MedlinePlus® Adds What’s New Page and RSS

On September 7, 2007, NLM released the "What's New on MedlinePlus" page. Visit the page regularly to stay up to date on new MedlinePlus topics, podcasts, and featured sites, as well as new issues of the NIH MedlinePlus Magazine. The "What’s New" items will display for three weeks and are also available through an RSS feed. The "What's New on MedlinePlus" page and corresponding RSS feed are available in both English and Spanish.

This page and RSS feed complement the already-available MedlinePlus Health News RSS, which delivers press announcements and HealthDay news stories. The News RSS is available in both English and Spanish. You can access the "What's New on MedlinePlus" RSS and the MedlinePlus Health News RSS from the E-mail Lists and RSS Feeds page.

New Version of TOXMAP® Released

[Editor's Note: This Technical Note is a reprint of an announcement published on NLM-Tox-Enviro-Health-L, an e-mail announcement list available from the NLM Division of Specialized Information Services. To subscribe to this list, please see the NLM-TOX-ENVIRO-HEALTH-L Join, Leave, or Change Options page.]

A new version of TOXMAP was released on August 7, 2007. This version includes:

• More search options: Users can now search TOXMAP by Chemical Abstracts Service/Registry Number (CAS/RN), Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) facility name/ID, release medium, release year ranges, release amount, Superfund (NPL) site name/ID, and Hazard Ranking System (HRS) score.
• Geographic regions: Users can create their own geographic region, or select a pre-defined region from a menu. Setting a geographic region limits search results to those inside the specified region. Regions can be saved for future access.
• Regional TRI summary tables: Users can view summary (aggregate) TRI release amounts for their geographic region.
• Updated and expanded glossary and FAQs.

TOXMAP is a Geographic Information System (GIS) from the Division of Specialized Information Services of the U.S. National Library of Medicine® that uses maps of the United States to help users visually explore data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Toxics Release Inventory and Superfund Program.

New Clinical Alert Issued by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), issued a new Clinical Alert on September 21, 2007:

• Immunizations Are Discontinued in Two HIV Vaccine Trials

An independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) met this week to review interim data from a large, international HIV vaccine clinical trial known as the STEP study — also referred to as the HVTN 502 or Merck V520-023 study. The clinical trial, which began enrolling volunteers in December 2004, is co-sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. Inc., which also developed and supplied the candidate vaccine. Based on a review of interim data, the DSMB concluded that the vaccine cannot be shown in this trial to prevent HIV infection or affect the course of the disease in those who become infected with HIV (the vaccine itself cannot cause HIV infection because it contains only synthetically produced snippets of viral material). Therefore, Merck and NIAID instructed all study sites to cease administering the investigational vaccine but continue scheduled follow-up visits with all volunteers until the data can be more thoroughly evaluated and a course of action is developed.

Links to Clinical Alerts/Advisories can also be found from these NLM Web sites:

• A complete list of all Clinical Alerts is available from the NIH Clinical Alerts and Advisories page on the NLM Web site.
• MedlinePlus® features Clinical Alerts/Advisories as NIH Press Releases on the appropriate Health Topics page(s).
• PubMed®, the NLM Gateway and ClinicalTrials.gov each have access points to the Clinical Alerts.

2008 NLM® Training Classes

Sign up early for an NLM training class at a location near you! The 2008 schedule of NLM training classes, along with the remainder of the year 2007 classes, is now available.

NLM Catalog Help Added to Bookshelf

The enhanced NLM Catalog Help is now available on Bookshelf. It is searchable and includes an index for ease of use. Links created to the former Help will automatically go to the Bookshelf Help. Note: the NLM Catalog sidebar now includes direct links to the Bookshelf Help and to NLM Catalog Tutorials.

HSTAT Materials Added to NCBI Bookshelf

The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) has recently added new materials to the HSTAT collection on the Bookshelf. HSTAT, Health Services/ Technology Assessment Text, is a free, Web-based resource of full-text documents that provide health information and support health care decision making.

Four new Evidence Reports have been added to AHRQ, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

139. Multivitamin/Mineral Supplements and Prevention of Chronic Disease

142. Testing for BNP and NT-proBNP in the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Heart Failure

143. Management of Small Cell Lung Cancer

154. Management of Uterine Fibroids: An Update of the Evidence

Eighteen new chapters have been added to U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Evidence Syntheses, formerly Systematic Evidence Reviews, a part of HSTAT.

22. Screening for Asymptomatic Coronary Artery Disease: A Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

24. Screening for Hepatitis C Virus Infection

27. Screening for Visual Impairment in Children Younger than Age 5 Years: A Systematic Evidence Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

28. Screening for Family and Intimate Partner Violence

29. Dental Caries Prevention: The Physician's Role in Child Oral Health Systematic Evidence Review

31. Lung Cancer Screening: An Update for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

34. Primary Care Screening for Ocular Hypertension and Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma: Evidence Synthesis

36. Screening and Interventions for Childhood Overweight: Evidence Synthesis

37. Genetic Risk Assessment and BRCA Mutation Testing for Breast and Ovarian Cancer Susceptibility: Evidence Synthesis

39. Screening for Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Pregnant Women: Evidence Synthesis

40. Screening for Iron Deficiency Anemia in Childhood and Pregnancy: Update of the 1996 U.S. Preventive Task Force Review

41. Screening for Speech and Language Delay in Preschool Children

42. Screening for Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip

45. Use of Aspirin and NSAIDs to Prevent Colorectal Cancer

46. Screening for Human Immunodeficiency Virus: Focused Update of a 2005 Systematic Evidence Review for the U. S. Preventive Services Task Force

47. Screening for Lipid Disorders in Children and Adolescents: Systematic Evidence Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

48. Screening for Chlamydial Infection: A Focused Evidence Update for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

51. Primary Care Interventions to Prevent Motor Vehicle Occupant Injuries

The books in Bookshelf may be searched directly from the Bookshelf site or through the Entrez cross-database search page.

New Book Added to NCBI Bookshelf

A new book has been added to the Bookshelf:

Webvision: The Organization of the Retina and Visual System.
Kolb, Helga; Fernandez, Eduardo; Nelson, Ralph, editors.
Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), NCBI; 2007
Available from: //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=webvision.TOC&depth=2

A new chapter has been added to the NCBI Help Manual collection:

Protein Clusters: A Collection of Proteins Grouped by Sequence Similarity and Function
Kathleen ONeill, William Klimke, and Tatiana Tatusova.
Available from: //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=helpcluster.chapter.helpcluster

The books in Bookshelf may be searched directly from the Bookshelf site or through the Entrez cross-database search page.

Toxie the Cat Can Now Speak Spanish/ Toxie the Cat Ahora Habla Español

[Editor's Note: This Technical Note is a reprint of an announcement published on NLM-Tox-Enviro-Health-L, an e-mail announcement list available from the NLM Division of Specialized Information Services. To subscribe to this list, please see the NLM-TOX-ENVIRO-HEALTH-L Join, Leave, or Change Options page.]

Toxie, the ToxMystery guide cat, has returned to school and can now speak Spanish. By selecting the "Español" or "English" tab on the upper right of the homepage, gamers can move between Spanish and English as they explore the site's "house of hazards."

ToxMystery is an e-learning game that uses animation, sound effects and positive reinforcement to help 7-11 year olds learn about possible chemical hazards around the home. ToxMystery en español "Para los padres" (For Parents) page gives parents more detailed information about potential household hazards. The "Para maestros" (Teachers) page has lesson plans and downloadable classroom activity pages in Spanish. ToxMystery can be used in science and health classes.

Come play with Toxie and see if you can find the hazards in English and en español!

2008 MeSH® Now Available

The MeSH Browser now has a link to 2008 MeSH. 2008 MeSH is also available for download in XML and ASCII formats. Also available for 2008 from the same MeSH download page are: Pharmacologic Actions, New Headings with Scope Notes, MeSH Replaced Headings, and MeSH MN (tree number) Changes. 2008 MeSH in MARC format is expected to be available later this year.

The default year in the MeSH Browser remains 2007 MeSH for now, but the alternate link provides access to 2008 MeSH. The MeSH Section will continue to provide access via the MeSH Browser for two years of the vocabulary: the current year and an alternate year. Sometime in November or December, the default year will change to 2008 MeSH and the alternate link will provide access to the 2007 MeSH.

Web Resources on California Wildfires from the National Library of Medicine® (NLM®)

[Editor's Note: This Technical Note is a reprint of an announcement published on NLM-Tox-Enviro-Health-L, an e-mail announcement list available from the NLM Division of Specialized Information Services. To subscribe to this list, please see the NLM-TOX-ENVIRO-HEALTH-L Join, Leave, or Change Options page.]

The National Library of Medicine has released a new resource focused on the health effects from wildfires (//sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/californiafires.html).

The California Wildfires Web page includes information on the health effects from fires and exposure to smoke; links to air quality resources, environmental clean-up following fires, and animals in disasters. In addition, resources for emergency responders and information in Spanish are included. Searches of NLM databases, such as MedlinePlus, PubMed, TOXLINE, Tox Town, and Haz-Map (occupational health) are included for additional health information.

The page also provides the locations of facilities reporting to the EPA Toxics Release Inventory and Superfund sites in and around San Diego (TOXMAP).

This web page is designed to help emergency responders, health care providers, public health workers, and the general public find authoritative and timely information about key health concerns from wildfires. Links to other federal government web sites, including USA.gov, FEMA, and the Department of Health and Human Services are included.

View TRI Facilities and Superfund Sites in San Diego County, CA

[Editor's Note: This Technical Note is a reprint of an announcement published on NLM-Tox-Enviro-Health-L, an e-mail announcement list available from the NLM Division of Specialized Information Services. To subscribe to this list, please see the NLM-TOX-ENVIRO-HEALTH-L Join, Leave, or Change Options page.]

To view TRI facilities and Superfund sites in San Diego County, CA, the area recently affected by wildfires, please use the link on TOXMAP's homepage or //toxmap.nlm.nih.gov/toxmap/main/mapIt.do?regionID=694F58E62C_1.

TOXMAP is a Geographic Information System (GIS) from the Division of Specialized Information Services of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) that uses maps of the United States to help users visually explore data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Toxics Release Inventory and Superfund Program.

WISER for Smartphone Is Now Available

[Editor's Note: This Technical Note is a reprint of an announcement published on NLM-Tox-Enviro-Health-L, an e-mail announcement list available from the NLM Division of Specialized Information Services. To subscribe to this list, please see the NLM-TOX-ENVIRO-HEALTH-L Join, Leave, or Change Options page.]

The National Library of Medicine's WISER is now supported on Windows Mobile Smartphones-- Windows Mobile devices that do not have a touch screen (do not use a stylus). Windows Mobile phones with a touch screen are already supported by WISER for Pocket PC.

The new WISER for Smartphone release is functionally equivalent to the Pocket PC version of WISER, and can be downloaded from //wiser.nlm.nih.gov.

Please be sure to read the system requirements and installation instructions in README, which is linked to on the download page and included in the installation.

Some users may run into storage space limitations when installing WISER for Smartphone; procedures for resolving such issues are included in the README.

WISER (the Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders) is a system designed to assist first responders in hazardous material incidents. It provides a wide range of information on hazardous substances, including substance identification support, physical characteristics, human health information, and containment and suppression advice.

We are always eager to hear your feedback and suggestions. Please let us know what you think at //wiser.nlm.nih.gov/contact.html.

National Library of Medicine® Resource Update: Dietary Supplements Labels Database

[Editor's Note: This Technical Note is a reprint of an announcement published on NLM-Tox-Enviro-Health-L, an e-mail announcement list available from the NLM Division of Specialized Information Services. To subscribe to this list, please see the NLM-TOX-ENVIRO-HEALTH-L Join, Leave, or Change Options page.]

The National Library of Medicine has released a new resource focused on dietary supplements. The Dietary Supplements Labels Database includes information from the labels of over 2,000 brands of dietary supplements in the marketplace, including vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and other specialty supplements.

The database is designed to help both the general public and health care providers find information about ingredients in brand-name products, including name, form, active and inactive ingredients, amount of active ingredient/unit, manufacturer/distributor information, suggested dose, label claims, warnings, percentage of daily value, and further label information.

Links to other NLM resources, such as MedlinePlus and PubMed, are provided for additional health information. In addition, links to related Fact Sheets from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA), Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM ), and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) are also available.