Advances in Medical Biology: Final project report, Medical and health research programme (1987-1991) The Community's fourth programme of medical and health research (1987-1991) has published a final report in book form on "Advances in Medical Biology". The 276-page publication covers aspects of two of the programme's six research targets. These are age-related health problem... The Community's fourth programme of medical and health research (1987-1991) has published a final report in book form on "Advances in Medical Biology". The 276-page publication covers aspects of two of the programme's six research targets. These are age-related health problems; environment and life-style related health problems. In particular, the seventeen concerted actions described in this volume relate to the following fields of application: - Standardization of diagnostic procedures; - Application of new biological techniques to health problems; - Sharing of technologies and re-agents; - Provision of special biological systems; - Evaluation of the effectiveness of measures aiming at health and health-care improvement; - Collection, storage and dissemination of information. Of the seventeen actions, four were already running under the third medical and health research programme (1982-1986); the others were selected following a call for proposals issued under the fourth programme. During implementation, these actions contributed to the establishment of close and fruitful links between researchers, in particular clinicians and basic researchers. This collaboration has in some cases allowed the transfer of results into harmonized medical practice throughout Europe. In other cases, pooling of resources and exchange of information between research teams working in the same field has resulted in durable collaboration across borders. The concerted actions have also strengthened European cohesion by stimulating biomedical research in less technologically advanced research institutes and have allowed a greater number of teams to participate in the programme, with results of mutual benefit. The scientific quality of the work undertaken is demonstrated by the lists of publications and papers included in the publication, which represent either the direct results of the concerted actions or achievements arising from activities related to them. Two final reports are available from the 1987-1991 medical and health research programme. These include: - "Advances in Biomedical Engineering", edited by J.E.W. Beneken and V. Thevenin, IOS Press 1993 (ISBN-90-5199-119-3); - "Health Services Research", edited by G. N. Fracchia and M. Theofilatron, IOS Press (ISBN-90-5199-136-3). A further title will be available in the near future: - "Epidemiology: Results of the 4th Medical and Health Research Programme", edited by K. Vuylsteek and M. Hallen, IOS Press, 1994.
