Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Yale MeSH Analyzer

The Yale MeSH Analyzer is described by USA in this article.

With the rise in the number of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in the health sciences literature, the need for complex searches to identify articles remains relevant and in demand.  These types of searches can be quite time consuming, and tools to help streamline or simplify the process are definitely needed.  For example, let’s say you are conducting a systematic review and are in the midst of performing a comprehensive literature search.  You have compiled a list of articles on your topic and have played around with your searches enough to have a good idea of what’s out there.  However, no matter what you do, a few articles slip through the cracks of your best-constructed search strings.  You know the articles exist because you’ve managed to identify them through skill or luck, but they just do not show up in your PubMed searches.  Why is that?

There is a new tool that can help with this very issue, called the Yale MeSH Analyzer (http://mesh.med.yale.edu/).  Created by Yale University librarians Holly Grossetta Nardini and Lei Wang, the Yale MeSH Analyzer assists in identifying why some articles are missing in search results.  It can also help identify additional MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) terms or phrases in titles and abstracts, as well as author assigned keywords.  The Yale MeSH Analyzer does this by collecting the necessary metadata to analyze searches, and then creates a grid to visually explain the information to users.

To start, you would enter the PMID number of each article you want to analyze.  PMIDs are the unique identifying number assigned to each article record when it enters the PubMed system, and is found at the end of a PubMed citation.  You can enter up to 20 PMIDs in the text box, and once you select “Go”, the Yale MeSH Analyzer will retrieve the article(s) metadata from PubMed and present the results in either a HTML or Excel grid format.

A short online tutorial that will walk you through the process is available at library.medicine.yale.edu/tutorials/1559.

From Clista Clanton

BioFeedback Newsletter
http://biomedicallibrary.southalabama.edu/library/?q=bf-110YaleMESH

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Google patents smart contact lens which detects glucose levels in tears.

The patent, which was discovered by WebProNews, features a sensor in the lens. Google has previously said that it is partnering with the pharmaceutical company Novartis to create a smart contact lens that could monitor blood sugar for people with diabetes.

The lenses contain a tiny sensor that relays data on glucose contained in tears via an equally tiny antenna. In a news release earlier this year, Google described the electronics in the lenses as being "so small they look like bits of glitter" and said the antenna is thinner than human hair.

Thursday, March 17, 2016

CDC issues opioid guidelines for chronic pain

From the MMWR:

Opioids are commonly prescribed for pain. An estimated 20% of patients presenting to physician offices with noncancer pain symptoms or pain-related diagnoses (including acute and chronic pain) receive an opioid prescription (1). In 2012, health care providers wrote 259 million prescriptions for opioid pain medication, enough for every adult in the United States to have a bottle of pills (2). Opioid prescriptions per capita increased 7.3% from 2007 to 2012, with opioid prescribing rates increasing more for family practice, general practice, and internal medicine compared with other specialties (3). Rates of opioid prescribing vary greatly across states in ways that cannot be explained by the underlying health status of the population, highlighting the lack of consensus among clinicians on how to use opioid pain medication (2).

Friday, March 11, 2016

Consumer Health Information regarding Zika Virus

Go to MEDLine Plus for information about the Zika Virus.
MedlinePlus links to health information from the National Institutes of Health and other federal government agencies. MedlinePlus also links to health information from non-government Web sites

Friday, March 4, 2016

Outreach and Enrollment for Reaching the Medicaid Eligible but Uninsured


As of February 2016, a total of 31 states and the District of Columbia are moving forward with the ACA Medicaid expansion to adults. While millions of individuals have gained Medicaid coverage since initial implementation of the ACA coverage provisions in 2014, an estimated 8.8 million individuals who are eligible for coverage through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) remained uninsured as of 2015.1 These include adults made newly eligible by the expansion as well as children and adults who were already eligible under pre-ACA rules but not enrolled. Reaching and enrolling these individuals into coverage will be one important component of achieving continued coverage gains moving forward. Moreover, as additional states may take up the expansion in the future, outreach and enrollment efforts will be key for achieving successful enrollment as the expansion is implemented. Keeping eligible individuals enrolled over time through successful renewals of coverage also will be important for maintaining coverage gains achieved to date.

Friday, February 5, 2016

NIH MEDLine Plus Magazine


The Winter 2016 Edition is now available.  Includes information on Crohn's Disease, Dyslexia, and Parkinson's.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Health Risks associated with E-Cigarettes

Electronic cigarettes expose the lungs to toxicity, reduce the effectiveness of the immune system and encourage bacterial activity, potentially making superbugs more deadly, according to research published in the Journal of Molecular Medicine. Article access requires Murray State Network Log-in.

Monday, February 1, 2016

WHO Statement on Zika Virus

WHO statement on the first meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR 2005) Emergency Committee on Zika virus and observed increase in neurological disorders and neonatal malformations

Friday, January 29, 2016

Zika Virus Health Information Resources

We have all been hearing more about Zika virus disease transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The National Library of Medicine has gathered together these resources to assist public health departments, health care providers, librarians, and others seeking authoritative information on the virus and disease.
Free Photo from Pixabay

CDC Zika Virus Information

WORLD Health Organization Fact Sheet

NIH - Zika Virus: An Emerging Health Threat

CDC Zika Virus and Pregnant Women

SEA/NNLM More links about the Zika Virus

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Choosing Wisely -- Do I need that test?


Choosing Wisely® is an initiative of the ABIM Foundation to help providers and patients engage in conversations to reduce overuse of tests and procedures, and support patients in their efforts to make smart and effective care choices.

A 2014 survey funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that three-quarters of physicians say the frequency of unnecessary medical tests and procedures is a very or somewhat serious problem. Originally conceived and piloted by the National Physicians Alliance through a Putting the Charter into Practice grant, the Choosing Wisely campaign calls upon leading medical specialty societies and other non-physician organizations to identify tests or procedures commonly used in their field whose necessity should be questioned and discussed. The resulting lists of "Things Providers and Patients Should Question" are intended to spark discussion about the need—or lack thereof—for many frequently ordered tests or treatments.
The lists of more than 300 recommendations can be found on the Choosing Wisely website, along with various resources for both patients and physicians, including:
  • Communication education modules to aid physicians in conversations with their patients about overuse and unnecessary medical tests
  • Patient-friendly materials created by Consumer Reports that translate the recommendations into plain language for consumers
  • Videos featuring prominent health care leaders on the impact of the campaign
  • Stories from the Choosing Wisely newsletter that highlight the work of organizations implementing the campaign at sites across the country