The January issue of NIH News in Health, the monthly newsletter bringing you practical health news and tips based on the latest NIH research, is now online. In this edition:

When the Weather Gets Cold
Winter Health Problems
For many people, winter is a welcome time of year. But for people with certain diseases like arthritis, it can be a pain—literally. Here’s what you need to know to survive winter’s chill.
full story

Understanding Human Behavior
Using Computers to Improve Our Health

Can we use computers to understand generosity? The behavior of crowds? The root of prejudice? Researchers are developing computer models to improve our understanding of human behavior and the world we live in.
full story

Health Capsules:

• CAM Widely Used
• Supplements Fail to Prevent Prostate Cancer
• Featured Web Site: See All You Can See

Click here to download a PDF version for printing.

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us or call 301-435-7489 for more information.

by Bonnie DiGiallonardo, Reference Librarian
Nova Southeastern University
Health Professions Division Library
digibon@nova.edu

Just two months into my career as a health professions librarian, I had the opportunity to attend the Southern Chapter/Medical Library Association Annual Meeting, “Making the Magic Flow” October 26-30, 2008. Not only was this my first time at a librarian’s conference, it was my first time as an attendee at ANY conference.

In my previous life as a marketing professional, I had worked in exhibit hall booths of many conferences, but this was a completely different take on the experience. As some of you may attest, starting a new profession in your 40’s is no easy feat. Yet embarking on a journey that you have worked hard to begin makes you feel like a wide-eyed ingénue (anyone who knows me would fall on the floor laughing at this mental image). That is how I felt when I first arrived at the conference, but thanks to all the wonderful people I met at the chapter meeting, I left knowing that I had made the right choice, to become a medical librarian.

Without question, it was the people that made the conference most memorable for this first-timer. From my first contact with the people at the registration desk to my shuttle partners on the return trip to the airport (who happened to give me the idea to write this article), I found each and every person to be an absolute treasure. I felt right at home with this group – it was like the mother ship had called me home! No matter where I went or who I happened to sit down next to, everyone spoke to me and opened up about their experiences. I quickly learned that there is no such thing as a shy, retiring librarian…at least not at this event.

The conference’s content proved a valuable information resource for a newly ordained librarian. Many varied aspects of medical librarianship were covered, and while there were concurrent sessions that made me wish I could be in two places at once, my colleague (another newbie) and I were able to split up and compare notes later. An impressive lineup of plenary speakers, a CE session that gave me a ton of ideas, and poster sessions that gave a peek into what other library’s are doing all contributed to a fulfilling and rewarding conference experience.

Library school only marginally prepares one to actually work as a reference librarian so having access to the classes, speakers, presentations, posters, and most importantly, the librarians from all walks of the profession was so enriching that I would recommend conference attendance as a requirement in any master’s program. At Southern Chapter there was so much to absorb in just a few days, most of it new, but what we learned was useful and applicable to our jobs. So, we felt that this conference was a good solid foundation upon which to begin building our careers and professional networks.

I am already looking forward to next year!

What‘s New for 2009 MeSH

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/nd08/nd08_mesh.html

Start the New Year with new MeSH terms! You see, for 2009, 446 descriptors have been added to enhance your PubMed search results.

The National Library of Medicine’s NLM Technical Bulletin will keep you informed all year long with enhancements, updates and changes. Visit NLM Announces at https://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=nlm-announces&A=1 to join, leave or change your NLM listserv options.

Household Products Database (HPD) Now Contains over 8,000 Entries

http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) Household Products Database has been updated and now includes 8152 brand name products, 2876 ingredients, and 375 manufacturers. In addition, 1634 products are now linked to the complete Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS).

The Household Products Database is a consumer guide that provides information on the potential health effects of chemicals contained in more than 6,000 common household products used inside and around the home. It covers what’s under your kitchen sink, in your garage, in your bathroom, and on the shelves in your laundry room, providing what’s in these products, potential health effects, and safe handling.

Keep current with further changes and new developments in the HPD database, regularly visit the Division of Specialized Information Services site.

Join a demonstration of the Valuing Library Services and Cost Benefit/ROI Calculators on Monday, December 8, 2008 at 2pm Eastern Time, 1pm Central. Barb Jones and Betsy Kelly from the MidContinental Region, NN/LM will reprise their MLA presentation on these tools to enable health science librarians to determine the return on investment and cost benefit of their libraries and services. Come with some numbers and let’s discuss how you can use the online calculators to show the value your library brings to your institution. To participate, come to this url: https://webmeeting.nih.gov/libraryvalue/.

This demonstration will be held via Adobe Connect. If you have not used Adobe Connect before, feel free to log into the site in advance. The system might want to install an Adobe Connect plugin, and if it does, you should allow it. When the meeting begins, the system will normally ask you for your phone number and then call it so that you can hear the audio and participate in the discussion. If the system does not call your phone, join us using this toll-free number:1-866-548-4716
Participant Code: 243436

For an advance peek at these great calculator tools, go to http://nnlm.gov/mcr/evaluation/calculator.html and http://nnlm.gov/mcr/evaluation/roi.html and see how you might be able to express your value in monetary terms!

This session is hosted by the NN/LM Outreach Evaluation Resource Center. For questions, contact Susan Barnes at sjbarnes@u.washington.edu or Cindy Olney at olneyc@coevalmail.com.

While the students relax by the sun and sand, brush up on your health literature search skills.

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine/Southeastern Atlantic Region is hosting a free webinar series titled “Summer Searching Sessions”.  Four experienced medical librarians will be demonstrating tips, techniques, new features and functions of four MEDLINE® interfaces.

MEDLINE® is the premier bibliographic database from the National Library of Medicine.  It is used by health care professionals and students worldwide.  Over 70 million searches are conducted every month.

Four one-hour sessions (description below) will be held over a two week period. The topics include new features on familiar interfaces, using the controlled vocabulary, MeSH®, review of the basics, finding full text and are you looking in the right place.

The sessions are open to all librarians in the Southeastern Atlantic Region but registration is required. To register, please contact Toni Yancey by email at tyancey@hshsl.umaryland.edu, or by telephone at 410.706.2855.

Session #1 - August 5, 2008 at 2:00 pm (EST) - Introductions

Search Scenario: The new and improved PubMed, Medline at Ovid, Ebscohost, and MDConsult Journals/Medline. Interactive questions and answers. What would you like to talk about searching.

Session #2 - August 7, 2008 at 2:00 pm (EST) - Quick and Dirty?

Search Scenario: A facility supervisor, is meeting with the administration next week to discuss ways for the hospital to go green. He needs to learn about reducing the amount of garage the hospital produces. He asks if you can help him. Between your regular work and preparing for a nursing symposium, you don’t have that much time to devote to Bill’s request.

Session #3 - August 12, 2008 at 2:00 pm (EST) - Not enough hours in the day

A famous athlete has been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease. The local ABC affiliate has asked the head of the oncology department to appear on the morning show tomorrow to discuss it. It’s already 4:30 and you have to leave at 5:00 for an appointment. You promise to have information to him (via email) by 8:00 so he can review it.

Session #4 - August 14, 2008 at 2:00 pm (EST) -The elephant in the room: Google Scholar and other challenges

Michaela, a second year student, tells you that she always uses Google to find articles and nothing you say can convince her that MEDLINE is better. You run a couple of searches in both MEDLINE and Google Scholar to see what all the fuss is about. What have you learned that you can use to teach students?

New NLM Fact Sheet about Errata, Retraction, Partial Retraction, Corrected and Republished Articles, Duplicate Publication, Comment, Update, Patient Summary, and Republished (Reprinted) Article Policy for MEDLINE®

Selected and reprinted from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/errata.html and http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/mms/medlineelements.html#cc

Users who search MEDLINE will be informed if they retrieve a citation for an article that has been corrected by an erratum notice, retracted or partially retracted, corrected and republished, been found to duplicate another article, generated a separately published commenting article, been updated by a subsequent article, if a summary for patients has been published, or has been republished (reprinted) in another journal.

http://apps.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/local/georgia/aboutus.cfm?areaid=29

What

Go Local (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/golocal.html) is a federally-funded initiative to link users of MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) premier consumer health information website, to health services and providers in their local community. The Go Local initiative enables a patient or consumer anywhere in Georgia to visit the MedlinePlus website (www.medlineplus.gov) for information on a health topic or condition (diabetes, for example) and then be able to link directly to a Georgia Health Go Local website to locate related services, healthcare providers or institutions, support groups, advocacy organizations, etc. in their own county or zip code.

Who

The libraries of Georgia’s four medical schools (Emory University, Medical College of Georgia, Mercer University School of Medicine, and Morehouse School of Medicine), GALILEO, Georgia 2-1-1, Georgia academic librarians, Georgia Health Sciences Library Association, Georgia Public Health Association, Georgia Public Library Service, Georgia Rural Health Association, Georgia AHECs, and others, have helped implement an NLM “Go Local Project” in the state. Project coordinators for the statewide project are Jan LaBeause, Director of the Library and Peyton T. Anderson Learning Resources Center at the Mercer University School of Medicine, and Susan Smith, Health and Education Liaison/Reference Librarian, Georgia State University. A multidisciplinary, statewide advisory board created in July 2005 provides guidance and establishes policies.

How

The project is being implemented in phases, first incorporating existing databases, services and resources such as the GRID database (Georgia Rural Health Interactive Directory) at the Medical College of Georgia; the Department of Community Health’s (DCH) listing of all licensed health facilities in Georgia; and Georgia’s 2-1-1 information and referral services. Once these resources have been successfully utilized as the basis for Georgia’s Go Local website, we will systematically begin to add resources county by county across Georgia.

The new public face of HHSs Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects, known as CRISP may be accessed by going to http://report.nih.gov/ and clicking on “Search FundedScientific Projects”, or by going directly to http://report.nih.gov/crisp.aspx. Bookmarking this site will provide you access to the enhanced features as they come on-line.

The new system will continue to provide the same ability to search NIH-funded research but eventually will include more information associated with funded projects, including budget information and links to publications and patents resulting from NIH-funded research.

In addition, the new version of CRISP on the Web will offer a new way of searching for grants and contract portfolios that reflects current research investments in specific diseases and other conditions, and research areas.

In the past, users have searched CRISP using terms that were manually indexed for each abstract. Indexing for Fiscal Year 2008 will be automated to provide a more extensive and flexible set of search options.

April 28, 2008

Dear Members of the NIH Research Community:

I am writing to remind you that the mandatory NIH Public Access Policy (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-08-033.html) applies to final peer-reviewed manuscripts accepted for publication on or after April 7, 2008. Making published research funded by NIH accessible to everyone, including health care providers, patients, educators and scientists, helps advance science and improve human health. We all have a role to play in achieving this goal, and I appreciate your efforts to make the NIH Public Access Policy successful.

The NIH Public Access Policy implements Division G, Title II, Section 218 of PL 110-161 (see http://publicaccess.nih.gov/policy.htm), which was signed into law late last year. Compliance with this Policy is a legal requirement and a term and condition for all active grants and contracts awarded as of April 7, 2008. Failure to comply may trigger one or more enforcement actions, depending on the severity and duration of the non-compliance.

Please see the Public Access Web site for the tools you need to comply with the Policy. The Web site houses Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), training information, and other resources.

To ensure compliance with the Policy, please remember to:

Address Copyright - Make sure that any copyright transfer or other publication agreements allow your paper to be submitted to NIH in accordance with the Policy.

Submit Papers upon Acceptance for Publication

1.    Some journals will submit the final published article on your behalf, without your involvement. See http://publicaccess.nih.gov/submit_process_journals.htm for a list of these journals.>

2.    For any journal other than those on this list, please:

a.    When submitting a paper for publication, inform the journal that the final peer-reviewed manuscript is subject to the NIH Public Access Policy.

b.    Make sure that any copyright transfer or other publication agreement allows the final peer-reviewed manuscript to be submitted to NIH in accordance with the Policy. For more information, see the FAQ Whose approval do I need to submit my article to PubMed Central? and consult with your Institution.

c.    Submit the final peer-reviewed manuscript to NIH upon acceptance for publication at http://www.nihms.nih.gov/. See the Submission Process for more information.

Cite Papers

• When citing your NIH-funded papers in NIH applications, proposals or progress reports, please include the PubMed Central reference number (PMCID) for each paper.
• NIH will monitor compliance through citations. Effective May 25, 2008, when your NIH Program Officer reviews your progress report or application, he or she will be expecting a PMCID in the citation of every applicable paper that arose out of your NIH funding, or a manuscript submission system reference number (NIHMSID) if the PMCID has not been issued. See Section C of our FAQ for examples.
• If you publish through a journal listed under http://publicaccess.nih.gov/submit_process_journals.htm, there might be a slight delay in assignment of a PMCID. That is okay. We have signed agreements with these journals that allow NIH to resolve submission with them without your involvement. To facilitate your Program Officer’s job, we ask that you indicate ‘PMC Journal- In Process’ until the PMCID is available.
• The NIH Public Access Policy is a legal requirement and represents an important opportunity for science and medicine. We are very interested in your feedback on the Policy and are soliciting input through a request for information from March 31, 2008 to May 31, 2008. Please send any comments or suggestions to http://publicaccess.nih.gov/comments.htm.

Sincerely,

Norka Ruiz Bravo, PhD

NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research

The new Health Care Notification Network system was created by Medem of San Francisco, California. It is supported by a group of pharmaceuticals, insurance firms, organizations, and medical centers, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, J and J, as well as the American College of Surgeons, among others (full list at http://www.hcnn.net/docs/HCNNSupporters.pdf). The network will be using email to quickly disseminate time sensitive drug safety alert information to health care professionals.

• HCNN replaces the current, paper-based alerts sent to physicians and other healthcare providers via U.S. mail.
• Alerts include medication recalls, warnings and national public health emergencies.
• HCNN fulfills new FDA guidance for electronic communication of patient safety notification and is supported by medical liability carriers, U.S. medical societies, national patient advocacy groups, health plans and many other national healthcare organizations that are dedicated to improved patient safety.
• HCNN protects healthcare provider privacy. No email addresses will be sold or disclosed to any third parties.

Registration for U.S. physicians and other health care providers is available immediately at http://www.hcnn.net. For more information about the HCNN and online patient safety Alert services, see http://www.hcnn.net.