Patient safety and systematic reviews: finding papers indexed in MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL.

PubMed

Tanon, A A; Champagne, F; Contandriopoulos, A-P; Pomey, M-P; Vadeboncoeur, A; Nguyen, H

2010-10-01

To develop search strategies for identifying papers on patient safety in MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL. Six journals were electronically searched for papers on patient safety published between 2000 and 2006. Identified papers were divided into two gold standards: one to build and the other to validate the search strategies. Candidate terms for strategy construction were identified using a word frequency analysis of titles, abstracts and keywords used to index the papers in the databases. Searches were run for each one of the selected terms independently in every database. Sensitivity, precision and specificity were calculated for each candidate term. Terms with sensitivity greater than 10% were combined to form the final strategies. The search strategies developed were run against the validation gold standard to assess their performance. A final step in the validation process was to compare the performance of each strategy to those of other strategies found in the literature. We developed strategies for all three databases that were highly sensitive (range 95%-100%), precise (range 40%-60%) and balanced (the product of sensitivity and precision being in the range of 30%-40%). The strategies were very specific and outperformed those found in the literature. The strategies we developed can meet the needs of users aiming to maximise either sensitivity or precision, or seeking a reasonable compromise between sensitivity and precision, when searching for papers on patient safety in MEDLINE, EMBASE or CINAHL.

PubMed search filters for the study of putative outdoor air pollution determinants of disease.

PubMed

Curti, Stefania; Gori, Davide; Di Gregori, Valentina; Farioli, Andrea; Baldasseroni, Alberto; Fantini, Maria Pia; Christiani, David C; Violante, Francesco S; Mattioli, Stefano

2016-12-21

Several PubMed search filters have been developed in contexts other than environmental. We aimed at identifying efficient PubMed search filters for the study of environmental determinants of diseases related to outdoor air pollution. We compiled a list of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and non-MeSH terms seeming pertinent to outdoor air pollutants exposure as determinants of diseases in the general population. We estimated proportions of potentially pertinent articles to formulate two filters (one 'more specific', one 'more sensitive'). Their overall performance was evaluated as compared with our gold standard derived from systematic reviews on diseases potentially related to outdoor air pollution. We tested these filters in the study of three diseases potentially associated with outdoor air pollution and calculated the number of needed to read (NNR) abstracts to identify one potentially pertinent article in the context of these diseases. Last searches were run in January 2016. The 'more specific' filter was based on the combination of terms that yielded a threshold of potentially pertinent articles ≥40%. The 'more sensitive' filter was based on the combination of all search terms under study. When compared with the gold standard, the 'more specific' filter reported the highest specificity (67.4%; with a sensitivity of 82.5%), while the 'more sensitive' one reported the highest sensitivity (98.5%; with a specificity of 47.9%). The NNR to find one potentially pertinent article was 1.9 for the 'more specific' filter and 3.3 for the 'more sensitive' one. The proposed search filters could help healthcare professionals investigate environmental determinants of medical conditions that could be potentially related to outdoor air pollution. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

YouTube as a source of quitting smoking information.

PubMed

Backinger, Cathy L; Pilsner, Alison M; Augustson, Erik M; Frydl, Andrea; Phillips, Todd; Rowden, Jessica

2011-03-01

To conduct analyses to determine the extent to which YouTube videos posted specific to smoking cessation were actually about quitting smoking and if so, whether or not they portrayed evidence-based practices (EBPs). In August 2008, researchers identified YouTube videos by search strategies, 'relevance' and 'view count' using the following three search terms: 'stop smoking', 'quit smoking' and 'smoking cessation (n=296 for full sample and n=191 for unique videos). Overall, almost 60% of videos contained a message about quitting smoking. Differences were found across search terms for videos about quitting smoking, with 'stop smoking' yielding the highest percentage (80.8%) of videos about quitting smoking. Almost half of the videos (48.9%) contained EBPs for cessation strategies; however, a significant portion contained either non--EBPs (28.4%) or both EBPs and non-EBPs (22.7%). The number of views per an individual video across the six categories ranged from a low of 8 in the 'relevance' strategy and 'smoking cessation' search term to a high of 1,247,540 in the 'view count' strategy and 'stop smoking' search term. Of the top three most viewed videos by strategy and search term, 66.7% included a specific mention of quitting smoking and, of these, the majority included EBPs. Results highlight the need to develop and upload videos containing EBPs both to increase the overall proportion of EBP videos in all categories, particularly in 'quit smoking' and 'stop smoking.' Research is needed to study whether YouTube videos influence knowledge, attitudes and behaviours regarding quitting smoking.

Exploring Library 2.0 on the Social Web

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brantley, John S.

2010-01-01

Library 2.0 literature has described many of the possibilities Web 2.0 technologies offer to libraries. Case studies have assessed local use, but no studies have measured the Library 2.0 phenomenon by searching public social networking sites. This study used library-specific terms to search public social networking sites, blog search engines, and…

Short-term perceptual learning in visual conjunction search.

PubMed

Su, Yuling; Lai, Yunpeng; Huang, Wanyi; Tan, Wei; Qu, Zhe; Ding, Yulong

2014-08-01

Although some studies showed that training can improve the ability of cross-dimension conjunction search, less is known about the underlying mechanism. Specifically, it remains unclear whether training of visual conjunction search can successfully bind different features of separated dimensions into a new function unit at early stages of visual processing. In the present study, we utilized stimulus specificity and generalization to provide a new approach to investigate the mechanisms underlying perceptual learning (PL) in visual conjunction search. Five experiments consistently showed that after 40 to 50 min of training of color-shape/orientation conjunction search, the ability to search for a certain conjunction target improved significantly and the learning effects did not transfer to a new target that differed from the trained target in both color and shape/orientation features. However, the learning effects were not strictly specific. In color-shape conjunction search, although the learning effect could not transfer to a same-shape different-color target, it almost completely transferred to a same-color different-shape target. In color-orientation conjunction search, the learning effect partly transferred to a new target that shared same color or same orientation with the trained target. Moreover, the sum of transfer effects for the same color target and the same orientation target in color-orientation conjunction search was algebraically equivalent to the learning effect for trained target, showing an additive transfer effect. The different transfer patterns in color-shape and color-orientation conjunction search learning might reflect the different complexity and discriminability between feature dimensions. These results suggested a feature-based attention enhancement mechanism rather than a unitization mechanism underlying the short-term PL of color-shape/orientation conjunction search.

Can people find patient decision aids on the Internet?

PubMed

Morris, Debra; Drake, Elizabeth; Saarimaki, Anton; Bennett, Carol; O'Connor, Annette

2008-12-01

To determine if people could find patient decision aids (PtDAs) on the Internet using the most popular general search engines. We chose five medical conditions for which English language PtDAs were available from at least three different developers. The search engines used were: Google (www.google.com), Yahoo! (www.yahoo.com), and MSN (www.msn.com). For each condition and search engine we ran six searches using a combination of search terms. We coded all non-sponsored Web pages that were linked from the first page of the search results. Most first page results linked to informational Web pages about the condition, only 16% linked to PtDAs. PtDAs were more readily found for the breast cancer surgery decision (our searches found seven of the nine developers). The searches using Yahoo and Google search engines were more likely to find PtDAs. The following combination of search terms: condition, treatment, decision (e.g. breast cancer surgery decision) was most successful across all search engines (29%). While some terms and search engines were more successful, few resulted in direct links to PtDAs. Finding PtDAs would be improved with use of standardized labelling, providing patients with specific Web site addresses or access to an independent PtDA clearinghouse.

Locating qualitative studies in dementia on MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO: A comparison of search strategies.

PubMed

Rogers, Morwenna; Bethel, Alison; Abbott, Rebecca

2017-10-28

Qualitative research in dementia improves understanding of the experience of people affected by dementia. Searching databases for qualitative studies is problematic. Qualitative-specific search strategies might help with locating studies. To examine the effectiveness (sensitivity and precision) of 5 qualitative strategies on locating qualitative research studies in dementia in 4 major databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL). Qualitative dementia studies were checked for inclusion on MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL. Five qualitative search strategies (subject headings, simple free-text terms, complex free-text terms, and 2 broad-based strategies) were tested for study retrieval. Specificity, precision and number needed to read were calculated. Two hundred fourteen qualitative studies in dementia were included. PsycINFO and CINAHL held the most qualitative studies out the 4 databases studied (N = 171 and 166, respectively) and both held unique records (N = 14 and 7, respectively). The controlled vocabulary strategy in CINAHL returned 96% (N = 192) of studies held; by contrast, controlled vocabulary in PsycINFO returned 7% (N = 13) of studies held. The broad-based strategies returned more studies (93-99%) than the other free-text strategies (22-82%). Precision ranged from 0.061 to 0.004 resulting in a number needed to read to obtain 1 relevant study ranging from 16 (simple free-text search in CINAHL) to 239 (broad-based search in EMBASE). Qualitative search strategies using 3 broad terms were more sensitive than long complex searches. The controlled vocabulary for qualitative research in CINAHL was particularly effective. Furthermore, results indicate that MEDLINE and EMBASE offer little benefit for locating qualitative dementia research if CINAHL and PSYCINFO are also searched. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Mapping Self-Guided Learners' Searches for Video Tutorials on YouTube

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garrett, Nathan

2016-01-01

While YouTube has a wealth of educational videos, how self-guided learners use these resources has not been fully described. An analysis of search engine queries for help with the use of Microsoft Excel shows that few users search for specific features or functions but instead use very general terms. Because the same videos are returned in…

Treatment of cannabis use among people with psychotic or depressive disorders: a systematic review.

PubMed

Baker, Amanda L; Hides, Leanne; Lubman, Dan I

2010-03-01

This article systematically reviews the evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for pharmacologic and psychological approaches to the treatment of cannabis use among individuals with psychotic or depressive disorders. A systematic literature search was conducted using the PubMed and PsychINFO databases from inception to December 2008. Individual searches in cannabis use (search terms: marijuana, cannabis, marijuana abuse, cannabis abuse, marijuana usage, cannabis usage), mental disorders (search terms: mood disorders, affective disorders, anxiety disorders, anxiety, depressive disorder, depression, psychotic disorders, psychosis, mental disorders), and pharmacotherapy (search terms: medication, drug therapy, pharmacotherapy, psychopharmacology, clinical trials, drug trial, treatment trial) were conducted and limited to humans, adolescents and adults. A search combining the individual cannabis use, mental disorder and pharmacotherapy searches produced 1,713 articles (PubMed = 1,398; PsychINFO = 315). Combining the cannabis use and mental disorder searches while limiting them to English articles and RCTs produced a total of 286 articles (PubMed = 228; PsychINFO = 58). From this literature, there were 7 RCTs conducted among mental health clients that reported cannabis use outcomes using pharmacologic or psychological interventions. While few RCTs have been conducted, there is evidence that pharmacologic and psychological interventions are effective for reducing cannabis use in the short-term among people with psychotic disorders or depression. Although it is difficult to make evidence-based treatment recommendations due to the paucity of research in this area, available studies indicate that effectively treating the mental health disorder with standard pharmacotherapy may be associated with a reduction in cannabis use and that longer or more intensive psychological interventions rather than brief interventions may be required, particularly among heavier users of cannabis and those with more chronic mental disorders. Specific recommendations regarding the type and length of specific psychological treatments cannot be made at this time, although motivational interviewing and cognitive-behavioral therapy approaches appear most promising. (c) 2010 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Search strings for the study of putative occupational determinants of disease

PubMed Central

Mattioli, Stefano; Zanardi, Francesca; Baldasseroni, Alberto; Schaafsma, Frederieke; Cooke, Robin MT; Mancini, Gianpiero; Fierro, Mauro; Santangelo, Chiara; Farioli, Andrea; Fucksia, Serenella; Curti, Stefania; Verbeek, Jos

2010-01-01

Objective To identify efficient PubMed search strategies to retrieve articles regarding putative occupational determinants of conditions not generally considered to be work related. Methods Based on MeSH definitions and expert knowledge, we selected as candidate search terms the four MeSH terms describing ‘occupational disease’, ‘occupational exposure’, ‘occupational health’ and ‘occupational medicine’ (DEHM) alongside 22 other promising terms. We first explored overlaps between the candidate terms in PubMed. Using random samples of abstracts retrieved by each term, we estimated the proportions of articles containing potentially pertinent information regarding occupational aetiology in order to formulate two search strategies (one more ‘specific’, one more ‘sensitive’). We applied these strategies to retrieve information on the possible occupational aetiology of meningioma, pancreatitis and atrial fibrillation. Results Only 20.3% of abstracts were retrieved by more than one DEHM term. The more ‘specific’ search string was based on the combination of terms that yielded the highest proportion (40%) of potentially pertinent abstracts. The more ‘sensitive’ string was based on the use of broader search fields and additional coverage provided by other search terms under study. Using the specific string, the numbers of abstracts needed to read to find one potentially pertinent article were 1.2 for meningioma, 1.9 for pancreatitis and 1.8 for atrial fibrillation. Using the sensitive strategy, the numbers needed to read were 4.4 for meningioma, 8.9 for pancreatitis and 10.5 for atrial fibrillation. Conclusions The proposed strings could help health care professionals explore putative occupational aetiology for diseases that are not generally thought to be work related. PMID:19819858

41. DISCOVERY, SEARCH, AND COMMUNICATION OF TEXTUAL KNOWLEDGE RESOURCES IN DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS a. Discovering and Utilizing Knowledge Sources for Metasearch Knowledge Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zamora, Antonio

Advanced Natural Language Processing Tools for Web Information Retrieval, Content Analysis, and Synthesis. The goal of this SBIR was to implement and evaluate several advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools and techniques to enhance the precision and relevance of search results by analyzing and augmenting search queries and by helping to organize the search output obtained from heterogeneous databases and web pages containing textual information of interest to DOE and the scientific-technical user communities in general. The SBIR investigated 1) the incorporation of spelling checkers in search applications, 2) identification of significant phrases and concepts using a combination of linguisticmore » and statistical techniques, and 3) enhancement of the query interface and search retrieval results through the use of semantic resources, such as thesauri. A search program with a flexible query interface was developed to search reference databases with the objective of enhancing search results from web queries or queries of specialized search systems such as DOE's Information Bridge. The DOE ETDE/INIS Joint Thesaurus was processed to create a searchable database. Term frequencies and term co-occurrences were used to enhance the web information retrieval by providing algorithmically-derived objective criteria to organize relevant documents into clusters containing significant terms. A thesaurus provides an authoritative overview and classification of a field of knowledge. By organizing the results of a search using the thesaurus terminology, the output is more meaningful than when the results are just organized based on the terms that co-occur in the retrieved documents, some of which may not be significant. An attempt was made to take advantage of the hierarchy provided by broader and narrower terms, as well as other field-specific information in the thesauri. The search program uses linguistic morphological routines to find relevant entries regardless of whether terms are stored in singular or plural form. Implementation of additional inflectional morphology processes for verbs can enhance retrieval further, but this has to be balanced by the possibility of broadening the results too much. In addition to the DOE energy thesaurus, other sources of specialized organized knowledge such as the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS), and Wikipedia were investigated. The supporting role of the NLP thesaurus search program was enhanced by incorporating spelling aid and a part-of-speech tagger to cope with misspellings in the queries and to determine the grammatical roles of the query words and identify nouns for special processing. To improve precision, multiple modes of searching were implemented including Boolean operators, and field-specific searches. Programs to convert a thesaurus or reference file into searchable support files can be deployed easily, and the resulting files are immediately searchable to produce relevance-ranked results with builtin spelling aid, morphological processing, and advanced search logic. Demonstration systems were built for several databases, including the DOE energy thesaurus.« less

Infectious encephalitis: Management without etiological diagnosis 48hours after onset.

PubMed

Fillatre, P; Crabol, Y; Morand, P; Piroth, L; Honnorat, J; Stahl, J P; Lecuit, M

2017-05-01

The etiological diagnosis of infectious encephalitis is often not established 48hours after onset. We aimed to review existing literature data before providing management guidelines. We performed a literature search on PubMed using filters such as "since 01/01/2000", "human", "adults", "English or French", and "clinical trial/review/guidelines". We also used the Mesh search terms "encephalitis/therapy" and "encephalitis/diagnosis". With Mesh search terms "encephalitis/therapy" and "encephalitis/diagnosis", we retrieved 223 and 258 articles, respectively. With search terms "encephalitis and corticosteroid", we identified 38 articles, and with "encephalitis and doxycycline" without the above-mentioned filters we identified 85 articles. A total of 210 articles were included in the analysis. Etiological investigations must focus on recent travels, animal exposures, age, immunodeficiency, neurological damage characteristics, and potential extra-neurological signs. The interest of a diagnosis of encephalitis for which there is no specific treatment is also to discontinue any empirical treatments initially prescribed. Physicians must consider and search for autoimmune encephalitis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Efficient bibliographic searches on allergology using PubMed.

PubMed

Sáez Gómez, J M; Aguinaga Ontoso, E; Negro Alvarez, J M; Guillén-Grima, F; Ivancevich, J C; Bozzola, C M

2007-01-01

PubMed is the most important of the non-specialized databases on biomedical literature. International and quickly updated is elaborated by the American Government and contains only information about papers published in scientific journal/s. Although it can be used as an unique Data Base, as a matter of fact is the addition of several subgroups (among them MEDLINE) that can be searched simultaneously. To present the main characteristics of PubMed, as well as the most important procedures of search, for obtaining efficient results in searches on allergology. PubMed is elaborated by the American Administration, that condition the character of the registered papers, 90 % of them are written in English in American (50 %) or British (20 %) Journals. Because of this, the information for certain specialties or countries must be obtained from other sources. This paper shows how PubMed allows to search in natural language due to the Automatic Term Mapping that links terms from the natural language with the descriptors producing searches with a higher sensitivity although with a low specificity. Nevertheless the MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) thesaurus allows to translate those terms from the natural language to the equivalent descriptor, as well as to make queries in the PubMed's documental language with a high specificity but with lower sensitivity than the natural language. The use of union (OR), intersection (AND) and exclusion (NOT) operators, as well as tags, such as delimiters of the search fields, allows to increase the specificity of the results. Similar results may be obtained with the use of Limits. Searches done using Clinical Queries are very interesting due to their direct clinical application and because allow to find systematic reviews, metaanalysis or clinically oriented papers (treatment, diagnostic, etiology, prognosis or clinical prediction guides) on the area of interest. Other procedures such as the Index, History of searches, and the widening of the selection using Related Articles and the storing of separate results in the Clipboard to be kept by the user, are presented in this paper.

Local weather is associated with rates of online searches for musculoskeletal pain symptoms.

PubMed

Telfer, Scott; Obradovich, Nick

2017-01-01

Weather conditions are commonly believed to influence musculoskeletal pain, however the evidence for this is mixed. This study aimed to examine the relationship between local meteorological conditions and online search trends for terms related to knee pain, hip pain, and arthritis. Five years of relative online search volumes for these terms were obtained for the 50 most populous cities in the contiguous United States, along with corresponding local weather data for temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, and precipitation. Methods from the climate econometrics literature were used to assess the casual impact of these meteorological variables on the relative volumes of searches for pain. For temperatures between -5°C and 30°C, search volumes for hip pain increased by 12 index points, and knee pain increased by 18 index points. Precipitation had a negative effect on search volumes for these terms. At temperatures >30°C, search volumes for arthritis related pain decreased by 7 index points. These patterns were not seen for pain searches unrelated to the musculoskeletal system. In summary, selected local weather conditions are significantly associated with online search volumes for specific musculoskeletal pain symptoms. We believe the predominate driver for this to be the relative changes in physical activity levels associated with meteorological conditions.

[Systematic literature search in PubMed : A short introduction].

PubMed

Blümle, A; Lagrèze, W A; Motschall, E

2018-03-01

In order to identify current (and relevant) evidence for a specific clinical question within the unmanageable amount of information available, solid skills in performing a systematic literature search are essential. An efficient approach is to search a biomedical database containing relevant literature citations of study reports. The best known database is MEDLINE, which is searchable for free via the PubMed interface. In this article, we explain step by step how to perform a systematic literature search via PubMed by means of an example research question in the field of ophthalmology. First, we demonstrate how to translate the clinical problem into a well-framed and searchable research question, how to identify relevant search terms and how to conduct a text word search and a search with keywords in medical subject headings (MeSH) terms. We then show how to limit the number of search results if the search yields too many irrelevant hits and how to increase the number in the case of too few citations. Finally, we summarize all essential principles that guide a literature search via PubMed.

Long-Term Memory: A Review and Meta-Analysis of Studies of Declarative and Procedural Memory in Specific Language Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lum, Jarrad A. G.; Conti-Ramsden, Gina

2013-01-01

This review examined the status of long-term memory systems in specific language impairment (SLI)--declarative memory and aspects of procedural memory in particular. Studies included in the review were identified following a systematic search of the literature and findings combined using meta-analysis. This review showed that individuals with SLI…

Infodemiology of systemic lupus erythematous using Google Trends.

PubMed

Radin, M; Sciascia, S

2017-07-01

Objective People affected by chronic rheumatic conditions, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), frequently rely on the Internet and search engines to look for terms related to their disease and its possible causes, symptoms and treatments. 'Infodemiology' and 'infoveillance' are two recent terms created to describe a new developing approach for public health, based on Big Data monitoring and data mining. In this study, we aim to investigate trends of Internet research linked to SLE and symptoms associated with the disease, applying a Big Data monitoring approach. Methods We analysed the large amount of data generated by Google Trends, considering 'lupus', 'relapse' and 'fatigue' in a 10-year web-based research. Google Trends automatically normalized data for the overall number of searches, and presented them as relative search volumes, in order to compare variations of different search terms across regions and periods. The Menn-Kendall test was used to evaluate the overall seasonal trend of each search term and possible correlation between search terms. Results We observed a seasonality for Google search volumes for lupus-related terms. In the Northern hemisphere, relative search volumes for 'lupus' were correlated with 'relapse' (τ = 0.85; p = 0.019) and with fatigue (τ = 0.82; p = 0.003), whereas in the Southern hemisphere we observed a significant correlation between 'fatigue' and 'relapse' (τ = 0.85; p = 0.018). Similarly, a significant correlation between 'fatigue' and 'relapse' (τ = 0.70; p < 0.001) was seen also in the Northern hemisphere. Conclusion Despite the intrinsic limitations of this approach, Internet-acquired data might represent a real-time surveillance tool and an alert for healthcare systems in order to plan the most appropriate resources in specific moments with higher disease burden.

Querying archetype-based EHRs by search ontology-based XPath engineering.

PubMed

Kropf, Stefan; Uciteli, Alexandr; Schierle, Katrin; Krücken, Peter; Denecke, Kerstin; Herre, Heinrich

2018-05-11

Legacy data and new structured data can be stored in a standardized format as XML-based EHRs on XML databases. Querying documents on these databases is crucial for answering research questions. Instead of using free text searches, that lead to false positive results, the precision can be increased by constraining the search to certain parts of documents. A search ontology-based specification of queries on XML documents defines search concepts and relates them to parts in the XML document structure. Such query specification method is practically introduced and evaluated by applying concrete research questions formulated in natural language on a data collection for information retrieval purposes. The search is performed by search ontology-based XPath engineering that reuses ontologies and XML-related W3C standards. The key result is that the specification of research questions can be supported by the usage of search ontology-based XPath engineering. A deeper recognition of entities and a semantic understanding of the content is necessary for a further improvement of precision and recall. Key limitation is that the application of the introduced process requires skills in ontology and software development. In future, the time consuming ontology development could be overcome by implementing a new clinical role: the clinical ontologist. The introduced Search Ontology XML extension connects Search Terms to certain parts in XML documents and enables an ontology-based definition of queries. Search ontology-based XPath engineering can support research question answering by the specification of complex XPath expressions without deep syntax knowledge about XPaths.

Google search behavior for status epilepticus.

PubMed

Brigo, Francesco; Trinka, Eugen

2015-08-01

Millions of people surf the Internet every day as a source of health-care information looking for materials about symptoms, diagnosis, treatments and their possible adverse effects, or diagnostic procedures. Google is the most popular search engine and is used by patients and physicians to search for online health-related information. This study aimed to evaluate changes in Google search behavior occurring in English-speaking countries over time for the term "status epilepticus" (SE). Using Google Trends, data on global search queries for the term SE between the 1st of January 2004 and 31st of December 2014 were analyzed. Search volume numbers over time (downloaded as CSV datasets) were analyzed by applying the "health" category filter. The research trends for the term SE remained fairly constant over time. The greatest search volume for the term SE was reported in the United States, followed by India, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, Thailand, and Germany. Most terms associated with the search queries were related to SE definition, symptoms, subtypes, and treatment. The volume of searches for some queries (nonconvulsive, focal, and refractory SE; SE definition; SE guidelines; SE symptoms; SE management; SE treatment) was enormously increased over time (search popularity has exceeded a 5000% growth since 2004). Most people use search engines to look for the term SE to obtain information on its definition, subtypes, and management. The greatest search volume occurred not only in developed countries but also in developing countries where raising awareness about SE still remains a challenging task and where there is reduced public knowledge of epilepsy. Health information seeking (the extent to which people search for health information online) reflects the health-related information needs of Internet users for a specific disease. Google Trends shows that Internet users have a great demand for information concerning some aspects of SE (definition, subtypes, symptoms, treatment, and guidelines). Policy makers and neurological scientific societies have the responsibility to try to meet these information needs and to better target public information campaigns on SE to the general population. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Status Epilepticus". Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Searching for cancer information on the internet: analyzing natural language search queries.

PubMed

Bader, Judith L; Theofanos, Mary Frances

2003-12-11

Searching for health information is one of the most-common tasks performed by Internet users. Many users begin searching on popular search engines rather than on prominent health information sites. We know that many visitors to our (National Cancer Institute) Web site, cancer.gov, arrive via links in search engine result. To learn more about the specific needs of our general-public users, we wanted to understand what lay users really wanted to know about cancer, how they phrased their questions, and how much detail they used. The National Cancer Institute partnered with AskJeeves, Inc to develop a methodology to capture, sample, and analyze 3 months of cancer-related queries on the Ask.com Web site, a prominent United States consumer search engine, which receives over 35 million queries per week. Using a benchmark set of 500 terms and word roots supplied by the National Cancer Institute, AskJeeves identified a test sample of cancer queries for 1 week in August 2001. From these 500 terms only 37 appeared >or= 5 times/day over the trial test week in 17208 queries. Using these 37 terms, 204165 instances of cancer queries were found in the Ask.com query logs for the actual test period of June-August 2001. Of these, 7500 individual user questions were randomly selected for detailed analysis and assigned to appropriate categories. The exact language of sample queries is presented. Considering multiples of the same questions, the sample of 7500 individual user queries represented 76077 queries (37% of the total 3-month pool). Overall 78.37% of sampled Cancer queries asked about 14 specific cancer types. Within each cancer type, queries were sorted into appropriate subcategories including at least the following: General Information, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Testing, Treatment, Statistics, Definition, and Cause/Risk/Link. The most-common specific cancer types mentioned in queries were Digestive/Gastrointestinal/Bowel (15.0%), Breast (11.7%), Skin (11.3%), and Genitourinary (10.5%). Additional subcategories of queries about specific cancer types varied, depending on user input. Queries that were not specific to a cancer type were also tracked and categorized. Natural-language searching affords users the opportunity to fully express their information needs and can aid users naïve to the content and vocabulary. The specific queries analyzed for this study reflect news and research studies reported during the study dates and would surely change with different study dates. Analyzing queries from search engines represents one way of knowing what kinds of content to provide to users of a given Web site. Users ask questions using whole sentences and keywords, often misspelling words. Providing the option for natural-language searching does not obviate the need for good information architecture, usability engineering, and user testing in order to optimize user experience.

Searching for Cancer Information on the Internet: Analyzing Natural Language Search Queries

PubMed Central

Theofanos, Mary Frances

2003-01-01

Background Searching for health information is one of the most-common tasks performed by Internet users. Many users begin searching on popular search engines rather than on prominent health information sites. We know that many visitors to our (National Cancer Institute) Web site, cancer.gov, arrive via links in search engine result. Objective To learn more about the specific needs of our general-public users, we wanted to understand what lay users really wanted to know about cancer, how they phrased their questions, and how much detail they used. Methods The National Cancer Institute partnered with AskJeeves, Inc to develop a methodology to capture, sample, and analyze 3 months of cancer-related queries on the Ask.com Web site, a prominent United States consumer search engine, which receives over 35 million queries per week. Using a benchmark set of 500 terms and word roots supplied by the National Cancer Institute, AskJeeves identified a test sample of cancer queries for 1 week in August 2001. From these 500 terms only 37 appeared ≥ 5 times/day over the trial test week in 17208 queries. Using these 37 terms, 204165 instances of cancer queries were found in the Ask.com query logs for the actual test period of June-August 2001. Of these, 7500 individual user questions were randomly selected for detailed analysis and assigned to appropriate categories. The exact language of sample queries is presented. Results Considering multiples of the same questions, the sample of 7500 individual user queries represented 76077 queries (37% of the total 3-month pool). Overall 78.37% of sampled Cancer queries asked about 14 specific cancer types. Within each cancer type, queries were sorted into appropriate subcategories including at least the following: General Information, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Testing, Treatment, Statistics, Definition, and Cause/Risk/Link. The most-common specific cancer types mentioned in queries were Digestive/Gastrointestinal/Bowel (15.0%), Breast (11.7%), Skin (11.3%), and Genitourinary (10.5%). Additional subcategories of queries about specific cancer types varied, depending on user input. Queries that were not specific to a cancer type were also tracked and categorized. Conclusions Natural-language searching affords users the opportunity to fully express their information needs and can aid users naïve to the content and vocabulary. The specific queries analyzed for this study reflect news and research studies reported during the study dates and would surely change with different study dates. Analyzing queries from search engines represents one way of knowing what kinds of content to provide to users of a given Web site. Users ask questions using whole sentences and keywords, often misspelling words. Providing the option for natural-language searching does not obviate the need for good information architecture, usability engineering, and user testing in order to optimize user experience. PMID:14713659

Personalized query suggestion based on user behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Wanyu; Hao, Zepeng; Shao, Taihua; Chen, Honghui

Query suggestions help users refine their queries after they input an initial query. Previous work mainly concentrated on similarity-based and context-based query suggestion approaches. However, models that focus on adapting to a specific user (personalization) can help to improve the probability of the user being satisfied. In this paper, we propose a personalized query suggestion model based on users’ search behavior (UB model), where we inject relevance between queries and users’ search behavior into a basic probabilistic model. For the relevance between queries, we consider their semantical similarity and co-occurrence which indicates the behavior information from other users in web search. Regarding the current user’s preference to a query, we combine the user’s short-term and long-term search behavior in a linear fashion and deal with the data sparse problem with Bayesian probabilistic matrix factorization (BPMF). In particular, we also investigate the impact of different personalization strategies (the combination of the user’s short-term and long-term search behavior) on the performance of query suggestion reranking. We quantify the improvement of our proposed UB model against a state-of-the-art baseline using the public AOL query logs and show that it beats the baseline in terms of metrics used in query suggestion reranking. The experimental results show that: (i) for personalized ranking, users’ behavioral information helps to improve query suggestion effectiveness; and (ii) given a query, merging information inferred from the short-term and long-term search behavior of a particular user can result in a better performance than both plain approaches.

Why do people google movement disorders? An infodemiological study of information seeking behaviors.

PubMed

Brigo, Francesco; Erro, Roberto

2016-05-01

Millions of people worldwide everyday search Google or Wikipedia to look for health-related information. Aim of this study was to evaluate and interpret web search queries for terms related to movement disorders (MD) in English-speaking countries and their changes over time. We analyzed information regarding the volume of online searches in Google and Wikipedia for the most common MD and their treatments. We determined the highest search volume peaks to identify possible relation with online news headlines. The volume of searches for some queries related to MD entered in Google enormously increased over time. Most queries were related to definition, subtypes, symptoms and treatment (mostly to adverse effects, or alternatively, to possible alternative treatments). The highest peaks of MD search queries were temporally related to news about celebrities suffering from MD, to specific mass-media events or to news concerning pharmaceutic companies or scientific discoveries on MD. An increasing number of people use Google and Wikipedia to look for terms related to MD to obtain information on definitions, causes and symptoms, possibly to aid initial self-diagnosis. MD information demand and the actual prevalence of different MDs do not travel together: web search volume may mirrors patients' fears and worries about some particular disorders perceived as more serious than others, or may be driven by release of news about celebrities suffering from MD, "breaking news" or specific mass-media events regarding MD.

Assessment of Quality and Content of Online Information About Hip Arthroscopy.

PubMed

Ellsworth, Bridget; Patel, Hiren; Kamath, Atul F

2016-10-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of information available to patients on the Internet when using popular search engines to search the term "hip arthroscopy." We analyzed the quality and content of information about hip arthroscopy (HA) on the first 50 websites returned by the search engines Google and Bing for the search term "hip arthroscopy." The sites were categorized by type, and quality and content were measured using the DISCERN score, along with an HA-specific content score. The HA-specific content score was used to assess each website for the presence or absence of 19 topics about HA determined to be important for a patient seeking information about the procedure. The Health on the Net Code (HONcode) status of each website was also noted. The mean DISCERN score for all websites analyzed was 39.5, considered "poor," while only 44.6% of sites were considered "fair" or "good." Governmental and nonprofit organization (NPO) websites had the highest average DISCERN score. The mean HA-specific content score was 8.6 (range, 2 to 16). The commercial website category had the highest average HA-specific content score, followed by the governmental and NPO category. Sites that bore the HONcode certification obtained significantly higher DISCERN scores than those without the certification (P = .0032) but did not obtain significantly higher HA-specific content scores. "Hip arthroscopy" is a fairly general term, and there is significant variability in the quality of HA information available online. The HONcode is useful to identify quality patient information websites; however, it is not commonly used in HA-specific websites and does not encompass all quality websites about HA. This study increases awareness of the quality of information on HA available online. Copyright © 2016 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Textpresso: An Ontology-Based Information Retrieval and Extraction System for Biological Literature

PubMed Central

Müller, Hans-Michael; Kenny, Eimear E

2004-01-01

We have developed Textpresso, a new text-mining system for scientific literature whose capabilities go far beyond those of a simple keyword search engine. Textpresso's two major elements are a collection of the full text of scientific articles split into individual sentences, and the implementation of categories of terms for which a database of articles and individual sentences can be searched. The categories are classes of biological concepts (e.g., gene, allele, cell or cell group, phenotype, etc.) and classes that relate two objects (e.g., association, regulation, etc.) or describe one (e.g., biological process, etc.). Together they form a catalog of types of objects and concepts called an ontology. After this ontology is populated with terms, the whole corpus of articles and abstracts is marked up to identify terms of these categories. The current ontology comprises 33 categories of terms. A search engine enables the user to search for one or a combination of these tags and/or keywords within a sentence or document, and as the ontology allows word meaning to be queried, it is possible to formulate semantic queries. Full text access increases recall of biological data types from 45% to 95%. Extraction of particular biological facts, such as gene-gene interactions, can be accelerated significantly by ontologies, with Textpresso automatically performing nearly as well as expert curators to identify sentences; in searches for two uniquely named genes and an interaction term, the ontology confers a 3-fold increase of search efficiency. Textpresso currently focuses on Caenorhabditis elegans literature, with 3,800 full text articles and 16,000 abstracts. The lexicon of the ontology contains 14,500 entries, each of which includes all versions of a specific word or phrase, and it includes all categories of the Gene Ontology database. Textpresso is a useful curation tool, as well as search engine for researchers, and can readily be extended to other organism-specific corpora of text. Textpresso can be accessed at http://www.textpresso.org or via WormBase at http://www.wormbase.org. PMID:15383839

Donor funding for newborn survival: an analysis of donor-reported data, 2002-2010.

PubMed

Pitt, Catherine; Lawn, Joy E; Ranganathan, Meghna; Mills, Anne; Hanson, Kara

2012-10-01

Neonatal mortality accounts for 43% of global under-five deaths and is decreasing more slowly than maternal or child mortality. Donor funding has increased for maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH), but no analysis to date has disaggregated aid for newborns. We evaluated if and how aid flows for newborn care can be tracked, examined changes in the last decade, and considered methodological implications for tracking funding for specific population groups or diseases. We critically reviewed and categorised previous analyses of aid to specific populations, diseases, or types of activities. We then developed and refined key terms related to newborn survival in seven languages and searched titles and descriptions of donor disbursement records in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Creditor Reporting System database, 2002-2010. We compared results with the Countdown to 2015 database of aid for MNCH (2003-2008) and the search strategy used by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Prior to 2005, key terms related to newborns were rare in disbursement records but their frequency increased markedly thereafter. Only two mentions were found of "stillbirth" and only nine references were found to "fetus" in any spelling variant or language. The total value of non-research disbursements mentioning any newborn search terms rose from US$38.4 million in 2002 to US$717.1 million in 2010 (constant 2010 US$). The value of non-research projects exclusively benefitting newborns fluctuated somewhat but remained low, at US$5.7 million in 2010. The United States and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) provided the largest value of non-research funding mentioning and exclusively benefitting newborns, respectively. Donor attention to newborn survival has increased since 2002, but it appears unlikely that donor aid is commensurate with the 3.0 million newborn deaths and 2.7 million stillbirths each year. We recommend that those tracking funding for other specific population groups, diseases, or activities consider a key term search approach in the Creditor Reporting System along with a detailed review of their data, but that they develop their search terms and interpretations carefully, taking into account the limitations described. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.

Search Filter Precision Can Be Improved By NOTing Out Irrelevant Content

PubMed Central

Wilczynski, Nancy L.; McKibbon, K. Ann; Haynes, R. Brian

2011-01-01

Background: Most methodologic search filters developed for use in large electronic databases such as MEDLINE have low precision. One method that has been proposed but not tested for improving precision is NOTing out irrelevant content. Objective: To determine if search filter precision can be improved by NOTing out the text words and index terms assigned to those articles that are retrieved but are off-target. Design: Analytic survey. Methods: NOTing out unique terms in off-target articles and testing search filter performance in the Clinical Hedges Database. Main Outcome Measures: Sensitivity, specificity, precision and number needed to read (NNR). Results: For all purpose categories (diagnosis, prognosis and etiology) except treatment and for all databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and PsycINFO), constructing search filters that NOTed out irrelevant content resulted in substantive improvements in NNR (over four-fold for some purpose categories and databases). Conclusion: Search filter precision can be improved by NOTing out irrelevant content. PMID:22195215

Variability of patient spine education by Internet search engine.

PubMed

Ghobrial, George M; Mehdi, Angud; Maltenfort, Mitchell; Sharan, Ashwini D; Harrop, James S

2014-03-01

Patients are increasingly reliant upon the Internet as a primary source of medical information. The educational experience varies by search engine, search term, and changes daily. There are no tools for critical evaluation of spinal surgery websites. To highlight the variability between common search engines for the same search terms. To detect bias, by prevalence of specific kinds of websites for certain spinal disorders. Demonstrate a simple scoring system of spinal disorder website for patient use, to maximize the quality of information exposed to the patient. Ten common search terms were used to query three of the most common search engines. The top fifty results of each query were tabulated. A negative binomial regression was performed to highlight the variation across each search engine. Google was more likely than Bing and Yahoo search engines to return hospital ads (P=0.002) and more likely to return scholarly sites of peer-reviewed lite (P=0.003). Educational web sites, surgical group sites, and online web communities had a significantly higher likelihood of returning on any search, regardless of search engine, or search string (P=0.007). Likewise, professional websites, including hospital run, industry sponsored, legal, and peer-reviewed web pages were less likely to be found on a search overall, regardless of engine and search string (P=0.078). The Internet is a rapidly growing body of medical information which can serve as a useful tool for patient education. High quality information is readily available, provided that the patient uses a consistent, focused metric for evaluating online spine surgery information, as there is a clear variability in the way search engines present information to the patient. Published by Elsevier B.V.

PubMed search filters for the study of putative outdoor air pollution determinants of disease

PubMed Central

Curti, Stefania; Gori, Davide; Di Gregori, Valentina; Farioli, Andrea; Baldasseroni, Alberto; Fantini, Maria Pia; Christiani, David C; Violante, Francesco S; Mattioli, Stefano

2016-01-01

Objectives Several PubMed search filters have been developed in contexts other than environmental. We aimed at identifying efficient PubMed search filters for the study of environmental determinants of diseases related to outdoor air pollution. Methods We compiled a list of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and non-MeSH terms seeming pertinent to outdoor air pollutants exposure as determinants of diseases in the general population. We estimated proportions of potentially pertinent articles to formulate two filters (one ‘more specific’, one ‘more sensitive’). Their overall performance was evaluated as compared with our gold standard derived from systematic reviews on diseases potentially related to outdoor air pollution. We tested these filters in the study of three diseases potentially associated with outdoor air pollution and calculated the number of needed to read (NNR) abstracts to identify one potentially pertinent article in the context of these diseases. Last searches were run in January 2016. Results The ‘more specific’ filter was based on the combination of terms that yielded a threshold of potentially pertinent articles ≥40%. The ‘more sensitive’ filter was based on the combination of all search terms under study. When compared with the gold standard, the ‘more specific’ filter reported the highest specificity (67.4%; with a sensitivity of 82.5%), while the ‘more sensitive’ one reported the highest sensitivity (98.5%; with a specificity of 47.9%). The NNR to find one potentially pertinent article was 1.9 for the ‘more specific’ filter and 3.3 for the ‘more sensitive’ one. Conclusions The proposed search filters could help healthcare professionals investigate environmental determinants of medical conditions that could be potentially related to outdoor air pollution. PMID:28003291

An ontology-based search engine for protein-protein interactions

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Keyword matching or ID matching is the most common searching method in a large database of protein-protein interactions. They are purely syntactic methods, and retrieve the records in the database that contain a keyword or ID specified in a query. Such syntactic search methods often retrieve too few search results or no results despite many potential matches present in the database. Results We have developed a new method for representing protein-protein interactions and the Gene Ontology (GO) using modified Gödel numbers. This representation is hidden from users but enables a search engine using the representation to efficiently search protein-protein interactions in a biologically meaningful way. Given a query protein with optional search conditions expressed in one or more GO terms, the search engine finds all the interaction partners of the query protein by unique prime factorization of the modified Gödel numbers representing the query protein and the search conditions. Conclusion Representing the biological relations of proteins and their GO annotations by modified Gödel numbers makes a search engine efficiently find all protein-protein interactions by prime factorization of the numbers. Keyword matching or ID matching search methods often miss the interactions involving a protein that has no explicit annotations matching the search condition, but our search engine retrieves such interactions as well if they satisfy the search condition with a more specific term in the ontology. PMID:20122195

An ontology-based search engine for protein-protein interactions.

PubMed

Park, Byungkyu; Han, Kyungsook

2010-01-18

Keyword matching or ID matching is the most common searching method in a large database of protein-protein interactions. They are purely syntactic methods, and retrieve the records in the database that contain a keyword or ID specified in a query. Such syntactic search methods often retrieve too few search results or no results despite many potential matches present in the database. We have developed a new method for representing protein-protein interactions and the Gene Ontology (GO) using modified Gödel numbers. This representation is hidden from users but enables a search engine using the representation to efficiently search protein-protein interactions in a biologically meaningful way. Given a query protein with optional search conditions expressed in one or more GO terms, the search engine finds all the interaction partners of the query protein by unique prime factorization of the modified Gödel numbers representing the query protein and the search conditions. Representing the biological relations of proteins and their GO annotations by modified Gödel numbers makes a search engine efficiently find all protein-protein interactions by prime factorization of the numbers. Keyword matching or ID matching search methods often miss the interactions involving a protein that has no explicit annotations matching the search condition, but our search engine retrieves such interactions as well if they satisfy the search condition with a more specific term in the ontology.

Suicide rates and information seeking via search engines: A cross-national correlational approach.

PubMed

Arendt, Florian

2018-09-01

The volume of Google searches for suicide-related terms is positively associated with suicide rates, but previous studies used data from specific, restricted geographical contexts, thus, limiting the generalizability of this finding. We investigated the correlation between suicide-related search volume and suicide rates of 50 nations from five continents. We found a positive correlation between suicide rates and search volume, even after controlling for the level of industrialization. Results give credence to the global existence of a correlation. However, the reason why suicide-related search volume is higher in countries with higher suicide rates is still unclear and up to future research.

PubMed-supported clinical term weighting approach for improving inter-patient similarity measure in diagnosis prediction.

PubMed

Chan, Lawrence Wc; Liu, Ying; Chan, Tao; Law, Helen Kw; Wong, S C Cesar; Yeung, Andy Ph; Lo, K F; Yeung, S W; Kwok, K Y; Chan, William Yl; Lau, Thomas Yh; Shyu, Chi-Ren

2015-06-02

Similarity-based retrieval of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) from large clinical information systems provides physicians the evidence support in making diagnoses or referring examinations for the suspected cases. Clinical Terms in EHRs represent high-level conceptual information and the similarity measure established based on these terms reflects the chance of inter-patient disease co-occurrence. The assumption that clinical terms are equally relevant to a disease is unrealistic, reducing the prediction accuracy. Here we propose a term weighting approach supported by PubMed search engine to address this issue. We collected and studied 112 abdominal computed tomography imaging examination reports from four hospitals in Hong Kong. Clinical terms, which are the image findings related to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), were extracted from the reports. Through two systematic PubMed search methods, the generic and specific term weightings were established by estimating the conditional probabilities of clinical terms given HCC. Each report was characterized by an ontological feature vector and there were totally 6216 vector pairs. We optimized the modified direction cosine (mDC) with respect to a regularization constant embedded into the feature vector. Equal, generic and specific term weighting approaches were applied to measure the similarity of each pair and their performances for predicting inter-patient co-occurrence of HCC diagnoses were compared by using Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) analysis. The Areas under the curves (AUROCs) of similarity scores based on equal, generic and specific term weighting approaches were 0.735, 0.728 and 0.743 respectively (p < 0.01). In comparison with equal term weighting, the performance was significantly improved by specific term weighting (p < 0.01) but not by generic term weighting. The clinical terms "Dysplastic nodule", "nodule of liver" and "equal density (isodense) lesion" were found the top three image findings associated with HCC in PubMed. Our findings suggest that the optimized similarity measure with specific term weighting to EHRs can improve significantly the accuracy for predicting the inter-patient co-occurrence of diagnosis when compared with equal and generic term weighting approaches.

Evaluation and prediction of long-term environmental effects on nonmetallic materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

Changes in functional properties of a broad spectrum of nonmetallic materials as a function of environment and exposure time were evaluated. Models for predicting long-term material performance are discussed. A literature search on specific materials in the space and simulated space environment was carried out and evaluated.

PubMed search strategies for the identification of etiologic associations between hypothalamic-pituitary disorders and other medical conditions.

PubMed

Guaraldi, Federica; Grottoli, Silvia; Arvat, Emanuela; Mattioli, Stefano; Ghigo, Ezio; Gori, Davide

2013-12-01

Biomedical literature has enormously grown in the last decades and become broadly available through online databases. Ad-hoc search methods, created on the basis of research field and goals, are required to enhance the quality of searching. Aim of this study was to formulate efficient, evidence-based PubMed search strategies to retrieve articles assessing etiologic associations between a condition of interest and hypothalamic-pituitary disorders (HPD). Based on expert knowledge, 17 MeSH (Medical Subjects Headings) and 79 free terms related to HPD were identified to search PubMed. Using random samples of abstracts retrieved by each term, we estimated the proportion of articles containing pertinent information and formulated two strings (one more specific, one more sensitive) for the detection of articles focusing on the etiology of HPD, that were then applied to retrieve articles identifying possible etiologic associations between HPD and three diseases (malaria, LHON and celiac disease) considered not associated to HPD, and define the number of abstracts needed to read (NNR) to find one potentially pertinent article. We propose two strings: one sensitive string derived from the combination of articles providing the largest literature coverage in the field and one specific including combined terms retrieving ≥40% of potentially pertinent articles. NNR were 2.1 and 1.6 for malaria, 3.36 and 2.29 for celiac disease, 2.8 and 2.2 for LHON, respectively. For the first time, two reliable, readily applicable strings are proposed for the retrieval of medical literature assessing putative etiologic associations between HPD and other medical conditions of interest.

Retrieval of overviews of systematic reviews in MEDLINE was improved by the development of an objectively derived and validated search strategy.

PubMed

Lunny, Carole; McKenzie, Joanne E; McDonald, Steve

2016-06-01

Locating overviews of systematic reviews is difficult because of an absence of appropriate indexing terms and inconsistent terminology used to describe overviews. Our objective was to develop a validated search strategy to retrieve overviews in MEDLINE. We derived a test set of overviews from the references of two method articles on overviews. Two population sets were used to identify discriminating terms, that is, terms that appear frequently in the test set but infrequently in two population sets of references found in MEDLINE. We used text mining to conduct a frequency analysis of terms appearing in the titles and abstracts. Candidate terms were combined and tested in MEDLINE in various permutations, and the performance of strategies measured using sensitivity and precision. Two search strategies were developed: a sensitivity-maximizing strategy, achieving 93% sensitivity (95% confidence interval [CI]: 87, 96) and 7% precision (95% CI: 6, 8), and a sensitivity-and-precision-maximizing strategy, achieving 66% sensitivity (95% CI: 58, 74) and 21% precision (95% CI: 17, 25). The developed search strategies enable users to more efficiently identify overviews of reviews compared to current strategies. Consistent language in describing overviews would aid in their identification, as would a specific MEDLINE Publication Type. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reengineering of MeSH thesauri for term selection to optimize literature retrieval and knowledge reconstruction in support of stem cell research.

PubMed

Su, Yan; Andrews, James; Huang, Hong; Wang, Yue; Kong, Liangliang; Cannon, Peter; Xu, Ping

2016-05-23

PubMed is a widely used database for scientists to find biomedical-related literature. Due to the complexity of the selected research subject and its interdisciplinary nature, as well as the exponential growth in the number of disparate pieces of biomedical literature, it is an overwhelming challenge for scientists to define the right search strategies and quickly locate all related information. Specialized subsets and groupings of controlled vocabularies, such as Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), can enhance information retrieval in specialized domains, such as stem cell research. There is a need to develop effective search strategies and convenient solutions for knowledge organization in stem cell research. The understanding of the interrelationships between these MeSH terms also facilitates the building of knowledge organization systems in related subject fields. This study collected empirical data for MeSH-related terms from stem cell literature and developed a novel approach that uses both automation and expert-selection to create a set of terms that supports enhanced retrieval. The selected MeSH terms were reconstructed into a classified thesaurus that can guide researchers towards a successful search and knowledge organization of stem cell literature. First, 4253 MeSH terms were harvested from a sample of 5527 stem cell related research papers from the PubMed database. Next, unrelated terms were filtered out based on term frequency and specificity. Precision and recall measures were used to help identify additional valuable terms, which were mostly non-MeSH terms. The study identified 15 terms that specifically referred to stem cell research for information retrieval, which would yield a higher precision (97.7 %) and recall (94.4 %) rates in comparison to other approaches. In addition, 128 root MeSH terms were selected to conduct knowledge organization of stem cell research in categories of anatomy, disease, and others. This study presented a novel strategy and procedure to reengineer term selections of the MeSH thesaurus for literature retrieval and knowledge organization using stem cell research as a case. It could help scientists to select their own search terms and build up a thesaurus-based knowledge organization system in interested and interdisciplinary research subject areas.

Donor Funding for Newborn Survival: An Analysis of Donor-Reported Data, 2002–2010

PubMed Central

Pitt, Catherine; Lawn, Joy E.; Ranganathan, Meghna; Mills, Anne; Hanson, Kara

2012-01-01

Background Neonatal mortality accounts for 43% of global under-five deaths and is decreasing more slowly than maternal or child mortality. Donor funding has increased for maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH), but no analysis to date has disaggregated aid for newborns. We evaluated if and how aid flows for newborn care can be tracked, examined changes in the last decade, and considered methodological implications for tracking funding for specific population groups or diseases. Methods and Findings We critically reviewed and categorised previous analyses of aid to specific populations, diseases, or types of activities. We then developed and refined key terms related to newborn survival in seven languages and searched titles and descriptions of donor disbursement records in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Creditor Reporting System database, 2002–2010. We compared results with the Countdown to 2015 database of aid for MNCH (2003–2008) and the search strategy used by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Prior to 2005, key terms related to newborns were rare in disbursement records but their frequency increased markedly thereafter. Only two mentions were found of “stillbirth” and only nine references were found to “fetus” in any spelling variant or language. The total value of non-research disbursements mentioning any newborn search terms rose from US$38.4 million in 2002 to US$717.1 million in 2010 (constant 2010 US$). The value of non-research projects exclusively benefitting newborns fluctuated somewhat but remained low, at US$5.7 million in 2010. The United States and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) provided the largest value of non-research funding mentioning and exclusively benefitting newborns, respectively. Conclusions Donor attention to newborn survival has increased since 2002, but it appears unlikely that donor aid is commensurate with the 3.0 million newborn deaths and 2.7 million stillbirths each year. We recommend that those tracking funding for other specific population groups, diseases, or activities consider a key term search approach in the Creditor Reporting System along with a detailed review of their data, but that they develop their search terms and interpretations carefully, taking into account the limitations described. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary PMID:23118619

Assessment of indexing trends with specific and general terms for herbal medicine.

PubMed

Bartol, Tomaz

2012-12-01

Concepts for medicinal plants are represented by a variety of associated general terms with specific indexing patterns in databases, which may not consistently reflect growth of records. The objectives of this study are to assess the development in databases by identifying general terms that describe herbal medicine with optimal retrieval recall and to identify possible special trends in co-occurrence of specific and general concepts. Different search strategies are tested in cab abstracts, medline and web of science. Specific terms (Origanum and Salvia) are employed. Relevant general terms (e.g. 'Plants, Medicinal', Phytotherapy, Herbal drugs) are identified, along with indexing trends and co-occurrences. Growth trends, in specific (narrower) terms, are similar among databases. General terms, however, exhibit dissimilar trends, sometimes almost opposing one another. Co-occurrence of specific and general terms is changing over time. General terms may not denote definite development of trends as the use of terms differs amongst databases, making it difficult to correctly assess possible numbers of relevant records. Perceived increase can, sometimes, be attributed to an increased occurrence of a more general term alongside the specific one. Thesaurus-controlled databases may yield more hits, because of 'up-posted' (broader) terms. Use of broader terms is helpful as it enhances retrieval of relevant documents. © 2012 The authors. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2012 Health Libraries Group.

YouTube as a patient-information source for root canal treatment.

PubMed

Nason, K; Donnelly, A; Duncan, H F

2016-12-01

To assess the content and completeness of Youtube ™ as an information source for patients undergoing root canal treatment procedures. YouTube ™ (https://www.youtube.com/) was searched for information using three relevant treatment search terms ('endodontics', 'root canal' and 'root canal treatment'). After exclusions (language, no audio, >15 min, duplicates), 20 videos per search term were selected. General video assessment included duration, ownership, views, age, likes/dislikes, target audience and video/audio quality, whilst content was analysed under six categories ('aetiology', 'anatomy', 'symptoms', 'procedure', 'postoperative course' and 'prognosis'). Content was scored for completeness level and statistically analysed using anova and post hoc Tukey's test (P < 0.05). To obtain 60 acceptable videos, 124 were assessed. Depending on the search term employed, the video content and ownership differed markedly. There was wide variation in both the number of video views and 'likes/dislikes'. The average video age was 788 days. In total, 46% of videos were 'posted' by a dentist/specialist source; however, this was search term specific rising to 70% of uploads for the search 'endodontic', whilst laypersons contributed 18% of uploads for the search 'root canal treatment'. Every video lacked content in the designated six categories, although 'procedure' details were covered more frequently and in better detail than other categories. Videos posted by dental professional (P = 0.046) and commercial sources (P = 0.009) were significantly more complete than videos posted by laypeople. YouTube ™ videos for endodontic search terms varied significantly by source and content and were generally incomplete. The danger of patient reliance on YouTube ™ is highlighted, as is the need for endodontic professionals to play an active role in directing patients towards alternative high-quality information sources. © 2015 International Endodontic Journal. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A predictive framework for evaluating models of semantic organization in free recall

PubMed Central

Morton, Neal W; Polyn, Sean M.

2016-01-01

Research in free recall has demonstrated that semantic associations reliably influence the organization of search through episodic memory. However, the specific structure of these associations and the mechanisms by which they influence memory search remain unclear. We introduce a likelihood-based model-comparison technique, which embeds a model of semantic structure within the context maintenance and retrieval (CMR) model of human memory search. Within this framework, model variants are evaluated in terms of their ability to predict the specific sequence in which items are recalled. We compare three models of semantic structure, latent semantic analysis (LSA), global vectors (GloVe), and word association spaces (WAS), and find that models using WAS have the greatest predictive power. Furthermore, we find evidence that semantic and temporal organization is driven by distinct item and context cues, rather than a single context cue. This finding provides important constraint for theories of memory search. PMID:28331243

Public Interest in Breast Augmentation: Analysis and Implications of Google Trends Data.

PubMed

Wilson, Stelios C; Daar, David A; Sinno, Sammy; Levine, Steven M

2018-06-01

Breast augmentation is the most common aesthetic surgery performed in the United States (US) annually. Analysis of Google Trends (GT) data may give plastic surgeons useful information regarding worldwide, national, and regional interest for breast augmentation and other commonly performed aesthetic surgeries. Data were collected using GT for breast augmentation and associated search terms from January 2004 to May 2017. Case volume was obtained from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) annual reports for the calendar year 2005-2016. Trend analysis showed that total search term volume for breast augmentation and breast implants gradually decreased worldwide and in the US over the study period while the search term boob job slowly increased. Univariate linear regression demonstrated a statistically significant positive correlation between average annual Google search volume of "breast augmentation" and the annual volume of breast augmentations performed in the US according to ASPS data (R 2  = 0.44, p = 0.018). There was no significant correlation between national volume of breast augmentations performed and search volume using the terms "breast implants" or "boob job" over time (p = 0.84 and p = 0.07, respectively). In addition, there appears to be country specific variation in interest based on time of year and peaks in interest following specific policies. To our knowledge, this is the first and only analysis of GT data in the plastic surgery literature to date. To that end, this study highlights this large and potentially powerful data set for plastic surgeons both in the US and around the world. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Medication use in children with asthma: not a child size problem.

PubMed

Grover, Charu; Armour, Carol; Asperen, Peter Paul Van; Moles, Rebekah; Saini, Bandana

2011-12-01

The global burden of pediatric asthma is high. Governments and health-care systems are affected by the increasing costs of childhood asthma--in terms of direct health-care costs and indirect costs due to loss of parental productivity, missed school days, and hospitalizations. Despite the availability of effective treatment, the current use of medications in children with asthma is suboptimal. The purpose of this review is to scope the empirical literature to identify the problems associated with the use of pediatric asthma medications. The findings will help to design interventions aiming to improve the use of asthma medications among children. A literature search using electronic search engines (i.e., Medline, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (IPA), PubMed, PsycINFO, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL)) and the search terms "asthma," "children," and "medicines" (and derivatives of these keywords) was conducted. The search terms were expanded to include emergent themes arising out of search findings. Content themes relating to parents, children themselves, health-care professionals, organizational systems, and specific medications and devices were found. Within these themes, key issues included a lack of parental knowledge about asthma and asthma medications, lack of information provided to parents, parental beliefs and fears, parental behavioral problems, the high costs of medications and devices, the child's self-image, the need for more child responsibility, physician nonadherence to prescribing guidelines, "off-label" prescribing, poor understanding of teachers, lack of access to educational resources, and specific medications. These key issues should be taken into account when modifying the development of educational tools. These tools should focus on targeting the children themselves, the parent/carers, the health-care professionals, and various organizational systems.

Google Trends terms reporting rhinitis and related topics differ in European countries.

PubMed

Bousquet, J; Agache, I; Anto, J M; Bergmann, K C; Bachert, C; Annesi-Maesano, I; Bousquet, P J; D'Amato, G; Demoly, P; De Vries, G; Eller, E; Fokkens, W J; Fonseca, J; Haahtela, T; Hellings, P W; Just, J; Keil, T; Klimek, L; Kuna, P; Lodrup Carlsen, K C; Mösges, R; Murray, R; Nekam, K; Onorato, G; Papadopoulos, N G; Samolinski, B; Schmid-Grendelmeier, P; Thibaudon, M; Tomazic, P; Triggiani, M; Valiulis, A; Valovirta, E; Van Eerd, M; Wickman, M; Zuberbier, T; Sheikh, A

2017-08-01

Google Trends (GT) searches trends of specific queries in Google and reflects the real-life epidemiology of allergic rhinitis. We compared Google Trends terms related to allergy and rhinitis in all European Union countries, Norway and Switzerland from 1 January 2011 to 20 December 2016. The aim was to assess whether the same terms could be used to report the seasonal variations of allergic diseases. Using the Google Trend 5-year graph, an annual and clear seasonality of queries was found in all countries apart from Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Malta. Different terms were found to demonstrate seasonality depending on the country - namely 'hay fever', 'allergy' and 'pollen' - showing cultural differences. A single set of terms cannot be used across all European countries, but allergy seasonality can be compared across Europe providing the above three terms are used. Using longitudinal data in different countries and multiple terms, we identified an awareness-related spike of searches (December 2016). © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Popular Tasks in the ForeSee Portal

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Access the robust American Customer Satisfaction Index Portal to obtain information, such as search terms used by survey respondents, satisfaction by audience type, and responses to specific survey questions; and learn how to use various filters.

Incomplete evidence: the inadequacy of databases in tracing published adverse drug reactions in clinical trials

PubMed Central

Derry, Sheena; Kong Loke, Yoon; Aronson, Jeffrey K

2001-01-01

Background We would expect information on adverse drug reactions in randomised clinical trials to be easily retrievable from specific searches of electronic databases. However, complete retrieval of such information may not be straightforward, for two reasons. First, not all clinical drug trials provide data on the frequency of adverse effects. Secondly, not all electronic records of trials include terms in the abstract or indexing fields that enable us to select those with adverse effects data. We have determined how often automated search methods, using indexing terms and/or textwords in the title or abstract, would fail to retrieve trials with adverse effects data. Methods We used a sample set of 107 trials known to report frequencies of adverse drug effects, and measured the proportion that (i) were not assigned the appropriate adverse effects indexing terms in the electronic databases, and (ii) did not contain identifiable adverse effects textwords in the title or abstract. Results Of the 81 trials with records on both MEDLINE and EMBASE, 25 were not indexed for adverse effects in either database. Twenty-six trials were indexed in one database but not the other. Only 66 of the 107 trials reporting adverse effects data mentioned this in the abstract or title of the paper. Simultaneous use of textword and indexing terms retrieved only 82/107 (77%) papers. Conclusions Specific search strategies based on adverse effects textwords and indexing terms will fail to identify nearly a quarter of trials that report on the rate of drug adverse effects. PMID:11591220

Comparing image search behaviour in the ARRS GoldMiner search engine and a clinical PACS/RIS.

PubMed

De-Arteaga, Maria; Eggel, Ivan; Do, Bao; Rubin, Daniel; Kahn, Charles E; Müller, Henning

2015-08-01

Information search has changed the way we manage knowledge and the ubiquity of information access has made search a frequent activity, whether via Internet search engines or increasingly via mobile devices. Medical information search is in this respect no different and much research has been devoted to analyzing the way in which physicians aim to access information. Medical image search is a much smaller domain but has gained much attention as it has different characteristics than search for text documents. While web search log files have been analysed many times to better understand user behaviour, the log files of hospital internal systems for search in a PACS/RIS (Picture Archival and Communication System, Radiology Information System) have rarely been analysed. Such a comparison between a hospital PACS/RIS search and a web system for searching images of the biomedical literature is the goal of this paper. Objectives are to identify similarities and differences in search behaviour of the two systems, which could then be used to optimize existing systems and build new search engines. Log files of the ARRS GoldMiner medical image search engine (freely accessible on the Internet) containing 222,005 queries, and log files of Stanford's internal PACS/RIS search called radTF containing 18,068 queries were analysed. Each query was preprocessed and all query terms were mapped to the RadLex (Radiology Lexicon) terminology, a comprehensive lexicon of radiology terms created and maintained by the Radiological Society of North America, so the semantic content in the queries and the links between terms could be analysed, and synonyms for the same concept could be detected. RadLex was mainly created for the use in radiology reports, to aid structured reporting and the preparation of educational material (Lanlotz, 2006) [1]. In standard medical vocabularies such as MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) and UMLS (Unified Medical Language System) specific terms of radiology are often underrepresented, therefore RadLex was considered to be the best option for this task. The results show a surprising similarity between the usage behaviour in the two systems, but several subtle differences can also be noted. The average number of terms per query is 2.21 for GoldMiner and 2.07 for radTF, the used axes of RadLex (anatomy, pathology, findings, …) have almost the same distribution with clinical findings being the most frequent and the anatomical entity the second; also, combinations of RadLex axes are extremely similar between the two systems. Differences include a longer length of the sessions in radTF than in GoldMiner (3.4 and 1.9 queries per session on average). Several frequent search terms overlap but some strong differences exist in the details. In radTF the term "normal" is frequent, whereas in GoldMiner it is not. This makes intuitive sense, as in the literature normal cases are rarely described whereas in clinical work the comparison with normal cases is often a first step. The general similarity in many points is likely due to the fact that users of the two systems are influenced by their daily behaviour in using standard web search engines and follow this behaviour in their professional search. This means that many results and insights gained from standard web search can likely be transferred to more specialized search systems. Still, specialized log files can be used to find out more on reformulations and detailed strategies of users to find the right content. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dialysis search filters for PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and Embase databases.

PubMed

Iansavichus, Arthur V; Haynes, R Brian; Lee, Christopher W C; Wilczynski, Nancy L; McKibbon, Ann; Shariff, Salimah Z; Blake, Peter G; Lindsay, Robert M; Garg, Amit X

2012-10-01

Physicians frequently search bibliographic databases, such as MEDLINE via PubMed, for best evidence for patient care. The objective of this study was to develop and test search filters to help physicians efficiently retrieve literature related to dialysis (hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis) from all other articles indexed in PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and Embase. A diagnostic test assessment framework was used to develop and test robust dialysis filters. The reference standard was a manual review of the full texts of 22,992 articles from 39 journals to determine whether each article contained dialysis information. Next, 1,623,728 unique search filters were developed, and their ability to retrieve relevant articles was evaluated. The high-performance dialysis filters consisted of up to 65 search terms in combination. These terms included the words "dialy" (truncated), "uremic," "catheters," and "renal transplant wait list." These filters reached peak sensitivities of 98.6% and specificities of 98.5%. The filters' performance remained robust in an independent validation subset of articles. These empirically derived and validated high-performance search filters should enable physicians to effectively retrieve dialysis information from PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and Embase.

Ketamine for Pain Management-Side Effects & Potential Adverse Events.

PubMed

Allen, Cheryl A; Ivester, Julius R

2017-12-01

An old anesthetic agent, ketamine is finding new use in lower doses for analgesic purposes. There are concerns stemming from its potential side effects-specifically psychomimetic effects. These side effects are directly related to dose amount. The doses used for analgesic purposes are much lower than those used for anesthesia purposes. A literature review was performed to ascertain potential side effects and/or adverse events when using ketamine for analgesia purposes. The search included CINAHL, PubMed, and Ovid using the search terms "ketamine," "ketamine infusion," "pain," "adverse events," "practice guideline," and "randomized controlled trial." Searches were limited to full-text, peer-reviewed articles and systematic reviews. Initially 1,068 articles were retrieved. The search was then narrowed by using the Boolean connector AND with various search term combinations. After adjusting for duplication, article titles and abstracts were reviewed, leaving 25 articles for an in-depth analysis. Specific exclusion criteria were then applied. The literature supports the use of ketamine for analgesic purposes, and ketamine offers a nonopioid option for the management of some pain conditions. Because ketamine is still classified as an anesthetic agent, health care institutions should develop their own set of policies and protocols for the administration of ketamine. By using forethought and understanding of the properties of ketamine, appropriate care may be planned to mitigate potential side effects and adverse events so that patients are appropriately cared for and their pain effectively managed. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Long-term effects of cannabis on oculomotor function in humans.

PubMed

Huestegge, L; Radach, R; Kunert, H J

2009-08-01

Cannabis is known to affect human cognitive and visuomotor skills directly after consumption. Some studies even point to rather long-lasting effects, especially after chronic tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) abuse. However, it is still unknown whether long-term effects on basic visual and oculomotor processing may exist. In the present study, the performance of 20 healthy long-term cannabis users without acute THC intoxication and 20 control subjects were examined in four basic visuomotor paradigms to search for specific long-term impairments. Subjects were asked to perform: 1) reflexive saccades to visual targets (prosaccades), including gap and overlap conditions, 2) voluntary antisaccades, 3) memory-guided saccades and 4) double-step saccades. Spatial and temporal parameters of the saccades were subsequently analysed. THC subjects exhibited a significant increase of latency in the prosaccade and antisaccade tasks, as well as prolonged saccade amplitudes in the antisaccade and memory-guided task, compared with the control subjects. The results point to substantial and specific long-term deficits in basic temporal processing of saccades and impaired visuo-spatial working memory. We suggest that these impairments are a major contributor to degraded performance of chronic users in a vital everyday task like visual search, and they might potentially also affect spatial navigation and reading.

BIOMedical Search Engine Framework: Lightweight and customized implementation of domain-specific biomedical search engines.

PubMed

Jácome, Alberto G; Fdez-Riverola, Florentino; Lourenço, Anália

2016-07-01

Text mining and semantic analysis approaches can be applied to the construction of biomedical domain-specific search engines and provide an attractive alternative to create personalized and enhanced search experiences. Therefore, this work introduces the new open-source BIOMedical Search Engine Framework for the fast and lightweight development of domain-specific search engines. The rationale behind this framework is to incorporate core features typically available in search engine frameworks with flexible and extensible technologies to retrieve biomedical documents, annotate meaningful domain concepts, and develop highly customized Web search interfaces. The BIOMedical Search Engine Framework integrates taggers for major biomedical concepts, such as diseases, drugs, genes, proteins, compounds and organisms, and enables the use of domain-specific controlled vocabulary. Technologies from the Typesafe Reactive Platform, the AngularJS JavaScript framework and the Bootstrap HTML/CSS framework support the customization of the domain-oriented search application. Moreover, the RESTful API of the BIOMedical Search Engine Framework allows the integration of the search engine into existing systems or a complete web interface personalization. The construction of the Smart Drug Search is described as proof-of-concept of the BIOMedical Search Engine Framework. This public search engine catalogs scientific literature about antimicrobial resistance, microbial virulence and topics alike. The keyword-based queries of the users are transformed into concepts and search results are presented and ranked accordingly. The semantic graph view portraits all the concepts found in the results, and the researcher may look into the relevance of different concepts, the strength of direct relations, and non-trivial, indirect relations. The number of occurrences of the concept shows its importance to the query, and the frequency of concept co-occurrence is indicative of biological relations meaningful to that particular scope of research. Conversely, indirect concept associations, i.e. concepts related by other intermediary concepts, can be useful to integrate information from different studies and look into non-trivial relations. The BIOMedical Search Engine Framework supports the development of domain-specific search engines. The key strengths of the framework are modularity and extensibilityin terms of software design, the use of open-source consolidated Web technologies, and the ability to integrate any number of biomedical text mining tools and information resources. Currently, the Smart Drug Search keeps over 1,186,000 documents, containing more than 11,854,000 annotations for 77,200 different concepts. The Smart Drug Search is publicly accessible at http://sing.ei.uvigo.es/sds/. The BIOMedical Search Engine Framework is freely available for non-commercial use at https://github.com/agjacome/biomsef. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identifying nurse staffing research in Medline: development and testing of empirically derived search strategies with the PubMed interface

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background The identification of health services research in databases such as PubMed/Medline is a cumbersome task. This task becomes even more difficult if the field of interest involves the use of diverse methods and data sources, as is the case with nurse staffing research. This type of research investigates the association between nurse staffing parameters and nursing and patient outcomes. A comprehensively developed search strategy may help identify nurse staffing research in PubMed/Medline. Methods A set of relevant references in PubMed/Medline was identified by means of three systematic reviews. This development set was used to detect candidate free-text and MeSH terms. The frequency of these terms was compared to a random sample from PubMed/Medline in order to identify terms specific to nurse staffing research, which were then used to develop a sensitive, precise and balanced search strategy. To determine their precision, the newly developed search strategies were tested against a) the pool of relevant references extracted from the systematic reviews, b) a reference set identified from an electronic journal screening, and c) a sample from PubMed/Medline. Finally, all newly developed strategies were compared to PubMed's Health Services Research Queries (PubMed's HSR Queries). Results The sensitivities of the newly developed search strategies were almost 100% in all of the three test sets applied; precision ranged from 6.1% to 32.0%. PubMed's HSR queries were less sensitive (83.3% to 88.2%) than the new search strategies. Only minor differences in precision were found (5.0% to 32.0%). Conclusions As with other literature on health services research, nurse staffing studies are difficult to identify in PubMed/Medline. Depending on the purpose of the search, researchers can choose between high sensitivity and retrieval of a large number of references or high precision, i.e. and an increased risk of missing relevant references, respectively. More standardized terminology (e.g. by consistent use of the term "nurse staffing") could improve the precision of future searches in this field. Empirically selected search terms can help to develop effective search strategies. The high consistency between all test sets confirmed the validity of our approach. PMID:20731858

Identifying nurse staffing research in Medline: development and testing of empirically derived search strategies with the PubMed interface.

PubMed

Simon, Michael; Hausner, Elke; Klaus, Susan F; Dunton, Nancy E

2010-08-23

The identification of health services research in databases such as PubMed/Medline is a cumbersome task. This task becomes even more difficult if the field of interest involves the use of diverse methods and data sources, as is the case with nurse staffing research. This type of research investigates the association between nurse staffing parameters and nursing and patient outcomes. A comprehensively developed search strategy may help identify nurse staffing research in PubMed/Medline. A set of relevant references in PubMed/Medline was identified by means of three systematic reviews. This development set was used to detect candidate free-text and MeSH terms. The frequency of these terms was compared to a random sample from PubMed/Medline in order to identify terms specific to nurse staffing research, which were then used to develop a sensitive, precise and balanced search strategy. To determine their precision, the newly developed search strategies were tested against a) the pool of relevant references extracted from the systematic reviews, b) a reference set identified from an electronic journal screening, and c) a sample from PubMed/Medline. Finally, all newly developed strategies were compared to PubMed's Health Services Research Queries (PubMed's HSR Queries). The sensitivities of the newly developed search strategies were almost 100% in all of the three test sets applied; precision ranged from 6.1% to 32.0%. PubMed's HSR queries were less sensitive (83.3% to 88.2%) than the new search strategies. Only minor differences in precision were found (5.0% to 32.0%). As with other literature on health services research, nurse staffing studies are difficult to identify in PubMed/Medline. Depending on the purpose of the search, researchers can choose between high sensitivity and retrieval of a large number of references or high precision, i.e. and an increased risk of missing relevant references, respectively. More standardized terminology (e.g. by consistent use of the term "nurse staffing") could improve the precision of future searches in this field. Empirically selected search terms can help to develop effective search strategies. The high consistency between all test sets confirmed the validity of our approach.

Analyzing Medical Image Search Behavior: Semantics and Prediction of Query Results.

PubMed

De-Arteaga, Maria; Eggel, Ivan; Kahn, Charles E; Müller, Henning

2015-10-01

Log files of information retrieval systems that record user behavior have been used to improve the outcomes of retrieval systems, understand user behavior, and predict events. In this article, a log file of the ARRS GoldMiner search engine containing 222,005 consecutive queries is analyzed. Time stamps are available for each query, as well as masked IP addresses, which enables to identify queries from the same person. This article describes the ways in which physicians (or Internet searchers interested in medical images) search and proposes potential improvements by suggesting query modifications. For example, many queries contain only few terms and therefore are not specific; others contain spelling mistakes or non-medical terms that likely lead to poor or empty results. One of the goals of this report is to predict the number of results a query will have since such a model allows search engines to automatically propose query modifications in order to avoid result lists that are empty or too large. This prediction is made based on characteristics of the query terms themselves. Prediction of empty results has an accuracy above 88%, and thus can be used to automatically modify the query to avoid empty result sets for a user. The semantic analysis and data of reformulations done by users in the past can aid the development of better search systems, particularly to improve results for novice users. Therefore, this paper gives important ideas to better understand how people search and how to use this knowledge to improve the performance of specialized medical search engines.

Finding Specification Pages from the Web

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshinaga, Naoki; Torisawa, Kentaro

This paper presents a method of finding a specification page on the Web for a given object (e.g., ``Ch. d'Yquem'') and its class label (e.g., ``wine''). A specification page for an object is a Web page which gives concise attribute-value information about the object (e.g., ``county''-``Sauternes'') in well formatted structures. A simple unsupervised method using layout and symbolic decoration cues was applied to a large number of the Web pages to acquire candidate attributes for each class (e.g., ``county'' for a class ``wine''). We then filter out irrelevant words from the putative attributes through an author-aware scoring function that we called site frequency. We used the acquired attributes to select a representative specification page for a given object from the Web pages retrieved by a normal search engine. Experimental results revealed that our system greatly outperformed the normal search engine in terms of this specification retrieval.

Automatic Concept-Based Query Expansion Using Term Relational Pathways Built from a Collection-Specific Association Thesaurus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lyall-Wilson, Jennifer Rae

2013-01-01

The dissertation research explores an approach to automatic concept-based query expansion to improve search engine performance. It uses a network-based approach for identifying the concept represented by the user's query and is founded on the idea that a collection-specific association thesaurus can be used to create a reasonable representation of…

QCD for Postgraduates (5/5)

ScienceCinema

None

2018-05-14

We will introduce and discuss in some detail the two main classes of jets: cone type and sequential-recombination type. We will discuss their basic properties, as well as more advanced concepts such as jet substructure, jet filtering, ways of optimizing the jet radius, ways of defining the areas of jets, and of establishing the quality measure of the jet-algorithm in terms of discriminating power in specific searches. Finally we will discuss applications for Higgs searches involving boosted particles.

Seasonal trends in hypertension in Poland: evidence from Google search engine query data.

PubMed

Płatek, Anna E; Sierdziński, Janusz; Krzowski, Bartosz; Szymański, Filip M

2018-01-01

Various conditions, including arterial hypertension, exhibit seasonal trends in their occurrence and magnitude. Those trends correspond to an interest exhibited in the number of Internet searches for the specific conditions per month. The aim of the study was to show seasonal trends in the hypertension prevalence in Poland relate to the data from the Google Trends tool. Internet search engine query data were retrieved from Google Trends from January 2008 to November 2017. Data were calculated as a monthly normalised search volume from the nine-year period. Data was presented for specific geographic regions, including Poland, the United States of America, Australia, and worldwide for the following search terms: "arterial hypertension (pol. nadciśnienie tętnicze)", "hypertension (pol. nadciśnienie)" and "hypertension medical condition". Seasonal effects were calculated using regression models and presented graphically. In Poland the search volume is the highest between November and May, while patients exhibit the least interest in arterial hypertension during summer holidays (p < 0.05). Seasonal variations are comparable in the United States of America representing a Northern hemisphere country, while in Australia (Southern hemisphere) they exhibit a contrary trend. In conclusion, arterial hypertension is more likely to occur during winter months, which correlates with increased interest in the search phrase "hypertension" in Google.

Validity and Reliability of a Systematic Database Search Strategy to Identify Publications Resulting From Pharmacy Residency Research Projects.

PubMed

Kwak, Namhee; Swan, Joshua T; Thompson-Moore, Nathaniel; Liebl, Michael G

2016-08-01

This study aims to develop a systematic search strategy and test its validity and reliability in terms of identifying projects published in peer-reviewed journals as reported by residency graduates through an online survey. This study was a prospective blind comparison to a reference standard. Pharmacy residency projects conducted at the study institution between 2001 and 2012 were included. A step-wise, systematic procedure containing up to 8 search strategies in PubMed and EMBASE for each project was created using the names of authors and abstract keywords. In order to further maximize sensitivity, complex phrases with multiple variations were truncated to the root word. Validity was assessed by obtaining information on publications from an online survey deployed to residency graduates. The search strategy identified 13 publications (93% sensitivity, 100% specificity, and 99% accuracy). Both methods identified a similar proportion achieving publication (19.7% search strategy vs 21.2% survey, P = 1.00). Reliability of the search strategy was affirmed by the perfect agreement between 2 investigators (k = 1.00). This systematic search strategy demonstrated a high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for identifying publications resulting from pharmacy residency projects using information available in residency conference abstracts. © The Author(s) 2015.

Plasma Dictionary Website

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Correll, Don; Heeter, Robert; Alvarez, Mitch

2000-10-01

In response to many inquiries for a list of plasma terms, a database driven Plasma Dictionary website (plasmadictionary.llnl.gov) was created that allows users to submit new terms, search for specific terms or browse alphabetic listings. The Plasma Dictionary website contents began with the Fusion & Plasma Glossary terms available at the Fusion Energy Educational website (fusedweb.llnl.gov). Plasma researchers are encouraged to add terms and definitions. By clarifying the meanings of specific plasma terms, it is envisioned that the primary use of the Plasma Dictionary website will be by students, teachers, researchers, and writers for (1) Enhancing literacy in plasma science, (2) Serving as an educational aid, (3) Providing practical information, and (4) Helping clarify plasma writings. The Plasma Dictionary website has already proved useful in responding to a request from the CRC Press (www.crcpress.com) to add plasma terms to its CRC physics dictionary project (members.aol.com/physdict/).

Patterns of use and impact of standardised MedDRA query analyses on the safety evaluation and review of new drug and biologics license applications.

PubMed

Chang, Lin-Chau; Mahmood, Riaz; Qureshi, Samina; Breder, Christopher D

2017-01-01

Standardised MedDRA Queries (SMQs) have been developed since the early 2000's and used by academia, industry, public health, and government sectors for detecting safety signals in adverse event safety databases. The purpose of the present study is to characterize how SMQs are used and the impact in safety analyses for New Drug Application (NDA) and Biologics License Application (BLA) submissions to the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA). We used the PharmaPendium database to capture SMQ use in Summary Basis of Approvals (SBoAs) of drugs and biologics approved by the USFDA. Characteristics of the drugs and the SMQ use were employed to evaluate the role of SMQ safety analyses in regulatory decisions and the veracity of signals they revealed. A comprehensive search of the SBoAs yielded 184 regulatory submissions approved from 2006 to 2015. Search strategies more frequently utilized restrictive searches with "narrow terms" to enhance specificity over strategies using "broad terms" to increase sensitivity, while some involved modification of search terms. A majority (59%) of 1290 searches used descriptive statistics, however inferential statistics were utilized in 35% of them. Commentary from reviewers and supervisory staff suggested that a small, yet notable percentage (18%) of 1290 searches supported regulatory decisions. The searches with regulatory impact were found in 73 submissions (40% of the submissions investigated). Most searches (75% of 227 searches) with regulatory implications described how the searches were confirmed, indicating prudence in the decision-making process. SMQs have an increasing role in the presentation and review of safety analysis for NDAs/BLAs and their regulatory reviews. This study suggests that SMQs are best used for screening process, with descriptive statistics, description of SMQ modifications, and systematic verification of cases which is crucial for drawing regulatory conclusions.

Validation of search filters for identifying pediatric studies in PubMed.

PubMed

Leclercq, Edith; Leeflang, Mariska M G; van Dalen, Elvira C; Kremer, Leontien C M

2013-03-01

To identify and validate PubMed search filters for retrieving studies including children and to develop a new pediatric search filter for PubMed. We developed 2 different datasets of studies to evaluate the performance of the identified pediatric search filters, expressed in terms of sensitivity, precision, specificity, accuracy, and number needed to read (NNR). An optimal search filter will have a high sensitivity and high precision with a low NNR. In addition to the PubMed Limits: All Child: 0-18 years filter (in May 2012 renamed to PubMed Filter Child: 0-18 years), 6 search filters for identifying studies including children were identified: 3 developed by Kastner et al, 1 developed by BestBets, one by the Child Health Field, and 1 by the Cochrane Childhood Cancer Group. Three search filters (Cochrane Childhood Cancer Group, Child Health Field, and BestBets) had the highest sensitivity (99.3%, 99.5%, and 99.3%, respectively) but a lower precision (64.5%, 68.4%, and 66.6% respectively) compared with the other search filters. Two Kastner search filters had a high precision (93.0% and 93.7%, respectively) but a low sensitivity (58.5% and 44.8%, respectively). They failed to identify many pediatric studies in our datasets. The search terms responsible for false-positive results in the reference dataset were determined. With these data, we developed a new search filter for identifying studies with children in PubMed with an optimal sensitivity (99.5%) and precision (69.0%). Search filters to identify studies including children either have a low sensitivity or a low precision with a high NNR. A new pediatric search filter with a high sensitivity and a low NNR has been developed. Copyright © 2013 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

2011 update to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists blood conservation clinical practice guidelines.

PubMed

Ferraris, Victor A; Brown, Jeremiah R; Despotis, George J; Hammon, John W; Reece, T Brett; Saha, Sibu P; Song, Howard K; Clough, Ellen R; Shore-Lesserson, Linda J; Goodnough, Lawrence T; Mazer, C David; Shander, Aryeh; Stafford-Smith, Mark; Waters, Jonathan; Baker, Robert A; Dickinson, Timothy A; FitzGerald, Daniel J; Likosky, Donald S; Shann, Kenneth G

2011-03-01

Practice guidelines reflect published literature. Because of the ever changing literature base, it is necessary to update and revise guideline recommendations from time to time. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons recommends review and possible update of previously published guidelines at least every three years. This summary is an update of the blood conservation guideline published in 2007. The search methods used in the current version differ compared to the previously published guideline. Literature searches were conducted using standardized MeSH terms from the National Library of Medicine PUBMED database list of search terms. The following terms comprised the standard baseline search terms for all topics and were connected with the logical 'OR' connector--Extracorporeal circulation (MeSH number E04.292), cardiovascular surgical procedures (MeSH number E04.100), and vascular diseases (MeSH number C14.907). Use of these broad search terms allowed specific topics to be added to the search with the logical 'AND' connector. In this 2011 guideline update, areas of major revision include: 1) management of dual anti-platelet therapy before operation, 2) use of drugs that augment red blood cell volume or limit blood loss, 3) use of blood derivatives including fresh frozen plasma, Factor XIII, leukoreduced red blood cells, platelet plasmapheresis, recombinant Factor VII, antithrombin III, and Factor IX concentrates, 4) changes in management of blood salvage, 5) use of minimally invasive procedures to limit perioperative bleeding and blood transfusion, 6) recommendations for blood conservation related to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and cardiopulmonary perfusion, 7) use of topical hemostatic agents, and 8) new insights into the value of team interventions in blood management. Much has changed since the previously published 2007 STS blood management guidelines and this document contains new and revised recommendations. Copyright © 2011 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The quality and readability of internet information regarding clavicle fractures.

PubMed

Zhang, Dafang; Schumacher, Charles; Harris, Mitchel Byron

2016-03-01

The internet has become a major source of health information for patients. However, there has been little scrutiny of health information available on the internet to the public. Our objectives were to evaluate the quality and readability of information available on the internet regarding clavicle fractures and whether they changed with academic affiliation of the website or with complexity of the search term. Through a prospective evaluation of 3 search engines using 3 different search terms of varying complexity ("broken collarbone," "collarbone fracture," and "clavicle fracture"), we evaluated 91 website hits for quality and readability. Websites were specifically analyzed by search term and by website type. Information quality was evaluated on a four-point scale, and information readability was assessed using the Flesch-Kincaid score for reading grade level. The average quality score for our website hits was low, and the average reading grade level was far above the recommended level. Academic websites offered significantly higher quality information, whereas commercial websites offered significantly lower quality information. The use of more complex search terms yielded information of higher reading grade level but not higher quality. Current internet information regarding clavicle fractures is of low quality and low readability. Higher quality information utilizing more accessible language on clavicle fractures is needed on the internet. It is important to be aware of the information accessible to patients prior to their presentation to our clinics. Patients should be advised to visit websites with academic affiliations and to avoid commercial websites. Copyright © 2015 The Japanese Orthopaedic Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Quality and Readability of Information Available on the Internet Regarding Lumbar Fusion

PubMed Central

Zhang, Dafang; Schumacher, Charles; Harris, Mitchel B.; Bono, Christopher M.

2015-01-01

Study Design An Internet-based evaluation of Web sites regarding lumbar fusion. Objective The Internet has become a major resource for patients; however, the quality and readability of Internet information regarding lumbar fusion is unclear. The objective of this study is to evaluate the quality and readability of Internet information regarding lumbar fusion and to determine whether these measures changed with Web site modality, complexity of the search term, or Health on the Net Code of Conduct certification. Methods Using five search engines and three different search terms of varying complexity (“low back fusion,” “lumbar fusion,” and “lumbar arthrodesis”), we identified and reviewed 153 unique Web site hits for information quality and readability. Web sites were specifically analyzed by search term and Web site modality. Information quality was evaluated on a 5-point scale. Information readability was assessed using the Flesch-Kincaid score for reading grade level. Results The average quality score was low. The average reading grade level was nearly six grade levels above that recommended by National Work Group on Literacy and Health. The quality and readability of Internet information was significantly dependent on Web site modality. The use of more complex search terms yielded information of higher reading grade level but not higher quality. Conclusions Higher-quality information about lumbar fusion conveyed using language that is more readable by the general public is needed on the Internet. It is important for health care providers to be aware of the information accessible to patients, as it likely influences their decision making regarding care. PMID:26933614

The Quality and Readability of Information Available on the Internet Regarding Lumbar Fusion.

PubMed

Zhang, Dafang; Schumacher, Charles; Harris, Mitchel B; Bono, Christopher M

2016-03-01

Study Design An Internet-based evaluation of Web sites regarding lumbar fusion. Objective The Internet has become a major resource for patients; however, the quality and readability of Internet information regarding lumbar fusion is unclear. The objective of this study is to evaluate the quality and readability of Internet information regarding lumbar fusion and to determine whether these measures changed with Web site modality, complexity of the search term, or Health on the Net Code of Conduct certification. Methods Using five search engines and three different search terms of varying complexity ("low back fusion," "lumbar fusion," and "lumbar arthrodesis"), we identified and reviewed 153 unique Web site hits for information quality and readability. Web sites were specifically analyzed by search term and Web site modality. Information quality was evaluated on a 5-point scale. Information readability was assessed using the Flesch-Kincaid score for reading grade level. Results The average quality score was low. The average reading grade level was nearly six grade levels above that recommended by National Work Group on Literacy and Health. The quality and readability of Internet information was significantly dependent on Web site modality. The use of more complex search terms yielded information of higher reading grade level but not higher quality. Conclusions Higher-quality information about lumbar fusion conveyed using language that is more readable by the general public is needed on the Internet. It is important for health care providers to be aware of the information accessible to patients, as it likely influences their decision making regarding care.

An Experiment Comparing Lexical and Statistical Methods for Extracting MeSH Terms from Clinical Free Text

PubMed Central

Cooper, Gregory F.; Miller, Randolph A.

1998-01-01

Abstract Objective: A primary goal of the University of Pittsburgh's 1990-94 UMLS-sponsored effort was to develop and evaluate PostDoc (a lexical indexing system) and Pindex (a statistical indexing system) comparatively, and then in combination as a hybrid system. Each system takes as input a portion of the free text from a narrative part of a patient's electronic medical record and returns a list of suggested MeSH terms to use in formulating a Medline search that includes concepts in the text. This paper describes the systems and reports an evaluation. The intent is for this evaluation to serve as a step toward the eventual realization of systems that assist healthcare personnel in using the electronic medical record to construct patient-specific searches of Medline. Design: The authors tested the performances of PostDoc, Pindex, and a hybrid system, using text taken from randomly selected clinical records, which were stratified to include six radiology reports, six pathology reports, and six discharge summaries. They identified concepts in the clinical records that might conceivably be used in performing a patient-specific Medline search. Each system was given the free text of each record as an input. The extent to which a system-derived list of MeSH terms captured the relevant concepts in these documents was determined based on blinded assessments by the authors. Results: PostDoc output a mean of approximately 19 MeSH terms per report, which included about 40% of the relevant report concepts. Pindex output a mean of approximately 57 terms per report and captured about 45% of the relevant report concepts. A hybrid system captured approximately 66% of the relevant concepts and output about 71 terms per report. Conclusion: The outputs of PostDoc and Pindex are complementary in capturing MeSH terms from clinical free text. The results suggest possible approaches to reduce the number of terms output while maintaining the percentage of terms captured, including the use of UMLS semantic types to constrain the output list to contain only clinically relevant MeSH terms. PMID:9452986

Plastic and reconstructive robotic microsurgery--a review of current practices.

PubMed

Saleh, D B; Syed, M; Kulendren, D; Ramakrishnan, V; Liverneaux, P A

2015-08-01

We sought to review the current state of robotics in this specialty. A Pubmed and Medline search was performed using key search terms for a comprehensive review of the whole cross-section of plastic and reconstructive practice. Overall, 28 publications specific to robotic plastic and reconstructive procedures were suitable for appraisal. The current evidence suggests robotics is comparable to standard methods despite its infancy. The possible applications are wide and could translate into superior patient outcomes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Developing a Domain Ontology: the Case of Water Cycle and Hydrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, H.; Pozzi, W.; Piasecki, M.; Imam, B.; Houser, P.; Raskin, R.; Ramachandran, R.; Martinez Baquero, G.

2008-12-01

A semantic web ontology enables semantic data integration and semantic smart searching. Several organizations have attempted to implement smart registration and integration or searching using ontologies. These are the NOESIS (NSF project: LEAD) and HydroSeek (NSF project: CUAHS HIS) data discovery engines and the NSF project GEON. All three applications use ontologies to discover data from multiple sources and projects. The NASA WaterNet project was established to identify creative, innovative ways to bridge NASA research results to real world applications, linking decision support needs to available data, observations, and modeling capability. WaterNet (NASA project) utilized the smart query tool Noesis as a testbed to test whether different ontologies (and different catalog searches) could be combined to match resources with user needs. NOESIS contains the upper level SWEET ontology that accepts plug in domain ontologies to refine user search queries, reducing the burden of multiple keyword searches. Another smart search interface was that developed for CUAHSI, HydroSeek, that uses a multi-layered concept search ontology, tagging variables names from any number of data sources to specific leaf and higher level concepts on which the search is executed. This approach has proven to be quite successful in mitigating semantic heterogeneity as the user does not need to know the semantic specifics of each data source system but just uses a set of common keywords to discover the data for a specific temporal and geospatial domain. This presentation will show tests with Noesis and Hydroseek lead to the conclusion that the construction of a complex, and highly heterogeneous water cycle ontology requires multiple ontology modules. To illustrate the complexity and heterogeneity of a water cycle ontology, Hydroseek successfully utilizes WaterOneFlow to integrate data across multiple different data collections, such as USGS NWIS. However,different methodologies are employed by the Earth Science, the Hydrological, and Hydraulic Engineering Communities, and each community employs models that require different input data. If a sub-domain ontology is created for each of these,describing water balance calculations, then the resulting structure of the semantic network describing these various terms can be rather complex, heterogeneous, and overlapping, and will require "mapping" between equivalent terms in the ontologies, along with the development of an upper level conceptual or domain ontology to utilize and link to those already in existence.

How to locate and appraise qualitative research in complementary and alternative medicine

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The aim of this publication is to present a case study of how to locate and appraise qualitative studies for the conduct of a meta-ethnography in the field of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). CAM is commonly associated with individualized medicine. However, one established scientific approach to the individual, qualitative research, thus far has been explicitly used very rarely. This article demonstrates a case example of how qualitative research in the field of CAM studies was identified and critically appraised. Methods Several search terms and techniques were tested for the identification and appraisal of qualitative CAM research in the conduct of a meta-ethnography. Sixty-seven electronic databases were searched for the identification of qualitative CAM trials, including CAM databases, nursing, nutrition, psychological, social, medical databases, the Cochrane Library and DIMDI. Results 9578 citations were screened, 223 articles met the pre-specified inclusion criteria, 63 full text publications were reviewed, 38 articles were appraised qualitatively and 30 articles were included. The search began with PubMed, yielding 87% of the included publications of all databases with few additional relevant findings in the specific databases. CINHAL and DIMDI also revealed a high number of precise hits. Although CAMbase and CAM-QUEST® focus on CAM research only, almost no hits of qualitative trials were found there. Searching with broad text terms was the most effective search strategy in all databases. Conclusions This publication presents a case study on how to locate and appraise qualitative studies in the field of CAM. The example shows that the literature search for qualitative studies in the field of CAM is most effective when the search is begun in PubMed followed by CINHAL or DIMDI using broad text terms. Exclusive CAM databases delivered no additional findings to locate qualitative CAM studies. PMID:23731997

How to locate and appraise qualitative research in complementary and alternative medicine.

PubMed

Franzel, Brigitte; Schwiegershausen, Martina; Heusser, Peter; Berger, Bettina

2013-06-03

The aim of this publication is to present a case study of how to locate and appraise qualitative studies for the conduct of a meta-ethnography in the field of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). CAM is commonly associated with individualized medicine. However, one established scientific approach to the individual, qualitative research, thus far has been explicitly used very rarely. This article demonstrates a case example of how qualitative research in the field of CAM studies was identified and critically appraised. Several search terms and techniques were tested for the identification and appraisal of qualitative CAM research in the conduct of a meta-ethnography. Sixty-seven electronic databases were searched for the identification of qualitative CAM trials, including CAM databases, nursing, nutrition, psychological, social, medical databases, the Cochrane Library and DIMDI. 9578 citations were screened, 223 articles met the pre-specified inclusion criteria, 63 full text publications were reviewed, 38 articles were appraised qualitatively and 30 articles were included. The search began with PubMed, yielding 87% of the included publications of all databases with few additional relevant findings in the specific databases. CINHAL and DIMDI also revealed a high number of precise hits. Although CAMbase and CAM-QUEST® focus on CAM research only, almost no hits of qualitative trials were found there. Searching with broad text terms was the most effective search strategy in all databases. This publication presents a case study on how to locate and appraise qualitative studies in the field of CAM. The example shows that the literature search for qualitative studies in the field of CAM is most effective when the search is begun in PubMed followed by CINHAL or DIMDI using broad text terms. Exclusive CAM databases delivered no additional findings to locate qualitative CAM studies.

SPARK: Adapting Keyword Query to Semantic Search

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Qi; Wang, Chong; Xiong, Miao; Wang, Haofen; Yu, Yong

Semantic search promises to provide more accurate result than present-day keyword search. However, progress with semantic search has been delayed due to the complexity of its query languages. In this paper, we explore a novel approach of adapting keywords to querying the semantic web: the approach automatically translates keyword queries into formal logic queries so that end users can use familiar keywords to perform semantic search. A prototype system named 'SPARK' has been implemented in light of this approach. Given a keyword query, SPARK outputs a ranked list of SPARQL queries as the translation result. The translation in SPARK consists of three major steps: term mapping, query graph construction and query ranking. Specifically, a probabilistic query ranking model is proposed to select the most likely SPARQL query. In the experiment, SPARK achieved an encouraging translation result.

Surfing for suicide methods and help: content analysis of websites retrieved with search engines in Austria and the United States.

PubMed

Till, Benedikt; Niederkrotenthaler, Thomas

2014-08-01

The Internet provides a variety of resources for individuals searching for suicide-related information. Structured content-analytic approaches to assess intercultural differences in web contents retrieved with method-related and help-related searches are scarce. We used the 2 most popular search engines (Google and Yahoo/Bing) to retrieve US-American and Austrian search results for the term suicide, method-related search terms (e.g., suicide methods, how to kill yourself, painless suicide, how to hang yourself), and help-related terms (e.g., suicidal thoughts, suicide help) on February 11, 2013. In total, 396 websites retrieved with US search engines and 335 websites from Austrian searches were analyzed with content analysis on the basis of current media guidelines for suicide reporting. We assessed the quality of websites and compared findings across search terms and between the United States and Austria. In both countries, protective outweighed harmful website characteristics by approximately 2:1. Websites retrieved with method-related search terms (e.g., how to hang yourself) contained more harmful (United States: P < .001, Austria: P < .05) and fewer protective characteristics (United States: P < .001, Austria: P < .001) compared to the term suicide. Help-related search terms (e.g., suicidal thoughts) yielded more websites with protective characteristics (United States: P = .07, Austria: P < .01). Websites retrieved with U.S. search engines generally had more protective characteristics (P < .001) than searches with Austrian search engines. Resources with harmful characteristics were better ranked than those with protective characteristics (United States: P < .01, Austria: P < .05). The quality of suicide-related websites obtained depends on the search terms used. Preventive efforts to improve the ranking of preventive web content, particularly regarding method-related search terms, seem necessary. © Copyright 2014 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Online resources for shoulder instability: what are patients reading?

PubMed

Garcia, Grant H; Taylor, Samuel A; Dy, Christopher J; Christ, Alexander; Patel, Ronak M; Dines, Joshua S

2014-10-15

Evaluations of the medical literature suggest that many online sites provide poor-quality information. The purpose of our study was to investigate the value of online resources for patient education about shoulder instability. Three search terms ("shoulder instability," "loose shoulder," and "shoulder dislocation") were entered into three Internet search engines. Three orthopaedic residents independently gauged the quality and accuracy of the information with use of a set of predetermined scoring criteria, in addition to noting whether or not four potential surgery options were mentioned. The readability of the web sites was evaluated with use of the Flesch-Kincaid score. Eighty-two unique web sites were evaluated. Quality and accuracy were significantly higher with use of the term "shoulder instability" compared with the term "loose shoulder" (quality, p < 0.001; accuracy, p = 0.001). However, the reading level was significantly more advanced for the "shoulder instability" web sites (p < 0.001). Quality was significantly higher on web sites with reading levels above the eighth grade level (p = 0.001) (88% of web sites). Only twenty-three sites (28%) mentioned surgical options for shoulder instability, and of these, only eight mentioned thermal capsulorrhaphy as a primary treatment. Online information regarding shoulder instability is often inaccurate and/or at an inappropriately high reading level. The quality of information is highly dependent on the specific search term used. Clinicians need to be aware of the information that is available online and should help direct patients to proper sites and guide Internet search terms. Copyright © 2014 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Incorporated.

Development and Application of Ontologies in Support of Earth and Space Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fox, S. P.; Manduca, C. A.; Iverson, E.

2007-12-01

Through its work in supporting improved science education the Science Education Resource Center (SERC) has developed and applied a set of Earth and Space Science vocabularies. These controlled vocabularies play a central role in supporting user exploration of our educational materials. The set of over 50 vocabularies run the gamut from small vocabularies with a narrowly targeted use, to broader vocabularies that span multiple disciplines and are applied across multiple projects and collections. Typical specialized vocabularies cover disciplinary themes such as tectonic setting (with terms such as mid-ocean ridge, passive margin, and craton) as well as interdisciplinary work such as geology and human health (with terms such as radionuclides and airborne transport processes). To support project-specific customization of vocabularies while retaining the benefits of cross-project reuse our systems allow for dynamic mapping of terms among multiple vocabularies based on semantic equivalencies. The end result is a weaving of related vocabularies into an ontological network that is exposed as specific vocabularies that employ the natural language of the collections and communities that use them. Our process for vocabulary development is community driven and reflects our experiences in aligning terminology with disciplinary-specific expectations. These experiences include rectifying language differences across disciplines in building a Geoscience Quantitative Skills vocabulary through work with both the Mathematics and Geoscience communities, as well as the iterative development of a vocabulary spanning Earth and Space science through the aggregation of smaller vocabularies, each developed by scientists for use within their own discipline. The vocabularies are exposed as key navigational features in over 100 faceted search interfaces within the web sites of a dozen Earth and Space Science Education projects. Within these faceted search interfaces the terms in the vocabularies act as guideposts and browsing links for the users. Only terms relevant to the current collection, or search return, are exposed to the users giving them an immediate sense of the scope and focus of the collection. In using vocabularies to drive these sorts of discovery processes it is critical that vocabularies not only have clear semantics so they can be applied consistently, but also have appropriate evocative meaning for the users of the search interface. It is this immediate evocative meaning, rather than the precisely defined semantics that will end up driving user search behavior and in the end determine the efficacy of the vocabulary as an applied tool. We will outline our experiences in developing and applying these vocabularies within the context of geoscience education and explore how the broader themes that emerge can inform the development and use of ontologies throughout Earth and space science.

Allie: a database and a search service of abbreviations and long forms.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Yasunori; Yamaguchi, Atsuko; Bono, Hidemasa; Takagi, Toshihisa

2011-01-01

Many abbreviations are used in the literature especially in the life sciences, and polysemous abbreviations appear frequently, making it difficult to read and understand scientific papers that are outside of a reader's expertise. Thus, we have developed Allie, a database and a search service of abbreviations and their long forms (a.k.a. full forms or definitions). Allie searches for abbreviations and their corresponding long forms in a database that we have generated based on all titles and abstracts in MEDLINE. When a user query matches an abbreviation, Allie returns all potential long forms of the query along with their bibliographic data (i.e. title and publication year). In addition, for each candidate, co-occurring abbreviations and a research field in which it frequently appears in the MEDLINE data are displayed. This function helps users learn about the context in which an abbreviation appears. To deal with synonymous long forms, we use a dictionary called GENA that contains domain-specific terms such as gene, protein or disease names along with their synonymic information. Conceptually identical domain-specific terms are regarded as one term, and then conceptually identical abbreviation-long form pairs are grouped taking into account their appearance in MEDLINE. To keep up with new abbreviations that are continuously introduced, Allie has an automatic update system. In addition, the database of abbreviations and their long forms with their corresponding PubMed IDs is constructed and updated weekly. Database URL: The Allie service is available at http://allie.dbcls.jp/.

Online literature-retrieval systems: how to get started.

PubMed

Tousignaut, D R

1983-02-01

Basic information describing online literature-retrieval systems is presented; the power of online searching is also discussed. The equipment, expense involved, and training necessary to perform online searching efficiently is described. An individual searcher needs only a computer terminal and a telephone; by telephone, the searcher connects with an online vendor's computer at another location. The four major U.S. vendors (Dialog, Bibliographic Retrieval Services, Systems Development Corporation, and the National Library of Medicine) are compared. A step-by-step procedure of logging in and searching is presented. Using the International Pharmaceutical Abstracts database as an example, 17 access points to locating an article via an online system are compared with only two (the subject and author index entry) of a printed service. By searching online, one can search the published literature on a specific topic in a matter of minutes. An online search is very useful when limited information is available or the search question contains a term that is not in a printed index.

Public hospital quality report awareness: evidence from National and Californian Internet searches and social media mentions, 2012.

PubMed

Huesch, Marco D; Currid-Halkett, Elizabeth; Doctor, Jason N

2014-03-11

Publicly available hospital quality reports seek to inform consumers of important healthcare quality and affordability attributes, and may inform consumer decision-making. To understand how much consumers search for such information online on one Internet search engine, whether they mention such information in social media and how positively they view this information. A leading Internet search engine (Google) was the main focus of the study. Google Trends and Google Adwords keyword analyses were performed for national and Californian searches between 1 August 2012 and 31 July 2013 for keywords related to 'top hospital', best hospital', and 'hospital quality', as well as for six specific hospital quality reports. Separately, a proprietary social media monitoring tool was used to investigate blog, forum, social media and traditional media mentions of, and sentiment towards, major public reports of hospital quality in California in 2012. (1) Counts of searches for keywords performed on Google; (2) counts of and (3) sentiment of mentions of public reports on social media. National Google search volume for 75 hospital quality-related terms averaged 610 700 searches per month with strong variation by keyword and by state. A commercial report (Healthgrades) was more commonly searched for nationally on Google than the federal government's Hospital Compare, which otherwise dominated quality-related search terms. Social media references in California to quality reports were generally few, and commercially produced hospital quality reports were more widely mentioned than state (Office of Statewide Healthcare Planning and Development (OSHPD)), or non-profit (CalHospitalCompare) reports. Consumers are somewhat aware of hospital quality based on Internet search activity and social media disclosures. Public stakeholders may be able to broaden their quality dissemination initiatives by advertising on Google or Twitter and using social media interactively with consumers looking for relevant information.

Identification of risk conditions for the development of adrenal disorders: how optimized PubMed search strategies makes the difference.

PubMed

Guaraldi, Federica; Parasiliti-Caprino, Mirko; Goggi, Riccardo; Beccuti, Guglielmo; Grottoli, Silvia; Arvat, Emanuela; Ghizzoni, Lucia; Ghigo, Ezio; Giordano, Roberta; Gori, Davide

2014-12-01

The exponential growth of scientific literature available through electronic databases (namely PubMed) has increased the chance of finding interesting articles. At the same time, search has become more complicated, time consuming, and at risk of missing important information. Therefore, optimized strategies have to be adopted to maximize searching impact. The aim of this study was to formulate efficient strings to search PubMed for etiologic associations between adrenal disorders (ADs) and other conditions. A comprehensive list of terms identifying endogenous conditions primarily affecting adrenals was compiled. An ad hoc analysis was performed to find the best way to express each term in order to find the highest number of potentially pertinent articles in PubMed. A predefined number of retrieved abstracts were read to assess their association with ADs' etiology. A more sensitive (providing the largest literature coverage) and a more specific (including only those terms retrieving >40 % of potentially pertinent articles) string were formulated. Various researches were performed to assess strings' ability to identify articles of interest in comparison with non-optimized literature searches. We formulated optimized, ready applicable tools for the identification of the literature assessing etiologic associations in the field of ADs using PubMed, and demonstrated the advantages deriving from their application. Detailed description of the methodological process is also provided, so that this work can easily be translated to other fields of practice.

Making processes reliable: a validated pubmed search strategy for identifying new or emerging technologies.

PubMed

Varela-Lema, Leonora; Punal-Riobóo, Jeanette; Acción, Beatriz Casal; Ruano-Ravina, Alberto; García, Marisa López

2012-10-01

Horizon scanning systems need to handle a wide range of sources to identify new or emerging health technologies. The objective of this study is to develop a validated Medline bibliographic search strategy (PubMed search engine) to systematically identify new or emerging health technologies. The proposed Medline search strategy combines free text terms commonly used in article titles to denote innovation within index terms that make reference to the specific fields of interest. Efficacy was assessed by running the search over a period of 1 year (2009) and analyzing its retrieval performance (number and characteristics). For comparison purposes, all article abstracts published during 2009 in six preselected key research journals and eight high impact surgery journals were scanned. Sensitivity was defined as the proportion of relevant new or emerging technologies published in key journals that would be identified in the search strategy within the first 2 years of publication. The search yielded 6,228 abstracts of potentially new or emerging technologies. Of these, 459 were classified as new or emerging (383 truly new or emerging and 76 new indications). The scanning of 12,061 journal abstracts identified 35 relevant new or emerging technologies. Of these, twenty-nine were located within the Medline search strategy during the first 2 years of publication (sensitivity = 83 percent). The current search strategy, validated against key journals, has demonstrated to be effective for horizon scanning. Even though it can require adaptations depending on the scope of the horizon scanning system, it could serve to simplify and standardize scanning processes.

Evidence From Web-Based Dietary Search Patterns to the Role of B12 Deficiency in Non-Specific Chronic Pain: A Large-Scale Observational Study

PubMed Central

Giat, Eitan

2018-01-01

Background Profound vitamin B12 deficiency is a known cause of disease, but the role of low or intermediate levels of B12 in the development of neuropathy and other neuropsychiatric symptoms, as well as the relationship between eating meat and B12 levels, is unclear. Objective The objective of our study was to investigate the role of low or intermediate levels of B12 in the development of neuropathy and other neuropsychiatric symptoms. Methods We used food-related Internet search patterns from a sample of 8.5 million people based in the US as a proxy for B12 intake and correlated these searches with Internet searches related to possible effects of B12 deficiency. Results Food-related search patterns were highly correlated with known consumption and food-related searches (ρ=.69). Awareness of B12 deficiency was associated with a higher consumption of B12-rich foods and with queries for B12 supplements. Searches for terms related to neurological disorders were correlated with searches for B12-poor foods, in contrast with control terms. Popular medicines, those having fewer indications, and those which are predominantly used to treat pain, were more strongly correlated with the ability to predict neuropathic pain queries using the B12 contents of food. Conclusions Our findings show that Internet search patterns are a useful way of investigating health questions in large populations, and suggest that low B12 intake may be associated with a broader spectrum of neurological disorders than previously thought. PMID:29305340

Toward a theory of online communication in illness: concept analysis of illness blogs.

PubMed

Heilferty, Catherine McGeehin

2009-07-01

This paper is a report of a concept analysis of illness blogs and their relevance to nursing research on communication during illness. Blogs are being used by patients and family members to describe the experience of illness, but very little is known about this phenomenon. Seventeen English language databases and one Internet search engine were searched from 1990 to 2007 using the truncated term 'blog*'. Specific illness terms together with 'blog*', for example, blog* and diabetes; and blog* and cancer, were used to expand the search. Reports were included if they were of qualitative or quantitative research that included a definition of blogs or blogging and some identification or description of blog uses pertinent to the discipline. Specific emphasis was placed on blog use by individuals coping with illness experiences. 'Meta' writings by authors about their own blogging intentions and experiences were excluded. An illness blog is the online expression of the narrative of illness. Theoretical and operational definitions, defining attributes, uses, antecedents and consequences were developed. The literature search returned 45 works from 17 disciplines referring to the definition and uses of blogging. Support is offered from the review of literature and analysis of the concept for the development of a theory of online communication during illness. Reading and incorporating illness blogs into care will enhance patient-provider relationships. Analysis of the narratives being created online about the illness experience will contribute significantly to nursing's body of knowledge.

Search Term Reports

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Learn what search terms brought users to choose your page in their search results, and what terms they entered in the EPA search box after visiting your page. Use this information to improve links and content on the page.

Cluster-Based Query Expansion Using Language Modeling for Biomedical Literature Retrieval

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xu, Xuheng

2011-01-01

The tremendously huge volume of biomedical literature, scientists' specific information needs, long terms of multiples words, and fundamental problems of synonym and polysemy have been challenging issues facing the biomedical information retrieval community researchers. Search engines have significantly improved the efficiency and effectiveness of…

Google Analytics Reports about Search Terms

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Learn what search terms brought users to choose your page in their search results, and what terms they entered in the EPA search box after visiting your page. Use this information to improve links and content on the page.

Visual Search Performance in Patients with Vision Impairment: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Senger, Cassia; Margarido, Maria Rita Rodrigues Alves; De Moraes, Carlos Gustavo; De Fendi, Ligia Issa; Messias, André; Paula, Jayter Silva

2017-11-01

Patients with visual impairment are constantly facing challenges to achieve an independent and productive life, which depends upon both a good visual discrimination and search capacities. Given that visual search is a critical skill for several daily tasks and could be used as an index of the overall visual function, we investigated the relationship between vision impairment and visual search performance. A comprehensive search was undertaken using electronic PubMed, EMBASE, LILACS, and Cochrane databases from January 1980 to December 2016, applying the following terms: "visual search", "visual search performance", "visual impairment", "visual exploration", "visual field", "hemianopia", "search time", "vision lost", "visual loss", and "low vision". Two hundred seventy six studies from 12,059 electronic database files were selected, and 40 of them were included in this review. Studies included participants of all ages, both sexes, and the sample sizes ranged from 5 to 199 participants. Visual impairment was associated with worse visual search performance in several ophthalmologic conditions, which were either artificially induced, or related to specific eye and neurological diseases. This systematic review details all the described circumstances interfering with visual search tasks, highlights the need for developing technical standards, and outlines patterns for diagnosis and therapy using visual search capabilities.

Automatic sorting of toxicological information into the IUCLID (International Uniform Chemical Information Database) endpoint-categories making use of the semantic search engine Go3R.

PubMed

Sauer, Ursula G; Wächter, Thomas; Hareng, Lars; Wareing, Britta; Langsch, Angelika; Zschunke, Matthias; Alvers, Michael R; Landsiedel, Robert

2014-06-01

The knowledge-based search engine Go3R, www.Go3R.org, has been developed to assist scientists from industry and regulatory authorities in collecting comprehensive toxicological information with a special focus on identifying available alternatives to animal testing. The semantic search paradigm of Go3R makes use of expert knowledge on 3Rs methods and regulatory toxicology, laid down in the ontology, a network of concepts, terms, and synonyms, to recognize the contents of documents. Search results are automatically sorted into a dynamic table of contents presented alongside the list of documents retrieved. This table of contents allows the user to quickly filter the set of documents by topics of interest. Documents containing hazard information are automatically assigned to a user interface following the endpoint-specific IUCLID5 categorization scheme required, e.g. for REACH registration dossiers. For this purpose, complex endpoint-specific search queries were compiled and integrated into the search engine (based upon a gold standard of 310 references that had been assigned manually to the different endpoint categories). Go3R sorts 87% of the references concordantly into the respective IUCLID5 categories. Currently, Go3R searches in the 22 million documents available in the PubMed and TOXNET databases. However, it can be customized to search in other databases including in-house databanks. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

One Health and Zoonoses: The Evolution of One Health and Incorporation of Zoonoses.

PubMed

Asokan, Govindaraj V

2015-01-01

Zoonotic disease outbreaks have surged in the last two decades. These include severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Hendra virus, Nipah virus, influenza viruses, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus, and ebola. One Health is the initiative of an inclusive collaboration linking human, animal, and environmental health. One Health is advocated through an intersectoral coordination to combat zoonoses, and the term has evolved over centuries. The primary aim of this literature review was to examine the change in the definition of the term One Health over time, particuarly following the the introduction of the latest definition in 2007 by the American Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association. This review was conducted in four phases. The first phase consisted of a general PubMed search for the phrase "One Health" for every literature published up to December 2014. Then an advanced search was carried out using "One Health" in conjunction with the terms "zoonosis" and "zoonoses" in PubMed for the time period between January 2007 and December 2014. The articles found were then categorized based on the type of journals in which the articles were published. For the second phase, "One Health" was searched as a Medical subject heading (MeSH) term, which is the National Library of Medicine controlled vocabulary thesaurus used for indexing articles. In the third phase, One Health advocate organizations were found using Google search engine. During the final phase, One Health was searched in Google scholar, examined by Google trends, and analyzed by Google ngram. Before 2007, One Health had many connotations to health in the medical literature with an incomplete adherence to the usage of One Health linking zoonoses. The Google trends analysis shows an overal steady increase of the search of One Health from 2007 to 2014, which is consistent with the findings of articles from Pubmed. Our results indicate that the linkage between the terms One Health and zoonoses started in 2007, which correlates with the joint declaration made by the American Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association in 2007. We suggest creating a MeSH term for One Health in the PubMed database to support more specific research on zoonoses, and exploring the possibility of a patent of the term One Health to support global health and evidence based public health.

Term Relevance Feedback and Mediated Database Searching: Implications for Information Retrieval Practice and Systems Design.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spink, Amanda

1995-01-01

This study uses the human approach to examine the sources and effectiveness of search terms selected during 40 mediated interactive database searches and focuses on determining the retrieval effectiveness of search terms identified by users and intermediaries from retrieved items during term relevance feedback. (Author/JKP)

High-performance information search filters for acute kidney injury content in PubMed, Ovid Medline and Embase.

PubMed

Hildebrand, Ainslie M; Iansavichus, Arthur V; Haynes, R Brian; Wilczynski, Nancy L; Mehta, Ravindra L; Parikh, Chirag R; Garg, Amit X

2014-04-01

We frequently fail to identify articles relevant to the subject of acute kidney injury (AKI) when searching the large bibliographic databases such as PubMed, Ovid Medline or Embase. To address this issue, we used computer automation to create information search filters to better identify articles relevant to AKI in these databases. We first manually reviewed a sample of 22 992 full-text articles and used prespecified criteria to determine whether each article contained AKI content or not. In the development phase (two-thirds of the sample), we developed and tested the performance of >1.3-million unique filters. Filters with high sensitivity and high specificity for the identification of AKI articles were then retested in the validation phase (remaining third of the sample). We succeeded in developing and validating high-performance AKI search filters for each bibliographic database with sensitivities and specificities in excess of 90%. Filters optimized for sensitivity reached at least 97.2% sensitivity, and filters optimized for specificity reached at least 99.5% specificity. The filters were complex; for example one PubMed filter included >140 terms used in combination, including 'acute kidney injury', 'tubular necrosis', 'azotemia' and 'ischemic injury'. In proof-of-concept searches, physicians found more articles relevant to topics in AKI with the use of the filters. PubMed, Ovid Medline and Embase can be filtered for articles relevant to AKI in a reliable manner. These high-performance information filters are now available online and can be used to better identify AKI content in large bibliographic databases.

Mechanical ventilation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma

PubMed Central

Ahmed, Syed Moied; Athar, Manazir

2015-01-01

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and bronchial asthma often complicate the surgical patients, leading to post-operative morbidity and mortality. Many authors have tried to predict post-operative pulmonary complications but not specifically in COPD. The aim of this review is to provide recent evidence-based guidelines regarding predictors and ventilatory strategies for mechanical ventilation in COPD and bronchial asthma patients. Using Google search for indexing databases, a search for articles published was performed using various combinations of the following search terms: ‘Predictors’; ‘mechanical ventilation’; COPD’; ‘COPD’; ‘bronchial asthma’; ‘recent strategies’. Additional sources were also identified by exploring the primary reference list. PMID:26556918

Memory under pressure: secondary-task effects on contextual cueing of visual search.

PubMed

Annac, Efsun; Manginelli, Angela A; Pollmann, Stefan; Shi, Zhuanghua; Müller, Hermann J; Geyer, Thomas

2013-11-04

Repeated display configurations improve visual search. Recently, the question has arisen whether this contextual cueing effect (Chun & Jiang, 1998) is itself mediated by attention, both in terms of selectivity and processing resources deployed. While it is accepted that selective attention modulates contextual cueing (Jiang & Leung, 2005), there is an ongoing debate whether the cueing effect is affected by a secondary working memory (WM) task, specifically at which stage WM influences the cueing effect: the acquisition of configural associations (e.g., Travis, Mattingley, & Dux, 2013) versus the expression of learned associations (e.g., Manginelli, Langer, Klose, & Pollmann, 2013). The present study re-investigated this issue. Observers performed a visual search in combination with a spatial WM task. The latter was applied on either early or late search trials--so as to examine whether WM load hampers the acquisition of or retrieval from contextual memory. Additionally, the WM and search tasks were performed either temporally in parallel or in succession--so as to permit the effects of spatial WM load to be dissociated from those of executive load. The secondary WM task was found to affect cueing in late, but not early, experimental trials--though only when the search and WM tasks were performed in parallel. This pattern suggests that contextual cueing involves a spatial WM resource, with spatial WM providing a workspace linking the current search array with configural long-term memory; as a result, occupying this workspace by a secondary WM task hampers the expression of learned configural associations.

Musicians Crossing Musical Instrument Gender Stereotypes: A Study of Computer-Mediated Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abeles, Harold F.; Hafeli, Mary; Sears, Colleen

2014-01-01

This study examined computer-mediated communication (CMC) -- blogs and responses to YouTube postings -- to better understand how CMCs reflect adolescents' attitudes towards musicians playing instruments that cross gender stereotypes. Employing purposive sampling, we used specific search terms, such as "girl drummer", to identify a…

The Digital School Library: A World-Wide Development and a Fascinating Challenge.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loertscher, David

2003-01-01

Explores the academic environment of a total information system for school libraries based on the idea of a digital intranet. Discusses safety; customization; the core library collection; curriculum-specific collections; access to short-term resources; Internet access; personalized features; search engines; equity issues; and staffing. (LRW)

The New School Collaborates: Organization and Communication in Immersive International Field Programs with Artisan Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawson, Cynthia

2010-01-01

Under the umbrella terms of "humanitarian design," "social design" and "social responsibility," educational institutions and specifically design programs are more and more searching for opportunities to engage their students in critical and hands-on learning via collaborations between students, faculty, communities in…

Adolescents Searching for Health Information on the Internet: An Observational Study

PubMed Central

Derry, Holly A; Resnick, Paul J; Richardson, Caroline R

2003-01-01

Background Adolescents' access to health information on the Internet is partly a function of their ability to search for and find answers to their health-related questions. Adolescents may have unique health and computer literacy needs. Although many surveys, interviews, and focus groups have been utilized to understand the information-seeking and information-retrieval behavior of adolescents looking for health information online, we were unable to locate observations of individual adolescents that have been conducted in this context. Objective This study was designed to understand how adolescents search for health information using the Internet and what implications this may have on access to health information. Methods A convenience sample of 12 students (age 12-17 years) from 1 middle school and 2 high schools in southeast Michigan were provided with 6 health-related questions and asked to look for answers using the Internet. Researchers recorded 68 specific searches using software that captured screen images as well as synchronized audio recordings. Recordings were reviewed later and specific search techniques and strategies were coded. A qualitative review of the verbal communication was also performed. Results Out of 68 observed searches, 47 (69%) were successful in that the adolescent found a correct and useful answer to the health question. The majority of sites that students attempted to access were retrieved directly from search engine results (77%) or a search engine's recommended links (10%); only a small percentage were directly accessed (5%) or linked from another site (7%). The majority (83%) of followed links from search engine results came from the first 9 results. Incorrect spelling (30 of 132 search terms), number of pages visited within a site (ranging from 1-15), and overall search strategy (eg, using a search engine versus directly accessing a site), were each important determinants of success. Qualitative analysis revealed that participants used a trial-and-error approach to formulate search strings, scanned pages randomly instead of systematically, and did not consider the source of the content when searching for health information. Conclusions This study provides a useful snapshot of current adolescent searching patterns. The results have implications for constructing realistic simulations of adolescent search behavior, improving distribution and usefulness of Web sites with health information relevant to adolescents, and enhancing educators' knowledge of what specific pitfalls students are likely to encounter. PMID:14713653

Implications of movement-related cortical potential for understanding neural adaptations in muscle strength tasks

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

This systematic review aims to provide information about the implications of the movement-related cortical potential (MRCP) in acute and chronic responses to the counter resistance training. The structuring of the methods of this study followed the proposals of the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses). It was performed an electronically search in Pubmed/Medline and ISI Web of Knowledge data bases, from 1987 to 2013, besides the manual search in the selected references. The following terms were used: Bereitschaftspotential, MRCP, strength and force. The logical operator “AND” was used to combine descriptors and terms used to search publications. At the end, 11 studies attended all the eligibility criteria and the results demonstrated that the behavior of MRCP is altered because of different factors such as: force level, rate of force development, fatigue induced by exercise, and the specific phase of muscular action, leading to an increase in the amplitude in eccentric actions compared to concentric actions, in acute effects. The long-term adaptations demonstrated that the counter resistance training provokes an attenuation in the amplitude in areas related to the movement, which may be caused by neural adaptation occurred in the motor cortex. PMID:24602228

Information-Seeking on the Internet.

PubMed

Singaravelu, Vinod; Stewart, Anne; Adams, Joanna; Simkin, Sue; Hawton, Keith

2015-01-01

The Internet is used by young people at risk of self-harm to communicate, find information, and obtain support. We aimed to identify and analyze websites potentially accessed by these young people. Six search terms, relating to self-harm/suicide and depression, were input into four search engines. Websites were analyzed for access, content/purpose, and tone. In all, 314 websites were included in the analysis. Most could be accessed without restriction. Sites accessed by self-harm/suicide search terms were mostly positive or preventive in tone, whereas sites accessed by the term ways to kill yourself tended to have a negative tone. Information about self-harm methods was common with specific advice on how to self-harm in 15.8% of sites, encouragement of self-harm in 7.0%, and evocative images of self-harm/suicide in 20.7%. Advice on how to get help was given in 56.1% of sites. Websites relating to suicide or self-harm are easily accessed. Many sites are potentially helpful. However, a significant proportion of sites are potentially harmful through normalizing or encouraging self-harm. Enquiry regarding Internet use should be routinely included while assessing young people at risk.

Integration of subclassification strategies in randomised controlled clinical trials evaluating manual therapy treatment and exercise therapy for non-specific chronic low back pain: a systematic review.

PubMed

Fersum, K V; Dankaerts, W; O'Sullivan, P B; Maes, J; Skouen, J S; Bjordal, J M; Kvåle, A

2010-11-01

There is lack of evidence for specific treatment interventions for patients with non-specific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP) despite the substantial amount of randomised controlled clinical trials evaluating treatment outcome for this disorder. It has been hypothesised that this vacuum of evidence is caused by the lack of subclassification of the heterogeneous population of patients with chronic low back pain for outcome research. A systematic review. A systematic review with a meta-analysis was undertaken to determine the integration of subclassification strategies with matched interventions in randomised controlled clinical trials evaluating manual therapy treatment and exercise therapy for NSCLBP. A structured search for relevant studies in Embase, Cinahl, Medline, PEDro and the Cochrane Trials Register database, followed by hand searching all relevant studies in English up to December 2008. Only 5 of 68 studies (7.4%) subclassified patients beyond applying general inclusion and exclusion criteria. In the few studies where classification and matched interventions have been used, our meta-analysis showed a statistical difference in favour of the classification-based intervention for reductions in pain (p=0.004) and disability (p=0.0005), both for short-term and long-term reduction in pain (p=0.001). Effect sizes ranged from moderate (0.43) for short term to minimal (0.14) for long term. A better integration of subclassification strategies in NSCLBP outcome research is needed. We propose the development of explicit recommendations for the use of subclassification strategies and evaluation of targeted interventions in future research evaluating NSCLBP.

Searching for Truth: Internet Search Patterns as a Method of Investigating Online Responses to a Russian Illicit Drug Policy Debate

PubMed Central

Gillespie, James A; Quinn, Casey

2012-01-01

Background This is a methodological study investigating the online responses to a national debate over an important health and social problem in Russia. Russia is the largest Internet market in Europe, exceeding Germany in the absolute number of users. However, Russia is unusual in that the main search provider is not Google, but Yandex. Objective This study had two main objectives. First, to validate Yandex search patterns against those provided by Google, and second, to test this method's adequacy for investigating online interest in a 2010 national debate over Russian illicit drug policy. We hoped to learn what search patterns and specific search terms could reveal about the relative importance and geographic distribution of interest in this debate. Methods A national drug debate, centering on the anti-drug campaigner Egor Bychkov, was one of the main Russian domestic news events of 2010. Public interest in this episode was accompanied by increased Internet search. First, we measured the search patterns for 13 search terms related to the Bychkov episode and concurrent domestic events by extracting data from Google Insights for Search (GIFS) and Yandex WordStat (YaW). We conducted Spearman Rank Correlation of GIFS and YaW search data series. Second, we coded all 420 primary posts from Bychkov's personal blog between March 2010 and March 2012 to identify the main themes. Third, we compared GIFS and Yandex policies concerning the public release of search volume data. Finally, we established the relationship between salient drug issues and the Bychkov episode. Results We found a consistent pattern of strong to moderate positive correlations between Google and Yandex for the terms "Egor Bychkov" (r s = 0.88, P < .001), “Bychkov” (r s = .78, P < .001) and “Khimki”(r s = 0.92, P < .001). Peak search volumes for the Bychkov episode were comparable to other prominent domestic political events during 2010. Monthly search counts were 146,689 for “Bychkov” and 48,084 for “Egor Bychkov”, compared to 53,403 for “Khimki” in Yandex. We found Google potentially provides timely search results, whereas Yandex provides more accurate geographic localization. The correlation was moderate to strong between search terms representing the Bychkov episode and terms representing salient drug issues in Yandex–“illicit drug treatment” (r s = .90, P < .001), "illicit drugs" (r s = .76, P < .001), and "drug addiction" (r s = .74, P < .001). Google correlations were weaker or absent–"illicit drug treatment" (r s = .12, P = .58), “illicit drugs ” (r s = -0.29, P = .17), and "drug addiction" (r s = .68, P < .001). Conclusions This study contributes to the methodological literature on the analysis of search patterns for public health. This paper investigated the relationship between Google and Yandex, and contributed to the broader methods literature by highlighting both the potential and limitations of these two search providers. We believe that Yandex Wordstat is a potentially valuable, and underused data source for researchers working on Russian-related illicit drug policy and other public health problems. The Russian Federation, with its large, geographically dispersed, and politically engaged online population presents unique opportunities for studying the evolving influence of the Internet on politics and policy, using low cost methods resilient against potential increases in censorship. PMID:23238600

Searching for truth: internet search patterns as a method of investigating online responses to a Russian illicit drug policy debate.

PubMed

Zheluk, Andrey; Gillespie, James A; Quinn, Casey

2012-12-13

This is a methodological study investigating the online responses to a national debate over an important health and social problem in Russia. Russia is the largest Internet market in Europe, exceeding Germany in the absolute number of users. However, Russia is unusual in that the main search provider is not Google, but Yandex. This study had two main objectives. First, to validate Yandex search patterns against those provided by Google, and second, to test this method's adequacy for investigating online interest in a 2010 national debate over Russian illicit drug policy. We hoped to learn what search patterns and specific search terms could reveal about the relative importance and geographic distribution of interest in this debate. A national drug debate, centering on the anti-drug campaigner Egor Bychkov, was one of the main Russian domestic news events of 2010. Public interest in this episode was accompanied by increased Internet search. First, we measured the search patterns for 13 search terms related to the Bychkov episode and concurrent domestic events by extracting data from Google Insights for Search (GIFS) and Yandex WordStat (YaW). We conducted Spearman Rank Correlation of GIFS and YaW search data series. Second, we coded all 420 primary posts from Bychkov's personal blog between March 2010 and March 2012 to identify the main themes. Third, we compared GIFS and Yandex policies concerning the public release of search volume data. Finally, we established the relationship between salient drug issues and the Bychkov episode. We found a consistent pattern of strong to moderate positive correlations between Google and Yandex for the terms "Egor Bychkov" (r(s) = 0.88, P < .001), "Bychkov" (r(s) = .78, P < .001) and "Khimki"(r(s) = 0.92, P < .001). Peak search volumes for the Bychkov episode were comparable to other prominent domestic political events during 2010. Monthly search counts were 146,689 for "Bychkov" and 48,084 for "Egor Bychkov", compared to 53,403 for "Khimki" in Yandex. We found Google potentially provides timely search results, whereas Yandex provides more accurate geographic localization. The correlation was moderate to strong between search terms representing the Bychkov episode and terms representing salient drug issues in Yandex-"illicit drug treatment" (r(s) = .90, P < .001), "illicit drugs" (r(s) = .76, P < .001), and "drug addiction" (r(s) = .74, P < .001). Google correlations were weaker or absent-"illicit drug treatment" (r(s) = .12, P = .58), "illicit drugs " (r(s) = -0.29, P = .17), and "drug addiction" (r(s) = .68, P < .001). This study contributes to the methodological literature on the analysis of search patterns for public health. This paper investigated the relationship between Google and Yandex, and contributed to the broader methods literature by highlighting both the potential and limitations of these two search providers. We believe that Yandex Wordstat is a potentially valuable, and underused data source for researchers working on Russian-related illicit drug policy and other public health problems. The Russian Federation, with its large, geographically dispersed, and politically engaged online population presents unique opportunities for studying the evolving influence of the Internet on politics and policy, using low cost methods resilient against potential increases in censorship.

OvidSP Medline-to-PubMed search filter translation: a methodology for extending search filter range to include PubMed's unique content.

PubMed

Damarell, Raechel A; Tieman, Jennifer J; Sladek, Ruth M

2013-07-02

PubMed translations of OvidSP Medline search filters offer searchers improved ease of access. They may also facilitate access to PubMed's unique content, including citations for the most recently published biomedical evidence. Retrieving this content requires a search strategy comprising natural language terms ('textwords'), rather than Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). We describe a reproducible methodology that uses a validated PubMed search filter translation to create a textword-only strategy to extend retrieval to PubMed's unique heart failure literature. We translated an OvidSP Medline heart failure search filter for PubMed and established version equivalence in terms of indexed literature retrieval. The PubMed version was then run within PubMed to identify citations retrieved by the filter's MeSH terms (Heart failure, Left ventricular dysfunction, and Cardiomyopathy). It was then rerun with the same MeSH terms restricted to searching on title and abstract fields (i.e. as 'textwords'). Citations retrieved by the MeSH search but not the textword search were isolated. Frequency analysis of their titles/abstracts identified natural language alternatives for those MeSH terms that performed less effectively as textwords. These terms were tested in combination to determine the best performing search string for reclaiming this 'lost set'. This string, restricted to searching on PubMed's unique content, was then combined with the validated PubMed translation to extend the filter's performance in this database. The PubMed heart failure filter retrieved 6829 citations. Of these, 834 (12%) failed to be retrieved when MeSH terms were converted to textwords. Frequency analysis of the 834 citations identified five high frequency natural language alternatives that could improve retrieval of this set (cardiac failure, cardiac resynchronization, left ventricular systolic dysfunction, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, and LV dysfunction). Together these terms reclaimed 157/834 (18.8%) of lost citations. MeSH terms facilitate precise searching in PubMed's indexed subset. They may, however, work less effectively as search terms prior to subject indexing. A validated PubMed search filter can be used to develop a supplementary textword-only search strategy to extend retrieval to PubMed's unique content. A PubMed heart failure search filter is available on the CareSearch website (http://www.caresearch.com.au) providing access to both indexed and non-indexed heart failure evidence.

Systematic review of the literature on the effectiveness of product reformulation measures to reduce the sugar content of food and drink on the population's sugar consumption and health: a study protocol

PubMed Central

Hashem, Kawther M; He, Feng J; MacGregor, Graham A

2016-01-01

Introduction Obesity, type 2 diabetes and dental caries are all major public health problems in the UK, with significant costs to the healthcare service. We aim to conduct a systematic review to summarise the evidence on the effectiveness of product reformulation measures to reduce the sugar content of food and drink on the population's sugar consumption and health. Methods and analysis Electronic database will be systematically searched using a combination of terms, tailored to optimise sensitivity, specificity, and the syntax and functionality of each database. The databases searched will include the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE (Ovid) and Scopus. The bibliographies of those papers that match inclusion criteria will be searched by hand to identify any further, relevant references, which will be subject to the same screening and selection process. The database search results will be supplemented by hand searches. In addition to the peer-reviewed literature, a number of grey literature searches will be undertaken using the broad search terms ‘sugar’ and ‘food’ or ‘drink’ and ‘reduction’, these searches will include key government and organisation websites as well as general searches in Google. The selection of the studies, data collection and quality appraisal will be performed independently by 2 reviewers. Data will be initially analysed through a narrative synthesis method. If a subset of data we analyse appears comparable, we will investigate the possibility of performing a meta-analysis. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval will not be required as this is a protocol for a systematic review. The findings will be disseminated widely through conference presentations and published in a peer-reviewed journal. PROSPERO registration number CRD42016034022. PMID:27288379

Psychiatric education and simulation: a review of the literature.

PubMed

McNaughton, Nancy; Ravitz, Paula; Wadell, Andrea; Hodges, Brian D

2008-02-01

Simulation methodologies are integral to health professional education at all levels of training and across all disciplines. This article reviews the literature on simulation in psychiatric education and explores recent innovations and emerging ethical considerations related to teaching and evaluation. The authors searched the MEDLINE, ERIC, and PsycINFO databases from 1986 to 2006 using multiple search terms. A detailed manual search was conducted of Academic Psychiatry, Academic Medicine, and Medical Education. Literature indirectly relevant to the search parameter was also included. Of the more than 5000 articles retrieved from the literature on simulation and health professional education, 72 articles and books used the terms simulation and standardized patients or role play and psychiatry education. Of the more than 900 articles on objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE), 24 articles related specifically to psychiatry OSCEs. Live simulation is used in teaching, assessment, and research at all levels of training in psychiatric education. Simulated and standardized patients are useful and appropriate for teaching and assessment and are well accepted at both undergraduate and post-graduate level. There is also an important place for role play. Further research is needed regarding the implications of different simulation technologies in psychiatry.

Allie: a database and a search service of abbreviations and long forms

PubMed Central

Yamamoto, Yasunori; Yamaguchi, Atsuko; Bono, Hidemasa; Takagi, Toshihisa

2011-01-01

Many abbreviations are used in the literature especially in the life sciences, and polysemous abbreviations appear frequently, making it difficult to read and understand scientific papers that are outside of a reader’s expertise. Thus, we have developed Allie, a database and a search service of abbreviations and their long forms (a.k.a. full forms or definitions). Allie searches for abbreviations and their corresponding long forms in a database that we have generated based on all titles and abstracts in MEDLINE. When a user query matches an abbreviation, Allie returns all potential long forms of the query along with their bibliographic data (i.e. title and publication year). In addition, for each candidate, co-occurring abbreviations and a research field in which it frequently appears in the MEDLINE data are displayed. This function helps users learn about the context in which an abbreviation appears. To deal with synonymous long forms, we use a dictionary called GENA that contains domain-specific terms such as gene, protein or disease names along with their synonymic information. Conceptually identical domain-specific terms are regarded as one term, and then conceptually identical abbreviation-long form pairs are grouped taking into account their appearance in MEDLINE. To keep up with new abbreviations that are continuously introduced, Allie has an automatic update system. In addition, the database of abbreviations and their long forms with their corresponding PubMed IDs is constructed and updated weekly. Database URL: The Allie service is available at http://allie.dbcls.jp/. PMID:21498548

The quality of information on the Internet on orthodontic retainer wear: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Doğramacı, Esma J; Rossi-Fedele, Giampiero

2016-03-01

The objectives of this study were to assess the accessibility, usability, reliability and quality of information on the Internet written for the lay public about orthodontic retainers, and to elucidate the different retention protocols encouraged. A cross-sectional, observational study. Online, using a computer connected to the Internet in Australia. Two search terms; 'orthodontic retainer' and 'how long should someone wear a retainer after their braces are removed?' were entered alternatively into five search engines. Twenty results for each search term per search engine that fulfilled the inclusion criteria were evaluated in terms of accessibility, usability, reliability and quality of information using the LIDA and DISCERN instruments, ensuring there were no internal or cross-search engine duplicates. Any information about frequency and duration of retainer wear was also collected. Two hundred different websites were identified and assessed. The median overall LIDA score was 72%, corresponding to a moderate quality level. The median total DISCERN score was 47%. Twenty-two websites recommended patients adhere to the specific protocol prescribed to them by their practitioner. There were 45 (22.5%) and 28 (14%) websites advising indefinite use of removable and bonded retainers respectively. Information about retainers on the Internet is easily accessible and usable, though the quality of the content is generally of a moderate level. However, the information is not always accurate and reliable. Both full-time and part-time wear of removable retainers was suggested over greatly varying time periods. Indefinite wear of removable and bonded retainers was also advocated.

OntoMate: a text-mining tool aiding curation at the Rat Genome Database

PubMed Central

Liu, Weisong; Laulederkind, Stanley J. F.; Hayman, G. Thomas; Wang, Shur-Jen; Nigam, Rajni; Smith, Jennifer R.; De Pons, Jeff; Dwinell, Melinda R.; Shimoyama, Mary

2015-01-01

The Rat Genome Database (RGD) is the premier repository of rat genomic, genetic and physiologic data. Converting data from free text in the scientific literature to a structured format is one of the main tasks of all model organism databases. RGD spends considerable effort manually curating gene, Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) and strain information. The rapidly growing volume of biomedical literature and the active research in the biological natural language processing (bioNLP) community have given RGD the impetus to adopt text-mining tools to improve curation efficiency. Recently, RGD has initiated a project to use OntoMate, an ontology-driven, concept-based literature search engine developed at RGD, as a replacement for the PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed) search engine in the gene curation workflow. OntoMate tags abstracts with gene names, gene mutations, organism name and most of the 16 ontologies/vocabularies used at RGD. All terms/ entities tagged to an abstract are listed with the abstract in the search results. All listed terms are linked both to data entry boxes and a term browser in the curation tool. OntoMate also provides user-activated filters for species, date and other parameters relevant to the literature search. Using the system for literature search and import has streamlined the process compared to using PubMed. The system was built with a scalable and open architecture, including features specifically designed to accelerate the RGD gene curation process. With the use of bioNLP tools, RGD has added more automation to its curation workflow. Database URL: http://rgd.mcw.edu PMID:25619558

Formative evaluation of a patient-specific clinical knowledge summarization tool

PubMed Central

Del Fiol, Guilherme; Mostafa, Javed; Pu, Dongqiuye; Medlin, Richard; Slager, Stacey; Jonnalagadda, Siddhartha R.; Weir, Charlene R.

2015-01-01

Objective To iteratively design a prototype of a computerized clinical knowledge summarization (CKS) tool aimed at helping clinicians finding answers to their clinical questions; and to conduct a formative assessment of the usability, usefulness, efficiency, and impact of the CKS prototype on physicians’ perceived decision quality compared with standard search of UpToDate and PubMed. Materials and methods Mixed-methods observations of the interactions of 10 physicians with the CKS prototype vs. standard search in an effort to solve clinical problems posed as case vignettes. Results The CKS tool automatically summarizes patient-specific and actionable clinical recommendations from PubMed (high quality randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews) and UpToDate. Two thirds of the study participants completed 15 out of 17 usability tasks. The median time to task completion was less than 10 s for 12 of the 17 tasks. The difference in search time between the CKS and standard search was not significant (median = 4.9 vs. 4.5 min). Physician’s perceived decision quality was significantly higher with the CKS than with manual search (mean = 16.6 vs. 14.4; p = 0.036). Conclusions The CKS prototype was well-accepted by physicians both in terms of usability and usefulness. Physicians perceived better decision quality with the CKS prototype compared to standard search of PubMed and UpToDate within a similar search time. Due to the formative nature of this study and a small sample size, conclusions regarding efficiency and efficacy are exploratory. PMID:26612774

Formative evaluation of a patient-specific clinical knowledge summarization tool.

PubMed

Del Fiol, Guilherme; Mostafa, Javed; Pu, Dongqiuye; Medlin, Richard; Slager, Stacey; Jonnalagadda, Siddhartha R; Weir, Charlene R

2016-02-01

To iteratively design a prototype of a computerized clinical knowledge summarization (CKS) tool aimed at helping clinicians finding answers to their clinical questions; and to conduct a formative assessment of the usability, usefulness, efficiency, and impact of the CKS prototype on physicians' perceived decision quality compared with standard search of UpToDate and PubMed. Mixed-methods observations of the interactions of 10 physicians with the CKS prototype vs. standard search in an effort to solve clinical problems posed as case vignettes. The CKS tool automatically summarizes patient-specific and actionable clinical recommendations from PubMed (high quality randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews) and UpToDate. Two thirds of the study participants completed 15 out of 17 usability tasks. The median time to task completion was less than 10s for 12 of the 17 tasks. The difference in search time between the CKS and standard search was not significant (median=4.9 vs. 4.5m in). Physician's perceived decision quality was significantly higher with the CKS than with manual search (mean=16.6 vs. 14.4; p=0.036). The CKS prototype was well-accepted by physicians both in terms of usability and usefulness. Physicians perceived better decision quality with the CKS prototype compared to standard search of PubMed and UpToDate within a similar search time. Due to the formative nature of this study and a small sample size, conclusions regarding efficiency and efficacy are exploratory. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

The involvement of central attention in visual search is determined by task demands.

PubMed

Han, Suk Won

2017-04-01

Attention, the mechanism by which a subset of sensory inputs is prioritized over others, operates at multiple processing stages. Specifically, attention enhances weak sensory signal at the perceptual stage, while it serves to select appropriate responses or consolidate sensory representations into short-term memory at the central stage. This study investigated the independence and interaction between perceptual and central attention. To do so, I used a dual-task paradigm, pairing a four-alternative choice task with a visual search task. The results showed that central attention for response selection was engaged in perceptual processing for visual search when the number of search items increased, thereby increasing the demand for serial allocation of focal attention. By contrast, central attention and perceptual attention remained independent as far as the demand for serial shifting of focal attention remained constant; decreasing stimulus contrast or increasing the set size of a parallel search did not evoke the involvement of central attention in visual search. These results suggest that the nature of concurrent visual search process plays a crucial role in the functional interaction between two different types of attention.

Transitions and Diversity in Didactics: An Exploration Searching for Implications for Vocational Education and Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herrera, Lázaro Moreno

2015-01-01

Depending on the perspective and even language, the concept of didactics is defined in different ways. The debate about conceptualization, particularly concerning the equivalence in English of what in other languages, specifically Germanic and Latin languages, is termed "didactics", is well documented in the research literature. There is…

Meta-Analysis of Biofeedback for Tension-Type Headache: Efficacy, Specificity, and Treatment Moderators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nestoriuc, Yvonne; Rief, Winfried; Martin, Alexandra

2008-01-01

The aims of the present meta-analysis were to investigate the short- and long-term efficacy, multidimensional outcome, and treatment moderators of biofeedback as a behavioral treatment option for tension-type headache. A literature search identified 74 outcome studies, of which 53 were selected according to predefined inclusion criteria.…

Strengthened effective connectivity underlies transfer of working memory training to tests of short-term memory and attention.

PubMed

Kundu, Bornali; Sutterer, David W; Emrich, Stephen M; Postle, Bradley R

2013-05-15

Although long considered a natively endowed and fixed trait, working memory (WM) ability has recently been shown to improve with intensive training. What remains controversial and poorly understood, however, are the neural bases of these training effects and the extent to which WM training gains transfer to other cognitive tasks. Here we present evidence from human electrophysiology (EEG) and simultaneous transcranial magnetic stimulation and EEG that the transfer of WM training to other cognitive tasks is supported by changes in task-related effective connectivity in frontoparietal and parieto-occipital networks that are engaged by both the trained and transfer tasks. One consequence of this effect is greater efficiency of stimulus processing, as evidenced by changes in EEG indices of individual differences in short-term memory capacity and in visual search performance. Transfer to search-related activity provides evidence that something more fundamental than task-specific strategy or stimulus-specific representations has been learned. Furthermore, these patterns of training and transfer highlight the role of common neural systems in determining individual differences in aspects of visuospatial cognition.

Strengthened effective connectivity underlies transfer of working memory training to tests of short-term memory and attention

PubMed Central

Kundu, Bornali; Sutterer, David W.; Emrich, Stephen M.; Postle, Bradley R.

2013-01-01

Although long considered a natively endowed and fixed trait, working memory (WM) ability has recently been shown to improve with intensive training. What remains controversial and poorly understood, however, are the neural bases of these training effects, and the extent to which WM training gains transfer to other cognitive tasks. Here we present evidence from human electrophysiology (EEG) and simultaneous transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and EEG that the transfer of WM training to other cognitive tasks is supported by changes in task-related effective connectivity in frontoparietal and parietooccipital networks that are engaged by both the trained and transfer tasks. One consequence of this effect is greater efficiency of stimulus processing, as evidenced by changes in EEG indices of individual differences in short-term memory capacity and in visual search performance. Transfer to search-related activity provides evidence that something more fundamental than task-specific strategy or stimulus-specific representations have been learned. Furthermore, these patterns of training and transfer highlight the role of common neural systems in determining individual differences in aspects of visuospatial cognition. PMID:23678114

Toward a human-centered hyperlipidemia management system: the interaction between internal and external information on relational data search.

PubMed

Gong, Yang; Zhang, Jiajie

2011-04-01

In a distributed information search task, data representation and cognitive distribution jointly affect user search performance in terms of response time and accuracy. Guided by UFuRT (User, Function, Representation, Task), a human-centered framework, we proposed a search model and task taxonomy. The model defines its application in the context of healthcare setting. The taxonomy clarifies the legitimate operations for each type of search task of relational data. We then developed experimental prototypes of hyperlipidemia data displays. Based on the displays, we tested the search tasks performance through two experiments. The experiments are of a within-subject design with a random sample of 24 participants. The results support our hypotheses and validate the prediction of the model and task taxonomy. In this study, representation dimensions, data scales, and search task types are the main factors in determining search efficiency and effectiveness. Specifically, the more external representations provided on the interface the better search task performance of users. The results also suggest the ideal search performance occurs when the question type and its corresponding data scale representation match. The implications of the study lie in contributing to the effective design of search interface for relational data, especially laboratory results, which could be more effectively designed in electronic medical records.

Failure or success of search strategies to identify adverse effects of medical devices: a feasibility study using a systematic review.

PubMed

Golder, Su; Wright, Kath; Rodgers, Mark

2014-10-13

Research has indicated that adverse effects terms are increasingly prevalent in the title, abstract or indexing terms of articles that contain adverse drug effects data in MEDLINE and Embase. However, it is unknown whether adverse effects terms are present in the database records of articles that contain adverse effects data of medical devices, and thus, to what extent the development of an adverse effects search filter for medical devices may be feasible. A case study systematic review of a medical device was selected. The included studies from a systematic review of the safety of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) for spinal fusion were used in the analysis. For each included study, the corresponding database record on MEDLINE and Embase was assessed to measure the presence or absence of adverse effects terms in the title, abstract or indexing. The performance of each potential adverse effects search term was also measured and compared. There were 82 publications (49 studies) included in the systematic review with 51 of these indexed on MEDLINE and 55 on Embase. Ninety-four percent (48/51) of the records on MEDLINE and 95% (52/55) of the records on Embase contained at least one adverse effects related search term. The wide variety of adverse effects terms included in the title, abstract or indexing of bibliographic records, and the lack of any individual high-performing search terms suggests that a combination of terms in different fields is required to identify adverse effects of medical devices. In addition, the most successful search terms differed from the most successful terms for identifying adverse drug effects. The search filters currently available for adverse drug effects are not necessarily useful for searching adverse effects data of medical devices. The presence of adverse effects terms in the bibliographic records of articles on medical devices, however, indicates that combinations of adverse effects search terms may be useful in search strategies in MEDLINE and Embase. The results, therefore, suggest that not only a search filter for the adverse effects of medical devices is feasible, but also that it should be a research priority.

Quality of Social Media and Web-Based Information Regarding Inappropriate Nuclear Cardiac Stress Testing and the Choosing Wisely Campaign: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PubMed

Winchester, David E; Baxter, Diana; Markham, Merry J; Beyth, Rebecca J

2017-05-04

The World Wide Web and social media provide the public with access to medical information unlike any other time in human history. However, the quality of content related to cardiac stress testing is not well understood. The aim of our study was to evaluate the quality of content on the Internet relating to the use of cardiac nuclear stress testing and the Choosing Wisely campaign. We searched the World Wide Web, Google Video (including YouTube), and Twitter for information relating to these two topics. Searches were performed using English language terms from a computer in the United States not logged into any personal user accounts. Search results were reviewed for discussion of specific topics including radiation risk, accuracy of testing, alternative testing options, and discouragement of inappropriate test use. We evaluated a total of 348 items of content from our searches. Relevant search results for Choosing Wisely were fewer than for other search terms (45 vs 303). We did not find any content which encouraged inappropriate testing (ie, screening in low risk individuals or testing prior to low risk operations). Content related to Choosing Wisely was more likely to discourage inappropriate testing than search results for other terms (29/45, 64% vs 12/303, 4.0%, odds ratio 43.95, 95% CI 17.6-112.2, P<.001). The Internet content on nuclear stress tests consistently discouraged inappropriate testing. The Choosing Wisely content was more likely to discourage inappropriate testing, less relevant content was available. Generating authoritative content on the Internet relating to judicious use of medical interventions may be an important role for the Choosing Wisely campaign. ©David E Winchester, Diana Baxter, Merry J Markham, Rebecca J Beyth. Originally published in the Interactive Journal of Medical Research (http://www.i-jmr.org/), 04.05.2017.

Automatic segmentation of nine retinal layer boundaries in OCT images of non-exudative AMD patients using deep learning and graph search

PubMed Central

Fang, Leyuan; Cunefare, David; Wang, Chong; Guymer, Robyn H.; Li, Shutao; Farsiu, Sina

2017-01-01

We present a novel framework combining convolutional neural networks (CNN) and graph search methods (termed as CNN-GS) for the automatic segmentation of nine layer boundaries on retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) images. CNN-GS first utilizes a CNN to extract features of specific retinal layer boundaries and train a corresponding classifier to delineate a pilot estimate of the eight layers. Next, a graph search method uses the probability maps created from the CNN to find the final boundaries. We validated our proposed method on 60 volumes (2915 B-scans) from 20 human eyes with non-exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which attested to effectiveness of our proposed technique. PMID:28663902

Automatic segmentation of nine retinal layer boundaries in OCT images of non-exudative AMD patients using deep learning and graph search.

PubMed

Fang, Leyuan; Cunefare, David; Wang, Chong; Guymer, Robyn H; Li, Shutao; Farsiu, Sina

2017-05-01

We present a novel framework combining convolutional neural networks (CNN) and graph search methods (termed as CNN-GS) for the automatic segmentation of nine layer boundaries on retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) images. CNN-GS first utilizes a CNN to extract features of specific retinal layer boundaries and train a corresponding classifier to delineate a pilot estimate of the eight layers. Next, a graph search method uses the probability maps created from the CNN to find the final boundaries. We validated our proposed method on 60 volumes (2915 B-scans) from 20 human eyes with non-exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which attested to effectiveness of our proposed technique.

Building an Open Data Portal for the European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative based on an Iterative Development Methodology and Linked Data Technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kershaw, P.; Bennett, V. L.; Stephens, A.; Wilson, A.; Waterfall, A. M.; Petrie, R.; Iwi, A.; Donegan, S.; Juckes, M. N.; Parton, G.

2016-12-01

The Climate Change Initiative (CCI) programme was initiated by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2009 to address the GCOS Essential Climate Variable (ECV) requirements to provide stable, long-term, satellite-based data products to characterise the climate system and its changes. CEDA, working as part of a project consortium, were awarded the contract to build the Open Data Portal, consisting collectively of a central archive and single point of access for dissemination of the data to the international user community. Reflecting climate and earth observation community requirements, the system needed to support a range of access services in use by this domain and specifically, to integrate into existing infrastructure in the form of the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF). This range of requirements together with the heterogeneity of the ECV datasets presented significant challenges. However, the use of Linked Data technologies and an iterative approach to data model development and data publishing have been instrumental in meeting the objectives and building a cohesive system. The portal supports data discovery based on the OGC CSW specification and on ESGF's powerful faceted search. These services provide complementary content at different levels of granularity and it therefore became clear that a common data model was needed. Key terms are defined in vocabularies serialised in SKOS and OWL and are accessible from a central vocabulary server to provide a single authoritative source for applications consuming metadata content. Exploiting the vocabulary service therefore, it has been possible to develop an innovative solution tagging ISO 19115 records for the CSW with the equivalent vocabulary terms used for the ESGF faceted search system. In this way it has been possible to create a rich user interface for the portal combining search results from both search services and the ability to dynamically populate facet selection and context-based help information from the vocabulary service.

Differences in Reporting the Ragweed Pollen Season Using Google Trends across 15 Countries.

PubMed

Bousquet, Jean; Agache, Ioana; Berger, Uwe; Bergmann, Karl-Christian; Besancenot, Jean-Pierre; Bousquet, Philippe J; Casale, Tom; d'Amato, Gennaro; Kaidashev, Igor; Khaitov, Musa; Mösges, Ralph; Nekam, Kristof; Onorato, Gabrielle L; Plavec, Davor; Sheikh, Aziz; Thibaudon, Michel; Vautard, Robert; Zidarn, Mihaela

2018-05-09

Google Trends (GT) searches trends of specific queries in Google, which potentially reflect the real-life epidemiology of allergic rhinitis. We compared GT terms related to ragweed pollen allergy in American and European Union countries with a known ragweed pollen season. Our aim was to assess seasonality and the terms needed to perform the GT searches and to compare these during the spring and summer pollen seasons. We examined GT queries from January 1, 2011, to January 4, 2017. We included 15 countries with a known ragweed pollen season and used the standard 5-year GT graphs. We used the GT translation for all countries and the untranslated native terms for each country. The results of "pollen," "ragweed," and "allergy" searches differed between countries, but "ragweed" was clearly identified in 12 of the 15 countries. There was considerable heterogeneity of findings when the GT translation was used. For Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia, the GT translation was inappropriate. The country patterns of "pollen," "hay fever," and "allergy" differed in 8 of the 11 countries with identified "ragweed" queries during the spring and the summer, indicating that the perception of tree and grass pollen allergy differs from that of ragweed pollen. To investigate ragweed pollen allergy using GT, the term "ragweed" as a plant is required and the translation of "ragweed" in the native language needed. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

OvidSP Medline-to-PubMed search filter translation: a methodology for extending search filter range to include PubMed's unique content

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background PubMed translations of OvidSP Medline search filters offer searchers improved ease of access. They may also facilitate access to PubMed’s unique content, including citations for the most recently published biomedical evidence. Retrieving this content requires a search strategy comprising natural language terms (‘textwords’), rather than Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). We describe a reproducible methodology that uses a validated PubMed search filter translation to create a textword-only strategy to extend retrieval to PubMed’s unique heart failure literature. Methods We translated an OvidSP Medline heart failure search filter for PubMed and established version equivalence in terms of indexed literature retrieval. The PubMed version was then run within PubMed to identify citations retrieved by the filter’s MeSH terms (Heart failure, Left ventricular dysfunction, and Cardiomyopathy). It was then rerun with the same MeSH terms restricted to searching on title and abstract fields (i.e. as ‘textwords’). Citations retrieved by the MeSH search but not the textword search were isolated. Frequency analysis of their titles/abstracts identified natural language alternatives for those MeSH terms that performed less effectively as textwords. These terms were tested in combination to determine the best performing search string for reclaiming this ‘lost set’. This string, restricted to searching on PubMed’s unique content, was then combined with the validated PubMed translation to extend the filter’s performance in this database. Results The PubMed heart failure filter retrieved 6829 citations. Of these, 834 (12%) failed to be retrieved when MeSH terms were converted to textwords. Frequency analysis of the 834 citations identified five high frequency natural language alternatives that could improve retrieval of this set (cardiac failure, cardiac resynchronization, left ventricular systolic dysfunction, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, and LV dysfunction). Together these terms reclaimed 157/834 (18.8%) of lost citations. Conclusions MeSH terms facilitate precise searching in PubMed’s indexed subset. They may, however, work less effectively as search terms prior to subject indexing. A validated PubMed search filter can be used to develop a supplementary textword-only search strategy to extend retrieval to PubMed’s unique content. A PubMed heart failure search filter is available on the CareSearch website (http://www.caresearch.com.au) providing access to both indexed and non-indexed heart failure evidence. PMID:23819658

Identifying Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Search Terminology: A Systematic Review of Health Systematic Reviews

PubMed Central

Lee, Joseph G. L.; Ylioja, Thomas; Lackey, Mellanye

2016-01-01

Research on the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations can provide important information to address existing health inequalities. Finding existing research in LGBT health can prove challenging due to the plethora of terminology used. We sought to describe existing search strategies and to identify more comprehensive LGBT search terminology. We iteratively created a search string to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses about LGBT health and implemented it in Embase, PubMed/MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases on May 28–29, 2015. We hand-searched the journal LGBT Health. Inclusion criteria were: systematic reviews and meta-analyses that addressed LGBT health, used systematic searching, and used independent coders for inclusion. The published search terminology in each record and search strings provided by authors on request were cross-referenced with our original search to identify additional terminology. Our search process identified 19 systematic reviews meeting inclusion criteria. The number of search terms used to identify LGBT-related records ranged from 1 to 31. From the included studies, we identified 46 new search terms related to LGBT health. We removed five search terms as inappropriate and added five search terms used in the field. The resulting search string included 82 terms. There is room to improve the quality of searching and reporting in LGBT health systematic reviews. Future work should attempt to enhance the positive predictive value of LGBT health searches. Our findings can assist LGBT health reviewers in capturing the diversity of LGBT terminology when searching. PMID:27219460

Accessing suicide-related information on the internet: a retrospective observational study of search behavior.

PubMed

Wong, Paul Wai-Ching; Fu, King-Wa; Yau, Rickey Sai-Pong; Ma, Helen Hei-Man; Law, Yik-Wa; Chang, Shu-Sen; Yip, Paul Siu-Fai

2013-01-11

The Internet's potential impact on suicide is of major public health interest as easy online access to pro-suicide information or specific suicide methods may increase suicide risk among vulnerable Internet users. Little is known, however, about users' actual searching and browsing behaviors of online suicide-related information. To investigate what webpages people actually clicked on after searching with suicide-related queries on a search engine and to examine what queries people used to get access to pro-suicide websites. A retrospective observational study was done. We used a web search dataset released by America Online (AOL). The dataset was randomly sampled from all AOL subscribers' web queries between March and May 2006 and generated by 657,000 service subscribers. We found 5526 search queries (0.026%, 5526/21,000,000) that included the keyword "suicide". The 5526 search queries included 1586 different search terms and were generated by 1625 unique subscribers (0.25%, 1625/657,000). Of these queries, 61.38% (3392/5526) were followed by users clicking on a search result. Of these 3392 queries, 1344 (39.62%) webpages were clicked on by 930 unique users but only 1314 of those webpages were accessible during the study period. Each clicked-through webpage was classified into 11 categories. The categories of the most visited webpages were: entertainment (30.13%; 396/1314), scientific information (18.31%; 240/1314), and community resources (14.53%; 191/1314). Among the 1314 accessed webpages, we could identify only two pro-suicide websites. We found that the search terms used to access these sites included "commiting suicide with a gas oven", "hairless goat", "pictures of murder by strangulation", and "photo of a severe burn". A limitation of our study is that the database may be dated and confined to mainly English webpages. Searching or browsing suicide-related or pro-suicide webpages was uncommon, although a small group of users did access websites that contain detailed suicide method information.

Public hospital quality report awareness: evidence from National and Californian Internet searches and social media mentions, 2012

PubMed Central

Huesch, Marco D; Currid-Halkett, Elizabeth; Doctor, Jason N

2014-01-01

Objectives Publicly available hospital quality reports seek to inform consumers of important healthcare quality and affordability attributes, and may inform consumer decision-making. To understand how much consumers search for such information online on one Internet search engine, whether they mention such information in social media and how positively they view this information. Setting and design A leading Internet search engine (Google) was the main focus of the study. Google Trends and Google Adwords keyword analyses were performed for national and Californian searches between 1 August 2012 and 31 July 2013 for keywords related to ‘top hospital’, best hospital’, and ‘hospital quality’, as well as for six specific hospital quality reports. Separately, a proprietary social media monitoring tool was used to investigate blog, forum, social media and traditional media mentions of, and sentiment towards, major public reports of hospital quality in California in 2012. Primary outcome measures (1) Counts of searches for keywords performed on Google; (2) counts of and (3) sentiment of mentions of public reports on social media. Results National Google search volume for 75 hospital quality-related terms averaged 610 700 searches per month with strong variation by keyword and by state. A commercial report (Healthgrades) was more commonly searched for nationally on Google than the federal government's Hospital Compare, which otherwise dominated quality-related search terms. Social media references in California to quality reports were generally few, and commercially produced hospital quality reports were more widely mentioned than state (Office of Statewide Healthcare Planning and Development (OSHPD)), or non-profit (CalHospitalCompare) reports. Conclusions Consumers are somewhat aware of hospital quality based on Internet search activity and social media disclosures. Public stakeholders may be able to broaden their quality dissemination initiatives by advertising on Google or Twitter and using social media interactively with consumers looking for relevant information. PMID:24618223

Spatial Cytoskeleton Organization Supports Targeted Intracellular Transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hafner, Anne E.; Rieger, Heiko

2018-03-01

The efficiency of intracellular cargo transport from specific source to target locations is strongly dependent upon molecular motor-assisted motion along the cytoskeleton. Radial transport along microtubules and lateral transport along the filaments of the actin cortex underneath the cell membrane are characteristic for cells with a centrosome. The interplay between the specific cytoskeleton organization and the motor performance realizes a spatially inhomogeneous intermittent search strategy. In order to analyze the efficiency of such intracellular search strategies we formulate a random velocity model with intermittent arrest states. We evaluate efficiency in terms of mean first passage times for three different, frequently encountered intracellular transport tasks: i) the narrow escape problem, which emerges during cargo transport to a synapse or other specific region of the cell membrane, ii) the reaction problem, which considers the binding time of two particles within the cell, and iii) the reaction-escape problem, which arises when cargo must be released at a synapse only after pairing with another particle. Our results indicate that cells are able to realize efficient search strategies for various intracellular transport tasks economically through a spatial cytoskeleton organization that involves only a narrow actin cortex rather than a cell body filled with randomly oriented actin filaments.

Difficulties and challenges associated with literature searches in operating room management, complete with recommendations.

PubMed

Wachtel, Ruth E; Dexter, Franklin

2013-12-01

The purpose of this article is to teach operating room managers, financial analysts, and those with a limited knowledge of search engines, including PubMed, how to locate articles they need in the areas of operating room and anesthesia group management. Many physicians are unaware of current literature in their field and evidence-based practices. The most common source of information is colleagues. Many people making management decisions do not read published scientific articles. Databases such as PubMed are available to search for such articles. Other databases, such as citation indices and Google Scholar, can be used to uncover additional articles. Nevertheless, most people who do not know how to use these databases are reluctant to utilize help resources when they do not know how to accomplish a task. Most people are especially reluctant to use on-line help files. Help files and search databases are often difficult to use because they have been designed for users already familiar with the field. The help files and databases have specialized vocabularies unique to the application. MeSH terms in PubMed are not useful alternatives for operating room management, an important limitation, because MeSH is the default when search terms are entered in PubMed. Librarians or those trained in informatics can be valuable assets for searching unusual databases, but they must possess the domain knowledge relative to the subject they are searching. The search methods we review are especially important when the subject area (e.g., anesthesia group management) is so specific that only 1 or 2 articles address the topic of interest. The materials are presented broadly enough that the reader can extrapolate the findings to other areas of clinical and management issues in anesthesiology.

Creatine Use in Sports.

PubMed

Butts, Jessica; Jacobs, Bret; Silvis, Matthew

The use of creatine as a dietary supplement has become increasingly popular over the past several decades. Despite the popularity of creatine, questions remain with regard to dosing, effects on sports performance, and safety. PubMed was searched for articles published between 1980 and January 2017 using the terms creatine, creatine supplementation, sports performance, and dietary supplements. An additional Google search was performed to capture National Collegiate Athletic Association-specific creatine usage data and US dietary supplement and creatine sales. Clinical review. Level 4. Short-term use of creatine is considered safe and without significant adverse effects, although caution should be advised as the number of long-term studies is limited. Suggested dosing is variable, with many different regimens showing benefits. The safety of creatine supplementation has not been studied in children and adolescents. Currently, the scientific literature best supports creatine supplementation for increased performance in short-duration, maximal-intensity resistance training. While creatine appears to be safe and effective for particular settings, whether creatine supplementation leads to improved performance on the field of play remains unknown.

NASA Technology Takes Center Stage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

In today's fast-paced business world, there is often more information available to researchers than there is time to search through it. Data mining has become the answer to finding the proverbial "needle in a haystack," as companies must be able to quickly locate specific pieces of information from large collections of data. Perilog, a suite of data-mining tools, searches for hidden patterns in large databases to determine previously unrecognized relationships. By retrieving and organizing contextually relevant data from any sequence of terms - from genetic data to musical notes - the software can intelligently compile information about desired topics from databases.

Extrapolating Survival from Randomized Trials Using External Data: A Review of Methods

PubMed Central

Jackson, Christopher; Stevens, John; Ren, Shijie; Latimer, Nick; Bojke, Laura; Manca, Andrea; Sharples, Linda

2016-01-01

This article describes methods used to estimate parameters governing long-term survival, or times to other events, for health economic models. Specifically, the focus is on methods that combine shorter-term individual-level survival data from randomized trials with longer-term external data, thus using the longer-term data to aid extrapolation of the short-term data. This requires assumptions about how trends in survival for each treatment arm will continue after the follow-up period of the trial. Furthermore, using external data requires assumptions about how survival differs between the populations represented by the trial and external data. Study reports from a national health technology assessment program in the United Kingdom were searched, and the findings were combined with “pearl-growing” searches of the academic literature. We categorized the methods that have been used according to the assumptions they made about how the hazards of death vary between the external and internal data and through time, and we discuss the appropriateness of the assumptions in different circumstances. Modeling choices, parameter estimation, and characterization of uncertainty are discussed, and some suggestions for future research priorities in this area are given. PMID:27005519

Informing patients: oculoplastic surgery and the internet.

PubMed

Zaidi, F H; Jones, C A

2009-11-01

Oculoplastic surgery has received little attention compared with other subspecialties in terms of how the internet influences patient expectations. Blepharoplasty resembles a model for oculoplastic operations. We aimed to assess the quality of information accessed by patients on blepharoplasty using the internet as a resource. After surveying doctors and lay persons, the word 'blepharoplasty' and related terms were studied using an advanced keyword search. This scanned average monthly search volume over a recent 12-month period. The three most popular search terms that were found were entered into the Google search engine. Criteria published in the Journal of the American Medical Associationfor qualifying information from the internet were used in the analysis, yielding a possible score from 0 to a maximum of 4. Of the 150 websites that were studied, these criteria were fully applied to 101 websites. Only 2.5% of sites scored favourably on all four criteria; 6.5% scored three points; 10% scored two points; 41% scored one point; 40% of sites scored zero for objective quality. Superior scores were achieved by online encyclopaedias ('medipedias'), peer-reviewed journals, online abstracts, and book chapters. The websites of professional bodies scored poorly. The lowest scored were private clinics and National Health Service (NHS) hospital websites. Using the internet, the quality of information obtained for oculoplastic surgery seems far inferior to other subspecialties within ophthalmology as well as non-ophthalmic specialties. These findings are specifically relevant to surgeons carrying out blepharoplasty and of general relevance to ophthalmic plastic surgeons.

Text mining for search term development in systematic reviewing: A discussion of some methods and challenges.

PubMed

Stansfield, Claire; O'Mara-Eves, Alison; Thomas, James

2017-09-01

Using text mining to aid the development of database search strings for topics described by diverse terminology has potential benefits for systematic reviews; however, methods and tools for accomplishing this are poorly covered in the research methods literature. We briefly review the literature on applications of text mining for search term development for systematic reviewing. We found that the tools can be used in 5 overarching ways: improving the precision of searches; identifying search terms to improve search sensitivity; aiding the translation of search strategies across databases; searching and screening within an integrated system; and developing objectively derived search strategies. Using a case study and selected examples, we then reflect on the utility of certain technologies (term frequency-inverse document frequency and Termine, term frequency, and clustering) in improving the precision and sensitivity of searches. Challenges in using these tools are discussed. The utility of these tools is influenced by the different capabilities of the tools, the way the tools are used, and the text that is analysed. Increased awareness of how the tools perform facilitates the further development of methods for their use in systematic reviews. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Finding Qualitative Research Evidence for Health Technology Assessment.

PubMed

DeJean, Deirdre; Giacomini, Mita; Simeonov, Dorina; Smith, Andrea

2016-08-01

Health technology assessment (HTA) agencies increasingly use reviews of qualitative research as evidence for evaluating social, experiential, and ethical aspects of health technologies. We systematically searched three bibliographic databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Social Science Citation Index [SSCI]) using published search filters or "hedges" and our hybrid filter to identify qualitative research studies pertaining to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and early breast cancer. The search filters were compared in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and precision. Our screening by title and abstract revealed that qualitative research constituted only slightly more than 1% of all published research on each health topic. The performance of the published search filters varied greatly across topics and databases. Compared with existing search filters, our hybrid filter demonstrated a consistently high sensitivity across databases and topics, and minimized the resource-intensive process of sifting through false positives. We identify opportunities for qualitative health researchers to improve the uptake of qualitative research into evidence-informed policy making. © The Author(s) 2016.

Health economic analyses in medical nutrition: a systematic literature review.

PubMed

Walzer, Stefan; Droeschel, Daniel; Nuijten, Mark; Chevrou-Séverac, Hélène

2014-01-01

Medical nutrition is a specific nutrition category either covering specific dietary needs and/or nutrient deficiency in patients or feeding patients unable to eat normally. Medical nutrition is regulated by a specific bill in Europe and in the US, with specific legislation and guidelines, and is provided to patients with special nutritional needs and indications for nutrition support. Therefore, medical nutrition products are delivered by medical prescription and supervised by health care professionals. Although these products have existed for more than 2 decades, health economic evidence of medical nutrition interventions is scarce. This research assesses the current published health economic evidence for medical nutrition by performing a systematic literature review related to health economic analysis of medical nutrition. A systematic literature search was done using standard literature databases, including PubMed, the Health Technology Assessment Database, and the National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database. Additionally, a free web-based search was conducted using the same search terms utilized in the systematic database search. The clinical background and basis of the analysis, health economic design, and results were extracted from the papers finally selected. The Drummond checklist was used to validate the quality of health economic modeling studies and the AMSTAR (A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews) checklist was used for published systematic reviews. Fifty-three papers were identified and obtained via PubMed, or directly via journal webpages for further assessment. Thirty-two papers were finally included in a thorough data extraction procedure, including those identified by a "gray literature search" utilizing the Google search engine and cross-reference searches. Results regarding content of the studies showed that malnutrition was the underlying clinical condition in most cases (32%). In addition, gastrointestinal disorders (eg, surgery, cancer) were often analyzed. In terms of settings, 56% of papers covered inpatients, whereas 14 papers (44%) captured outpatients, including patients in community centers. Interestingly, in comparison with the papers identified overall, very few health economic models were found. Most of the articles were modeling analyses and economic trials in different design settings. Overall, only eight health economic models were published and were validated applying the Drummond checklist. In summary, most of the models included were carried out to quite a high standard, although some areas were identified for further improvement. Of the two systematic health economic reviews identified, one achieved the highest quality score when applying the AMSTAR checklist. The reasons for finding only a few modeling studies but quite a large number of clinical trials with health economic endpoints, might be different. Until recently, health economics has not been required for reimbursement or coverage decisions concerning medical nutrition interventions. Further, there might be specifics of medical nutrition which might not allow easy modeling and consequently explain the limited uptake so far. The health economic data on medical nutrition generated and published is quite ample. However, it has been primarily based on database analysis and clinical studies. Only a few modeling analyses have been carried out, indicating a need for further research to understand the specifics of medical nutrition and their applicability for health economic modeling.

Multimedia Web Searching Trends.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozmutlu, Seda; Spink, Amanda; Ozmutlu, H. Cenk

2002-01-01

Examines and compares multimedia Web searching by Excite and FAST search engine users in 2001. Highlights include audio and video queries; time spent on searches; terms per query; ranking of the most frequently used terms; and differences in Web search behaviors of U.S. and European Web users. (Author/LRW)

eHealth Search Patterns: A Comparison of Private and Public Health Care Markets Using Online Panel Data

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Background Patient and consumer access to eHealth information is of crucial importance because of its role in patient-centered medicine and to improve knowledge about general aspects of health and medical topics. Objectives The objectives were to analyze and compare eHealth search patterns in a private (United States) and a public (United Kingdom) health care market. Methods A new taxonomy of eHealth websites is proposed to organize the largest eHealth websites. An online measurement framework is developed that provides a precise and detailed measurement system. Online panel data are used to accurately track and analyze detailed search behavior across 100 of the largest eHealth websites in the US and UK health care markets. Results The health, medical, and lifestyle categories account for approximately 90% of online activity, and e-pharmacies, social media, and professional categories account for the remaining 10% of online activity. Overall search penetration of eHealth websites is significantly higher in the private (United States) than the public market (United Kingdom). Almost twice the number of eHealth users in the private market have adopted online search in the health and lifestyle categories and also spend more time per website than those in the public market. The use of medical websites for specific conditions is almost identical in both markets. The allocation of search effort across categories is similar in both the markets. For all categories, the vast majority of eHealth users only access one website within each category. Those that conduct a search of two or more websites display very narrow search patterns. All users spend relatively little time on eHealth, that is, 3-7 minutes per website. Conclusions The proposed online measurement framework exploits online panel data to provide a powerful and objective method of analyzing and exploring eHealth behavior. The private health care system does appear to have an influence on eHealth search behavior in terms of search penetration and time spent per website in the health and lifestyle categories. Two explanations are offered: (1) the personal incentive of medical costs in the private market incentivizes users to conduct online search; and (2) health care information is more easily accessible through health care professionals in the United Kingdom compared with the United States. However, the use of medical websites is almost identical, suggesting that patients interested in a specific condition have a motivation to search and evaluate health information, irrespective of the health care market. The relatively low level of search in terms of the number of websites accessed and the average time per website raise important questions about the actual level of patient informedness in both the markets. Areas for future research are outlined. PMID:28408362

How visual working memory contents influence priming of visual attention.

PubMed

Carlisle, Nancy B; Kristjánsson, Árni

2017-04-12

Recent evidence shows that when the contents of visual working memory overlap with targets and distractors in a pop-out search task, intertrial priming is inhibited (Kristjánsson, Sævarsson & Driver, Psychon Bull Rev 20(3):514-521, 2013, Experiment 2, Psychonomic Bulletin and Review). This may reflect an interesting interaction between implicit short-term memory-thought to underlie intertrial priming-and explicit visual working memory. Evidence from a non-pop-out search task suggests that it may specifically be holding distractors in visual working memory that disrupts intertrial priming (Cunningham & Egeth, Psychol Sci 27(4):476-485, 2016, Experiment 2, Psychological Science). We examined whether the inhibition of priming depends on whether feature values in visual working memory overlap with targets or distractors in the pop-out search, and we found that the inhibition of priming resulted from holding distractors in visual working memory. These results are consistent with separate mechanisms of target and distractor effects in intertrial priming, and support the notion that the impact of implicit short-term memory and explicit visual working memory can interact when each provides conflicting attentional signals.

Family medicine around the world: overview by region

PubMed Central

Arya, Neil; Gibson, Christine; Ponka, David; Haq, Cynthia; Hansel, Stephanie; Dahlman, Bruce; Rouleau, Katherine

2017-01-01

Abstract Objective To demonstrate how family medicine has been recognized and integrated into primary health care systems in contrasting contexts around the world and to provide an overview of how family physicians are trained and certified. Composition of the committee Since 2012, the College of Family Physicians of Canada has hosted the Besrour Conferences to reflect on its role in advancing the discipline of family medicine globally. The Besrour Papers Working Group, which was struck at the 2013 conference, was tasked with developing a series of papers to highlight the key issues, lessons learned, and outcomes emerging from the various activities of the Besrour collaboration. The working group comprised members of various academic departments of family medicine in Canada and abroad who attended the conferences. Methods An initial search was conducted in PubMed using a family medicine hedge of MeSH terms, text words, and family medicine journals, combined with text words and terms representing low- and middle-income countries and the concept of family medicine training programs. A second search was completed using only family medicine terms in the CAB Direct and World Bank databases. Subsequent PubMed searches were conducted to identify articles about specific conditions or services based on suggestions from the authors of the articles selected from the second search. Additional articles were identified through reference lists of key articles and through Google searches. We then attempted to verify and augment the information through colleagues and partners. Report The scope of family medicine and the nature of family medicine training vary considerably worldwide. Challenges include limited capacity, incomplete understanding of roles, and variability of standards and recognition. Opportunities for advancement might include technology, collaboration, changes in pedagogy, flexible training methods, and system-wide support. PMID:28615392

Multisensory brand search: How the meaning of sounds guides consumers' visual attention.

PubMed

Knoeferle, Klemens M; Knoeferle, Pia; Velasco, Carlos; Spence, Charles

2016-06-01

Building on models of crossmodal attention, the present research proposes that brand search is inherently multisensory, in that the consumers' visual search for a specific brand can be facilitated by semantically related stimuli that are presented in another sensory modality. A series of 5 experiments demonstrates that the presentation of spatially nonpredictive auditory stimuli associated with products (e.g., usage sounds or product-related jingles) can crossmodally facilitate consumers' visual search for, and selection of, products. Eye-tracking data (Experiment 2) revealed that the crossmodal effect of auditory cues on visual search manifested itself not only in RTs, but also in the earliest stages of visual attentional processing, thus suggesting that the semantic information embedded within sounds can modulate the perceptual saliency of the target products' visual representations. Crossmodal facilitation was even observed for newly learnt associations between unfamiliar brands and sonic logos, implicating multisensory short-term learning in establishing audiovisual semantic associations. The facilitation effect was stronger when searching complex rather than simple visual displays, thus suggesting a modulatory role of perceptual load. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Probing U(1) extensions of the MSSM at the LHC Run I and in dark matter searches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bélanger, G.; Da Silva, J.; Laa, U.; Pukhov, A.

2015-09-01

The U(1) extended supersymmetric standard model (UMSSM) can accommodate a Higgs boson at 125 GeV without relying on large corrections from the top/stop sector. After imposing LHC results on the Higgs sector, on B-physics and on new particle searches as well as dark matter constraints, we show that this model offers two viable dark matter candidates, the right-handed (RH) sneutrino or the neutralino. Limits on super-symmetric partners from LHC simplified model searches are imposed using SM odelS and allow for light squarks and gluinos. Moreover the upper limit on the relic abundance often favours scenarios with long-lived particles. Searches for a Z ' at the LHC remain the most unambiguous probes of this model. Interestingly, the D-term contributions to the sfermion masses allow to explain the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon in specific corners of the parameter space with light smuons or left-handed (LH) sneutrinos. We finally emphasize the interplay between direct searches for dark matter and LHC simplified model searches.

Generalized “Satisfaction of Search”: Adverse Influences on Dual-Target Search Accuracy

PubMed Central

Fleck, Mathias S.; Samei, Ehsan; Mitroff, Stephen R.

2013-01-01

The successful detection of a target in a radiological search can reduce the detectability of a second target, a phenomenon termed satisfaction of search (SOS). Given the potential consequences, here we investigate the generality of SOS with the goal of simultaneously informing radiology, cognitive psychology, and nonmedical searches such as airport luggage screening. Ten experiments utilizing nonmedical searches and untrained searchers suggest that SOS is affected by a diverse array of factors, including (1) the relative frequency of different target types, (2) external pressures (reward and time), and (3) expectations about the number of targets present. Collectively, these experiments indicate that SOS arises when searchers have a biased expectation about the low likelihood of specific targets or events, and when they are under pressure to perform efficiently. This first demonstration of SOS outside of radiology implicates a general heuristic applicable to many kinds of searches. In an example like airport luggage screening, the current data suggest that the detection of an easy-to-spot target (e.g., a water bottle) might reduce detection of a hard-to-spot target (e.g., a box cutter). PMID:20350044

Public Relations as "Practice": Applying the Theory of Alasdair MacIntyre.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leeper, Roy V.; Leeper, Kathie A.

2001-01-01

Considers how public relation's search for a unifying theory may be fulfilled through application of Alasdair MacIntyre's concept of a "practice," a very specific and value-laden concept. Explores what it would mean to be a public relations practice in MacIntyre's concept of the term and argues that such an approach to public relations…

Searching for a New Improved Atlantic in ‘Atlantic’ and ‘Superior’ Reciprocal Cross Populations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

‘Atlantic’ is the standard variety for chipping from the field or very short-term cold storage. It has traits desired by the chip industry such as uniformity, high specific gravity and high yield. However, ‘Atlantic’ tubers are susceptible to common scab and internal defects such as internal brown s...

Are all quantitative postmarketing signal detection methods equal? Performance characteristics of logistic regression and Multi-item Gamma Poisson Shrinker.

PubMed

Berlin, Conny; Blanch, Carles; Lewis, David J; Maladorno, Dionigi D; Michel, Christiane; Petrin, Michael; Sarp, Severine; Close, Philippe

2012-06-01

The detection of safety signals with medicines is an essential activity to protect public health. Despite widespread acceptance, it is unclear whether recently applied statistical algorithms provide enhanced performance characteristics when compared with traditional systems. Novartis has adopted a novel system for automated signal detection on the basis of disproportionality methods within a safety data mining application (Empirica™ Signal System [ESS]). ESS uses two algorithms for routine analyses: empirical Bayes Multi-item Gamma Poisson Shrinker and logistic regression (LR). A model was developed comprising 14 medicines, categorized as "new" or "established." A standard was prepared on the basis of safety findings selected from traditional sources. ESS results were compared with the standard to calculate the positive predictive value (PPV), specificity, and sensitivity. PPVs of the lower one-sided 5% and 0.05% confidence limits of the Bayes geometric mean (EB05) and of the LR odds ratio (LR0005) almost coincided for all the drug-event combinations studied. There was no obvious difference comparing the PPV of the leading Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) terms to the PPV for all terms. The PPV of narrow MedDRA query searches was higher than that for broad searches. The widely used threshold value of EB05 = 2.0 or LR0005 = 2.0 together with more than three spontaneous reports of the drug-event combination produced balanced results for PPV, sensitivity, and specificity. Consequently, performance characteristics were best for leading terms with narrow MedDRA query searches irrespective of applying Multi-item Gamma Poisson Shrinker or LR at a threshold value of 2.0. This research formed the basis for the configuration of ESS for signal detection at Novartis. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

OmniSearch: a semantic search system based on the Ontology for MIcroRNA Target (OMIT) for microRNA-target gene interaction data.

PubMed

Huang, Jingshan; Gutierrez, Fernando; Strachan, Harrison J; Dou, Dejing; Huang, Weili; Smith, Barry; Blake, Judith A; Eilbeck, Karen; Natale, Darren A; Lin, Yu; Wu, Bin; Silva, Nisansa de; Wang, Xiaowei; Liu, Zixing; Borchert, Glen M; Tan, Ming; Ruttenberg, Alan

2016-01-01

As a special class of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs) perform important roles in numerous biological and pathological processes. The realization of miRNA functions depends largely on how miRNAs regulate specific target genes. It is therefore critical to identify, analyze, and cross-reference miRNA-target interactions to better explore and delineate miRNA functions. Semantic technologies can help in this regard. We previously developed a miRNA domain-specific application ontology, Ontology for MIcroRNA Target (OMIT), whose goal was to serve as a foundation for semantic annotation, data integration, and semantic search in the miRNA field. In this paper we describe our continuing effort to develop the OMIT, and demonstrate its use within a semantic search system, OmniSearch, designed to facilitate knowledge capture of miRNA-target interaction data. Important changes in the current version OMIT are summarized as: (1) following a modularized ontology design (with 2559 terms imported from the NCRO ontology); (2) encoding all 1884 human miRNAs (vs. 300 in previous versions); and (3) setting up a GitHub project site along with an issue tracker for more effective community collaboration on the ontology development. The OMIT ontology is free and open to all users, accessible at: http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/omit.owl. The OmniSearch system is also free and open to all users, accessible at: http://omnisearch.soc.southalabama.edu/index.php/Software.

An Efficient Algorithm for the Detection of Infrequent Rapid Bursts in Time Series Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giles, A. B.

1997-01-01

Searching through data for infrequent rapid bursts is a common requirement in many areas of scientific research. In this paper, we present a powerful and flexible analysis method that, in a single pass through the data, searches for statistically significant bursts on a set of specified short timescales. The input data are binned, if necessary, and then quantified in terms of probabilities rather than rates or ratios. Using a measure-like probability makes the method relatively count rate independent. The method has been made computationally efficient by the use of lookup tables and cyclic buffers, and it is therefore particularly well suited to real-time applications. The technique has been developed specifically for use in an X-ray astronomy application to search for millisecond bursts from black hole candidates such as Cyg X-1. We briefly review the few observations of these types of features reported in the literature, as well as the variety of ways in which their statistical reliability was challenged. The developed technique, termed the burst expectation search (BES) method, is illustrated using some data simulations and archived data obtained during ground testing of the proportional counter array (PCA) experiment detectors on the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). A potential application for a real-time BES method on board RXTE is also examined.

Is Breast Best? Examining the effects of alcohol and cannabis use during lactation.

PubMed

Brown, R A; Dakkak, H; Seabrook, J A

2018-05-23

Maternal drug use during lactation may have adverse effects on the health of their children. Two common drugs used during this period are alcohol and cannabis. A literature search was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL, Nursing and Allied Health, and Google Scholar with the following search terms: marijuana, cannabis, THC, alcohol, ethanol, breastfeeding, lactation, and breastmilk. The search strategy was restricted to papers since the year 2000, and limited to English language journals. Reference lists were also used to capture any articles that were missed from the database searches. In total, 19 articles were found related to alcohol and breastfeeding (n = 17 original research papers; n = 2 systematic reviews), and 4 articles were specific to cannabis (n = 2 original papers; n = 2 systematic reviews). The most common outcomes associated with alcohol consumption and breastfeeding included changes in sleep patterns, reduced milk production and flow, lower milk intake, and impaired immune function. Maternal outcomes related to cannabis consumption included panic attacks, delayed response time, increased heart rate, reduced short-term memory, dizziness, and impaired motor performance; infant outcomes associated with maternal cannabis use and breastfeeding were reduced muscular tonus, poor sucking, and growth delay and restriction. Mothers should be advised to refrain from substance use during the lactation period for the health and safety of their children.

Clinical Reasoning Terms Included in Clinical Problem Solving Exercises?

PubMed Central

Musgrove, John L.; Morris, Jason; Estrada, Carlos A.; Kraemer, Ryan R.

2016-01-01

Background Published clinical problem solving exercises have emerged as a common tool to illustrate aspects of the clinical reasoning process. The specific clinical reasoning terms mentioned in such exercises is unknown. Objective We identified which clinical reasoning terms are mentioned in published clinical problem solving exercises and compared them to clinical reasoning terms given high priority by clinician educators. Methods A convenience sample of clinician educators prioritized a list of clinical reasoning terms (whether to include, weight percentage of top 20 terms). The authors then electronically searched the terms in the text of published reports of 4 internal medicine journals between January 2010 and May 2013. Results The top 5 clinical reasoning terms ranked by educators were dual-process thinking (weight percentage = 24%), problem representation (12%), illness scripts (9%), hypothesis generation (7%), and problem categorization (7%). The top clinical reasoning terms mentioned in the text of 79 published reports were context specificity (n = 20, 25%), bias (n = 13, 17%), dual-process thinking (n = 11, 14%), illness scripts (n = 11, 14%), and problem representation (n = 10, 13%). Context specificity and bias were not ranked highly by educators. Conclusions Some core concepts of modern clinical reasoning theory ranked highly by educators are mentioned explicitly in published clinical problem solving exercises. However, some highly ranked terms were not used, and some terms used were not ranked by the clinician educators. Effort to teach clinical reasoning to trainees may benefit from a common nomenclature of clinical reasoning terms. PMID:27168884

Clinical Reasoning Terms Included in Clinical Problem Solving Exercises?

PubMed

Musgrove, John L; Morris, Jason; Estrada, Carlos A; Kraemer, Ryan R

2016-05-01

Background Published clinical problem solving exercises have emerged as a common tool to illustrate aspects of the clinical reasoning process. The specific clinical reasoning terms mentioned in such exercises is unknown. Objective We identified which clinical reasoning terms are mentioned in published clinical problem solving exercises and compared them to clinical reasoning terms given high priority by clinician educators. Methods A convenience sample of clinician educators prioritized a list of clinical reasoning terms (whether to include, weight percentage of top 20 terms). The authors then electronically searched the terms in the text of published reports of 4 internal medicine journals between January 2010 and May 2013. Results The top 5 clinical reasoning terms ranked by educators were dual-process thinking (weight percentage = 24%), problem representation (12%), illness scripts (9%), hypothesis generation (7%), and problem categorization (7%). The top clinical reasoning terms mentioned in the text of 79 published reports were context specificity (n = 20, 25%), bias (n = 13, 17%), dual-process thinking (n = 11, 14%), illness scripts (n = 11, 14%), and problem representation (n = 10, 13%). Context specificity and bias were not ranked highly by educators. Conclusions Some core concepts of modern clinical reasoning theory ranked highly by educators are mentioned explicitly in published clinical problem solving exercises. However, some highly ranked terms were not used, and some terms used were not ranked by the clinician educators. Effort to teach clinical reasoning to trainees may benefit from a common nomenclature of clinical reasoning terms.

Searching for ``Preparation for Future Learning'' in Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Etkina, Eugenia; Gentile, Michael; Karelina, Anna; Ruibal-Villasenor, Maria R.; Suran, Gregory

2009-11-01

"Preparation for future learning" is a term describing a new approach to transfer. In addition to focusing on learning environments that help students better apply developed knowledge in new situations; education researchers are searching for educational interventions that better prepare students to learn new information. The pioneering studies in this field were conducted by J. Branford and D. Schwartz in psychology and mathematics, specifically in the area of statistics. They found that students who engaged in innovation before being exposed to new material, learned better. We attempted to replicate their experiments in the field of physics, specifically in the area of conductivity. Using two experimental conditions and one control, we compared student learning of thermal and electrical conductivity from a written text. We present the results of groups' performance on seven qualitative questions after their learning in this area.

Derivation and validation of the automated search algorithms to identify cognitive impairment and dementia in electronic health records.

PubMed

Amra, Sakusic; O'Horo, John C; Singh, Tarun D; Wilson, Gregory A; Kashyap, Rahul; Petersen, Ronald; Roberts, Rosebud O; Fryer, John D; Rabinstein, Alejandro A; Gajic, Ognjen

2017-02-01

Long-term cognitive impairment is a common and important problem in survivors of critical illness. We developed electronic search algorithms to identify cognitive impairment and dementia from the electronic medical records (EMRs) that provide opportunity for big data analysis. Eligible patients met 2 criteria. First, they had a formal cognitive evaluation by The Mayo Clinic Study of Aging. Second, they were hospitalized in intensive care unit at our institution between 2006 and 2014. The "criterion standard" for diagnosis was formal cognitive evaluation supplemented by input from an expert neurologist. Using all available EMR data, we developed and improved our algorithms in the derivation cohort and validated them in the independent validation cohort. Of 993 participants who underwent formal cognitive testing and were hospitalized in intensive care unit, we selected 151 participants at random to form the derivation and validation cohorts. The automated electronic search algorithm for cognitive impairment was 94.3% sensitive and 93.0% specific. The search algorithms for dementia achieved respective sensitivity and specificity of 97% and 99%. EMR search algorithms significantly outperformed International Classification of Diseases codes. Automated EMR data extractions for cognitive impairment and dementia are reliable and accurate and can serve as acceptable and efficient alternatives to time-consuming manual data review. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An Exemplar-Familiarity Model Predicts Short-Term and Long-Term Probe Recognition across Diverse Forms of Memory Search

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nosofsky, Robert M.; Cox, Gregory E.; Cao, Rui; Shiffrin, Richard M.

2014-01-01

Experiments were conducted to test a modern exemplar-familiarity model on its ability to account for both short-term and long-term probe recognition within the same memory-search paradigm. Also, making connections to the literature on attention and visual search, the model was used to interpret differences in probe-recognition performance across…

Network placement optimization for large-scale distributed system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Yu; Liu, Fangfang; Fu, Yunxia; Zhou, Zheng

2018-01-01

The network geometry strongly influences the performance of the distributed system, i.e., the coverage capability, measurement accuracy and overall cost. Therefore the network placement optimization represents an urgent issue in the distributed measurement, even in large-scale metrology. This paper presents an effective computer-assisted network placement optimization procedure for the large-scale distributed system and illustrates it with the example of the multi-tracker system. To get an optimal placement, the coverage capability and the coordinate uncertainty of the network are quantified. Then a placement optimization objective function is developed in terms of coverage capabilities, measurement accuracy and overall cost. And a novel grid-based encoding approach for Genetic algorithm is proposed. So the network placement is optimized by a global rough search and a local detailed search. Its obvious advantage is that there is no need for a specific initial placement. At last, a specific application illustrates this placement optimization procedure can simulate the measurement results of a specific network and design the optimal placement efficiently.

Ethical issues in newer assisted reproductive technologies: A view from Nigeria.

PubMed

Fadare, J O; Adeniyi, A A

2015-12-01

Infertility is a prevalent condition in many developing countries with significant physical and psychosocial implications. The aim of this study is to discuss briefly the ethics of newer assisted reproductive technology (ART) with special emphasis on the peculiarities in Nigeria. MEDLINE and Google Scholar were searched for English-language articles from January 1990 to July 2014 using the search terms "ethics of ART AND Nigeria," "ethical issues in in vitro fertilization AND Nigeria." Using the above search phrases, a total of 43 articles were retrieved out of which only 5 dealt specifically with the subject matter. The core ethical issues found in the reviewed literature are listed in [Table 1]. Inequitable access to ART due to its high cost, lack of regulatory body, safety of the procedure, and fate of the embryos were the main themes identified from the papers. Surrogacy, sex selection, and gamete donation were additional relevant ethical issues. There is an urgent need for stakeholders in developing countries to formulate cultural and context-specific guidelines to help address some of these ethical dilemmas.

Feature integration theory revisited: dissociating feature detection and attentional guidance in visual search.

PubMed

Chan, Louis K H; Hayward, William G

2009-02-01

In feature integration theory (FIT; A. Treisman & S. Sato, 1990), feature detection is driven by independent dimensional modules, and other searches are driven by a master map of locations that integrates dimensional information into salience signals. Although recent theoretical models have largely abandoned this distinction, some observed results are difficult to explain in its absence. The present study measured dimension-specific performance during detection and localization, tasks that require operation of dimensional modules and the master map, respectively. Results showed a dissociation between tasks in terms of both dimension-switching costs and cross-dimension attentional capture, reflecting a dimension-specific nature for detection tasks and a dimension-general nature for localization tasks. In a feature-discrimination task, results precluded an explanation based on response mode. These results are interpreted to support FIT's postulation that different mechanisms are involved in parallel and focal attention searches. This indicates that the FIT architecture should be adopted to explain the current results and that a variety of visual attention findings can be addressed within this framework. Copyright 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

[RadLex - German version: a radiological lexicon for indexing image and report information].

PubMed

Marwede, D; Daumke, P; Marko, K; Lobsien, D; Schulz, S; Kahn, T

2009-01-01

Since 2003 the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) has been developing a lexicon of standardized radiological terms (RadLex) intended to support the structured reporting of imaging observations and the indexing of teaching cases. The aim of this study was to translate the first version of the lexicon (1 - 2007) into German and to implement a language-independent online term browser. RadLex version 1 - 2007 contains 6303 terms in nine main categories. Two radiologists independently translated the lexicon using medical dictionaries. Terms translated differently were revised and translated by consensus. For the development of an online term browser, a text processing algorithm called morphosemantic indexing was used which splits up words into small semantic units and compares those units to language-specific subword thesauri. In total 6240 of 6303 terms (99 %) were translated. Of those terms 3965 were German, 1893 were Latin, 359 were multilingual, and 23 were English terms that are also used in German and were therefore maintained. The online term browser supports a language-independent term search in RadLex (German/English) and other common medical terminology (e. g., ICD 10). The term browser displays term hierarchies and translations in different frames and the complexity of the result lists can be adapted by the user. RadLex version 1 - 2007 developed by the RSNA is now available in German and can be accessed online through a term browser with an efficient search function. This is an important precondition for the future comparison of national and international indexed radiological examination results and the interoperability between digital teaching resources.

A Critical Review of Search Strategies Used in Recent Systematic Reviews Published in Selected Prosthodontic and Implant-Related Journals: Are Systematic Reviews Actually Systematic?

PubMed

Layton, Danielle

The aim of this study was to outline how search strategies can be systematic, to examine how the searches in recent systematic reviews in prosthodontic and implant-related journals were structured, and to determine whether the search strategies used in those articles were systematic. A total of 103 articles published as systematic reviews and indexed in Medline between January 2013 and May 2016 were identified from eight prosthodontic and implant journals and reviewed. The search strategies were considered systematic when they met the following criteria: (1) more than one electronic database was searched, (2) more than one searcher was clearly involved, (3) both text words and indexing terms were clearly included in the search strategy, (4) a hand search of selected journals or reference lists was undertaken, (5) gray research was specifically sought, and (6) the articles were published in English and at least one other language. The data were tallied and qualitatively assessed. The majority of articles reported on implants (54%), followed by tooth-supported fixed prosthodontics (13%). A total of 23 different electronic resources were consulted, including Medline (by 100% of articles), the Cochrane Library (52%), and Embase (37%). The majority consulted more than one electronic resource (71%), clearly included more than one searcher (73%), and employed a hand search of either selected journals or reference lists (86%). Less than half used both text words and indexing terms to identify articles (42%), while 15% actively sought gray research. Articles published in languages other than English were considered in 63 reviews, but only 14 had no language restrictions. Of the 103 articles, 5 completed search strategies that met all 6 criteria, and a further 12 met 5 criteria. Two articles did not fulfill any of the criteria. More than 95% of recent prosthodontic and implant review articles published in the selected journals failed to use search strategies that were systematic, and this undermines the conclusions. Many resources are available to help investigators design search strategies for systematic reviews that minimize the risk of omitting important data, including the simple criteria presented in this paper.

Methods and pitfalls in searching drug safety databases utilising the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA).

PubMed

Brown, Elliot G

2003-01-01

The Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) is a unified standard terminology for recording and reporting adverse drug event data. Its introduction is widely seen as a significant improvement on the previous situation, where a multitude of terminologies of widely varying scope and quality were in use. However, there are some complexities that may cause difficulties, and these will form the focus for this paper. Two methods of searching MedDRA-coded databases are described: searching based on term selection from all of MedDRA and searching based on terms in the safety database. There are several potential traps for the unwary in safety searches. There may be multiple locations of relevant terms within a system organ class (SOC) and lack of recognition of appropriate group terms; the user may think that group terms are more inclusive than is the case. MedDRA may distribute terms relevant to one medical condition across several primary SOCs. If the database supports the MedDRA model, it is possible to perform multiaxial searching: while this may help find terms that might have been missed, it is still necessary to consider the entire contents of the SOCs to find all relevant terms and there are many instances of incomplete secondary linkages. It is important to adjust for multiaxiality if data are presented using primary and secondary locations. Other sources for errors in searching are non-intuitive placement and the selection of terms as preferred terms (PTs) that may not be widely recognised. Some MedDRA rules could also result in errors in data retrieval if the individual is unaware of these: in particular, the lack of multiaxial linkages for the Investigations SOC, Social circumstances SOC and Surgical and medical procedures SOC and the requirement that a PT may only be present under one High Level Term (HLT) and one High Level Group Term (HLGT) within any single SOC. Special Search Categories (collections of PTs assembled from various SOCs by searching all of MedDRA) are limited by the small number available and by lack of clarity about criteria applied in their construction. Difficulties in database searching may be addressed by suitable user training and experience, and by central reporting of detected deficiencies in MedDRA. Other remedies may include regulatory guidance on implementation and use of MedDRA. Further systematic review of MedDRA is needed and generation of standardised searches that may be used 'off the shelf' will help, particularly where the same search is performed repeatedly on multiple data sets. Until these enhancements are widely available, MedDRA users should take great care when searching a safety database to ensure that cases are not inadvertently missed.

What is the prevalence of health-related searches on the World Wide Web? Qualitative and quantitative analysis of search engine queries on the Internet

PubMed Central

Eysenbach, G.; Kohler, Ch.

2003-01-01

While health information is often said to be the most sought after information on the web, empirical data on the actual frequency of health-related searches on the web are missing. In the present study we aimed to determine the prevalence of health-related searches on the web by analyzing search terms entered by people into popular search engines. We also made some preliminary attempts in qualitatively describing and classifying these searches. Occasional difficulties in determining what constitutes a “health-related” search led us to propose and validate a simple method to automatically classify a search string as “health-related”. This method is based on determining the proportion of pages on the web containing the search string and the word “health”, as a proportion of the total number of pages with the search string alone. Using human codings as gold standard we plotted a ROC curve and determined empirically that if this “co-occurance rate” is larger than 35%, the search string can be said to be health-related (sensitivity: 85.2%, specificity 80.4%). The results of our “human” codings of search queries determined that about 4.5% of all searches are “health-related”. We estimate that globally a minimum of 6.75 Million health-related searches are being conducted on the web every day, which is roughly the same number of searches that have been conducted on the NLM Medlars system in 1996 in a full year. PMID:14728167

Systematic review of the literature on the effectiveness of product reformulation measures to reduce the sugar content of food and drink on the population's sugar consumption and health: a study protocol.

PubMed

Hashem, Kawther M; He, Feng J; MacGregor, Graham A

2016-06-09

Obesity, type 2 diabetes and dental caries are all major public health problems in the UK, with significant costs to the healthcare service. We aim to conduct a systematic review to summarise the evidence on the effectiveness of product reformulation measures to reduce the sugar content of food and drink on the population's sugar consumption and health. Electronic database will be systematically searched using a combination of terms, tailored to optimise sensitivity, specificity, and the syntax and functionality of each database. The databases searched will include the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE (Ovid) and Scopus. The bibliographies of those papers that match inclusion criteria will be searched by hand to identify any further, relevant references, which will be subject to the same screening and selection process. The database search results will be supplemented by hand searches. In addition to the peer-reviewed literature, a number of grey literature searches will be undertaken using the broad search terms 'sugar' and 'food' or 'drink' and 'reduction', these searches will include key government and organisation websites as well as general searches in Google. The selection of the studies, data collection and quality appraisal will be performed independently by 2 reviewers. Data will be initially analysed through a narrative synthesis method. If a subset of data we analyse appears comparable, we will investigate the possibility of performing a meta-analysis. Ethics approval will not be required as this is a protocol for a systematic review. The findings will be disseminated widely through conference presentations and published in a peer-reviewed journal. CRD42016034022. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Understanding vaccination resistance: vaccine search term selection bias and the valence of retrieved information.

PubMed

Ruiz, Jeanette B; Bell, Robert A

2014-10-07

Dubious vaccination-related information on the Internet leads some parents to opt out of vaccinating their children. To determine if negative, neutral and positive search terms retrieve vaccination information that differs in valence and confirms searchers' assumptions about vaccination. A content analysis of first-page Google search results was conducted using three negative, three neutral, and three positive search terms for the concepts "vaccine," "vaccination," and "MMR"; 84 of the 90 websites retrieved met inclusion requirements. Two coders independently and reliably coded for the presence or absence of each of 15 myths about vaccination (e.g., "vaccines cause autism"), statements that countered these myths, and recommendations for or against vaccination. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Across all websites, at least one myth was perpetuated on 16.7% of websites and at least one myth was countered on 64.3% of websites. The mean number of myths perpetuated on websites retrieved with negative, neutral, and positive search terms, respectively, was 1.93, 0.53, and 0.40. The mean number of myths countered on websites retrieved with negative, neutral, and positive search terms, respectively, was 3.0, 3.27, and 2.87. Explicit recommendations regarding vaccination were offered on 22.6% of websites. A recommendation against vaccination was more often made on websites retrieved with negative search terms (37.5% of recommendations) than on websites retrieved with neutral (12.5%) or positive (0%) search terms. The concerned parent who seeks information about the risks of childhood immunizations will find more websites that perpetuate vaccine myths and recommend against vaccination than the parent who seeks information about the benefits of vaccination. This suggests that search term valence can lead to online information that supports concerned parents' misconceptions about vaccines. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The concept of ''equity'' in health-promotion articles by Nordic authors - a matter of some confusion and misconception.

PubMed

Povlsen, Lene; Borup, Ina K; Fosse, Elisabeth

2011-03-01

This paper focuses on equity in health, one of the key principles of the Ottawa Charter. It aims at analysing and discussing how the concept was defined, applied, and integrated in health-promotion articles by authors with a Nordic affiliation. Abstracts were first identified by the search word ''health promotion'' as a key word. The search was limited to 1986-2008 and abstracts written in English by authors with a Nordic affiliation. Abstracts/articles for the present study were subsequently selected from these abstracts using the search word ''equity'' and analysed by quantitative and qualitative content analysis. A majority of the 18 articles in the study did not include any proper definition of the term ''equity in health''. Most articles dealt with health in general or ''Health for All'' aspects and did not focus on specific strategies for vulnerable individuals or groups. The theoretical papers had a clear focus on equity aspects even though the concept of equity was sometimes included in an implicit way. In contrast, most papers reporting empirical studies did not specifically target equity aspects. Instead, the analysis gave the impression that many authors used the term ''equity'' synonymously with ''equality in health''. The findings may indicate that the concept of ''equity in health'' has been attenuated or even forgotten by Nordic health-promotion researchers and needs to be re-established as a strong concern within health promotion.

Systematic review: the applications of nanotechnology in gastroenterology.

PubMed

Brakmane, G; Winslet, M; Seifalian, A M

2012-08-01

Over the past 30 years, nanotechnology has evolved dramatically. It has captured the interest of variety of fields from computing and electronics to biology and medicine. Recent discoveries have made invaluable changes to future prospects in nanomedicine; and introduced the concept of theranostics. This term offers a patient specific 'two in one' modality that comprises of diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Not only nanotechnology has shown great impact on improvements in drug delivery and imaging techniques, but also there have been several ground-breaking discoveries in regenerative medicine. Gastroenterology invites multidisciplinary approach owing to high complexity of gastrointestinal (GI) system; it includes physicians, surgeons, radiologists, pharmacologists and many more. In this article, we concentrate on current developments in nano-gastroenterology. Literature search was performed using Web of Science and Pubmed search engines with terms--nanotechnology, nanomedicine and gastroenterology. Article search was concentrated on developments since 2005. We have described original and innovative approaches in gastrointestinal drug delivery, inflammatory disease and cancer-target treatments. Here, we have reviewed advances in GI imaging using nanoparticles as fluorescent contrast, and their potential for site-specific targeting. This review has also depicted various approaches and novel discoveries in GI regenerative medicine using nanomaterials for scaffold designs and induced pluripotent stem cells as cell source. Developments in nanotechnology have opened new range of possibilities to help our patients. This includes novel drug delivery vehicles, diagnostic tools for early and targeted disease detection and nanocomposite materials for tissue constructs to overcome cosmetic or physical disabilities. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Knowledge, skills and attitudes of hospital pharmacists in the use of information technology and electronic tools to support clinical practice: A Brazilian survey

PubMed Central

Vasconcelos, Hemerson Bruno da Silva; Woods, David John

2017-01-01

This study aimed to identify the knowledge, skills and attitudes of Brazilian hospital pharmacists in the use of information technology and electronic tools to support clinical practice. Methods: A questionnaire was sent by email to clinical pharmacists working public and private hospitals in Brazil. The instrument was validated using the method of Polit and Beck to determine the content validity index. Data (n = 348) were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's Chi-square test and Gamma correlation tests. Results: Pharmacists had 1–4 electronic devices for personal use, mainly smartphones (84.8%; n = 295) and laptops (81.6%; n = 284). At work, pharmacists had access to a computer (89.4%; n = 311), mostly connected to the internet (83.9%; n = 292). They felt competent (very capable/capable) searching for a web page/web site on a specific subject (100%; n = 348), downloading files (99.7%; n = 347), using spreadsheets (90.2%; n = 314), searching using MeSH terms in PubMed (97.4%; n = 339) and general searching for articles in bibliographic databases (such as Medline/PubMed: 93.4%; n = 325). Pharmacists did not feel competent in using statistical analysis software (somewhat capable/incapable: 78.4%; n = 273). Most pharmacists reported that they had not received formal education to perform most of these actions except searching using MeSH terms. Access to bibliographic databases was available in Brazilian hospitals, however, most pharmacists (78.7%; n = 274) reported daily use of a non-specific search engine such as Google. This result may reflect the lack of formal knowledge and training in the use of bibliographic databases and difficulty with the English language. The need to expand knowledge about information search tools was recognized by most pharmacists in clinical practice in Brazil, especially those with less time dedicated exclusively to clinical activity (Chi-square, p = 0.006). Conclusion: These results will assist in defining minimal competencies for the training of pharmacists in the field of information technology to support clinical practice. Knowledge and skill gaps are evident in the use of bibliographic databases, spreadsheets and statistical tools. PMID:29272292

Knowledge, skills and attitudes of hospital pharmacists in the use of information technology and electronic tools to support clinical practice: A Brazilian survey.

PubMed

Néri, Eugenie Desirèe Rabelo; Meira, Assuero Silva; Vasconcelos, Hemerson Bruno da Silva; Woods, David John; Fonteles, Marta Maria de França

2017-01-01

This study aimed to identify the knowledge, skills and attitudes of Brazilian hospital pharmacists in the use of information technology and electronic tools to support clinical practice. A questionnaire was sent by email to clinical pharmacists working public and private hospitals in Brazil. The instrument was validated using the method of Polit and Beck to determine the content validity index. Data (n = 348) were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's Chi-square test and Gamma correlation tests. Pharmacists had 1-4 electronic devices for personal use, mainly smartphones (84.8%; n = 295) and laptops (81.6%; n = 284). At work, pharmacists had access to a computer (89.4%; n = 311), mostly connected to the internet (83.9%; n = 292). They felt competent (very capable/capable) searching for a web page/web site on a specific subject (100%; n = 348), downloading files (99.7%; n = 347), using spreadsheets (90.2%; n = 314), searching using MeSH terms in PubMed (97.4%; n = 339) and general searching for articles in bibliographic databases (such as Medline/PubMed: 93.4%; n = 325). Pharmacists did not feel competent in using statistical analysis software (somewhat capable/incapable: 78.4%; n = 273). Most pharmacists reported that they had not received formal education to perform most of these actions except searching using MeSH terms. Access to bibliographic databases was available in Brazilian hospitals, however, most pharmacists (78.7%; n = 274) reported daily use of a non-specific search engine such as Google. This result may reflect the lack of formal knowledge and training in the use of bibliographic databases and difficulty with the English language. The need to expand knowledge about information search tools was recognized by most pharmacists in clinical practice in Brazil, especially those with less time dedicated exclusively to clinical activity (Chi-square, p = 0.006). These results will assist in defining minimal competencies for the training of pharmacists in the field of information technology to support clinical practice. Knowledge and skill gaps are evident in the use of bibliographic databases, spreadsheets and statistical tools.

Predictive and concurrent validity of the Braden scale in long-term care: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Wilchesky, Machelle; Lungu, Ovidiu

2015-01-01

Pressure ulcer prevention is an important long-term care (LTC) quality indicator. While the Braden Scale is a recommended risk assessment tool, there is a paucity of information specifically pertaining to its validity within the LTC setting. We, therefore, undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing Braden Scale predictive and concurrent validity within this context. We searched the Medline, EMBASE, PsychINFO and PubMed databases from 1985-2014 for studies containing the requisite information to analyze tool validity. Our initial search yielded 3,773 articles. Eleven datasets emanating from nine published studies describing 40,361 residents met all meta-analysis inclusion criteria and were analyzed using random effects models. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive values were 86%, 38%, 28%, and 93%, respectively. Specificity was poorer in concurrent samples as compared with predictive samples (38% vs. 72%), while PPV was low in both sample types (25 and 37%). Though random effects model results showed that the Scale had good overall predictive ability [RR, 4.33; 95% CI, 3.28-5.72], none of the concurrent samples were found to have "optimal" sensitivity and specificity. In conclusion, the appropriateness of the Braden Scale in LTC is questionable given its low specificity and PPV, in particular in concurrent validity studies. Future studies should further explore the extent to which the apparent low validity of the Scale in LTC is due to the choice of cutoff point and/or preventive strategies implemented by LTC staff as a matter of course. © 2015 by the Wound Healing Society.

Patient-based radiographic exposure factor selection: a systematic review

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ching, William; Robinson, John; McEntee, Mark, E-mail: mark.mcentee@sydney.edu.au

Digital technology has wider exposure latitude and post-processing algorithms which can mask the evidence of underexposure and overexposure. Underexposure produces noisy, grainy images which can impede diagnosis and overexposure results in a greater radiation dose to the patient. These exposure errors can result from inaccurate adjustment of exposure factors in response to changes in patient thickness. This study aims to identify all published radiographic exposure adaptation systems which have been, or are being, used in general radiography and discuss their applicability to digital systems. Studies in EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL and SCOPUS were systematically reviewed. Some of the search terms usedmore » were exposure adaptation, exposure selection, exposure technique, 25% rule, 15% rule, DuPont™ Bit System and radiography. A manual journal-specific search was also conducted in The Radiographer and Radiologic Technology. Studies were included if they demonstrated a system of altering exposure factors to compensate for variations in patients for general radiography. Studies were excluded if they focused on finding optimal exposures for an ‘average’ patient or focused on the relationship between exposure factors and dose. The database search uncovered 11 articles and the journal-specific search uncovered 13 articles discussing systems of exposure adaptation. They can be categorised as simple one-step guidelines, comprehensive charts and computer programs. Only two papers assessed the efficacy of exposure adjustment systems. No literature compares the efficacy of exposure adaptations system for film/screen radiography with digital radiography technology nor is there literature on a digital specific exposure adaptation system.« less

Gluten-Free and Casein-Free Diets in the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mulloy, Austin; Lang, Russell; O'Reilly, Mark; Sigafoos, Jeff; Lancioni, Giulio; Rispoli, Mandy

2010-01-01

This paper systematically reviews research on the effects of gluten-free and/or casein-free (GFCF) diets in the treatment of ASD. Database, hand, and ancestry searches identified 15 articles for review. Each study was analyzed and summarized in terms of (a) participants, (b) specifics of the intervention, (c) dependent variables, (d) results, and…

Computer Card Games in Computer Science Education: A 10-Year Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kordaki, Maria; Gousiou, Anthi

2016-01-01

This paper presents a 10-year review study that focuses on the investigation of the use of computer card games (CCGs) as learning tools in Computer Science (CS) Education. Specific search terms keyed into 10 large scientific electronic databases identified 24 papers referring to the use of CCGs for the learning of CS matters during the last…

Plastics in automobiles. (Latest citations from Materials Business File). Published Search

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

The bibliography contains citations concerning the use of plastic to replace metallic parts in automobiles. Citations discuss the advantages of easy assembly, part consolidation, weight savings, durability, aesthetics, and economics. Examples of specific applications, types of plastic and their formulation are included. (Contains a minimum of 187 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

Plastics in automobiles. (Latest citations from Materials Business file). Published Search

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

The bibliography contains citations concerning the use of plastic to replace metallic parts in automobiles. Citations discuss the advantages of easy assembly, part consolidation, weight savings, durability, aesthetics, and economics. Examples of specific applications, types of plastic and their formulation are included. (Contains 50-250 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.) (Copyright NERAC, Inc. 1995)

Eczema, Atopic Dermatitis, or Atopic Eczema: Analysis of Global Search Engine Trends.

PubMed

Xu, Shuai; Thyssen, Jacob P; Paller, Amy S; Silverberg, Jonathan I

The lack of standardized nomenclature for atopic dermatitis (AD) creates challenges for scientific communication, patient education, and advocacy. We sought to determine the relative popularity of the terms eczema, AD, and atopic eczema (AE) using global search engine volumes. A retrospective analysis of average monthly search volumes from 2014 to 2016 of Google, Bing/Yahoo, and Baidu was performed for eczema, AD, and AE in English and 37 other languages. Google Trends was used to determine the relative search popularity of each term from 2006 to 2016 in English and the top foreign languages, German, Turkish, Russian, and Japanese. Overall, eczema accounted for 1.5 million monthly searches (84%) compared with 247 000 searches for AD (14%) and 44 000 searches for AE (2%). For English language, eczema accounted for 93% of searches compared with 6% for AD and 1% for AE. Search popularity for eczema increased from 2006 to 2016 but remained stable for AD and AE. Given the ambiguity of the term eczema, we recommend the universal use of the next most popular term, AD.

Using the internet to understand angler behavior in the information age

USGS Publications Warehouse

Martin, Dustin R.; Pracheil, Brenda M.; DeBoer, Jason A.; Wilde, Gene R.; Pope, Kevin L.

2012-01-01

Declining participation in recreational angling is of great concern to fishery managers because fishing license sales are an important revenue source for protection of aquatic resources. This decline is frequently attributed, in part, to increased societal reliance on electronics. Internet use by anglers is increasing and fishery managers may use the Internet as a unique means to increase angler participation. We examined Internet search behavior using Google Insights for Search, a free online tool that summarizes Google searches from 2004 to 2011 to determine (1) trends in Internet search volume for general fishing related terms and (2) the relative usefulness of terms related to angler recruitment programs across the United States. Though search volume declined for general fishing terms (e.g., fishing, fishing guide), search volume increased for social media and recruitment terms (e.g., fishing forum, family fishing) over the 7-year period. We encourage coordinators of recruitment programs to capitalize on anglers’ Internet usage by considering Internet search patterns when creating web-based information. Careful selection of terms used in web-based information to match those currently searched by potential anglers may help to direct traffic to state agency websites that support recruitment efforts.

Denture adhesives: a systematic review.

PubMed

Papadiochou, Sofia; Emmanouil, Ioannis; Papadiochos, Ioannis

2015-05-01

Denture adhesives have been the objective of scientific research for over half a century. Although they are used by denture wearers worldwide, investigations of their effectiveness and biocompatibility have led to controversial conclusions. The purpose of this study was to review the literature data with regard to the effectiveness and biocompatibility of denture adhesives as well as the attitudes of both patients and dental professionals toward these materials. An electronic search of English peer-reviewed dental literature in the Medline database was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and biocompatibility of denture adhesives. There was no limitation in publication year, so the search included all the available scientific evidence included in that particular database until March 2014. Specific inclusion criteria were used for the selection of the appropriate articles. A manual search of the citations of the obtained articles followed to extend the electronic search. A full text review was carried out for only 32 articles. Of the 32 articles, 21 examined the efficacy of denture adhesives in terms of retention and stability and masticatory performance, 6 evaluated the issue of the biocompatibility of denture adhesives, and 5 presented the attitudes of either professionals or patients toward these materials. The majority of clinical studies supported the fact that denture adhesives enhance the retention, stability, and masticatory performance of a removable prosthesis. In terms of biocompatibility, long-term in vivo studies to investigate potential harmful effects were lacking. Patients are satisfied with denture adhesives that meet their needs. Copyright © 2015 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Attention to gender in communication skills assessment instruments in medical education: a review.

PubMed

Dielissen, Patrick; Bottema, Ben; Verdonk, Petra; Lagro-Janssen, Toine

2011-03-01

Gender is increasingly regarded as an important factor in doctor-patient communication education. This review aims to assess if and how gender is addressed by current assessment instruments for communication skills in medical education. In 2009 at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, an online search was conducted in the bibliographic databases PubMed, PsycINFO and ERIC for references about communication skills assessment instruments designed to be completed by trained faculty staff and used in medical education. The search strategy used the following search terms: 'consultation skills'; 'doctor-patient communication'; 'physician-patient relations'; 'medical education'; 'instruments'; 'measurement', and 'assessment'. Papers published between January 1999 and June 2009 were included. The assessment instruments identified were analysed for gender-specific content. The search yielded 21 communication skills assessment instruments. Only two of the 17 checklists obtained explicitly considered gender as a communication-related issue. Only six of 21 manuals considered gender in any way and none gave specific details to explain which aspects of communication behaviour should be assessed with regard to gender. Very few communication assessment instruments in medical education focus on gender. Nevertheless, interest exists in using gender in communication skills assessment. The criteria for and purpose of assessing gender in communication skills in medical education are yet to be clarified. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2011.

Implicit short- and long-term memory direct our gaze in visual search.

PubMed

Kruijne, Wouter; Meeter, Martijn

2016-04-01

Visual attention is strongly affected by the past: both by recent experience and by long-term regularities in the environment that are encoded in and retrieved from memory. In visual search, intertrial repetition of targets causes speeded response times (short-term priming). Similarly, targets that are presented more often than others may facilitate search, even long after it is no longer present (long-term priming). In this study, we investigate whether such short-term priming and long-term priming depend on dissociable mechanisms. By recording eye movements while participants searched for one of two conjunction targets, we explored at what stages of visual search different forms of priming manifest. We found both long- and short- term priming effects. Long-term priming persisted long after the bias was present, and was again found even in participants who were unaware of a color bias. Short- and long-term priming affected the same stage of the task; both biased eye movements towards targets with the primed color, already starting with the first eye movement. Neither form of priming affected the response phase of a trial, but response repetition did. The results strongly suggest that both long- and short-term memory can implicitly modulate feedforward visual processing.

Exploration of Web Users' Search Interests through Automatic Subject Categorization of Query Terms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pu, Hsiao-tieh; Yang, Chyan; Chuang, Shui-Lung

2001-01-01

Proposes a mechanism that carefully integrates human and machine efforts to explore Web users' search interests. The approach consists of a four-step process: extraction of core terms; construction of subject taxonomy; automatic subject categorization of query terms; and observation of users' search interests. Research findings are proved valuable…

The effect of search term on the quality and accuracy of online information regarding distal radius fractures.

PubMed

Dy, Christopher J; Taylor, Samuel A; Patel, Ronak M; Kitay, Alison; Roberts, Timothy R; Daluiski, Aaron

2012-09-01

Recent emphasis on shared decision making and patient-centered research has increased the importance of patient education and health literacy. The internet is rapidly growing as a source of self-education for patients. However, concern exists over the quality, accuracy, and readability of the information. Our objective was to determine whether the quality, accuracy, and readability of information online about distal radius fractures vary with the search term. This was a prospective evaluation of 3 search engines using 3 different search terms of varying sophistication ("distal radius fracture," "wrist fracture," and "broken wrist"). We evaluated 70 unique Web sites for quality, accuracy, and readability. We used comparative statistics to determine whether the search term affected the quality, accuracy, and readability of the Web sites found. Three orthopedic surgeons independently gauged quality and accuracy of information using a set of predetermined scoring criteria. We evaluated the readability of the Web site using the Fleisch-Kincaid score for reading grade level. There were significant differences in the quality, accuracy, and readability of information found, depending on the search term. We found higher quality and accuracy resulted from the search term "distal radius fracture," particularly compared with Web sites resulting from the term "broken wrist." The reading level was higher than recommended in 65 of the 70 Web sites and was significantly higher when searching with "distal radius fracture" than "wrist fracture" or "broken wrist." There was no correlation between Web site reading level and quality or accuracy. The readability of information about distal radius fractures in most Web sites was higher than the recommended reading level for the general public. The quality and accuracy of the information found significantly varied with the sophistication of the search term used. Physicians, professional societies, and search engines should consider efforts to improve internet access to high-quality information at an understandable level. Copyright © 2012 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Semantic technologies improving the recall and precision of the Mercury metadata search engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pouchard, L. C.; Cook, R. B.; Green, J.; Palanisamy, G.; Noy, N.

2011-12-01

The Mercury federated metadata system [1] was developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center (ORNL DAAC), a NASA-sponsored effort holding datasets about biogeochemical dynamics, ecological data, and environmental processes. Mercury currently indexes over 100,000 records from several data providers conforming to community standards, e.g. EML, FGDC, FGDC Biological Profile, ISO 19115 and DIF. With the breadth of sciences represented in Mercury, the potential exists to address some key interdisciplinary scientific challenges related to climate change, its environmental and ecological impacts, and mitigation of these impacts. However, this wealth of metadata also hinders pinpointing datasets relevant to a particular inquiry. We implemented a semantic solution after concluding that traditional search approaches cannot improve the accuracy of the search results in this domain because: a) unlike everyday queries, scientific queries seek to return specific datasets with numerous parameters that may or may not be exposed to search (Deep Web queries); b) the relevance of a dataset cannot be judged by its popularity, as each scientific inquiry tends to be unique; and c)each domain science has its own terminology, more or less curated, consensual, and standardized depending on the domain. The same terms may refer to different concepts across domains (homonyms), but different terms mean the same thing (synonyms). Interdisciplinary research is arduous because an expert in a domain must become fluent in the language of another, just to find relevant datasets. Thus, we decided to use scientific ontologies because they can provide a context for a free-text search, in a way that string-based keywords never will. With added context, relevant datasets are more easily discoverable. To enable search and programmatic access to ontology entities in Mercury, we are using an instance of the BioPortal ontology repository. Mercury accesses ontology entities using the BioPortal REST API by passing a search parameter to BioPortal that may return domain context, parameter attribute, or entity annotations depending on the entity's associated ontological relationships. As Mercury's facetted search is popular with users, the results are displayed as facets. Unlike a facetted search however, the ontology-based solution implements both restrictions (improving precision) and expansions (improving recall) on the results of the initial search. For instance, "carbon" acquires a scientific context and additional key terms or phrases for discovering domain-specific datasets. A limitation of our solution is that the user must perform an additional step. Another limitation is that the quality of the newly discovered metadata is contingent upon the quality of the ontologies we use. Our solution leverages Mercury's federated capabilities to collect records from heterogeneous domains, and BioPortal's storage, curation and access capabilities for ontology entities. With minimal additional development, our approach builds on two mature systems for finding relevant datasets for interdisciplinary inquiries. We thus indicate a path forward for linking environmental, ecological and biological sciences. References: [1] Devarakonda, R., Palanisamy, G., Wilson, B. E., & Green, J. M. (2010). Mercury: reusable metadata management, data discovery and access system. Earth Science Informatics, 3(1-2), 87-94.

Characterizing Periodic Messaging Interventions Across Health Behaviors and Media: Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Fuentes, Laura W; Cohen, Joanna E

2014-01-01

Background Periodic prompts serve as tools for health behavior interventions to encourage and maintain behavior changes. Past literature reviews have examined periodic messages targeting specific behaviors (smoking, physical activity, diet, etc) or media (telephone, email, face-to-face, newsletter, etc) and have found them to be effective in impacting health behavior in the short term. Objective Our goal was to review the literature related to periodic messaging and prompts in order to explore typical characteristics, assess the role of prompt timing, identify common theoretical models used, and identify characteristics associated with the effectiveness of periodic prompts. Methods Electronic searches of PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Web of Science were conducted in October 2012 and May 2013. Database search terms included variant terms for periods, prompts, interventions, media, and health behaviors. Results Forty-two of the 55 included research articles found that prompts resulted in significant positive behavioral outcomes for participants. Prompts were delivered via text messages, email, mailed communications, and in a few instances via phone. Generally, the provision of feedback and specific strategies to accomplish behavior change appears to be important for the success of periodic prompts. Rationale for prompt timing was rarely provided, although some studies did organize message content around days of the week or times perceived to be high risk for particular behaviors. Smoking cessation interventions tended to be organized around quit date. Among studies using theoretical models to inform their interventions, the transtheoretical model was most common. Conclusions Periodic messaging interventions yield positive results for short-term health behavior changes. Interventions including feedback and prompts that included strategies were more likely to report significantly positive outcomes. Work remains to better understand elements that make periodic prompts successful and whether they are effective in producing long-term outcomes. PMID:24667840

Accessing Suicide-Related Information on the Internet: A Retrospective Observational Study of Search Behavior

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The Internet’s potential impact on suicide is of major public health interest as easy online access to pro-suicide information or specific suicide methods may increase suicide risk among vulnerable Internet users. Little is known, however, about users’ actual searching and browsing behaviors of online suicide-related information. Objective To investigate what webpages people actually clicked on after searching with suicide-related queries on a search engine and to examine what queries people used to get access to pro-suicide websites. Methods A retrospective observational study was done. We used a web search dataset released by America Online (AOL). The dataset was randomly sampled from all AOL subscribers’ web queries between March and May 2006 and generated by 657,000 service subscribers. Results We found 5526 search queries (0.026%, 5526/21,000,000) that included the keyword "suicide". The 5526 search queries included 1586 different search terms and were generated by 1625 unique subscribers (0.25%, 1625/657,000). Of these queries, 61.38% (3392/5526) were followed by users clicking on a search result. Of these 3392 queries, 1344 (39.62%) webpages were clicked on by 930 unique users but only 1314 of those webpages were accessible during the study period. Each clicked-through webpage was classified into 11 categories. The categories of the most visited webpages were: entertainment (30.13%; 396/1314), scientific information (18.31%; 240/1314), and community resources (14.53%; 191/1314). Among the 1314 accessed webpages, we could identify only two pro-suicide websites. We found that the search terms used to access these sites included “commiting suicide with a gas oven”, “hairless goat”, “pictures of murder by strangulation”, and “photo of a severe burn”. A limitation of our study is that the database may be dated and confined to mainly English webpages. Conclusions Searching or browsing suicide-related or pro-suicide webpages was uncommon, although a small group of users did access websites that contain detailed suicide method information. PMID:23305632

eHealth Search Patterns: A Comparison of Private and Public Health Care Markets Using Online Panel Data.

PubMed

Schneider, Janina Anne; Holland, Christopher Patrick

2017-04-13

Patient and consumer access to eHealth information is of crucial importance because of its role in patient-centered medicine and to improve knowledge about general aspects of health and medical topics. The objectives were to analyze and compare eHealth search patterns in a private (United States) and a public (United Kingdom) health care market. A new taxonomy of eHealth websites is proposed to organize the largest eHealth websites. An online measurement framework is developed that provides a precise and detailed measurement system. Online panel data are used to accurately track and analyze detailed search behavior across 100 of the largest eHealth websites in the US and UK health care markets. The health, medical, and lifestyle categories account for approximately 90% of online activity, and e-pharmacies, social media, and professional categories account for the remaining 10% of online activity. Overall search penetration of eHealth websites is significantly higher in the private (United States) than the public market (United Kingdom). Almost twice the number of eHealth users in the private market have adopted online search in the health and lifestyle categories and also spend more time per website than those in the public market. The use of medical websites for specific conditions is almost identical in both markets. The allocation of search effort across categories is similar in both the markets. For all categories, the vast majority of eHealth users only access one website within each category. Those that conduct a search of two or more websites display very narrow search patterns. All users spend relatively little time on eHealth, that is, 3-7 minutes per website. The proposed online measurement framework exploits online panel data to provide a powerful and objective method of analyzing and exploring eHealth behavior. The private health care system does appear to have an influence on eHealth search behavior in terms of search penetration and time spent per website in the health and lifestyle categories. Two explanations are offered: (1) the personal incentive of medical costs in the private market incentivizes users to conduct online search; and (2) health care information is more easily accessible through health care professionals in the United Kingdom compared with the United States. However, the use of medical websites is almost identical, suggesting that patients interested in a specific condition have a motivation to search and evaluate health information, irrespective of the health care market. The relatively low level of search in terms of the number of websites accessed and the average time per website raise important questions about the actual level of patient informedness in both the markets. Areas for future research are outlined. ©Janina Anne Schneider, Christopher Patrick Holland. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 13.04.2017.

Evaluation of internet search trends of some common oral problems, 2004 to 2014.

PubMed

Harorli, O T; Harorli, H

2014-09-01

Internet search trend volumes can provide free, fast and pertinent information about peoples' online interests. No study has yet been conducted on internet search trends in dentistry. This study aims to investigate ten years' data on internet search volumes regarding some oral problems: "toothache", "tooth decay", "gum disease", "wisdom teeth" and "oral cancer". The study also aims to investigate the most common geographic search locations and to examine related searches. Worldwide intermet search trend data over a period of 532 weeks (4 January 2004 and 15 March 2014) retrieved from the Google Trends web site was interrogated for each search term to identify search trends, regional interests, and related searches. The search volumes for the terms "toothache "and "wisdom teeth" increased over the decade while "tooth decay", "gum disease", and "oral cancer" showed slight changes. Each term was most commonly searched in different counties: "toothache", Philippines; "tooth decay", Singapore; "Gum Disease", Ireland; "Wisdom Teeth", United States; and "Oral cancer", India. Related searches were mainly focused on symptoms and remedies of these problems. Regional and time-related variations in search volumes may provide dental professionals with readily- and freely-available pertinent information on populations' internet searches regarding dental complaints.

CRISPR-Cas in Medicinal Chemistry: Applications and Regulatory Concerns.

PubMed

Duardo-Sanchez, Aliuska

2017-01-01

A rapid search in scientific publication's databases shows how the use of CRISPR-Cas genome editions' technique has considerably expanded, and its growing importance, in modern molecular biology. Just in pub-med platform, the search of the term gives more than 3000 results. Specifically, in Drug Discovery, Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology in general CRISPR method may have multiple applications. Some of these applications are: resistance-selection studies of antimalarial lead organic compounds; investigation of druggability; development of animal models for chemical compounds testing, etc. In this paper, we offer a review of the most relevant scientific literature illustrated with specific examples of application of CRISPR technique to medicinal chemistry and chemical biology. We also present a general overview of the main legal and ethical trends regarding this method of genome editing. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Natural language information retrieval in digital libraries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Strzalkowski, T.; Perez-Carballo, J.; Marinescu, M.

In this paper we report on some recent developments in joint NYU and GE natural language information retrieval system. The main characteristic of this system is the use of advanced natural language processing to enhance the effectiveness of term-based document retrieval. The system is designed around a traditional statistical backbone consisting of the indexer module, which builds inverted index files from pre-processed documents, and a retrieval engine which searches and ranks the documents in response to user queries. Natural language processing is used to (1) preprocess the documents in order to extract content-carrying terms, (2) discover inter-term dependencies and buildmore » a conceptual hierarchy specific to the database domain, and (3) process user`s natural language requests into effective search queries. This system has been used in NIST-sponsored Text Retrieval Conferences (TREC), where we worked with approximately 3.3 GBytes of text articles including material from the Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press newswire, the Federal Register, Ziff Communications`s Computer Library, Department of Energy abstracts, U.S. Patents and the San Jose Mercury News, totaling more than 500 million words of English. The system have been designed to facilitate its scalability to deal with ever increasing amounts of data. In particular, a randomized index-splitting mechanism has been installed which allows the system to create a number of smaller indexes that can be independently and efficiently searched.« less

A swarm intelligence framework for reconstructing gene networks: searching for biologically plausible architectures.

PubMed

Kentzoglanakis, Kyriakos; Poole, Matthew

2012-01-01

In this paper, we investigate the problem of reverse engineering the topology of gene regulatory networks from temporal gene expression data. We adopt a computational intelligence approach comprising swarm intelligence techniques, namely particle swarm optimization (PSO) and ant colony optimization (ACO). In addition, the recurrent neural network (RNN) formalism is employed for modeling the dynamical behavior of gene regulatory systems. More specifically, ACO is used for searching the discrete space of network architectures and PSO for searching the corresponding continuous space of RNN model parameters. We propose a novel solution construction process in the context of ACO for generating biologically plausible candidate architectures. The objective is to concentrate the search effort into areas of the structure space that contain architectures which are feasible in terms of their topological resemblance to real-world networks. The proposed framework is initially applied to the reconstruction of a small artificial network that has previously been studied in the context of gene network reverse engineering. Subsequently, we consider an artificial data set with added noise for reconstructing a subnetwork of the genetic interaction network of S. cerevisiae (yeast). Finally, the framework is applied to a real-world data set for reverse engineering the SOS response system of the bacterium Escherichia coli. Results demonstrate the relative advantage of utilizing problem-specific knowledge regarding biologically plausible structural properties of gene networks over conducting a problem-agnostic search in the vast space of network architectures.

Educational gaming in the health sciences: systematic review.

PubMed

Blakely, Gillian; Skirton, Heather; Cooper, Simon; Allum, Peter; Nelmes, Pam

2009-02-01

This paper is a report of a review to investigate the use of games to support classroom learning in the health sciences. One aim of education in the health sciences is to enable learners to develop professional competence. Students have a range of learning styles and innovative teaching strategies assist in creating a dynamic learning environment. New attitudes towards experiential learning methods have contributed to the expansion of gaming as a strategy. A search for studies published between January 1980 and June 2008 was undertaken, using appropriate search terms. The databases searched were: British Education Index, British Nursing Index, The Cochrane Library, CINAHLPlus, Medline, PubMed, ERIC, PsychInfo and Australian Education Index. All publications and theses identified through the search were assessed for relevance. Sixteen papers reporting empirical studies or reviews that involved comparison of gaming with didactic methods were included. The limited research available indicates that, while both traditional didactic methods and gaming have been successful in increasing student knowledge, neither method is clearly more helpful to students. The use of games generally enhances student enjoyment and may improve long-term retention of information. While the use of games can be viewed as a viable teaching strategy, care should be exercised in the use of specific games that have not been assessed objectively. Further research on the use of gaming is needed to enable educators to gaming techniques appropriately for the benefit of students and, ultimately, patients.

Guided Text Search Using Adaptive Visual Analytics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Steed, Chad A; Symons, Christopher T; Senter, James K

This research demonstrates the promise of augmenting interactive visualizations with semi- supervised machine learning techniques to improve the discovery of significant associations and insights in the search and analysis of textual information. More specifically, we have developed a system called Gryffin that hosts a unique collection of techniques that facilitate individualized investigative search pertaining to an ever-changing set of analytical questions over an indexed collection of open-source documents related to critical national infrastructure. The Gryffin client hosts dynamic displays of the search results via focus+context record listings, temporal timelines, term-frequency views, and multiple coordinate views. Furthermore, as the analyst interactsmore » with the display, the interactions are recorded and used to label the search records. These labeled records are then used to drive semi-supervised machine learning algorithms that re-rank the unlabeled search records such that potentially relevant records are moved to the top of the record listing. Gryffin is described in the context of the daily tasks encountered at the US Department of Homeland Security s Fusion Center, with whom we are collaborating in its development. The resulting system is capable of addressing the analysts information overload that can be directly attributed to the deluge of information that must be addressed in the search and investigative analysis of textual information.« less

Internet Searches and Their Relationship to Cognitive Function in Older Adults: Cross-Sectional Analysis

PubMed Central

Hollingshead, Kristy; Kaye, Jeffrey

2017-01-01

Background Alzheimer disease (AD) is a very challenging experience for all those affected. Unfortunately, detection of Alzheimer disease in its early stages when clinical treatments may be most effective is challenging, as the clinical evaluations are time-consuming and costly. Recent studies have demonstrated a close relationship between cognitive function and everyday behavior, an avenue of research that holds great promise for the early detection of cognitive decline. One area of behavior that changes with cognitive decline is language use. Multiple groups have demonstrated a close relationship between cognitive function and vocabulary size, verbal fluency, and semantic ability, using conventional in-person cognitive testing. An alternative to this approach which is inherently ecologically valid may be to take advantage of automated computer monitoring software to continually capture and analyze language use while on the computer. Objective The aim of this study was to understand the relationship between Internet searches as a measure of language and cognitive function in older adults. We hypothesize that individuals with poorer cognitive function will search using fewer unique terms, employ shorter words, and use less obscure words in their searches. Methods Computer monitoring software (WorkTime, Nestersoft Inc) was used to continuously track the terms people entered while conducting searches in Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Ask.com. For all searches, punctuation, accents, and non-ASCII characters were removed, and the resulting search terms were spell-checked before any analysis. Cognitive function was evaluated as a z-normalized summary score capturing five unique cognitive domains. Linear regression was used to determine the relationship between cognitive function and Internet searches by controlling for variables such as age, sex, and education. Results Over a 6-month monitoring period, 42 participants (mean age 81 years [SD 10.5], 83% [35/42] female) conducted 2915 searches using these top search engines. Participants averaged 3.08 words per search (SD 1.6) and 5.77 letters per word (SD 2.2). Individuals with higher cognitive function used more unique terms per search (beta=.39, P=.002) and employed less common terms in their searches (beta=1.39, P=.02). Cognitive function was not significantly associated with the length of the words used in the searches. Conclusions These results suggest that early decline in cognitive function may be detected from the terms people search for when they use the Internet. By continuously tracking basic aspects of Internet search terms, it may be possible to detect cognitive decline earlier than currently possible, thereby enabling proactive treatment and intervention. PMID:28877864

Getting the fundamentals of movement: a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of motor skill interventions in children.

PubMed

Logan, S W; Robinson, L E; Wilson, A E; Lucas, W A

2012-05-01

The development of fundamental movement skills (FMS) is associated with positive health-related outcomes. Children do not develop FMS naturally through maturational processes. These skills need to be learned, practised and reinforced. The objective was to determine the effectiveness of motor skill interventions in children. The following databases were searched for relevant articles: Academic Search Premier, PsycArticles, PsycInfo, SportDiscus and ERIC. No date range was specified and each search was conducted to include all possible years of publication specific to each database. Key terms for the search included motor, skill, movement, intervention, programme or children. Searches were conducted using single and combined terms. Pertinent journals and article reference lists were also manually searched. (1) implementation of any type of motor skill intervention; (2) pre- and post-qualitative assessment of FMS; and (3) availability of means and standard deviations of motor performance. A significant positive effect of motor skill interventions on the improvement of FMS in children was found (d= 0.39, P < 0.001). Results indicate that object control (d= 0.41, P < 0.001) and locomotor skills (d= 0.45, P < 0.001) improved similarly from pre- to post-intervention. The overall effect size for control groups (i.e. free play) was not significant (d= 0.06, P= 0.33). A Pearson correlation indicated a non-significant (P= 0.296), negative correlation (r=-0.18) between effect size of pre- to post-improvement of FMS and the duration of the intervention (in minutes). Motor skill interventions are effective in improving FMS in children. Early childhood education centres should implement 'planned' movement programmes as a strategy to promote motor skill development in children. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Surveillance of contrast-media-induced hypersensitivity reactions using signals from an electronic medical recording system.

PubMed

Kim, Min-Hye; Park, Chang-Han; Kim, Duk-In; Kim, Kyung-Mook; Kim, Hui-Kyu; Lim, Kyu-Hyoung; Song, Woo-Jung; Lee, Sang-Min; Kim, Sae-Hoon; Kwon, Hyouk-Soo; Park, Heung-Woo; Yoon, Chang-Jin; Cho, Sang-Heon; Min, Kyung-Up; Kim, You-Young; Chang, Yoon-Seok

2012-03-01

Contrast-media (CM) hypersensitivity is a well-known adverse drug reaction. Surveillance of adverse drug reactions usually depends on spontaneous reports. However, the rate of spontaneous reports is low. Recent progress in information technology enables the electronic search on signals of adverse drug reactions from electronic medical recording (EMR) systems. To analyze the incidence and clinical characteristics of CM hypersensitivity using an EMR-based surveillance system. The surveillance system used signals from standardized terms within the international classification of nursing practice terms that can indicate symptoms of CM hypersensitivity and from the order codes for procedures that used contrast media, antihistamine, and epinephrine. The search strategy was validated by allergists comparing the electronic search strategy versus manually reviewing medical charts over one month. The main study covered for one year period. Detection rate of the electronic search method was 0.9% (7/759), while that of the manual search method was 0.8% (6/759). EMR-based electronic search method was highly efficient: reduced the charts that needed to be reviewed by 96% (28/759). The sensitivity of electronic screening was 66.7%, specificity was 99.6%, and the negative predictive value was 99.7%. CM hypersensitivity reactions were noted in 266 among 12,483 cases (2.1%). Urticaria was the most frequent symptom (74.4%). CT was the most frequent procedure (3.6%) that induced CM hypersensitivity. A surveillance system using EMR may be a useful tool in the study of drug hypersensitivity epidemiology and may be used in an adverse drug reaction alarm system and as a clinical, decision making support system. Copyright © 2012 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Searching for life in the Universe: unconventional methods for an unconventional problem.

PubMed

Nealson, K H; Tsapin, A; Storrie-Lombardi, M

2002-12-01

The search for life, on and off our planet, can be done by conventional methods with which we are all familiar. These methods are sensitive and specific, and are often capable of detecting even single cells. However, if the search broadens to include life that may be different (even subtly different) in composition, the methods and even the approach must be altered. Here we discuss the development of what we call non-earthcentric life detection--detecting life with methods that could detect life no matter what its form or composition. To develop these methods, we simply ask, can we define life in terms of its general properties and particularly those that can be measured and quantified? Taking such an approach we can search for life using physics and chemistry to ask questions about structure, chemical composition, thermodynamics, and kinetics. Structural complexity can be searched for using computer algorithms that recognize complex structures. Once identified, these structures can be examined for a variety of chemical traits, including elemental composition, chirality, and complex chemistry. A second approach involves defining our environment in terms of energy sources (i.e., reductants), and oxidants (e.g. what is available to eat and breathe), and then looking for areas in which such phenomena are inexplicably out of chemical equilibrium. These disequilibria, when found, can then be examined in detail for the presence of the structural and chemical complexity that presumably characterizes any living systems. By this approach, we move the search for life to one that should facilitate the detection of any earthly life it encountered, as well as any non-conventional life forms that have structure, complex chemistry, and live via some form of redox chemistry.

Forecasting the Incidence of Dementia and Dementia-Related Outpatient Visits With Google Trends: Evidence From Taiwan.

PubMed

Wang, Ho-Wei; Chen, Duan-Rung; Yu, Hsiao-Wei; Chen, Ya-Mei

2015-11-19

Google Trends has demonstrated the capability to both monitor and predict epidemic outbreaks. The connection between Internet searches for dementia information and dementia incidence and dementia-related outpatient visits remains unknown. This study aimed to determine whether Google Trends could provide insight into trends in dementia incidence and related outpatient visits in Taiwan. We investigated and validated the local search terms that would be the best predictors of new dementia cases and outpatient visits. We further evaluated the nowcasting (ie, forecasting the present) and forecasting effects of Google Trends search trends for new dementia cases and outpatient visits. The long-term goal is to develop a surveillance system to help early detection and interventions for dementia in Taiwan. This study collected (1) dementia data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database and (2) local Internet search data from Google Trends, both from January 2009 to December 2011. We investigated and validated search terms that would be the best predictors of new dementia cases and outpatient visits. We then evaluated both the nowcasting and the forecasting effects of Google Trends search trends through cross-correlation analysis of the dementia incidence and outpatient visit data with the Google Trends data. The search term "dementia + Alzheimer's disease" demonstrated a 3-month lead effect for new dementia cases and a 6-month lead effect for outpatient visits (r=.503, P=.002; r=.431, P=.009, respectively). When gender was included in the analysis, the search term "dementia" showed 6-month predictive power for new female dementia cases (r=.520, P=.001), but only a nowcasting effect for male cases (r=.430, P=.009). The search term "neurology" demonstrated a 3-month leading effect for new dementia cases (r=.433, P=.008), for new male dementia cases (r=.434, P=.008), and for outpatient visits (r=.613, P<.001). Google Trends established a plausible relationship between search terms and new dementia cases and dementia-related outpatient visits in Taiwan. This data may allow the health care system in Taiwan to prepare for upcoming outpatient and dementia screening visits. In addition, the validated search term results can be used to provide caregivers with caregiving-related health, skills, and social welfare information by embedding dementia-related search keywords in relevant online articles.

Forecasting the Incidence of Dementia and Dementia-Related Outpatient Visits With Google Trends: Evidence From Taiwan

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Background Google Trends has demonstrated the capability to both monitor and predict epidemic outbreaks. The connection between Internet searches for dementia information and dementia incidence and dementia-related outpatient visits remains unknown. Objective This study aimed to determine whether Google Trends could provide insight into trends in dementia incidence and related outpatient visits in Taiwan. We investigated and validated the local search terms that would be the best predictors of new dementia cases and outpatient visits. We further evaluated the nowcasting (ie, forecasting the present) and forecasting effects of Google Trends search trends for new dementia cases and outpatient visits. The long-term goal is to develop a surveillance system to help early detection and interventions for dementia in Taiwan. Methods This study collected (1) dementia data from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database and (2) local Internet search data from Google Trends, both from January 2009 to December 2011. We investigated and validated search terms that would be the best predictors of new dementia cases and outpatient visits. We then evaluated both the nowcasting and the forecasting effects of Google Trends search trends through cross-correlation analysis of the dementia incidence and outpatient visit data with the Google Trends data. Results The search term “dementia + Alzheimer’s disease” demonstrated a 3-month lead effect for new dementia cases and a 6-month lead effect for outpatient visits (r=.503, P=.002; r=.431, P=.009, respectively). When gender was included in the analysis, the search term “dementia” showed 6-month predictive power for new female dementia cases (r=.520, P=.001), but only a nowcasting effect for male cases (r=.430, P=.009). The search term “neurology” demonstrated a 3-month leading effect for new dementia cases (r=.433, P=.008), for new male dementia cases (r=.434, P=.008), and for outpatient visits (r=.613, P<.001). Conclusions Google Trends established a plausible relationship between search terms and new dementia cases and dementia-related outpatient visits in Taiwan. This data may allow the health care system in Taiwan to prepare for upcoming outpatient and dementia screening visits. In addition, the validated search term results can be used to provide caregivers with caregiving-related health, skills, and social welfare information by embedding dementia-related search keywords in relevant online articles. PMID:26586281

The Development of Automaticity in Short-Term Memory Search: Item-Response Learning and Category Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cao, Rui; Nosofsky, Robert M.; Shiffrin, Richard M.

2017-01-01

In short-term-memory (STM)-search tasks, observers judge whether a test probe was present in a short list of study items. Here we investigated the long-term learning mechanisms that lead to the highly efficient STM-search performance observed under conditions of consistent-mapping (CM) training, in which targets and foils never switch roles across…

'Practical' resources to support patient and family engagement in healthcare decisions: a scoping review.

PubMed

Kovacs Burns, Katharina; Bellows, Mandy; Eigenseher, Carol; Gallivan, Jennifer

2014-04-15

Extensive literature exists on public involvement or engagement, but what actual tools or guides exist that are practical, tested and easy to use specifically for initiating and implementing patient and family engagement, is uncertain. No comprehensive review and synthesis of general international published or grey literature on this specific topic was found. A systematic scoping review of published and grey literature is, therefore, appropriate for searching through the vast general engagement literature to identify 'patient/family engagement' tools and guides applicable in health organization decision-making, such as within Alberta Health Services in Alberta, Canada. This latter organization requested this search and review to inform the contents of a patient engagement resource kit for patients, providers and leaders. Search terms related to 'patient engagement', tools, guides, education and infrastructure or resources, were applied to published literature databases and grey literature search engines. Grey literature also included United States, Australia and Europe where most known public engagement practices exist, and Canada as the location for this study. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were set, and include: English documents referencing 'patient engagement' with specific criteria, and published between 1995 and 2011. For document analysis and synthesis, document analysis worksheets were used by three reviewers for the selected 224 published and 193 grey literature documents. Inter-rater reliability was ensured for the final reviews and syntheses of 76 published and 193 grey documents. Seven key themes emerged from the literature synthesis analysis, and were identified for patient, provider and/or leader groups. Articles/items within each theme were clustered under main topic areas of 'tools', 'education' and 'infrastructure'. The synthesis and findings in the literature include 15 different terms and definitions for 'patient engagement', 17 different engagement models, numerous barriers and benefits, and 34 toolkits for various patient engagement and evaluation initiatives. Patient engagement is very complex. This scoping review for patient/family engagement tools and guides is a good start for a resource inventory and can guide the content development of a patient engagement resource kit to be used by patients/families, healthcare providers and administrators.

‘Practical’ resources to support patient and family engagement in healthcare decisions: a scoping review

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Extensive literature exists on public involvement or engagement, but what actual tools or guides exist that are practical, tested and easy to use specifically for initiating and implementing patient and family engagement, is uncertain. No comprehensive review and synthesis of general international published or grey literature on this specific topic was found. A systematic scoping review of published and grey literature is, therefore, appropriate for searching through the vast general engagement literature to identify ‘patient/family engagement’ tools and guides applicable in health organization decision-making, such as within Alberta Health Services in Alberta, Canada. This latter organization requested this search and review to inform the contents of a patient engagement resource kit for patients, providers and leaders. Methods Search terms related to ‘patient engagement’, tools, guides, education and infrastructure or resources, were applied to published literature databases and grey literature search engines. Grey literature also included United States, Australia and Europe where most known public engagement practices exist, and Canada as the location for this study. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were set, and include: English documents referencing ‘patient engagement’ with specific criteria, and published between 1995 and 2011. For document analysis and synthesis, document analysis worksheets were used by three reviewers for the selected 224 published and 193 grey literature documents. Inter-rater reliability was ensured for the final reviews and syntheses of 76 published and 193 grey documents. Results Seven key themes emerged from the literature synthesis analysis, and were identified for patient, provider and/or leader groups. Articles/items within each theme were clustered under main topic areas of ‘tools’, ‘education’ and ‘infrastructure’. The synthesis and findings in the literature include 15 different terms and definitions for ‘patient engagement’, 17 different engagement models, numerous barriers and benefits, and 34 toolkits for various patient engagement and evaluation initiatives. Conclusions Patient engagement is very complex. This scoping review for patient/family engagement tools and guides is a good start for a resource inventory and can guide the content development of a patient engagement resource kit to be used by patients/families, healthcare providers and administrators. PMID:24735787

Strategic search from long-term memory: an examination of semantic and autobiographical recall.

PubMed

Unsworth, Nash; Brewer, Gene A; Spillers, Gregory J

2014-01-01

Searching long-term memory is theoretically driven by both directed (search strategies) and random components. In the current study we conducted four experiments evaluating strategic search in semantic and autobiographical memory. Participants were required to generate either exemplars from the category of animals or the names of their friends for several minutes. Self-reported strategies suggested that participants typically relied on visualization strategies for both tasks and were less likely to rely on ordered strategies (e.g., alphabetic search). When participants were instructed to use particular strategies, the visualization strategy resulted in the highest levels of performance and the most efficient search, whereas ordered strategies resulted in the lowest levels of performance and fairly inefficient search. These results are consistent with the notion that retrieval from long-term memory is driven, in part, by search strategies employed by the individual, and that one particularly efficient strategy is to visualize various situational contexts that one has experienced in the past in order to constrain the search and generate the desired information.

The 'Sequence of Prevention' for musculoskeletal injuries among recreational basketballers: a systematic review of the scientific literature.

PubMed

Kilic, Özgür; Van Os, Vivian; Kemler, Ellen; Barendrecht, Maarten; Gouttebarge, Vincent

2018-05-01

Currently, there is no overview of the incidence and (basketball-specific) risk factors of musculoskeletal injuries among recreational basketball players, nor any insight into the effect of preventive measures on the incidence of basketball injuries. This study aimed to gather systematically the scientific evidence on the incidence, prevalence, aetiology and preventive measures for musculoskeletal injuries among recreational basketball players. Highly sensitive search strategies were built based on three groups of keywords (and related search terms). Two electronic databases were searched, namely Medline (biomedical literature) via Pubmed, and SPORTDiscus (sports and sports medicine literature) via EBSCOhost. The incidence of musculoskeletal injuries among recreational basketball players ranged from 0.0047 injuries per 1,000 athlete-exposures (AE) for dental injuries to 10.1 injuries per 1000 AE for overall injuries during match play. Significant risk factors for injuries were defending, postural sway, high vertical ground reaction force during jumping and weight >75 kg. All prevention studies have shown to have a significant effect on reducing the risk of injury ranging from an odds ratio (95% confidence interval (CI)) of 0.175 (0.049-0.626) for training injuries and a relative risk (95% CI) of 0.83 (0.57-1.19) achieved with FIFA 11+ prevention exercises and sport-specific balance training, relatively. In order to gain insight in the aetiology of basketball-specific injuries and consequently facilitate the development of preventive strategies, more high quality basketball-specific and injury-specific studies among recreational basketball players are needed.

Seasons, Searches, and Intentions: What The Internet Can Tell Us About The Bed Bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) Epidemic.

PubMed

Sentana-Lledo, Daniel; Barbu, Corentin M; Ngo, Michelle N; Wu, Yage; Sethuraman, Karthik; Levy, Michael Z

2016-01-01

The common bed bug (Cimex lectularius L.) is once again prevalent in the United States. We investigated temporal patterns in Google search queries for bed bugs and co-occurring terms, and conducted in-person surveys to explore the intentions behind searches that included those terms. Searches for "bed bugs" rose steadily through 2011 and then plateaued, suggesting that the epidemic has reached an equilibrium in the United States. However, queries including terms that survey respondents associated strongly with having bed bugs (e.g., "exterminator," "remedies") continued to climb, while terms more closely associated with informational searches (e.g., "hotels," "about") fell. Respondents' rankings of terms and nonseasonal trends in Google search volume as assessed by a cosinor model were significantly correlated (Kendall's Tau-b P = 0.015). We find no evidence from Google Trends that the bed bug epidemic in the United States has reached equilibrium. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Risk factors for bladder cancer: challenges of conducting a literature search using PubMed.

PubMed

Joshi, Ashish; Preslan, Elicia

2011-04-01

The objective of this study was to assess the risk factors for bladder cancer using PubMed articles from January 2000 to December 2009. The study also aimed to describe the challenges encountered in the methodology of a literature search for bladder cancer risk factors using PubMed. Twenty-six categories of risk factors for bladder cancer were identified using the National Cancer Institute Web site and the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) Web site. A total of 1,338 PubMed searches were run using the term "urinary bladder cancer" and a risk factor term (e.g., "cigarette smoking") and were screened to identify 260 articles for final analysis. The search strategy had an overall precision of 3.42 percent, relative recall of 12.64 percent, and an F-measure of 5.39 percent. Although search terms derived from MeSH had the highest overall precision and recall, the differences did not reach significance, which indicates that for generalized, free-text searches of the PubMed database, the searchers' own terms are generally as effective as MeSH terms.

The control of male fertility by spermatid-specific factors: searching for contraceptive targets from spermatozoon's head to tail.

PubMed

Chen, Su-Ren; Batool, Aalia; Wang, Yu-Qian; Hao, Xiao-Xia; Chang, Chawn-Shang; Cheng, C Yan; Liu, Yi-Xun

2016-11-10

Male infertility due to abnormal spermatozoa has been reported in both animals and humans, but its pathogenic causes, including genetic abnormalities, remain largely unknown. On the other hand, contraceptive options for men are limited, and a specific, reversible and safe method of male contraception has been a long-standing quest in medicine. Some progress has recently been made in exploring the effects of spermatid-specifical genetic factors in controlling male fertility. A comprehensive search of PubMed for articles and reviews published in English before July 2016 was carried out using the search terms 'spermiogenesis failure', 'globozoospermia', 'spermatid-specific', 'acrosome', 'infertile', 'manchette', 'sperm connecting piece', 'sperm annulus', 'sperm ADAMs', 'flagellar abnormalities', 'sperm motility loss', 'sperm ion exchanger' and 'contraceptive targets'. Importantly, we have opted to focus on articles regarding spermatid-specific factors. Genetic studies to define the structure and physiology of sperm have shown that spermatozoa appear to be one of the most promising contraceptive targets. Here we summarize how these spermatid-specific factors regulate spermiogenesis and categorize them according to their localization and function from spermatid head to tail (e.g., acrosome, manchette, head-tail conjunction, annulus, principal piece of tail). In addition, we emphatically introduce small-molecule contraceptives, such as BRDT and PPP3CC/PPP3R2, which are currently being developed to target spermatogenic-specific proteins. We suggest that blocking the differentiation of haploid germ cells, which rarely affects early spermatogenic cell types and the testicular microenvironment, is a better choice than spermatogenic-specific proteins. The studies described here provide valuable information regarding the genetic and molecular defects causing male mouse infertility to improve our understanding of the importance of spermatid-specific factors in controlling fertility. Although a male contraceptive 'pill' is still many years away, research into the production of new small-molecule contraceptives targeting spermatid-specific proteins is the right avenue.

The control of male fertility by spermatid-specific factors: searching for contraceptive targets from spermatozoon's head to tail

PubMed Central

Chen, Su-Ren; Batool, Aalia; Wang, Yu-Qian; Hao, Xiao-Xia; Chang, Chawn-Shang; Cheng, C Yan; Liu, Yi-Xun

2016-01-01

Male infertility due to abnormal spermatozoa has been reported in both animals and humans, but its pathogenic causes, including genetic abnormalities, remain largely unknown. On the other hand, contraceptive options for men are limited, and a specific, reversible and safe method of male contraception has been a long-standing quest in medicine. Some progress has recently been made in exploring the effects of spermatid-specifical genetic factors in controlling male fertility. A comprehensive search of PubMed for articles and reviews published in English before July 2016 was carried out using the search terms ‘spermiogenesis failure', ‘globozoospermia', ‘spermatid-specific', ‘acrosome', ‘infertile', ‘manchette', ‘sperm connecting piece', ‘sperm annulus', ‘sperm ADAMs', ‘flagellar abnormalities', ‘sperm motility loss', ‘sperm ion exchanger' and ‘contraceptive targets'. Importantly, we have opted to focus on articles regarding spermatid-specific factors. Genetic studies to define the structure and physiology of sperm have shown that spermatozoa appear to be one of the most promising contraceptive targets. Here we summarize how these spermatid-specific factors regulate spermiogenesis and categorize them according to their localization and function from spermatid head to tail (e.g., acrosome, manchette, head-tail conjunction, annulus, principal piece of tail). In addition, we emphatically introduce small-molecule contraceptives, such as BRDT and PPP3CC/PPP3R2, which are currently being developed to target spermatogenic-specific proteins. We suggest that blocking the differentiation of haploid germ cells, which rarely affects early spermatogenic cell types and the testicular microenvironment, is a better choice than spermatogenic-specific proteins. The studies described here provide valuable information regarding the genetic and molecular defects causing male mouse infertility to improve our understanding of the importance of spermatid-specific factors in controlling fertility. Although a male contraceptive ‘pill' is still many years away, research into the production of new small-molecule contraceptives targeting spermatid-specific proteins is the right avenue. PMID:27831554

General surgical complications associated with the use of long-term mechanical circulatory support devices: are we 'under-reporting' problems?

PubMed

Tchantchaleishvili, Vakhtang; Umakanthan, Ramanan; Karp, Seth; Stulak, John M; Keebler, Mary E; Maltais, Simon

2013-05-01

Multiple complications are associated with use of ventricular assist devices (VADs). Cardiac-related complications and infections are most frequently reported. VADs, however, can also lead to a number of general surgical complications equally significant in terms of morbidity and mortality. The authors performed a systematic literature search to review current data that specifically relate general surgical complications to patients who undergo left VAD implantation. The review provides a relatively clear understanding of the spectrum of general surgical complications and shows that they contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality in these patients.

Technology utilization in a non-urban region: Further impact and technique of the Technology Use Studies Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gold, C. H.; Moore, A. M.; Dodd, B.; Dittmar, V.

1974-01-01

Updated information pertaining to clients who receive and use information disseminated by the Technology Use Studies Center (TUSC) is reported. Charts are provided which indicate TUSC's performance in information dissemination and technical assistance in terms of quantities of searches accomplished during several contract years. The faculty information service is described, along with details of cooperation with other agencies. Specific searches are listed according to subject, client, and client location, and a measure of client response to services provided is indicated by the included selection of transfer and impact reports. The impetus behind the formation of the general aviation news letter is also described.

Functional Abstraction as a Method to Discover Knowledge in Gene Ontologies

PubMed Central

Ultsch, Alfred; Lötsch, Jörn

2014-01-01

Computational analyses of functions of gene sets obtained in microarray analyses or by topical database searches are increasingly important in biology. To understand their functions, the sets are usually mapped to Gene Ontology knowledge bases by means of over-representation analysis (ORA). Its result represents the specific knowledge of the functionality of the gene set. However, the specific ontology typically consists of many terms and relationships, hindering the understanding of the ‘main story’. We developed a methodology to identify a comprehensibly small number of GO terms as “headlines” of the specific ontology allowing to understand all central aspects of the roles of the involved genes. The Functional Abstraction method finds a set of headlines that is specific enough to cover all details of a specific ontology and is abstract enough for human comprehension. This method exceeds the classical approaches at ORA abstraction and by focusing on information rather than decorrelation of GO terms, it directly targets human comprehension. Functional abstraction provides, with a maximum of certainty, information value, coverage and conciseness, a representation of the biological functions in a gene set plays a role. This is the necessary means to interpret complex Gene Ontology results thus strengthening the role of functional genomics in biomarker and drug discovery. PMID:24587272

Measurement properties of rheumatoid arthritis-specific quality-of-life questionnaires: systematic review of the literature.

PubMed

Lee, Jiyeon; Kim, Soo Hyun; Moon, Seung Hei; Lee, Eun-Hyun

2014-12-01

This study conducted a systematic review of the methodological quality of the psychometric evaluation process and the quality of measurement properties of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-specific health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) questionnaires with the purpose of obtaining the best evidence to help in the selection of the most appropriate instrument for measuring HRQOL in RA patients. A systematic literature search was performed to identify RA-specific HRQOL questionnaires in databases. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments checklist. The quality of the measurement properties was assessed using quality criteria. The evidence regarding the measurement properties was pooled using best-evidence synthesis, with considerations of the number and methodological quality of the studies, and the consistency of their findings in terms of the quality of the measurement properties. The search identified 37 studies describing 9 instruments. Best-evidence synthesis suggested that the Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life (RAQoL) questionnaire had the strongest positive evidence, especially with respect to reliability, measurement error, and content validity, and moderate positive evidence with respect to hypothesis testing and responsiveness. The current evidence suggests that the best-validated instrument among the RA-specific HRQOL measures is the RAQoL questionnaire in terms of both methodological quality in the process of psychometric evaluation and the quality of the measurement properties. However, there is limited evidence regarding internal consistency and structural validity of the RAQoL. Further efforts are warranted to establish the psychometric quality of this questionnaire.

Physiotherapy rehabilitation for whiplash associated disorder II: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

PubMed Central

Wright, Chris; Heneghan, Nicola; Eveleigh, Gillian; Calvert, Melanie; Freemantle, Nick

2011-01-01

Objective To evaluate effectiveness of physiotherapy management in patients experiencing whiplash associated disorder II, on clinically relevant outcomes in the short and longer term. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Two reviewers independently searched information sources, assessed studies for inclusion, evaluated risk of bias and extracted data. A third reviewer mediated disagreement. Assessment of risk of bias was tabulated across included trials. Quantitative synthesis was conducted on comparable outcomes across trials with similar interventions. Meta-analyses compared effect sizes, with random effects as primary analyses. Data sources Predefined terms were employed to search electronic databases. Additional studies were identified from key journals, reference lists, authors and experts. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published in English before 31 December 2010 evaluating physiotherapy management of patients (>16 years), experiencing whiplash associated disorder II. Any physiotherapy intervention was included, when compared with other types of management, placebo/sham, or no intervention. Measurements reported on ≥1 outcome from the domains within the international classification of function, disability and health, were included. Results 21 RCTs (2126 participants, 9 countries) were included. Interventions were categorised as active physiotherapy or a specific physiotherapy intervention. 20/21 trials were evaluated as high risk of bias and one as unclear. 1395 participants were incorporated in the meta-analyses on 12 trials. In evaluating short term outcome in the acute/sub-acute stage, there was some evidence that active physiotherapy intervention reduces pain and improves range of movement, and that a specific physiotherapy intervention may reduce pain. However, moderate/considerable heterogeneity suggested that treatments may differ in nature or effect in different trial patients. Differences between participants, interventions and trial designs limited potential meta-analyses. Conclusions Inconclusive evidence exists for the effectiveness of physiotherapy management for whiplash associated disorder II. There is potential benefit for improving range of movement and pain short term through active physiotherapy, and for improving pain through a specific physiotherapy intervention. PMID:22102642

The reliability, validity and feasibility of tools used to screen for caregiver burden: a systematic review.

PubMed

Whalen, Kimberly J; Buchholz, Susan W

The overall objective of this review is to quantitatively measure the psychometric properties and the feasibility of caregiver burden screening tools. The more specific objectives were to determine the reliability, validity as well as feasibility of tools that are used to screen for caregiver burden and strain. This review considered international quantitative research papers that addressed the psychometric properties and feasibility of caregiver burden screening tools. The search strategy aimed to find both published and unpublished studies from 1980-2007 published only in the English language. An initial limited search of MEDLINE and CINAHL was undertaken followed by analysis of the text words contained in the title and abstract and the index terms used to describe the article. A second search identified keywords and index terms across major databases. Third, the reference list of identified reports and articles was searched for additional studies. Each paper was assessed by two independent reviewers for methodological quality prior to inclusion in the review using an appropriate critical appraisal instrument from the Joanna Briggs Institutes' System for the Unified Management, Assessment and Review (SUMARI) package. Because burden is a multidimensional construct defined internationally with a multitude of other terms, only those studies whose title, abstract or keywords contained the search terminology developed for this review were identified for retrieval. The construct of caregiver burden is not standardized, and many terms are used to describe burden. A caregiver is also identified as a carer. Instruments exist in multiple languages and have been tested in multiple populations. A total of 112 papers, experimental and non-experimental in nature, were included in the review. The majority of papers were non-experimental studies that tested or used a caregiver burden screening tool. Because of the nature of these papers, a meta-analysis of the results was not possible. Instead a table is used to depict the 74 caregiver burden screening tools that meet the psychometric and feasibility standards of this review. The Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), in particular the 22-item version, has been examined the most throughout the literature. In addition to its sound psychometric properties, the ZBI has been widely used across languages and cultures. The significant amount of research that has already been done on psychometric testing of caregiver burden tools has provided a solid foundation for additional research. Although some tools have been well tested, many tools have published limited psychometric properties and feasibility data. The clinician needs to be aware of this and may need to team up with a researcher to obtain additional research data on their specific population before using a minimally tested caregiver burden screening tool. Because caregiver burden is multidimensional and many different terms are used to describe burden, both the clinician and researcher need to be precise in their selection of the appropriate tool for their work.

A review and assessment of drug-induced parotitis.

PubMed

Brooks, Krista G; Thompson, Dennis F

2012-12-01

To review the current literature on drug-induced parotitis. Literature was accessed through MEDLINE/PubMed (1980-May 2012), using the search terms sialadenitis/chemically induced and parotitis/chemically induced. EMBASE (1980-May 2012) was searched using the terms parotitis/diagnosis, sialadenitis/side effect, and parotitis/side effect. International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970-May 2012) was searched using the search terms parotitis and sialadenitis. All searches were limited to articles on humans written in English. Inclusion criteria were published letters, case reports, reviews, and clinical trials involving drugs that may be associated with parotitis. Articles pertaining to parotitis induced by iodine-containing drugs were excluded. References of all relevant articles were reviewed for additional citations. Review articles, clinical trials, background data, and case reports of drug-induced parotitis were collected and case reports were assessed for causality. Parotitis is an uncommon adverse effect; however, signs and symptoms of parotitis have been noted in case reports as an adverse drug reaction related to various medications. Assessing causality of an adverse drug reaction such as parotitis is challenging. To help determine the probability of causality for these events, algorithms such as the Naranjo probability scale have been developed. Eighty-four case reports of drug-induced parotitis from 40 different drugs were reviewed using a modified Naranjo probability scale that included criteria specific for parotitis. Medications that met the criteria for establishing causality included l-asparaginase with 7 case reports, clozapine with 13 case reports, and phenylbutazone with 13 case reports. Drug-induced parotitis is a rare adverse drug reaction. Based on the quantitative and qualitative evidence collected from the case reports, medications that are associated with drug-induced parotitis include l-asparaginase, clozapine, and phenylbutazone. Many other drugs have been implicated in the development of parotitis; however, the evidence supporting this association is insufficient to determine causality at this time.

Search query data to monitor interest in behavior change: application for public health.

PubMed

Carr, Lucas J; Dunsiger, Shira I

2012-01-01

There is a need for effective interventions and policies that target the leading preventable causes of death in the U.S. (e.g., smoking, overweight/obesity, physical inactivity). Such efforts could be aided by the use of publicly available, real-time search query data that illustrate times and locations of high and low public interest in behaviors related to preventable causes of death. This study explored patterns of search query activity for the terms 'weight', 'diet', 'fitness', and 'smoking' using Google Insights for Search. Search activity for 'weight', 'diet', 'fitness', and 'smoking' conducted within the United States via Google between January 4(th), 2004 (first date data was available) and November 28(th), 2011 (date of data download and analysis) were analyzed. Using a generalized linear model, we explored the effects of time (month) on mean relative search volume for all four terms. Models suggest a significant effect of month on mean search volume for all four terms. Search activity for all four terms was highest in January with observable declines throughout the remainder of the year. These findings demonstrate discernable temporal patterns of search activity for four areas of behavior change. These findings could be used to inform the timing, location and messaging of interventions, campaigns and policies targeting these behaviors.

Regression Model Optimization for the Analysis of Experimental Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ulbrich, N.

2009-01-01

A candidate math model search algorithm was developed at Ames Research Center that determines a recommended math model for the multivariate regression analysis of experimental data. The search algorithm is applicable to classical regression analysis problems as well as wind tunnel strain gage balance calibration analysis applications. The algorithm compares the predictive capability of different regression models using the standard deviation of the PRESS residuals of the responses as a search metric. This search metric is minimized during the search. Singular value decomposition is used during the search to reject math models that lead to a singular solution of the regression analysis problem. Two threshold dependent constraints are also applied. The first constraint rejects math models with insignificant terms. The second constraint rejects math models with near-linear dependencies between terms. The math term hierarchy rule may also be applied as an optional constraint during or after the candidate math model search. The final term selection of the recommended math model depends on the regressor and response values of the data set, the user s function class combination choice, the user s constraint selections, and the result of the search metric minimization. A frequently used regression analysis example from the literature is used to illustrate the application of the search algorithm to experimental data.

Migration: a concept analysis from a nursing perspective.

PubMed

Freeman, Michelle; Baumann, Andrea; Blythe, Jennifer; Fisher, Anita; Akhtar-Danesh, Noori

2012-05-01

  This article is a report of a concept analysis of nurse migration.   International migration is increasing and nurse migrants are active participants in this movement. Migration is a complex term and can be examined from a range of perspectives. Analysis of nurse migration is needed to guide policy, practice and research.   A literature search was undertaken using electronic literature indexes, specific journals and websites, internet search engines and hand searches. No timeframe was placed on the search. Most literature found was published between 2001 and 2009. A sample of 80 documents met the inclusion criteria.   Walker and Avant's approach guided the analysis.   Nurse migration can be defined by five attributes: the motivation and decisions of individuals; external barriers and facilitators; freedom of choice to migrate; freedom to migrate as a human right, and dynamic movement. Antecedents of migration include the political, social, economic, legal, historical and educational forces that comprise the push and pull framework. The consequences of migration are positive or negative depending on the viewpoint and its affect on the individual and other stakeholders such as the source country, destination country, healthcare systems and the nursing profession.   This concept analysis clarified the complexities surrounding nurse migration. A nursing-specific middle-range theory was proposed to guide the understanding and study of nurse migration. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Joint hypermobility and headache: the glue that binds the two together--part 2.

PubMed

Martin, Vincent T; Neilson, Derek

2014-09-01

Past studies have reported that connective tissue disorders (CTDs) are more common in patients with specific types of headache disorders. The objectives of this study are (1) to review and critique the clinical studies reporting an association between joint hypermobility, CTDs and headache and (2) to postulate mechanisms though which CTDs might predispose to headache disorders. PubMed was searched for relevant articles with search terms that included joint hypermobility, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Marfan syndrome, and specific headache disorders. A narrative review was performed of these articles as well as those identified from the bibliography of these articles. Case reports and case control studies confirm an association between CTDs and migraine, coat-hanger headaches, carotid arterial dissections, intracranial hypotension, Arnold Chiari malformations-type 1, cervical spine disorders, and temporomandibular joint disorders. Observational cross-sectional studies suggest that the prevalence of CTDs is increased in patients with specific types of headache disorders. It is unknown if the CTDs directly cause these headaches disorders or are associated with them through other mechanisms. © 2014 American Headache Society.

An evidence map of yoga for low back pain.

PubMed

Goode, Adam P; Coeytaux, Remy R; McDuffie, Jennifer; Duan-Porter, Wei; Sharma, Poonam; Mennella, Hillary; Nagi, Avishek; Williams, John W

2016-04-01

Yoga is being increasingly studied as a treatment strategy for a variety of different clinical conditions, including low back pain (LBP). We set out to conduct an evidence map of yoga for the treatment, prevention and recurrence of acute or chronic low back pain (cLBP). We searched Medline, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, EMBASE, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database and ClinicalTrials.gov for randomized controlled trials (RCT), systematic reviews or planned studies on the treatment or prevention of acute back pain or cLBP. Two independent reviewers screened papers for inclusion, extracted data and assessed the quality of included studies. Three eligible systematic reviews were identified that included 10 RCTs (n=956) that evaluated yoga for non-specific cLBP. We did not identify additional RCTs beyond those included in the systematic reviews. Our search of ClinicalTrials.gov identified one small (n=10) unpublished trial and one large (n=320) planned clinical trial. The most recent good quality systematic review indicated significant effects for short- and long-term pain reduction (n=6 trials; standardized mean difference [SMD] -0.48; 95% CI, -0.65 to -0.31; I(2)=0% and n=5; SMD -0.33; 95% CI, -0.59 to -0.07; I(2)=48%, respectively). Long-term effects for back specific disability were also identified (n=5; SMD -0.35; 95% CI, -0.55 to -0.15; I(2)=20%). No studies were identified evaluating yoga for prevention or treatment of acute LBP. Evidence suggests benefit of yoga in midlife adults with non-specific cLBP for short- and long-term pain and back-specific disability, but the effects of yoga for health-related quality of life, well- being and acute LBP are uncertain. Without additional studies, further systematic reviews are unlikely to be informative. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The development of PubMed search strategies for patient preferences for treatment outcomes.

PubMed

van Hoorn, Ralph; Kievit, Wietske; Booth, Andrew; Mozygemba, Kati; Lysdahl, Kristin Bakke; Refolo, Pietro; Sacchini, Dario; Gerhardus, Ansgar; van der Wilt, Gert Jan; Tummers, Marcia

2016-07-29

The importance of respecting patients' preferences when making treatment decisions is increasingly recognized. Efficiently retrieving papers from the scientific literature reporting on the presence and nature of such preferences can help to achieve this goal. The objective of this study was to create a search filter for PubMed to help retrieve evidence on patient preferences for treatment outcomes. A total of 27 journals were hand-searched for articles on patient preferences for treatment outcomes published in 2011. Selected articles served as a reference set. To develop optimal search strategies to retrieve this set, all articles in the reference set were randomly split into a development and a validation set. MeSH-terms and keywords retrieved using PubReMiner were tested individually and as combinations in PubMed and evaluated for retrieval performance (e.g. sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp)). Of 8238 articles, 22 were considered to report empirical evidence on patient preferences for specific treatment outcomes. The best search filters reached Se of 100 % [95 % CI 100-100] with Sp of 95 % [94-95 %] and Sp of 97 % [97-98 %] with 75 % Se [74-76 %]. In the validation set these queries reached values of Se of 90 % [89-91 %] with Sp 94 % [93-95 %] and Se of 80 % [79-81 %] with Sp of 97 % [96-96 %], respectively. Narrow and broad search queries were developed which can help in retrieving literature on patient preferences for treatment outcomes. Identifying such evidence may in turn enhance the incorporation of patient preferences in clinical decision making and health technology assessment.

Searching for sex- and gender-sensitive tuberculosis research in public health: finding a needle in a haystack.

PubMed

Vissandjee, Bilkis; Mourid, Assia; Greenaway, Christina A; Short, Wendy E; Proctor, Jodi A

2016-01-01

Despite broadening consideration of sex- and gender-based issues in health research, when seeking information on how sex and gender contribute to disease contexts for specific health or public health topics, a lack of consistent or systematic use of terminology in health literature means that it remains difficult to identify research with a sex or gender focus. These inconsistencies are driven, in part, by the complexity and terminological inflexibility of the indexing systems for gender- and sex-related terms in public health databases. Compounding the issue are authors' diverse vocabularies, and in some cases lack of accuracy in defining and using fundamental sex-gender terms in writing, and when establishing keyword lists and search criteria. Considering the specific case of the tuberculosis (TB) prevention and management literature, an analysis of sex and gender sensitivity in three health databases was performed. While there is an expanding literature exploring the roles of both sex and gender in the trajectory and lived experience of TB, we demonstrate the potential to miss relevant research when attempting to retrieve literature using only the search criteria currently available. We, therefore, argue that for good clinical practice to be achieved; there is a need for both public health researchers and users to be better educated in appropriate usage of the terminology associated with sex and gender. In addition, public health database indexers ought to accept the task of developing and implementing adequate definitions of sex and gender terms so as to facilitate access to sex- and gender-related research. These twin advances will allow clinicians to more readily recognize and access knowledge pertaining to systems of redress that respond to gendered risks that compound existing health inequalities in disease management and control, particularly when dealing with already complex diseases. Given the methodological and linguistic challenges presented by the multidimensional and highly contextual nature of definitions of sex and gender, it will be important that this review task be undertaken using a multidisciplinary approach.

Internet search trends analysis tools can provide real-time data on kidney stone disease in the United States.

PubMed

Willard, Scott D; Nguyen, Mike M

2013-01-01

To evaluate the utility of using Internet search trends data to estimate kidney stone occurrence and understand the priorities of patients with kidney stones. Internet search trends data represent a unique resource for monitoring population self-reported illness and health information-seeking behavior. The Google Insights for Search analysis tool was used to study searches related to kidney stones, with each search term returning a search volume index (SVI) according to the search frequency relative to the total search volume. SVIs for the term, "kidney stones," were compiled by location and time parameters and compared with the published weather and stone prevalence data. Linear regression analysis was performed to determine the association of the search interest score with known epidemiologic variations in kidney stone disease, including latitude, temperature, season, and state. The frequency of the related search terms was categorized by theme and qualitatively analyzed. The SVI correlated significantly with established kidney stone epidemiologic predictors. The SVI correlated with the state latitude (R-squared=0.25; P<.001), the state mean annual temperature (R-squared=0.24; P<.001), and state combined sex prevalence (R-squared=0.25; P<.001). Female prevalence correlated more strongly than did male prevalence (R-squared=0.37; P<.001, and R-squared=0.17; P=.003, respectively). The national SVI correlated strongly with the average U.S. temperature by month (R-squared=0.54; P=.007). The search term ranking suggested that Internet users are most interested in the diagnosis, followed by etiology, infections, and treatment. Geographic and temporal variability in kidney stone disease appear to be accurately reflected in Internet search trends data. Internet search trends data might have broader applications for epidemiologic and urologic research. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multi-disciplinary Care for the Elderly in Disasters: An Integrative Review.

PubMed

Johnson, Heather L; Ling, Catherine G; McBee, Elexis C

2015-02-01

Older adults are disproportionately affected by disaster. Frail elders, individuals with chronic diseases, conditions, or disabilities, and those who live in long-term care facilities are especially vulnerable. Purpose The purpose of this integrative review of the literature was to describe the system-wide knowledge and skills that multi-disciplinary health care providers need to provide appropriate care for the elderly during domestic-humanitarian and disaster-relief efforts. Data sources A systematic search protocol was developed in conjunction with a research librarian. Searches of PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were conducted using terms such as Disaster, Geological Processes, Aged, Disaster Planning, and Vulnerable Populations. Forty-six articles met criteria for inclusion in the review. Policies and guidance regarding evacuating versus sheltering in place are lacking. Tenets of elderly-focused disaster planning/preparation and clarification of legal and ethical standards of care and liability issues are needed. Functional capacity, capabilities, or impairments, rather than age, should be considered in disaster preparation. Older adults should be included in disaster planning as population-specific experts. Implications for Practice A multifaceted approach to population-specific disaster planning and curriculum development should include consideration of the biophysical and psychosocial aspects of care, ethical and legal issues, logistics, and resources.

A scoping review and research synthesis on financing and regulating oral care in long-term care facilities.

PubMed

MacEntee, Michael I; Kazanjian, Arminee; Kozak, Jean-Francois; Hornby, Kathy; Thorne, Sally; Kettratad-Pruksapong, Matana

2012-06-01

Oral health care for frail elders is grossly inadequate almost everywhere, and our knowledge of regulating and financing oral care in this context is unclear. This scoping study examined and summarised the published literature available and the gaps in knowledge about regulating and financing oral care in long-term care (LTC) facilities. We limited the electronic search to reports on regulating and financing oral care, including reports, commentaries, reviews and policy statements on financing and regulating oral health-related services. The broad electronic search identified 1168 citations, which produced 42 references, including 26 pieces of grey literature for a total of 68 papers. Specific information was found on public and private funding of care and on difficulties regulating care because of professional segregation, difficulties assessing need for care, uncertainty on appropriateness of treatments and issues around scope of professional practice. A wide range of information along with 19 implications and 18 specific gaps in knowledge emerged relevant to financing and regulating oral healthcare services in LTC facilities. Effort has been given to enhancing oral care for frail elders, but there is little agreement on how the care should be regulated or financed within the LTC sector. © 2011 The Gerodontology Society and John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Overcoming hurdles in translating visual search research between the lab and the field.

PubMed

Clark, Kait; Cain, Matthew S; Adamo, Stephen H; Mitroff, Stephen R

2012-01-01

Research in visual search can be vital to improving performance in careers such as radiology and airport security screening. In these applied, or "field," searches, accuracy is critical, and misses are potentially fatal; however, despite the importance of performing optimally, radiological and airport security searches are nevertheless flawed. Extensive basic research in visual search has revealed cognitive mechanisms responsible for successful visual search as well as a variety of factors that tend to inhibit or improve performance. Ideally, the knowledge gained from such laboratory-based research could be directly applied to field searches, but several obstacles stand in the way of straightforward translation; the tightly controlled visual searches performed in the lab can be drastically different from field searches. For example, they can differ in terms of the nature of the stimuli, the environment in which the search is taking place, and the experience and characteristics of the searchers themselves. The goal of this chapter is to discuss these differences and how they can present hurdles to translating lab-based research to field-based searches. Specifically, most search tasks in the lab entail searching for only one target per trial, and the targets occur relatively frequently, but field searches may contain an unknown and unlimited number of targets, and the occurrence of targets can be rare. Additionally, participants in lab-based search experiments often perform under neutral conditions and have no formal training or experience in search tasks; conversely, career searchers may be influenced by the motivation to perform well or anxiety about missing a target, and they have undergone formal training and accumulated significant experience searching. This chapter discusses recent work that has investigated the impacts of these differences to determine how each factor can influence search performance. Knowledge gained from the scientific exploration of search can be applied to field searches but only when considering and controlling for the differences between lab and field.

A Framework and Methodology for Navigating Disaster and Global Health in Crisis Literature

PubMed Central

Chan, Jennifer L.; Burkle, Frederick M.

2013-01-01

Both ‘disasters’ and ‘global health in crisis’ research has dramatically grown due to the ever-increasing frequency and magnitude of crises around the world. Large volumes of peer-reviewed literature are not only a testament to the field’s value and evolution, but also present an unprecedented outpouring of seemingly unmanageable information across a wide array of crises and disciplines. Disaster medicine, health and humanitarian assistance, global health and public health disaster literature all lie within the disaster and global health in crisis literature spectrum and are increasingly accepted as multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary disciplines. Researchers, policy makers, and practitioners now face a new challenge; that of accessing this expansive literature for decision-making and exploring new areas of research. Individuals are also reaching beyond the peer-reviewed environment to grey literature using search engines like Google Scholar to access policy documents, consensus reports and conference proceedings. What is needed is a method and mechanism with which to search and retrieve relevant articles from this expansive body of literature. This manuscript presents both a framework and workable process for a diverse group of users to navigate the growing peer-reviewed and grey disaster and global health in crises literature. Methods: Disaster terms from textbooks, peer-reviewed and grey literature were used to design a framework of thematic clusters and subject matter ‘nodes’. A set of 84 terms, selected from 143 curated terms was organized within each node reflecting topics within the disaster and global health in crisis literature. Terms were crossed with one another and the term ‘disaster’. The results were formatted into tables and matrices. This process created a roadmap of search terms that could be applied to the PubMed database. Each search in the matrix or table results in a listed number of articles. This process was applied to literature from PubMed from 2005-2011. A complementary process was also applied to Google Scholar using the same framework of clusters, nodes, and terms expanding the search process to include the broader grey literature assets. Results: A framework of four thematic clusters and twelve subject matter nodes were designed to capture diverse disaster and global health in crisis-related content. From 2005-2011 there were 18,660 articles referring to the term [disaster]. Restricting the search to human research, MeSH, and English language there remained 7,736 identified articles representing an unmanageable number to adequately process for research, policy or best practices. However, using the crossed search and matrix process revealed further examples of robust realms of research in disasters, emergency medicine, EMS, public health and global health. Examples of potential gaps in current peer-reviewed disaster and global health in crisis literature were identified as mental health, elderly care, and alternate sites of care. The same framework and process was then applied to Google Scholar, specifically for topics that resulted in few PubMed search returns. When applying the same framework and process to the Google Scholar example searches retrieved unique peer-reviewed articles not identified in PubMed and documents including books, governmental documents and consensus papers. Conclusions: The proposed framework, methodology and process using four clusters, twelve nodes and a matrix and table process applied to PubMed and Google Scholar unlocks otherwise inaccessible opportunities to better navigate the massively growing body of peer-reviewed disaster and global health in crises literature. This approach will assist researchers, policy makers, and practitioners to generate future research questions, report on the overall evolution of the disaster and global health in crisis field and further guide disaster planning, prevention, preparedness, mitigation response and recovery. PMID:23591457

A framework and methodology for navigating disaster and global health in crisis literature.

PubMed

Chan, Jennifer L; Burkle, Frederick M

2013-04-04

Both 'disasters' and 'global health in crisis' research has dramatically grown due to the ever-increasing frequency and magnitude of crises around the world. Large volumes of peer-reviewed literature are not only a testament to the field's value and evolution, but also present an unprecedented outpouring of seemingly unmanageable information across a wide array of crises and disciplines. Disaster medicine, health and humanitarian assistance, global health and public health disaster literature all lie within the disaster and global health in crisis literature spectrum and are increasingly accepted as multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary disciplines. Researchers, policy makers, and practitioners now face a new challenge; that of accessing this expansive literature for decision-making and exploring new areas of research. Individuals are also reaching beyond the peer-reviewed environment to grey literature using search engines like Google Scholar to access policy documents, consensus reports and conference proceedings. What is needed is a method and mechanism with which to search and retrieve relevant articles from this expansive body of literature. This manuscript presents both a framework and workable process for a diverse group of users to navigate the growing peer-reviewed and grey disaster and global health in crises literature. Disaster terms from textbooks, peer-reviewed and grey literature were used to design a framework of thematic clusters and subject matter 'nodes'. A set of 84 terms, selected from 143 curated terms was organized within each node reflecting topics within the disaster and global health in crisis literature. Terms were crossed with one another and the term 'disaster'. The results were formatted into tables and matrices. This process created a roadmap of search terms that could be applied to the PubMed database. Each search in the matrix or table results in a listed number of articles. This process was applied to literature from PubMed from 2005-2011. A complementary process was also applied to Google Scholar using the same framework of clusters, nodes, and terms expanding the search process to include the broader grey literature assets. A framework of four thematic clusters and twelve subject matter nodes were designed to capture diverse disaster and global health in crisis-related content. From 2005-2011 there were 18,660 articles referring to the term [disaster]. Restricting the search to human research, MeSH, and English language there remained 7,736 identified articles representing an unmanageable number to adequately process for research, policy or best practices. However, using the crossed search and matrix process revealed further examples of robust realms of research in disasters, emergency medicine, EMS, public health and global health. Examples of potential gaps in current peer-reviewed disaster and global health in crisis literature were identified as mental health, elderly care, and alternate sites of care. The same framework and process was then applied to Google Scholar, specifically for topics that resulted in few PubMed search returns. When applying the same framework and process to the Google Scholar example searches retrieved unique peer-reviewed articles not identified in PubMed and documents including books, governmental documents and consensus papers. The proposed framework, methodology and process using four clusters, twelve nodes and a matrix and table process applied to PubMed and Google Scholar unlocks otherwise inaccessible opportunities to better navigate the massively growing body of peer-reviewed disaster and global health in crises literature. This approach will assist researchers, policy makers, and practitioners to generate future research questions, report on the overall evolution of the disaster and global health in crisis field and further guide disaster planning, prevention, preparedness, mitigation response and recovery.

Internet Searches and Their Relationship to Cognitive Function in Older Adults: Cross-Sectional Analysis.

PubMed

Austin, Johanna; Hollingshead, Kristy; Kaye, Jeffrey

2017-09-06

Alzheimer disease (AD) is a very challenging experience for all those affected. Unfortunately, detection of Alzheimer disease in its early stages when clinical treatments may be most effective is challenging, as the clinical evaluations are time-consuming and costly. Recent studies have demonstrated a close relationship between cognitive function and everyday behavior, an avenue of research that holds great promise for the early detection of cognitive decline. One area of behavior that changes with cognitive decline is language use. Multiple groups have demonstrated a close relationship between cognitive function and vocabulary size, verbal fluency, and semantic ability, using conventional in-person cognitive testing. An alternative to this approach which is inherently ecologically valid may be to take advantage of automated computer monitoring software to continually capture and analyze language use while on the computer. The aim of this study was to understand the relationship between Internet searches as a measure of language and cognitive function in older adults. We hypothesize that individuals with poorer cognitive function will search using fewer unique terms, employ shorter words, and use less obscure words in their searches. Computer monitoring software (WorkTime, Nestersoft Inc) was used to continuously track the terms people entered while conducting searches in Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Ask.com. For all searches, punctuation, accents, and non-ASCII characters were removed, and the resulting search terms were spell-checked before any analysis. Cognitive function was evaluated as a z-normalized summary score capturing five unique cognitive domains. Linear regression was used to determine the relationship between cognitive function and Internet searches by controlling for variables such as age, sex, and education. Over a 6-month monitoring period, 42 participants (mean age 81 years [SD 10.5], 83% [35/42] female) conducted 2915 searches using these top search engines. Participants averaged 3.08 words per search (SD 1.6) and 5.77 letters per word (SD 2.2). Individuals with higher cognitive function used more unique terms per search (beta=.39, P=.002) and employed less common terms in their searches (beta=1.39, P=.02). Cognitive function was not significantly associated with the length of the words used in the searches. These results suggest that early decline in cognitive function may be detected from the terms people search for when they use the Internet. By continuously tracking basic aspects of Internet search terms, it may be possible to detect cognitive decline earlier than currently possible, thereby enabling proactive treatment and intervention. ©Johanna Austin, Kristy Hollingshead, Jeffrey Kaye. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 06.09.2017.

Recommendations for Planning and Managing International Short-term Pharmacy Service Trips

PubMed Central

Alsharif, Naser Z.; Rovers, John; Connor, Sharon; White, Nicole D.; Hogue, Michael D.

2017-01-01

International pharmacy service trips by schools and colleges of pharmacy allow students to provide health care to medically underserved areas. A literature review (2000-2016) in databases and Internet searches with specific keywords or terms was performed to assess current practices to establish and maintain successful pharmacy service trips. Educational documents such as syllabi were obtained from pharmacy programs and examined. A preliminary draft was developed and authors worked on sections of interest and expertise. Considerations and current recommendations are provided for the key aspects of the home institution and the host country requirements for pharmacy service trips based on findings from a literature search and the authors’ collective, extensive experience. Evaluation of the trip and ethical considerations are also discussed. This article serves as a resource for schools and colleges of pharmacy that are interested in the development of new pharmacy service trips and provides key considerations for continuous quality improvement of current or future activities. PMID:28381883

Recommendations for Planning and Managing International Short-term Pharmacy Service Trips.

PubMed

Johnson, Kalin L; Alsharif, Naser Z; Rovers, John; Connor, Sharon; White, Nicole D; Hogue, Michael D

2017-03-25

International pharmacy service trips by schools and colleges of pharmacy allow students to provide health care to medically underserved areas. A literature review (2000-2016) in databases and Internet searches with specific keywords or terms was performed to assess current practices to establish and maintain successful pharmacy service trips. Educational documents such as syllabi were obtained from pharmacy programs and examined. A preliminary draft was developed and authors worked on sections of interest and expertise. Considerations and current recommendations are provided for the key aspects of the home institution and the host country requirements for pharmacy service trips based on findings from a literature search and the authors' collective, extensive experience. Evaluation of the trip and ethical considerations are also discussed. This article serves as a resource for schools and colleges of pharmacy that are interested in the development of new pharmacy service trips and provides key considerations for continuous quality improvement of current or future activities.

What Do Germans Want to Know About Skin Cancer? A Nationwide Google Search Analysis From 2013 to 2017.

PubMed

Seidl, Stefanie; Schuster, Barbara; Rüth, Melvin; Biedermann, Tilo; Zink, Alexander

2018-05-02

Experts worldwide agree that skin cancer is a global health issue, but only a few studies have reported on world populations' interest in skin cancer. Internet search data can reflect the interest of a population in different topics and thereby identify what the population wants to know. Our aim was to assess the interest of the German population in nonmelanoma skin cancer and melanoma. Google AdWords Keyword Planner was used to identify search terms related to nonmelanoma skin cancer and melanoma in Germany from November 2013 to October 2017. The identified search terms were assessed descriptively using SPSS version 24.0. In addition, the search terms were qualitatively categorized. A total of 646 skin cancer-related search terms were identified with 19,849,230 Google searches in the period under review. The search terms with the highest search volume were "skin cancer" (n=2,388,500, 12.03%), "white skin cancer" (n=2,056,900, 10.36%), "basalioma" (n=907,000, 4.57%), and "melanoma" (n=717,800, 3.62%). The most searched localizations of nonmelanoma skin cancer were "nose" (n=93,370, 38.99%) and "face" (n=53,270, 22.24%), and the most searched of melanoma were "nails" (n=46,270, 70.61%) and "eye" (n=10,480, 15.99%). The skin cancer‒related category with the highest search volume was "forms of skin cancer" (n=10,162,540, 23.28%) followed by "skin alterations" (n=4,962,020, 11.36%). Our study provides insight into terms and fields of interest related to skin cancer relevant to the German population. Furthermore, temporal trends and courses are shown. This information could aid in the development and implementation of effective and sustainable awareness campaigns by developing information sources targeted to the population's broad interest or by implementing new Internet campaigns. ©Stefanie Seidl, Barbara Schuster, Melvin Rüth, Tilo Biedermann, Alexander Zink. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 02.05.2018.

Disparate compensation policies for research related injury in an era of multinational trials: a case study of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

PubMed

Chingarande, George Rugare; Moodley, Keymanthri

2018-02-17

Compensation for research related injuries is a subject that is increasingly gaining traction in developing countries which are burgeoning destinations of multi center research. However, the existence of disparate compensation rules violates the ethical principle of fairness. The current paper presents a comparison of the policies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS). A systematic search of good clinical practice guidelines was conducted employing search strategies modeled in line with the recommendations of ADPTE Collaboration (2007). The search focused on three main areas namely bibliographic data bases, clinical practice guidelines data bases and a restricted internet search. A manual search of references cited in relevant guideline documents was also conducted. The search terms, Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and key words were developed for a PubMed platform and then adapted for all other data bases. The search terms were kept constant for each country with the only difference being the country name. The documents so obtained were subjected to systematic content analysis. The study revealed that there is vast panoply of regulations which exist on a continuum. On one extreme is India with comprehensive regulations that are codified into law, and on the other end there is China which does not have specific laws regulating research related injuries. There are a number of differences and similarities such as mandatory insurance requirements, existence of no fault compensation, compensable injuries and the role of research ethics committees. It is imperative to enact legislations that protect participants without stifling the research enterprise. There is need for consistency and ideally harmonization of such regulations at a global level. A model policy on compensation for research related injuries should borrow from the best aspects of the different country policies and should be informed by the cardinal ethics principles of autonomy, justice and beneficence.

Independence of long-term contextual memory and short-term perceptual hypotheses: Evidence from contextual cueing of interrupted search.

PubMed

Schlagbauer, Bernhard; Mink, Maurice; Müller, Hermann J; Geyer, Thomas

2017-02-01

Observers are able to resume an interrupted search trial faster relative to responding to a new, unseen display. This finding of rapid resumption is attributed to short-term perceptual hypotheses generated on the current look and confirmed upon subsequent looks at the same display. It has been suggested that the contents of perceptual hypotheses are similar to those of other forms of memory acquired long-term through repeated exposure to the same search displays over the course of several trials, that is, the memory supporting "contextual cueing." In three experiments, we investigated the relationship between short-term perceptual hypotheses and long-term contextual memory. The results indicated that long-term, contextual memory of repeated displays neither affected the generation nor the confirmation of short-term perceptual hypotheses for these displays. Furthermore, the analysis of eye movements suggests that long-term memory provides an initial benefit in guiding attention to the target, whereas in subsequent looks guidance is entirely based on short-term perceptual hypotheses. Overall, the results reveal a picture of both long- and short-term memory contributing to reliable performance gains in interrupted search, while exerting their effects in an independent manner.

Meta-analysis of sleep disturbance and suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

PubMed

Pigeon, Wilfred R; Pinquart, Martin; Conner, Kenneth

2012-09-01

The potential association of various sleep disturbances to suicidal thoughts and behaviors is the subject of several reviews. The current meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the size of the association generally as well as between more specific relationships. Electronic databases for years 1966-2011 were searched to identify candidate studies using PubMed search terms suicide and sleep or sleep initiation/maintenance disorders or dreams or nightmares or sleep disorders/psychology or sleep disorders/epidemiology as well as Ovid search terms suicide and sleep or insomnia or nightmares. The search was supplemented by cross-referencing from identified articles and reviews. Original studies reporting both sleep disturbance and suicide outcomes were identified with 39 of 98 studies (40%) comprising 147,753 subjects selected for inclusion. Data were extracted by multiple independent observers and verified by a study author. The meta-analysis was performed using random-effects models. The size of associations was calculated for all types of sleep disturbances and suicide outcomes combined and for more specific categories including nightmares, insomnia, and insomnia subtypes and suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and suicide. Moderator effects were evaluated. Overall, sleep disturbance was significantly associated with an increased relative risk for suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and suicide ranging from 1.95 (95% CI, 1.41-2.69) to a relative risk of 2.95 (95% CI, 2.48-3.50) in unadjusted studies. Associations were smaller, but remained highly significant among adjusted studies. Depression did not moderate the association between sleep and suicide variables. This meta-analysis supports an association between sleep disturbance and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Sleep disturbances in general, as well as insomnia and nightmares individually, appear to represent a risk factor for suicidal thoughts and behavior. This proposition is further bolstered by the result that depression did not show risk moderation. © Copyright 2012 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

[Clinical characteristics of Rett Syndrome].

PubMed

Abbes, Zeineb; Bouden, Asma; Halayem, Soumaya; Othman, Sami; Bechir Halayem, Mohamed

2011-10-01

Rett Syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder, one of the least commonly occurring autism spectrum disorders (ASD),affecting mainly females. To describe features and molecular specificities of Rett syndrome. To identify articles for this review, a Pubmed search was conducted using the following keywords: Rett syndrome, regression,mutation, stereotypes. This syndrome is characterized by cognitive impairment,communication dysfunction, stereotypic movement disorder, and growth failure. It is generally caused by mutations in the MECP2 gene. Rett Syndrome has a prevalence ranging from 10-20 000 females. Specific treatment is not available, but patients need a careful planning for long-term care, with multidisciplinary approaches.

Branching Search

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eliazar, Iddo

2017-12-01

Search processes play key roles in various scientific fields. A widespread and effective search-process scheme, which we term Restart Search, is based on the following restart algorithm: i) set a timer and initiate a search task; ii) if the task was completed before the timer expired, then stop; iii) if the timer expired before the task was completed, then go back to the first step and restart the search process anew. In this paper a branching feature is added to the restart algorithm: at every transition from the algorithm's third step to its first step branching takes place, thus multiplying the search effort. This branching feature yields a search-process scheme which we term Branching Search. The running time of Branching Search is analyzed, closed-form results are established, and these results are compared to the coresponding running-time results of Restart Search.

[Pruritus in Germany-a Google search engine analysis].

PubMed

Zink, A; Rüth, M; Schuster, B; Darsow, U; Biedermann, T; Ständer, S

2018-06-06

Because affected persons often do not visit a doctor, the prevalence of chronic and acute pruritus in the general population is difficult to determine. The aim of this study is to estimate the frequency and the most common locations of pruritus in German internet users, who-with 62.4 million persons-represent a large majority of the German population, by analysing the Google search volume. Relevant keywords for the subject "pruritus" were identified and analysed using the Google AdWords Keyword Planner. The assessment period was January 2015 to December 2016. In total the Google AdWords Keyword Planner identified 701 keywords for the topic "Juckreiz" (German lay word for pruritus), resulting in 7,531,890 pruritus-related Google searches during the assessment period. Most common search terms were the German lay term for atopic eczema ("Neurodermitis", 23.7%), the German lay term for psoriasis ("Schuppenflechte", 17.8%) and "psoriasis" (13%). The German lay term for pruritus ("Juckreiz") was only the sixth most searched term (3%). Most searches (72%) focused on influencing factors for pruritus, especially on skin diseases and skin conditions. The most commonly searched location was pruritus on the whole body, followed by anal pruritus. Analysis of the temporal course showed a higher monthly search volume during winter. With its unconventional methodology, a Google search engine analysis, this study allows a rough estimation of the medical need of pruritus in the German general population, which seems to be higher than expected. Especially pruritus in the anal area was identified as an unmet medical need.

Using the Turning Research Into Practice (TRIP) database: how do clinicians really search?*

PubMed Central

Meats, Emma; Brassey, Jon; Heneghan, Carl; Glasziou, Paul

2007-01-01

Objectives: Clinicians and patients are increasingly accessing information through Internet searches. This study aimed to examine clinicians' current search behavior when using the Turning Research Into Practice (TRIP) database to examine search engine use and the ways it might be improved. Methods: A Web log analysis was undertaken of the TRIP database—a meta-search engine covering 150 health resources including MEDLINE, The Cochrane Library, and a variety of guidelines. The connectors for terms used in searches were studied, and observations were made of 9 users' search behavior when working with the TRIP database. Results: Of 620,735 searches, most used a single term, and 12% (n = 75,947) used a Boolean operator: 11% (n = 69,006) used “AND” and 0.8% (n = 4,941) used “OR.” Of the elements of a well-structured clinical question (population, intervention, comparator, and outcome), the population was most commonly used, while fewer searches included the intervention. Comparator and outcome were rarely used. Participants in the observational study were interested in learning how to formulate better searches. Conclusions: Web log analysis showed most searches used a single term and no Boolean operators. Observational study revealed users were interested in conducting efficient searches but did not always know how. Therefore, either better training or better search interfaces are required to assist users and enable more effective searching. PMID:17443248

Tutorial on Protein Ontology Resources

PubMed Central

Arighi, Cecilia; Drabkin, Harold; Christie, Karen R.; Ross, Karen; Natale, Darren

2017-01-01

The Protein Ontology (PRO) is the reference ontology for proteins in the Open Biomedical Ontologies (OBO) foundry and consists of three sub-ontologies representing protein classes of homologous genes, proteoforms (e.g., splice isoforms, sequence variants, and post-translationally modified forms), and protein complexes. PRO defines classes of proteins and protein complexes, both species-specific and species non-specific, and indicates their relationships in a hierarchical framework, supporting accurate protein annotation at the appropriate level of granularity, analyses of protein conservation across species, and semantic reasoning. In this first section of this chapter, we describe the PRO framework including categories of PRO terms and the relationship of PRO to other ontologies and protein resources. Next, we provide a tutorial about the PRO website (proconsortium.org) where users can browse and search the PRO hierarchy, view reports on individual PRO terms, and visualize relationships among PRO terms in a hierarchical table view, a multiple sequence alignment view, and a Cytoscape network view. Finally, we describe several examples illustrating the unique and rich information available in PRO. PMID:28150233

[Sickness absence and disability due to psychiatric disorders from a gender perspective - a systematic literature review].

PubMed

Dietrich, S; Stengler, K

2013-06-01

This work is aimed at providing a review of the literature on gender differences in the prevalence of mental disorders at the workplace. A systematic literature search of all original works on sickness absence and disability due to psychiatric disorders published in PubMed from 2000 through to 2011 was undertaken. Female employees have more frequent and longer sickness absences due to psychiatric disorders. Male employees are at a high risk of disability due to psychiatric disorders. Gender-specific prevention strategies at the workplace should target the prevention of short and long-term consequences for female employees and the long-term impact of psychiatric disorders in male employees. However, there is still a lack of knowledge about implications for gender specific prevention strategies at the workplace. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Curcumin against advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and AGEs-induced detrimental agents.

PubMed

Alizadeh, Mohammad; Kheirouri, Sorayya

2017-11-29

This study was aimed to review and collate effects of curcumin on generation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and AGEs induced detrimental agents. Pubmed, Googlescholar, ScienceDirect, and Scopus databases were searched. Searching was not limited to specific publication period. Only English language original articles (in vitro, experimental and human) which had examined the effect of curcumin on AGEs formation and AGEs induced apoptosis, oxidative stress or inflammatory responses were included. To review effect of curcumin on AGEs formation, search terms were as following: ''curcumin" (title) and AGEs or pentosidine or methylglyoxal or carboxymethyllysine or glucosylation (title/abstract). Totally 104 articles were searched which 19 were selected for review. To review effect of curcumin on AGEs induced harmful agents, key words were as following: "curcumin" (title) and AGEs (title/abstract) and apoptosis or oxidative stress or DNA damage or cell injury or inflammatory or cell death or cell proliferation (title/abstract). Totally 126 articles were searched which 18 were found appropriate for review. Regarding curcumin and AGEs formation, ten eligible articles (1 human trial, 5 animal models and 4 in vitro) and with regarding curcumin and AGEs-induced complications, 17 articles (5 on apoptosis, 9 on oxidative stress, and 3 on inflammatory responses) were selected. Except one, all studies indicated that curcumin is able to prevent AGEs formation and AGEs-induced disturbances with different potential mechanisms. Curcumin can inhibit AGEs formation and AGEs-induced disturbances. More RCT researches are suggested to evaluate beneficial effect of curcumin regarding AGEs in different age-related chronic diseases, with specific attention to AGEs memberships.

Search and design of nonmagnetic centrosymmetric layered crystals with large local spin polarization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Qihang; Zhang, Xiuwen; Jin, Hosub; Lam, Kanber; Im, Jino; Freeman, Arthur J.; Zunger, Alex

2015-06-01

Until recently, spin polarization in nonmagnetic materials was the exclusive territory of noncentrosymmetric structures. It was recently shown that a form of "hidden spin polarization" (named the "Rashba-2" or "R-2" effect) could exist in globally centrosymmetric crystals provided the individual layers belong to polar point group symmetries. This realization could considerably broaden the range of materials that might be considered for spin-polarization spintronic applications to include the hitherto "forbidden spintronic compound" that belongs to centrosymmetric symmetries. Here we take the necessary steps to transition from such general, material-agnostic condensed matter theory arguments to material-specific "design principles" that could aid future laboratory search of R-2 materials. Specifically, we (i) classify different prototype layered structures that have been broadly studied in the literature in terms of their expected R-2 behavior, including the B i2S e3 -structure type (a prototype topological insulator), Mo S2 -structure type (a prototype valleytronic compound), and LaBiO S2 -structure type (a host of superconductivity upon doping); (ii) formulate the properties that ideal R-2 compounds should have in terms of combination of their global unit cell symmetries with specific point group symmetries of their constituent "sectors"; and (iii) use first-principles band theory to search for compounds from the prototype family of LaOBi S2 -type structures that satisfy these R-2 design metrics. We initially consider both stable and hypothetical M'O M X2 (M': Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Al, Ga, In, Tl; M: P, As, Sb, Bi; X: S, Se, Te) compounds to establish an understanding of trends of R-2 with composition, and then indicate the predictions that are expected to be stable and synthesizable. We predict large spin splittings (up to ˜200 meV for holes in LaOBiT e2 ) as well as surface Rashba states. Experimental testing of such predictions is called for.

Enhancing long-term memory with stimulation tunes visual attention in one trial.

PubMed

Reinhart, Robert M G; Woodman, Geoffrey F

2015-01-13

Scientists have long proposed that memory representations control the mechanisms of attention that focus processing on the task-relevant objects in our visual field. Modern theories specifically propose that we rely on working memory to store the object representations that provide top-down control over attentional selection. Here, we show that the tuning of perceptual attention can be sharply accelerated after 20 min of noninvasive brain stimulation over medial-frontal cortex. Contrary to prevailing theories of attention, these improvements did not appear to be caused by changes in the nature of the working memory representations of the search targets. Instead, improvements in attentional tuning were accompanied by changes in an electrophysiological signal hypothesized to index long-term memory. We found that this pattern of effects was reliably observed when we stimulated medial-frontal cortex, but when we stimulated posterior parietal cortex, we found that stimulation directly affected the perceptual processing of the search array elements, not the memory representations providing top-down control. Our findings appear to challenge dominant theories of attention by demonstrating that changes in the storage of target representations in long-term memory may underlie rapid changes in the efficiency with which humans can find targets in arrays of objects.

[Efficacy, tolerability and safety of paliperidone extended-release in the treatment of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder].

PubMed

Bellantuono, Cesario; Santone, Giovanni

2012-01-01

The paper represents a systematic review on the efficacy, tolerability and safety of paliperidone, an antipsychotic drug recently approved in Italy for the treatment of schizophrenia and of schizoaffective disorder. A comprehensive PubMed search using the term "paliperidone" was performed from January 1980 to February 2011. Papers reporting data on efficacy in the treatment of schizophrenia and of schizoaffective disorder were included, also if published as abstracts and all retrieved articles were manually searched for other references of interest. Paliperidone was found to be effective in short and long-term treatment of schizophrenia, as well as in the treatment of schizoaffective disorder. For both disorders, paliperidone showed to be effective in improving psychotic and affective symptoms. In the studies analyzed it was well tolerated and the most frequent reported adverse events were mild extrapyramidal symptoms and an increase in serum prolactin levels. Paliperidone has been shown to be an effective and safe medication for the treatment of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Further controlled clinical trials are needed to confirm this clinical profile in the long-term treatment, as well as for specific conditions such as schizophrenic patients with medical comorbidities.

Searches for Randomized Controlled Trials of Drugs in MEDLINE and EMBASE Using Only Generic Drug Names Compared with Searches Applied in Current Practice in Systematic Reviews

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waffenschmidt, Siw; Guddat, Charlotte

2015-01-01

Background: It is unclear which terms should be included in bibliographic searches for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of drugs, and identifying relevant drug terms can be extremely laborious. The aim of our analysis was to determine whether a bibliographic search using only the generic drug name produces sufficient results for the generation…

Search Query Data to Monitor Interest in Behavior Change: Application for Public Health

PubMed Central

Carr, Lucas J.; Dunsiger, Shira I.

2012-01-01

There is a need for effective interventions and policies that target the leading preventable causes of death in the U.S. (e.g., smoking, overweight/obesity, physical inactivity). Such efforts could be aided by the use of publicly available, real-time search query data that illustrate times and locations of high and low public interest in behaviors related to preventable causes of death. Objectives This study explored patterns of search query activity for the terms ‘weight’, ‘diet’, ‘fitness’, and ‘smoking’ using Google Insights for Search. Methods Search activity for ‘weight’, ‘diet’, ‘fitness’, and ‘smoking’ conducted within the United States via Google between January 4th, 2004 (first date data was available) and November 28th, 2011 (date of data download and analysis) were analyzed. Using a generalized linear model, we explored the effects of time (month) on mean relative search volume for all four terms. Results Models suggest a significant effect of month on mean search volume for all four terms. Search activity for all four terms was highest in January with observable declines throughout the remainder of the year. Conclusions These findings demonstrate discernable temporal patterns of search activity for four areas of behavior change. These findings could be used to inform the timing, location and messaging of interventions, campaigns and policies targeting these behaviors. PMID:23110198

A Google-based approach for monitoring suicide risk.

PubMed

Solano, Paola; Ustulin, Morena; Pizzorno, Enrico; Vichi, Monica; Pompili, Maurizio; Serafini, Gianluca; Amore, Mario

2016-12-30

People seeking information and news regarding suicide are likely to use the Internet. However, evidence of the relationship between suicide-related search volumes and national suicide-rates in different countries can be strikingly different. We aimed to investigate the relationship between suicide-rates and Google suicide-related search volumes in the Italian population (2008-2012) using the Italian mortality database that provided monthly national data concerning suicides (2008-2012). Moreover, this study aimed to identify future trends of national suicide rates on the basis of the results we obtained concerning the period 2013-14. Google Trends provided data of online monthly search-volumes of the term "suicide", "commit suicide" and "how to commit suicide" in Google Search and Google News (2008-2014). Google Search volumes for the term "suicide" lags suicide by three months (ρ=0.482, p-value<0.001), whereas no correlation was found between search volumes for "commit suicide" and "how to commit suicide" and national suicide rates. Google News search volumes for the three terms resulted in white noise. Apparently, online searches for suicide-related terms in Italy are more likely to be linked to factors other than suicidiality such as personal interest and suicide bereavement. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Internet Searches for Affect-Related Terms: An Indicator of Subjective Well-Being and Predictor of Health Outcomes across US States and Metro Areas.

PubMed

Ford, Michael T; Jebb, Andrew T; Tay, Louis; Diener, Ed

2018-03-01

The present study explored the potential for internet search data to serve as indicators of subjective well-being (SWB) and predictors of health at the state and metro area levels. We propose that searches for positive and negative affect-related terms represent information-seeking behavior of individuals who are experiencing emotions and seeking information about them. Data on the frequency of Google searches for 15 affect terms were collected from Google's Trends website (trends.google.com). These were paired with data on health, self-reported emotions, psychological well-being, personality, and Twitter postings at the state and metro area levels. Several internet search scores correlated with indicators of cardiovascular health and depression. Some search term scores also correlated strongly with self-reported emotions, well-being metrics, neuroticism, per capita income, and Twitter postings at the state or metro area level. Multiple regression analyses suggest that affect searches predict depression rates at the metro area level beyond the effects of income and other well-being measures. The results highlight the promise and challenges of using internet search data at the aggregate level for physical and mental health assessment and surveillance. © 2018 The International Association of Applied Psychology.

Advanced techniques for determining long term compatibility of materials with propellants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Green, R. L.

1972-01-01

The search for advanced measurement techniques for determining long term compatibility of materials with propellants was conducted in several parts. A comprehensive survey of the existing measurement and testing technology for determining material-propellant interactions was performed. Selections were made from those existing techniques which were determined could meet or be made to meet the requirements. Areas of refinement or changes were recommended for improvement of others. Investigations were also performed to determine the feasibility and advantages of developing and using new techniques to achieve significant improvements over existing ones. The most interesting demonstration was that of the new technique, the volatile metal chelate analysis. Rivaling the neutron activation analysis in terms of sensitivity and specificity, the volatile metal chelate technique was fully demonstrated.

Videogame-Related Illness and Injury: A Review of the Literature and Predictions for Pokémon GO!

PubMed

Pourmand, Ali; Lombardi, Kevin; Kuhl, Evan; O'Connell, Francis

2017-02-01

Reports of videogame-related illness and injury soon emerged in the literature with the inception of videogame systems and subsequent development of novel gaming platforms and technologies. In an effort to better detail the impacts of these phenomena and provide recommendations for injury prevention as it relates to Pokémon Go and the larger world of augmented reality games, we conducted an extensive systems-based review of past trends in videogame-related illness and injury from the literature. A literature review using PubMed, Medline, and PsycInfo databases with search terms "Pokémon GO," "videogame injuries," "augmented reality injuries," and "Nintendo Injury" was performed. The search was limited to the English language, and the Boolean were used to combine the search terms. The literature search yielded 359 peer-reviewed articles, 44 of which met the study criteria and included in the review. Seventeen additional popular press reports detailing injuries related to Pokémon Go were also incorporated. Videogame-related injuries and illness include both physical trauma as well as psychological and behavioral disorder with unique patterns of injury and illness linked to specific gaming platforms. As videogames become increasingly advanced and immersive, they expose players to unique and often more serious injury and illness. Augmented reality games, such as Pokémon GO, are the next step in the evolution of this trend and likely portend a future in which many pathologic processes may become increasingly common.

Criteria for Referring Patients With Outpatient Gastroenterological Disease for Specialist Consultation: A Review of the Literature

PubMed Central

De Coster, Carolyn; Cepoiu-Martin, Monica; Nash, Carla; Noseworthy, Tom W

2011-01-01

Background Demands on gastroenterology are growing, as a result of the high prevalence of digestive diseases, the impact of colon cancer screening programs and an aging population. Prioritizing referrals to gastroenterology would assist in managing wait times. Our objectives were (1) to assess whether there were consistent criteria to guide referrals from family physicians for gastroenterological outpatient consultation and (2) to determine if there were different levels of urgency or priority in referral criteria. Methods We conducted a scoping review, searching Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases from 1997 to 2009, using the terms referral, triage, consultation and at least one from a list of gastroenterology-specific search terms. Of 2978 initial results, 51 papers were retrieved, and 20 were retained after review by two reviewers. Additional publications were identified through hand searches of retained papers, website searches and nomination by a panel of specialists. Results Thirty-four papers, reports or websites were retained. No referral criteria covered the spectrum of disorders that might be referred by family physicians to gastroenterologists. Criteria for referral were most commonly listed for suspected colorectal cancer, followed by suspected upper GI cancer, hepatitis, and functional disorders. Conclusions A clinical panel comprised of gastroenterologists and primary care providers, informed by this literature review, are completing the work of formulating a Gastroenterology Priority Referral Score, and plan to test the reliability and validity of the tool for determining the relative urgency for referral from primary care to gastroenterology. PMID:27957014

Criteria for Referring Patients With Outpatient Gastroenterological Disease for Specialist Consultation: A Review of the Literature.

PubMed

De Coster, Carolyn; Cepoiu-Martin, Monica; Nash, Carla; Noseworthy, Tom W

2011-10-01

Demands on gastroenterology are growing, as a result of the high prevalence of digestive diseases, the impact of colon cancer screening programs and an aging population. Prioritizing referrals to gastroenterology would assist in managing wait times. Our objectives were (1) to assess whether there were consistent criteria to guide referrals from family physicians for gastroenterological outpatient consultation and (2) to determine if there were different levels of urgency or priority in referral criteria. We conducted a scoping review, searching Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases from 1997 to 2009, using the terms referral, triage, consultation and at least one from a list of gastroenterology-specific search terms. Of 2978 initial results, 51 papers were retrieved, and 20 were retained after review by two reviewers. Additional publications were identified through hand searches of retained papers, website searches and nomination by a panel of specialists. Thirty-four papers, reports or websites were retained. No referral criteria covered the spectrum of disorders that might be referred by family physicians to gastroenterologists. Criteria for referral were most commonly listed for suspected colorectal cancer, followed by suspected upper GI cancer, hepatitis, and functional disorders. A clinical panel comprised of gastroenterologists and primary care providers, informed by this literature review, are completing the work of formulating a Gastroenterology Priority Referral Score, and plan to test the reliability and validity of the tool for determining the relative urgency for referral from primary care to gastroenterology.

Influence of implant location on the clinical outcomes of implant abutments: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PubMed Central

ElHoussiney, Amr G; Zhang, He; Song, Jinlin; Ji, Ping; Wang, Lu; Yang, Sheng

2018-01-01

Purpose To compare the failure events and incidence of complications of different abutment materials in anterior and posterior regions. Failure was defined as complete loss of the abutment requiring replacement by a new abutment. Materials and methods Electronic searches using PubMed/Medline and Google Scholar complemented with manual searches were performed with specific search terms. Searches were restricted to publications in English between January 2006 and March 2016. Results A total of 863 and 1,264 implants were inserted in the anterior and posterior regions, respectively, in a total of 1,529 patients. No titanium abutments failed in anterior or posterior regions. On the other hand, 1.6% of zirconia abutments failed in the anterior region and 1.5% failed in the posterior region. Technical complications occurred mostly in the posterior region and mostly involved zirconia abutment. Meta-analysis was possible only for zirconia-abutment failure, due to considerable heterogeneity of studies and outcome variables. No significant difference in failure rate was found between anterior and posterior zirconia abutments (risk ratio 1.53, 95% CI 0.49–4.77; P=0.47). Conclusion This systematic review and meta-analysis showed similar outcomes of different abutment materials when used in anterior and posterior regions in terms of failure events and biological and aesthetic complications. The only significant finding was the increased incidence of technical complications in the posterior region, mostly involving zirconia abutments. Abutment-screw loosening was the most common technical complication. PMID:29520162

Male Enchenopa treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae) vary mate-searching behavior but not signaling behavior in response to spider silk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fowler-Finn, Kasey D.; Al-Wathiqui, Nooria; Cruz, Daniel; Al-Wathiqui, Mishal; Rodríguez, Rafael L.

2014-03-01

Finding and attracting mates can impose costs on males in terms of increased encounters with, and attraction of, predators. To decrease the likelihood of predation, males may modify mate-acquisition efforts in two main ways: they may reduce mate-searching efforts or they may reduce mate-attraction efforts. The specific behavior that males change in the presence of predator cues should depend upon the nature of risk imposed by the type of predator present in the environment. For example, sit-and-wait predators impose greater costs to males moving in search of mates. Here, we test whether cues of the presence of a sit-and-wait predator lead to a reduction in mate-searching but not mate-acquisition behavior. We used a member of the Enchenopa binotata complex of treehoppers—a clade of vibrationally communicating insects in which males fly in search of mates and produce mate-attraction signals when they land on plant stems. We tested for changes in mate-searching and signaling behaviors when silk from a web-building spider was present or absent. We found that males delayed flight when spider silk was present but only if they were actively searching for mates. These results suggest that males have been selected to reduce predation risk by adjusting how they move about their environment according to the cues of sit-and-wait predators.

The development of search filters for adverse effects of surgical interventions in medline and Embase.

PubMed

Golder, Su; Wright, Kath; Loke, Yoon Kong

2018-06-01

Search filter development for adverse effects has tended to focus on retrieving studies of drug interventions. However, a different approach is required for surgical interventions. To develop and validate search filters for medline and Embase for the adverse effects of surgical interventions. Systematic reviews of surgical interventions where the primary focus was to evaluate adverse effect(s) were sought. The included studies within these reviews were divided randomly into a development set, evaluation set and validation set. Using word frequency analysis we constructed a sensitivity maximising search strategy and this was tested in the evaluation and validation set. Three hundred and fifty eight papers were included from 19 surgical intervention reviews. Three hundred and fifty two papers were available on medline and 348 were available on Embase. Generic adverse effects search strategies in medline and Embase could achieve approximately 90% relative recall. Recall could be further improved with the addition of specific adverse effects terms to the search strategies. We have derived and validated a novel search filter that has reasonable performance for identifying adverse effects of surgical interventions in medline and Embase. However, we appreciate the limitations of our methods, and recommend further research on larger sample sizes and prospective systematic reviews. © 2018 The Authors Health Information and Libraries Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Health Libraries Group.

Global Search Trends of Oral Problems using Google Trends from 2004 to 2016: An Exploratory Analysis.

PubMed

Patthi, Basavaraj; Kumar, Jishnu Krishna; Singla, Ashish; Gupta, Ritu; Prasad, Monika; Ali, Irfan; Dhama, Kuldeep; Niraj, Lav Kumar

2017-09-01

Oral diseases are pandemic cause of morbidity with widespread geographic distribution. This technology based era has brought about easy knowledge transfer than traditional dependency on information obtained from family doctors. Hence, harvesting this system of trends can aid in oral disease quantification. To conduct an exploratory analysis of the changes in internet search volumes of oral diseases by using Google Trends © (GT © ). GT © were utilized to provide real world facts based on search terms related to categories, interest by region and interest over time. Time period chosen was from January 2004 to December 2016. Five different search terms were explored and compared based on the highest relative search volumes along with comma separated value files to obtain an insight into highest search traffic. The search volume measured over the time span noted the term "Dental caries" to be the most searched in Japan, "Gingivitis" in Jordan, "Oral Cancer" in Taiwan, "No Teeth" in Australia, "HIV symptoms" in Zimbabwe, "Broken Teeth" in United Kingdom, "Cleft palate" in Philippines, "Toothache" in Indonesia and the comparison of top five searched terms provided the "Gingivitis" with highest search volume. The results from the present study offers an insight into a competent tool that can analyse and compare oral diseases over time. The trend research platform can be used on emerging diseases and their drift in geographic population with great acumen. This tool can be utilized in forecasting, modulating marketing strategies and planning disability limitation techniques.

Unhappy with internal corporate search? : learn tips and tricks for building a controlled vocabulary ontology.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arpin, Bettina Karin Schimanski; Jones, Brian S.; Bemesderfer, Joy

2010-06-01

Are your employees unhappy with internal corporate search? Frequent complaints include: too many results to sift through; results are unrelated/outdated; employees aren't sure which terms to search for. One way to improve intranet search is to implement a controlled vocabulary ontology. Employing this takes the guess work out of searching, makes search efficient and precise, educates employees about the lingo used within the corporation, and allows employees to contribute to the corpus of terms. It promotes internal corporate search to rival its superior sibling, internet search. We will cover our experiences, lessons learned, and conclusions from implementing a controlled vocabularymore » ontology at Sandia National Laboratories. The work focuses on construction of this ontology from the content perspective and the technical perspective. We'll discuss the following: (1) The tool we used to build a polyhierarchical taxonomy; (2) Examples of two methods of indexing the content: traditional 'back of the book' and folksonomy word-mapping; (3) Tips on how to build future search capabilities while building the basic controlled vocabulary; (4) How to implement the controlled vocabulary as an ontology that mimics Google's search suggestions; (5) Making the user experience more interactive and intuitive; and (6) Sorting suggestions based on preferred, alternate and related terms using SPARQL queries. In summary, future improvements will be presented, including permitting end-users to add, edit and remove terms, and filtering on different subject domains.« less

Chemical evolution and the origin of life: cumulative keyword subject index 1970-1986

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roy, A. C.; Powers, J. V.; Rummel, J. D. (Principal Investigator)

1990-01-01

This cumulative subject index encompasses the subject indexes of the bibliographies on Chemical Evolution and the Origin of Life that were first published in 1970 and have continued through publication of the 1986 bibliography supplement. Early bibliographies focused on experimental and theoretical material dealing directly with the concepts of chemical evolution and the origin of life, excluding the broader areas of exobiology, biological evolution, and geochemistry. In recent years, these broader subject areas have also been incorporated as they appear in literature searches relating to chemical evolution and the origin of life, although direct attempts have not been made to compile all of the citations in these broad areas. The keyword subject indexes have also undergone an analogous change in scope. Compilers of earlier bibliographies used the most specific term available in producing the subject index. Compilers of recent bibliographies have used a number of broad terms relating to the overall subject content of each citation and specific terms where appropriate. The subject indexes of these 17 bibliographies have, in general, been cumulatively compiled exactly as they originally appeared. However, some changes have been made in an attempt to correct errors, combine terms, and provide more meaningful terms.

Staff Directory | NREL

Science.gov Websites

staff. Search by first or last name; this search is not case-sensitive. SEARCH: Search Select a search type Select your criteria Enter your search term Contact us for questions or comments

The Effects of Cannabinoids on Executive Functions: Evidence from Cannabis and Synthetic Cannabinoids-A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Cohen, Koby; Weinstein, Aviv

2018-02-27

Background-Cannabis is the most popular illicit drug in the Western world. Repeated cannabis use has been associated with short and long-term range of adverse effects. Recently, new types of designer-drugs containing synthetic cannabinoids have been widespread. These synthetic cannabinoid drugs are associated with undesired adverse effects similar to those seen with cannabis use, yet, in more severe and long-lasting forms. Method-A literature search was conducted using electronic bibliographic databases up to 31 December 2017. Specific search strategies were employed using multiple keywords (e.g., "synthetic cannabinoids AND cognition," "cannabis AND cognition" and "cannabinoids AND cognition"). Results-The search has yielded 160 eligible studies including 37 preclinical studies (5 attention, 25 short-term memory, 7 cognitive flexibility) and 44 human studies (16 attention, 15 working memory, 13 cognitive flexibility). Both pre-clinical and clinical studies demonstrated an association between synthetic cannabinoids and executive-function impairment either after acute or repeated consumptions. These deficits differ in severity depending on several factors including the type of drug, dose of use, quantity, age of onset and duration of use. Conclusions-Understanding the nature of the impaired executive function following consumption of synthetic cannabinoids is crucial in view of the increasing use of these drugs.

The role of sensory perception in the development and targeting of tobacco products.

PubMed

Carpenter, Carrie M; Wayne, Geoffrey Ferris; Connolly, Gregory N

2007-01-01

To examine tobacco industry research on smoking-related sensory effects, including differences in sensory perception across smoker groups, and to determine whether this research informed targeted product development and impacted the development of commercial tobacco products. We searched previously secret internal tobacco industry documents available online through document databases housed at Tobacco Documents Online, the British American Tobacco Document Archive and the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library. We identified relevant documents using a snowball sampling method to first search the databases using an initial set of key words and to then establish further search terms. Sensory research is a priority within the tobacco industry directly impacting commercial markets both in the United States and internationally. Sensory factors contribute to smoker satisfaction and product acceptance, and play an important role in controlling puffing behavior. Cigarette manufacturers have capitalized on distinct sensory preferences across gender, age and ethnic groups by tailoring products for specific populations. Regulation of tobacco products is needed to address product changes that are used to reinforce or contribute to tobacco dependence; for instance, the incorporation of additives that target attributes such as smoothness, harshness and aftertaste. Greater understanding of the role of sensory effects on smoking behavior may also help to inform the development of tobacco treatment options that support long-term tobacco abstinence.

The Effects of Cannabinoids on Executive Functions: Evidence from Cannabis and Synthetic Cannabinoids—A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Cohen, Koby; Weinstein, Aviv

2018-01-01

Background—Cannabis is the most popular illicit drug in the Western world. Repeated cannabis use has been associated with short and long-term range of adverse effects. Recently, new types of designer-drugs containing synthetic cannabinoids have been widespread. These synthetic cannabinoid drugs are associated with undesired adverse effects similar to those seen with cannabis use, yet, in more severe and long-lasting forms. Method—A literature search was conducted using electronic bibliographic databases up to 31 December 2017. Specific search strategies were employed using multiple keywords (e.g., “synthetic cannabinoids AND cognition,” “cannabis AND cognition” and “cannabinoids AND cognition”). Results—The search has yielded 160 eligible studies including 37 preclinical studies (5 attention, 25 short-term memory, 7 cognitive flexibility) and 44 human studies (16 attention, 15 working memory, 13 cognitive flexibility). Both pre-clinical and clinical studies demonstrated an association between synthetic cannabinoids and executive-function impairment either after acute or repeated consumptions. These deficits differ in severity depending on several factors including the type of drug, dose of use, quantity, age of onset and duration of use. Conclusions—Understanding the nature of the impaired executive function following consumption of synthetic cannabinoids is crucial in view of the increasing use of these drugs. PMID:29495540

The study of co-citation analysis and knowledge structure on healthcare domain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Kuo-Chung; Liu, Wen-I.; Tsai, Ming-Yu

2012-11-01

With the prevalence of Internet and digital archives, the online e-journal database facilitates scholars to search literature in a research domain, or to cross-search an inter-disciplined field; the key literature can be efficiently traced out. This study intends to build a Web-based citation analysis system, which consists of four modules, they are: 1) literature search module; (2) statistics module; (3) articles analysis module; and (4) co-citation analysis module. The system focuses on PubMed Central dataset that has 170,000 records. In a research domain, a specific keyword searches in terms of authors, journals, and core issues. In addition, we use data mining techniques for co-citation analysis. The results assist researchers with in-depth understanding of the domain knowledge. Having an automated system for co-citation analysis, it helps to understand changes, trends, and knowledge structure of research domain. For the best of our knowledge, the proposed system differentiates from existing online electronic retrieval database analysis function. Perhaps, the proposed system is going to be a value-added database of healthcare domain, and hope to contribute the researchers.

The pond is wider than you think! Problems encountered when searching family practice literature.

PubMed Central

Rosser, W. W.; Starkey, C.; Shaughnessy, R.

2000-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To explain differences in the results of literature searches in British general practice and North American family practice or family medicine. DESIGN: Comparative literature search. SETTING: The Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto in Ontario. METHOD: Literature searches on MEDLINE demonstrated that certain search strategies ignored certain key words, depending on the search engine and the search terms chosen. Literature searches using the key words "general practice," "family practice," and "family medicine" combined with the topics "depression" and then "otitis media" were conducted in MEDLINE using four different Web-based search engines: Ovid, HealthGate, PubMed, and Internet Grateful Med. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The number of MEDLINE references retrieved for both topics when searched with each of the three key words, "general practice," "family practice," and "family medicine" using each of the four search engines. RESULTS: For each topic, each search yielded very different articles. Some search engines did a better job of matching the term "general practice" to the terms "family medicine" and "family practice," and thus improved retrieval. The problem of language use extends to the variable use of terminology and differences in spelling between British and American English. CONCLUSION: We need to heighten awareness of literature search problems and the potential for duplication of research effort when some of the literature is ignored, and to suggest ways to overcome the deficiencies of the various search engines. Images Figure 1 Figure 2 PMID:10660792

Sculling Compensation Algorithm for SINS Based on Two-Time Scale Perturbation Model of Inertial Measurements

PubMed Central

Wang, Lingling; Fu, Li

2018-01-01

In order to decrease the velocity sculling error under vibration environments, a new sculling error compensation algorithm for strapdown inertial navigation system (SINS) using angular rate and specific force measurements as inputs is proposed in this paper. First, the sculling error formula in incremental velocity update is analytically derived in terms of the angular rate and specific force. Next, two-time scale perturbation models of the angular rate and specific force are constructed. The new sculling correction term is derived and a gravitational search optimization method is used to determine the parameters in the two-time scale perturbation models. Finally, the performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated in a stochastic real sculling environment, which is different from the conventional algorithms simulated in a pure sculling circumstance. A series of test results demonstrate that the new sculling compensation algorithm can achieve balanced real/pseudo sculling correction performance during velocity update with the advantage of less computation load compared with conventional algorithms. PMID:29346323

The use of mineral crystals as bio-markers in the search for life on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwartz, D. E.; Mancinelli, R. L.; Kaneshiro, E. S.

1992-01-01

It is proposed that minerals resulting from biologically controlled mineralization processes be utilized as biomarkers because of their favorable qualities. Universal signatures of life (biomarkers) are discussed in terms of their terrestrial forms and hypothetical Martian counterparts including organics, suites of specific inorganic and organic compounds, and isotopic ratios. It is emphasized that minerals produced under biologic control have morphological and isotopic compositions that are not found in their abiotic counterparts. Other biomarkers are not necessarily indicative of biological origin and are therefore unreliable resources for scientific study. Mineral crystals are also stable over long geological periods, and the minerals from Martian fluvial features can therefore be employed to search for fossils and biomarkers of early biological activity.

Biomedical information retrieval across languages.

PubMed

Daumke, Philipp; Markü, Kornél; Poprat, Michael; Schulz, Stefan; Klar, Rüdiger

2007-06-01

This work presents a new dictionary-based approach to biomedical cross-language information retrieval (CLIR) that addresses many of the general and domain-specific challenges in current CLIR research. Our method is based on a multilingual lexicon that was generated partly manually and partly automatically, and currently covers six European languages. It contains morphologically meaningful word fragments, termed subwords. Using subwords instead of entire words significantly reduces the number of lexical entries necessary to sufficiently cover a specific language and domain. Mediation between queries and documents is based on these subwords as well as on lists of word-n-grams that are generated from large monolingual corpora and constitute possible translation units. The translations are then sent to a standard Internet search engine. This process makes our approach an effective tool for searching the biomedical content of the World Wide Web in different languages. We evaluate this approach using the OHSUMED corpus, a large medical document collection, within a cross-language retrieval setting.

Empirically derived lifespan polytraumatization typologies: A systematic review.

PubMed

Contractor, Ateka A; Caldas, Stephanie; Fletcher, Shelley; Shea, M Tracie; Armour, Cherie

2018-07-01

Polytraumatization classes based on trauma endorsement patterns relate to distinct clinical outcomes. Person-centered approaches robustly evaluate the nature, and construct validity of polytraumatization classes. Our review examined evidence for the nature and construct validity of lifespan polytraumatization typologies. In September 2016, we searched Pubmed, PSYCINFO, PSYC ARTICLES, Academic Search Complete, PILPTS, Web of Science, CINAHL, Medline, PsycEXTRA, and PBSC. Search terms included "latent profile," "latent class," "latent analysis," "person-centered," "polytrauma," "polyvictimization," "traumatization," "lifetime," "cooccurring," "complex," "typology," "multidimensional," "sequential," "multiple," "subtype," "(re)victimization," "cumulative," "maltreatment," "abuse," and "stressor." Inclusionary criteria included: peer-reviewed; latent class/latent profile analyses (LCA/LPA) of lifespan polytrauma classes; adult samples of size greater than 200; only trauma types as LCA/LPA indicators; mental health correlates of typologies; and individual-level trauma assessment. Of 1,397 articles, nine met inclusion criteria. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, research assistants completed a secondary reference search, and independently extracted data with standardized coding forms. Three-class (n = 5) or four-class (n = 4) solutions were found. Seven studies found a class characterized by higher trauma endorsement (high-trauma). All studies found a class characterized by lower trauma endorsement (low-trauma), and predominance of specific traumas (specific-trauma; e.g., childhood maltreatment). High-trauma versus low-trauma classes and specific-trauma versus low-trauma classes differed on mental health correlates. Evidence supports the prevalence of a high-trauma class experiencing poorer mental health, and the detrimental impact of aggregated interpersonal and other traumas. We highlight the clinical importance of addressing polytraumatization classes, and comprehensively assessing the impact of all traumas. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Using noun phrases for navigating biomedical literature on Pubmed: how many updates are we losing track of?

PubMed

Srikrishna, Devabhaktuni; Coram, Marc A

2011-01-01

Author-supplied citations are a fraction of the related literature for a paper. The "related citations" on PubMed is typically dozens or hundreds of results long, and does not offer hints why these results are related. Using noun phrases derived from the sentences of the paper, we show it is possible to more transparently navigate to PubMed updates through search terms that can associate a paper with its citations. The algorithm to generate these search terms involved automatically extracting noun phrases from the paper using natural language processing tools, and ranking them by the number of occurrences in the paper compared to the number of occurrences on the web. We define search queries having at least one instance of overlap between the author-supplied citations of the paper and the top 20 search results as citation validated (CV). When the overlapping citations were written by same authors as the paper itself, we define it as CV-S and different authors is defined as CV-D. For a systematic sample of 883 papers on PubMed Central, at least one of the search terms for 86% of the papers is CV-D versus 65% for the top 20 PubMed "related citations." We hypothesize these quantities computed for the 20 million papers on PubMed to differ within 5% of these percentages. Averaged across all 883 papers, 5 search terms are CV-D, and 10 search terms are CV-S, and 6 unique citations validate these searches. Potentially related literature uncovered by citation-validated searches (either CV-S or CV-D) are on the order of ten per paper--many more if the remaining searches that are not citation-validated are taken into account. The significance and relationship of each search result to the paper can only be vetted and explained by a researcher with knowledge of or interest in that paper.

Using Noun Phrases for Navigating Biomedical Literature on Pubmed: How Many Updates Are We Losing Track of?

PubMed Central

Srikrishna, Devabhaktuni; Coram, Marc A.

2011-01-01

Author-supplied citations are a fraction of the related literature for a paper. The “related citations” on PubMed is typically dozens or hundreds of results long, and does not offer hints why these results are related. Using noun phrases derived from the sentences of the paper, we show it is possible to more transparently navigate to PubMed updates through search terms that can associate a paper with its citations. The algorithm to generate these search terms involved automatically extracting noun phrases from the paper using natural language processing tools, and ranking them by the number of occurrences in the paper compared to the number of occurrences on the web. We define search queries having at least one instance of overlap between the author-supplied citations of the paper and the top 20 search results as citation validated (CV). When the overlapping citations were written by same authors as the paper itself, we define it as CV-S and different authors is defined as CV-D. For a systematic sample of 883 papers on PubMed Central, at least one of the search terms for 86% of the papers is CV-D versus 65% for the top 20 PubMed “related citations.” We hypothesize these quantities computed for the 20 million papers on PubMed to differ within 5% of these percentages. Averaged across all 883 papers, 5 search terms are CV-D, and 10 search terms are CV-S, and 6 unique citations validate these searches. Potentially related literature uncovered by citation-validated searches (either CV-S or CV-D) are on the order of ten per paper – many more if the remaining searches that are not citation-validated are taken into account. The significance and relationship of each search result to the paper can only be vetted and explained by a researcher with knowledge of or interest in that paper. PMID:21935487

Parents' experiences of living with a child with a long-term condition: a rapid structured review of the literature.

PubMed

Smith, Joanna; Cheater, Francine; Bekker, Hilary

2015-08-01

Living with a child with a long-term condition can result in challenges above usual parenting because of illness-specific demands. A critical evaluation of research exploring parents' experiences of living with a child with a long-term condition is timely because international health policy advocates that patients with long-term conditions become active collaborators in care decisions. A rapid structured review was undertaken (January 1999-December 2009) in accordance with the United Kingdom Centre for Reviews and Dissemination guidance. Three data bases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, PSYCINFO) were searched and also hand searching of the Journal of Advanced Nursing and Child: Care, Health and Development. Primary research studies written in English language describing parents' experiences of living with a child with a long-term condition were included. Thematic analysis underpinned data synthesis. Quality appraisal involved assessing each study against predetermined criteria. Thirty-four studies met the inclusion criteria. The impact of living with a child with a long-term condition related to dealing with immediate concerns following the child's diagnosis and responding to the challenges of integrating the child's needs into family life. Parents' perceived they are not always supported in their quest for information and forming effective relationships with health-care professionals can be stressful. Although having ultimate responsibility for their child's health can be overwhelming, parents developed considerable expertise in managing their child's condition. Parents' accounts suggest they not always supported in their role as manager for their child's long-term condition and their expertise, and contribution to care is not always valued. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Radiotherapy and "new" drugs-new side effects?

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background and purpose Targeted drugs have augmented the cancer treatment armamentarium. Based on the molecular specificity, it was initially believed that these drugs had significantly less side effects. However, currently it is accepted that all of these agents have their specific side effects. Based on the given multimodal approach, special emphasis has to be placed on putative interactions of conventional cytostatic drugs, targeted agents and other modalities. The interaction of targeted drugs with radiation harbours special risks, since the awareness for interactions and even synergistic toxicities is lacking. At present, only limited is data available regarding combinations of targeted drugs and radiotherapy. This review gives an overview on the current knowledge on such combined treatments. Materials and methods Using the following MESH headings and combinations of these terms pubmed database was searched: Radiotherapy AND cetuximab/trastuzumab/panitumumab/nimotuzumab, bevacizumab, sunitinib/sorafenib/lapatinib/gefitinib/erlotinib/sirolimus, thalidomide/lenalidomide as well as erythropoietin. For citation crosscheck the ISI web of science database was used employing the same search terms. Results Several classes of targeted substances may be distinguished: Small molecules including kinase inhibitors and specific inhibitors, antibodies, and anti-angiogenic agents. Combination of these agents with radiotherapy may lead to specific toxicities or negatively influence the efficacy of RT. Though there is only little information on the interaction of molecular targeted radiation and radiotherapy in clinical settings, several critical incidents are reported. Conclusions The addition of molecular targeted drugs to conventional radiotherapy outside of approved regimens or clinical trials warrants a careful consideration especially when used in conjunction in hypo-fractionated regimens. Clinical trials are urgently needed in order to address the open question in regard to efficacy, early and late toxicity. PMID:22188921

Prevalence and risk factors for mast cell tumours in dogs in England.

PubMed

Shoop, Stephanie Jw; Marlow, Stephanie; Church, David B; English, Kate; McGreevy, Paul D; Stell, Anneliese J; Thomson, Peter C; O'Neill, Dan G; Brodbelt, David C

2015-01-01

Mast cell tumour (MCT) appears to be a frequent tumour type in dogs, though there is little published in relation to its frequency in dogs in the UK. The current study aimed to investigate prevalence and risk factors for MCTs in dogs attending English primary-care veterinary practices. Electronic patient records from practices participating in the VetCompass animal surveillance project between July 2007 and June 2013 were searched for MCT diagnosis. Various search terms and standard diagnostic terms (VeNom codes) identified records containing MCT diagnoses, which were evaluated against clinical criteria for inclusion to the study. MCT prevalence for the entire dataset and specific breed types were calculated. Descriptive statistics characterised MCT cases and multivariable logistic regression methods evaluated risk factors for association with MCT (P < 0.05). Within a population of 168,636 dogs, 453 had MCT, yielding a prevalence of 0.27% (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.24% - 0.29%). The highest breed type specific prevalences were for the Boxer at 1.95% (95% CI 1.40% - 2.51%), Golden Retriever at 1.39% (0.98% - 1.81%) and Weimaraner at 0.85% (95% CI 0.17% to 1.53%). Age, insurance status, neuter status, weight and breed type were associated with MCT diagnosis. Of dogs of specific breed type, the Boxer, Pug and Staffordshire Bull Terrier showed greater odds of MCT diagnosis compared with crossbred dogs. Conversely, the German Shepherd Dog, Border Collie, West Highland White Terrier, Springer Spaniel and Cocker Spaniel had reduced odds of MCT diagnosis compared with crossbred dogs. No association was found between MCT diagnosis and sex. This study highlights a clinically significant prevalence of MCT and identifies specific breed types with predisposition to MCT, potentially aiding veterinarian awareness and facilitating diagnosis.

Can electronic search engines optimize screening of search results in systematic reviews: an empirical study.

PubMed

Sampson, Margaret; Barrowman, Nicholas J; Moher, David; Clifford, Tammy J; Platt, Robert W; Morrison, Andra; Klassen, Terry P; Zhang, Li

2006-02-24

Most electronic search efforts directed at identifying primary studies for inclusion in systematic reviews rely on the optimal Boolean search features of search interfaces such as DIALOG and Ovid. Our objective is to test the ability of an Ultraseek search engine to rank MEDLINE records of the included studies of Cochrane reviews within the top half of all the records retrieved by the Boolean MEDLINE search used by the reviewers. Collections were created using the MEDLINE bibliographic records of included and excluded studies listed in the review and all records retrieved by the MEDLINE search. Records were converted to individual HTML files. Collections of records were indexed and searched through a statistical search engine, Ultraseek, using review-specific search terms. Our data sources, systematic reviews published in the Cochrane library, were included if they reported using at least one phase of the Cochrane Highly Sensitive Search Strategy (HSSS), provided citations for both included and excluded studies and conducted a meta-analysis using a binary outcome measure. Reviews were selected if they yielded between 1000-6000 records when the MEDLINE search strategy was replicated. Nine Cochrane reviews were included. Included studies within the Cochrane reviews were found within the first 500 retrieved studies more often than would be expected by chance. Across all reviews, recall of included studies into the top 500 was 0.70. There was no statistically significant difference in ranking when comparing included studies with just the subset of excluded studies listed as excluded in the published review. The relevance ranking provided by the search engine was better than expected by chance and shows promise for the preliminary evaluation of large results from Boolean searches. A statistical search engine does not appear to be able to make fine discriminations concerning the relevance of bibliographic records that have been pre-screened by systematic reviewers.

A framework for intelligent data acquisition and real-time database searching for shotgun proteomics.

PubMed

Graumann, Johannes; Scheltema, Richard A; Zhang, Yong; Cox, Jürgen; Mann, Matthias

2012-03-01

In the analysis of complex peptide mixtures by MS-based proteomics, many more peptides elute at any given time than can be identified and quantified by the mass spectrometer. This makes it desirable to optimally allocate peptide sequencing and narrow mass range quantification events. In computer science, intelligent agents are frequently used to make autonomous decisions in complex environments. Here we develop and describe a framework for intelligent data acquisition and real-time database searching and showcase selected examples. The intelligent agent is implemented in the MaxQuant computational proteomics environment, termed MaxQuant Real-Time. It analyzes data as it is acquired on the mass spectrometer, constructs isotope patterns and SILAC pair information as well as controls MS and tandem MS events based on real-time and prior MS data or external knowledge. Re-implementing a top10 method in the intelligent agent yields similar performance to the data dependent methods running on the mass spectrometer itself. We demonstrate the capabilities of MaxQuant Real-Time by creating a real-time search engine capable of identifying peptides "on-the-fly" within 30 ms, well within the time constraints of a shotgun fragmentation "topN" method. The agent can focus sequencing events onto peptides of specific interest, such as those originating from a specific gene ontology (GO) term, or peptides that are likely modified versions of already identified peptides. Finally, we demonstrate enhanced quantification of SILAC pairs whose ratios were poorly defined in survey spectra. MaxQuant Real-Time is flexible and can be applied to a large number of scenarios that would benefit from intelligent, directed data acquisition. Our framework should be especially useful for new instrument types, such as the quadrupole-Orbitrap, that are currently becoming available.

A Framework for Intelligent Data Acquisition and Real-Time Database Searching for Shotgun Proteomics*

PubMed Central

Graumann, Johannes; Scheltema, Richard A.; Zhang, Yong; Cox, Jürgen; Mann, Matthias

2012-01-01

In the analysis of complex peptide mixtures by MS-based proteomics, many more peptides elute at any given time than can be identified and quantified by the mass spectrometer. This makes it desirable to optimally allocate peptide sequencing and narrow mass range quantification events. In computer science, intelligent agents are frequently used to make autonomous decisions in complex environments. Here we develop and describe a framework for intelligent data acquisition and real-time database searching and showcase selected examples. The intelligent agent is implemented in the MaxQuant computational proteomics environment, termed MaxQuant Real-Time. It analyzes data as it is acquired on the mass spectrometer, constructs isotope patterns and SILAC pair information as well as controls MS and tandem MS events based on real-time and prior MS data or external knowledge. Re-implementing a top10 method in the intelligent agent yields similar performance to the data dependent methods running on the mass spectrometer itself. We demonstrate the capabilities of MaxQuant Real-Time by creating a real-time search engine capable of identifying peptides “on-the-fly” within 30 ms, well within the time constraints of a shotgun fragmentation “topN” method. The agent can focus sequencing events onto peptides of specific interest, such as those originating from a specific gene ontology (GO) term, or peptides that are likely modified versions of already identified peptides. Finally, we demonstrate enhanced quantification of SILAC pairs whose ratios were poorly defined in survey spectra. MaxQuant Real-Time is flexible and can be applied to a large number of scenarios that would benefit from intelligent, directed data acquisition. Our framework should be especially useful for new instrument types, such as the quadrupole-Orbitrap, that are currently becoming available. PMID:22171319

The drug treatment of delayed ejaculation

PubMed Central

Elsaied, Moustafa A.; Mostafa, Taymour

2016-01-01

Delayed ejaculation (DE) is an uncommon and a challenging disorder to treat. It is often quite concerning to patients and it can affect psychosocial well-being. Here we reviewed how DE is treated pharmacologically .We also highlighted specific settings where drugs could be introduced to medical practice. Electronic databases were searched from 1966 to February 2016, including PubMed MEDLINE, EMBASE, EBCSO Academic Search Complete, Cochrane Systematic Reviews Database, and Google Scholar using key words; delayed ejaculation, retarded ejaculation, inhibited ejaculation, drugs, treatment, or pharmacology. To achieve the maximum sensitivity of the search strategy and to identify all studies, we combined “delayed ejaculation” as Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms or keywords with each of “testosterone” or “cabergoline” or “bupropion” or “amantadine” or “cyproheptadine” or “midodrine” or “imipramine” or “ephedrine” or “pseudoephedrine” or “yohimbine” or “buspirone” or “oxytocin” or “bethanechol” as MeSH terms or keywords. There are a number of drugs to treat patients with DE including: testosterone, cabergoline, bupropion, amantadine, cyproheptadine, midodrine, imipramine, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, yohimbine, buspirone, oxytocin, and bethanechol. Although there are many pharmacological treatment options, the evidence is still limited to small trials, case series or case reports. Review of literature showed that evidence level 1 (Double blind randomized clinical trial) studies were performed with testosterone, oxytocin, buspirone or bethanechol treatment. It is concluded that successful drug treatment of DE is still in its infancy. The clinicians need to be aware of the pathogenesis of DE and the pharmacological basis underlying the use of different drugs to extend better care for these patients. Various drugs are available to address such problem, however their evidence of efficacy is still limited and their choice needs to be individualized to each specific case. PMID:27652229

Internet search term affects the quality and accuracy of online information about developmental hip dysplasia.

PubMed

Fabricant, Peter D; Dy, Christopher J; Patel, Ronak M; Blanco, John S; Doyle, Shevaun M

2013-06-01

The recent emphasis on shared decision-making has increased the role of the Internet as a readily accessible medical reference source for patients and families. However, the lack of professional review creates concern over the quality, accuracy, and readability of medical information available to patients on the Internet. Three Internet search engines (Google, Yahoo, and Bing) were evaluated prospectively using 3 difference search terms of varying sophistication ("congenital hip dislocation," "developmental dysplasia of the hip," and "hip dysplasia in children"). Sixty-three unique Web sites were evaluated by each of 3 surgeons (2 fellowship-trained pediatric orthopaedic attendings and 1 orthopaedic chief resident) for quality and accuracy using a set of scoring criteria based on the AAOS/POSNA patient education Web site. The readability (literacy grade level) of each Web site was assessed using the Fleisch-Kincaid score. There were significant differences noted in quality, accuracy, and readability of information depending on the search term used. The search term "developmental dysplasia of the hip" provided higher quality and accuracy compared with the search term "congenital hip dislocation." Of the 63 total Web sites, 1 (1.6%) was below the sixth grade reading level recommended by the NIH for health education materials and 8 (12.7%) Web sites were below the average American reading level (eighth grade). The quality and accuracy of information available on the Internet regarding developmental hip dysplasia significantly varied with the search term used. Patients seeking information about DDH on the Internet may not understand the materials found because nearly all of the Web sites are written at a level above that recommended for publically distributed health information. Physicians should advise their patients to search for information using the term "developmental dysplasia of the hip" or, better yet, should refer patients to Web sites that they have personally reviewed for content and clarity. Orthopaedic surgeons, professional societies, and search engines should undertake efforts to ensure that patients have access to information about DDH that is both accurate and easily understandable.

Global Search Trends of Oral Problems using Google Trends from 2004 to 2016: An Exploratory Analysis

PubMed Central

Patthi, Basavaraj; Singla, Ashish; Gupta, Ritu; Prasad, Monika; Ali, Irfan; Dhama, Kuldeep; Niraj, Lav Kumar

2017-01-01

Introduction Oral diseases are pandemic cause of morbidity with widespread geographic distribution. This technology based era has brought about easy knowledge transfer than traditional dependency on information obtained from family doctors. Hence, harvesting this system of trends can aid in oral disease quantification. Aim To conduct an exploratory analysis of the changes in internet search volumes of oral diseases by using Google Trends© (GT©). Materials and Methods GT© were utilized to provide real world facts based on search terms related to categories, interest by region and interest over time. Time period chosen was from January 2004 to December 2016. Five different search terms were explored and compared based on the highest relative search volumes along with comma separated value files to obtain an insight into highest search traffic. Results The search volume measured over the time span noted the term “Dental caries” to be the most searched in Japan, “Gingivitis” in Jordan, “Oral Cancer” in Taiwan, “No Teeth” in Australia, “HIV symptoms” in Zimbabwe, “Broken Teeth” in United Kingdom, “Cleft palate” in Philippines, “Toothache” in Indonesia and the comparison of top five searched terms provided the “Gingivitis” with highest search volume. Conclusion The results from the present study offers an insight into a competent tool that can analyse and compare oral diseases over time. The trend research platform can be used on emerging diseases and their drift in geographic population with great acumen. This tool can be utilized in forecasting, modulating marketing strategies and planning disability limitation techniques. PMID:29207825

Google Search Queries About Neurosurgical Topics: Are They a Suitable Guide for Neurosurgeons?

PubMed

Lawson McLean, Anna C; Lawson McLean, Aaron; Kalff, Rolf; Walter, Jan

2016-06-01

Google is the most popular search engine, with about 100 billion searches per month. Google Trends is an integrated tool that allows users to obtain Google's search popularity statistics from the last decade. Our aim was to evaluate whether Google Trends is a useful tool to assess the public's interest in specific neurosurgical topics. We evaluated Google Trends statistics for the neurosurgical search topic areas "hydrocephalus," "spinal stenosis," "concussion," "vestibular schwannoma," and "cerebral arteriovenous malformation." We compared these with bibliometric data from PubMed and epidemiologic data from the German Federal Monitoring Agency. In addition, we assessed Google users' search behavior for the search terms "glioblastoma" and "meningioma." Over the last 10 years, there has been an increasing interest in the topic "concussion" from Internet users in general and scientists. "Spinal stenosis," "concussion," and "vestibular schwannoma" are topics that are of special interest in high-income countries (eg, Germany), whereas "hydrocephalus" is a popular topic in low- and middle-income countries. The Google-defined top searches within these topic areas revealed more detail about people's interests (eg, "normal pressure hydrocephalus" or "football concussion" ranked among the most popular search queries within the corresponding topics). There was a similar volume of queries for "glioblastoma" and "meningioma." Google Trends is a useful source to elicit information about general trends in peoples' health interests and the role of different diseases across the world. The Internet presence of neurosurgical units and surgeons can be guided by online users' interests to achieve high-quality, professional-endorsed patient education. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Long-Term Priming of Visual Search Prevails against the Passage of Time and Counteracting Instructions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kruijne, Wouter; Meeter, Martijn

2016-01-01

Studies on "intertrial priming" have shown that in visual search experiments, the preceding trial automatically affects search performance: facilitating it when the target features repeat and giving rise to switch costs when they change--so-called (short-term) intertrial priming. These effects also occur at longer time scales: When 1 of…

Semantic Features for Classifying Referring Search Terms

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

May, Chandler J.; Henry, Michael J.; McGrath, Liam R.

2012-05-11

When an internet user clicks on a result in a search engine, a request is submitted to the destination web server that includes a referrer field containing the search terms given by the user. Using this information, website owners can analyze the search terms leading to their websites to better understand their visitors needs. This work explores some of the features that can be used for classification-based analysis of such referring search terms. We present initial results for the example task of classifying HTTP requests countries of origin. A system that can accurately predict the country of origin from querymore » text may be a valuable complement to IP lookup methods which are susceptible to the obfuscation of dereferrers or proxies. We suggest that the addition of semantic features improves classifier performance in this example application. We begin by looking at related work and presenting our approach. After describing initial experiments and results, we discuss paths forward for this work.« less

Seasonal trends in sleep-disordered breathing: evidence from Internet search engine query data.

PubMed

Ingram, David G; Matthews, Camilla K; Plante, David T

2015-03-01

The primary aim of the current study was to test the hypothesis that there is a seasonal component to snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) through the use of Google search engine query data. Internet search engine query data were retrieved from Google Trends from January 2006 to December 2012. Monthly normalized search volume was obtained over that 7-year period in the USA and Australia for the following search terms: "snoring" and "sleep apnea". Seasonal effects were investigated by fitting cosinor regression models. In addition, the search terms "snoring children" and "sleep apnea children" were evaluated to examine seasonal effects in pediatric populations. Statistically significant seasonal effects were found using cosinor analysis in both USA and Australia for "snoring" (p < 0.00001 for both countries). Similarly, seasonal patterns were observed for "sleep apnea" in the USA (p = 0.001); however, cosinor analysis was not significant for this search term in Australia (p = 0.13). Seasonal patterns for "snoring children" and "sleep apnea children" were observed in the USA (p = 0.002 and p < 0.00001, respectively), with insufficient search volume to examine these search terms in Australia. All searches peaked in the winter or early spring in both countries, with the magnitude of seasonal effect ranging from 5 to 50 %. Our findings indicate that there are significant seasonal trends for both snoring and sleep apnea internet search engine queries, with a peak in the winter and early spring. Further research is indicated to determine the mechanisms underlying these findings, whether they have clinical impact, and if they are associated with other comorbid medical conditions that have similar patterns of seasonal exacerbation.

[How do authors of systematic reviews restrict their literature searches when only studies from Germany should be included?

PubMed

Pieper, Dawid; Mathes, Tim; Palm, Rebecca; Hoffmann, Falk

2016-11-01

The use of search filters (e. g. for study types) facilitates the process of literature searching. Regional limits might be helpful depending on the research question. Regional search filters are already available for some regions, but not for Germany. Our aim is to give an overview of applied search strategies in systematic reviews (SRs) focusing on Germany. We searched Medline (via Pubmed) applying a focused search strategy to identify SRs focusing on Germany in January 2016. Study selection and data extraction were performed by two reviewers independently. The search strategies with a focus on Germany were analyzed in terms of reasonableness and completeness relying on the Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies (PRESS) criteria. A narrative evidence synthesis was performed. In total, 36 SRs (13 written in English) were included. 78% were published in 2012 or later. The majority (89%) of SRs utilized at least two different sources for their search with databases and checking references being the most common. 17 SRs did not use any truncations, ten SRs did not restrict their search to Germany, six SRs reported to have searched for German OR Germany. Only ten articles searched for the term Germany (occasionally jointly with the term Deutschland) without any use of an adjective such as German. There is a high interest in regionally focused SRs. The identified search strategies revealed a need for improvement. It would be helpful to develop a regional search filter for Germany that is able to identify studies performed in Germany. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

Association of Internet search trends with suicide death in Taipei City, Taiwan, 2004-2009.

PubMed

Yang, Albert C; Tsai, Shi-Jen; Huang, Norden E; Peng, Chung-Kang

2011-07-01

Although Internet has become an important source for affected people seeking suicide information, the connection between Internet searches for suicide information and suicidal death remains largely unknown. This study aims to evaluate the association between suicide and Internet searches trends for 37 suicide-related terms representing major known risks of suicide. This study analyzes suicide death data in Taipei City, Taiwan and corresponding local Internet search trend data provided by Google Insights for Search during the period from January 2004 to December 2009. The investigation uses cross correlation analysis to estimate the temporal relationship between suicide and Internet search trends and multiple linear regression analysis to identify significant factors associated with suicide from a pool of search trend data that either coincides or precedes the suicide death. Results show that a set of suicide-related search terms, the trends of which either temporally coincided or preceded trends of suicide data, were associated with suicide death. These search factors varied among different suicide samples. Searches for "major depression" and "divorce" accounted for, at most, 30.2% of the variance in suicide data. When considering only leading suicide trends, searches for "divorce" and the pro-suicide term "complete guide of suicide," accounted for 22.7% of variance in suicide data. Appropriate filtering and detection of potentially harmful source in keyword-driven search results by search engine providers may be a reasonable strategy to reduce suicide deaths. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

AnatomicalTerms.info: heading for an online solution to the anatomical synonym problem hurdles in data-reuse from the Terminologia Anatomica and the foundational model of anatomy and potentials for future development.

PubMed

Gobée, O Paul; Jansma, Daniël; DeRuiter, Marco C

2011-10-01

The many synonyms for anatomical structures confuse medical students and complicate medical communication. Easily accessible translations would alleviate this problem. None of the presently available resources-Terminologia Anatomica (TA), digital terminologies such as the Foundational Model of Anatomy (FMA), and websites-are fully satisfactory to this aim. Internet technologies offer new possibilities to solve the problem. Several authors have called for an online TA. An online translation resource should be easily accessible, user-friendly, comprehensive, expandable, and its quality determinable. As first step towards this goal, we built a translation website that we named www.AnatomicalTerms.info, based on the database of the FMA. It translates between English, Latin, eponyms, and to a lesser extent other languages, and presently contains over 31,000 terms for 7,250 structures, covering 95% of TA. In addition, it automatically presents searches for images, documents and anatomical variations regarding the sought structure. Several terminological and conceptual issues were encountered in transferring data from TA and FMA into AnatomicalTerms.info, resultant from these resources' different set-ups (paper versus digital) and targets (machine versus human-user). To the best of our knowledge, AnatomicalTerms.info is unique in its combination of user-friendliness and comprehensiveness. As next step, wiki-like expandability will be added to enable open contribution of clinical synonyms and terms in different languages. Specific quality measures will be taken to strike a balance between open contribution and quality assurance. AnatomicalTerms.info's mechanism that "translates" terms to structures furthermore may enhance targeted searching by linking images, descriptions, and other anatomical resources to the structures. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Quantifying Intrinsic Specificity: A Potential Complement to Affinity in Drug Screening

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jin; Zheng, Xiliang; Yang, Yongliang; Drueckhammer, Dale; Yang, Wei; Verkhivker, Gennardy; Wang, Erkang

2007-11-01

We report here the investigation of a novel description of specificity in protein-ligand binding based on energy landscape theory. We define a new term, intrinsic specificity ratio (ISR), which describes the level of discrimination in binding free energies of the native basin for a protein-ligand complex from the weaker binding states of the same ligand. We discuss the relationship between the intrinsic specificity we defined here and the conventional definition of specificity. In a docking study of molecules with the enzyme COX-2, we demonstrate a statistical correspondence between ISR value and geometrical shapes of the small molecules binding to COX-2. We further observe that the known selective (nonselective) inhibitors of COX-2 have higher (lower) ISR values. We suggest that intrinsic specificity ratio may be a useful new criterion and a complement to affinity in drug screening and in searching for potential drug lead compounds.

The role of positron emission tomography/computed tomography imaging with radiolabeled choline analogues in prostate cancer.

PubMed

Navarro-Pelayo Láinez, M M; Rodríguez-Fernández, A; Gómez-Río, M; Vázquez-Alonso, F; Cózar-Olmo, J M; Llamas-Elvira, J M

2014-11-01

prostate cancer is the most frequent solid malignant tumor in Western Countries. Positron emission tomography/x-ray computed tomography imaging with radiolabeled choline analogues is a useful tool for restaging prostate cancer in patients with rising prostate-specific antigen after radical treatment (in whom conventional imaging techniques have important limitations) as well as in the initial assessment of a selected group of prostate cancer patients. For this reason a literature review is necessary in order to evaluate the usefulness of this imaging test for the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. a MEDLINE (PubMed way) literature search was performed using the search parameters: «Prostate cancer» and «Choline-PET/CT». Other search terms were «Biochemical failure» and/or «Staging» and/or «PSA kinetics». English and Spanish papers were selected; original articles, reviews, systematic reviews and clinical guidelines were included. according to available data, radiolabeled choline analogues plays an important role in the management of prostate cancer, especially in biochemical relapse because technique accuracy is properly correlated with prostate-specific antigen values and kinetics. Although is an emerging diagnostic technique useful in treatment planning of prostate cancer, final recommendations have not been submitted. Copyright © 2013 AEU. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Risk factors, incidence, consequences and prevention strategies for falls and fall-injury within older indigenous populations: a systematic review.

PubMed

Lukaszyk, Caroline; Harvey, Lara; Sherrington, Cathie; Keay, Lisa; Tiedemann, Anne; Coombes, Julieann; Clemson, Lindy; Ivers, Rebecca

2016-12-01

To examine the risk factors, incidence, consequences and existing prevention strategies for falls and fall-related injury in older indigenous people. Relevant literature was identified through searching 14 electronic databases, a range of institutional websites, online search engines and government databases, using search terms pertaining to indigenous status, injury and ageing. Thirteen studies from Australia, the United States, Central America and Canada were identified. Few studies reported on fall rates but two reported that around 30% of indigenous people aged 45 years and above experienced at least one fall during the past year. The most common hospitalised fall injuries among older indigenous people were hip fracture and head injury. Risk factors significantly associated with falls within indigenous populations included poor mobility, a history of stroke, epilepsy, head injury, poor hearing and urinary incontinence. No formally evaluated, indigenous-specific fall prevention interventions were identified. Falls are a significant and growing health issue for older indigenous people worldwide that can lead to severe health consequences and even death. No fully-evaluated, indigenous-specific fall prevention programs were identified. Implications for Public Health: Research into fall patterns and fall-related injury among indigenous people is necessary for the development of appropriate fall prevention interventions. © 2016 Public Health Association of Australia.

Describing methods and interventions: a protocol for the systematic analysis of the perioperative quality improvement literature.

PubMed

Jones, Emma; Lees, Nicholas; Martin, Graham; Dixon-Woods, Mary

2014-09-05

Quality improvement (QI) methods are widely used in surgery in an effort to improve care, often using techniques such as Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles to implement specific interventions. Explicit definition of both the QI method and quality intervention is necessary to enable the accurate replication of effective interventions in practice, facilitate cumulative learning, reduce research waste and optimise benefits to patients. This systematic review aims to assess quality of reporting of QI methods and quality interventions in perioperative care. Studies reporting on quality interventions implemented in perioperative care settings will be identified. Searches will be conducted in the Ovid SP version of Medline, Scopus, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care database and the related articles function of PubMed. The journal BMJ Quality will be searched separately. Search strategy terms will relate to (i) surgery, (ii) QI and (iii) evaluation methods. Explicit exclusion and inclusion criteria will be applied. Data from studies will be extracted using a data extraction form. The Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist will be used to evaluate quality of reporting, together with additional items aimed at assessing QI methods specifically. PROSPERO http://CRD42014012845.

Primary care interventions and current service innovations in modifying long-term outcomes after stroke: a protocol for a scoping review

PubMed Central

Pindus, Dominika M; Lim, Lisa; Rundell, A Viona; Hobbs, Victoria; Aziz, Noorazah Abd; Mullis, Ricky; Mant, Jonathan

2016-01-01

Introduction Interventions delivered by primary and/or community care have the potential to reach the majority of stroke survivors and carers and offer ongoing support. However, an integrative account emerging from the reviews of interventions addressing specific long-term outcomes after stroke is lacking. The aims of the proposed scoping review are to provide an overview of: (1) primary care and community healthcare interventions by generalist healthcare professionals to stroke survivors and/or their informal carers to address long-term outcomes after stroke, (2) the scope and characteristics of interventions which were successful in addressing long-term outcomes, and (3) developments in current clinical practice. Methods and analysis Studies that focused on adult community dwelling stroke survivors and informal carers were included. Academic electronic databases will be searched to identify reviews of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled trials, trials from the past 5 years; reviews of observational studies. Practice exemplars from grey literature will be identified through advanced Google search. Reports, guidelines and other documents of major health organisations, clinical professional bodies, and stroke charities in the UK and internationally will be included. Two reviewers will independently screen titles, abstracts and full texts for inclusion of published literature. One reviewer will screen search results from the grey literature and identify relevant documents for inclusion. Data synthesis will include analysis of the number, type of studies, year and country of publication, a summary of intervention components/service or practice, outcomes addressed, main results (an indicator of effectiveness) and a description of included interventions. Ethics and dissemination The review will help identify components of care and care pathways for primary care services for stroke. By comparing the results with stroke survivors' and carers' needs identified in the literature, the review will highlight potential gaps in research and practice relevant to long-term care after stroke. PMID:27798023

The prescription opioid epidemic: an overview for anesthesiologists.

PubMed

Alam, Asim; Juurlink, David N

2016-01-01

The objectives for preparing this article were to review the historical context and epidemiology surrounding the North American prescription opioid crisis, to summarize the evidence regarding the benefits and harms of long-term opioid therapy for non-cancer pain, and to outline ways in which anesthesiologists may help ameliorate the problem. We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, and EMBASE™ for relevant articles using various search terms, including pain, opioid epidemic, history of opioid use, perioperative care, and addiction. Related citations were further explored and searched depending on the specific subtopic of interest. In the 1980s and early 1990s, opioids were infrequently used for the treatment of chronic pain. Thereafter, however, physicians were gradually inculcated with the message that long-term opioid therapy was a safe and effective treatment option for patients with chronic non-cancer pain. Pharmaceutical companies supported this growing movement and employed aggressive and sometimes misleading marketing strategies for new opioid formulations. As a result, the practice of prescribing opioids flourished in the late 1990s. The surge in prescribing opioids was accompanied by a marked increase in opioid-related morbidity and mortality. This change in practice transpired despite the absence of randomized trials showing clinically significant benefit from the long-term use of opioids. Subsequently, however, a large and growing body of evidence has emerged quantifying the harms associated with long-term opioid therapy. Anesthesiologists widely prescribe opioids for acute and chronic pain; yet, as a group, they may be largely unaware of the current state of this growing epidemic and what role they can play to rectify this problem. Anesthesiologists are well positioned to take a leadership role in the management of postoperative discharge opioid therapy in an effort to curb the overutilization of opioids. Furthermore, anesthesiologists who regularly prescribe opioids for chronic pain patients should appreciate the limited evidence base for this practice and communicate the risks of opioid therapy to their patients.

Multitasking Web Searching and Implications for Design.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozmutlu, Seda; Ozmutlu, H. C.; Spink, Amanda

2003-01-01

Findings from a study of users' multitasking searches on Web search engines include: multitasking searches are a noticeable user behavior; multitasking search sessions are longer than regular search sessions in terms of queries per session and duration; both Excite and AlltheWeb.com users search for about three topics per multitasking session and…

Development and Validation of Search Filters to Identify Articles on Family Medicine in Online Medical Databases

PubMed Central

Pols, David H.J.; Bramer, Wichor M.; Bindels, Patrick J.E.; van de Laar, Floris A.; Bohnen, Arthur M.

2015-01-01

Physicians and researchers in the field of family medicine often need to find relevant articles in online medical databases for a variety of reasons. Because a search filter may help improve the efficiency and quality of such searches, we aimed to develop and validate search filters to identify research studies of relevance to family medicine. Using a new and objective method for search filter development, we developed and validated 2 search filters for family medicine. The sensitive filter had a sensitivity of 96.8% and a specificity of 74.9%. The specific filter had a specificity of 97.4% and a sensitivity of 90.3%. Our new filters should aid literature searches in the family medicine field. The sensitive filter may help researchers conducting systematic reviews, whereas the specific filter may help family physicians find answers to clinical questions at the point of care when time is limited. PMID:26195683

Mine safety: Occupational health -- general studies. (Latest citations from the NTIS bibliographic database). Published Search

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1996-07-01

The bibliography contains citations concerning occupational hazards in the metals and fossil fuel mining environment. Topics include the detection, control and effects of respirable dust, safety aspects of various mining methods, gas detection, and field surveys of specific operations. Some attention is given to legislative aspects of mine safety and benefits to the disabled.(Contains 50-250 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.) (Copyright NERAC, Inc. 1995)

Bioindicators of marine pollution. (Latest citations from Oceanic Abstracts database). Published Search

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1993-09-01

The bibliography contains citations concerning the use of marine plants and animals as indicators of organic and inorganic pollutant distribution. Topics include descriptions of specific species and assemblages, regional and local monitoring studies, and analyses of the soft and hard parts of marine animals. Studies of algae, bivalves, corals, crustaceans, bacterial counts, and seagrasses in estuaries and benthic areas are included. (Contains 250 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

Bioindicators of marine pollution. (Latest citations from Oceanic Abstracts). Published Search

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1993-12-01

The bibliography contains citations concerning the use of marine plants and animals as indicators of organic and inorganic pollutant distribution. Topics include descriptions of specific species and assemblages, regional and local monitoring studies, and analyses of the soft and hard parts of marine animals. Studies of algae, bivalves, corals, crustaceans, bacterial counts, and seagrasses in estuaries and benthic areas are included. (Contains 250 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

Brief report on a systematic review of youth violence prevention through media campaigns: Does the limited yield of strong evidence imply methodological challenges or absence of effect?

PubMed

Cassidy, Tali; Bowman, Brett; McGrath, Chloe; Matzopoulos, Richard

2016-10-01

We present a brief report on a systematic review which identified, assessed and synthesized the existing evidence of the effectiveness of media campaigns in reducing youth violence. Search strategies made use of terms for youth, violence and a range of terms relating to the intervention. An array of academic databases and websites were searched. Although media campaigns to reduce violence are widespread, only six studies met the inclusion criteria. There is little strong evidence to support a direct link between media campaigns and a reduction in youth violence. Several studies measure proxies for violence such as empathy or opinions related to violence, but the link between these measures and violence perpetration is unclear. Nonetheless, some evidence suggests that a targeted and context-specific campaign, especially when combined with other measures, can reduce violence. However, such campaigns are less cost-effective to replicate over large populations than generalised campaigns. It is unclear whether the paucity of evidence represents a null effect or methodological challenges with evaluating media campaigns. Future studies need to be carefully planned to accommodate for methodological difficulties as well as to identify the specific elements of campaigns that work, especially in lower and middle income countries. Copyright © 2016 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Are sugar-free confections really beneficial for dental health?

PubMed

Nadimi, H; Wesamaa, H; Janket, S-J; Bollu, P; Meurman, J H

2011-10-07

Various sugar substitutes have been introduced and are widely used in confections and beverages to avoid tooth decay from sugar and other fermentable carbohydrates. One group of sugar substitutes are sugar alcohols or polyols. They have been specifically used in foods for diabetic patients because polyols are not readily absorbed in the intestine and blood stream, preventing post-prandial elevation of glucose level. Additionally they may lower caloric intake. We searched PubMed, Cochrane Controlled Trials Registry, Cochrane Oral Health Review, Centre for Reviews and Dissemination in the UK, National Library for Public Health and a Centre for Evidence Based Dentistry website up to the end of October 2010, using the search terms 'sugar alcohol' or 'sugar-free' or 'polyols' and combined with a search with terms 'dental caries' or 'dental erosion'. Xylitol, a polyol, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for its non-cariogenic properties that actually reduce the risk of dental decay and recently, the European Union also officially approved a health claim about xylitol as a 'tooth friendly' component in chewing gums. Although the presence of acidic flavourings and preservatives in sugar-free products has received less attention, these additives may have adverse dental health effects, such as dental erosion. Furthermore, the term sugar-free may generate false security because people may automatically believe that sugar-free products are safe on teeth. We concluded that polyol-based sugar-free products may decrease dental caries incidence but they may bring another dental health risk, dental erosion, if they contain acidic flavouring. There is a need for properly conducted clinical studies in this area.

Approach to evaluation and management of a patient with multiple food allergies.

PubMed

Bird, J Andrew

2016-01-01

Diagnosing food allergy is often challenging, and validated testing modalities are mostly limited to immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated reactions to foods. Use of food-specific IgE tests and skin prick tests in individuals without a history that supports an IgE-mediated reaction to the specific food being tested diminishes the predictive capabilities of the test. To review the literature regarding evaluation of patients with a concern for multiple food allergies and to demonstrate an evidence-based approach to diagnosis and management. A literature search was performed and articles identified as relevant based on the search terms "food allergy," "food allergy diagnosis," "skin prick test," "serum IgE test," "oral food challenge", and "food allergy management." Patients at risk of food allergy are often misdiagnosed and appropriate evaluation of patients with concern for food allergy includes taking a thorough diet history and reaction history, performing specific tests intentionally and when indicated, and conducting an oral food challenge in a safe environment by an experienced provider when test results are inconclusive. An evidence-based approach to diagnosing and managing a patient at risk of having a life-threatening food allergy is reviewed.

Involvement of the Spinal Cord in Mitochondrial Disorders.

PubMed

Finsterer, Josef; Zarrouk-Mahjoub, Sinda

2018-01-01

This review aims at summarising and discussing the current status concerning the clinical presentation, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of spinal cord affection in mitochondrial disorders (MIDs). A literature search using the database Pubmed was carried out by application of appropriate search terms and their combinations. Involvement of the spinal cord in MIDs is more frequent than anticipated. It occurs in specific and non-specific MIDs. Among the specific MIDs it has been most frequently described in LBSL, LS, MERRF, KSS, IOSCA, MIRAS, and PCH and only rarely in MELAS, CPEO, and LHON. Clinically, spinal cord involvement manifests as monoparesis, paraparesis, quadruparesis, sensory disturbances, hypotonia, spasticity, urinary or defecation dysfunction, spinal column deformities, or as transverse syndrome. Diagnosing spinal cord involvement in MIDs requires a thoroughly taken history, clinical exam, and imaging studies. Additionally, transcranial magnetic stimulation, somato-sensory-evoked potentials, and cerebro-spinal fluid can be supportive. Treatment is generally not at variance compared to the underlying MID but occasionally surgical stabilisation of the spinal column may be necessary. It is concluded that spinal cord involvement in MIDs is more frequent than anticipated but may be missed if cerebral manifestations prevail. Spinal cord involvement in MIDs may strongly determine the mobility of these patients.

Abdominal obesity, an independent cardiovascular risk factor in Indian subcontinent: A clinico epidemiological evidence summary.

PubMed

Prasad, D S; Kabir, Zubair; Dash, A K; Das, B C

2011-10-01

Evidence is emerging that obesity-associated cardiovascular disorders (CVD) show variations across regions and ethnicities. However, it is unclear if there are distinctive patterns of abdominal obesity contributing to an increased CVD risk in South Asians. Also, potential underlying mechanistic pathways of such unique patterns are not comprehensively reported in South Asians. This review sets out to examine both. A comprehensive database search strategy was undertaken, namely, PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library, applying specific search terms for potentially relevant published literature in English language. Grey literature, including scientific meeting abstracts, expert consultations, text books and government/non-government publications were also retrieved. South Asians have 3-5% higher body fat than whites, at any given body mass index. Additional distinctive features, such as South Asian phenotype, low adipokine production, lower lean body mass, ethno-specific socio-cultural and economic factors, were considered as potential contributors to an early age-onset of obesity-linked CVD risk in South Asians. Proven cost-effective anti-obesity strategies, including the development of ethno-specific clinical risk assessment tools, should be adopted early in the life-course to prevent premature CVD deaths and morbidity in South Asians.

Effect of environmental factors on Internet searches related to sinusitis.

PubMed

Willson, Thomas J; Lospinoso, Joshua; Weitzel, Erik K; McMains, Kevin C

2015-11-01

Sinusitis significantly affects the population of the United States, exacting direct cost and lost productivity. Patients are likely to search the Internet for information related to their health before seeking care by a healthcare professional. Utilizing data generated from these searches may serve as an epidemiologic surrogate. A retrospective time series analysis was performed. Google search trend data from the Dallas-Fort Worth metro region for the years 2012 and 2013 were collected from www.google.com/trends for terms related to sinusitis based on literature outlining the most important symptoms for diagnosis. Additional terms were selected based on common English language terms used to describe the disease. Twelve months of data from the same time period and location for common pollutants (nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide, and particulates), pollen and mold counts, and influenza-like illness were also collected. Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson correlation coefficients, and potential search activity predictors were assessed using autoregressive integrated moving average. Pearson correlation was strongest between the terms congestion and influenza-like illness (r=0.615), and sinus and influenza-like illness (r=0.534) and nitrogen dioxide (r=0.487). Autoregressive integrated moving average analysis revealed ozone, influenza-like illness, and nitrogen dioxide levels to be potential predictors for sinus pressure searches, with estimates of 0.118, 0.349, and 0.438, respectively. Nitrogen dioxide was also a potential predictor for the terms congestion and sinus, with estimates of 0.191 and 0.272, respectively. Google search activity for related terms follow the pattern of seasonal influenza-like illness and nitrogen dioxide. These data highlight the epidemiologic potential of this novel surveillance method. NA. © 2015 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Unconventional Strategies Toward Efficient Self-Assembly in Solution Processed Small Molecule Organic Photovoltaics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McLean, Christine Angela

I present a search for new massive particles decaying to a pair of top quarks with the CMS detector at the LHC, using 36 fb-1 of proton-proton collision data recorded in 2016, at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. In the high mass ranges accessible by the LHC at these energies, the top quarks are produced with high transverse momenta: the products of hadronically decaying top quarks are reconstructed as a single jet. Specific reconstruction algorithms and selections are employed to address the identification of boosted top quark signatures. The search is performed by measuring the invariant mass distribution of the top-quark pair and testing for deviations from the expected Standard Model background. The results are presented in terms of expected upper limits on the production cross section of several models, including those of Randall-Sundrum Kaluza-Klein gluon and Z' boson production. The results are then compared with those of previous searches.

[Development of domain specific search engines].

PubMed

Takai, T; Tokunaga, M; Maeda, K; Kaminuma, T

2000-01-01

As cyber space exploding in a pace that nobody has ever imagined, it becomes very important to search cyber space efficiently and effectively. One solution to this problem is search engines. Already a lot of commercial search engines have been put on the market. However these search engines respond with such cumbersome results that domain specific experts can not tolerate. Using a dedicate hardware and a commercial software called OpenText, we have tried to develop several domain specific search engines. These engines are for our institute's Web contents, drugs, chemical safety, endocrine disruptors, and emergent response for chemical hazard. These engines have been on our Web site for testing.

Using PubMed search strings for efficient retrieval of manual therapy research literature.

PubMed

Pillastrini, Paolo; Vanti, Carla; Curti, Stefania; Mattioli, Stefano; Ferrari, Silvano; Violante, Francesco Saverio; Guccione, Andrew

2015-02-01

The aim of this study was to construct PubMed search strings that could efficiently retrieve studies on manual therapy (MT), especially for time-constrained clinicians. Our experts chose 11 Medical Subject Heading terms describing MT along with 84 additional potential terms. For each term that was able to retrieve more than 100 abstracts, we systematically extracted a sample of abstracts from which we estimated the proportion of studies potentially relevant to MT. We then constructed 2 search strings: 1 narrow (threshold of pertinent articles ≥40%) and 1 expanded (including all terms for which a proportion had been calculated). We tested these search strings against articles on 2 conditions relevant to MT (thoracic and temporomandibular pain). We calculated the number of abstracts needed to read (NNR) to identify 1 potentially pertinent article in the context of these conditions. Finally, we evaluated the efficiency of the proposed PubMed search strings to identify relevant articles included in a systematic review on spinal manipulative therapy for chronic low back pain. Fifty-five search terms were able to extract more than 100 citations. The NNR to find 1 potentially pertinent article using the narrow string was 1.2 for thoracic pain and 1.3 for temporomandibular pain, and the NNR for the expanded string was 1.9 and 1.6, respectively. The narrow search strategy retrieved all the randomized controlled trials included in the systematic review selected for comparison. The proposed PubMed search strings may help health care professionals locate potentially pertinent articles and review a large number of MT studies efficiently to better implement evidence-based practice. Copyright © 2015 National University of Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Clinical Evaluation of the Concussed Athlete: A View From the Sideline.

PubMed

Putukian, Margot

2017-03-01

The sideline assessment of concussion is challenging, given its variable presentations, the limited sensitivity and specificity of sideline assessment tools, and how the presentation of the injury evolves over time. In addition, the diagnostic process, as well as the tools used to assess and manage concussion, continue to progress as research and what we know about concussion advance. This paper focuses on the initial assessment on the sideline by reviewing the concussion-evaluation literature, drawing from clinical experience to emphasize a standardized approach, and underscoring the importance of both familiarity with the athlete and clinical judgment. To review the evidence regarding the clinical assessment of sport-related concussion on the sideline. Additional considerations included making same-day return-to-play decisions, the sensitivity and specificity of sideline testing, and the importance of ongoing assessment and follow-up of injured athletes. I conducted a systematic literature review of the assessment of concussion on the sideline. The PubMed and MEDLINE databases were searched using the key term athletic injuries with concussion and mild traumatic brain injury. The search was refined by adding the key terms sideline assessment and on-field assessment. In addition, select additional position statements and guidelines on concussion were included in the review. The PubMed search using athletic injuries and concussion as key terms produced 1492 results. Refining the search by sideline assessment and on-field assessment produced 29 and 35 results, respectively. When athletic injuries and traumatic brain injury were combined, 1912 results were identified. Refining the search by sideline assessment and on-field assessment led to 28 and 35 results, respectively. Only papers that were English-language titles, original work, and limited to human participants and included sideline assessments of sport-related concussion in athletes older than 13 years were considered for this discussion. A total of 96 papers were reviewed, including systematic reviews, consensus guidelines, and position statements. The sideline assessment of sport-related concussion is challenging given the elusiveness and variability of presentation, reliance on athlete-reported symptoms, and the varying specificity and sensitivity values of sideline assessment tools. In addition, the recognition of injury and assessment often occur in a time-pressured environment, requiring rapid disposition and decision making. Clinicians should begin the evaluation by assessing for cervical spine injury, intracranial bleeding, and other injuries that can present in a similar fashion or in addition to concussion. The sideline concussion evaluation should consist of a symptom assessment and a neurologic examination that addresses cognition (briefly), cranial nerve function, and balance. Emerging tools that assess visual tracking may provide additional information. The sensitivity and specificity of commonly implemented sideline assessment tools are generally good to very good, especially for symptom scores and cognitive evaluations performed within 48 hours of injury, and they are improved when a baseline evaluation is available for comparison. Serial assessments are often necessary as objective signs and symptoms may be delayed. A standardized assessment is paramount in evaluating the athlete with a suspected concussion, but there is no replacement for being familiar with the athlete and using clinical judgment when the athlete seems "not right" despite a "normal" sideline assessment. Ultimately, the clinician should err on the side of caution when making a return-to-play decision.

On the use of harmony search algorithm in the training of wavelet neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lai, Kee Huong; Zainuddin, Zarita; Ong, Pauline

2015-10-01

Wavelet neural networks (WNNs) are a class of feedforward neural networks that have been used in a wide range of industrial and engineering applications to model the complex relationships between the given inputs and outputs. The training of WNNs involves the configuration of the weight values between neurons. The backpropagation training algorithm, which is a gradient-descent method, can be used for this training purpose. Nonetheless, the solutions found by this algorithm often get trapped at local minima. In this paper, a harmony search-based algorithm is proposed for the training of WNNs. The training of WNNs, thus can be formulated as a continuous optimization problem, where the objective is to maximize the overall classification accuracy. Each candidate solution proposed by the harmony search algorithm represents a specific WNN architecture. In order to speed up the training process, the solution space is divided into disjoint partitions during the random initialization step of harmony search algorithm. The proposed training algorithm is tested onthree benchmark problems from the UCI machine learning repository, as well as one real life application, namely, the classification of electroencephalography signals in the task of epileptic seizure detection. The results obtained show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the traditional harmony search algorithm in terms of overall classification accuracy.

Quantum Error Correction Protects Quantum Search Algorithms Against Decoherence

PubMed Central

Botsinis, Panagiotis; Babar, Zunaira; Alanis, Dimitrios; Chandra, Daryus; Nguyen, Hung; Ng, Soon Xin; Hanzo, Lajos

2016-01-01

When quantum computing becomes a wide-spread commercial reality, Quantum Search Algorithms (QSA) and especially Grover’s QSA will inevitably be one of their main applications, constituting their cornerstone. Most of the literature assumes that the quantum circuits are free from decoherence. Practically, decoherence will remain unavoidable as is the Gaussian noise of classic circuits imposed by the Brownian motion of electrons, hence it may have to be mitigated. In this contribution, we investigate the effect of quantum noise on the performance of QSAs, in terms of their success probability as a function of the database size to be searched, when decoherence is modelled by depolarizing channels’ deleterious effects imposed on the quantum gates. Moreover, we employ quantum error correction codes for limiting the effects of quantum noise and for correcting quantum flips. More specifically, we demonstrate that, when we search for a single solution in a database having 4096 entries using Grover’s QSA at an aggressive depolarizing probability of 10−3, the success probability of the search is 0.22 when no quantum coding is used, which is improved to 0.96 when Steane’s quantum error correction code is employed. Finally, apart from Steane’s code, the employment of Quantum Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (QBCH) codes is also considered. PMID:27924865

Cost-effectiveness analysis of malaria interventions using disability adjusted life years: a systematic review.

PubMed

Gunda, Resign; Chimbari, Moses John

2017-01-01

Malaria continues to be a public health problem despite past and on-going control efforts. For sustenance of control efforts to achieve the malaria elimination goal, it is important that the most cost-effective interventions are employed. This paper reviews studies on cost-effectiveness of malaria interventions using disability-adjusted life years. A review of literature was conducted through a literature search of international peer-reviewed journals as well as grey literature. Searches were conducted through Medline (PubMed), EMBASE and Google Scholar search engines. The searches included articles published in English for the period from 1996 to 2016. The inclusion criteria for the study were type of malaria intervention, year of publication and cost-effectiveness ratio in terms of cost per DALY averted. We included 40 studies which specifically used the DALY metric in cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) of malaria interventions. The majority of the reviewed studies (75%) were done using data from African settings with the majority of the interventions (60.0%) targeting all age categories. Interventions included case treatment, prophylaxis, vector control, insecticide treated nets, early detection, environmental management, diagnosis and educational programmes. Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine was the most common drug of choice in malaria prophylaxis, while artemisinin-based combination therapies were the most common drugs for case treatment. Based on guidelines for CEA, most interventions proved cost-effective in terms of cost per DALYs averted for each intervention. The DALY metric is a useful tool for determining the cost-effectiveness of malaria interventions. This paper demonstrates the importance of CEA in informing decisions made by policy makers.

Searching the Web: The Public and Their Queries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spink, Amanda; Wolfram, Dietmar; Jansen, Major B. J.; Saracevic, Tefko

2001-01-01

Reports findings from a study of searching behavior by over 200,000 users of the Excite search engine. Analysis of over one million queries revealed most people use few search terms, few modified queries, view few Web pages, and rarely use advanced search features. Concludes that Web searching by the public differs significantly from searching of…

Where to search top-K biomedical ontologies?

PubMed

Oliveira, Daniela; Butt, Anila Sahar; Haller, Armin; Rebholz-Schuhmann, Dietrich; Sahay, Ratnesh

2018-03-20

Searching for precise terms and terminological definitions in the biomedical data space is problematic, as researchers find overlapping, closely related and even equivalent concepts in a single or multiple ontologies. Search engines that retrieve ontological resources often suggest an extensive list of search results for a given input term, which leads to the tedious task of selecting the best-fit ontological resource (class or property) for the input term and reduces user confidence in the retrieval engines. A systematic evaluation of these search engines is necessary to understand their strengths and weaknesses in different search requirements. We have implemented seven comparable Information Retrieval ranking algorithms to search through ontologies and compared them against four search engines for ontologies. Free-text queries have been performed, the outcomes have been judged by experts and the ranking algorithms and search engines have been evaluated against the expert-based ground truth (GT). In addition, we propose a probabilistic GT that is developed automatically to provide deeper insights and confidence to the expert-based GT as well as evaluating a broader range of search queries. The main outcome of this work is the identification of key search factors for biomedical ontologies together with search requirements and a set of recommendations that will help biomedical experts and ontology engineers to select the best-suited retrieval mechanism in their search scenarios. We expect that this evaluation will allow researchers and practitioners to apply the current search techniques more reliably and that it will help them to select the right solution for their daily work. The source code (of seven ranking algorithms), ground truths and experimental results are available at https://github.com/danielapoliveira/bioont-search-benchmark.

G-Bean: an ontology-graph based web tool for biomedical literature retrieval

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Currently, most people use NCBI's PubMed to search the MEDLINE database, an important bibliographical information source for life science and biomedical information. However, PubMed has some drawbacks that make it difficult to find relevant publications pertaining to users' individual intentions, especially for non-expert users. To ameliorate the disadvantages of PubMed, we developed G-Bean, a graph based biomedical search engine, to search biomedical articles in MEDLINE database more efficiently. Methods G-Bean addresses PubMed's limitations with three innovations: (1) Parallel document index creation: a multithreaded index creation strategy is employed to generate the document index for G-Bean in parallel; (2) Ontology-graph based query expansion: an ontology graph is constructed by merging four major UMLS (Version 2013AA) vocabularies, MeSH, SNOMEDCT, CSP and AOD, to cover all concepts in National Library of Medicine (NLM) database; a Personalized PageRank algorithm is used to compute concept relevance in this ontology graph and the Term Frequency - Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF) weighting scheme is used to re-rank the concepts. The top 500 ranked concepts are selected for expanding the initial query to retrieve more accurate and relevant information; (3) Retrieval and re-ranking of documents based on user's search intention: after the user selects any article from the existing search results, G-Bean analyzes user's selections to determine his/her true search intention and then uses more relevant and more specific terms to retrieve additional related articles. The new articles are presented to the user in the order of their relevance to the already selected articles. Results Performance evaluation with 106 OHSUMED benchmark queries shows that G-Bean returns more relevant results than PubMed does when using these queries to search the MEDLINE database. PubMed could not even return any search result for some OHSUMED queries because it failed to form the appropriate Boolean query statement automatically from the natural language query strings. G-Bean is available at http://bioinformatics.clemson.edu/G-Bean/index.php. Conclusions G-Bean addresses PubMed's limitations with ontology-graph based query expansion, automatic document indexing, and user search intention discovery. It shows significant advantages in finding relevant articles from the MEDLINE database to meet the information need of the user. PMID:25474588

G-Bean: an ontology-graph based web tool for biomedical literature retrieval.

PubMed

Wang, James Z; Zhang, Yuanyuan; Dong, Liang; Li, Lin; Srimani, Pradip K; Yu, Philip S

2014-01-01

Currently, most people use NCBI's PubMed to search the MEDLINE database, an important bibliographical information source for life science and biomedical information. However, PubMed has some drawbacks that make it difficult to find relevant publications pertaining to users' individual intentions, especially for non-expert users. To ameliorate the disadvantages of PubMed, we developed G-Bean, a graph based biomedical search engine, to search biomedical articles in MEDLINE database more efficiently. G-Bean addresses PubMed's limitations with three innovations: (1) Parallel document index creation: a multithreaded index creation strategy is employed to generate the document index for G-Bean in parallel; (2) Ontology-graph based query expansion: an ontology graph is constructed by merging four major UMLS (Version 2013AA) vocabularies, MeSH, SNOMEDCT, CSP and AOD, to cover all concepts in National Library of Medicine (NLM) database; a Personalized PageRank algorithm is used to compute concept relevance in this ontology graph and the Term Frequency - Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF) weighting scheme is used to re-rank the concepts. The top 500 ranked concepts are selected for expanding the initial query to retrieve more accurate and relevant information; (3) Retrieval and re-ranking of documents based on user's search intention: after the user selects any article from the existing search results, G-Bean analyzes user's selections to determine his/her true search intention and then uses more relevant and more specific terms to retrieve additional related articles. The new articles are presented to the user in the order of their relevance to the already selected articles. Performance evaluation with 106 OHSUMED benchmark queries shows that G-Bean returns more relevant results than PubMed does when using these queries to search the MEDLINE database. PubMed could not even return any search result for some OHSUMED queries because it failed to form the appropriate Boolean query statement automatically from the natural language query strings. G-Bean is available at http://bioinformatics.clemson.edu/G-Bean/index.php. G-Bean addresses PubMed's limitations with ontology-graph based query expansion, automatic document indexing, and user search intention discovery. It shows significant advantages in finding relevant articles from the MEDLINE database to meet the information need of the user.

Antimicrobial stewardship in long term care facilities: what is effective?

PubMed

Nicolle, Lindsay E

2014-02-12

Intense antimicrobial use in long term care facilities promotes the emergence and persistence of antimicrobial resistant organisms and leads to adverse effects such as C. difficile colitis. Guidelines recommend development of antimicrobial stewardship programs for these facilities to promote optimal antimicrobial use. However, the effectiveness of these programs or the contribution of any specific program component is not known. For this review, publications describing evaluation of antimicrobial stewardship programs for long term care facilities were identified through a systematic literature search. Interventions included education, guidelines development, feedback to practitioners, and infectious disease consultation. The studies reviewed varied in types of facilities, interventions used, implementation, and evaluation. Comprehensive programs addressing all infections were reported to have improved antimicrobial use for at least some outcomes. Targeted programs for treatment of pneumonia were minimally effective, and only for indicators of uncertain relevance for stewardship. Programs focusing on specific aspects of treatment of urinary infection - limiting treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria or prophylaxis of urinary infection - were reported to be effective. There were no reports of cost-effectiveness, and the sustainability of most of the programs is unclear. There is a need for further evaluation to characterize effective antimicrobial stewardship for long term care facilities.

Evaluation of an ontological resource for pharmacovigilance.

PubMed

Jaulent, Marie-Christine; Alecu, Iulian

2009-01-01

In this work, we present a methodology for evaluating an ontology designed in a previous study to describe adverse drug reactions. We evaluate it in term of its fitness for grouping cases in pharmacovigilance. We define as gold standard the Standardized MedDRA Queries (SMQs) developed manually to group terms representing similar medical conditions. We perform an automatic search in the ontology in order to retrieve concepts related to the medical conditions. An optimal query is built for each medical condition. The evaluation relies on the comparison between the terms in the SMQ and the terms subsumed by the query. The result is quantified by sensitivity and specificity. We applied this methodology for 24 SMQs and we obtain a mean sensitivity of 0.82. This work allows validating the semantic resource and provides, in perspective, tools to maintain the ontology while the knowledge is evolving.

Management of type 2 diabetes in Asian Indians: a review of the literature.

PubMed

Joseph, Letha M; Berry, Diane; Jessup, Ann

2015-04-01

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing in Asian Indians globally. In this article, we review published studies of interventions designed to prevent T2DM or improve self-management in South Asian Indians. A PubMed, CINAHL, Medline, EMBASE, Psycinfo, Family & Society Studies Worldwide, Web of Science, and Consumer Health Complete search was conducted using the following search terms: type 2 diabetes mellitus, Asian Indian continental ancestry group, therapy, treatment, management, care, intervention, self-care, exercise, diet, and lifestyle. The review included pilot or full intervention studies examining the prevention and/or management of T2DM and qualitative studies analyzing the influence of various ethnic factors on the prevention and management of T2DM. Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria. They examined the influence of culture and religion and the effectiveness of individual and community-based education and lifestyle improvement programs, exercise, and complementary therapies. Few programs led to the improved long-term management of T2DM. Further research is needed to develop ethnic-specific interventions. © The Author(s) 2014.

The effects of educational curricula and training on LGBT-specific health issues for healthcare students and professionals: a mixed-method systematic review.

PubMed

Sekoni, Adekemi Oluwayemisi; Gale, Nicola K; Manga-Atangana, Bibiane; Bhadhuri, Arjun; Jolly, Kate

2017-07-19

Poor access of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people to healthcare providers with clinical and cultural competency contributes to health inequalities between heterosexual/cisgender and LGBT people. This systematic review assesses the effect of educational curricula and training for healthcare students and professionals on LGBT healthcare issues. Systematic review; the search terms, strategy and process as well as eligibility criteria were predefined and registered prospectively on PROSPERO. A systematic search of electronic databases was undertaken. Screening for eligible studies and data extraction were done in duplicate. All the eligible studies were assessed for risk of bias. The outcome of interest was a change in participants' knowledge, attitude and or practice. Out of 1171 papers identified, 16 publications reporting 15 studies were included in the review. Three were non-randomized controlled studies and 12 had a pre/post-design; two had qualitative components. Bias was reported in the selection of participants and confounding. Risk reported was moderate/mild. Most studies were from the USA, the topics revolved around key terms and terminology, stigma and discrimination, sexuality and sexual dysfunction, sexual history taking, LGBT-specific health and health disparities. Time allotted for training ranged from 1 to 42 hours, the involvement of LGBT people was minimal. The only intervention in sub-Saharan Africa focused exclusively on men who have sex with men. All the studies reported statistically significant improvement in knowledge, attitude and/or practice post-training. Two main themes were identified from the qualitative studies: the process of changing values and attitudes to be more LGBT inclusive, and the constraints to the application of new values in practice. Conclusions Training of healthcare providers will provide information and improve skills of healthcare providers which may lead to improved quality of healthcare for LGBT people. This review reports short-term improvement in knowledge, attitudes and practice of healthcare students and professionals with regards to sexual and LGBT-specific healthcare. However, a unified conceptual model for training in-terms of duration, content and training methodology was lacking.

The effects of educational curricula and training on LGBT-specific health issues for healthcare students and professionals: a mixed-method systematic review

PubMed Central

Sekoni, Adekemi Oluwayemisi; Gale, Nicola K.; Manga-Atangana, Bibiane; Bhadhuri, Arjun; Jolly, Kate

2017-01-01

Abstract Introduction: Poor access of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people to healthcare providers with clinical and cultural competency contributes to health inequalities between heterosexual/cisgender and LGBT people. This systematic review assesses the effect of educational curricula and training for healthcare students and professionals on LGBT healthcare issues. Methods: Systematic review; the search terms, strategy and process as well as eligibility criteria were predefined and registered prospectively on PROSPERO. A systematic search of electronic databases was undertaken. Screening for eligible studies and data extraction were done in duplicate. All the eligible studies were assessed for risk of bias. The outcome of interest was a change in participants’ knowledge, attitude and or practice. Results: Out of 1171 papers identified, 16 publications reporting 15 studies were included in the review. Three were non-randomized controlled studies and 12 had a pre/post-design; two had qualitative components. Bias was reported in the selection of participants and confounding. Risk reported was moderate/mild. Most studies were from the USA, the topics revolved around key terms and terminology, stigma and discrimination, sexuality and sexual dysfunction, sexual history taking, LGBT-specific health and health disparities. Time allotted for training ranged from 1 to 42 hours, the involvement of LGBT people was minimal. The only intervention in sub-Saharan Africa focused exclusively on men who have sex with men. All the studies reported statistically significant improvement in knowledge, attitude and/or practice post-training. Two main themes were identified from the qualitative studies: the process of changing values and attitudes to be more LGBT inclusive, and the constraints to the application of new values in practice. Conclusions: Training of healthcare providers will provide information and improve skills of healthcare providers which may lead to improved quality of healthcare for LGBT people. This review reports short-term improvement in knowledge, attitudes and practice of healthcare students and professionals with regards to sexual and LGBT-specific healthcare. However, a unified conceptual model for training in-terms of duration, content and training methodology was lacking. PMID:28782330

PolySearch2: a significantly improved text-mining system for discovering associations between human diseases, genes, drugs, metabolites, toxins and more.

PubMed

Liu, Yifeng; Liang, Yongjie; Wishart, David

2015-07-01

PolySearch2 (http://polysearch.ca) is an online text-mining system for identifying relationships between biomedical entities such as human diseases, genes, SNPs, proteins, drugs, metabolites, toxins, metabolic pathways, organs, tissues, subcellular organelles, positive health effects, negative health effects, drug actions, Gene Ontology terms, MeSH terms, ICD-10 medical codes, biological taxonomies and chemical taxonomies. PolySearch2 supports a generalized 'Given X, find all associated Ys' query, where X and Y can be selected from the aforementioned biomedical entities. An example query might be: 'Find all diseases associated with Bisphenol A'. To find its answers, PolySearch2 searches for associations against comprehensive collections of free-text collections, including local versions of MEDLINE abstracts, PubMed Central full-text articles, Wikipedia full-text articles and US Patent application abstracts. PolySearch2 also searches 14 widely used, text-rich biological databases such as UniProt, DrugBank and Human Metabolome Database to improve its accuracy and coverage. PolySearch2 maintains an extensive thesaurus of biological terms and exploits the latest search engine technology to rapidly retrieve relevant articles and databases records. PolySearch2 also generates, ranks and annotates associative candidates and present results with relevancy statistics and highlighted key sentences to facilitate user interpretation. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

PolySearch2: a significantly improved text-mining system for discovering associations between human diseases, genes, drugs, metabolites, toxins and more

PubMed Central

Liu, Yifeng; Liang, Yongjie; Wishart, David

2015-01-01

PolySearch2 (http://polysearch.ca) is an online text-mining system for identifying relationships between biomedical entities such as human diseases, genes, SNPs, proteins, drugs, metabolites, toxins, metabolic pathways, organs, tissues, subcellular organelles, positive health effects, negative health effects, drug actions, Gene Ontology terms, MeSH terms, ICD-10 medical codes, biological taxonomies and chemical taxonomies. PolySearch2 supports a generalized ‘Given X, find all associated Ys’ query, where X and Y can be selected from the aforementioned biomedical entities. An example query might be: ‘Find all diseases associated with Bisphenol A’. To find its answers, PolySearch2 searches for associations against comprehensive collections of free-text collections, including local versions of MEDLINE abstracts, PubMed Central full-text articles, Wikipedia full-text articles and US Patent application abstracts. PolySearch2 also searches 14 widely used, text-rich biological databases such as UniProt, DrugBank and Human Metabolome Database to improve its accuracy and coverage. PolySearch2 maintains an extensive thesaurus of biological terms and exploits the latest search engine technology to rapidly retrieve relevant articles and databases records. PolySearch2 also generates, ranks and annotates associative candidates and present results with relevancy statistics and highlighted key sentences to facilitate user interpretation. PMID:25925572

Interactive team suggestion for users of digital libraries: Using subject thesauri and co-occurrence lists for information retrieval

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schatz, B.R.; Johnson, E.H.; Cochrane, P.A.

The basic problem in information retrieval is that large-scale searches can only match terms specified by the user to terms appearing in documents in the digital library collection. Intermediate sources that support term suggestion can thus enhance retrieval by providing alternative search terms for the user. Term suggestion increases the recall, while interaction enables the user to attempt to not decrease the precision. We are building a prototype user interface that will become the Web interface for the University of Illinois Digital Library Initiative (DLI) testbed. It supports the principal of multiple views, where different kinds of term suggestors canmore » be used to complement search and each other. This paper discusses its operation with two complementary term suggestors, subject thesauri and co-occurrence lists, and compared their utility. Thesauri are generated by human indexers and place selected terms in a subject hierarchy. Co-occurrence lists are generated by computer and place all terms in frequency order of occurrence together. This paper concludes with a discussion of how multiple views can help provide good quality Search for the Net. This is a paper about the design of a retrieval system prototype that allows users to simultaneously combine terms offered by different suggestion techniques, not about comparing the merits of each in a systematic and controlled way. It offers no experimental results.« less

Informed Consent: Does Anyone Really Understand What Is Contained In The Medical Record?

PubMed

Fenton, S H; Manion, F; Hsieh, K; Harris, M

2015-01-01

Despite efforts to provide standard definitions of terms such as "medical record", "computer-based patient record", "electronic medical record" and "electronic health record", the terms are still used interchangeably. Initiatives like data and information governance, research biorepositories, and learning health systems require availability and reuse of data, as well as common understandings of the scope for specific purposes. Lacking widely shared definitions, utilization of the afore-mentioned terms in research informed consent documents calls to question whether all participants in the research process - patients, information technology and regulatory staff, and the investigative team - fully understand what data and information they are asking to obtain and agreeing to share. This descriptive study explored the terminology used in research informed consent documents when describing patient data and information, asking the question "Does the use of the term "medical record" in the context of a research informed consent document accurately represent the scope of the data involved?" Informed consent document templates found on 17 Institutional Review Board (IRB) websites with Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) were searched for terms that appeared to be describing the data resources to be accessed. The National Library of Medicine's (NLM) Terminology Services was searched for definitions provided by key standards groups that deposit terminologies with the NLM. The results suggest research consent documents are using outdated terms to describe patient information, health care terminology systems need to consider the context of research for use cases, and that there is significant work to be done to assure the HIPAA Omnibus Rule is applied to contemporary activities such as biorepositories and learning health systems. "Medical record", a term used extensively in research informed consent documents, is ambiguous and does not serve us well in the context of contemporary information management and governance.

NASA thesaurus. Volume 3: Definitions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

Publication of NASA Thesaurus definitions began with Supplement 1 to the 1985 NASA Thesaurus. The definitions given here represent the complete file of over 3,200 definitions, complimented by nearly 1,000 use references. Definitions of more common or general scientific terms are given a NASA slant if one exists. Certain terms are not defined as a matter of policy: common names, chemical elements, specific models of computers, and nontechnical terms. The NASA Thesaurus predates by a number of years the systematic effort to define terms, therefore not all Thesaurus terms have been defined. Nevertheless, definitions of older terms are continually being added. The following data are provided for each entry: term in uppercase/lowercase form, definition, source, and year the term (not the definition) was added to the NASA Thesaurus. The NASA History Office is the authority for capitalization in satellite and spacecraft names. Definitions with no source given were constructed by lexicographers at the NASA Scientific and Technical Information (STI) Facility who rely on the following sources for their information: experts in the field, literature searches from the NASA STI database, and specialized references.

Using internet searches for influenza surveillance.

PubMed

Polgreen, Philip M; Chen, Yiling; Pennock, David M; Nelson, Forrest D

2008-12-01

The Internet is an important source of health information. Thus, the frequency of Internet searches may provide information regarding infectious disease activity. As an example, we examined the relationship between searches for influenza and actual influenza occurrence. Using search queries from the Yahoo! search engine ( http://search.yahoo.com ) from March 2004 through May 2008, we counted daily unique queries originating in the United States that contained influenza-related search terms. Counts were divided by the total number of searches, and the resulting daily fraction of searches was averaged over the week. We estimated linear models, using searches with 1-10-week lead times as explanatory variables to predict the percentage of cultures positive for influenza and deaths attributable to pneumonia and influenza in the United States. With use of the frequency of searches, our models predicted an increase in cultures positive for influenza 1-3 weeks in advance of when they occurred (P < .001), and similar models predicted an increase in mortality attributable to pneumonia and influenza up to 5 weeks in advance (P < .001). Search-term surveillance may provide an additional tool for disease surveillance.

Essie: A Concept-based Search Engine for Structured Biomedical Text

PubMed Central

Ide, Nicholas C.; Loane, Russell F.; Demner-Fushman, Dina

2007-01-01

This article describes the algorithms implemented in the Essie search engine that is currently serving several Web sites at the National Library of Medicine. Essie is a phrase-based search engine with term and concept query expansion and probabilistic relevancy ranking. Essie’s design is motivated by an observation that query terms are often conceptually related to terms in a document, without actually occurring in the document text. Essie’s performance was evaluated using data and standard evaluation methods from the 2003 and 2006 Text REtrieval Conference (TREC) Genomics track. Essie was the best-performing search engine in the 2003 TREC Genomics track and achieved results comparable to those of the highest-ranking systems on the 2006 TREC Genomics track task. Essie shows that a judicious combination of exploiting document structure, phrase searching, and concept based query expansion is a useful approach for information retrieval in the biomedical domain. PMID:17329729

[Effectiveness of education based on neuroscience in the treatment of musculoskeletal chronic pain].

PubMed

Cuenda-Gago, J D; Espejo-Antunez, L

2017-07-01

Chronic pain is one of the most frequent health, economic and social problems. Given this, numerous approaches have been described, one of which is pain neuroscience education. To examine the effectiveness of pain neuroscience education in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders with chronic pain and to explore the impact of specific aspects of the technique on its effectiveness. Relevant studies published between 2000 and 2015 were identified by searching PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. Studies identified by electronic searches were screened against a set of pre-defined inclusion criteria. PEDro and SIGN scales were used to evaluate the methodological quality of the included studies. Ten studies were included in this systematic review. The main outcomes that were measured were pain, disability, neurophysiology pain test, attitudes and beliefs, fear-avoidance beliefs, self-care, kinesiophobia, quality of life and algometry. The results suggest that pain neuroscience education is effective in the short term and medium/long term for pain relief, either alone or combined with multimodal treatment. It was also effective in normalizing cognitions about pain, fear-avoidance beliefs, and self-care. Despite some evidence for a positive effect in the short and medium/long term, the heterogeneity in the technical aspects used does not allow the obtaining of conclusive results.

Does query expansion limit our learning? A comparison of social-based expansion to content-based expansion for medical queries on the internet.

PubMed

Pentoney, Christopher; Harwell, Jeff; Leroy, Gondy

2014-01-01

Searching for medical information online is a common activity. While it has been shown that forming good queries is difficult, Google's query suggestion tool, a type of query expansion, aims to facilitate query formation. However, it is unknown how this expansion, which is based on what others searched for, affects the information gathering of the online community. To measure the impact of social-based query expansion, this study compared it with content-based expansion, i.e., what is really in the text. We used 138,906 medical queries from the AOL User Session Collection and expanded them using Google's Autocomplete method (social-based) and the content of the Google Web Corpus (content-based). We evaluated the specificity and ambiguity of the expansion terms for trigram queries. We also looked at the impact on the actual results using domain diversity and expansion edit distance. Results showed that the social-based method provided more precise expansion terms as well as terms that were less ambiguous. Expanded queries do not differ significantly in diversity when expanded using the social-based method (6.72 different domains returned in the first ten results, on average) vs. content-based method (6.73 different domains, on average).

People, plants and health: a conceptual framework for assessing changes in medicinal plant consumption

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background A large number of people in both developing and developed countries rely on medicinal plant products to maintain their health or treat illnesses. Available evidence suggests that medicinal plant consumption will remain stable or increase in the short to medium term. Knowledge on what factors determine medicinal plant consumption is, however, scattered across many disciplines, impeding, for example, systematic consideration of plant-based traditional medicine in national health care systems. The aim of the paper is to develop a conceptual framework for understanding medicinal plant consumption dynamics. Consumption is employed in the economic sense: use of medicinal plants by consumers or in the production of other goods. Methods PubMed and Web of Knowledge (formerly Web of Science) were searched using a set of medicinal plant key terms (folk/peasant/rural/traditional/ethno/indigenous/CAM/herbal/botanical/phytotherapy); each search terms was combined with terms related to medicinal plant consumption dynamics (medicinal plants/health care/preference/trade/treatment seeking behavior/domestication/sustainability/conservation/urban/migration/climate change/policy/production systems). To eliminate studies not directly focused on medicinal plant consumption, searches were limited by a number of terms (chemistry/clinical/in vitro/antibacterial/dose/molecular/trial/efficacy/antimicrobial/alkaloid/bioactive/inhibit/antibody/purification/antioxidant/DNA/rat/aqueous). A total of 1940 references were identified; manual screening for relevance reduced this to 645 relevant documents. As the conceptual framework emerged inductively, additional targeted literature searches were undertaken on specific factors and link, bringing the final number of references to 737. Results The paper first defines the four main groups of medicinal plant users (1. Hunter-gatherers, 2. Farmers and pastoralists, 3. Urban and peri-urban people, 4. Entrepreneurs) and the three main types of benefits (consumer, producer, society-wide) derived from medicinal plants usage. Then a single unified conceptual framework for understanding the factors influencing medicinal plant consumption in the economic sense is proposed; the framework distinguishes four spatial levels of analysis (international, national, local, household) and identifies and describes 15 factors and their relationships. Conclusions The framework provides a basis for increasing our conceptual understanding of medicinal plant consumption dynamics, allows a positioning of existing studies, and can serve to guide future research in the area. This would inform the formation of future health and natural resource management policies. PMID:23148504

People, plants and health: a conceptual framework for assessing changes in medicinal plant consumption.

PubMed

Smith-Hall, Carsten; Larsen, Helle Overgaard; Pouliot, Mariève

2012-11-13

A large number of people in both developing and developed countries rely on medicinal plant products to maintain their health or treat illnesses. Available evidence suggests that medicinal plant consumption will remain stable or increase in the short to medium term. Knowledge on what factors determine medicinal plant consumption is, however, scattered across many disciplines, impeding, for example, systematic consideration of plant-based traditional medicine in national health care systems. The aim of the paper is to develop a conceptual framework for understanding medicinal plant consumption dynamics. Consumption is employed in the economic sense: use of medicinal plants by consumers or in the production of other goods. PubMed and Web of Knowledge (formerly Web of Science) were searched using a set of medicinal plant key terms (folk/peasant/rural/traditional/ethno/indigenous/CAM/herbal/botanical/phytotherapy); each search terms was combined with terms related to medicinal plant consumption dynamics (medicinal plants/health care/preference/trade/treatment seeking behavior/domestication/sustainability/conservation/urban/migration/climate change/policy/production systems). To eliminate studies not directly focused on medicinal plant consumption, searches were limited by a number of terms (chemistry/clinical/in vitro/antibacterial/dose/molecular/trial/efficacy/antimicrobial/alkaloid/bioactive/inhibit/antibody/purification/antioxidant/DNA/rat/aqueous). A total of 1940 references were identified; manual screening for relevance reduced this to 645 relevant documents. As the conceptual framework emerged inductively, additional targeted literature searches were undertaken on specific factors and link, bringing the final number of references to 737. The paper first defines the four main groups of medicinal plant users (1. Hunter-gatherers, 2. Farmers and pastoralists, 3. Urban and peri-urban people, 4. Entrepreneurs) and the three main types of benefits (consumer, producer, society-wide) derived from medicinal plants usage. Then a single unified conceptual framework for understanding the factors influencing medicinal plant consumption in the economic sense is proposed; the framework distinguishes four spatial levels of analysis (international, national, local, household) and identifies and describes 15 factors and their relationships. The framework provides a basis for increasing our conceptual understanding of medicinal plant consumption dynamics, allows a positioning of existing studies, and can serve to guide future research in the area. This would inform the formation of future health and natural resource management policies.

Bowel Ultrasonography in the Management of Crohn's Disease. A Review with Recommendations of an International Panel of Experts.

PubMed

Calabrese, Emma; Maaser, Christian; Zorzi, Francesca; Kannengiesser, Klaus; Hanauer, Stephen B; Bruining, David H; Iacucci, Marietta; Maconi, Giovanni; Novak, Kerri L; Panaccione, Remo; Strobel, Deike; Wilson, Stephanie R; Watanabe, Mamoru; Pallone, Francesco; Ghosh, Subrata

2016-05-01

Bowel ultrasonography (US) is considered a useful technique for assessing mural inflammation and complications in Crohn's disease (CD). The aim of this review is to appraise the evidence on the accuracy of bowel US for CD. In addition, we aim to provide recommendations for its optimal use. Publications were identified by literature search from 1992 to 2014 and selected based on predefined criteria: 15 or more patients; bowel US for diagnosing CD, complications, postoperative recurrence, activity; adequate reference standards; prospective study design; data reported to allow calculation of sensitivity, specificity, agreement, or correlation values; articles published in English. The search yielded 655 articles, of which 63 were found to be eligible and retrieved as full-text articles for analysis. Bowel US showed 79.7% sensitivity and 96.7% specificity for the diagnosis of suspected CD, and 89% sensitivity and 94.3% specificity for initial assessment in established patients with CD. Bowel US identified ileal CD with 92.7% sensitivity, 88.2% specificity, and colon CD with 81.8% sensitivity, 95.3% specificity, with lower accuracy for detecting proximal lesions. The oral contrast agent improves the sensitivity and specificity in determining CD lesions and in assessing sites and extent. Bowel US is a tool for evaluation of CD lesions in terms of complications, postoperative recurrence, and monitoring response to medical therapy; it reliably detects postoperative recurrence and complications, as well as offers the possibility of monitoring disease progression.

Task Specificity and the Influence of Memory on Visual Search: Comment on Vo and Wolfe (2012)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hollingworth, Andrew

2012-01-01

Recent results from Vo and Wolfe (2012b) suggest that the application of memory to visual search may be task specific: Previous experience searching for an object facilitated later search for that object, but object information acquired during a different task did not appear to transfer to search. The latter inference depended on evidence that a…

Diurnal Variations of Depression-Related Health Information Seeking: Case Study in Finland Using Google Trends Data

PubMed Central

Kettunen, Jyrki; Eirola, Emil; Paakkonen, Heikki

2018-01-01

Background Some of the temporal variations and clock-like rhythms that govern several different health-related behaviors can be traced in near real-time with the help of search engine data. This is especially useful when studying phenomena where little or no traditional data exist. One specific area where traditional data are incomplete is the study of diurnal mood variations, or daily changes in individuals’ overall mood state in relation to depression-like symptoms. Objective The objective of this exploratory study was to analyze diurnal variations for interest in depression on the Web to discover hourly patterns of depression interest and help seeking. Methods Hourly query volume data for 6 depression-related queries in Finland were downloaded from Google Trends in March 2017. A continuous wavelet transform (CWT) was applied to the hourly data to focus on the diurnal variation. Longer term trends and noise were also eliminated from the data to extract the diurnal variation for each query term. An analysis of variance was conducted to determine the statistical differences between the distributions of each hour. Data were also trichotomized and analyzed in 3 time blocks to make comparisons between different time periods during the day. Results Search volumes for all depression-related query terms showed a unimodal regular pattern during the 24 hours of the day. All queries feature clear peaks during the nighttime hours around 11 PM to 4 AM and troughs between 5 AM and 10 PM. In the means of the CWT-reconstructed data, the differences in nighttime and daytime interest are evident, with a difference of 37.3 percentage points (pp) for the term “Depression,” 33.5 pp for “Masennustesti,” 30.6 pp for “Masennus,” 12.8 pp for “Depression test,” 12.0 pp for “Masennus testi,” and 11.8 pp for “Masennus oireet.” The trichotomization showed peaks in the first time block (00.00 AM-7.59 AM) for all 6 terms. The search volumes then decreased significantly during the second time block (8.00 AM-3.59 PM) for the terms “Masennus oireet” (P<.001), “Masennus” (P=.001), “Depression” (P=.005), and “Depression test” (P=.004). Higher search volumes for the terms “Masennus” (P=.14), “Masennustesti” (P=.07), and “Depression test” (P=.10) were present between the second and third time blocks. Conclusions Help seeking for depression has clear diurnal patterns, with significant rise in depression-related query volumes toward the evening and night. Thus, search engine query data support the notion of the evening-worse pattern in diurnal mood variation. Information on the timely nature of depression-related interest on an hourly level could improve the chances for early intervention, which is beneficial for positive health outcomes. PMID:29792291

Diurnal Variations of Depression-Related Health Information Seeking: Case Study in Finland Using Google Trends Data.

PubMed

Tana, Jonas Christoffer; Kettunen, Jyrki; Eirola, Emil; Paakkonen, Heikki

2018-05-23

Some of the temporal variations and clock-like rhythms that govern several different health-related behaviors can be traced in near real-time with the help of search engine data. This is especially useful when studying phenomena where little or no traditional data exist. One specific area where traditional data are incomplete is the study of diurnal mood variations, or daily changes in individuals' overall mood state in relation to depression-like symptoms. The objective of this exploratory study was to analyze diurnal variations for interest in depression on the Web to discover hourly patterns of depression interest and help seeking. Hourly query volume data for 6 depression-related queries in Finland were downloaded from Google Trends in March 2017. A continuous wavelet transform (CWT) was applied to the hourly data to focus on the diurnal variation. Longer term trends and noise were also eliminated from the data to extract the diurnal variation for each query term. An analysis of variance was conducted to determine the statistical differences between the distributions of each hour. Data were also trichotomized and analyzed in 3 time blocks to make comparisons between different time periods during the day. Search volumes for all depression-related query terms showed a unimodal regular pattern during the 24 hours of the day. All queries feature clear peaks during the nighttime hours around 11 PM to 4 AM and troughs between 5 AM and 10 PM. In the means of the CWT-reconstructed data, the differences in nighttime and daytime interest are evident, with a difference of 37.3 percentage points (pp) for the term "Depression," 33.5 pp for "Masennustesti," 30.6 pp for "Masennus," 12.8 pp for "Depression test," 12.0 pp for "Masennus testi," and 11.8 pp for "Masennus oireet." The trichotomization showed peaks in the first time block (00.00 AM-7.59 AM) for all 6 terms. The search volumes then decreased significantly during the second time block (8.00 AM-3.59 PM) for the terms "Masennus oireet" (P<.001), "Masennus" (P=.001), "Depression" (P=.005), and "Depression test" (P=.004). Higher search volumes for the terms "Masennus" (P=.14), "Masennustesti" (P=.07), and "Depression test" (P=.10) were present between the second and third time blocks. Help seeking for depression has clear diurnal patterns, with significant rise in depression-related query volumes toward the evening and night. Thus, search engine query data support the notion of the evening-worse pattern in diurnal mood variation. Information on the timely nature of depression-related interest on an hourly level could improve the chances for early intervention, which is beneficial for positive health outcomes. ©Jonas Christoffer Tana, Jyrki Kettunen, Emil Eirola, Heikki Paakkonen. Originally published in JMIR Mental Health (http://mental.jmir.org), 23.05.2018.

Is Graves' disease a primary immunodeficiency? New immunological perspectives on an endocrine disease.

PubMed

Struja, Tristan; Kutz, Alexander; Fischli, Stefan; Meier, Christian; Mueller, Beat; Recher, Mike; Schuetz, Philipp

2017-09-25

Uncertainty about factors influencing the susceptibility and triggers for Graves' disease persists, along with a wide variation in the response to anti-thyroid drugs, currently at approximately 50% of non-responders. The aim of this narrative review is to summarize immunological concepts, with a combined endocrine and immunological perspective, to highlight potential new areas of research. Relevant studies were identified through a systematic literature search using the PubMed and EMBASE databases in March 2016. No cut-offs regarding dates were imposed. We used the terms "Graves' Disease" or "Basedow" or "thyrotoxicosis" together with the terms "etiology", "pathophysiology", "immunodeficiency", "causality", and "autoimmunity". The terms "orbitopathy", "ophthalmopathy", and "amiodarone" were excluded. Articles in English, French, German, Croatian, Spanish, and Italian were eligible for inclusion. While concepts such as the impact of iodine, smoking, human leucocyte antigen, infections, and ethnicity are established, new ideas have emerged. Pertaining evidence suggests the involvement of autoimmunity and immunodeficiency in the pathophysiology of Graves' disease. Recent studies point to specific immunological mechanisms triggering the onset of disease, which may also serve as targets for more specific therapies.

Message from the Director | Galaxy of Images

Science.gov Websites

Search! Enter a search term and hit the search button to quickly find an image Go The above "Quick Search" box will find ANY words you type in. Use "*" to truncate a word (dog* will get more precise search, try the "Advanced Search" option below. More search options, including

Noesis: Ontology based Scoped Search Engine and Resource Aggregator for Atmospheric Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramachandran, R.; Movva, S.; Li, X.; Cherukuri, P.; Graves, S.

2006-12-01

The goal for search engines is to return results that are both accurate and complete. The search engines should find only what you really want and find everything you really want. Search engines (even meta search engines) lack semantics. The basis for search is simply based on string matching between the user's query term and the resource database and the semantics associated with the search string is not captured. For example, if an atmospheric scientist is searching for "pressure" related web resources, most search engines return inaccurate results such as web resources related to blood pressure. In this presentation Noesis, which is a meta-search engine and a resource aggregator that uses domain ontologies to provide scoped search capabilities will be described. Noesis uses domain ontologies to help the user scope the search query to ensure that the search results are both accurate and complete. The domain ontologies guide the user to refine their search query and thereby reduce the user's burden of experimenting with different search strings. Semantics are captured by refining the query terms to cover synonyms, specializations, generalizations and related concepts. Noesis also serves as a resource aggregator. It categorizes the search results from different online resources such as education materials, publications, datasets, web search engines that might be of interest to the user.

Exploring Contextual Models in Chemical Patent Search

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urbain, Jay; Frieder, Ophir

We explore the development of probabilistic retrieval models for integrating term statistics with entity search using multiple levels of document context to improve the performance of chemical patent search. A distributed indexing model was developed to enable efficient named entity search and aggregation of term statistics at multiple levels of patent structure including individual words, sentences, claims, descriptions, abstracts, and titles. The system can be scaled to an arbitrary number of compute instances in a cloud computing environment to support concurrent indexing and query processing operations on large patent collections.

Searching for and Finding Meaning in Collective Trauma: Results From a National Longitudinal Study of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks

PubMed Central

Updegraff, John A.; Silver, Roxane Cohen; Holman, E. Alison

2008-01-01

The ability to make sense of events in one’s life has held a central role in theories of adaptation to adversity. However, there are few rigorous studies on the role of meaning in adjustment, and those that have been conducted have focused predominantly on direct personal trauma. The authors examined the predictors and long-term consequences of Americans’ searching for and finding meaning in a widespread cultural upheaval—the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001—among a national probability sample of U.S. adults (N = 931). Searching for meaning at 2 months post-9/11 was predicted by demographics and high acute stress response. In contrast, finding meaning was predicted primarily by demographics and specific early coping strategies. Whereas searching for meaning predicted greater posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms across the following 2 years, finding meaning predicted lower PTS symptoms, even after controlling for pre-9/11 mental health, exposure to 9/11, and acute stress response. Mediation analyses suggest that finding meaning supported adjustment by reducing fears of future terrorism. Results highlight the role of meaning in adjustment following collective traumas that shatter people’s fundamental assumptions about security and invulnerability. PMID:18729704

Automatic programming via iterated local search for dynamic job shop scheduling.

PubMed

Nguyen, Su; Zhang, Mengjie; Johnston, Mark; Tan, Kay Chen

2015-01-01

Dispatching rules have been commonly used in practice for making sequencing and scheduling decisions. Due to specific characteristics of each manufacturing system, there is no universal dispatching rule that can dominate in all situations. Therefore, it is important to design specialized dispatching rules to enhance the scheduling performance for each manufacturing environment. Evolutionary computation approaches such as tree-based genetic programming (TGP) and gene expression programming (GEP) have been proposed to facilitate the design task through automatic design of dispatching rules. However, these methods are still limited by their high computational cost and low exploitation ability. To overcome this problem, we develop a new approach to automatic programming via iterated local search (APRILS) for dynamic job shop scheduling. The key idea of APRILS is to perform multiple local searches started with programs modified from the best obtained programs so far. The experiments show that APRILS outperforms TGP and GEP in most simulation scenarios in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. The analysis also shows that programs generated by APRILS are more compact than those obtained by genetic programming. An investigation of the behavior of APRILS suggests that the good performance of APRILS comes from the balance between exploration and exploitation in its search mechanism.

Maintaining the momentum of Open Search in Earth Science Data discovery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newman, D. J.; Lynnes, C.

2013-12-01

Federated Search for Earth Observation data has been a hallmark of EOSDIS (Earth Observing System Data and Information System) for two decades. Originally, the EOSDIS Version 0 system provided both data-collection-level and granule/file-level search in the mid 1990s with EOSDIS-specific socket protocols and message formats. Since that time, the advent of several standards has helped to simplify EOSDIS federated search, beginning with HTTP as the transfer protocol. Most recently, OpenSearch (www.opensearch.org) was employed for the EOS Clearinghouse (ECHO), based on a set of conventions that had been developed within the Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) Federation. The ECHO OpenSearch API has evolved to encompass the ESIP RFC and the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Open Search standard. Uptake of the ECHO Open Search API has been significant and has made ECHO accessible to client developers that found the previous ECHO SOAP API and current REST API too complex. Client adoption of the OpenSearch API appears to be largely driven by the simplicity of the OpenSearch convention. This simplicity is thus important to retain as the standard and convention evolve. For example, ECHO metrics indicate that the vast majority of ECHO users favor the following search criteria when using the REST API, - Spatial - bounding box, polygon, line and point - Temporal - start and end time - Keywords - free text Fewer than 10% of searches use additional constraints, particularly those requiring a controlled vocabulary, such as instrument, sensor, etc. This suggests that ongoing standardization efforts around OpenSearch usage for Earth Observation data may be more productive if oriented toward improving support for the Spatial, Temporal and Keyword search aspects. Areas still requiring improvement include support of - Concrete requirements for keyword constraints - Phrasal search for keyword constraints - Temporal constraint relations - Terminological symmetry between search URLs and response documents for both temporal and spatial terms - Best practices for both servers and clients. Over the past year we have seen several ongoing efforts to further standardize Open Search in the earth science domain such as, - Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) - Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) - Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS)

Searching for sex- and gender-sensitive tuberculosis research in public health: finding a needle in a haystack

PubMed Central

Vissandjee, Bilkis; Mourid, Assia; Greenaway, Christina A; Short, Wendy E; Proctor, Jodi A

2016-01-01

Despite broadening consideration of sex- and gender-based issues in health research, when seeking information on how sex and gender contribute to disease contexts for specific health or public health topics, a lack of consistent or systematic use of terminology in health literature means that it remains difficult to identify research with a sex or gender focus. These inconsistencies are driven, in part, by the complexity and terminological inflexibility of the indexing systems for gender- and sex-related terms in public health databases. Compounding the issue are authors’ diverse vocabularies, and in some cases lack of accuracy in defining and using fundamental sex–gender terms in writing, and when establishing keyword lists and search criteria. Considering the specific case of the tuberculosis (TB) prevention and management literature, an analysis of sex and gender sensitivity in three health databases was performed. While there is an expanding literature exploring the roles of both sex and gender in the trajectory and lived experience of TB, we demonstrate the potential to miss relevant research when attempting to retrieve literature using only the search criteria currently available. We, therefore, argue that for good clinical practice to be achieved; there is a need for both public health researchers and users to be better educated in appropriate usage of the terminology associated with sex and gender. In addition, public health database indexers ought to accept the task of developing and implementing adequate definitions of sex and gender terms so as to facilitate access to sex- and gender-related research. These twin advances will allow clinicians to more readily recognize and access knowledge pertaining to systems of redress that respond to gendered risks that compound existing health inequalities in disease management and control, particularly when dealing with already complex diseases. Given the methodological and linguistic challenges presented by the multidimensional and highly contextual nature of definitions of sex and gender, it will be important that this review task be undertaken using a multidisciplinary approach. PMID:28008287

Robust Rapid Change-Point Detection in Multi-Sensor Data Fusion and Behavior Research

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-02-25

size. The specific data motivating our re- search concerns male thyroid cancer cases (with malignant behavior) in New Mexico during 1973-2005. The data...epidemiology and (bio)surveillance is to determine whether or not the risk for male thyroid cancer increases over time. The term risk here essentially means the...probability of developing thyroid cancer in a given year, which can be characterized by the incidence rate per 100,000 (male) population; see the plot

National parks. (Latest citations from the NTIS database). Published Search

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

The bibliography contains citations concerning U.S. and foreign national parks. Citations discuss terrestrial biology, botany, coastal biology, fire ecology, endangered and exotic species, and resource analysis. Topics also include the impact of park visitors on natural resources in the parks, resource management, planning, and mapping. Information about specific parks including Rocky Mountain, Great Smoky Mountains, Redwood, Grand Canyon, Sequoia, Glacier Bay, and others is presented. (Contains a minimum of 55 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

Development and Validation of Search Filters to Identify Articles on Family Medicine in Online Medical Databases.

PubMed

Pols, David H J; Bramer, Wichor M; Bindels, Patrick J E; van de Laar, Floris A; Bohnen, Arthur M

2015-01-01

Physicians and researchers in the field of family medicine often need to find relevant articles in online medical databases for a variety of reasons. Because a search filter may help improve the efficiency and quality of such searches, we aimed to develop and validate search filters to identify research studies of relevance to family medicine. Using a new and objective method for search filter development, we developed and validated 2 search filters for family medicine. The sensitive filter had a sensitivity of 96.8% and a specificity of 74.9%. The specific filter had a specificity of 97.4% and a sensitivity of 90.3%. Our new filters should aid literature searches in the family medicine field. The sensitive filter may help researchers conducting systematic reviews, whereas the specific filter may help family physicians find answers to clinical questions at the point of care when time is limited. © 2015 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.

Thesaurus-Enhanced Search Interfaces.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shiri, Ali Asghar; Revie, Crawford; Chowdhury, Gobinda

2002-01-01

Discussion of user interfaces to information retrieval systems focuses on interfaces that incorporate thesauri as part of their searching and browsing facilities. Discusses research literature related to information searching behavior, information retrieval interface evaluation, search term selection, and query expansion; and compares thesaurus…

Google Searches for "Cheap Cigarettes" Spike at Tax Increases: Evidence from an Algorithm to Detect Spikes in Time Series Data.

PubMed

Caputi, Theodore L

2018-05-03

Online cigarette dealers have lower prices than brick-and-mortar retailers and advertise tax-free status.1-8 Previous studies show smokers search out these online alternatives at the time of a cigarette tax increase.9,10 However, these studies rely upon researchers' decision to consider a specific date and preclude the possibility that researchers focus on the wrong date. The purpose of this study is to introduce an unbiased methodology to the field of observing search patterns and to use this methodology to determine whether smokers search Google for "cheap cigarettes" at cigarette tax increases and, if so, whether the increased level of searches persists. Publicly available data from Google Trends is used to observe standardized search volumes for the term, "cheap cigarettes". Seasonal Hybrid Extreme Studentized Deviate and E-Divisive with Means tests were performed to observe spikes and mean level shifts in search volume. Of the twelve cigarette tax increases studied, ten showed spikes in searches for "cheap cigarettes" within two weeks of the tax increase. However, the mean level shifts did not occur for any cigarette tax increase. Searches for "cheap cigarettes" spike around the time of a cigarette tax increase, but the mean level of searches does not shift in response to a tax increase. The SHESD and EDM tests are unbiased methodologies that can be used to identify spikes and mean level shifts in time series data without an a priori date to be studied. SHESD and EDM affirm spikes in interest are related to tax increases. • Applies improved statistical techniques (SHESD and EDM) to Google search data related to cigarettes, reducing bias and increasing power • Contributes to the body of evidence that state and federal tax increases are associated with spikes in searches for cheap cigarettes and may be good dates for increased online health messaging related to tobacco.

Sensitivity and Predictive Value of 15 PubMed Search Strategies to Answer Clinical Questions Rated Against Full Systematic Reviews

PubMed Central

Merglen, Arnaud; Courvoisier, Delphine S; Combescure, Christophe; Garin, Nicolas; Perrier, Arnaud; Perneger, Thomas V

2012-01-01

Background Clinicians perform searches in PubMed daily, but retrieving relevant studies is challenging due to the rapid expansion of medical knowledge. Little is known about the performance of search strategies when they are applied to answer specific clinical questions. Objective To compare the performance of 15 PubMed search strategies in retrieving relevant clinical trials on therapeutic interventions. Methods We used Cochrane systematic reviews to identify relevant trials for 30 clinical questions. Search terms were extracted from the abstract using a predefined procedure based on the population, interventions, comparison, outcomes (PICO) framework and combined into queries. We tested 15 search strategies that varied in their query (PIC or PICO), use of PubMed’s Clinical Queries therapeutic filters (broad or narrow), search limits, and PubMed links to related articles. We assessed sensitivity (recall) and positive predictive value (precision) of each strategy on the first 2 PubMed pages (40 articles) and on the complete search output. Results The performance of the search strategies varied widely according to the clinical question. Unfiltered searches and those using the broad filter of Clinical Queries produced large outputs and retrieved few relevant articles within the first 2 pages, resulting in a median sensitivity of only 10%–25%. In contrast, all searches using the narrow filter performed significantly better, with a median sensitivity of about 50% (all P < .001 compared with unfiltered queries) and positive predictive values of 20%–30% (P < .001 compared with unfiltered queries). This benefit was consistent for most clinical questions. Searches based on related articles retrieved about a third of the relevant studies. Conclusions The Clinical Queries narrow filter, along with well-formulated queries based on the PICO framework, provided the greatest aid in retrieving relevant clinical trials within the 2 first PubMed pages. These results can help clinicians apply effective strategies to answer their questions at the point of care. PMID:22693047

Sensitivity and predictive value of 15 PubMed search strategies to answer clinical questions rated against full systematic reviews.

PubMed

Agoritsas, Thomas; Merglen, Arnaud; Courvoisier, Delphine S; Combescure, Christophe; Garin, Nicolas; Perrier, Arnaud; Perneger, Thomas V

2012-06-12

Clinicians perform searches in PubMed daily, but retrieving relevant studies is challenging due to the rapid expansion of medical knowledge. Little is known about the performance of search strategies when they are applied to answer specific clinical questions. To compare the performance of 15 PubMed search strategies in retrieving relevant clinical trials on therapeutic interventions. We used Cochrane systematic reviews to identify relevant trials for 30 clinical questions. Search terms were extracted from the abstract using a predefined procedure based on the population, interventions, comparison, outcomes (PICO) framework and combined into queries. We tested 15 search strategies that varied in their query (PIC or PICO), use of PubMed's Clinical Queries therapeutic filters (broad or narrow), search limits, and PubMed links to related articles. We assessed sensitivity (recall) and positive predictive value (precision) of each strategy on the first 2 PubMed pages (40 articles) and on the complete search output. The performance of the search strategies varied widely according to the clinical question. Unfiltered searches and those using the broad filter of Clinical Queries produced large outputs and retrieved few relevant articles within the first 2 pages, resulting in a median sensitivity of only 10%-25%. In contrast, all searches using the narrow filter performed significantly better, with a median sensitivity of about 50% (all P < .001 compared with unfiltered queries) and positive predictive values of 20%-30% (P < .001 compared with unfiltered queries). This benefit was consistent for most clinical questions. Searches based on related articles retrieved about a third of the relevant studies. The Clinical Queries narrow filter, along with well-formulated queries based on the PICO framework, provided the greatest aid in retrieving relevant clinical trials within the 2 first PubMed pages. These results can help clinicians apply effective strategies to answer their questions at the point of care.

Child pornography in peer-to-peer networks.

PubMed

Steel, Chad M S

2009-08-01

The presence of child pornography in peer-to-peer networks is not disputed, but there has been little effort done to quantify and analyze the distribution and nature of that content to-date. By performing an analysis of queries and query hits on the largest peer-to-peer network, we are able to both quantify and describe the nature of querying by child pornographers as well as the content they are sharing. Child pornography related content was identified and analyzed in 235,513 user queries and 194,444 query hits. The research confirmed a large amount of peer-to-peer traffic is dedicated to child pornography, but supply and demand must be separated for a better understanding. The most prevalent query and the top two most prevalent filenames returned as query hits were child pornography related. However, it would be inaccurate to state child pornography dominates peer-to-peer as 1% of all queries were related to child pornography and 1.45% of all query hits (unique filenames) were related to child pornography, consistent with a smaller study (Hughes et al., 2008). In addition to the above, research indicates that the median age searched for was 13 years old, and the majority of queries were gender-neutral, but of those with gender-related terms, 79% were female-oriented. Distribution-wise, the vast majority of content-specific searches are for movies at 99%, though images are still the most prevalent in availability. There is no shortage of child pornography supply and demand on peer-to-peer networks and by analyzing how consumers seek and distributors advertise content we can better understand their motivations. Understanding the behavior of child pornographers and how they search for content when contrasted with those sharing content provides a basis for finding and combating that behavior. For law enforcement, knowing the specific terms used allows more timely and accurate forensics and better identification of those seeking and distributing child pornography. For Internet researchers, better filtering and monitoring is possible. For mental health professionals, understanding the preferences and behaviors of those searching supports more effective treatment.

Potentially harmful drug-drug interactions in the elderly: a review.

PubMed

Hines, Lisa E; Murphy, John E

2011-12-01

Elderly patients are vulnerable to drug interactions because of age-related physiologic changes, an increased risk for disease associated with aging, and the consequent increase in medication use. The purpose of this narrative review was to describe findings from rigorously designed observational cohort and case-control studies that have assessed specific drug interactions in elderly patients. The PubMed and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts databases were searched for studies published in English over the past 10 years (December 2000-December 2010) using relevant Medical Subject Headings terms (aged; aged, 80 and over; and drug interactions) and search terms (drug interaction and elderly). Search strategies were saved and repeated through September 2011 to ensure that the most recent relevant published articles were identified. Additional articles were found using a search of review articles and reference lists of the identified studies. Studies were included if they were observational cohort or case-control studies that reported specific adverse drug interactions, included patients aged ≥65 years, and evaluated clinically meaningful end points. Studies were excluded if they used less rigorous observational designs, assessed pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic properties, evaluated drug-nutrient or drug-disease interactions or interactions of drug combinations used for therapeutic benefit (eg, dual antiplatelet therapy), or had inconclusive evidence. Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria. Sixteen studies reported an elevated risk for hospitalization in older adults associated with adverse drug interactions. The drug interactions included: angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and potassium-sparing diuretics, ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, benzodiazepines or zolpidem and interacting medications, calcium channel blockers and macrolide antibiotics, digoxin and macrolide antibiotics, lithium and loop diuretics or ACE inhibitors, phenytoin and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, sulfonylureas and antimicrobial agents, theophylline and ciprofloxacin, and warfarin and antimicrobial agents or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. One study reported the risk for breast cancer-related death as a function of paroxetine exposure among women treated with tamoxifen. Several population-based studies have reported significant harm associated drug interactions in elderly patients. Increased awareness and interventions aimed at reducing exposure and minimizing the risks associated with potentially harmful drug combinations are needed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc. All rights reserved.

Specification Search for Identifying the Correct Mean Trajectory in Polynomial Latent Growth Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Minjung; Kwok, Oi-Man; Yoon, Myeongsun; Willson, Victor; Lai, Mark H. C.

2016-01-01

This study investigated the optimal strategy for model specification search under the latent growth modeling (LGM) framework, specifically on searching for the correct polynomial mean or average growth model when there is no a priori hypothesized model in the absence of theory. In this simulation study, the effectiveness of different starting…

Working memory capacity and retrieval limitations from long-term memory: an examination of differences in accessibility.

PubMed

Unsworth, Nash; Spillers, Gregory J; Brewer, Gene A

2012-01-01

In two experiments, the locus of individual differences in working memory capacity and long-term memory recall was examined. Participants performed categorical cued and free recall tasks, and individual differences in the dynamics of recall were interpreted in terms of a hierarchical-search framework. The results from this study are in accordance with recent theorizing suggesting a strong relation between working memory capacity and retrieval from long-term memory. Furthermore, the results also indicate that individual differences in categorical recall are partially due to differences in accessibility. In terms of accessibility of target information, two important factors drive the difference between high- and low-working-memory-capacity participants. Low-working-memory-capacity participants fail to utilize appropriate retrieval strategies to access cues, and they also have difficulty resolving cue overload. Thus, when low-working-memory-capacity participants were given specific cues that activated a smaller set of potential targets, their recall performance was the same as that of high-working-memory-capacity participants.

Internet search and krokodil in the Russian Federation: an infoveillance study.

PubMed

Zheluk, Andrey; Quinn, Casey; Meylakhs, Peter

2014-09-18

Krokodil is an informal term for a cheap injectable illicit drug domestically prepared from codeine-containing medication (CCM). The method of krokodil preparation may produce desomorphine as well as toxic reactants that cause extensive tissue necrosis. The first confirmed report of krokodil use in Russia took place in 2004. In 2012, reports of krokodil-related injection injuries began to appear beyond Russia in Western Europe and the United States. This exploratory study had two main objectives: (1) to determine if Internet search patterns could detect regularities in behavioral responses to Russian CCM policy at the population level, and (2) to determine if complementary data sources could explain the regularities we observed. First, we obtained krokodil-related search pattern data for each Russia subregion (oblast) between 2011 and 2012. Second, we analyzed several complementary data sources included krokodil-related court cases, and related search terms on both Google and Yandex to evaluate the characteristics of terms accompanying krokodil-related search queries. In the 6 months preceding CCM sales restrictions, 21 of Russia's 83 oblasts had search rates higher than the national average (mean) of 16.67 searches per 100,000 population for terms associated with krokodil. In the 6 months following restrictions, mean national searches dropped to 9.65 per 100,000. Further, the number of oblasts recording a higher than average search rate dropped from 30 to 16. Second, we found krokodil-related court appearances were moderately positively correlated (Spearman correlation=.506, P≤.001) with behaviors consistent with an interest in the production and use of krokodil across Russia. Finally, Google Trends and Google and Yandex related terms suggested consistent public interest in the production and use of krokodil as well as for CCM as analgesic medication during the date range covered by this study. Illicit drug use data are generally regarded as difficult to obtain through traditional survey methods. Our analysis suggests it is plausible that Yandex search behavior served as a proxy for patterns of krokodil production and use during the date range we investigated. More generally, this study demonstrates the application of novel methods recently used by policy makers to both monitor illicit drug use and influence drug policy decision making.

Searching for suicide-related information on Chinese websites.

PubMed

Chen, Ying-Yeh; Hung, Galen Chin-Lun; Cheng, Qijin; Tsai, Chi-Wei; Wu, Kevin Chien-Chang

2017-12-01

Growing concerns about cyber-suicide have prompted many studies on suicide information available on the web. However, very few studies have considered non-English websites. We aimed to analyze online suicide-related information accessed through Chinese-language websites. We used Taiwan's two most popular search engines (Google and Yahoo) to explore the results returned from six suicide-related search terms in March 2016. The first three pages listing the results from each search were analyzed and rated based on the attitude towards suicide (pro-suicide, anti-suicide, neutral/mixed, not a suicide site, or error). Comparisons across different search terms were also performed. In all, 375 linked webpages were included; 16.3% of the webpages were pro-suicide and 41.3% were anti-suicide. The majority of the pro-suicide sites were user-generated webpages (96.7%). Searches using the keywords 'ways to kill yourself' (31.7%) and 'painless suicide' (28.3%) generated much larger numbers of harmful webpages than the term 'suicide' (4.3%). We conclude that collaborative efforts with internet service providers and search engines to improve the ranking of anti-suicide webpages and websites and implement online suicide reporting guidelines are highly encouraged. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Revisiting the Rise of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems Using Search Query Surveillance

PubMed Central

Ayers, John W.; Althouse, Benjamin M.; Allem, Jon-Patrick; Leas, Eric C.; Dredze, Mark; Williams, Rebecca

2016-01-01

Introduction Public perceptions of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) remain poorly understood because surveys are too costly to regularly implement and when implemented there are large delays between data collection and dissemination. Search query surveillance has bridged some of these gaps. Herein, ENDS’ popularity in the U.S. is reassessed using Google searches. Methods ENDS searches originating in the U.S. from January 2009 through January 2015 were disaggregated by terms focused on e-cigarette (e.g., e-cig) versus vaping (e.g., vapers), their geolocation (e.g., state), the aggregate tobacco control measures corresponding to their geolocation (e.g., clean indoor air laws), and by terms that indicated the searcher’s potential interest (e.g., buy e-cigs likely indicates shopping); all analyzed in 2015. Results ENDS searches are increasing across the entire U.S., with 8,498,180 searches during 2014. At the same time, searches shifted from e-cigarette- to vaping-focused terms, especially in coastal states and states with more anti-smoking norms. For example, nationally, e-cigarette searches declined 9% (95% CI=1%, 16%) during 2014 compared with 2013, whereas vaping searches increased 136% (95% CI=97%, 186%), surpassing e-cigarette searches. More ENDS searches were related to shopping (e.g., vape shop) than health concerns (e.g., vaping risks) or cessation (e.g., quit smoking with e-cigs), with shopping searches nearly doubling during 2014. Conclusions ENDS popularity is rapidly growing and evolving, and monitoring searches has provided these timely insights. These findings may inform survey questionnaire development for follow-up investigation and immediately guide policy debates about how the public perceives ENDS’ health risks or cessation benefits. PMID:26876772

Monoclonal antibodies for chronic pain: A practical review of mechanisms and clinical applications

PubMed Central

Yeh, Ju-Fen; Akinci, Aysen; Al Shaker, Mohammed; Chang, Ming Hong; Danilov, Andrei; Guillen, Rocio; Johnson, Kirk W; Kim, Yong-Chul; Skljarevski, Vladimir; Dueñas, Héctor J; Tassanawipas, Warat

2017-01-01

Context Monoclonal antibodies are being investigated for chronic pain to overcome the shortcomings of current treatment options. Objective To provide a practical overview of monoclonal antibodies in clinical development for use in chronic pain conditions, with a focus on mechanisms of action and relevance to specific classes. Methods Qualitative review using a systematic strategy to search for randomized controlled trials, systematic and nonsystematic (narrative) reviews, observational studies, nonclinical studies, and case reports for inclusion. Studies were identified via relevant search terms using an electronic search of MEDLINE via PubMed (1990 to June 2017) in addition to hand-searching reference lists of retrieved systematic and nonsystematic reviews. Results Monoclonal antibodies targeting nerve growth factor, calcitonin gene-related peptide pathways, various ion channels, tumor necrosis factor-α, and epidermal growth factor receptor are in different stages of development. Mechanisms of action are dependent on specific signaling pathways, which commonly involve those related to peripheral neurogenic inflammation. In clinical studies, there has been a mixed response to different monoclonal antibodies in several chronic pain conditions, including migraine, neuropathic pain conditions (e.g., diabetic peripheral neuropathy), osteoarthritis, chronic back pain, ankylosing spondylitis, and cancer. Adverse events observed to date have generally been mild, although further studies are needed to ensure safety of monoclonal antibodies in early stages of development, especially where there is an overlap with non-pain-related pathways. High acquisition cost remains another treatment limitation. Conclusion Monoclonal antibodies for chronic pain have the potential to overcome the limitations of current treatment options, but strategies to ensure their appropriate use need to be determined. PMID:29056066

Google Search Tips

Science.gov Websites

with Search To search for a document, type a few descriptive words in the search box, and press the Enter key or click the search button. A results page appears with a list of documents and web pages that are related to your search terms, with the most relevant search results appearing at the top of the

LEAP into the Pfizer Global Virtual Library (PGVL) space: creation of readily synthesizable design ideas automatically.

PubMed

Hu, Qiyue; Peng, Zhengwei; Kostrowicki, Jaroslav; Kuki, Atsuo

2011-01-01

Pfizer Global Virtual Library (PGVL) of 10(13) readily synthesizable molecules offers a tremendous opportunity for lead optimization and scaffold hopping in drug discovery projects. However, mining into a chemical space of this size presents a challenge for the concomitant design informatics due to the fact that standard molecular similarity searches against a collection of explicit molecules cannot be utilized, since no chemical information system could create and manage more than 10(8) explicit molecules. Nevertheless, by accepting a tolerable level of false negatives in search results, we were able to bypass the need for full 10(13) enumeration and enabled the efficient similarity search and retrieval into this huge chemical space for practical usage by medicinal chemists. In this report, two search methods (LEAP1 and LEAP2) are presented. The first method uses PGVL reaction knowledge to disassemble the incoming search query molecule into a set of reactants and then uses reactant-level similarities into actual available starting materials to focus on a much smaller sub-region of the full virtual library compound space. This sub-region is then explicitly enumerated and searched via a standard similarity method using the original query molecule. The second method uses a fuzzy mapping onto candidate reactions and does not require exact disassembly of the incoming query molecule. Instead Basis Products (or capped reactants) are mapped into the query molecule and the resultant asymmetric similarity scores are used to prioritize the corresponding reactions and reactant sets. All sets of Basis Products are inherently indexed to specific reactions and specific starting materials. This again allows focusing on a much smaller sub-region for explicit enumeration and subsequent standard product-level similarity search. A set of validation studies were conducted. The results have shown that the level of false negatives for the disassembly-based method is acceptable when the query molecule can be recognized for exact disassembly, and the fuzzy reaction mapping method based on Basis Products has an even better performance in terms of lower false-negative rate because it is not limited by the requirement that the query molecule needs to be recognized by any disassembly algorithm. Both search methods have been implemented and accessed through a powerful desktop molecular design tool (see ref. (33) for details). The chapter will end with a comparison of published search methods against large virtual chemical space.

Crowd-sourced Ontology for Photoleukocoria: Identifying Common Internet Search Terms for a Potentially Important Pediatric Ophthalmic Sign.

PubMed

Staffieri, Sandra E; Kearns, Lisa S; Sanfilippo, Paul G; Craig, Jamie E; Mackey, David A; Hewitt, Alex W

2018-02-01

Leukocoria is the most common presenting sign for pediatric eye disease including retinoblastoma and cataract, with worse outcomes if diagnosis is delayed. We investigated whether individuals could identify leukocoria in photographs (photoleukocoria) and examined their subsequent Internet search behavior. Using a web-based questionnaire, in this cross-sectional study we invited adults aged over 18 years to view two photographs of a child with photoleukocoria, and then search the Internet to determine a possible diagnosis and action plan. The most commonly used search terms and websites accessed were recorded. The questionnaire was completed by 1639 individuals. Facebook advertisement was the most effective recruitment strategy. The mean age of all respondents was 38.95 ± 14.59 years (range, 18-83), 94% were female, and 59.3% had children. An abnormality in the images presented was identified by 1613 (98.4%) participants. The most commonly used search terms were: "white," "pupil," "photo," and "eye" reaching a variety of appropriate websites or links to print or social media articles. Different words or phrases were used to describe the same observation of photoleukocoria leading to a range of websites. Variations in the description of observed signs and search words influenced the sites reached, information obtained, and subsequent help-seeking intentions. Identifying the most commonly used search terms for photoleukocoria is an important step for search engine optimization. Being directed to the most appropriate websites informing of the significance of photoleukocoria and the appropriate actions to take could improve delays in diagnosis of important pediatric eye disease such as retinoblastoma or cataract.

Osteosarcoma: Diagnostic dilemmas in histopathology and prognostic factors

PubMed Central

Wadhwa, Neelam

2014-01-01

Osteosarcoma (OS), the commonest malignancy of osteoarticular origin, is a very aggressive neoplasm. Divergent histologic differentiation is common in OS; hence triple diagnostic approach is essential in all cases. 20% cases are atypical owing to lack of concurrence among clinicoradiologic and pathologic features necessitating resampling. Recognition of specific anatomic and histologic variants is essential in view of better outcome. Traditional prognostic factors of OS do stratify patients for short term outcome, but often fail to predict their long term outcome. Considering the negligible improvement in the patient outcome during the last 20 years, search for novel prognostic factors is in progress like ezrin vascular endothelial growth factor, chemokine receptors, dysregulation of various micro ribonucleic acid are potentially promising. Their utility needs to be validated by long term followup studies before they are incorporated in routine clinical practice. PMID:24932029

Ocular side effects of biological agents in oncology: what should the clinician be aware of?

PubMed Central

Hager, Tobias; Seitz, B

2014-01-01

During the last 20 years, biologicals have become increasingly relevant in oncologic therapy. Depending on the medication used, there are different profiles of ocular side effects. Although these can be present in up to 70% of patients, they are generally underreported in the literature. Therefore, the pathophysiological details of their development are often poorly understood. Herein we attempt to identify groups of biologicals to which a specific side effect profile can be assigned. We also tried to capture all relevant side effects and therefore conducted several database investigation including Medline, Cochrane library, and the drugs section of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), using the following search strings: “name of biological agent (both generic and commercial names)” AND “eye” OR “ocular”. If we found a side effect that has been associated with a drug, we researched Medline using the following search string: “name of biological agent” (both generic and commercial names) AND “term for the specific side effect”. Due to the wealth of material we report only the drugs that are approved by the FDA. PMID:24391443

Pressure ulcer prevention in patients with advanced illness.

PubMed

White-Chu, E Foy; Reddy, Madhuri

2013-03-01

Pressure ulcers can be challenging to prevent, particularly in patients with advanced illnesses. This review summarizes the relevant literature since 2011. Through a MEDLINE and CINAHL database search from January 1, 2011 to June 1, 2012, a total of 14 abstracts were found addressing the prevention of pressure ulcers in persons with advanced illness. Search terms included pressure ulcer, prevention, and control. Advanced illness was defined as patients transitioning from curative to supportive and palliative care. Ten original studies and four review articles specifically addressed pressure ulcer prevention. There were four articles that specifically addressed patients with advanced illness. The studies varied in quality. One systematic review, one randomized controlled trial, three prospective trials, two retrospective trials, one cost-effectiveness analysis, one quality improvement project, one comparative descriptive design, and four review articles were found. The interventions for pressure ulcer prevention were risk assessment, repositioning, surface selection, nutritional support and maintenance of skin integrity with or without incontinence. The quality of pressure ulcer prevention studies in persons with advanced illness is poor. Increased number and higher quality studies are needed to further investigate this important topic for these fragile patients.

Potential roles of cell-derived microparticles in ischemic brain disease.

PubMed

Horstman, Lawrence L; Jy, Wenche; Bidot, Carlos J; Nordberg, Mary L; Minagar, Alireza; Alexander, J Steven; Kelley, Roger E; Ahn, Yeon S

2009-10-01

The objective of this study is to review the role of cell-derived microparticles in ischemic cerebrovascular diseases. An extensive PubMed search of literature pertaining to this study was performed in April 2009 using specific keyword search terms related to cell-derived microparticles and ischemic stroke. Some references are not cited here as it is not possible to be all inclusive or due to space limitation. Cell-derived microparticles are small membranous vesicles released from the plasma membranes of platelets, leukocytes, red cells and endothelial cells in response to diverse biochemical agents or mechanical stresses. They are the main carriers of circulating tissue factor, the principal initiator of intravascular thrombosis, and are implicated in a variety of thrombotic and inflammatory disorders. This review outlines evidence suggesting that cell-derived microparticles are involved predominantly with microvascular, as opposed to macrovascular, thrombosis. More specifically, cell-derived microparticles may substantially contribute to ischemic brain disease in several settings, as well as to neuroinflammatory conditions. If further work confirms this hypothesis, novel therapeutic strategies for minimizing cell-derived microparticles-mediated ischemia are available or can be developed, as discussed.

Etiology of Acute Bacterial Meningitis in Iran: a Systematic Review.

PubMed

Ghotaslou, Reza; Yeganeh-Sefidan, Fatemeh; Salahi-Eshlaqi, Behnaz; Ebrahimzadeh-Leylabadlo, Hamed

2015-08-01

Acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) is one of the most severe infectious diseases, causing neurologic sequel, and a case fatality rate of 20-30%. The aim of this paper was to summarize the main causes of ABM in Iran. We searched the data for relevant articles using meningitis, etiology, and Iran as search terms. We found 23 papers for inclusion in the review that focused specifically on the ABM, addressing etiology and acute meningitis. Finally, during the 23 years, a total of 18163 cases were recorded, and 1074 cases of which met the criteria for bacterial meningitis. The most common agent associated with bacterial meningitis was S. pneumoniae, followed by H. influenzae, Enterobacter spp., N. meningitidis, and group B streptococcus. The total incidence of ABM during 1991 to 2002 was higher than during 2003-2013. S. pneumoniae still remains a main cause of bacterial meningitis. For improved outcomes, studies are needed to further clarify the etiology of meningitis in Iran, explore simple, accurate, and practical diagnostic tools as PCR, and investigate the most appropriate specific and supportive interventions to manage and prevent meningitis as vaccination.

The experiences and support needs of people with intellectual disabilities who identify as LGBT: A review of the literature.

PubMed

McCann, Edward; Lee, Regina; Brown, Michael

2016-10-01

People who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) can face many challenges in society including accessing education, care and support appropriate to individual needs. However, there is a growing and evolving evidence base about the specific needs of people with intellectual disabilities (ID) in this regard. The aim of this review was to explore the experiences of people with ID who identified as LGBT through an examination of studies that addressed their views and highlighted specific issues, concerns and service responses. A comprehensive search of relevant databases from February 1995 to February 2015 was conducted. Studies were identified that met specific criteria that included: empirical peer reviewed studies, the use of recognised research methods and focused on people with ID whom identified as LGBT. The search yielded 161 papers in total. The search was narrowed and 37 papers were screened using rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria. Finally, 14 papers were considered suitable for the review. The data were analysed and key themes identified that included accessing health services, gender and sexual identity, attitudes of people with ID regarding their LGBT status, and education, supports and therapeutic interventions. There is a need for service providers and carers to be more responsive to the concerns of people with ID who identify as LGBT to improve their health and well-being by reducing stigma and discrimination and by increasing awareness of their care and support needs. The implications are discussed in terms of policy, education, research and practice developments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Local production of medical technologies and its effect on access in low and middle income countries: a systematic review of the literature

PubMed Central

Kaplan, Warren Allan; Ritz, Lindsay Sarah; Vitello, Marie

2011-01-01

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the existing theoretical and empirical literature examining the link between "local production" of pharmaceuticals and medical devices and increased local access to these products. Our preliminary hypothesis is that studies showing a robust relationship between local production and access to medical products are sparse, at best. Methods: An extensive literature search was conducted using a wide variety of databases and search terms intending to capture as many different aspects of this issue as possible. The results of the search were reviewed and categorized according to their relevance to the research question. The literature was also reviewed to determine the rigor used to examine the effects of local production and what implications these experiences hold for other developing countries. Results: Literature addressing the benefits of local production and the link between it and access to medical products is sparse, mainly descriptive and lacking empirical evidence. Of the literature we reviewed that addressed comparative economics and strategic planning of multinational and domestic firms, there are few dealing with emerging markets and lower-middle income countries and even fewer that compare local biomedical producers with multinational corporations in terms of a reasonable metric. What comparisons exist mainly relate to prices of local versus foreign/multinational produced medicines. Conclusions: An assessment of the existing theoretical and empirical literature examining the link between "local production" of pharmaceuticals and medical devices and increased local access to these products reveals a paucity of literature explicitly dealing with this issue. Of the literature that does exist, methods used to date are insufficient to prove a robust relationship between local production of medical products and access to these products. There are mixed messages from various studies, and although the studies may correctly depict specific situations in specific countries with reference to specific products, such evidence cannot be generalized. Our review strongly supports the need for further research in understanding the dynamic link between local production and access to medical products PMID:23093883

A modified three-term PRP conjugate gradient algorithm for optimization models.

PubMed

Wu, Yanlin

2017-01-01

The nonlinear conjugate gradient (CG) algorithm is a very effective method for optimization, especially for large-scale problems, because of its low memory requirement and simplicity. Zhang et al. (IMA J. Numer. Anal. 26:629-649, 2006) firstly propose a three-term CG algorithm based on the well known Polak-Ribière-Polyak (PRP) formula for unconstrained optimization, where their method has the sufficient descent property without any line search technique. They proved the global convergence of the Armijo line search but this fails for the Wolfe line search technique. Inspired by their method, we will make a further study and give a modified three-term PRP CG algorithm. The presented method possesses the following features: (1) The sufficient descent property also holds without any line search technique; (2) the trust region property of the search direction is automatically satisfied; (3) the steplengh is bounded from below; (4) the global convergence will be established under the Wolfe line search. Numerical results show that the new algorithm is more effective than that of the normal method.

Automatic query formulations in information retrieval.

PubMed

Salton, G; Buckley, C; Fox, E A

1983-07-01

Modern information retrieval systems are designed to supply relevant information in response to requests received from the user population. In most retrieval environments the search requests consist of keywords, or index terms, interrelated by appropriate Boolean operators. Since it is difficult for untrained users to generate effective Boolean search requests, trained search intermediaries are normally used to translate original statements of user need into useful Boolean search formulations. Methods are introduced in this study which reduce the role of the search intermediaries by making it possible to generate Boolean search formulations completely automatically from natural language statements provided by the system patrons. Frequency considerations are used automatically to generate appropriate term combinations as well as Boolean connectives relating the terms. Methods are covered to produce automatic query formulations both in a standard Boolean logic system, as well as in an extended Boolean system in which the strict interpretation of the connectives is relaxed. Experimental results are supplied to evaluate the effectiveness of the automatic query formulation process, and methods are described for applying the automatic query formulation process in practice.

Enhancing access to reports of randomized trials published world-wide – the contribution of EMBASE records to the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in The Cochrane Library

PubMed Central

Lefebvre, Carol; Eisinga, Anne; McDonald, Steve; Paul, Nina

2008-01-01

Background Randomized trials are essential in assessing the effects of healthcare interventions and are a key component in systematic reviews of effectiveness. Searching for reports of randomized trials in databases is problematic due to the absence of appropriate indexing terms until the 1990s and inconsistent application of these indexing terms thereafter. Objectives The objectives of this study are to devise a search strategy for identifying reports of randomized trials in EMBASE which are not already indexed as trials in MEDLINE and to make these reports easily accessible by including them in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in The Cochrane Library, with the permission of Elsevier, the publishers of EMBASE. Methods A highly sensitive search strategy was designed for EMBASE based on free-text and thesaurus terms which occurred frequently in the titles, abstracts, EMTREE terms (or some combination of these) of reports of trials indexed in EMBASE. This search strategy was run against EMBASE from 1980 to 2005 (1974 to 2005 for four of the terms) and records retrieved by the search, which were not already indexed as randomized trials in MEDLINE, were downloaded from EMBASE, printed and read. An analysis of the language of publication was conducted for the reports of trials published in 2005 (the most recent year completed at the time of this study). Results Twenty-two search terms were used (including nine which were later rejected due to poor cumulative precision). More than a third of a million records were downloaded and scanned and approximately 80,000 reports of trials were identified which were not already indexed as randomized trials in MEDLINE. These are now easily identifiable in CENTRAL, in The Cochrane Library. Cumulative sensitivity ranged from 0.1% to 60% and cumulative precision ranged from 8% to 61%. The truncated term 'random$' identified 60% of the total number of reports of trials but only 35% of the more than 130,000 records retrieved by this term were reports of trials. The language analysis for the sample year 2005 indicated that of the 18,427 reports indexed as randomized trials in MEDLINE, 959 (5%) were in languages other than English. The EMBASE search identified an additional 658 reports in languages other than English, of which the highest number were in Chinese (320). Conclusion The results of the search to date have greatly increased access to reports of trials in EMBASE, especially in some languages other than English. The search strategy used was subjectively derived from a small 'gold standard' set of test records and was not validated in an independent test set. We intend to design an objectively-derived validated search strategy using logistic regression based on the frequency of occurrence of terms in the approximately 80,000 reports of randomized trials identified compared with the frequency of these terms across the entire EMBASE database. PMID:18826567

Motivation and short-term memory in visual search: Attention's accelerator revisited.

PubMed

Schneider, Daniel; Bonmassar, Claudia; Hickey, Clayton

2018-05-01

A cue indicating the possibility of cash reward will cause participants to perform memory-based visual search more efficiently. A recent study has suggested that this performance benefit might reflect the use of multiple memory systems: when needed, participants may maintain the to-be-remembered object in both long-term and short-term visual memory, with this redundancy benefitting target identification during search (Reinhart, McClenahan & Woodman, 2016). Here we test this compelling hypothesis. We had participants complete a memory-based visual search task involving a reward cue that either preceded presentation of the to-be-remembered target (pre-cue) or followed it (retro-cue). Following earlier work, we tracked memory representation using two components of the event-related potential (ERP): the contralateral delay activity (CDA), reflecting short-term visual memory, and the anterior P170, reflecting long-term storage. We additionally tracked attentional preparation and deployment in the contingent negative variation (CNV) and N2pc, respectively. Results show that only the reward pre-cue impacted our ERP indices of memory. However, both types of cue elicited a robust CNV, reflecting an influence on task preparation, both had equivalent impact on deployment of attention to the target, as indexed in the N2pc, and both had equivalent impact on visual search behavior. Reward prospect thus has an influence on memory-guided visual search, but this does not appear to be necessarily mediated by a change in the visual memory representations indexed by CDA. Our results demonstrate that the impact of motivation on search is not a simple product of improved memory for target templates. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Seasonal variation in Internet searches for vitamin D.

PubMed

Moon, Rebecca J; Curtis, Elizabeth M; Davies, Justin H; Cooper, Cyrus; Harvey, Nicholas C

2017-12-01

Internet search rates for "vitamin D" were explored using Google Trends. Search rates increased from 2004 until 2010 and thereafter displayed a seasonal pattern peaking in late winter. This knowledge could help guide the timing of public health interventions aimed at managing vitamin D deficiency. The Internet is an important source of health information. Analysis of Internet search activity rates can provide information on disease epidemiology, health related behaviors and public interest. We explored Internet search rates for vitamin D to determine whether this reflects the increasing scientific interest in this topic. Google Trends is a publically available tool that provides data on Internet searches using Google. Search activity for the term "vitamin D" from 1st January 2004 until 31st October 2016 was obtained. Comparison was made to other bone and nutrition related terms. Worldwide, searches for "vitamin D" increased from 2004 until 2010 and thereafter a statistically significant (p < 0.001) seasonal pattern with a peak in February and nadir in August was observed. This seasonal pattern was evident for searches originating from both the USA (peak in February) and Australia (peak in August); p < 0.001 for both. Searches for the terms "osteoporosis", "rickets", "back pain" or "folic acid" did not display the increase observed for vitamin D or evidence of seasonal variation. Public interest in vitamin D, as assessed by Internet search activity, did increase from 2004 to 2010, likely reflecting the growing scientific interest, but now displays a seasonal pattern with peak interest during late winter. This information could be used to guide public health approaches to managing vitamin D deficiency.

"Multisensory brand search: How the meaning of sounds guides consumers' visual attention": Correction to Knoeferle et al. (2016).

PubMed

2017-03-01

Reports an error in "Multisensory brand search: How the meaning of sounds guides consumers' visual attention" by Klemens M. Knoeferle, Pia Knoeferle, Carlos Velasco and Charles Spence ( Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied , 2016[Jun], Vol 22[2], 196-210). In the article, under Experiment 2, Design and Stimuli, the set number of target products and visual distractors reported in the second paragraph should be 20 and 13, respectively: "On each trial, the 16 products shown in the display were randomly selected from a set of 20 products belonging to different categories. Out of the set of 20 products, seven were potential targets, whereas the other 13 were used as visual distractors only throughout the experiment (since they were not linked to specific usage or consumption sounds)." Consequently, Appendix A in the supplemental materials has been updated. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2016-28876-002.) Building on models of crossmodal attention, the present research proposes that brand search is inherently multisensory, in that the consumers' visual search for a specific brand can be facilitated by semantically related stimuli that are presented in another sensory modality. A series of 5 experiments demonstrates that the presentation of spatially nonpredictive auditory stimuli associated with products (e.g., usage sounds or product-related jingles) can crossmodally facilitate consumers' visual search for, and selection of, products. Eye-tracking data (Experiment 2) revealed that the crossmodal effect of auditory cues on visual search manifested itself not only in RTs, but also in the earliest stages of visual attentional processing, thus suggesting that the semantic information embedded within sounds can modulate the perceptual saliency of the target products' visual representations. Crossmodal facilitation was even observed for newly learnt associations between unfamiliar brands and sonic logos, implicating multisensory short-term learning in establishing audiovisual semantic associations. The facilitation effect was stronger when searching complex rather than simple visual displays, thus suggesting a modulatory role of perceptual load. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

A Modular Simulation Framework for Assessing Swarm Search Models

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

SUBTITLE A MODULAR SIMULATION FRAMEWORK FOR ASSESSING SWARM SEARCH MODELS 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 6. AUTHOR(S) Blake M. Wanier 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION...Numerical studies demonstrate the ability to leverage the developed simulation and analysis framework to investigate three canonical swarm search models ...as benchmarks for future exploration of more sophisticated swarm search scenarios. 14. SUBJECT TERMS Swarm Search, Search Theory, Modeling Framework

Evaluating the Quality, Accuracy, and Readability of Online Resources Pertaining to Hallux Valgus.

PubMed

Tartaglione, Jason P; Rosenbaum, Andrew J; Abousayed, Mostafa; Hushmendy, Shazaan F; DiPreta, John A

2016-02-01

The Internet is one of the most widely utilized resources for health-related information. Evaluation of the medical literature suggests that the quality and accuracy of these resources are poor and written at inappropriately high reading levels. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the quality, accuracy, and readability of online resources pertaining to hallux valgus. Two search terms ("hallux valgus" and "bunion") were entered into Google, Yahoo, and Bing. With the use of scoring criteria specific to hallux valgus, the quality and accuracy of online information related to hallux valgus was evaluated by 3 reviewers. The Flesch-Kincaid score was used to determine readability. Statistical analysis was performed with t tests and significance was determined by P values <.05. Sixty-two unique websites were evaluated. Quality was significantly higher with use of the search term "bunion" as compared to "hallux valgus" (P = .045). Quality and accuracy were significantly higher in resources authored by physicians as compared to nonphysicians (quality, P = .04; accuracy, P < .001) and websites without commercial bias (quality, P = .038; accuracy, P = .011). However, the reading level was significantly more advanced for websites authored by physicians (P = .035). Websites written above an eighth-grade reading level were significantly more accurate than those written at or below an eighth-grade reading level (P = .032). The overall quality of online information related to hallux valgus is poor and written at inappropriate reading levels. Furthermore, the search term used, authorship, and presence of commercial bias influence the value of these materials. It is important for orthopaedic surgeons to become familiar with patient education materials, so that appropriate recommendations can be made regarding valuable resources. Level IV. © 2015 The Author(s).

The efficacy of instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization: a systematic review.

PubMed

Cheatham, Scott W; Lee, Matt; Cain, Matt; Baker, Russell

2016-09-01

Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) is a popular treatment for myofascial restriction. IASTM uses specially designed instruments to provide a mobilizing effect to scar tissue and myofascial adhesions. Several IASTM tools and techniques are available such as the Graston® technique. Currently, there are no systematic reviews that have specifically appraised the effects of IASTM as a treatment or to enhance joint range of motion (ROM). The purpose of this study was to systematically appraise the current evidence assessing the effects of IASTM as an intervention to treat a musculoskeletal pathology or to enhance joint ROM. A search of the literature was conducted during the month of December 2015 which included the following databases: PubMed, PEDro, Science Direct, and the EBSCOhost collection. A direct search of known journals was also conducted to identify potential publications. The search terms included individual or a combination of the following: instrument; assisted; augmented; soft-tissue; mobilization; Graston®; and technique. A total of 7 randomized controlled trials were appraised. Five of the studies measured an IASTM intervention versus a control or alternate intervention group for a musculoskeletal pathology. The results of the studies were insignificant (p>.05) with both groups displaying equal outcomes. Two studies measured an IASTM intervention versus a control or alternate intervention group on the effects of joint ROM. The IASTM intervention produced significant (P<.05) short term gains up to 24 hours. The literature measuring the effects of IASTM is still emerging. The current research has indicated insignificant results which challenges the efficacy of IASTM as a treatment for common musculoskeletal pathology, which may be due to the methodological variability among studies. There appears to be some evidence supporting its ability to increase short term joint ROM.

11 CFR 4.9 - Fees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... requester for the first two hours of search time and the first 100 pages of duplication in response to any FOIA request. (2) Free computer search time. For purposes of this paragraph, the term search time is based on the concept of a manual search. To apply this to a search conducted by a computer, the...

11 CFR 4.9 - Fees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... requester for the first two hours of search time and the first 100 pages of duplication in response to any FOIA request. (2) Free computer search time. For purposes of this paragraph, the term search time is based on the concept of a manual search. To apply this to a search conducted by a computer, the...

11 CFR 4.9 - Fees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... requester for the first two hours of search time and the first 100 pages of duplication in response to any FOIA request. (2) Free computer search time. For purposes of this paragraph, the term search time is based on the concept of a manual search. To apply this to a search conducted by a computer, the...

Generalized "Satisfaction of Search": Adverse Influences on Dual-Target Search Accuracy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fleck, Mathias S.; Samei, Ehsan; Mitroff, Stephen R.

2010-01-01

The successful detection of a target in a radiological search can reduce the detectability of a second target, a phenomenon termed "satisfaction of search" (SOS). Given the potential consequences, here we investigate the generality of SOS with the goal of simultaneously informing radiology, cognitive psychology, and nonmedical searches such as…

Comparative effectiveness of prostate cancer treatments for patient-centered outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA Compliant).

PubMed

Jayadevappa, Ravishankar; Chhatre, Sumedha; Wong, Yu-Ning; Wittink, Marsha N; Cook, Ratna; Morales, Knashawn H; Vapiwala, Neha; Newman, Diane K; Guzzo, Thomas; Wein, Alan J; Malkowicz, Stanley B; Lee, David I; Schwartz, Jerome S; Gallo, Joseph J

2017-05-01

In the context of prostate cancer (PCa) characterized by the multiple alternative treatment strategies, comparative effectiveness analysis is essential for informed decision-making. We analyzed the comparative effectiveness of PCa treatments through systematic review and meta-analysis with a focus on outcomes that matter most to newly diagnosed localized PCa patients. We performed a systematic review of literature published in English from 1995 to October 2016. A search strategy was employed using terms "prostate cancer," "localized," "outcomes," "mortality," "health related quality of life," and "complications" to identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs), prospective, and retrospective studies. For observational studies, only those adjusting for selection bias using propensity-score or instrumental-variables approaches were included. Multivariable adjusted hazard ratio was used to assess all-cause and disease-specific mortality. Funnel plots were used to assess the level of bias. Our search strategy yielded 58 articles, of which 29 were RCTs, 6 were prospective studies, and 23 were retrospective studies. The studies provided moderate data for the patient-centered outcome of mortality. Radical prostatectomy demonstrated mortality benefit compared to watchful waiting (all-cause HR = 0.63 CI = 0.45, 0.87; disease-specific HR = 0.48 CI = 0.40, 0.58), and radiation therapy (all-cause HR = 0.65 CI = 0.57, 0.74; disease-specific HR = 0.51 CI = 0.40, 0.65). However, we had minimal comparative information about tradeoffs between and within treatment for other patient-centered outcomes in the short and long-term. Lack of patient-centered outcomes in comparative effectiveness research in localized PCa is a major hurdle to informed and shared decision-making. More rigorous studies that can integrate patient-centered and intermediate outcomes in addition to mortality are needed.

Active Vaccines for Alzheimer Disease Treatment.

PubMed

Sterner, Rosalie M; Takahashi, Paul Y; Yu Ballard, Aimee C

2016-09-01

Vaccination against peptides specific to Alzheimer disease may generate an immune response that could help inhibit disease and symptom progression. PubMed and Scopus were searched for clinical trial articles, review articles, and preclinical studies relevant to the field of active Alzheimer disease vaccines and raw searches yielded articles ranging from 2016 to 1973. ClinicalTrials.gov was searched for active Alzheimer disease vaccine trials. Manual research and cross-referencing from reviews and original articles was performed. First generation Aβ42 phase 2a trial in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease resulted in cases of meningoencephalitis in 6% of patients, so next generation vaccines are working to target more specific epitopes to induce a more controlled immune response. Difficulty in developing these vaccines resides in striking a balance between providing a vaccine that induces enough of an immune response to actually clear protein sustainably but not so much of a response that results in excess immune activation and possibly adverse effects such as meningoencephalitis. Although much work still needs to be done in the field to make this a practical possibility, the enticing allure of being able to treat or even prevent the extraordinarily impactful disease that is Alzheimer disease makes the idea of active vaccination for Alzheimer disease very appealing and something worth striving toward. Copyright © 2016 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Role of sensory cues on food searching behavior of a captive Manta birostris (Chondrichtyes, Mobulidae).

PubMed

Ari, Csilla; Correia, João P

2008-07-01

This study reports on the first experimental research designed specifically for Manta birostris behavior. The authors attempted to learn about the feeding behavior and environmental cues influencing this behavior, as well as general cognitive ability. The preconditioned Manta's ability to identify food, on the basis of a fraction of the ordinary food signal complex, was tested. The opening of cephalic fins was considered a good indicator of feeding motivation level. The study subject animal used its biological clock to predict time and also associated a specific location with food, suggesting an ability to build up a cognitive map of its environment. Both underwater visual stimuli and olfactory stimuli had a very intense effect on food searching behavior over a 30 m distance, in contrast to visual signs from above the water surface. In addition, although an underwater visual signal resulted in a more intense response than from an olfactory signal, the specimen did not discriminate between different objects tested on the basis of visual sensation. It could therefore be suggested that food searching behavior of Mantas are governed by triggering stimuli, including smell or visual recognition, and modulated by the cognitive spatial map stored in their long-term memory. These findings will hopefully prove useful while devising protecting policies in the natural environment and/or while keeping these animals in captivity. Zoo Biol 27:294-304, 2008. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Long-Term Effects of Untreated Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Review of the Literature

PubMed Central

Karavidas, Nikos; Moramarco, Marc; Moramarco, Kathryn

2016-01-01

Currently, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is principally regarded as benign, but some researchers have cited serious or extreme effects, including severe pain, cardiopulmonary compromise, social isolation, and even early death. Therefore, exploration of the long-term effects of AIS, the most common type of idiopathic scoliosis, is warranted. The purpose of this review was to examine the long-term studies on the natural history of AIS and/or reviews concerning the long-term effects of untreated AIS. A PubMed search was conducted using the key words idiopathic scoliosis, long-term effects and idiopathic scoliosis, natural history. For further analysis, references cited in those studies were reviewed for additional, related evidence not retrieved in the initial PubMed search. A review of the pertinent bibliography showed that older natural history studies did not distinguish between late-onset scoliosis (referred to in this paper as AIS) and early-onset scoliosis (EOS). The more recent studies offer such important distinction and reach to the general conclusion that untreated AIS does not lead to severe consequences with respect to signs and symptoms of scoliosis. It is possible that earlier studies may have included patient populations with EOS, leading to the perception of untreated scoliosis as having an unusually high morbidity rate. Studies on the long-term effects of AIS that specifically excluded EOS patients conclude that AIS is a benign disorder. This indicates that for research and reporting purposes, it is important to distinguishing between AIS and EOS. This will allow the practitioner and patient and their families to decide on an optimal treatment plan based on the most appropriate prognosis. PMID:27994795

Defining post-sternotomy mediastinitis for clinical evidence-based studies.

PubMed

van Wingerden, Jan J; de Mol, Bas A J M; van der Horst, Chantal M A M

2016-05-01

Considerable advances have already been made in the treatment of deep thoracic wound infections following a median sternotomy for cardiac surgery. Further improvement in diagnosis, treatment, and outcome will require a targeted approach by multidisciplinary teams. Clear communication and synergy between the various clinical and supportive disciplines would assist in removing the last barriers to standardized evidence-based studies and the development of improved evidence-based guidelines. An extensive literature search without language restrictions was carried out on PubMed (Medline), EMBASE, and Web of Science, covering the period 1988 to week 16, 2014, and a manual search of the reference lists was performed regarding all possible definitions and classifications of post-sternotomy mediastinitis. Two hundred and eighteen papers describing post-sternotomy infections in a multitude of terms were identified, and the strengths and weaknesses of the most popular definitions and terms relating specifically to post-sternotomy infections were examined. This study revealed that clinicians use a multitude of terms to describe post-sternotomy infections without defining the condition under treatment. Occasionally, older epidemiological (surveillance) definitions were used. It also shows that supportive disciplines have their own definitions, or interpretations of existing definitions, to describe these infections. The outcome of this study is that clinicians have adopted no single definition, which is essential for further improvement for evidence-based studies. We suggest that it is possible to adopt a single term for thoracic infection after a sternotomy (and only sternotomy), and propose a clinical definition for this purpose. © The Author(s) 2016.

Short- and long-term impact of critical illness on relatives: literature review.

PubMed

Paul, Fiona; Rattray, Janice

2008-05-01

This paper is a report of a literature review undertaken to identify the short- and long-term impact of critical illness on relatives. Patients in intensive care can experience physical and psychological consequences, and their relatives may also experience such effects. Although it is recognized that relatives have specific needs, it is not clear whether these needs are always met and whether further support is required, particularly after intensive care. The following databases were searched for the period 1950-2007: Medline, British Nursing Index and Archive, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO and EMB Reviews--Cochrane Central Register of Clinical Trials. Search terms focused on adult relatives of critically ill adult patients during and after intensive care. Recurrent topics were categorized to structure the review, i.e. 'relatives needs', 'meeting relatives' needs', 'interventions', 'satisfaction', 'psychological outcomes' and 'coping'. Studies have mainly identified relatives' immediate needs using the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory. There are few studies of interventions to meet relatives' needs and the short- and long-term effects of critical illness on relatives. Despite widespread use of the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory, factors such as local or cultural differences may influence relatives' needs. Relatives may also have unidentified needs, and these needs should be explored. Limited research has been carried out into interventions to meet relatives' needs and the effects of critical illness on their well-being, yet some relatives may experience negative psychological consequences far beyond the acute phase of the illness.

The quality of mental health information commonly searched for on the Internet.

PubMed

Grohol, John M; Slimowicz, Joseph; Granda, Rebecca

2014-04-01

Previous research has reviewed the quality of online information related to specific mental disorders. Yet, no comprehensive study has been conducted on the overall quality of mental health information searched for online. This study examined the first 20 search results of two popular search engines-Google and Bing-for 11 common mental health terms. They were analyzed using the DISCERN instrument, an adaptation of the Depression Website Content Checklist (ADWCC), Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level readability measures, HONCode badge display, and commercial status, resulting in an analysis of 440 web pages. Quality of Web site results varied based on type of disorder examined, with higher quality Web sites found for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and dysthymia, and lower quality ratings for phobia, anxiety, and panic disorder Web sites. Of the total Web sites analyzed, 67.5% had good or better quality content. Nearly one-third of the search results produced Web sites from three entities: WebMD, Wikipedia, and the Mayo Clinic. The mean Flesch Reading Ease score was 41.21, and the mean Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score was 11.68. The presence of the HONCode badge and noncommercial status was found to have a small correlation with Web site quality, and Web sites displaying the HONCode badge and commercial sites had lower readability scores. Popular search engines appear to offer generally reliable results pointing to mostly good or better quality mental health Web sites. However, additional work is needed to make these sites more readable.

Short-term Internet search using makes people rely on search engines when facing unknown issues.

PubMed

Wang, Yifan; Wu, Lingdan; Luo, Liang; Zhang, Yifen; Dong, Guangheng

2017-01-01

The Internet search engines, which have powerful search/sort functions and ease of use features, have become an indispensable tool for many individuals. The current study is to test whether the short-term Internet search training can make people more dependent on it. Thirty-one subjects out of forty subjects completed the search training study which included a pre-test, a six-day's training of Internet search, and a post-test. During the pre- and post- tests, subjects were asked to search online the answers to 40 unusual questions, remember the answers and recall them in the scanner. Un-learned questions were randomly presented at the recalling stage in order to elicited search impulse. Comparing to the pre-test, subjects in the post-test reported higher impulse to use search engines to answer un-learned questions. Consistently, subjects showed higher brain activations in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex in the post-test than in the pre-test. In addition, there were significant positive correlations self-reported search impulse and brain responses in the frontal areas. The results suggest that a simple six-day's Internet search training can make people dependent on the search tools when facing unknown issues. People are easily dependent on the Internet search engines.

Short-term Internet search using makes people rely on search engines when facing unknown issues

PubMed Central

Wang, Yifan; Wu, Lingdan; Luo, Liang; Zhang, Yifen

2017-01-01

The Internet search engines, which have powerful search/sort functions and ease of use features, have become an indispensable tool for many individuals. The current study is to test whether the short-term Internet search training can make people more dependent on it. Thirty-one subjects out of forty subjects completed the search training study which included a pre-test, a six-day’s training of Internet search, and a post-test. During the pre- and post- tests, subjects were asked to search online the answers to 40 unusual questions, remember the answers and recall them in the scanner. Un-learned questions were randomly presented at the recalling stage in order to elicited search impulse. Comparing to the pre-test, subjects in the post-test reported higher impulse to use search engines to answer un-learned questions. Consistently, subjects showed higher brain activations in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex in the post-test than in the pre-test. In addition, there were significant positive correlations self-reported search impulse and brain responses in the frontal areas. The results suggest that a simple six-day’s Internet search training can make people dependent on the search tools when facing unknown issues. People are easily dependent on the Internet search engines. PMID:28441408

Internet Search Patterns of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and the Digital Divide in the Russian Federation: Infoveillance Study

PubMed Central

Quinn, Casey; Hercz, Daniel; Gillespie, James A

2013-01-01

Background Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a serious health problem in the Russian Federation. However, the true scale of HIV in Russia has long been the subject of considerable debate. Using digital surveillance to monitor diseases has become increasingly popular in high income countries. But Internet users may not be representative of overall populations, and the characteristics of the Internet-using population cannot be directly ascertained from search pattern data. This exploratory infoveillance study examined if Internet search patterns can be used for disease surveillance in a large middle-income country with a dispersed population. Objective This study had two main objectives: (1) to validate Internet search patterns against national HIV prevalence data, and (2) to investigate the relationship between search patterns and the determinants of Internet access. Methods We first assessed whether online surveillance is a valid and reliable method for monitoring HIV in the Russian Federation. Yandex and Google both provided tools to study search patterns in the Russian Federation. We evaluated the relationship between both Yandex and Google aggregated search patterns and HIV prevalence in 2011 at national and regional tiers. Second, we analyzed the determinants of Internet access to determine the extent to which they explained regional variations in searches for the Russian terms for “HIV” and “AIDS”. We sought to extend understanding of the characteristics of Internet searching populations by data matching the determinants of Internet access (age, education, income, broadband access price, and urbanization ratios) and searches for the term “HIV” using principal component analysis (PCA). Results We found generally strong correlations between HIV prevalence and searches for the terms “HIV” and “AIDS”. National correlations for Yandex searches for “HIV” were very strongly correlated with HIV prevalence (Spearman rank-order coefficient [rs]=.881, P≤.001) and strongly correlated for “AIDS” (rs=.714, P≤.001). The strength of correlations varied across Russian regions. National correlations in Google for the term “HIV” (rs=.672, P=.004) and “AIDS” (rs=.584, P≤.001) were weaker than for Yandex. Second, we examined the relationship between the determinants of Internet access and search patterns for the term “HIV” across Russia using PCA. At the national level, we found Principal Component 1 loadings, including age (-0.56), HIV search (-0.533), and education (-0.479) contributed 32% of the variance. Principal Component 2 contributed 22% of national variance (income, -0.652 and broadband price, -0.460). Conclusions This study contributes to the methodological literature on search patterns in public health. Based on our preliminary research, we suggest that PCA may be used to evaluate the relationship between the determinants of Internet access and searches for health problems beyond high-income countries. We believe it is in middle-income countries that search methods can make the greatest contribution to public health. PMID:24220250

SLIM: an alternative Web interface for MEDLINE/PubMed searches – a preliminary study

PubMed Central

Muin, Michael; Fontelo, Paul; Liu, Fang; Ackerman, Michael

2005-01-01

Background With the rapid growth of medical information and the pervasiveness of the Internet, online search and retrieval systems have become indispensable tools in medicine. The progress of Web technologies can provide expert searching capabilities to non-expert information seekers. The objective of the project is to create an alternative search interface for MEDLINE/PubMed searches using JavaScript slider bars. SLIM, or Slider Interface for MEDLINE/PubMed searches, was developed with PHP and JavaScript. Interactive slider bars in the search form controlled search parameters such as limits, filters and MeSH terminologies. Connections to PubMed were done using the Entrez Programming Utilities (E-Utilities). Custom scripts were created to mimic the automatic term mapping process of Entrez. Page generation times for both local and remote connections were recorded. Results Alpha testing by developers showed SLIM to be functionally stable. Page generation times to simulate loading times were recorded the first week of alpha and beta testing. Average page generation times for the index page, previews and searches were 2.94 milliseconds, 0.63 seconds and 3.84 seconds, respectively. Eighteen physicians from the US, Australia and the Philippines participated in the beta testing and provided feedback through an online survey. Most users found the search interface user-friendly and easy to use. Information on MeSH terms and the ability to instantly hide and display abstracts were identified as distinctive features. Conclusion SLIM can be an interactive time-saving tool for online medical literature research that improves user control and capability to instantly refine and refocus search strategies. With continued development and by integrating search limits, methodology filters, MeSH terms and levels of evidence, SLIM may be useful in the practice of evidence-based medicine. PMID:16321145

Revisiting the Rise of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems Using Search Query Surveillance.

PubMed

Ayers, John W; Althouse, Benjamin M; Allem, Jon-Patrick; Leas, Eric C; Dredze, Mark; Williams, Rebecca S

2016-06-01

Public perceptions of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) remain poorly understood because surveys are too costly to regularly implement and, when implemented, there are long delays between data collection and dissemination. Search query surveillance has bridged some of these gaps. Herein, ENDS' popularity in the U.S. is reassessed using Google searches. ENDS searches originating in the U.S. from January 2009 through January 2015 were disaggregated by terms focused on e-cigarette (e.g., e-cig) versus vaping (e.g., vapers); their geolocation (e.g., state); the aggregate tobacco control measures corresponding to their geolocation (e.g., clean indoor air laws); and by terms that indicated the searcher's potential interest (e.g., buy e-cigs likely indicates shopping)-all analyzed in 2015. ENDS searches are rapidly increasing in the U.S., with 8,498,000 searches during 2014 alone. Increasingly, searches are shifting from e-cigarette- to vaping-focused terms, especially in coastal states and states where anti-smoking norms are stronger. For example, nationally, e-cigarette searches declined 9% (95% CI=1%, 16%) during 2014 compared with 2013, whereas vaping searches increased 136% (95% CI=97%, 186%), even surpassing e-cigarette searches. Additionally, the percentage of ENDS searches related to shopping (e.g., vape shop) nearly doubled in 2014, whereas searches related to health concerns (e.g., vaping risks) or cessation (e.g., quit smoking with e-cigs) were rare and declined in 2014. ENDS popularity is rapidly growing and evolving. These findings could inform survey questionnaire development for follow-up investigation and immediately guide policy debates about how the public perceives the health risks or cessation benefits of ENDS. Copyright © 2016 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of PubMed search filters on the retrieval of evidence by physicians.

PubMed

Shariff, Salimah Z; Sontrop, Jessica M; Haynes, R Brian; Iansavichus, Arthur V; McKibbon, K Ann; Wilczynski, Nancy L; Weir, Matthew A; Speechley, Mark R; Thind, Amardeep; Garg, Amit X

2012-02-21

Physicians face challenges when searching PubMed for research evidence, and they may miss relevant articles while retrieving too many nonrelevant articles. We investigated whether the use of search filters in PubMed improves searching by physicians. We asked a random sample of Canadian nephrologists to answer unique clinical questions derived from 100 systematic reviews of renal therapy. Physicians provided the search terms that they would type into PubMed to locate articles to answer these questions. We entered the physician-provided search terms into PubMed and applied two types of search filters alone or in combination: a methods-based filter designed to identify high-quality studies about treatment (clinical queries "therapy") and a topic-based filter designed to identify studies with renal content. We evaluated the comprehensiveness (proportion of relevant articles found) and efficiency (ratio of relevant to nonrelevant articles) of the filtered and nonfiltered searches. Primary studies included in the systematic reviews served as the reference standard for relevant articles. The average physician-provided search terms retrieved 46% of the relevant articles, while 6% of the retrieved articles were relevant (corrected) (the ratio of relevant to nonrelevant articles was 1:16). The use of both filters together produced a marked improvement in efficiency, resulting in a ratio of relevant to nonrelevant articles of 1:5 (16 percentage point improvement; 99% confidence interval 9% to 22%; p < 0.003) with no substantive change in comprehensiveness (44% of relevant articles found; p = 0.55). The use of PubMed search filters improves the efficiency of physician searches. Improved search performance may enhance the transfer of research into practice and improve patient care.

SLIM: an alternative Web interface for MEDLINE/PubMed searches - a preliminary study.

PubMed

Muin, Michael; Fontelo, Paul; Liu, Fang; Ackerman, Michael

2005-12-01

With the rapid growth of medical information and the pervasiveness of the Internet, online search and retrieval systems have become indispensable tools in medicine. The progress of Web technologies can provide expert searching capabilities to non-expert information seekers. The objective of the project is to create an alternative search interface for MEDLINE/PubMed searches using JavaScript slider bars. SLIM, or Slider Interface for MEDLINE/PubMed searches, was developed with PHP and JavaScript. Interactive slider bars in the search form controlled search parameters such as limits, filters and MeSH terminologies. Connections to PubMed were done using the Entrez Programming Utilities (E-Utilities). Custom scripts were created to mimic the automatic term mapping process of Entrez. Page generation times for both local and remote connections were recorded. Alpha testing by developers showed SLIM to be functionally stable. Page generation times to simulate loading times were recorded the first week of alpha and beta testing. Average page generation times for the index page, previews and searches were 2.94 milliseconds, 0.63 seconds and 3.84 seconds, respectively. Eighteen physicians from the US, Australia and the Philippines participated in the beta testing and provided feedback through an online survey. Most users found the search interface user-friendly and easy to use. Information on MeSH terms and the ability to instantly hide and display abstracts were identified as distinctive features. SLIM can be an interactive time-saving tool for online medical literature research that improves user control and capability to instantly refine and refocus search strategies. With continued development and by integrating search limits, methodology filters, MeSH terms and levels of evidence, SLIM may be useful in the practice of evidence-based medicine.

Considerations on thermal effects in doped scintillators for dark matter and other rare events searches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chapellier, M.

2009-08-01

The scintillation properties of luminescent crystals are well known at room temperature. It is only recently, for the sake of dark matter and rare events searches that the studies have been extended to very low temperatures in the millikelvin range. Some little-known facts on the behaviour of bolometers , and more specifically on scintillating ones, are recalled in a simple manner. A few experiments to better understand them are proposed. The term bolometer is used here for calorimeter. Normally a bolometer will measure a flux of energy whereas a calorimeter measures a deposited energy. The tendency is to use bolometer for both types of measurement. A germanium bolometer does not measure the total energy received, part of it is transformed in ionization energy. The same is true for scintillating bolometer.

Mental preparation for the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games.

PubMed

Martin, Jeffrey

2012-01-01

The purpose of this review is to describe how Paralympians can prepare for the 2014 Paralympic Games through mental skill use. A search of adapted physical activity, sport psychology, and disability-specific journals was conducted along with electronic databases (eg, ArticleFirst) using the terms sport psychology, Olympics, Paralympics, psychological and mental preparation and skills, imagery, visualization, self-talk, anxiety, confidence, and performance enhancement. Reference lists from relevant articles were then used to continue the search. No constraining dates were used. A review of the results from both qualitative and quantitative research on Paralympians, Olympians, and elite-level athletes suggests that mental preparation and mental skill development can help Paralympians enhance their performances. Sport psychologists can help Paralympians develop mental skills to manage the unique stressors of the Paralympics to increase the odds of having superior performances.

A Pathway to Freedom: An Evaluation of Screening Tools for the Identification of Trafficking Victims.

PubMed

Bespalova, Nadejda; Morgan, Juliet; Coverdale, John

2016-02-01

Because training residents and faculty to identify human trafficking victims is a major public health priority, the authors review existing assessment tools. PubMed and Google were searched using combinations of search terms including human, trafficking, sex, labor, screening, identification, and tool. Nine screening tools that met the inclusion criteria were found. They varied greatly in length, format, target demographic, supporting resources, and other parameters. Only two tools were designed specifically for healthcare providers. Only one tool was formally assessed to be valid and reliable in a pilot project in trafficking victim service organizations, although it has not been validated in the healthcare setting. This toolbox should facilitate the education of resident physicians and faculty in screening for trafficking victims, assist educators in assessing screening skills, and promote future research on the identification of trafficking victims.

Children's Visual Scanning of Textual Documents: Effects of Document Organization, Search Goals, and Metatextual Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Potocki, Anna; Ros, Christine; Vibert, Nicolas; Rouet, Jean-François

2017-01-01

This study examines children's strategies when scanning a document to answer a specific question. More specifically, we wanted to know whether they make use of organizers (i.e., headings) when searching and whether strategic search is related to their knowledge of reading strategies. Twenty-six French fifth graders were asked to search single-page…

Native Health Research Database

MedlinePlus

... Indian Health Board) Welcome to the Native Health Database. Please enter your search terms. Basic Search Advanced ... To learn more about searching the Native Health Database, click here. Tutorial Video The NHD has made ...

Diagnostic Accuracy of Abdominal Ultrasound for Diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

PubMed

Giljaca, Vanja; Nadarevic, Tin; Poropat, Goran; Nadarevic, Vesna Stefanac; Stimac, Davor

2017-03-01

To determine the diagnostic accuracy of abdominal ultrasound (US) for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis (AA), in terms of sensitivity, specificity and post-test probabilities for positive and negative result. A systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, The Cochrane library and Science Citation Index Expanded from January 1994 to October 2014 was performed. Two authors independently evaluated studies for inclusion, extracted data and performed analyses. The reference standard for evaluation of final diagnosis was pathohistological report on tissue obtained at appendectomy. Summary sensitivity, specificity and post-test probability of AA after positive and negative result of US with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Out of 3306 references identified through electronic searches, 17 reports met the inclusion criteria, with 2841 included participants. The summary sensitivity and specificity of US for diagnosis of AA were 69% (95% CI 59-78%) and 81% (95% CI 73-88%), respectively. At the median pretest probability of AA of 76.4%, the post-test probability for a positive and negative result of US was 92% (95% CI 88-95%) and 55% (95% CI 46-63%), respectively. Abdominal ultrasound does not seem to have a role in the diagnostic pathway for diagnosis of AA in suspected patients. The summary sensitivity and specificity of US do not exceed that of physical examination. Patients that require additional diagnostic workup should be referred to more sensitive and specific diagnostic procedures, such as computed tomography.

An Information Infrastructure for Coastal Models and Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hardin, D.; Keiser, K.; Conover, H.; Graves, S.

2007-12-01

Advances in semantics and visualization have given rise to new capabilities for the location, manipulation, integration, management and display of data and information in and across domains. An example of these capabilities is illustrated by a coastal restoration project that utilizes satellite, in-situ data and hydrodynamic model output to address seagrass habitat restoration in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. In this project a standard stressor conceptual model was implemented as an ontology in addition to the typical CMAP diagram. The ontology captures the elements of the seagrass conceptual model as well as the relationships between them. Noesis, developed by the University of Alabama in Huntsville, is an application that provides a simple but powerful way to search and organize data and information represented by ontologies. Noesis uses domain ontologies to help scope search queries to ensure that search results are both accurate and complete. Semantics are captured by refining the query terms to cover synonyms, specializations, generalizations and related concepts. As a resource aggregator Noesis categorizes search results returned from multiple, concurrent search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Ask.com. Search results are further directed by accessing domain specific catalogs that include outputs from hydrodynamic and other models. Embedded within the search results are links that invoke applications such as web map displays, animation tools and virtual globe applications such as Google Earth. In the seagrass prioritization project Noesis is used to locate information that is vital to understanding the impact of stressors on the habitat. This presentation will show how the intelligent search capabilities of Noesis are coupled with visualization tools and model output to investigate the restoration of seagrass habitat.

Diabetes and Risk of Surgical Site Infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Kaye, Keith S.; Knott, Caitlin; Nguyen, Huong; Santarossa, Maressa; Evans, Richard; Bertran, Elizabeth; Jaber, Linda

2016-01-01

Objective To determine the independent association between diabetes and SSI across multiple surgical procedures. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods Studies indexed in PubMed published between December 1985 and through July 2015 were identified through the search terms “risk factors” or “glucose” and “surgical site infection”. A total of 3,631 abstracts were identified through the initial search terms. Full texts were reviewed for 522 articles. Of these, 94 articles met the criteria for inclusion. Standardized data collection forms were used to extract study-specific estimates for diabetes, blood glucose levels, and body mass index (BMI). Random-effects meta-analysis was used to generate pooled estimates and meta-regression was used to evaluate specific hypothesized sources of heterogeneity. Results The primary outcome was SSI, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveillance criteria. The overall effect size for the association between diabetes and SSI was OR=1.53 (95% Predictive Interval 1.11, 2.12, I2: 57.2%). SSI class, study design, or patient BMI did not significantly impact study results in a meta-regression model. The association was higher for cardiac surgery 2.03 (95% Predictive Interval 1.13, 4.05) compared to surgeries of other types (p=0.001). Conclusion These results support the consideration of diabetes as an independent risk factor for SSIs for multiple surgical procedure types. Continued efforts are needed to improve surgical outcomes for diabetic patients. PMID:26503187

[Treating specific childhood phobia in a single session? A systematic review of the literature].

PubMed

Fond, G; Franc, N

2013-04-01

The essential feature of specific phobia is a persistent fear of clearly discernable, circumscribed objects or situations. The DSM-IV distinguishes four subtypes: animal, natural environment, blood-injection-injury, and situational. Specific phobias frequently co-occur. Specific phobia is one of the most common psychiatric disorders with a lifetime prevalence of 12.5% and is about twice as common in women as in men. Most phobias have a childhood onset except for the situational subtype which usually occurs during patients' twenties. It is well known that childhood anxiety increases the risk of psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety in later life, as well as the risk of suicide attempts and psychiatric hospitalization. Nonetheless, there are few studies on the psychobiology and pharmacotherapy of specific phobias. Neuroimaging studies have shown that specific phobia seems to be associated with amygdala (more specifically the right amygdala) and anterior cingulate cortex hyperactivation that is reduced after exposure therapy. The aim of this study is to propose the first systematic review of specific phobia treatment among children. The review follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement guidelines. Two databases (Medline and Web of Science) were searched combining the search terms: specific phobia and treatment. English and French language were imposed. There were no publication date or publication status limitations. Seventy-four studies met the inclusion criteria and 36 were included. The goal of treatment is to achieve habituation and eventual extinction of the phobic reaction. Treatments for children's anxiety have been suggested to work through diverse processes such as counter-conditioning, extinction, habituation, change in catastrophic cognitions, development of coping skills, increased self-efficacy, emotional processing, and changes in expectancies and perceptions of dangerousness. Most phobias respond robustly to in vivo exposure, but this approach is associated with high dropout rates and low treatment acceptance. One Session Treatment, a variant of cognitive-behavioral therapy, combines graduated in vivo exposure, participant modeling, reinforcement, psychoeducation, cognitive challenges, and skills training in an intensive treatment model. The limited data available on medication shows little promise. Finally, relapse is a common phenomenon, and little is known on the long-term outcome of the illness. Copyright © 2012 L’Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Efficient approach for the detection and identification of new androgenic metabolites by applying SRM GC-CI-MS/MS: a methandienone case study.

PubMed

Polet, Michael; Van Gansbeke, Wim; Van Eenoo, Peter; Deventer, Koen

2016-07-01

Identification of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) is a vital issue in doping control and toxicology, and searching for metabolites with longer detection times remains an important task. Recently, a gas chromatography chemical ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-CI-MS/MS) method was introduced, and CI, in comparison with electron ionization (EI), proved to be capable of increasing the sensitivity significantly. In addition, correlations between AAS structure and fragmentation behavior could be revealed. This enables the search for previously unknown but expected metabolites by selection of their predicted transitions. The combination of both factors allows the setup of an efficient approach to search for new metabolites. The approach uses selected reaction monitoring which is inherently more sensitive than full scan or precursor ion scan. Additionally, structural information obtained from the structure specific CI fragmentation pattern facilitates metabolite identification. The procedure was demonstrated by a methandienone case study. Its metabolites have been studied extensively in the past, and this allowed an adequate evaluation of the efficiency of the approach. Thirty three metabolites were detected, including all relevant previously discovered metabolites. In our study, the previously reported long-term metabolite (18-nor-17β-hydroxymethyl,17α-methyl-androst-1,4,13-trien-3-one) could be detected up to 26 days by using GC-CI-MS/MS. The study proves the validity of the approach to search for metabolites of new synthetic AAS and new long-term metabolites of less studied AAS and illustrates the increase in sensitivity by using CI. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Development of a Publicly Available, Comprehensive Database of Fiber and Health Outcomes: Rationale and Methods

PubMed Central

Livingston, Kara A.; Chung, Mei; Sawicki, Caleigh M.; Lyle, Barbara J.; Wang, Ding Ding; Roberts, Susan B.; McKeown, Nicola M.

2016-01-01

Background Dietary fiber is a broad category of compounds historically defined as partially or completely indigestible plant-based carbohydrates and lignin with, more recently, the additional criteria that fibers incorporated into foods as additives should demonstrate functional human health outcomes to receive a fiber classification. Thousands of research studies have been published examining fibers and health outcomes. Objectives (1) Develop a database listing studies testing fiber and physiological health outcomes identified by experts at the Ninth Vahouny Conference; (2) Use evidence mapping methodology to summarize this body of literature. This paper summarizes the rationale, methodology, and resulting database. The database will help both scientists and policy-makers to evaluate evidence linking specific fibers with physiological health outcomes, and identify missing information. Methods To build this database, we conducted a systematic literature search for human intervention studies published in English from 1946 to May 2015. Our search strategy included a broad definition of fiber search terms, as well as search terms for nine physiological health outcomes identified at the Ninth Vahouny Fiber Symposium. Abstracts were screened using a priori defined eligibility criteria and a low threshold for inclusion to minimize the likelihood of rejecting articles of interest. Publications then were reviewed in full text, applying additional a priori defined exclusion criteria. The database was built and published on the Systematic Review Data Repository (SRDR™), a web-based, publicly available application. Conclusions A fiber database was created. This resource will reduce the unnecessary replication of effort in conducting systematic reviews by serving as both a central database archiving PICO (population, intervention, comparator, outcome) data on published studies and as a searchable tool through which this data can be extracted and updated. PMID:27348733

Comparison of the efficacy of three PubMed search filters in finding randomized controlled trials to answer clinical questions.

PubMed

Yousefi-Nooraie, Reza; Irani, Shirin; Mortaz-Hedjri, Soroush; Shakiba, Behnam

2013-10-01

The aim of this study was to compare the performance of three search methods in the retrieval of relevant clinical trials from PubMed to answer specific clinical questions. Included studies of a sample of 100 Cochrane reviews which recorded in PubMed were considered as the reference standard. The search queries were formulated based on the systematic review titles. Precision, recall and number of retrieved records for limiting the results to clinical trial publication type, and using sensitive and specific clinical queries filters were compared. The number of keywords, presence of specific names of intervention and syndrome in the search keywords were used in a model to predict the recalls and precisions. The Clinical queries-sensitive search strategy retrieved the largest number of records (33) and had the highest recall (41.6%) and lowest precision (4.8%). The presence of specific intervention name was the only significant predictor of all recalls and precisions (P = 0.016). The recall and precision of combination of simple clinical search queries and methodological search filters to find clinical trials in various subjects were considerably low. The limit field strategy yielded in higher precision and fewer retrieved records and approximately similar recall, compared with the clinical queries-sensitive strategy. Presence of specific intervention name in the search keywords increased both recall and precision. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Site-Specific Research Conducted in Support of the Salton Sea Solar Pond Project - FY 1982 Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

French, R. L.; Marsh, H. E.; Roschke, E. J.; Wu, Y. C.

1984-01-01

The design and operation of a salt-gradient solar pond power plant at the Salton Sea presents problems not encountered at small research ponds that were built in the United States. The specific characteristics of the Salton Sea site and the desire to construct the pond using the local clay as a sealant represent major deviations from previous solar pond experience. The site-specific research in support of the plant design is described. The research activity included validation of the spectrophotometric light transmission measurement technique, a search for options for clarifying the turbid and colored water of the Salton Sea, development of water clarification specifications in terms common to industry practice, quantification of gas production from microbiological reactions in the ground, a determination of the combined effects of temperature and salinity on the permeation of the local clays, and a preliminary evaluation of material corrosion.

YouTube as a potential learning tool to help distinguish tonic-clonic seizures from nonepileptic attacks.

PubMed

Muhammed, Louwai; Adcock, Jane E; Sen, Arjune

2014-08-01

Medical students are increasingly turning to the website YouTube as a learning resource. This study set out to determine whether the videos on YouTube accurately depict the type of seizures that a medical student may search for. Two consultant epileptologists independently assessed the top YouTube videos returned following searches for eight terms relating to different categories of seizures. The videos were rated for their technical quality, concordance of diagnosis with an epileptologist-assigned diagnosis, and efficacy as a learning tool for medical education. Of the 200 videos assessed, 106 (63%) met the inclusion criteria for further analysis. Technical quality was generally good and only interfered with the diagnostic process in 8.5% of the videos. Of the included videos, 40.6-46.2% were judged to depict the purported diagnosis with moderate agreement between raters (75% agreement, κ=0.50). Of the videos returned after searching "tonic-clonic seizure", 28.6-35.7% were judged to show nonepileptic seizures with almost perfect interrater agreement (92.9% agreement, κ=0.84). Of the videos returned following the search "pseudoseizure", 77.8-88.9% of videos were judged to show nonepileptic seizures with substantial agreement (88.9% agreement, κ=0.61). Across all search terms, 19.8-33% of videos were judged as potentially useful as a learning resource, with fair agreement between raters (75.5% agreement, κ=0.38). These findings suggest that the majority of videos on YouTube claiming to show specific seizure subtypes are inaccurate, and YouTube should not be recommended as a learning tool for students. However, a small group of videos provides excellent demonstrations of tonic-clonic and nonepileptic seizures, which could be used by an expert teacher to demonstrate the difference between epileptic and nonepileptic seizures. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Google Trends as a Resource for Informing Plastic Surgery Marketing Decisions.

PubMed

Ward, Brittany; Ward, Max; Paskhover, Boris

2018-04-01

Celebrities have long influenced the medical decisions of the general population. By analyzing Google search data using Google Trends, we measured the impact of highly publicized plastic surgery-related events on the interest level of the general population in specific search terms. Additionally, we investigated seasonal and geographic trends around interest in rhinoplasties, which is information that physicians and small surgical centers can use to optimize marketing decisions. Google Trends was used to access search data histories for three separate areas of interest: Kylie Jenner and lip fillers, Joan Rivers and plastic surgery, and rhinoplasty, which were then analyzed using two-tailed, two-sample equal variance t-tests. The average interest level in fillers increased by 30.31 points after Kylie Jenner announced that she received Juvéderm lip injections. The interest level in plastic surgery was decreased by 21.3% the month after Joan Rivers' death. Between January 2004 and May 2017, the average interest level for rhinoplasty was significantly different in January/December (67.91 ± 20.68) and June/July (70.12 ± 18.89) from the remaining calendar months (63.58 ± 19.67). Los Angeles, New York City, and Miami showed consistently high interest levels throughout the time period, while Tulsa, OK, showed a major interest increase between 2015 to 2016 of 65 points. A noticeable impact was observed in both celebrity cases on search term volume, and a seasonal effect is apparent for rhinoplasty searches. As many surgeons already employ aggressive Internet marketing strategies, understanding and utilizing these trends could help optimize their investments, increase social engagement, and increase practice awareness by potential patients. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Computer-based teaching module design: principles derived from learning theories.

PubMed

Lau, K H Vincent

2014-03-01

The computer-based teaching module (CBTM), which has recently gained prominence in medical education, is a teaching format in which a multimedia program serves as a single source for knowledge acquisition rather than playing an adjunctive role as it does in computer-assisted learning (CAL). Despite empirical validation in the past decade, there is limited research into the optimisation of CBTM design. This review aims to summarise research in classic and modern multimedia-specific learning theories applied to computer learning, and to collapse the findings into a set of design principles to guide the development of CBTMs. Scopus was searched for: (i) studies of classic cognitivism, constructivism and behaviourism theories (search terms: 'cognitive theory' OR 'constructivism theory' OR 'behaviourism theory' AND 'e-learning' OR 'web-based learning') and their sub-theories applied to computer learning, and (ii) recent studies of modern learning theories applied to computer learning (search terms: 'learning theory' AND 'e-learning' OR 'web-based learning') for articles published between 1990 and 2012. The first search identified 29 studies, dominated in topic by the cognitive load, elaboration and scaffolding theories. The second search identified 139 studies, with diverse topics in connectivism, discovery and technical scaffolding. Based on their relative representation in the literature, the applications of these theories were collapsed into a list of CBTM design principles. Ten principles were identified and categorised into three levels of design: the global level (managing objectives, framing, minimising technical load); the rhetoric level (optimising modality, making modality explicit, scaffolding, elaboration, spaced repeating), and the detail level (managing text, managing devices). This review examined the literature in the application of learning theories to CAL to develop a set of principles that guide CBTM design. Further research will enable educators to take advantage of this unique teaching format as it gains increasing importance in medical education. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Research in disaster settings: a systematic qualitative review of ethical guidelines.

PubMed

Mezinska, Signe; Kakuk, Péter; Mijaljica, Goran; Waligóra, Marcin; O'Mathúna, Dónal P

2016-10-21

Conducting research during or in the aftermath of disasters poses many specific practical and ethical challenges. This is particularly the case with research involving human subjects. The extraordinary circumstances of research conducted in disaster settings require appropriate regulations to ensure the protection of human participants. The goal of this study is to systematically and qualitatively review the existing ethical guidelines for disaster research by using the constant comparative method (CCM). We performed a systematic qualitative review of disaster research ethics guidelines to collect and compare existing regulations. Guidelines were identified by a three-tiered search strategy: 1) searching databases (PubMed and Google Scholar), 2) an Internet search (Google), and 3) a search of the references in the included documents from the first two searches. We used the constant comparative method (CCM) for analysis of included guidelines. Fourteen full text guidelines were included for analysis. The included guidelines covered the period 2000-2014. Qualitative analysis of the included guidelines revealed two core themes: vulnerability and research ethics committee review. Within each of the two core themes, various categories and subcategories were identified. Some concepts and terms identified in analyzed guidelines are used in an inconsistent manner and applied in different contexts. Conceptual clarity is needed in this area as well as empirical evidence to support the statements and requirements included in analyzed guidelines.

Using search engine query data to track pharmaceutical utilization: a study of statins.

PubMed

Schuster, Nathaniel M; Rogers, Mary A M; McMahon, Laurence F

2010-08-01

To examine temporal and geographic associations between Google queries for health information and healthcare utilization benchmarks. Retrospective longitudinal study. Using Google Trends and Google Insights for Search data, the search terms Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium; Pfizer, Ann Arbor, MI) and simvastatin were evaluated for change over time and for association with Lipitor revenues. The relationship between query data and community-based resource use per Medicare beneficiary was assessed for 35 US metropolitan areas. Google queries for Lipitor significantly decreased from January 2004 through June 2009 and queries for simvastatin significantly increased (P <.001 for both), particularly after Lipitor came off patent (P <.001 for change in slope). The mean number of Google queries for Lipitor correlated (r = 0.98) with the percentage change in Lipitor global revenues from 2004 to 2008 (P <.001). Query preference for Lipitor over simvastatin was positively associated (r = 0.40) with a community's use of Medicare services. For every 1% increase in utilization of Medicare services in a community, there was a 0.2-unit increase in the ratio of Lipitor queries to simvastatin queries in that community (P = .02). Specific search engine queries for medical information correlate with pharmaceutical revenue and with overall healthcare utilization in a community. This suggests that search query data can track community-wide characteristics in healthcare utilization and have the potential for informing payers and policy makers regarding trends in utilization.

Simple summation rule for optimal fixation selection in visual search.

PubMed

Najemnik, Jiri; Geisler, Wilson S

2009-06-01

When searching for a known target in a natural texture, practiced humans achieve near-optimal performance compared to a Bayesian ideal searcher constrained with the human map of target detectability across the visual field [Najemnik, J., & Geisler, W. S. (2005). Optimal eye movement strategies in visual search. Nature, 434, 387-391]. To do so, humans must be good at choosing where to fixate during the search [Najemnik, J., & Geisler, W.S. (2008). Eye movement statistics in humans are consistent with an optimal strategy. Journal of Vision, 8(3), 1-14. 4]; however, it seems unlikely that a biological nervous system would implement the computations for the Bayesian ideal fixation selection because of their complexity. Here we derive and test a simple heuristic for optimal fixation selection that appears to be a much better candidate for implementation within a biological nervous system. Specifically, we show that the near-optimal fixation location is the maximum of the current posterior probability distribution for target location after the distribution is filtered by (convolved with) the square of the retinotopic target detectability map. We term the model that uses this strategy the entropy limit minimization (ELM) searcher. We show that when constrained with human-like retinotopic map of target detectability and human search error rates, the ELM searcher performs as well as the Bayesian ideal searcher, and produces fixation statistics similar to human.

Healthcare needs of older Arab migrants: a systematic review.

PubMed

Al Abed, Naser A; Davidson, Patricia M; Hickman, Louise D

2014-07-01

To explore the healthcare needs of older Arab migrants, focussing on Arab-Australians and their socio-cultural characteristics. Disparities in accessing healthcare services and addressing healthcare needs are evident among ethnic minorities including Arab migrants, particularly, older people. Racial stereotyping can also affect their ability to use these services. Arabs are a populous and diverse group with a long history of global migration. Australia is one of the most multicultural societies in the world, and Arab-Australians constitute an important ethnic minority group. Systematic review. The electronic databases Academic Search Complete (EBSCO), MEDLINE (Ovid), Ageline, ProQuest, CINAHL, PubMed, PsychINFO and Google Scholar were searched from 1990-October 2012. Search terms included health care needs, aged care, ethnic, cultural, linguistics, social, ethnic groups, culturally and linguistically diverse, nonEnglish speaking, ageing, elderly, Arabs, Arabic-speaking and Australia. Eight articles reviewing the healthcare issues of Australians from Arabic-speaking background were identified using the search strategy. An additional eight articles were identified through hand searching. Racial stereotyping can alter health-seeking behaviours and healthcare treatment. Increasing the understanding of specific cultural attributes of Arab-Australians will contribute to improving health outcomes. Healthcare providers and policymakers need to adopt more effective ways of communication with Arab-Australians to provide more culturally competent care and achieve better health outcomes. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Retrospective Derivation and Validation of an Automated Electronic Search Algorithm to Identify Post Operative Cardiovascular and Thromboembolic Complications

PubMed Central

Tien, M.; Kashyap, R.; Wilson, G. A.; Hernandez-Torres, V.; Jacob, A. K.; Schroeder, D. R.

2015-01-01

Summary Background With increasing numbers of hospitals adopting electronic medical records, electronic search algorithms for identifying postoperative complications can be invaluable tools to expedite data abstraction and clinical research to improve patient outcomes. Objectives To derive and validate an electronic search algorithm to identify postoperative thromboembolic and cardiovascular complications such as deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, or myocardial infarction within 30 days of total hip or knee arthroplasty. Methods A total of 34 517 patients undergoing total hip or knee arthroplasty between January 1, 1996 and December 31, 2013 were identified. Using a derivation cohort of 418 patients, several iterations of a free-text electronic search were developed and refined for each complication. Subsequently, the automated search algorithm was validated on an independent cohort of 2 857 patients, and the sensitivity and specificities were compared to the results of manual chart review. Results In the final derivation subset, the automated search algorithm achieved a sensitivity of 91% and specificity of 85% for deep vein thrombosis, a sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 100% for pulmonary embolism, and a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 95% for myocardial infarction. When applied to the validation cohort, the search algorithm achieved a sensitivity of 97% and specificity of 99% for deep vein thrombosis, a sensitivity of 97% and specificity of 100% for pulmonary embolism, and a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 99% for myocardial infarction. Conclusions The derivation and validation of an electronic search strategy can accelerate the data abstraction process for research, quality improvement, and enhancement of patient care, while maintaining superb reliability compared to manual review. PMID:26448798

A study on PubMed search tag usage pattern: association rule mining of a full-day PubMed query log.

PubMed

Mosa, Abu Saleh Mohammad; Yoo, Illhoi

2013-01-09

The practice of evidence-based medicine requires efficient biomedical literature search such as PubMed/MEDLINE. Retrieval performance relies highly on the efficient use of search field tags. The purpose of this study was to analyze PubMed log data in order to understand the usage pattern of search tags by the end user in PubMed/MEDLINE search. A PubMed query log file was obtained from the National Library of Medicine containing anonymous user identification, timestamp, and query text. Inconsistent records were removed from the dataset and the search tags were extracted from the query texts. A total of 2,917,159 queries were selected for this study issued by a total of 613,061 users. The analysis of frequent co-occurrences and usage patterns of the search tags was conducted using an association mining algorithm. The percentage of search tag usage was low (11.38% of the total queries) and only 2.95% of queries contained two or more tags. Three out of four users used no search tag and about two-third of them issued less than four queries. Among the queries containing at least one tagged search term, the average number of search tags was almost half of the number of total search terms. Navigational search tags are more frequently used than informational search tags. While no strong association was observed between informational and navigational tags, six (out of 19) informational tags and six (out of 29) navigational tags showed strong associations in PubMed searches. The low percentage of search tag usage implies that PubMed/MEDLINE users do not utilize the features of PubMed/MEDLINE widely or they are not aware of such features or solely depend on the high recall focused query translation by the PubMed's Automatic Term Mapping. The users need further education and interactive search application for effective use of the search tags in order to fulfill their biomedical information needs from PubMed/MEDLINE.

A Study on Pubmed Search Tag Usage Pattern: Association Rule Mining of a Full-day Pubmed Query Log

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The practice of evidence-based medicine requires efficient biomedical literature search such as PubMed/MEDLINE. Retrieval performance relies highly on the efficient use of search field tags. The purpose of this study was to analyze PubMed log data in order to understand the usage pattern of search tags by the end user in PubMed/MEDLINE search. Methods A PubMed query log file was obtained from the National Library of Medicine containing anonymous user identification, timestamp, and query text. Inconsistent records were removed from the dataset and the search tags were extracted from the query texts. A total of 2,917,159 queries were selected for this study issued by a total of 613,061 users. The analysis of frequent co-occurrences and usage patterns of the search tags was conducted using an association mining algorithm. Results The percentage of search tag usage was low (11.38% of the total queries) and only 2.95% of queries contained two or more tags. Three out of four users used no search tag and about two-third of them issued less than four queries. Among the queries containing at least one tagged search term, the average number of search tags was almost half of the number of total search terms. Navigational search tags are more frequently used than informational search tags. While no strong association was observed between informational and navigational tags, six (out of 19) informational tags and six (out of 29) navigational tags showed strong associations in PubMed searches. Conclusions The low percentage of search tag usage implies that PubMed/MEDLINE users do not utilize the features of PubMed/MEDLINE widely or they are not aware of such features or solely depend on the high recall focused query translation by the PubMed’s Automatic Term Mapping. The users need further education and interactive search application for effective use of the search tags in order to fulfill their biomedical information needs from PubMed/MEDLINE. PMID:23302604

Attention-based long-lasting sensitization and suppression of colors.

PubMed

Tseng, Chia-Huei; Vidnyanszky, Zoltan; Papathomas, Thomas; Sperling, George

2010-02-22

In contrast to the short-duration and quick reversibility of attention, a long-term sensitization to color based on protracted attention in a visual search task was reported by Tseng, Gobell, and Sperling (2004). When subjects were trained for a few hours to search for a red object among colored distracters, sensitivity to red was increased for weeks. This sensitization was quantified using ambiguous motion displays containing isoluminant red-green and texture-contrast gratings, in which the perceived motion-direction depended both on the attended color and on the relative red-green saturation. Such long-term effects could result from either sensitization of the attended color, or suppression of unattended colors, or a combination of the two. Here we unconfound these effects by eliminating one of the paired colors of the motion display from the search task. The other paired color in the motion display can then be either a target or a distracter in the search task. Thereby, we separately measure the effect of attention on sensitizing the target color or suppressing distracter colors. The results indicate that only sensitization of the target color in the search task is statistically significant for the present experimental conditions. We conclude that selective attention to a color in our visual search task caused long-term sensitization to the attended color but not significant long-term suppression of the unattended color. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Semantic Approach for Knowledge Discovery to Help Mitigate Habitat Loss in the Gulf of Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramachandran, R.; Maskey, M.; Graves, S.; Hardin, D.

2008-12-01

Noesis is a meta-search engine and a resource aggregator that uses domain ontologies to provide scoped search capabilities. Ontologies enable Noesis to help users refine their searches for information on the open web and in hidden web locations such as data catalogues with standardized, but discipline specific vocabularies. Through its ontologies Noesis provides a guided refinement of search queries which produces complete and accurate searches while reducing the user's burden to experiment with different search strings. All search results are organized by categories (e. g. all results from Google are grouped together) which may be selected or omitted according to the desire of the user. During the past two years ontologies were developed for sea grasses in the Gulf of Mexico and were used to support a habitat restoration demonstration project. Currently these ontologies are being augmented to address the special characteristics of mangroves. These new ontologies will extend the demonstration project to broader regions of the Gulf including protected mangrove locations in coastal Mexico. Noesis contributes to the decision making process by producing a comprehensive list of relevant resources based on the semantic information contained in the ontologies. Ontologies are organized in a tree like taxonomies, where the child nodes represent the Specializations and the parent nodes represent the Generalizations of a node or concept. Specializations can be used to provide more detailed search, while generalizations are used to make the search broader. Ontologies are also used to link two syntactically different terms to one semantic concept (synonyms). Appending a synonym to the query expands the search, thus providing better search coverage. Every concept has a set of properties that are neither in the same inheritance hierarchy (Specializations / Generalizations) nor equivalent (synonyms). These are called Related Concepts and they are captured in the ontology through property relationships. By using Related Concepts users can search for resources with respect to a particular property. Noesis automatically generates searches that include all of these capabilities, removing the burden from the user and producing broader and more accurate search results. This presentation will demonstrate the features of Noesis and describe its application to habitat studies in the Gulf of Mexico.

Common usage of cardiologic anatomical terminology: critical analysis and a trilingual discussion proposal.

PubMed

Werneck, Alexandre Lins; Batigália, Fernando

2009-01-01

Terminology and Lexicography have been especially addressed to the Allied Health Sciences regarding discussion of case reports or concerning publication of scientific articles. The knowledge of Human Anatomy enables the understanding of medical terms and the refinement of Medical Terminology makes possible a better anatomicomedical communication in a highly technical level. Most of the scientific publications in both Anatomy and Medicine are found only in English and most of dictionaries or search resources available do not have specificity enough to explain anatomicomedical, terminological, or lexicographical occurrences. To design and produce a multilingual terminological dictionary (Latin-English-Portuguese-Spanish) containing a list of English anatomicomedical terms in common usage in cardiology subspecialties addressed to medical students and professionals, to other allied health sciences professionals, and to translators working in this specific field. Terms, semantical and grammatical components were selected to compose an anatomicocardiological corpus. The adequacy to the thematic terminological research requests and the translation reliability level will be settled from the terminology specificity in contrast to the semantics, as well as from a peer survey of the main terms used by national and international experts in specialized journals, Internet sites, and from text-books on Anatomy and Cardiology. The inclusion criteria will be the terms included in the English, Portuguese, and Spanish Terminologia Anatomica - the official terminology of the anatomical sciences; nonofficial technical commonly used terms which lead to terminology or translation misunderstanding often being a source of confusion. A table with a sample of the 508 most used anatomical cardiologic terms in English language peer-reviewed journals of cardiology and (pediatric and adult) thoracic surgery is shown. The working up of a multilingual terminological dictionary reduces the risk of ambiguities, inconsistencies, inutilities, and repetitions concerning the Nomenclature addressed to the Allied Health Sciences by prioritizing the inclusion of official technical terms and a judicious selection of commonly used terms. Efforts to standardize lists of structures in Humana Anatomy lead to both opportunities of scientific update and conceptual enlightenment.

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An Examination of the Relationships among Perceived Risk, Perceived Knowledge, and Student College Search Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mun, Yukyong

2014-01-01

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships among perceived risk, perceived knowledge, education, age, and international students' external information search behavior in terms of extent of information search, types of information searched, and types of information sources used during the search phase of the college choice process. A…

Sundanese ancient manuscripts search engine using probability approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suryani, Mira; Hadi, Setiawan; Paulus, Erick; Nurma Yulita, Intan; Supriatna, Asep K.

2017-10-01

Today, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become a regular thing for every aspect of live include cultural and heritage aspect. Sundanese ancient manuscripts as Sundanese heritage are in damage condition and also the information that containing on it. So in order to preserve the information in Sundanese ancient manuscripts and make them easier to search, a search engine has been developed. The search engine must has good computing ability. In order to get the best computation in developed search engine, three types of probabilistic approaches: Bayesian Networks Model, Divergence from Randomness with PL2 distribution, and DFR-PL2F as derivative form DFR-PL2 have been compared in this study. The three probabilistic approaches supported by index of documents and three different weighting methods: term occurrence, term frequency, and TF-IDF. The experiment involved 12 Sundanese ancient manuscripts. From 12 manuscripts there are 474 distinct terms. The developed search engine tested by 50 random queries for three types of query. The experiment results showed that for the single query and multiple query, the best searching performance given by the combination of PL2F approach and TF-IDF weighting method. The performance has been evaluated using average time responds with value about 0.08 second and Mean Average Precision (MAP) about 0.33.

Measurement properties of asthma-specific quality-of-life measures: protocol for a systematic review.

PubMed

Apfelbacher, Christian; Paudyal, Priya; Bülbül, Alpaslan; Smith, Helen

2014-07-24

Asthma is a frequent chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, and the assessment of health-related quality of life (HrQoL) is important in both research and routine care. Various asthma-specific measures of HrQoL exist but there is uncertainty which measures are best suited for use in research and routine care. Therefore, the aim of the proposed research is a comprehensive systematic assessment of the measurement properties of the existing measures that were developed to measure asthma-specific quality of life. This study is a systematic review of the measurement properties of asthma-specific measures of health-related quality of life. PubMed and Embase will be searched using a selection of relevant search terms. Eligible studies will be primary empirical studies evaluating, describing or comparing measurement properties of asthma-specific HRQL tools. Eligibility assessment and data abstraction will be performed independently by two reviewers. Evidence tables will be generated for study characteristics, instrument characteristics, measurement properties and interpretability. The quality of the measurement properties will be assessed using predefined criteria. Methodological quality of studies will be assessed using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. A best evidence synthesis will be undertaken if more than one study have investigated a particular measurement property. The proposed systematic review will produce a comprehensive assessment of measurement properties of existing measures of asthma-specific health-related quality of life. We also aim to derive recommendations in order to help researchers and practitioners alike in the choice of instrument. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42014010491.

Long-term memory: A review and meta-analysis of studies of declarative and procedural memory in specific language impairment

PubMed Central

Lum, Jarrad A. G.; Conti-Ramsden, Gina

2014-01-01

This review examined the status of long-term memory systems in specific language impairment (SLI), in particular declarative memory and aspects of procedural memory. Studies included in the review were identified following a systematic search of the literature and findings combined using meta-analysis. This review showed individuals with SLI are poorer than age matched controls in the learning and retrieval of verbal information from the declarative memory. However, there is evidence to suggest that the problems with declarative learning and memory for verbal information in SLI might be due to difficulties with verbal working memory and language. The learning and retrieval of non-verbal information from declarative memory appears relatively intact. In relation to procedural learning and memory, evidence indicates poor implicit learning of verbal information. Findings pertaining to nonverbal information have been mixed. This review of the literature indicates there are now substantial grounds for suspecting that multiple memory systems may be implicated in the impairment. PMID:24748707

Integrating GIS, Archeology, and the Internet.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sera White; Brenda Ringe Pace; Randy Lee

2004-08-01

At the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory's (INEEL) Cultural Resource Management Office, a newly developed Data Management Tool (DMT) is improving management and long-term stewardship of cultural resources. The fully integrated system links an archaeological database, a historical database, and a research database to spatial data through a customized user interface using ArcIMS and Active Server Pages. Components of the new DMT are tailored specifically to the INEEL and include automated data entry forms for historic and prehistoric archaeological sites, specialized queries and reports that address both yearly and project-specific documentation requirements, and unique field recording forms. The predictivemore » modeling component increases the DMT’s value for land use planning and long-term stewardship. The DMT enhances the efficiency of archive searches, improving customer service, oversight, and management of the large INEEL cultural resource inventory. In the future, the DMT will facilitate data sharing with regulatory agencies, tribal organizations, and the general public.« less

Psychiatric epidemiology in India.

PubMed

Math, Suresh Bada; Chandrashekar, C R; Bhugra, Dinesh

2007-09-01

Epidemiological studies report prevalence rates for psychiatric disorders from 9.5 to 370/1000 populations in India. This review critically evaluates the prevalence rate of mental disorders as reported in Indian epidemiological studies. Extensive search of PubMed, NeuroMed and MEDLARS using search terms "psychiatry" and "epidemiology" was done. Manual search of literature was also done. Retrieved articles were systematically selected using inclusion and exclusion criteria. Only sixteen prevalence studies fulfilled the study criteria. Most of the epidemiological studies done in India neglected anxiety disorders, substance dependence disorders, co-morbidity and dual diagnosis. The use of poor sensitive screening instruments, single informant and systematic underreporting has added to the discrepancy in the prevalence rate. The prevalence of mental disorders reported in epidemiological surveys can be considered lower estimates rather than accurate reflections of the true prevalence in the population. Researchers have focused on broad non-specific, non-modifiable risk factors, such as age, gender and social class. Future research focused on the general population, longitudinal (prospective), multi-centre, co-morbid studies, assessment of disability, functioning, family burden and quality of life studies involving a clinical service providing approach, is required.

MDTri: robust and efficient global mixed integer search of spaces of multiple ternary alloys: A DIRECT-inspired optimization algorithm for experimentally accessible computational material design

DOE PAGES

Graf, Peter A.; Billups, Stephen

2017-07-24

Computational materials design has suffered from a lack of algorithms formulated in terms of experimentally accessible variables. Here we formulate the problem of (ternary) alloy optimization at the level of choice of atoms and their composition that is normal for synthesists. Mathematically, this is a mixed integer problem where a candidate solution consists of a choice of three elements, and how much of each of them to use. This space has the natural structure of a set of equilateral triangles. We solve this problem by introducing a novel version of the DIRECT algorithm that (1) operates on equilateral triangles insteadmore » of rectangles and (2) works across multiple triangles. We demonstrate on a test case that the algorithm is both robust and efficient. Lastly, we offer an explanation of the efficacy of DIRECT -- specifically, its balance of global and local search -- by showing that 'potentially optimal rectangles' of the original algorithm are akin to the Pareto front of the 'multi-component optimization' of global and local search.« less

MDTri: robust and efficient global mixed integer search of spaces of multiple ternary alloys: A DIRECT-inspired optimization algorithm for experimentally accessible computational material design

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Graf, Peter A.; Billups, Stephen

Computational materials design has suffered from a lack of algorithms formulated in terms of experimentally accessible variables. Here we formulate the problem of (ternary) alloy optimization at the level of choice of atoms and their composition that is normal for synthesists. Mathematically, this is a mixed integer problem where a candidate solution consists of a choice of three elements, and how much of each of them to use. This space has the natural structure of a set of equilateral triangles. We solve this problem by introducing a novel version of the DIRECT algorithm that (1) operates on equilateral triangles insteadmore » of rectangles and (2) works across multiple triangles. We demonstrate on a test case that the algorithm is both robust and efficient. Lastly, we offer an explanation of the efficacy of DIRECT -- specifically, its balance of global and local search -- by showing that 'potentially optimal rectangles' of the original algorithm are akin to the Pareto front of the 'multi-component optimization' of global and local search.« less

Old and dangerous: Prison and dementia.

PubMed

Cipriani, Gabriele; Danti, Sabrina; Carlesi, Cecilia; Di Fiorino, Mario

2017-10-01

Older prisoners are the fastest growing group of prisoners in many countries. The purpose of this study is to explore the phenomenon of detention of persons suffering from dementia. Medline searches were conducted for relevant articles, chapters and books published until August 2016. Search terms included dementia, elderly, prison and criminal. Publications found through this indexed search were reviewed for further relevant references. As results, there is a lack of data about elderly with dementia in prisons. Given the rise in the average age, it is reasonable to hypothesize that the number of older prisoners is growing. Moreover, some elderly are imprisoned with a concomitant cognitive impairment or psychiatric disorder while others will develop such diseases once incarcerated. At the present time, legal and social systems seem unprepared to handle the phenomenon of dementia in prison. As proposal, health assessments for older first time offenders should become a practice inside the correctional facilities and include an evaluation for specific health issues, such as psychiatric comorbidity and cognitive impairment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

Defining and Measuring Diagnostic Uncertainty in Medicine: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Bhise, Viraj; Rajan, Suja S; Sittig, Dean F; Morgan, Robert O; Chaudhary, Pooja; Singh, Hardeep

2018-01-01

Physicians routinely encounter diagnostic uncertainty in practice. Despite its impact on health care utilization, costs and error, measurement of diagnostic uncertainty is poorly understood. We conducted a systematic review to describe how diagnostic uncertainty is defined and measured in medical practice. We searched OVID Medline and PsycINFO databases from inception until May 2017 using a combination of keywords and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). Additional search strategies included manual review of references identified in the primary search, use of a topic-specific database (AHRQ-PSNet) and expert input. We specifically focused on articles that (1) defined diagnostic uncertainty; (2) conceptualized diagnostic uncertainty in terms of its sources, complexity of its attributes or strategies for managing it; or (3) attempted to measure diagnostic uncertainty. We identified 123 articles for full review, none of which defined diagnostic uncertainty. Three attributes of diagnostic uncertainty were relevant for measurement: (1) it is a subjective perception experienced by the clinician; (2) it has the potential to impact diagnostic evaluation-for example, when inappropriately managed, it can lead to diagnostic delays; and (3) it is dynamic in nature, changing with time. Current methods for measuring diagnostic uncertainty in medical practice include: (1) asking clinicians about their perception of uncertainty (surveys and qualitative interviews), (2) evaluating the patient-clinician encounter (such as by reviews of medical records, transcripts of patient-clinician communication and observation), and (3) experimental techniques (patient vignette studies). The term "diagnostic uncertainty" lacks a clear definition, and there is no comprehensive framework for its measurement in medical practice. Based on review findings, we propose that diagnostic uncertainty be defined as a "subjective perception of an inability to provide an accurate explanation of the patient's health problem." Methodological advancements in measuring diagnostic uncertainty can improve our understanding of diagnostic decision-making and inform interventions to reduce diagnostic errors and overuse of health care resources.

Model Specification Searches Using Ant Colony Optimization Algorithms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marcoulides, George A.; Drezner, Zvi

2003-01-01

Ant colony optimization is a recently proposed heuristic procedure inspired by the behavior of real ants. This article applies the procedure to model specification searches in structural equation modeling and reports the results. The results demonstrate the capabilities of ant colony optimization algorithms for conducting automated searches.

Primary care interventions and current service innovations in modifying long-term outcomes after stroke: a protocol for a scoping review.

PubMed

Pindus, Dominika M; Lim, Lisa; Rundell, A Viona; Hobbs, Victoria; Aziz, Noorazah Abd; Mullis, Ricky; Mant, Jonathan

2016-10-24

Interventions delivered by primary and/or community care have the potential to reach the majority of stroke survivors and carers and offer ongoing support. However, an integrative account emerging from the reviews of interventions addressing specific long-term outcomes after stroke is lacking. The aims of the proposed scoping review are to provide an overview of: (1) primary care and community healthcare interventions by generalist healthcare professionals to stroke survivors and/or their informal carers to address long-term outcomes after stroke, (2) the scope and characteristics of interventions which were successful in addressing long-term outcomes, and (3) developments in current clinical practice. Studies that focused on adult community dwelling stroke survivors and informal carers were included. Academic electronic databases will be searched to identify reviews of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled trials, trials from the past 5 years; reviews of observational studies. Practice exemplars from grey literature will be identified through advanced Google search. Reports, guidelines and other documents of major health organisations, clinical professional bodies, and stroke charities in the UK and internationally will be included. Two reviewers will independently screen titles, abstracts and full texts for inclusion of published literature. One reviewer will screen search results from the grey literature and identify relevant documents for inclusion. Data synthesis will include analysis of the number, type of studies, year and country of publication, a summary of intervention components/service or practice, outcomes addressed, main results (an indicator of effectiveness) and a description of included interventions. The review will help identify components of care and care pathways for primary care services for stroke. By comparing the results with stroke survivors' and carers' needs identified in the literature, the review will highlight potential gaps in research and practice relevant to long-term care after stroke. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Know your market: use of online query tools to quantify trends in patient information-seeking behavior for varicose vein treatment.

PubMed

Harsha, Asheesh K; Schmitt, J Eric; Stavropoulos, S William

2014-01-01

To analyze Internet search data to characterize the temporal and geographic interest of Internet users in the United States in varicose vein treatment. From January 1, 2004, to September 1, 2012, the Google Trends tool was used to analyze query data for "varicose vein treatment" to identify individuals seeking treatment information for varicose veins. The term "varicose vein treatment" returned a search volume index (SVI), representing the search frequency relative to the total search volume during a specific time interval and region. Linear regression analysis and Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance were employed to characterize search results. Search traffic for varicose vein treatment increased by 520% over the 104-month study period. There was an annual mean increase of 28% (range, -18%-100%; standard deviation [SD], 35%), with a statistically significant linear increase in average yearly SVI over time (R(2) = 0.94, P < .0001). All years showed positive growth in mean SVI except for 2008 (18% decrease). There were statistically significant differences in SVI by month (Kruskal-Wallis, P < .0001) with significantly higher mean SVI compared with other months in May (190% increase; range, 26%-670%; SD, 15%) and June (209% increase; range, 35%-700%; SD, 20%). The southern United States showed significantly higher search traffic than all other regions (Tukey-Kramer, P < .00001). There have been significant increases in Internet search traffic related to varicose vein treatment in the past 8 years. Reflected in this trend is an annual peak in search traffic in the late spring months with an overall geographic bias toward southern states. Rigorous analysis of Internet search queries for medical procedures may prove useful to guide the efficient use of limited resources and marketing dollars. © 2013 The Society of Interventional Radiology Published by SIR All rights reserved.

Patterns of use and impact of standardised MedDRA query analyses on the safety evaluation and review of new drug and biologics license applications

PubMed Central

Chang, Lin-Chau; Mahmood, Riaz; Qureshi, Samina

2017-01-01

Purpose Standardised MedDRA Queries (SMQs) have been developed since the early 2000’s and used by academia, industry, public health, and government sectors for detecting safety signals in adverse event safety databases. The purpose of the present study is to characterize how SMQs are used and the impact in safety analyses for New Drug Application (NDA) and Biologics License Application (BLA) submissions to the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA). Methods We used the PharmaPendium database to capture SMQ use in Summary Basis of Approvals (SBoAs) of drugs and biologics approved by the USFDA. Characteristics of the drugs and the SMQ use were employed to evaluate the role of SMQ safety analyses in regulatory decisions and the veracity of signals they revealed. Results A comprehensive search of the SBoAs yielded 184 regulatory submissions approved from 2006 to 2015. Search strategies more frequently utilized restrictive searches with “narrow terms” to enhance specificity over strategies using “broad terms” to increase sensitivity, while some involved modification of search terms. A majority (59%) of 1290 searches used descriptive statistics, however inferential statistics were utilized in 35% of them. Commentary from reviewers and supervisory staff suggested that a small, yet notable percentage (18%) of 1290 searches supported regulatory decisions. The searches with regulatory impact were found in 73 submissions (40% of the submissions investigated). Most searches (75% of 227 searches) with regulatory implications described how the searches were confirmed, indicating prudence in the decision-making process. Conclusions SMQs have an increasing role in the presentation and review of safety analysis for NDAs/BLAs and their regulatory reviews. This study suggests that SMQs are best used for screening process, with descriptive statistics, description of SMQ modifications, and systematic verification of cases which is crucial for drawing regulatory conclusions. PMID:28570569

Perceptual learning in visual search: fast, enduring, but non-specific.

PubMed

Sireteanu, R; Rettenbach, R

1995-07-01

Visual search has been suggested as a tool for isolating visual primitives. Elementary "features" were proposed to involve parallel search, while serial search is necessary for items without a "feature" status, or, in some cases, for conjunctions of "features". In this study, we investigated the role of practice in visual search tasks. We found that, under some circumstances, initially serial tasks can become parallel after a few hundred trials. Learning in visual search is far less specific than learning of visual discriminations and hyperacuity, suggesting that it takes place at another level in the central visual pathway, involving different neural circuits.

Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Techniques for Control of Pain in Lung Cancer Patients: An Integrated Review.

PubMed

Phianmongkhol, Yupin; Thongubon, Kannika; Woottiluk, Pakapan

2015-01-01

Experience of lung cancer includes negative impacts on both physical and psychological health. Pain is one of the negative experiences of lung cancer. Cognitive behavioral therapy techniques are often recommended as treatments for lung cancer pain. The objective of this review was to synthesize the evidence on the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy techniques in treating lung cancer pain. This review considered studies that included lung cancer patients who were required to 1) be at least 18 years old; 2) speak and read English or Thai; 3) have a life expectancy of at least two months; 4) experience daily cancer pain requiring an opioid medication; 5) have a positive response to opioid medication; 6) have "average or usual" pain between 4 and 7 on a scale of 0-10 for the day before the clinic visit or for a typical day; and 7) able to participate in a pain evaluation and treatment program. This review considered studies to examine interventions for use in treatment of pain in lung cancer patients, including: biofeedback, cognitive/attentional distraction, imagery, hypnosis, and meditation. Any randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that examined cognitive behavioral therapy techniques for pain specifically in lung cancer patients were included. In the absence of RCTs, quasi-experimental designs were reviewed for possible conclusion in a narrative summary. Outcome measures were pain intensity before and after cognitive behavioural therapy techniques. The search strategy aimed to find both published and unpublished literature. A three-step search was utilised by using identified keywords and text term. An initial limited search of MEDLINE and CINAHL was undertaken followed by analysis of the text words contained in the title and abstract, and of the index terms used to describe the article. A second search using all the identified keywords and index terms was then undertaken across all included databases. Thirdly, the reference list of all identified reports and articles were searched for additional studies. Searches were conducted during January 1991- March 2014 limited to English and Thai languages with no date restriction. All studies that met the inclusion criteria were assessed for methodological quality by three reviewers using a standardized critical appraisal tool from the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). Three reviewers extracted data independently, using a standardized data extraction tool from the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). Ideally for quantitative data meta-analysis was to be conducted where all results were subject to double data entry. Odds ratios (for categorical data) and weighted mean differences (for continuous data) and their 95% confidence intervals were to be calculated for analysis and heterogeneity was to be assessed using the standard Chi-square. Where statistical pooling was not possible the finding were be presented in narrative form. There were no studies located that met the inclusion requirements of this review. There were also no text and opinion pieces that were specific to cognitive behavioral therapy techniques pain and lung cancer patients. There is currently no evidence available to determine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy techniques for pain in lung cancer patients.

EAU standardised medical terminology for urologic imaging: a taxonomic approach.

PubMed

Loch, Tillmann; Carey, Brendan; Walz, Jochen; Fulgham, Pat Fox

2015-05-01

The terminology and abbreviations used in urologic imaging have generally been adopted on an ad hoc basis by different speciality groups; however, there is a need for shared nomenclature to facilitate clinical communication and collaborative research. This work reviews the current nomenclature for urologic imaging used in clinical practice and proposes a taxonomy and terminology for urologic imaging studies. A list of terms used in urologic imaging were compiled from guidelines published by the European Association of Urology and the American Urological Association and from the American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria. Terms searched were grouped into broad categories based on technology, and imaging terms were further stratified based on the anatomic extent, contrast or phases, technique or modifiers, and combinations or fusions. Terms that had a high degree of utilisation were classified as accepted. We propose a new taxonomy to define a more useful and acceptable nomenclature model acceptable to all health professionals involved in urology. The major advantage of a taxonomic approach to the classification of urologic imaging studies is that it provides a flexible framework for classifying the modifications of current imaging modalities and allows the incorporation of new imaging modalities. The adoption of this hierarchical classification model ranging from the most general to the most detailed descriptions should facilitate hierarchical searches of the medical literature using both general and specific terms. This work is limited in its scope, as it is not currently all-inclusive. This will hopefully be addressed by future modification as others embrace the concept and work towards uniformity in nomenclature. This paper provides a noncomprehensive list of the most widely used terms across different specialties. This list can be used as the basis for further discussion, development, and enhancement. In this paper we describe a classification system for urologic imaging terms with the aim of aiding health professionals and ensuring that the terms used are more consistent. Copyright © 2014 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Incorporating the Internet into Traditional Library Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fonseca, Tony; King, Monica

2000-01-01

Presents a template for teaching traditional library research and one for incorporating the Web. Highlights include the differences between directories and search engines; devising search strategies; creating search terms; how to choose search engines; evaluating online resources; helpful Web sites; and how to read URLs to evaluate a Web site's…

Playing the Numbers: Searching for Help

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doyle, William R.

2012-01-01

Internet search histories reveal much about the collective concerns and interests of the population. Researchers have demonstrated that searches for terms such as "flu symptoms" predict the onset and prevalence of flu in given geographical areas. Can such an analysis be applied fruitfully to data on searches related to higher education issues? One…

Determining Semantically Related Significant Genes.

PubMed

Taha, Kamal

2014-01-01

GO relation embodies some aspects of existence dependency. If GO term xis existence-dependent on GO term y, the presence of y implies the presence of x. Therefore, the genes annotated with the function of the GO term y are usually functionally and semantically related to the genes annotated with the function of the GO term x. A large number of gene set enrichment analysis methods have been developed in recent years for analyzing gene sets enrichment. However, most of these methods overlook the structural dependencies between GO terms in GO graph by not considering the concept of existence dependency. We propose in this paper a biological search engine called RSGSearch that identifies enriched sets of genes annotated with different functions using the concept of existence dependency. We observe that GO term xcannot be existence-dependent on GO term y, if x- and y- have the same specificity (biological characteristics). After encoding into a numeric format the contributions of GO terms annotating target genes to the semantics of their lowest common ancestors (LCAs), RSGSearch uses microarray experiment to identify the most significant LCA that annotates the result genes. We evaluated RSGSearch experimentally and compared it with five gene set enrichment systems. Results showed marked improvement.

Long-Period Variability in o Ceti

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Templeton, Matthew R.; Karovska, Margarita

2009-02-01

We carried out a new and sensitive search for long-period variability in the prototype of the Mira class of long-period pulsating variables, o Ceti (Mira A), the closest and brightest Mira variable. We conducted this search using an unbroken light curve from 1902 to the present, assembled from the visual data archives of five major variable star observing organizations from around the world. We applied several time-series analysis techniques to search for two specific kinds of variability: long secondary periods (LSPs) longer than the dominant pulsation period of ~333 days, and long-term period variation in the dominant pulsation period itself. The data quality is sufficient to detect coherent periodic variations with photometric amplitudes of 0.05 mag or less. We do not find evidence for coherent LSPs in o Ceti to a limit of 0.1 mag, where the amplitude limit is set by intrinsic, stochastic, low-frequency variability of approximately 0.1 mag. We marginally detect a slight modulation of the pulsation period similar in timescale to that observed in the Miras with meandering periods, but with a much lower period amplitude of ±2 days. However, we do find clear evidence of a low-frequency power-law component in the Fourier spectrum of o Ceti's long-term light curve. The amplitude of this stochastic variability is approximately 0.1 mag at a period of 1000 days, and it exhibits a turnover for periods longer than this. This spectrum is similar to the red noise spectra observed in red supergiants.

Online resources for persons recently diagnosed with HIV/AIDS: an analysis of HIV-related webpages.

PubMed

Horvath, Keith J; Harwood, Eileen M; Courtenay-Quirk, Cari; McFarlane, Mary; Fisher, Holly; Dickenson, Tina; Kachur, Rachel; Rosser, B R Simon; O'Leary, Ann

2010-07-01

The Internet is a major source of HIV-related information and resources for persons recently diagnosed with HIV/AIDS (PRDHA). This study examined the types of HIV-related websites that appear as a result of HIV-related keyword searches and the extent to which website information targets PRDHA. The first page of HIV-related webpages from 18 keyword searches was coded. Among 137 webpages meeting inclusion criteria, 63% represented HIV-informational websites, 31% targeted HIV-positive individuals, and over half contained or provided access to HIV prevention, treatment, and transmission information. Thirty-three percent of webpages contained or provided access to PRDHA-targeted information, with a greater percentage of those webpages having mobile, non-English, and "Ask the Expert" features compared with non-PRDHA targeted webpages. Implications for PRDHA include the following: (1) they should explore HIV-related websites to gain insight into the credibility of the information contained on those sites; (2) PRDHA must be aware that HIV-related websites have the potential to elicit dated, emotionally distressing, or irrelevant information; and (3) to obtain information that relates to their demographic and situational profile, they may wish to use specific key terms (e.g., "HIV women") rather than attempting to navigate webpages that arise from general search terms (e.g., "HIV"). Recommendations for future development of online resources for PRDHA include providing HIV-relevant information in a stepwise fashion, providing demographically targeted HIV information, and greater utilization of mobile technology.

Team-based efforts to improve quality of care, the fundamental role of ethics, and the responsibility of health managers: monitoring and management strategies to enhance teamwork.

PubMed

Kossaify, A; Hleihel, W; Lahoud, J-C

2017-12-01

Highlight the importance of teamwork in health care institutions by performing a review and discussion of the relevant literature. Review paper. A MEDLINE/Pubmed search was performed starting from 1990, and the terms 'team, teamwork, managers, healthcare, and cooperation' were searched in titles, abstracts, keywords, and conclusions; other terms 'patient safety, ethics, audits and quality of care' were specifically searched in abstracts and were used as additional filters criteria to select relevant articles. Thirty-three papers were found relevant; factors affecting the quality of care in health care institutions are multiple and varied, including issues related to individual profile, to administrative structure and to team-based effort. Issues affecting teamwork include mainly self-awareness, work environment, leadership, ethics, cooperation, communication, and competition. Moreover, quality improvement plans aiming to enhance and expand teams are essential in this context. Team monitoring and management are vital to achieve efficient teamwork with all the required qualities for a safer health system. In all cases, health managers' responsibility plays a fundamental role in creating and sustaining a teamwork atmosphere. Teamwork is known to improve outcomes in medicine, whether at the clinical, organizational, or scientific level. Teamwork in health care institutions must increasingly be encouraged, given that individual effort is often insufficient for optimal clinical outcome. Copyright © 2017 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transdermal Patches for the Treatment of Neurologic Conditions in Elderly Patients: A Review

PubMed Central

Somogyi, Monique

2011-01-01

Objective: The mode of drug delivery can be an important consideration in optimizing drug therapy, as it can affect treatment compliance and outcomes. It is particularly important to develop optimal drug formulations for chronic diseases or conditions in the elderly for which treatment compliance is known to be low. In this review, the features and benefits of transdermal formulations for treating neurologic conditions in elderly patients are described. Data Sources: English-language articles were identified by searching MEDLINE in November 2010 (there were no search parameters on date of publication) using the search terms transdermal patch, transdermal system, neurology, rivastigmine, rotigotine, selegiline, lidocaine, capsaicin, compliance, and neuropathic pain. Data Selection: Articles describing the development, use, efficacy, and safety of licensed transdermal patch treatments for neurologic conditions that affect the elderly were included. Data Extraction: The features of transdermal systems and comparisons between transdermal and oral formulations for the treatment of specific neurologic conditions in elderly patients were reviewed. Data Synthesis: There are 5 transdermal patch systems currently available for neurologic conditions in adults: rivastigmine, rotigotine, selegiline, lidocaine, and capsaicin. These are all modern formulations in matrix patches, developed to provide appropriate drug dosage in an acceptable and well-tolerated form. Conclusions: Transdermal patches can offer benefits to patients over oral formulations in terms of ease of use, simple treatment regimens, avoidance of the first-pass effect, and avoidance of high maximum plasma concentrations with rapid changes in drug levels, without the invasive procedures associated with intravenous treatment. PMID:22454804

Internet Search and Krokodil in the Russian Federation: An Infoveillance Study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Krokodil is an informal term for a cheap injectable illicit drug domestically prepared from codeine-containing medication (CCM). The method of krokodil preparation may produce desomorphine as well as toxic reactants that cause extensive tissue necrosis. The first confirmed report of krokodil use in Russia took place in 2004. In 2012, reports of krokodil-related injection injuries began to appear beyond Russia in Western Europe and the United States. Objective This exploratory study had two main objectives: (1) to determine if Internet search patterns could detect regularities in behavioral responses to Russian CCM policy at the population level, and (2) to determine if complementary data sources could explain the regularities we observed. Methods First, we obtained krokodil-related search pattern data for each Russia subregion (oblast) between 2011 and 2012. Second, we analyzed several complementary data sources included krokodil-related court cases, and related search terms on both Google and Yandex to evaluate the characteristics of terms accompanying krokodil-related search queries. Results In the 6 months preceding CCM sales restrictions, 21 of Russia's 83 oblasts had search rates higher than the national average (mean) of 16.67 searches per 100,000 population for terms associated with krokodil. In the 6 months following restrictions, mean national searches dropped to 9.65 per 100,000. Further, the number of oblasts recording a higher than average search rate dropped from 30 to 16. Second, we found krokodil-related court appearances were moderately positively correlated (Spearman correlation=.506, P≤.001) with behaviors consistent with an interest in the production and use of krokodil across Russia. Finally, Google Trends and Google and Yandex related terms suggested consistent public interest in the production and use of krokodil as well as for CCM as analgesic medication during the date range covered by this study. Conclusions Illicit drug use data are generally regarded as difficult to obtain through traditional survey methods. Our analysis suggests it is plausible that Yandex search behavior served as a proxy for patterns of krokodil production and use during the date range we investigated. More generally, this study demonstrates the application of novel methods recently used by policy makers to both monitor illicit drug use and influence drug policy decision making. PMID:25236385

Using ontology network structure in text mining.

PubMed

Berndt, Donald J; McCart, James A; Luther, Stephen L

2010-11-13

Statistical text mining treats documents as bags of words, with a focus on term frequencies within documents and across document collections. Unlike natural language processing (NLP) techniques that rely on an engineered vocabulary or a full-featured ontology, statistical approaches do not make use of domain-specific knowledge. The freedom from biases can be an advantage, but at the cost of ignoring potentially valuable knowledge. The approach proposed here investigates a hybrid strategy based on computing graph measures of term importance over an entire ontology and injecting the measures into the statistical text mining process. As a starting point, we adapt existing search engine algorithms such as PageRank and HITS to determine term importance within an ontology graph. The graph-theoretic approach is evaluated using a smoking data set from the i2b2 National Center for Biomedical Computing, cast as a simple binary classification task for categorizing smoking-related documents, demonstrating consistent improvements in accuracy.

Evaluating the statistical methodology of randomized trials on dentin hypersensitivity management.

PubMed

Matranga, Domenica; Matera, Federico; Pizzo, Giuseppe

2017-12-27

The present study aimed to evaluate the characteristics and quality of statistical methodology used in clinical studies on dentin hypersensitivity management. An electronic search was performed for data published from 2009 to 2014 by using PubMed, Ovid/MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library databases. The primary search terms were used in combination. Eligibility criteria included randomized clinical trials that evaluated the efficacy of desensitizing agents in terms of reducing dentin hypersensitivity. A total of 40 studies were considered eligible for assessment of quality statistical methodology. The four main concerns identified were i) use of nonparametric tests in the presence of large samples, coupled with lack of information about normality and equality of variances of the response; ii) lack of P-value adjustment for multiple comparisons; iii) failure to account for interactions between treatment and follow-up time; and iv) no information about the number of teeth examined per patient and the consequent lack of cluster-specific approach in data analysis. Owing to these concerns, statistical methodology was judged as inappropriate in 77.1% of the 35 studies that used parametric methods. Additional studies with appropriate statistical analysis are required to obtain appropriate assessment of the efficacy of desensitizing agents.

The horror of stigma: psychosis and mental health care environments in twenty-first-century horror film (part II).

PubMed

Goodwin, John

2014-10-01

This paper highlights the specific manner in which twenty-first-century horror films stigmatize psychosis and mental health care environments (MHCEs) A search on various film forums using the terms "mental/psychiatric patient," "psychosis/psychoses," and "mental/psychiatric hospital" (limited from 2000 to 2012) revealed 55 films. A literature review revealed criteria for a checklist. Subsequent to viewings, salient recurring criteria were added to the checklist. Films were systematically analyzed under these criteria. Homicidal maniacs are the most common stereotypes. Misinformation is often communicated. Familiar horror tropes are used to stigmatize MHCEs. Practitioners should be aware of the specific manner in which clients are being stigmatized by the media. This paper highlights specific ways in which psychosis and MHCEs are stigmatized, and encourages practitioners to challenge these depictions. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A Systematic Review of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Don't Assume It's Depression

PubMed Central

Griffith, James P.; Zarrouf, Fahd A.

2008-01-01

Objective: Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is characterized by profound, debilitating fatigue and a combination of several other symptoms resulting in substantial reduction in occupational, personal, social, and educational status. CFS is often misdiagnosed as depression. The objective of this study was to evaluate and discuss different etiologies, approaches, and management strategies of CFS and to present ways to differentiate it from the fatigue symptom of depression. Data Sources: A MEDLINE search was conducted to identify existing information about CFS and depression using the headings chronic fatigue syndrome AND depression. The alternative terms major depressive disorder and mood disorder were also searched in conjunction with the term chronic fatigue syndrome. Additionally, MEDLINE was searched using the term chronic fatigue. All searches were limited to articles published within the last 10 years, in English. A total of 302 articles were identified by these searches. Also, the term chronic fatigue syndrome was searched by itself. This search was limited to articles published within the last 5 years, in English, and resulted in an additional 460 articles. Additional publications were identified by manually searching the reference lists of the articles from both searches. Study Selection and Data Extraction: CFS definitions, etiologies, differential diagnoses (especially depression) and management strategies were extracted, reviewed, and summarized to meet the objectives of this article. Data Synthesis: CFS is underdiagnosed in more than 80% of the people who have it; at the same time, it is often misdiagnosed as depression. Genetic, immunologic, infectious, metabolic, and neurologic etiologies were suggested to explain CFS. A biopsychosocial model was suggested for evaluating, managing, and differentiating CFS from depression. Conclusions: Evaluating and managing chronic fatigue is a challenging situation for physicians, as it is a challenging and difficult condition for patients. A biopsychosocial approach in the evaluation and management is recommended. More studies about CFS manifestations, evaluation, and management are needed. PMID:18458765

A systematic review of the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions on quality of life (QoL) for adult vitiligo patients.

PubMed

Lert, Chua Tse; Fai, Chan Moon

Vitiligo is the most common pigmentation disorder. It is an acquired, progressive disorder, presenting with white macules that can appear anywhere on the skin. Presently, there is no cure for vitiligo. Although there are therapies targeted at improving its appearance, their effectiveness is limited. Without satisfactory solution to vitiligo, patients are permanently disfigured for life. Quality of life of vitiligo patients has been commonly found to be moderately impaired. Patients are chronically embarrassed and depressed. Stigmatisation is also common and cause marginalization. Hence, while vitiligo is not "life-threatening", it can be "life-ruining". Because current treatments are unsatisfactory in repigmenting the skin, the question of continuing treatment must also consider the benefits to quality of life, and that is the purpose of this review. The overall objective of this systematic review was to examine the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions, in terms of quality of life for adult patients with vitiligo. Types of studies - The review considered quantitative papers, including randomised controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies.Types of participants - Adult patients who have vitiligo from 18 to 75 years-old.Types of interventions - This review considered studies of current therapeutic interventions for vitiligo, including oral, topical, combination, camouflage, cognitive-behavioural therapy and grafting.Types of measured outcomes - Quality of life outcomes as measured by validated tools. The search aimed to find published studies and papers, limited to English language reports. A three-step search strategy was utilised: An initial limited search of MEDLINE and CINAHL was undertaken, followed by an analysis of the text words contained in the title and abstract, and of the index terms used to describe the article. A second search using all identified keywords and index terms were then undertaken. Search strategies were developed using terms that were specific to the databases. Thirdly, the reference lists of all identified papers were searched for additional studies. The databases searched include: PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, JSTOR, ScienceDirect,PsycARTICLES (Ovid) and PsycINFO (Ovid) DATA COLLECTION: Two reviewers critically appraised the methodological quality of research studies using a standardised critical appraisal tool from the Joanna-Briggs Institute. Data was extracted from nine papers for this review, however as the studies were heterogeneous in population, interventions and methodologies, it was not possible to conduct a meta-analysis to establish superiority of interventions in terms of improving quality of life. Hence, a narrative summary was presented to collate the results of the interventions where there were similar. All treatments were found to improve quality of life for vitiligo patients. Disease-altering interventions that were effective in repigmentation arrest of disease progression were also effective in improving quality of life. Lifestyle-altering interventions were found to be selectively effective for patients with more severe quality of life impairment and Subscale analysis showed particular effectiveness of interventions in improving the emotional dimension of quality of life. Current interventions for vitiligo are effective in bettering the quality of life either by improving physical appearance of the patient or by addressing the psychological distress directly. Less effectiveness was achieved for the functional and social dimensions, which are more dependent on social and cultural norms. This suggests that current interventions alone are inadequate to address the holistic quality of life challenges associated with vitiligo. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH.

An exemplar-familiarity model predicts short-term and long-term probe recognition across diverse forms of memory search.

PubMed

Nosofsky, Robert M; Cox, Gregory E; Cao, Rui; Shiffrin, Richard M

2014-11-01

Experiments were conducted to test a modern exemplar-familiarity model on its ability to account for both short-term and long-term probe recognition within the same memory-search paradigm. Also, making connections to the literature on attention and visual search, the model was used to interpret differences in probe-recognition performance across diverse conditions that manipulated relations between targets and foils across trials. Subjects saw lists of from 1 to 16 items followed by a single item recognition probe. In a varied-mapping condition, targets and foils could switch roles across trials; in a consistent-mapping condition, targets and foils never switched roles; and in an all-new condition, on each trial a completely new set of items formed the memory set. In the varied-mapping and all-new conditions, mean correct response times (RTs) and error proportions were curvilinear increasing functions of memory set size, with the RT results closely resembling ones from hybrid visual-memory search experiments reported by Wolfe (2012). In the consistent-mapping condition, new-probe RTs were invariant with set size, whereas old-probe RTs increased slightly with increasing study-test lag. With appropriate choice of psychologically interpretable free parameters, the model accounted well for the complete set of results. The work provides support for the hypothesis that a common set of processes involving exemplar-based familiarity may govern long-term and short-term probe recognition across wide varieties of memory- search conditions. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Hotspots in research on the measurement of medical students' clinical competence from 2012-2016 based on co-word analysis.

PubMed

Chang, Xing; Zhou, Xin; Luo, Linzhi; Yang, Chengjia; Pan, Hui; Zhang, Shuyang

2017-09-12

This study aimed to identify hotspots in research on clinical competence measurements from 2012 to 2016. The authors retrieved literature published between 2012 and 2016 from PubMed using selected medical subject headings (MeSH) terms. They used BibExcel software to generate high-frequency MeSH terms and identified hotspots by co-word analysis and cluster analysis. The authors searched 588 related articles and identified 31 high-frequency MeSH terms. In addition, they obtained 6 groups of high-frequency MeSH terms that reflected the domain hotspots. This study identified 6 hotspots of domain research, including studies on influencing factors and perception evaluation, improving and developing measurement tools, feedback measurement, measurement approaches based on computer simulation, the measurement of specific students in different learning phases, and the measurement of students' communication ability. All of these research topics could provide useful information for educators and researchers to continually conduct in-depth studies.

Effect of educational components and strategies associated with insulin pump therapy: a systematic review.

PubMed

Jayasekara, Rasika Sirilal; Munn, Zachary; Lockwood, Craig

2011-12-01

The objectives of this review were to establish the effectiveness of approaches to the provision of education for adults with type 1 diabetes using or initiating insulin pump therapy (IPT), and identify the best available evidence on the association between intervals and duration of follow up and the stated outcome criteria. This review considered all studies and papers that involved adults (aged 16 years or over) with type 1 diabetes using IPT as their primary form of therapy who participated in education or training, with no restrictions placed on gender or comorbidities. All forms of education, including resources utilised during education were included in the review. The search strategy sought to find both published and unpublished studies and papers written in the English language. An initial limited search of MEDLINE and CINAHL databases was undertaken to identify optimal search terms. A second search using all identified key words and index terms was then undertaken based on key words specific to each database across all included databases from 1998 to February 2008. Thirdly, the reference lists of all identified reports and articles were searched for additional studies. Two independent reviewers assessed the methodological quality of retrieved papers using the corresponding checklist from the System for the Unified Management, Assessment and Review of Information (SUMARI) package. A total of 142 studies were identified as potentially relevant to the review question in the first and second steps of the literature search. Based on the title and abstract, 24 papers that were relevant to the review topic were retrieved for evaluation of methodological quality. Following this stage, 20 papers were excluded. Whilst searching the reference lists of the selected studies (n = 4), one paper met the inclusion criteria. Therefore, a total of five descriptive studies were included in the review. The included papers reported a variety of educational methods and different outcome measures. In general, it is difficult to draw a strong conclusion regarding the effectiveness of components and strategies associated with IPT because of a lack of high-quality comparative studies, small sample sizes and a variability of reported methods in the included studies. However, included descriptive studies explored a range of issues related to the effectiveness of IPT therapy, and the educative requirements of patients. It is clear that type 1 diabetes patients initiating and utilising IPT need a comprehensive range of advice, education and training. The mixture of group and individual teaching, multidisciplinary teams as educators, educational materials, long-term training with multiple sessions and a variety of educational contents may all be effective for delivering IPT education and training. 2011 The Authors. International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare. 2011 The Joanna Briggs Institute.

A Search for Gene Fusions/Translocations in Breast Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-10-01

specific pseudogenes. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Gene fusions, sequencing, MAST,Notch 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 18 ...Figure 5B) as well as in in vivo intravasation and metastasis in chicken chorioallantoic mem- brane xenograft assay (Figure 5C). In contrast...m p h o b la st o id (n = 8) Pa n cr ea ti c B en ig n (n = 3) Pr o st at e B en ig n (n = 18 ) C an ce r S p ec ifi c Sample Frequency (%)0 100

Continued Analysis of EUVE Solar System Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gladstone, G. Randall

2001-01-01

This is the final report for this project. We proposed to continue our work on extracting important results from the EUVE (Extreme UltraViolet Explorer) archive of lunar and jovian system observations. In particular, we planned to: (1) produce several monochromatic images of the Moon at the wavelengths of the brightest solar EUV emission lines; (2) search for evidence of soft X-ray emissions from the Moon and/or X-ray fluorescence at specific EUV wavelengths; (3) search for localized EUV and soft X-ray emissions associated with each of the Galilean satellites; (4) search for correlations between localized Io Plasma Torus (IPT) brightness and volcanic activity on Io; (5) search for soft X-ray emissions from Jupiter; and (6) determine the long term variability of He 58.4 nm emissions from Jupiter, and relate these to solar variability. However, the ADP review panel suggested that the work concentrate on the Jupiter/IPT observations, and provided half the requested funding. Thus we have performed no work on the first two tasks, and instead concentrated on the last three. In addition we used funds from this project to support reduction and analysis of EUVE observations of Venus. While this was not part of the original statement of work, it is entirely in keeping with extracting important results from EUVE solar system observations.

Attitudes towards schizophrenia on YouTube: A content analysis of Finnish and Greek videos.

PubMed

Athanasopoulou, Christina; Suni, Sanna; Hätönen, Heli; Apostolakis, Ioannis; Lionis, Christos; Välimäki, Maritta

2016-01-01

To investigate attitudes towards schizophrenia and people with schizophrenia presented in YouTube videos. We searched YouTube using the search terms "schizophrenia" and "psychosis" in Finnish and Greek language on April 3rd, 2013. The first 20 videos from each search (N = 80) were retrieved. Deductive content analysis was first applied for coding and data interpretation and it was followed by descriptive statistical analysis. A total of 52 videos were analyzed (65%). The majority of the videos were in the "Music" category (50%, n = 26). Most of the videos (83%, n = 43) tended to present schizophrenia in a negative way, while less than a fifth (17%, n = 9) presented schizophrenia in a positive or neutral way. Specifically, the most common negative attitude towards schizophrenia was dangerousness (29%, n = 15), while the most often identified positive attitude was objective, medically appropriate beliefs (21%, n = 11). All attitudes identified were similarly present in the Finnish and Greek videos, without any statistically significant difference. Negative presentations of schizophrenia are most likely to be accessed when searching YouTube for schizophrenia in Finnish and Greek language. More research is needed to investigate to what extent, if any, YouTube viewers' attitudes are affected by the videos they watch.

HIV and mental illness in Malawi and the neuropsychiatric sequelae of efavirenz.

PubMed

Drury, Andrew; Gleadow-Ware, Selena; Gilfillan, Sheila; Ahrens, Jen

2018-03-01

Little is published about mental disorders in Malawi, specifically in relation to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and it's treatment. Efavirenz is a medication commonly used as part of triple therapy for HIV treatment. Indeed, in 2013, Malawi introduced 5A with Efavirenz as part of it's 1st line treatment for HIV. There exists some literature documenting known psychiatric side effects of Efavirenz, which include anxiety, mood changes, nightmares, psychosis and suicidal ideation. Little is known about what features are most common in the presentation and what factors in the patient and drug which may make this reaction more likely. The aim of this commentary is to review the association between HIV and psychiatric disorder, and consider the neuropsychiatric side-effects of Efavirenz. An evaluative literature review was completed by means of multiple electronic database search as well as an additional manual search to obtain published works identified through the electronic search. Search terms used were: Efavirenz, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Africa, Antiretroviral Therapy, Developing Countries, Malawi, Mental Disorders, Public Health, and Psychiatry. This is an important area of study, as potentially large numbers of individuals with HIV are being placed on Efavirenz as first line treatment, yet 60% may experience some form of neuropsychiatric side effects.

An assessment of the visibility of MeSH-indexed medical web catalogs through search engines.

PubMed

Zweigenbaum, P; Darmoni, S J; Grabar, N; Douyère, M; Benichou, J

2002-01-01

Manually indexed Internet health catalogs such as CliniWeb or CISMeF provide resources for retrieving high-quality health information. Users of these quality-controlled subject gateways are most often referred to them by general search engines such as Google, AltaVista, etc. This raises several questions, among which the following: what is the relative visibility of medical Internet catalogs through search engines? This study addresses this issue by measuring and comparing the visibility of six major, MeSH-indexed health catalogs through four different search engines (AltaVista, Google, Lycos, Northern Light) in two languages (English and French). Over half a million queries were sent to the search engines; for most of these search engines, according to our measures at the time the queries were sent, the most visible catalog for English MeSH terms was CliniWeb and the most visible one for French MeSH terms was CISMeF.

Generating Personalized Web Search Using Semantic Context

PubMed Central

Xu, Zheng; Chen, Hai-Yan; Yu, Jie

2015-01-01

The “one size fits the all” criticism of search engines is that when queries are submitted, the same results are returned to different users. In order to solve this problem, personalized search is proposed, since it can provide different search results based upon the preferences of users. However, existing methods concentrate more on the long-term and independent user profile, and thus reduce the effectiveness of personalized search. In this paper, the method captures the user context to provide accurate preferences of users for effectively personalized search. First, the short-term query context is generated to identify related concepts of the query. Second, the user context is generated based on the click through data of users. Finally, a forgetting factor is introduced to merge the independent user context in a user session, which maintains the evolution of user preferences. Experimental results fully confirm that our approach can successfully represent user context according to individual user information needs. PMID:26000335

Citation indices for social media articles in urology.

PubMed

Calopedos, Ross J S; Garcia, Cindy; Rashid, Prem; Murphy, Declan G; Lawrentschuk, Nathan; Woo, Henry H

2017-05-01

To evaluate the impact of publications on urological participation in social media (SoMe) by virtue of citations in the urological and non-urological literature. On 15 March 2016, a PubMed search was undertaken using the names of the major SoMe platforms in current use and associated with the field of urology. The search term 'urolog*' was used to specifically capture articles that could be associated with 'urology', 'urologist' or 'urological'. Exclusion criteria for analysis included non-English language articles, articles published for the first time online in any form after 1 March 2015, articles irrelevant to the topic of SoMe, and letters of correspondence. Included articles were then searched in Google Scholar and citations analysed to determine if citations were from the urological literature or non-urological literature. Citations from non-urological journals were considered to be as such even if authored by urologists and on the subject of urology and SoMe. Prior to exclusions as defined in the methods, our PubMed search yielded 232 articles of which 17 were non-English language and 66 had been published after 1 March 2015. Allowing for 12 months after the most recent articles were published, we found that the mean number of total citations in any journal was 20.8. There were more citations in journals not specific to urology, with 8.3 citations in urological journals, compared to 12.6 citations in non-urological journals. Urological SoMe journal articles are highly cited, particularly in the non-urological literature. It is likely that the magnitude of citations has positively contributed to the impact factors of the almost all journals publishing these manuscripts. © 2017 The Authors BJU International © 2017 BJU International Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Quality of Health Information Available on the Internet for Patients With Pelvic Organ Prolapse.

PubMed

Solomon, Ellen R; Janssen, Kristine; Krajewski, Colleen M; Barber, Matthew D

2015-01-01

This study aimed to assess the quality of Web sites that provide information on pelvic organ prolapse using validated quality measurement tools. The Google search engine was used to perform a search of the following 4 terms: "pelvic organ prolapse," "dropped bladder," "cystocele," and "vaginal mesh." The DISCERN appraisal tool and JAMA benchmark criteria were used to determine the quality of health information of each Web site. Cohen κ was performed to determine interrater reliability between reviewers. Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon rank sum tests were used to compare DISCERN scores and JAMA criteria among search terms. Interrater reliability between the two reviewers using DISCERN was κ = 0.71 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.68-0.74] and using JAMA criteria was κ = 0.98 (95% CI, 0.74-1.0). On the basis of the DISCERN appraisal tool, the search term "vaginal mesh" had significantly lower Web site quality than "pelvic organ prolapse" and "cystocele," respectively [mean difference of DISCERN score, -14.65 (95% CI, -25.50 to 8.50, P < 0.0001) and -12.55 (95% CI, -24.00 to 7.00, P = 0.0007)]. "Dropped bladder" had significantly lower Web site quality compared to "pelvic organ prolapse" and "cystocele," respectively (mean difference of DISCERN score, -9.55 (95% CI, -20.00 to 3.00, P = 0.0098) and -7.80 (95% CI, -18.00 to 1.00, P = 0.0348). Using JAMA criteria, there were no statistically significant differences between Web sites. Web sites queried under search terms "vaginal mesh" and "dropped bladder" are lower in quality compared with the Web sites found using the search terms "pelvic organ prolapse" and "cystocele."

Effects of Exercise on Bone Status in Female Subjects, from Young Girls to Postmenopausal Women: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.

PubMed

Xu, Jincheng; Lombardi, Giovanni; Jiao, Wei; Banfi, Giuseppe

2016-08-01

Osteoporosis and postmenopausal bone loss pose a huge social and economic burden worldwide. Regular exercise and physical activity are effective interventions for maximizing or maintaining peak bone mass and preventing bone loss in the elderly; however, most recommendations are addressed to the general public and lack specific indications for girls and women, the segment of the population most at risk for developing osteoporosis. The aim of this overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses was to summarize current evidence for the effects of exercise and physical activity interventions on bone status in girls and women, and to explore whether specific exercise programs exist for improving or maintaining bone mass or bone strength in females. The PubMed, EMBASE, PEDro, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from January 2009, updated to 22 June 2015, using the following groups of search terms: (i) 'physical activity' and 'exercise'; and (ii) 'bone', 'bone health', 'bone strength', 'bone structure', 'bone metabolism', 'bone turnover', and 'bone biomarkers'. Searches and screening were limited to systematic reviews or meta-analyses of studies in females and published in English. Our final analysis included 12 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Combined-impact exercise protocols (impact exercise with resistance training) are the best choice to preserve/improve bone mineral density in pre- and postmenopausal women. Peak bone mass in young girls can be improved with short bouts of school-based high-impact plyometric exercise programs. Whole-body vibration exercises have no beneficial effects on bone in postmenopausal or elderly women. Lifelong exercise, specific for age, is an effective way to sustain bone health in girls and women.

'Googling' Gout: Exploring perceptions about gout through a linguistic analysis of online search activities.

PubMed

Jordan, Kayla N; Pennebaker, James W; Petrie, Keith J; Dalbeth, Nicola

2018-05-21

To understand what terms people seeking information about gout use most frequently in online searches and explore the psychological and emotional tone of these searches. A large de-identified dataset of search histories from major search engines was analyzed. Participants who searched for gout (n=1,117), arthritis (arthritis search control group, n=2,036, age and sex-matched), and a random set of age and sex-matched participants (general control group, n=2,150) were included. Searches were analyzed using Meaning Extraction Helper and Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count. The most frequent unique searches in the gout search group included gout-related and food-related terms. Those who searched for gout were most likely to search for words related to eating or avoidance. In contrast, those who searched for arthritis were more likely to search for disease or health-related words. Compared with the general control group, higher information seeking was observed for the gout and arthritis search groups. Compared with the general control group, both the gout and arthritis search groups searched for more food-related words, and fewer leisure and sexual words. The searches of both the gout and arthritis search groups were lower in positivity and higher in sadness words. The perception of gout as a condition managed by dietary strategies aligns with online information-seeking about the disease and its management. In contrast, people searching about arthritis focus more on medical strategies. Linguistic analyses reflect greater disability in social and leisure activities and lower positive emotion for those searching for gout or arthritis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

ELNET--The Electronic Library Database System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Shirley V.

1991-01-01

ELNET (Electronic Library Network), a Japanese language database, allows searching of index terms and free text terms from articles and stores the full text of the articles on an optical disc system. Users can order fax copies of the text from the optical disc. This article also explains online searching and discusses machine translation. (LRW)

Searching Jobs through Vocabulary. English-Vietnamese Version.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manning, Angella D., Comp.

This English-Vietnamese glossary, which is intended for use in career exploration, special education, and English as a second language courses, consists of side-by-side English and Vietnamese definitions of terms related to the job search process. A wide range of terms that are likely to be encountered in a career awareness/exploration class is…

Development and empirical user-centered evaluation of semantically-based query recommendation for an electronic health record search engine.

PubMed

Hanauer, David A; Wu, Danny T Y; Yang, Lei; Mei, Qiaozhu; Murkowski-Steffy, Katherine B; Vydiswaran, V G Vinod; Zheng, Kai

2017-03-01

The utility of biomedical information retrieval environments can be severely limited when users lack expertise in constructing effective search queries. To address this issue, we developed a computer-based query recommendation algorithm that suggests semantically interchangeable terms based on an initial user-entered query. In this study, we assessed the value of this approach, which has broad applicability in biomedical information retrieval, by demonstrating its application as part of a search engine that facilitates retrieval of information from electronic health records (EHRs). The query recommendation algorithm utilizes MetaMap to identify medical concepts from search queries and indexed EHR documents. Synonym variants from UMLS are used to expand the concepts along with a synonym set curated from historical EHR search logs. The empirical study involved 33 clinicians and staff who evaluated the system through a set of simulated EHR search tasks. User acceptance was assessed using the widely used technology acceptance model. The search engine's performance was rated consistently higher with the query recommendation feature turned on vs. off. The relevance of computer-recommended search terms was also rated high, and in most cases the participants had not thought of these terms on their own. The questions on perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use received overwhelmingly positive responses. A vast majority of the participants wanted the query recommendation feature to be available to assist in their day-to-day EHR search tasks. Challenges persist for users to construct effective search queries when retrieving information from biomedical documents including those from EHRs. This study demonstrates that semantically-based query recommendation is a viable solution to addressing this challenge. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Respiratory syncytial virus tracking using internet search engine data.

PubMed

Oren, Eyal; Frere, Justin; Yom-Tov, Eran; Yom-Tov, Elad

2018-04-03

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is the leading cause of hospitalization in children less than 1 year of age in the United States. Internet search engine queries may provide high resolution temporal and spatial data to estimate and predict disease activity. After filtering an initial list of 613 symptoms using high-resolution Bing search logs, we used Google Trends data between 2004 and 2016 for a smaller list of 50 terms to build predictive models of RSV incidence for five states where long-term surveillance data was available. We then used domain adaptation to model RSV incidence for the 45 remaining US states. Surveillance data sources (hospitalization and laboratory reports) were highly correlated, as were laboratory reports with search engine data. The four terms which were most often statistically significantly correlated as time series with the surveillance data in the five state models were RSV, flu, pneumonia, and bronchiolitis. Using our models, we tracked the spread of RSV by observing the time of peak use of the search term in different states. In general, the RSV peak moved from south-east (Florida) to the north-west US. Our study represents the first time that RSV has been tracked using Internet data results and highlights successful use of search filters and domain adaptation techniques, using data at multiple resolutions. Our approach may assist in identifying spread of both local and more widespread RSV transmission and may be applicable to other seasonal conditions where comprehensive epidemiological data is difficult to collect or obtain.

Introducing Online Bibliographic Service to its Users: The Online Presentation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crane, Nancy B.; Pilachowski, David M.

1978-01-01

A description of techniques for introducing online services to new user groups includes discussion of terms and their definitions, evolution of online searching, advantages and disadvantages of online searching, production of the data bases, search strategies, Boolean logic, costs and charges, "do's and don'ts," and a user search questionnaire. (J…

A novel heuristic algorithm for capacitated vehicle routing problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kır, Sena; Yazgan, Harun Reşit; Tüncel, Emre

2017-09-01

The vehicle routing problem with the capacity constraints was considered in this paper. It is quite difficult to achieve an optimal solution with traditional optimization methods by reason of the high computational complexity for large-scale problems. Consequently, new heuristic or metaheuristic approaches have been developed to solve this problem. In this paper, we constructed a new heuristic algorithm based on the tabu search and adaptive large neighborhood search (ALNS) with several specifically designed operators and features to solve the capacitated vehicle routing problem (CVRP). The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm was illustrated on the benchmark problems. The algorithm provides a better performance on large-scaled instances and gained advantage in terms of CPU time. In addition, we solved a real-life CVRP using the proposed algorithm and found the encouraging results by comparison with the current situation that the company is in.

The (De-)evolution of Evolution Games: A Content Analysis of the Representation of Evolution Through Natural Selection in Digital Games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leith, Alex P.; Ratan, Rabindra A.; Wohn, Donghee Yvette

2016-08-01

Given the diversity and complexity of education game mechanisms and topics, this article contributes to a theoretical understanding of how game mechanisms "map" to educational topics through inquiry-based learning. Namely, the article examines the presence of evolution through natural selection (ENS) in digital games. ENS is a fundamentally important and widely misunderstood theory. This analysis of ENS portrayal in digital games provides insight into the use of games in teaching ENS. Systematic database search results were coded for the three principles of ENS: phenotypic variation, differential fitness, and fitness heritability. Though thousands of games use the term evolution, few presented elements of evolution, and even fewer contained all principles of ENS. Games developed to specifically teach evolution were difficult to find through Web searches. These overall deficiencies in ENS games reflect the inherent incompatibility between game control elements and the automatic process of ENS.

Relationships in consumer-directed care: An integrative literature review.

PubMed

Cash, Tracee; Moyle, Wendy; O'Dwyer, Siobhan

2017-09-01

To undertake an integrative review of the literature on relationships between community aged care recipients, family carers and care providers under consumer-directed care (CDC). Seven databases were systematically searched. Peer-reviewed and grey literature on CDC between 1998 and 2014 were assessed using an integrative literature review (ILR) framework. Search terms included CDC, self-directed care, direct payments, community aged care, community dwelling and older adults. Full-text copies were assessed against the inclusion criteria. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. This ILR found no research with a specific focus on caregiving relationships for older adults. The literature did however identify relational issues such as support, planning and provider attitude as fundamental to the success of CDC. Relationships within the caregiving triad have important implications for the way CDC is enacted, particularly when the care recipient has dementia, suggesting this population as a priority for future research. © 2017 AJA Inc.

Rapid acquisition but slow extinction of an attentional bias in space.

PubMed

Jiang, Yuhong V; Swallow, Khena M; Rosenbaum, Gail M; Herzig, Chelsey

2013-02-01

Substantial research has focused on the allocation of spatial attention based on goals or perceptual salience. In everyday life, however, people also direct attention using their previous experience. Here we investigate the pace at which people incidentally learn to prioritize specific locations. Participants searched for a T among Ls in a visual search task. Unbeknownst to them, the target was more often located in one region of the screen than in other regions. An attentional bias toward the rich region developed over dozens of trials. However, the bias did not rapidly readjust to new contexts. It persisted for at least a week and for hundreds of trials after the target's position became evenly distributed. The persistence of the bias did not reflect a long window over which visual statistics were calculated. Long-term persistence differentiates incidentally learned attentional biases from the more flexible goal-driven attention. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Psych-related iPhone apps.

PubMed

Harrison, Anthony Mark; Goozee, Rhianna

2014-02-01

iPhone apps are a widely utilised technology that have recently been identified as a useful medium for health research, clinical interventions and education. While some researchers have discussed advances in app technology, others promote specific apps that are not free to access. To our knowledge, no study has conducted a review of current, free iPhone apps related to psychology, psychiatry and mental health. Therefore, we conducted a pilot, web-based review exploring free iPhone apps using a replicable search strategy within the iTunes Store search function. A selection of apps were selected and subjectively assessed in terms of their usability, utility, graphics, and associated costs for the consumer. We concluded that the apps reviewed, though novel, are limited in their scope and utility. We also note a significant gap in more scientific, evidence-based app technology, and pose some pertinent ethical questions when developing future psych-related apps.

Evidence of absence (v2.0) software user guide

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dalthorp, Daniel; Huso, Manuela; Dail, David

2017-07-06

Evidence of Absence software (EoA) is a user-friendly software application for estimating bird and bat fatalities at wind farms and for designing search protocols. The software is particularly useful in addressing whether the number of fatalities is below a given threshold and what search parameters are needed to give assurance that thresholds were not exceeded. The software also includes tools (1) for estimating carcass persistence distributions and searcher efficiency parameters ( and ) from field trials, (2) for projecting future mortality based on past monitoring data, and (3) for exploring the potential consequences of various choices in the design of long-term incidental take permits for protected species. The software was designed specifically for cases where tolerance for mortality is low and carcass counts are small or even 0, but the tools also may be used for mortality estimates when carcass counts are large.

Rapid and long-lasting learning of feature binding

PubMed Central

Yashar, Amit; Carrasco, Marisa

2016-01-01

How are features integrated (bound) into objects and how can this process be facilitated? Here we investigated the role of rapid perceptual learning in feature binding and its long-lasting effects. By isolating the contributions of individual features from their conjunctions between training and test displays, we demonstrate for the first time that training can rapidly and substantially improve feature binding. Observers trained on a conjunction search task consisting of a rapid display with one target-conjunction, then tested with a new target-conjunction. Features were the same between training and test displays. Learning transferred to the new target when its conjunction was presented as a distractor, but not when only its component features were presented in different conjunction distractors during training. Training improvement lasted for up to 16 months, but, in all conditions, it was specific to the trained target. Our findings suggest that with short training observers’ ability to bind two specific features into an object is improved, and that this learning effect can last for over a year. Moreover, our findings show that while the short-term learning effect reflects activation of presented items and their binding, long-term consolidation is task specific. PMID:27289484

Neural Mechanisms of Information Storage in Visual Short-Term Memory

PubMed Central

Serences, John T.

2016-01-01

The capacity to briefly memorize fleeting sensory information supports visual search and behavioral interactions with relevant stimuli in the environment. Traditionally, studies investigating the neural basis of visual short term memory (STM) have focused on the role of prefrontal cortex (PFC) in exerting executive control over what information is stored and how it is adaptively used to guide behavior. However, the neural substrates that support the actual storage of content-specific information in STM are more controversial, with some attributing this function to PFC and others to the specialized areas of early visual cortex that initially encode incoming sensory stimuli. In contrast to these traditional views, I will review evidence suggesting that content-specific information can be flexibly maintained in areas across the cortical hierarchy ranging from early visual cortex to PFC. While the factors that determine exactly where content-specific information is represented are not yet entirely clear, recognizing the importance of task-demands and better understanding the operation of non-spiking neural codes may help to constrain new theories about how memories are maintained at different resolutions, across different timescales, and in the presence of distracting information. PMID:27668990

Neural mechanisms of information storage in visual short-term memory.

PubMed

Serences, John T

2016-11-01

The capacity to briefly memorize fleeting sensory information supports visual search and behavioral interactions with relevant stimuli in the environment. Traditionally, studies investigating the neural basis of visual short term memory (STM) have focused on the role of prefrontal cortex (PFC) in exerting executive control over what information is stored and how it is adaptively used to guide behavior. However, the neural substrates that support the actual storage of content-specific information in STM are more controversial, with some attributing this function to PFC and others to the specialized areas of early visual cortex that initially encode incoming sensory stimuli. In contrast to these traditional views, I will review evidence suggesting that content-specific information can be flexibly maintained in areas across the cortical hierarchy ranging from early visual cortex to PFC. While the factors that determine exactly where content-specific information is represented are not yet entirely clear, recognizing the importance of task-demands and better understanding the operation of non-spiking neural codes may help to constrain new theories about how memories are maintained at different resolutions, across different timescales, and in the presence of distracting information. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trends in internet search activity, media coverage, and patient-centered health information after the FDA safety communications on surgical mesh for pelvic organ prolapse.

PubMed

Stone, Benjamin V; Forde, James C; Levit, Valerie B; Lee, Richard K; Te, Alexis E; Chughtai, Bilal

2016-11-01

In July 2011, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety communication regarding serious complications associated with surgical mesh for pelvic organ prolapse, prompting increased media and public attention. This study sought to analyze internet search activity and news article volume after this FDA warning and to evaluate the quality of websites providing patient-centered information. Google Trends™ was utilized to evaluate search engine trends for the term "pelvic organ prolapse" and associated terms between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2014. Google News™ was utilized to quantify the number of news articles annually under the term "pelvic organ prolapse." The search results for the term "pelvic organ prolapse" were assessed for quality using the Health On the Net Foundation (HON) certification. There was a significant increase in search activity from 37.42 in 2010 to 57.75 in 2011, at the time of the FDA communication (p = 0.021). No other annual interval had a statistically significant increase in search activity. The single highest monthly search activity, given the value of 100, was August 2011, immediately following the July 2011 notification, with the next highest value being 98 in July 2011. Linear regression analysis of news articles per year since the FDA communication revealed r 2  = 0.88, with a coefficient of 186. Quality assessment demonstrated that 42 % of websites were HON-certified, with .gov sites providing the highest quality information. Although the 2011 FDA safety communication on surgical mesh was associated with increased public and media attention, the quality of relevant health information on the internet remains of poor quality. Future quality assurance measures may be critical in enabling patients to play active roles in their own healthcare.

Mindful Application of Aviation Practices in Healthcare.

PubMed

Powell-Dunford, Nicole; Brennan, Peter A; Peerally, Mohammad Farhad; Kapur, Narinder; Hynes, Jonny M; Hodkinson, Peter D

2017-12-01

Evidence supports the efficacy of incorporating select recognized aviation practices and procedures into healthcare. Incident analysis, debrief, safety brief, and crew resource management (CRM) have all been assessed for implementation within the UK healthcare system, a world leader in aviation-based patient safety initiatives. Mindful application, in which aviation practices are specifically tailored to the unique healthcare setting, show promise in terms of acceptance and long-term sustainment. In order to establish British healthcare applications of aviation practices, a PubMed search of UK authored manuscripts published between 2005-2016 was undertaken using search terms 'aviation,' 'healthcare,' 'checklist,' and 'CRM.' A convenience sample of UK-authored aviation medical conference presentations and UK-authored patient safety manuscripts were also reviewed. A total of 11 of 94 papers with UK academic affiliations published between 2005-2016 and relevant to aviation modeled healthcare delivery were found. The debrief process, incident analysis, and CRM are the primary practices incorporated into UK healthcare, with success dependent on cultural acceptance and mindful application. CRM training has gained significant acceptance in UK healthcare environments. Aviation modeled incident analysis, debrief, safety brief, and CRM training are increasingly undertaken within the UK healthcare system. Nuanced application, in which the unique aspects of the healthcare setting are addressed as part of a comprehensive safety approach, shows promise for long-term success. The patient safety brief and aviation modeled incident analysis are in earlier phases of implementation, and warrant further analysis.Powell-Dunford N, Brennan PA, Peerally MF, Kapur N, Hynes JM, Hodkinson PD. Mindful application of aviation practices in healthcare. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2017; 88(12):1107-1116.

Efficient strategies to find diagnostic test accuracy studies in kidney journals.

PubMed

Rogerson, Thomas E; Ladhani, Maleeka; Mitchell, Ruth; Craig, Jonathan C; Webster, Angela C

2015-08-01

Nephrologists looking for quick answers to diagnostic clinical questions in MEDLINE can use a range of published search strategies or Clinical Query limits to improve the precision of their searches. We aimed to evaluate existing search strategies for finding diagnostic test accuracy studies in nephrology journals. We assessed the accuracy of 14 search strategies for retrieving diagnostic test accuracy studies from three nephrology journals indexed in MEDLINE. Two investigators hand searched the same journals to create a reference set of diagnostic test accuracy studies to compare search strategy results against. We identified 103 diagnostic test accuracy studies, accounting for 2.1% of all studies published. The most specific search strategy was the Narrow Clinical Queries limit (sensitivity: 0.20, 95% CI 0.13-0.29; specificity: 0.99, 95% CI 0.99-0.99). Using the Narrow Clinical Queries limit, a searcher would need to screen three (95% CI 2-6) articles to find one diagnostic study. The most sensitive search strategy was van der Weijden 1999 Extended (sensitivity: 0.95; 95% CI 0.89-0.98; specificity 0.55, 95% CI 0.53-0.56) but required a searcher to screen 24 (95% CI 23-26) articles to find one diagnostic study. Bachmann 2002 was the best balanced search strategy, which was sensitive (0.88, 95% CI 0.81-0.94), but also specific (0.74, 95% CI 0.73-0.75), with a number needed to screen of 15 (95% CI 14-17). Diagnostic studies are infrequently published in nephrology journals. The addition of a strategy for diagnostic studies to a subject search strategy in MEDLINE may reduce the records needed to screen while preserving adequate search sensitivity for routine clinical use. © 2015 Asian Pacific Society of Nephrology.

What Are Women Being Exposed to? A Review of the Quality, Content and Ownership of Websites on Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder.

PubMed

Hardy, Claire; Sillence, Elizabeth

2016-01-01

An increasing number of people are now turning to the Internet for health information. Internet use is especially likely in women with the clinical condition premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which affects approximately 8% of premenopausal women. However, to date, there has not been a review of the quality of these online resources on PMDD. The aim of the present study was to address this gap by reviewing websites containing PMDD information. A search was conducted on three commonly used search engines (Google, Yahoo, and Bing). The first 50 results were extracted and compared across each search engine results to determine unique resources. After removing inaccessible links, a total of 69 unique websites were reviewed to evaluate their general quality, condition-specific content quality, and ownership. The websites varied widely in terms of their quality and ownership. Most returned websites were from web providers, U.S. health care providers, and media companies. General quality (e.g., design) was modest; yet, condition-specific content quality was far poorer. Women are being exposed to a varying degree of quality information about PMDD. Health professionals and website owners of this information should consider this and encourage better online resources to help this patient group. The paper presents the five highest scoring websites that may be used by those with a vested interest in PMDD, such as health professionals or women with PMDD. Copyright © 2016 Jacobs Institute of Women's Health. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Indian Psychiatric epidemiological studies: Learning from the past

PubMed Central

Math, Suresh Bada; Srinivasaraju, Ravindra

2010-01-01

The objective of this paper is to provide a systematic review on the epidemiology of psychiatric disorders in India based on the data published from 1960 to 2009. Extensive search of PubMed, NeuroMed, Indian Journal of Psychiatry website and MEDLARS using search terms “psychiatry” “prevalence”, “community”, and “epidemiology” was done along with the manual search of journals and cross-references. Retrieved articles were systematically selected using specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Epidemiological studies report prevalence rates for psychiatric disorders varying from 9.5 to 370/1000 population in India. These varying prevalence rates of mental disorders are not only specific to Indian studies but are also seen in international studies. Despite variations in the design of studies, available data from the Indian studies suggests that about 20% of the adult population in the community is affected with one or the other psychiatric disorder. Mental healthcare priorities need to be shifted from psychotic disorders to common mental disorders and from mental hospitals to primary health centers. Increase in invisible mental problems such as suicidal attempts, aggression and violence, widespread use of substances, increasing marital discord and divorce rates emphasize on the need to prioritize and make a paradigm shift in the strategies to promote and provide appropriate mental health services in the community. Future epidemiological research need to focus on the general population from longitudinal prospective involving multi-centers with assessment of disability, co-morbidity, functioning, family burden and quality of life. PMID:21836725