solve the problem entirely. The biomedical community must set priorities and allocate money accordingly. New policies for allocating funds…

Eight experts in visual impairment respond briefly to reports that intensive monitoring of blood glucose levels by persons with diabetes can lead to a 70% reduction in the progression of detectable diabetic retinopathy. Comments are generally optimistic, though some cautions are raised. (DB)

Describes the operation and early findings of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology, which allows researchers to look at brain events rather than just structures. (WRM)