Topic types

In many of the source systems some of the topics / keywords are categorised according to the type of data that they represent. This categorisation can be useful in searching and filtering scenarios and so is included in the MDR.
If not explicitly catergorised, the topics or keyword terms are simply left as being of type 'Keyword'. (Though if controlled terminology terms are used, categorisation may be possible through later processing even when it is not used in the source data.)

The current types of topics used within the system largely reflect the categorisations used within the two major initial source systems.
As well as conventional topic types, they also include a set of study data points - included so that they can be used in searches for studies with particular attributes. The categories used within the categorised types are listed on the Topic Categories page.

id	name	description	type	source
11	keywords	Topic that was not categorised or does not fit into one of the categories listed. Often written by study or object creators.	Free-text or controlled vocabulary	ClinicalTrials.gov
12	chemical / agent	One or more chemicals or biological agents, relevant to the study, including as interventions under test.	Free-text or controlled vocabulary	ClinicalTrials.gov
13	condition	Illness or condition that is being targeted within study.	Free-text or controlled vocabulary	ClinicalTrials.gov
14	design	Aspect of study design methodology.	Free-text or controlled vocabulary	PubMed
15	outcome	Outcome measure or outcome produced within the study.	Free-text or controlled vocabulary	PubMed
16	geographic	A geographical entity that was the particular focus or limit of the study.	Free-text or controlled vocabulary	PubMed
17	organism	Organism, e.g. particular bacterium, that was targeted during the study.	Categorised	PubMed
20	phase	(For interventional trials only) For a clinical trial of a drug product (including a biological product), the numerical phase of the clinical trial.	Categorised	ClinicalTrials.gov
21	primary purpose	(For interventional trials only) The main objective of the intervention(s) being evaluated by the clinical trial.	Categorised	ClinicalTrials.gov
22	allocation type	(For interventional trials only) The method by which participants are assigned to arms in a clinical trial.	Categorised	ClinicalTrials.gov
23	intervention model	(For interventional trials only) The strategy for assigning interventions to participants.	Categorised	ClinicalTrials.gov
24	masking	(For interventional trials only) The party or parties involved in the clinical trial who are prevented from having knowledge of the interventions assigned to individual participants.	Categorised	ClinicalTrials.gov
30	observational model	(For observational studies only) The Primary strategy for participant identification and follow-up.	Categorised	ClinicalTrials.gov
31	time perspective	(For observational studies only) Describes the temporal relationship of observation period to time of participant enrollment.	Categorised	ClinicalTrials.gov
32	biospecimens retained	(For observational studies only) Indicates whether samples of material from participants are retained in a biorepository.	Categorised	ClinicalTrials.gov
40	gender eligibility	(For all studies) The sex of the participants eligible to participate in the clinical study.	Categorised	ClinicalTrials.gov
41	minimum age	(For all studies) The numerical value, if any, for the minimum age a potential participant must meet to be eligible for the study, plus a unit of time (e.g. Years, Days) or N/A (=No limit).	Integer plus Time unit	ClinicalTrials.gov
42	maximum age	(For all studies) The numerical value, if any, for the maximum age a potential participant can be to be eligible for the study, plus a unit of time (e.g. Years, Days) or N/A (=No limit).	Integer plus Time unit	ClinicalTrials.gov
43	enrolment	(For all studies) The anticipated or actual total number of participants in the clinical study.	Integer	ClinicalTrials.gov
101	abnormalities	Used with organs for congenital defects producing changes in the morphology of the organ. It is used also for abnormalities in animals.	MESH term	PubMed
102	administration & dosage	Used with drugs for dosage forms, routes of administration, frequency and duration of administration, quantity of medication, and the effects of these factors.	MESH term	PubMed
103	adverse effects	Used with drugs, chemicals, or biological agents in accepted dosage - or with physical agents or manufactured products in normal usage - when intended for diagnostic, therapeutic, prophylactic, or anaesthetic purposes. It is used also for adverse effects or complications of diagnostic, therapeutic, prophylactic, anaesthetic, surgical, or other procedures.	MESH term	PubMed
104	agonists	Used with chemicals, drugs, and endogenous substances to indicate substances or agents that have affinity for a receptor and intrinsic activity at that receptor. (From Textbook of Pharmacology, 1991, p.16)	MESH term	PubMed
105	analogs & derivatives	Used with drugs and chemicals for substances that share the same parent molecule or have similar electronic structure but differ by the addition or substitution of other atoms or molecules. It is used when the specific chemical heading is not available and no appropriate group heading exists.	MESH term	PubMed
106	analysis	Used for the identification or quantitative determination of a substance or its constituents and metabolites; includes the analysis of air, water, or other environmental carrier. It excludes the chemical analysis of tissues, tumours, body fluids, organisms, and plants for which "chemistry" is used. The concept applies to both methodology and results. For analysis of substances in blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and urine the specific subheading designating the fluid is used.	MESH term	PubMed
107	anatomy & histology	Used with organs, regions, and tissues for normal descriptive anatomy and histology, and for the normal anatomy and structure of animals and plants.	MESH term	PubMed
108	antagonists & inhibitors	Used with chemicals, drugs, and endogenous substances to indicate substances or agents which counteract their biological effects by any mechanism.	MESH term	PubMed
109	biosynthesis	Used for the anabolic formation of chemical substances in organisms, in living cells, or by subcellular fractions.	MESH term	PubMed
110	blood	Used for the presence or analysis of substances in the blood; also for examination of, or changes in, the blood in disease states. It excludes serodiagnosis, for which the subheading "diagnosis" is used, and serology, for which "immunology" is used.	MESH term	PubMed
111	blood supply	Used for arterial, capillary, and venous systems of an organ or region whenever the specific heading for the vessel does not exist. It includes blood flow through the organ.	MESH term	PubMed
112	cerebrospinal fluid	cerebrospinal fluid	MESH term	PubMed
113	chemical synthesis	Used for the chemical preparation of molecules in vitro. For the formation of chemical substances in organisms, living cells, or subcellular fractions, "biosynthesis" is used.	MESH term	PubMed
114	chemically induced	Used for biological phenomena, diseases, syndromes, congenital abnormalities, or symptoms caused by endogenous or exogenous substances.	MESH term	PubMed
115	chemistry	Used with chemicals, biological, and non-biological substances for their composition, structure, characterization, and properties; also used for the chemical composition or content of organs, tissue, tumors, body fluids, organisms, and plants. Excludes chemical analysis and determination of substances for which "analysis" is used; excludes synthesis for which "chemical synthesis" is used; excludes isolation and purification of substances for which "isolation & purification" is used	MESH term	PubMed
116	classification	Used for taxonomic or other systematic or hierarchical classification systems	MESH term	PubMed
117	complications	Used with diseases to indicate conditions that co-exist or follow, i.e., co-existing diseases, complications, or sequelae.	MESH term	PubMed
118	congenital	Used with disease headings to indicate those conditions existing at, and usually before, birth. It excludes morphologic abnormalities and birth injuries, for which "abnormalities" and "injuries" are used.	MESH term	PubMed
119	cytology	Used for cellular appearance of unicellular and multicellular organisms.	MESH term	PubMed
120	deficiency	Used with endogenous and exogenous substances which are absent or in diminished amount relative to the normal requirement of an organism or a biologic system.	MESH term	PubMed
121	diagnosis	Used with diseases for all aspects of diagnosis, including examination, differential diagnosis and prognosis. Excludes diagnosis using imaging techniques (e.g. radiography, scintigraphy, and ultrasonography) for which "diagnostic imaging" is used.	MESH term	PubMed
122	diagnostic imaging	Used for the visualization of an anatomical structure or for the diagnosis of disease. Commonly used imaging techniques include radiography, radionuclide imaging, thermography, tomography, and ultrasonography.	MESH term	PubMed
123	diet therapy	Used with disease headings for dietary and nutritional management of the disease. The concept does not include vitamin or mineral supplements, for which "drug therapy" may be used.	MESH term	PubMed
124	drug effects	Used with organs, regions, tissues, or organisms and physiological and psychological processes for the effects of drugs and chemicals.	MESH term	PubMed
125	drug therapy	Used with disease headings for the treatment of disease by the administration of drugs, chemicals, and antibiotics. For diet therapy and radiotherapy, use specific subheadings. Excludes immunotherapy for which "therapy" is used.	MESH term	PubMed
126	economics	Used for the economic aspects of any subject, as well as for all aspects of financial management. It includes the raising or providing of funds.	MESH term	PubMed
127	education	Used for education, training programs, and courses in various fields and disciplines, and for training groups of persons.	MESH term	PubMed
128	embryology	Used with organs, regions, and animal headings for embryologic and foetal development. It is used also with diseases for embryologic factors contributing to postnatal disorders.	MESH term	PubMed
129	enzymology	Used with organisms, except vertebrates, and with organs and tissues. It is also used with diseases for enzymes during the course of the disease, but excludes diagnostic enzyme tests, for which "diagnosis" is used.	MESH term	PubMed
130	epidemiology	Used with human and veterinary diseases for the distribution of disease, factors which cause disease, and the attributes of disease in defined populations; includes incidence, frequency, prevalence, endemic and epidemic outbreaks; also surveys and estimates of morbidity in geographic areas and in specified populations. Used also with geographical headings for the location of epidemiologic aspects of a disease. Excludes mortality for which "mortality" is used.	MESH term	PubMed
131	ethics	Used with techniques and activities for discussion and analysis with respect to human and social values.	MESH term	PubMed
132	ethnology	Used with diseases for ethnic, cultural, or anthropological aspects, and with geographic headings to indicate the place of origin of a group of people.	MESH term	PubMed
133	etiology	Used with diseases for causative agents including microorganisms and includes environmental and social factors and personal habits as contributing factors. It includes pathogenesis.	MESH term	PubMed
134	genetics	Used for mechanisms of heredity and the genetics of organisms, for the genetic basis of normal and pathologic states, and for the genetic aspects of endogenous chemicals. It includes biochemical and molecular influence on genetic material.	MESH term	PubMed
135	growth & development	Used with microorganisms, plants, and the postnatal period of animals for growth and development. It includes also the postnatal growth or development of organs or anatomical parts.	MESH term	PubMed
136	history	Used for the historical aspects of any subject. It includes brief historical notes but excludes case histories.	MESH term	PubMed
137	immunology	Used for immunologic studies of tissues, organs, microorganisms, fungi, viruses, and animals. It includes immunologic aspects of diseases but not immunologic procedures used for diagnostic, preventive, or therapeutic purposes, for which "diagnosis", "prevention & control", or "therapy" are used. The concept is also used for chemicals as antigens or haptens.	MESH term	PubMed
138	injuries	Used with anatomic headings, animals, and sports for wounds and injuries. Excludes cell damage, for which "pathology" is used.	MESH term	PubMed
139	innervation	Used with organs, regions, or tissues for their nerve supply.	MESH term	PubMed
140	instrumentation	Used with diagnostic or therapeutic procedures, analytic techniques, and specialties or disciplines, for the development or modification of apparatus, instruments, or equipment.	MESH term	PubMed
141	isolation & purification	Used with bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, and helminths for the obtaining of pure strains or for the demonstration of the presence of or identification of organisms by DNA analyses, immunologic, or other methods, including culture techniques. It is used also with biological substances and chemicals for the isolation and purification of the constituents.	MESH term	PubMed
142	legislation & jurisprudence	Used for laws, statutes, ordinances, or government regulations, as well as for legal controversy and court decisions.	MESH term	PubMed
143	manpower	Used with disciplines and programs for the demand, supply, distribution, recruitment, and use of personnel.	MESH term	PubMed
144	metabolism	Used with organs, cells and subcellular fractions, organisms, and diseases for biochemical changes and metabolism. It is used also with drugs and chemicals for catabolic changes (breakdown of complex molecules into simpler ones). For anabolic processes (conversion of small molecules into large), BIOSYNTHESIS is used. For enzymology, pharmacokinetics, and secretion use the specific subheadings.	MESH term	PubMed
145	methods	Used with techniques, procedures, and programs for methods.	MESH term	PubMed
146	microbiology	Used with organs, animals, and higher plants and with diseases for microbiologic studies. For parasites, "parasitology" is used; for viruses, "virology" is used.	MESH term	PubMed
147	mortality	Used with human and veterinary diseases for mortality statistics. For deaths resulting from various procedures statistically but for a death resulting in a specific case, use FATAL OUTCOME, not /mortality.	MESH term	PubMed
148	nursing	Used with diseases for nursing care and techniques in their management. It includes the nursing role in diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive procedures.	MESH term	PubMed
149	organization & administration	Used for administrative structure and management.	MESH term	PubMed
150	parasitology	Used with animals, higher plants, organs, and diseases for parasitic factors. In diseases, it is not used if the parasitic involvement is implicit in the diagnosis.	MESH term	PubMed
151	pathogenicity	Used with microorganisms, viruses, and parasites for studies of their ability to cause disease in man, animals, or plants.	MESH term	PubMed
152	pathology	Used for organ, tissue, or cell structure in disease states.	MESH term	PubMed
153	pharmacokinetics	Used for the mechanism, dynamics and kinetics of exogenous chemical and drug absorption, biotransformation, distribution, release, transport, uptake and elimination as a function of dosage, extent and rate of metabolic processes.	MESH term	PubMed
154	pharmacology	Used with drugs and exogenously administered chemical substances for their effects on living tissues and organisms. It includes acceleration and inhibition of physiological and biochemical processes and other pharmacologic mechanisms of action.	MESH term	PubMed
155	physiology	Used with organs, tissues, and cells of unicellular and multicellular organisms for normal function. It is used also with biochemical substances, endogenously produced, for their physiologic role.	MESH term	PubMed
156	physiopathology	Used with organs and diseases for disordered function in disease states.	MESH term	PubMed
157	poisoning	Used with drugs, chemicals, and industrial materials for human or animal poisoning, acute or chronic, whether the poisoning is accidental, occupational, suicidal, by medication error, or by environmental exposure.	MESH term	PubMed
158	prevention & control	Used with disease headings for increasing human or animal resistance against disease (e.g., immunization), for control of transmission agents, for prevention and control of environmental hazards, or for prevention and control of social factors leading to disease. It includes preventive measures in individual cases.	MESH term	PubMed
159	psychology	Used with non-psychiatric diseases, techniques, and named groups for psychologic, psychiatric, psychosomatic, psychosocial, behavioural, and emotional aspects, and with psychiatric disease for psychologic aspects; used also with animal terms for animal behaviour and psychology.	MESH term	PubMed
160	radiation effects	Used for effects of ionizing and nonionizing radiation upon living organisms, organs and tissues, and their constituents, and upon physiologic processes. It includes the effect of irradiation on drugs and chemicals.	MESH term	PubMed
161	radiotherapy	Used with disease headings for the therapeutic use of ionizing and nonionizing radiation. It includes the use of radioisotope therapy.	MESH term	PubMed
162	rehabilitation	Used with diseases and surgical procedures for restoration of function of the individual.	MESH term	PubMed
163	secondary	Used with neoplasms to indicate the secondary location to which the neoplastic process has metastasized.	MESH term	PubMed
164	secretion	Used for the discharge across the cell membrane, into the extracellular space or ducts, of endogenous substances resulting from the activity of intact cells of glands, tissues, or organs.	MESH term	PubMed
165	standards	Used with facilities, personnel, and program headings for the development, testing, and application of standards of adequacy or acceptable performance and with chemicals and drugs for standards of identification, quality, and potency. It includes health or safety standards in industries and occupations.	MESH term	PubMed
166	statistics & numerical data	Used with non-disease headings for the expression of numerical values which describe particular sets or groups of data. It excludes manpower distribution for which "manpower" is used and excludes supply or demand for which "supply & distribution" is used.	MESH term	PubMed
167	supply & distribution	Used for the quantitative availability and distribution of material, equipment, health services, personnel, and facilities. It excludes food supply and water supply in industries and occupations.	MESH term	PubMed
168	surgery	Used for operative procedures on organs, regions, or tissues in the treatment of diseases, including tissue section by lasers. It excludes transplantation, for which "transplantation" is used.	MESH term	PubMed
169	therapeutic use	Used with drugs, biological preparations, and physical agents for their use in the prophylaxis and treatment of disease. It includes veterinary use.	MESH term	PubMed
170	therapy	Used with diseases for therapeutic interventions except drug therapy, diet therapy, radiotherapy, and surgery, for which specific subheadings exist. The concept is also used for articles and books dealing with multiple therapies.	MESH term	PubMed
171	toxicity	Used with drugs and chemicals for experimental human and animal studies of their ill effects. It includes studies to determine the margin of safety or the reactions accompanying administration at various dose levels. It is used also for exposure to environmental agents. Poisoning should be considered for life-threatening exposure to environmental agents.	MESH term	PubMed
172	transmission	Used with diseases for studies of the modes of transmission.	MESH term	PubMed
173	transplantation	Used with organs, tissues, or cells for transplantation from one site to another within the same subject, or from one subject to another of the same species or different species.	MESH term	PubMed
174	trends	Used for the manner in which a subject changes, qualitatively or quantitatively, with time, whether past, present, or future. It excludes discussions of the course of disease in particular patients.	MESH term	PubMed
175	ultrastructure	Used with tissues and cells (including neoplasms) and microorganisms for microanatomic structures, generally below the size visible by light microscopy.	MESH term	PubMed
176	urine	Used for the presence or analysis of substances in the urine, and also for the examination of, or changes in, the urine in disease.	MESH term	PubMed
177	utilization	Used with equipment, facilities, programs, services, and health personnel for discussions, usually with data, of how much they are used. It includes discussions of overuse and underuse.	MESH term	PubMed
178	veterinary	Used for naturally occurring diseases in animals, or for diagnostic, preventive, or therapeutic procedures used in veterinary medicine.	MESH term	PubMed
179	virology	Used with organs, animals, and higher plants and with diseases for virologic studies. For bacteria, rickettsia, and fungi, "microbiology" is used; for parasites, "parasitology" is used.	MESH term	PubMed
0	not yet known	Dummy value supplied by default on entity creation	not applicable	ECRIN