In this article we will explore the definitions of "Cause" and "Effect" in the context of the Causaly Platform.
Causes of Concept X
Causes are all incoming relationships, i.e. anything that might have an impact on Concept X. Examples include substances that treat a disease X, factors that affect the response to a specific treatment X or genes that affect the expression of another gene X.
Example: Explore causes of diabetes
In the Intelligent Search bar, type in the Concept “Diabetes” and select the "Causes of" option (Figure 1).
Figure 1: The "Causes of diabetes" option in the suggested search topics in Intelligent Search.
All incoming relationships of diabetes (“Causes”) are displayed in the dendrogram view and are clustered under different UMLS categories. You can zoom into a specific category either directly from the dendrogram or by using the UMLS filters on the left side (Intelligent Search link).
Effects of Concept Y
Effects are all outgoing relationships, i.e. anything that might be affected by Concept Y. These include diseases treated by a specific substance X, side effects of a drug X or symptoms of a disease X.
Example: Explore the effects of Ibrutinib
In the Intelligent search, type in the concept “Ibrutinib” and select the "Effects of" option (Figure 2).
Figure 2: The "Effects of ibrutinib" option in the suggested search topics in Intelligent Search.
All potential effects of Ibrutinib are displayed in the dendrogram view and are clustered under different UMLS categories. You can zoom into a specific category either directly from the dendrogram or by using the UMLS filters on the left (Intelligent Search link).
