Clarity Across Languages: The art and science of translating health information

This is an eye-opening article that illustrates the challenges our interpreting staff face daily in providing great communication services to our families and visitors. It provides a look at the behind the scenes work involved in creating the Spanish version of MedlinePlus, MedlinePlus en español, the trusted consumer health resource from the National Library of Medicine. Author Fedora Braverman is team lead for the MedlinePlus en español website.

Websites Referenced

https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/2018/10/09/clarity-across-languages/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

https://scottishritehospital.org/plan-your-visit/family-services

https://medlineplus.gov/

http://medlineplus.gov/espanol

https://medlineplus.gov/spanish/

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/

Set Up Your Own Search Alert Using MyNCBI

If you want to save a PubMed MEDLINE search and get updates you need to set up a MyNCBI account at PubMed. You can customize it so that filters like “review” or “all child” or “published in the last 5 years” always show up to the side of your searches for a quick note of how that changes your results (to actually do that search you need to click the real filters on the left though). If you always sign in before searching, then when you search it will keep your history for 6 months instead of timing out after 8 hours. Warning though – the Clipboard does disappear!

1.   Go to PubMed. If you use your own health science library’s unique address you will see an indicator when you reach an article they have. If you are connected with more than one library, you can add additional filters later on in the process. If you are not on campus the links will not give you full text, but you can use the library's remote access service (ours is OpenAthens) to reach it.

2.   Click on Sign in to NCBI – the link is in the upper right corner. If you are in Chrome it can save your password once you get set up. You’ll see a link to an overview YouTube video on the right and a list of some of the features.

3.   The MyNCBI home page has a number of sections – a place to collect articles on a topic, an area that shows the search alerts you set up, a list of the filters you choose, and a place to gather your own bibliography to easily pass along. There’s a good Help section. You can customize these windows.

4.   Back at NLM's main PubMed page when you have done a search you will see Create alert just below the search box. Clicking that will give you a set up screen. There you can name it and schedule the frequency. Perhaps write yourself a note in the “Any text you want to be added…” area as a reminder if this is for a paper or other specific activity besides general interest.

Websites Referenced

MyNCBI  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/account/

PubMed  www.pubmed.gov

Our PubMed   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?holding=txudtslib

OpenAthens Remote Access (must contact library for an account)  https://my.openathens.net/

MyNCBI Home Page YouTube video   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks46w3mNAQE

MyNCBI Help link  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK3843/

NLM https://www.nlm.nih.gov/

All MyNCBI video tutorials    www.youtube.com/user/NCBINLM

Teaching Tips Booklet Now Available

Need to do a presentation or teach a group? Want to learn more about adult learning principles, instructional design and incorporating technology into your training? For some ideas on engaging your audience take a look at this recent compilation of tips from the Training Office of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine. The booklet is free to download.

Websites Referenced

https://nnlm.gov/sites/default/files/u203/BookletInteractiveVersion.pdf

https://news.nnlm.gov/nto/2018/06/18/read-our-teaching-tips-booklet/

https://nnlm.gov/nto/guides/teaching-resources-tips/teaching-tips-booklet

https://nnlm.gov/nto

Understand Your Lab Tests with NLM’s MedlinePlus

MedlinePlus from the National Library of Medicine now offers clear, understandable information about your lab tests, such as why it was ordered and what the results mean. Currently 50 topics are included in English and Spanish, with 75 more to be added soon.

Websites Referenced

https://medlineplus.gov/labtests.html

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/nd17/nd17_medlineplus_lab_tests.html

The CRISPR bacteria connection

Heard the word "CRISPR" mentioned in genetics-related stories recently? Do you know how it was developed? This new article from Genetics Home Reference explains the bacteria connection!

"CRISPR-Cas9 was adapted from a naturally occurring genome editing system in bacteria. The bacteria capture snippets of DNA from invading viruses and use them to create DNA segments known as CRISPR arrays. The CRISPR arrays allow the bacteria to "remember" the viruses (or closely related ones). If the viruses attack again, the bacteria produce RNA segments from the CRISPR arrays to target the viruses' DNA. The bacteria then use Cas9 or a similar enzyme to cut the DNA apart, which disables the virus."

Genetics Home Reference from the National Library of Medicine is useful resource to learn about how genes and health are connected.


Websites Referenced
https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/genomicresearch/genomeediting
https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/ 

DeBakey Papers Now NLM Digital Archive

Dr. Michael DeBakey, known for the coronary bypass, is now featured in the archives of the National Library of Medicine. Selections from the Michael E. DeBakey Papers collection, including publications, speeches, drawings, correspondence, portraits, oral history interviews and video recordings, can be freely viewed online. His advocacy is a big reason the National Library of Medicine exists today. NLM has also launched a fellowship program in his honor.

DeBakey “translated his expertise in the OR into political and policy capital on local, national and international levels to affect medical research funding, medical education and broader disease awareness” said Dr. Shelley McKellar, Hannah Chair in the History of Medicine at Western University in London, Canada, speaking at the first annual NLM Michael DeBakey Lecture in the History of Medicine on March 2, 2017.

From a story by Dana Talesnik, NLM in Focus, May 9, 2017.

Websites referenced

https://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/FJ/

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/informationfor/debakeyfellowship.html

http://history.uwo.ca/People/Faculty/mckellar.html

https://infocus.nlm.nih.gov/2017/05/09/the-texas-tornado-nlm-commemorates-heart-surgeon-debakey/

https://nihrecord.nih.gov/newsletters/2017/05_05_2017/story2.htm

NLM Associate Fellow Visits TSRHC Libraries

The TSRHC hospital libraries were visited by representatives of the National Library of Medicine today. Tyler Moses, an NLM Associate Fellow, came to north Texas to spend time at the National Network of Libraries South Central Region (NNLM SCR) headquarters. Dan Burgard is Director of the NNLM SCR program, which is based at the Lewis Library at UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth and supports 5 states.

While at the hospital Moses and Burgard met with Mary Peters (Medical Library) and with Mary Anne Fernandez and Jill Johnson (Family Resource Center) to tour the Brandon Carrell Medical Library and the Christi Carter Urschel Family Resource Center. Moses has just completed her Fort Worth visit and will now visit the UT Southwestern Library in Dallas for several day

The NLM Associate Fellowship Program is a highly selective one year postgraduate training opportunity at the NLM in Bethesda, Maryland. Moses is one of only 4 fellows in the class of 2016-17. The program provides a broad foundation in heath sciences information services as preparation for future leadership roles in health sciences libraries and in health services research.  

photo by Rick Smith, TSRHC Communications

Websites Referenced

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/about/training/associate/meettheassociates.html

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/about/training/associate/

https://nnlm.gov/scr

Surgical Stapling Pioneer Dr. Mark M. Ravitch

"His surgical legacy as a founder of pediatric surgery as a specialty, as a surgical innovator, and for introducing the concept of surgical stapling in the U.S. is paralleled by his simultaneous contributions to surgical education and knowledge." The Mark M. Ravitch Papers, 1932-1989, is the latest collection featured in the History of Medicine section of the National Library of Medicine for those interested in the history of surgery, surgical techniques, and pediatrics.

Websites Referenced
https://oculus.nlm.nih.gov/101083015
https://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2016/10/25/mark-m-ravitch-a-surgeons-surgeon/

Harry Potter's World - an NLM Exhibit

In the first Harry Potter book Harry references La Metallique Transformation (1618) by Nicholas Flamel -- a real book owned by the National Library of Medicine! That realization sparked the development of a traveling NLM exhibit called Do Mandrakes Really Scream? Magic and Medicine in Harry Potter, which opened in 2007.

"The magic in J. K. Rowling’s series of Harry Potter novels is partially based on Renaissance traditions that played an important role in the development of Western science, including alchemy, astrology, and natural philosophy." The current exhibit, "Harry Potter's World: Renaissance, Science, Magic, and Medicine explores the intersection of these worlds, featuring highlights from the collections of the History of Medicine Division at the National Library of Medicine." Much of the exhibit can be enjoyed online.

Happy birthday, Harry! Born on July 31 (same date as creator J.K.Rowling), 1980.

Websites Referenced
https://infocus.nlm.nih.gov/2016/07/31/harry-potter-magic-myth-and-happy-birthday/
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/harrypottersworld/

Circulating Now - History of Medicine Comes Alive

Circulating Now is a newsletter featuring history of medicine topics.

“Free things like air,
Vital things like blood,
Living things like ideas…
Circulate.”

Sign up to receive an alert when a new topic is featured! From the History of Medicine Division of the NationalLibrary of Medicine,  “Circulating Now conveys the vitality of medical history in our 21st-century world: its relevance and importance for research, teaching, and learning about the human condition.”

Recent articles have featured turkeys, World War I reflections from Dr. Osler, a WWII pharmacist mate’s papers, and photography of the invisible (X-rays).

Websites referenced:

http://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/index.html

http://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2015/11/23/an-early-look-at-the-turkey/

http://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2015/12/29/what-a-mess-and-we-are-not-half-through-dr-osler-on-englands-home-front-in-world-war-i/

http://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2015/11/10/a-pharmacists-mate-first-class/

http://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2015/09/24/photography-of-the-invisible-and-its-value-in-surgery/

MEDLINE and ILL during the Government Shutdown

According to the PubMed website today: "PubMed has been designated to be maintained with minimal staff during the lapse in government funding. The information on this website will be kept as up to date as possible, and the agency will attempt to respond to urgent operational inquiries during this period. Updates regarding government operating status and resumption of normal operations can be found at http://www.usa.gov."

However, the National Library of Medicine is now shut down. Since the MEDLINE database is what both PubMed and EBSCO MEDLINE are based on, new data entry will probably also be on hold. Interlibrary loans normally available from collections of government libraries will not be available, so costs may increase on some requests.

Websites Referenced
www.PubMed.gov
www.usa.gov

Genetics Resources

Genetics information aimed at health care consumers is available at Genetics Home Reference. High school students and teachers are the focus of the information offered on GeneEd Web. Both sites provide materials understandable to someone wanting an overview or beginning a study of genetics. They were created by the National Library of Medicine and the National Human Genome Institute.

Websites Cited
http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/ghr
http://geneed.nlm.nih.gov
http://www.nlm.nih.gov
http://www.genome.gov

"PMC" -- a New Name for PubMed Central

PMC is the new official name for PubMed Central, the National Library of Medicine's free online repository for scientific articles resulting from NIH-funded research. The name change should reduce confusion with NLM's MEDLINE search service called PubMed. When you do a search in PubMed you will see a link to any results available in PMC indicated by the note "Free PMC Article" in the listing. You can also search directly in PMC.

"In keeping with NLM’s legislative mandate to collect and preserve the biomedical literature, PMC serves as a digital counterpart to NLM’s extensive print journal collection."

Remember if you would like to see PubMed results that show an icon for the materials we have, bookmark our custom PubMed URL.

Websites referenced:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?holding=txudtslib

PubMed "Limits" Feature Moves

If you like to search MEDLINE using PubMed, you'll soon notice that the "Limits" page has disappeared! Don't be concerned -- the most frequently used filtering limits have been moved to the left side of the page, so they should be simpler to add.

Websites referenced:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/mj12/mj12_pm_sidebar.html

PubMed Makes It Easier to Import to a Citation Manager

PubMed has now made it simpler to import collected citations into your citation management software. Included in the drop down box where you email a list to yourself is the new choice "Collection Manager" which creates a file with an "nbib" extension. That file can be imported into your citation management system.

Websites referenced:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/ma12/ma12_pm_cite_mgr.html

Medical Heritage Library - Historical Medical Documents Online

The National Library of Medicine is a partner with several leading medical libraries in digitizing over 10,000 rare medical books. The mission of the Medical Heritage Library is to promote "free and open access to quality historical resources in medicine. Our goal is to provide the means by which readers and scholars across a multitude of disciplines can examine the interrelated nature of medicine and society, both to inform contemporary medicine and strengthen understanding of the world in which we live." This Medical Heritage Library can be searched through its section on the Internet Archive and updates and features are highlighted through its newsletter.

Websites referenced:
http://www.archive.org/details/medicalheritagelibrary
http://www.medicalheritage.org/

World War II Public Health Films -- NLM Online Exhibit

"The Public Health Film Goes to War"

This online exhibit from the National Library of Medicine showcases health training films shown to our soldiers during WWII. The films cover such topics as personal hygiene and malaria.

Website referenced: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/digicolls/phfgtw/index.html

MEDLINE Now Includes Records from 1946

MEDLINE began as a project covering medical literature citations from 1966 forward. For a number of years NLM has been expanding that backwards, adding data from earlier records along with current subject headings (MeSH) to make the information searchable. Now the OLDMEDLINE subset has expanded back through 1946, adding 20 years to the original MEDLINE database. You will encounter these older records as needed via whichever version of MEDLINE you use (PubMed, EBSCO MEDLINE, or in some cases OVID).


Resources cited:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/databases/databases_oldmedline.html
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/nd10/nd10_oldmedline.html

Binding Wounds, Pushing Boundaries: African Americans in Civil War Medicine

Binding Wounds, Pushing Boundaries: African Americans in Civil War Medicine is a new exhibit from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. The website includes a wealth of information and educational resources and activities. Through it you can explore the contributions these nurses, surgeons, and other health care workers made during the Civil War.


Website referenced: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/bindingwounds/index.html

PubMed MEDLINE® Posts 2 Millionth Citation

PubMed recently attained a major milestone when the 20 millionth citation was added to the database on July 27, 2010. When access became free on June 26, 1997, usage almost immediately tripled, and today almost one billion searches are performed in PubMed annually.

Coincidentally, PubMed Central, the NIH free digital archive for life sciences and biomedical literature, added its 2 millionth full-text article on the same day. Since its debut in February 2000 it has grown to a collection of more than 650 journals which deposit their complete content, as well as some historic journal collections from the 1800s. This content is linked to the citations that appear in PubMed database searches.

Source: NLM Tech Bull. 2010 Sep-Oct;(376):e3.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/so10/so10_pm_pmc_reprint_milestones.html