Electronic case report forms and electronic data capture within clinical trials and pharmacoepidemiology

Aims: Researchers in clinical and pharmacoepidemiology fields have adopted information technology (IT) and electronic data capture, but these remain underutilised despite the benefits. This review discusses electronic case report forms and electronic data capture, specifically within pharmacoepidemiology and clinical research.Methods: The review used PubMed and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers library (IEEE). Search terms used were agreed by the authors and documented. PubMed is medical and health based, whereas IEEE is technology based. The review focuses on electronic case report forms and electronic data capture, but considers briefly other relevant topics; consent, ethics, and security.Results: One thousand, one hundred and twenty six papers were found using the search terms. Manual filtering and reviewing of abstracts further condensed this number to 136 relevant manuscripts. The papers were further categorised; 17 containing study data, 40 containing observational data, 27 anecdotal data, 47 covering methodology or design of systems, 1 case study, 1 literature review, 2 feasibility studies, and 1 cost analysis.Conclusion: Electronic case report forms, electronic data capture, and IT in general, are viewed with enthusiasm and are seen as a cost effective means of improving research efficiency, educating participants, and improving trial recruitment, provided concerns about how data will be protected from misuse can be addressed. Clear operational guidelines and best practices are key for healthcare providers, and researchers adopting IT, and further work is needed on improving integration of new technologies with current systems. A robust method of evaluation for technical innovation is required

Modulator-Controlled Synthesis of Microporous STA-26, an Interpenetrated 8,3-Connected Zirconium MOF with the the-i Topology, and its Reversible Lattice Shift

A fully interpenetrated 8,3-connected zirconium MOF with the the-i topology type, STA-26 (St Andrews porous material-26), has been prepared using the 4,4′,4“-(2,4,6-trimethylbenzene-1,3,5-triyl)tribenzoate (TMTB) tritopic linker with formic acid as a modulating agent. In the as-prepared form STA-26 possesses Im (Formula presented.) m symmetry compared with the Pm (Formula presented.) m symmetry of the non-interpenetrated analogue, NU-1200, prepared using benzoic acid as a modulator. Upon removal of residual solvent there is a shift between the interpenetrating lattices and a resultant symmetry change to Cmcm which is fully reversible. This is observed by X-ray diffraction and 13C MAS NMR is also found to be remarkably sensitive to the structural transition. Furthermore, heating STA-26(Zr) in vacuum dehydroxylates the Zr 6 nodes leaving coordinatively unsaturated Zr 4+ sites, as shown by IR spectroscopy using CO and CD 3CN as probe molecules. Nitrogen adsorption at 77 K together with grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations confirms a microporous, fully interpenetrated, structure with pore volume 0.53 cm 3 g −1 while CO 2 adsorption at 196 K reaches 300 cm 3 STP g −1 at 1 bar. While the pore volume is smaller than that of its non-interpenetrated mesoporous analogue, interpenetration makes the structure more stable to moisture adsorption and introduces shape selectivity in adsorption. </p