RefWorks!

RefWorks...have you started using it yet? RefWorks is a bibliographic management software (BMS) that can produce bibliographies for you, either integrated into a paper typed in Word, or as a stand-alone document.

If you have used products such as EndNote, Reference Manager, and ProCite before, you're already familiar with the concept of BMS. RefWorks is easy to use, but like other BMS products, it's not very intuitive. The RefWorks webpage provides links to FAQs and a tutorial, however, many people find that in-person instruction works well for them to make sure they're ready to use the software.

For faculty, residents, and staff of UT Medical Center: please feel free to contact the library to set up an appointment for RefWorks instruction. We can also teach a custom class for up to 8 people. Just let us know how we can help you make RefWorks work for you!

Exergames!

One of the most unusual new trends in fitness and gaming is that of "Exergames." A recent story on the National Public Radio website ("Gaming Your Way to Fitness", Allison Aubrey) details this trend.

Why are games focused on exercise and fitness suddenly in the news? As reported on in the media, childhood obesity has become recognized as a major national health problem. To learn more, Medline Plus has a page on this subject, with links to many resources.

According to the NPR story, exercise games are now the focus of a national conference, the Games for Health conference, which brings health experts and game developers together. The article notes several companies that are working on fitness and exercise related games, including Nintendo.

The Nintendo Wii currently has games that allow users to engage in boxing, golf, bowling, and baseball. This game machine features a controller that maps the user's movements, allowing the player to swing a golf club or a tennis racket, for example. The sports game is fun, and surprisingly challenging. Wii Fit, Nintendo's newest contribution, includes a motion sensitive board, and new activities, such as a hula hoop challenge.

One more idea to help get people up off the couch!

today in the WSJ (allergies)

A short article in today's Wall Street Journal discusses the use of "nasal lavage" or "nasal irrigation." Here in East Tennessee, we have a lot of potential allergens in the air, as well as a lot of allergy sufferers.

Here are a few more links (found via MedlinePlus) if you want more information about nasal irrigation:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nasal-lavage/MM00552

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/neti-pot/AN01755

http://www.nationaljewish.org/disease-info/treatments/alt-ther/nasal-wash.aspx

If you have questions about whether this is right for you, please ask your doctor or other healthcare professional. These links are provided for informational purposes only, and are not medical advice.

Happy Mother's Day!

In honor of Mother's Day (yes, it is this Sunday), today's post will be about women's health. While men and women experience many of the same diseases and health problems, symptoms and effects can often be different. So do the women in your lives a favor, and learn about their unique health issues.

MedlinePlus has assembled a great list of women's health links to help introduce you to some important issues. For instance, did you know that heart disease is the number one killer of women in developed countries? If you didn't, or if you'd like to learn more, this article includes a list of the top illnesses experienced by women, organized by age.

Another great resource is the Women's Health Center, found on Mayo Clinic's website. A wide range of subjects is covered for all ages, including heart health, mental health, osteoporosis, and many other topics.

Women often take care of everyone else before themselves, so take this opportunity to encourage the special women in your lives to put themselves first! That way they'll be around to take care of you for many more years.

Medline Plus to include multilingual resources

On May 7, 2008, MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine's consumer health resource, will debut a multilingual feature, providing access to high quality health information in languages other than English and Spanish. This can be accessed from a link at the bottom left of the MedlinePlus homepage.

This new service benefits people who prefer to read consumer health information in their native language. It also helps the information professionals and health care providers who serve them. Over the years, many of you have requested this enhancement. Your suggestions helped us to develop this important service.

The new collection contains over 2,500 links to information in more than 40 languages and covers nearly 250 Health Topics. Continuous growth is expected.

Users can navigate the new collection of health information in multiple languages either by language or by topic. A page listing all of the languages covered will be linked from the MedlinePlus homepage. Users can browse these languages or link to the page listing all of the topics covered. In addition, a languages box will display on the English Health Topic pages. The languages box lists the languages with links on that topic in MedlinePlus. The languages box also links users to the collection of health information in multiple languages.
Users can also search the new collection of health information in multiple languages. A new collection called Multiple Languages appears on the MedlinePlus search results pages. Look for an update to the MedlinePlus Search Tips in the near future.

Finally, an interactive world map teaches users about the number of people who speak nine of the languages in the MedlinePlus collection.
The languages - Arabic, Chinese, French, Korean, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese - are among those most frequently spoken at home in the United States other than English, according to the U.S.
census.

The MedlinePlus collection of health information in multiple languages is not meant to be comprehensive. Instead, as with our English and Spanish collections, MedlinePlus staff selects materials according to our quality guidelines (quality guidelines specific to the new collection will be available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/criteria.html on May 7, 2008). Materials must be produced by the United States Federal government or a U.S.-based organization, such as a medical association or a hospital. The producer must describe the translation, review and updating process. In addition, the content must be appropriate for a U.S. consumer audience, and it must be authoritative and current.
MedlinePlus staff also looks for English equivalents to the multilingual information.

As always, NLM welcomes your comments and suggestions about MedlinePlus.
A "Contact Us" link appears at the top of every MedlinePlus page.

not for the squeamish!

MedlinePlus has a large collection of surgery videos available for free viewing. Each video lasts one hour. Before being archived, the surgeries are available to watch live, as noted on the MedlinePlus home page.

As the title suggests, these videos are not for the squeamish. They are real surgeries done on real people, so you'll see blood and organs and possibly tumors and such. However, for a bird's eye view for a particular surgery, take a look. You might be surprised at what actually goes on during surgery.

Spotlight on Irritable Bowel Syndrome

April is Irritable Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month. According to HealthDay, as many as 45 million Americans suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS. Of these, 60 - 65% of the sufferers are women. MedlinePlus includes a number of news articles on Irritable Bowel Syndrome, including how probiotic foods are thought to help sufferers manage this condition.
Probiotic foods are one Complementary/Alternative therapy that has been used with this condition. A comprehensive page on Irritable Bowel Syndrome is included in MedlinePlus. In addition, there is an interactive tutorial available online (requires Flash and Adobe Acrobat).

the library "as place"

Wouldn't it be lovely to have a new library building? One with plenty of study space, computers, conferencing equipment, and easy access to librarians when you need help?

We have some of that here at Preston...we have computers (possibly not enough, but quite a few), state-of-the-art conferencing equipment, and our librarians are always happy to help. Our downstairs is typically quiet, providing a nice space to study. That is, when you need to study quietly.

In today's digital society, librarians are starting to reconsider the role of the library...it's not just book/journal storage, but it's also a Place. A place to gather people and ideas and facilitate collaboration. The Council on Library and Information Resources has published a lengthy report about future space considerations and trends that libraries are now seeing. There have also been articles in the medical library literature on the new direction of the future medical library.

What will tomorrow's library look like? We at Preston would like to see more dedicated study rooms, available for group study, as well as quiet space. Plenty of computers. An area just for the public to access medical information. A larger computer training room. Perhaps these are components of the Preston of the future. I'd like to see a cafe as well, but I have a feeling that's at the bottom of the list. :)

What would you like to see at Preston? Leave your ideas in the comments!

Planning a Summer Vacation?

Summer is the time for travel: sandy beaches, foreign cities, and nasty diseases? Let's hope that last one isn't part of your vacation experience.

And to help you make sure that it stays out of the picture, find out about the risks for your vacation destination using the CDC's Traveler's Health site. You can look for information specific to your destination or even to your mode of travel, including inspection scores for specific cruise ships so you have less of a chance of spending your vacation in a foreign clinic or sickbay. They also have information on vaccinations you may need before you travel.

For more general travel health tips, MedlinePlus has assembled a list of resources that will help you ensure that your vacation remains a time for relaxation and recharging those batteries.

Happy and healthy traveling!

April is Alcohol Awareness Month

Alcohol, if used irresponsibly, can lead to serious health risks. April is Alcohol Awareness Month, an opportunity to be more aware of the risks posed by alcohol, particularly among young people.

One source of free, high quality consumer health information on Alcohol and many, many other topics is MedlinePlus. MedlinePlus is a free consumer health resource that is produced by the National Library of Medicine and is frequently consulted by librarians at Preston for searches we perform for our consumer health information service.

Alcohol consumption, Alcohol and Youth are both topics highlighted in MedlinePlus this month. If you are interested in further news about Alcohol and other topics, MedlinePlus has an extensive news section covering all aspects of health news.