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At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Mortality of former prisoners of war and other Australian veterans.

OBJECTIVE: This second summary article from an epidemiological review of the health of former prisoners of war (POWs) and other Australian veterans, commissioned by the Sir Edward Dunlop Medical Research Foundation, reports on studies of mortality. DATA SOURCES: The MEDLARS database, from 1966 to the present, under the terms military personnel, veterans, veterans' disability claims, combat disorders and prisoners (matched against war); databases of the Department of Veterans' Affairs (Victoria) and the Central Library, Commonwealth Department of Defense, under the term "prisoner of war"; and the microfiche listings of the Department of Veterans' Affairs, under "prisoner of war" and "repatriation". Only studies in English or French were reviewed, reaching a total of 172. STUDY SELECTION: Four studies in this paper constitute the main evidence about postwar mortality in Australians who were POWs of World War II or Vietnam veterans. Other mortality studies are cited in the complete literature review published elsewhere. DATA EXTRACTION: Only the data with an epidemiological basis are considered here. DATA SYNTHESIS: All-cause mortality rates were no greater in former POWs or Vietnam veterans than in the general Australian male population. There was, however, evidence of increased mortality among former POWs compared with other non-POW veterans, and among Vietnam veterans in one particular corps compared with veterans of the same era who served in Australia. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated early postwar mortality of young former POWs implicates diseases with short latent periods (including psychiatric disorders). This is consistent with the greater health risks of this group of survivors that were identified in the earlier review of morbidity. Mortality among former POWs and other veterans requires continued surveillance because a "healthy worker effect" (or exclusion of unfit persons from the armed forces) may partly conceal increased morbidity or mortality that should be attributed to war service.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Chronic morbidity of former prisoners of war and other Australian veterans.

OBJECTIVE: This report is the first summary article from a review of studies on long-term morbidity associated with war service or internment, commissioned by the Sir Edward Dunlop Medical Research Foundation. DATA SOURCES: The Medlars database, from 1966 to the present, under the terms military personnel, veterans, veterans' disability claims, combat disorders and prisoners (matched against war); databases of the Department of Veterans' Affairs (Victoria) and the Central Library, Commonwealth Department of Defence, using the term "prisoner of war"; and the microfiche listings of the Department of Veterans' Affairs, under "prisoner of war" and "repatriation". Only studies in English or French were reviewed, reaching a total of 172. STUDY SELECTION: Forty-eight studies are considered in the present summary, presenting the most significant evidence about long-term morbidity attributable to war-time experiences. Studies concerning Australian veterans are emphasised. DATA EXTRACTION: Studies considered valid were summarised for an annotated bibliography, but only reports of major public health significance are reviewed here. DATA SYNTHESIS: The review confirms that strongyloidiasis, peptic ulcer, anxiety states, depression and hepatitis B are more prevalent in former prisoners of war than in relevant comparison groups. We have not identified further diagnoses that should be attributed specifically to war-time exposures. Attribution of long-term neurological and musculoskeletal disorders to war-time exposures remains uncertain. CONCLUSIONS: Former prisoners of war and veterans constitute a population of survivors highly selected by the rigours of war and imprisonment. Occurrence of the five conditions listed above may be reasonably attributed to war-time exposure. We recommend further research on ageing (including neurological, visual, hearing and musculoskeletal disability), family disruption and rehabilitation strategies in these groups.

Australia↗
PubMed1990

Publication of presented abstracts at annual scientific meetings: a measure of quality?

One measure of the quality of research presented at the annual scientific meeting is publication of the data presented in a peer review journal. This allows for a more rigorous review of design, methodology and conclusions. To determine the rate of subsequent publication, MEDLARS searches were performed on the 269 presented abstracts at the 1984 and 1986 meetings of the American Association of Poison Control Centers, The American Academy of Clinical Toxicology, The American Board of Medical Toxicology and the Canadian Association of Poison Control Centers. Of the 296 presented abstracts, 134 (49.8%) were published. There was no difference in the eventual publication rate between the 1984 and 1986 meeting. There were 38 non-reviewed symposia publications and 96 peer-reviewed articles. Publications of 35.7% of presented abstracts in peer review journals compares poorly with the percentage of peer-reviewed publication from other scientific meetings. If publication in a peer-review journal is important, steps should be taken to improve the percentage of presented abstracts that are accepted by peer-review journals.

Peer Review↗
PubMed1986

From Surgeon General's bookshelf to National Library of Medicine: a brief history.

The National Library of Medicine originated as a few books in the office of the army's surgeon general, Joseph Lovell, between 1818 and 1836. It became the nation's largest medical library after the Civil War under the direction of John Shaw Billings and began publishing the Index-Catalogue of the Library of the Surgeon General's Office and preparing the Index Medicus. After Billings retired in 1895, the library marked time as army medical officers were rotated through as directors until modernization began under Harold Wellington Jones during World War II. during the directorship of Frank B. Rogers (1949-1963), who introduced MEDLARS, guided the move to a new building in Bethesda, and revitalized other operations, the institution received statutory authority as the National Library of Medicine within the Public Health Service (1956). By 1965, which was marked by the passage of the Medical Library Assistance Act, the library had again regained a position of world leadership.

History, 19th Century↗
PubMed1986

The National Library of Medicine and the American medical information system: the physician's perspective.

During the past 150 years an excellent health sciences information system has been developed in the United States. Led by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the system grew along traditional lines until after World War II, when medical researchers, educators, and practitioners produced an enormous amount of new information. To cope with this growth, the power of computers joined traditional librarianship and MEDLARS was born. In 1965 Congress passed the Medical Library Assistance Act, which enabled NLM to lead the nation's and the world's health sciences professionals into the Information Age. Much as been accomplished by NLM, yet much remains to be done to make health information available cheaply, easily, and quickly to all who need it.

Education, Medical↗
PubMed1987

A comparison of interlibrary loan requests received by the National Library of Medicine: 1959 and 1984.

In 1962, an analysis of interlibrary loan requests for serials filled by NLM in 1959 was published. In the twenty-five years following 1959, important changes occurred in the biomedical library community, which had a significant impact on interlibrary loan activities, including the development of MEDLARS and online searching, the Regional Medical Library (RML) network, and union listing for serials. To describe NLM's current interlibrary loan request traffic for serials and to identify any significant changes in traffic between 1959 and 1984, a comparative analysis of 1984 serial loan requests was performed, primarily by manipulation of automated request records. The changes in request traffic strongly suggest that the efforts to strengthen regional document delivery through the RML program have been successful and that NLM's collection is now used primarily as a last resort.

Interlibrary Loans↗
PubMed1974

MEDLINE evaluation study.

MEDLINE (MEDLARS-ON-LINE) is the new on-line, interactive bibliographic searching system which was recently developed by the National Library of Medicine. The system provides users with lists of bibliographical citations and other information from a three-year file of over 1,250 biomedical journals. A survey testing user reactions was conducted at the University of Virginia Medical Library. The results of the survey are based on replies by 246 users who requested one or more MEDLINE searches between September 1972 and March 1973. The findings indicate that over 93% believe that MEDLINE is a substantial improvement over the traditional methods of searching through the printed indexes. These respondents also stated that the results of MEDLINE searches had assisted them in their clinical or research work, or both. Asked whether they would continue to use MEDLINE after the imposition of user charges on July 1, 1973, about 75% said that they would. The remaining 25% expressed some reservations and doubts. The survey gives reason to believe that with the imposition of user charges the use of MEDLINE will decline.

Information Systems↗
PubMed1971

The evaluation of published indexes and abstract journals: criteria and possible procedures.

This paper describes possible criteria by which the effectiveness of a published index may be evaluated and suggest procedures that might be used to conduct an evaluation of a published index. The procedures were developed for the National Library of Medicine and relate specifically to the recurring bibliographies produced by MEDLARS in various specialized areas of biomedicine. The methods described should, however, be applicable to other printed indexes and abstract journals. Factors affecting the performance of a published index are also discussed and some research projects relevant to the evaluation of published indexes are reviewed.

Abstracting and Indexing↗
PubMed1970

National services provided by the Health Sciences Resource Centre of Canada.

The Health Sciences Resource Centre forms part of the National Science Library of Canada, whose collections and services are described. The new Centre coordinates activities of the various provincial medical libraries. Its creation began with increased collections of medical journals, and plans are underway to print out a union list of medical journals from the Union List of Scientific Serials tapes. The first product of the Centre is a medical "proceedings index" to proceedings held by the National Science Library; this is computer-produced, and will appear annually. An analysis was made of the medical items requested for borrowing from the National Science Library according to type of material, service provided, type of user, and geographical location. The results are given.A description is given of the SDI service currently provided by the National Science Library, based on Chemical Titles, Chemical Abstracts Condensates, INSPEC, and the ISI tapes. It is hoped to expand this data base with MEDLARS tapes.

Canada↗
PubMed1971

The regional medical library and the hospital library.

A description of the origin of the Regional Medical Program is given and of regional service activities. Among the topics discussed are interlibrary loans, MEDLARS searches, orientation of librarians and library users, including workshops and the library Core collection, and the evaluation of needs for biomedical information in the regions.

Information Services↗
PubMed1969

The biomedical communications network.

The Biomedical Communications Network (BCN) is the embodiment of the plans of the National Library of Medicine to provide improved information, document, and education services to the health community. The BCN also will be the "core" public service network to ensure the most expeditious delivery of health information and education products to a selected public. As such, utilization of communications satellites as well as other more common forms of telecommunications are planned. The library component of the Network will provide decentralized library services to medical libraries, medical schools, hospitals, MEDLARS Centers, local medical centers and individual medical practitioners. These decentralized services will be provided through an information network with its hub at the Bethesda, Maryland site of the NLM. The NLM intends that the library services network be a controlled rather than a permissive system. This simply implies that participation and access to the services of the system will be determined by the NLM. Planning has already progressed to the point where services to be provided can be enumerated.

Communication↗
PubMed1965

A note on the Philadelphia Regional Medical Library Committee.

No rigid library plan can fullfil the needs of every region. The Philadelphia Regional Medical Library Committee, composed of representatives of the five medical schools, the College of Physicians, and other medical organizations, was formed to determine cooperative activities that best suit its own needs. The committee has reviewed plans for new libraries at several medical schools to avoid duplication of library resources. It envisions, also, cooperative storage of little-used materials, messenger service, an acquisition program to expand regional resources, improved communication by means of mechanical devices, and the establishment of a regional center and distribution of bibliographies from regionally located MEDLARS tapes.

Electronic Data Processing↗
PubMed1966

What the Index Medicus indexes, and why.

The main criterion for selecting journals for indexing in Index Medicus, and thereby largely in MEDLARS, is quality. Subject scope varies with the voiced needs of the biomedical community. The Index aims to cover the best journals in all relevant subject fields, but the percentage of journals on a subject indexed depends on the quality of each journal. Country and language coverage depends on quality, even in the case of the best journals of each, although American biases may affect such selection. While a number of guidelines exist for identifying quality journals, information necessary to apply them confidently is often difficult to obtain. The National Library of Medicine is advised by an Ad Hoc Panel on the Selection of Journals for Index Medicus, composed both of NLM officers and extramural members. Criticism has been voiced that too many titles are indexed, compared with titles actually used, but no meaningful statistics of use exist which can identify titles which should be excluded from indexing. Continuing suggestions from users regarding titles indexed would benefit everyone.

Abstracting and Indexing↗
PubMed1967

The program of the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine.

The planning of the Countway Library took place in an atmosphere of community interest and support. Architectural planning was effective and harmonious. The building functions well. The program of the Library is briefly described. Serials records, involving 17,000 titles, have been mechanized. A rare books program has been initiated. Since building occupancy, the Library has substituted copy service for the lending of periodicals. For an experimental period, the copy service was cost free. The Aesculapian Room, for non-medical recreational reading, has had the generous support of the Aesculapian Club. Plans for regional library service in New England are based upon an historic commitment of the Boston Medical Library. A MEDLARS regional search center and a national Vision Information Center have been established in the Countway.

Information Systems↗
PubMed1967

Revision of the Wayne State University Medical Library subject catalog using the 1966 Medical Subject Heading system.

Wayne State University Medical Library (WSUML) revised its monograph subject catalog in 1961 utilizing the 1960 edition of MeSH as an authority list. With the introduction of MEDLARS in 1963 by NLM, all topical subheadings were omitted from MeSH. Inasmuch as this omission could not accommodate the needs of WSUML, the 1960 edition of MeSH was retained as a guideline. In January 1966, when MeSH resumed the incorporation of topical subheadings, WSUML was faced with a decision whether to continue the current policy or to adopt the form as presented in the latest edition of MeSH. This report describes the methodology employed in adopting a new policy, the findings which resulted from the change, and an evaluation of this reorganization.

Catalogs, Library↗
PubMed1967

A comparison of some demand subject searches: machine vs. human.

A comparison of the results of machine and human information retrieval using MEDLARS and the printed Index Medicus indicates that at present neither method is entirely satisfactory for exhaustive literature searches. The advantages and disadvantages of machine and manual search methods are discussed, and solutions to some of the problems are suggested.

Information Services↗
PubMed1983

A leap forward in medical librarianship: a glimpse of the Biomedical Information Center and Network, People's Republic of China.

Working with the World Health Organization, the People's Republic of China has taken a giant leap toward modernization of its medical libraries and information centers. The Biomedical Information Center and Network Project is helping to develop professional training programs, resources, new facilities, and a resource-sharing and document delivery network among Chinese medical libraries. The development of MEDLARS-like data base in the network is a final goal of the project. These changes will have a significant effect on future medical librarianship in China.

China↗
PubMed1994

A look at LOANSOME DOC service.

The Pacific Southwest Regional Medical Library (PSRML) launched a project in 1988 to assess the feasibility of electronic linkages between health professionals using GRATEFUL MED--the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) software program for searching the MEDLARS databases--and libraries using DOCLINE, NLM's automated interlibrary loan request-and-referral system. This paper describes the origins of LOANSOME DOC and initial usage experiences. Results of the LOANSOME DOC beta test, including usage statistics, are reported. The paper also describes the mechanics of nationwide implementation of LOANSOME DOC, including guidelines used by the Regional Medical Libraries (RMLs) to refer unaffiliated health professionals to DOCLINE libraries for LOANSOME DOC service. National usage statistics for the first full year of implementation (October 1, 1991, to September 30, 1992) are provided, and user satisfaction surveys conducted in 1993 by two RMLs are examined. Future enhancements to LOANSOME DOC are suggested.

Consumer Behavior↗