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Introducing BMC Bioinformatics’ Collection: Bioinformatics ethics and data privacy
© janews094 / stock.adobe.com The amount of biological data stored on both local storage systems and online platforms and databases is as large as ever. With the constant increase in the use of data for both digital health and research purposes, ethics and data privacy are important consideration in this increasingly digital world. Matters such…
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Introducing BMC Biomedical Engineering’s Collection: Point-of-care diagnostics
© CIPhotos / Getty Images / iStock Point-of-care (POC) diagnostics, defined as diagnostics at or near the site of patient care, has recently gained increased popularity due to its quicker turnaround and comparable accuracy to standard laboratory testing. It enables fast clinical decision-making, leading to improved clinical outcome and patient service. It can also be…
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Introducing BMC Biomedical Engineering’s Collection: Microfluidic technologies for biomedical applications
© [M] luchschenF / Stock.adobe.com Microfluidic devices allow fluids to be manipulated on a scale ranging between one micrometre and one millimetre. The application of microfluidics in the biomedical field covers many different aspects, including sensing, cell manipulation and micropumping. These devices also serve as tissue/organ culture platforms. The concept of organ-on-a-chip allows such complex…
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Introducing BMC Biomedical Engineering’s Collection: Medical wearable technologies
© Carlo / stock.adobe.com Medical wearable technologies are becoming increasingly widespread as the importance of personalized medicine and accurate monitoring is recognized. The last few years have seen unprecedented improvements in the accuracy of wearable devices. This in turn has led to increasing applications in the medical field as more and more equipment is designed…
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Advice to reviewers from the Editorial Board Members of BMC Cardiovascular Disorders
We asked the EBMs of the month of BMC Cardiovascular Disorders the question: ‘’ What is one piece of advice you would give to reviewers as an EBM overseeing peer review ?“ Here are their replies: “I would advise reviewers to think about how the manuscript at hand could be improved. The ultimate goal is…
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Why choose a BMC journal?
(Photo by William Fortunato via Pexels) Our mission is to provide you with publishing options that align with your values At BMC, we are dedicated to publishing the best open access journals across our portfolio of over 250 titles and are always striving to drive progress in biology, health sciences and medicine. With over 20…
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World Rabies Day 2020: where does rabies come from and how can vaccination rates be increased in developing countries?
Maasai boy with dogs © Felix Lankester The question I am most frequently asked is how many people die of rabies each year and people are always amazed when you tell them that over 60,000 die, mostly children. The next question which quickly follows tends to be, but isn’t there a vaccine? The answer to…
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Highlights of the BMC Series – September 2020
Credit: Alexander Heinel/Picture Alliance/DPA History was made this year when two women, Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of a genome editing method using CRISPR-Cas9, which has numerous applications in the editing of plant and animal genomes. However, even before the discovery of CRISPR-Cas’ use in DNA…
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Solidarity in Social Distancing: Flattening the Curve
Closure of schools and offices has wreaked havoc on families. The cancellation of airline flights, public events, social functions, and the disruption of our economy has been exasperating. We have been thrown into an era dominated by uncertainty, anxiety, and fear. Are these measures truly necessary to mitigate the current COVID-19 pandemic? The answer is…
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Looking beyond physical health for World Cancer Day 2020
© Photographee.eu / stock.adobe.com February 4th, 2020 is the midpoint of the Union for International Cancer Control’s (UICC) three-year call-to-action of ‘I Am and I Will’. The theme of World Cancer Day 2020 asks for personal, collective and government pledges to raise awareness, reduce deaths, and improve quality of life for those affected by a…