Conducting CNS trials during a public health emergency – Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic: A joint ISCTM/ECNP working group consensus paper

A joint working group between the International Society of CNS Clinical Trials and Methodology (ISCTM) and the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) was formed in the latter part of 2020 to explore possible ways to mitigate the impact of Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) in clinical trials while attempting to advance approaches and capabilities to bring new therapeutics to patients. The working group was tasked with developing guidelines for trial design modifications to assist sponsor companies in minimizing risks to data integrity, with a focus on regulatory, technological, operational, and methodological issues related to COVID-19.

To facilitate focused and transferable recommendations, three disease categories were selected as examples to demonstrate the breadth of solutions implemented across CNS clinical trials, as well as ongoing challenges. The categories studied reflected the interests and expertise of the working group, and included neurodegenerative diseases and dementia, mental health disorders, and rare/pediatric diseases. Herein, we describe interim recommendations from the working group as well as priorities for future public health emergencies, to inform permanent adoption in CNS clinical trial development and conduct.

Integration of evidence across human and model organism studies: A meeting report

The National Institute on Drug Abuse and Joint Institute for Biological Sciences at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory hosted a meeting attended by a diverse group of scientists with expertise in substance use disorders (SUDs), computational biology, and FAIR (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability) data sharing. The meeting's objective was to discuss and evaluate better strategies to integrate genetic, epigenetic, and 'omics data across human and model organisms to achieve deeper mechanistic insight into SUDs. Specific topics were to (a) evaluate the current state of substance use genetics and genomics research and fundamental gaps, (b) identify opportunities and challenges of integration and sharing across species and data types, (c) identify current tools and resources for integration of genetic, epigenetic, and phenotypic data, (d) discuss steps and impediment related to data integration, and (e) outline future steps to support more effective collaboration-particularly between animal model research communities and human genetics and clinical research teams. This review summarizes key facets of this catalytic discussion with a focus on new opportunities and gaps in resources and knowledge on SUDs.

[Establishing an observation group in the nursery]

In the nursery, the implementation of a working group on observation was a real step forward in the proposed support. Observation is both taking into account the child's internal world, a way of valuing his or her skills and the possibility of co-constructing finer representations, common to all professionals.

Drug administration via feeding tubes: examples, working group

Drug administration via feeding tubes can be associated with number of various problems. The present text provides examples of medications whose administration via a feeding tube is of high risk. Also, it informs about the existence and activities of the working group of the Czech Professional Society of Clinical Pharmacy, which pursues this matter in detail.

Present Conditions and Problems of Home Care Education in Pharmaceutical Education: Through the Activities of "the Working Group to Create Home Clinical Cases for Education"

In the pharmaceutical education model core curriculums revision, "basic qualities required as a pharmacist" are clearly shown, and "the method based on learning outcomes" has been adopted. One of the 10 qualities (No. 7) is "Practical ability of the health and medical care in the community". In the large item "F. Pharmaceutical clinical" of the model core curriculums, "participation in the home (visit) medical care and nursing care" is written in "participation in the health, medical care, and welfare of the community", and it is an important problem to offer opportunities of home medical care education at university. In our university, we launched a working group to create "home clinical cases for education" from the educational point of view to pharmacy students to learn home medical care, in collaboration with university faculty members and pharmacists, who are practitioners of home care. Through its working group activities, we would like to organize the present conditions and problems of home care education in pharmaceutical education and to examine the possibility of using "home clinical case studies" in home care education at university.