Issue link: https://industrialengineer.epubxp.com/i/777540
February 2017 | ISE Magazine 15 The frontier of medicine may see more cures along the horizon thanks to big data, genomics and quantitative approaches to network-based analysis. In Network Medic e, authors Joseph Loscalzo, Albert-László Barabási and Edwin K. Silverman write about the research that may alter the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases in the future. With contributions from leading experts that highlight the necessity of a team-based approach in network medicine, this book explores the progress being made and the challenges that remain. The progress made, however, can often cause experts to overlook the inherent complexity of human diseases and lead to inadequate treatments or cause adverse side effects. But network medi- cine embraces the complexity of multiple influences on disease and relies on many different types of networks – from the cellular-molecular level of protein-protein interactions to correlational studies of gene expression in biological samples. The authors explain a systematic approach to understanding complex diseases while detailing network medicine's features, such as the integration of modern genomics technologies, biostatistics and bioinformatics, and dynamic systems analysis of complex molecular networks. The authors also argue that network medicine is opening up new opportunities for uncovering causes and identifying cures of disease with new techniques and technologies that comprehensively assess genetic variation, cellular metabolism and protein function. Network Medici e: Complex Systems i uma isease a d Therapeutics is published by Harvard University Press ($45). A deeper search for cures Research aims to develop silver-bullet therapies to treat diseases Book of the Month It's been said that cleanliness is next to godliness, but a Florida State University researcher finds that cleanliness will, at the very least, lead to a healthier brain. In the June issue of the Jour al of Oc- cupatio al a d E viro me tal Medici e, data provided by Joseph Grzywacz, the Norejane Hendrickson Professor of Family and Child Sciences, showed that a lack of stimulation and a dirty envi- ronment in the workplace can have a long-term cognitive effect on employ- ees. "Psychologists say that the brain is a muscle, while industrial hygienists point to chemicals in the work environment that may cause decline," said Grzywacz, the lead researcher on the study. "There are real things in the workplace that can shape cognitive function – some that you can see or touch, and others you can't. We showed that both matter to cognitive health in adulthood." An unclean environment could in- clude various factors – even exposure to agents such as mold, lead or loud noises. Researchers were previously undecided as to a relationship between office sanitation and human activity. Grzywacz and his team obtained cognitive function data from 4,963 working adults ages 32 to 84 from the 48 contiguous states. The sample was 47 percent male and 53 percent female. One of the main findings in the re- search was that the learning of new skills and taking on new challenges resulted in stronger cognitive perfor- mance, particularly for women as they aged. The data also revealed that men and women who had jobs that exposed them to a dirty working environment saw a cognitive decline. "Both of these issues are important when we think about the long-term health of men and women," Grzywacz said. The researchers analyzed the data to examine various workplaces and the workers' ability to maintain and later use new information. They also looked at executive functioning skills, such as the ability to complete tasks, manage time and pay attention. "The practical issue here is cognitive decline associated with aging and the thought of, 'if you don't use it, you lose it,'" Grzywacz said. "Designing jobs to ensure that all workers have some decision-making ability may protect cognitive function later in life, but it's also about cleaning up the workplace." The cleaner the office, the better the brain