Access Evidence-Based Reports Via AHRQ

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Through its sponsorship of its Evidence-Based Practice Centers (EPCs), the Agency for Healthcare Research Quality (AHRQ) provides a searchable database of Evidence-Base Reports on its website.  These reports inform the audience on medical conditions, new healthcare technologies, and strategies through a comprehensive evidence-based approach.

Some of the database features include: filtering by topic, date, document type and organization or institution, as well as setting up email alerts for updates.

To search the database:
* Click:  EBC Evidence-Based Reports
* Click on SEARCH ALL EPC REPORTS
* Enter a keyword in the search boxEPC Reports Search Page

Link to the AHRQ website from the MSK Library’s Databases, then hover over Research and click on EPC Evidence-Base Reports. If you have any questions about this resource, please don’t hesitate to ASK US.

Disseminating and Sharing Research via Preprints

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This is not my first post on preprints and I suspect it will not be my last. By definition, a preprint is a draft manuscript that is shared publicly (often via a preprint server) before it has been peer reviewed. For the researcher, there are several benefits for posting a preprint to include, early credit and visibility for the research done, and an opportunity to obtain feedback prior to submitting the manuscript to a journal for publication. In my professional readings this month, I’ve noted a couple of interesting articles about preprints.

Exciting News! A new preprint server is scheduled to go live on June 25 and is now accepting manuscripts. medRxiv, a collaboration between Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Yale University, and the BMJ will focus on the medical sciences. This resource was developed with a wealth of past experience from the founders of bioRxiv, who have been working on medRxiv since 2017 to deliver a platform that would share new research while safeguarding concerns of making non-peer reviewed clinical research available. View a short video (10:55 min) from other collaborators entitled, “Research Preprint Server Launches at Yale University”, to learn more about medRxiv.

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Checking in on Checkpoint Inhibitors

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Dr. Allison Betof Warner

Dr. Allison Betof Warner

A recent article from WebMD Health News discusses the promise—and limitations—of immune therapies. These therapies—”checkpoint inhibitor” drugs like Keytruda, Opdivo, and five others approved by the FDA—have successfully treated cancers ranging from melanoma to types of lung, colorectal, and kidney cancers. As MSK’s Dr. Allison Betof Warner says in the article, they have saved numerous lives and been a “game changer.”

Still, checkpoint inhibitors have limitations. Sometimes, drugs will initially shrink a cancer and then stop working. Some patients see no benefit, including 30 to 40 percent of advanced melanoma patients. Medical professionals also can’t predict which patients will experience serious side effects. This is why, Betof Warner concludes, “Immune therapy is an incredible tool. But it’s not a magic bullet.” Researchers are working to continue improving checkpoint inhibitor efficacy.