Metadata is about data and describes the nature of given information. Metadata can be any one of the following:

• Data about data – metadata, in other words, data about itself and its content. 
• Data about the database – data that describes the database schema or structure. 
• Data about the database management system (DBMS) – data that describes capabilities of the DBMS, such as performance and security features. 
• Data about the users and their interaction with the database – data that describes how users are using the DBMS. 

A metadata repository is a place where all this information is stored and managed to support decision making, business use cases, operations, and IT processes such as change management or database maintenance on a day-to-day basis. For example, a metadata repository can store all types of information such as trial design, protocol documents, study setup specific information like sites participating in the trial, study instruments used for collecting patient data, team leads for each study site, and so on. It is essential in various groups involved in clinical research, from study setup to monitoring to the analysis phase. 

There are several benefits to using a repository, such as the ryze clinical metadata repository and similar ones for clinical studies, and this article will list some of them:

• Improves Efficiency 

Researchers create, maintain, govern, and use standards consistently throughout their projects with a metadata repository in place. The repository can be configured to automatically generate standard reference documentation for each study. It improves efficiency because researchers spend less time creating documentation, manually populating spreadsheets, and responding to audit requests.  

The repository also enables researchers to collaborate on projects since it can share information seamlessly. In addition, researchers can more easily perform critical tasks such as tracking changes made to the study design or identifying which internal and external parties will require data sets during the trial.

• Helps Researchers Reuse Existing Assets 

The pharmaceutical industry is facing increased demands for speed and efficiency in the discovery, development, and approval of new drugs. Pharmaceutical companies are under the gun to bring more drugs to market faster. And once on the market, these companies must demonstrate that their products are safe and effective while maintaining federal regulations. 

Many pharmaceuticals have started to use metadata repositories to help them store and extract data that they have used before to assist them in new projects.  

For example, researchers working on developing a new treatment for women with breast cancer could use a metadata repository to access the thousands of clinical records that have already been collected through previous studies (with patient consent, of course). The researchers could then selectively review those records for specific characteristics that may be applicable to their research. 

Additionally, if their study will focus on a specific ethnic group or patients at a certain age, they can review past studies for those same characteristics. They can also look for information about factors that may affect the effectiveness of the treatment they are developing, such as using other medications or patient lifestyle choices.

• Enhances Traceability 

A metadata repository can benefit clinical studies by enabling researchers to improve traceability. 

Traceability is the ability to trace a study back to its source and forward it to the destination, including how data is collected and validated, how it changes as it moves throughout the organization, and how information is used in real-time. 

Data coming into an organization often comes from multiple sources — such as study site systems, laboratory data management systems, and more — and gets integrated into one or more platforms. 

With all of these different methods to collect data comes several formats that are challenging to translate into a standard format. It can strain the research organization because they must manage multiple systems while maintaining data integrity. 

Institutions that have already invested in an enterprise metadata repository (EMR) have found that their study data can be quickly mapped into another platform, allowing for a universal view of the data. 

Once all the systems are connected through an EMR, it’s also possible for researchers to use artificial intelligence tools like machine learning or deep learning (a subset of machine learning) to develop predictive models that can identify specific outcomes from particular types of data.

• Helps In Creating Accurate Mappings  

A metadata repository can benefit clinical studies by allowing researchers to create accurate mappings. 

The mappings are subsequently used to extract data from the metadata repository to populate study-specific databases. By studying the relevant information to the project and making it available, a metadata repository will help you get an overview of your project environment and gain insight into how it works. 

The information relevant to your project is also valuable to other projects, and they will be able to use the information you have made available from your metadata repository. 

In other words, you can make the information available to others but still keep control over it. 

Conclusion  

The framework for clinical data sharing is here, and it will only get stronger. The future of clinical trials is bright now that metadata repositories can provide the foundation for unified access to clinical study data.

Scabies is a skin condition caused by the parasite Sarcoptes scabiei.

The intense itching associated with scabies is thought to be caused by the immune system reacting to the mites and their saliva, eggs and faeces.

The scabies mite life cycle

A scabies infestation starts when a female mite burrows into your skin.

Male mites move between different burrow sites looking to mate. After mating, the male mite dies and the female begins to lay eggs, which hatch around 3 to 4 days later.

After hatching, the young mites move to the surface of the skin, where they mature into adults after 10 to 15 days. Male mites stay on the surface of the skin, while female mites burrow back into the skin to create a new burrow. The life cycle is then repeated.

Without effective treatment, the life cycle of the scabies mite can continue indefinitely. Scabies mites are resistant to soap and hot water and can’t be scrubbed out of the skin.

How scabies is spread

Scabies mites can’t fly or jump, which means they can only move from one human body to another if 2 people have direct and prolonged physical contact.

For example, scabies mites can be transmitted by:

• holding hands with an infected person for a prolonged period of time
• having sex with an infected person
• sharing clothing, towels and bedding with an infected person (although this is rare)
• It’s unlikely that scabies will be transmitted through brief physical contact, such as shaking hands or hugging.

Scabies mites can survive outside the human body for 24 to 36 hours, making infection by coming into contact with contaminated clothes, towels or bed linen a possibility. However, it’s rare for someone to be infected in this way.

Scabies infestations can spread quickly because people are usually unaware they have the condition until 2 to 3 weeks after the initial infection.

There’s an increased risk of catching scabies in confined environments, such as schools and nursing homes, where people are in close proximity to one another.

Research has found that sleep quality does indeed get a little rusty as you grow older, but it’s not a fate you have to live with, experts say.

A lot of people complains that as they get older, they found it difficult to sleep and why is it so?

Dr. Abhinav Singh, medical director of the Indiana Sleep Center and a sleep professor at Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine, likes to answer this question with an analogy. Think of your ability to sleep as though it were a car, he said. As it ages and clocks more miles, it begins to fall apart; it needs more repairs, and its ride becomes less smooth.

The same thing happens with your sleep, Dr. Singh said.

Researchers have found that sleep quality does indeed get a little rusty with age: Older adults are more likely to take longer to fall asleep, wake up more frequently throughout the night and spend more time napping during the day compared with younger adults. They also spend less time in deep, restorative sleep, which helps with bone and muscle growth and repair, strengthens the immune system and helps the brain reorganize and consolidate memories, Dr. Singh said. Your melatonin levels, which play an important role in sleep-wake cycles, also go awry with age, he said.

It is no surprise, then, that when researchers surveyed more than 9,000 people ages 65 and older in a landmark study published in 1995, they found that 57 percent of them reported at least one sleep complaint over three years. These included trouble falling or staying asleep, waking up too early, feeling unrested and napping during the day. In a different study, published in 2014, scientists found that a little more than half of the 6,050 older adults surveyed had either one or two insomnia symptoms over the past month.

Research suggests that women are more likely than men to report poorer sleep quality in general. And sleep begins to elude them earlier in life, usually starting around the menopausal transition (or the years leading up to menopause), which typically begins between 45 and 55, according to the National Institute on Aging.

ADVERTISEMENT

What exactly causes these changes?

The truth is that no one knows for sure. “We’re only just starting to understand why all of this happens,” said Luis de Lecea, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University.

One explanation might have to do with an aging brain. In a study published in February, Dr. de Lecea and his team found that a particular cluster of neurons responsible for wakefulness became overly stimulated in aging mice, disrupting their sleep cycles. This shift “likely also happens to humans,” he said, because the part of the brain that regulates sleep in mice, called the hypothalamus, is similar to that of humans. (Many sleep studies are conducted in mice for practical and ethical reasons.) Researchers have also found that the suprachiasmatic nucleus, another brain region that regulates the body’s circadian rhythms, deteriorates in mice with age. This results in sleep disorders, including trouble falling asleep at regular times.

Certain lifestyle changes can lead to sleep disruption later in life, too, said Adam Spira, a professor and sleep researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. As people retire, their days become less structured and routine. They may wake up later or nap during the day, which can make it harder to fall asleep at night, creating a vicious cycle.

Researchers have also found links between depression, loneliness, grief over the loss of a loved one and poor sleep in older adults. And in a 2014 study, Dr. Spira concluded that older adults who struggled with certain activities or household chores, like laundry, grocery shopping, meeting with friends or taking a walk, were more likely to report insomnia symptoms than older adults who were able to participate in those activities.

For women, hot flashes, night sweats and higher rates of depression, anxiety and stress — common symptoms of the menopausal transition — are also correlated with poor sleep. But researchers are still not exactly sure why those perimenopausal symptoms might be more severe and frequent in some women, and how best to address them.

Of course, certain medical conditions that are more prevalent in older adults can also wreak havoc on sleep, Dr. Singh said. Weight gain, for example, can increase the risk of developing a condition like sleep apnea, which can cause you to snore, gasp for air or feel like you’re choking while you’re sleeping. And medications, like diuretics for blood pressure, can also impair sleep because they can lead to more trips to the bathroom. They really can “act like darts into your sleep board,” Dr. Singh said.

Are sleepless nights a fate you have to live with?

The good news is that the same habits that improve sleep for people in general will work for older adults with changing sleep patterns, too, Dr. Spira said. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, avoiding naps and late-afternoon caffeine, following a healthy diet and exercising regularly are all things that will help your sleep, research suggests. In fact, one small study published in 2022 found that at least 40 minutes of either aerobic or resistance training four times a week helped older adults fall asleep faster and stay asleep for longer.

Keeping consistent mealtimes every day can also help maintain a routine, which, in turn, can help regulate sleep, Dr. Singh said — as can spending time outside in sunlight, which helps keep melatonin production and the body’s circadian rhythm in check. Older adults who are on medications should also check with their doctors about whether the drugs might be interfering with their sleep and if there might be alternative options or a different dosage, he added.

Tips for Better Sleep

Tired of tossing and turning? There are some strategies you could try to maximize your hours in bed.

Turn Your Bedroom Into a Sleep Sanctuary With Wirecutter’s Recommendations

• Good rest starts with a great mattress.
• Next, you’ll need a good pillow. 
• White noise machines have the power to mask yapping dogs, clanky radiators and late-night parties. Consider buying one.