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Despite their inclusion as first-line therapy for many chronic diseases, lifestyle interventions are often de-emphasized in medical education and fail to make it into the repertoire of non-lifestyle medicine trained clinicians. We sought to address this gap in medical education by creating a concise pocket guide to lifestyle medicine that lends itself to use in the face-to-face clinical setting. With input from lifestyle medicine experts, the guide was created by medical students for medical students as well as other healthcare professionals for use in a variety of clinical settings. In this article we share our process of creating the guide, initial feedback, and future directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As adults, we intuitively understand how others' goals influence their information-seeking preferences. For example, you might recommend a dense book full of mechanistic details to someone trying to learn about a topic in-depth, but a more lighthearted book filled with surprising stories to someone seeking entertainment. Moreover, you might do this with confidence despite knowing few details about either book. Even though we offer or receive such recommendations frequently as adults, we know little about how the ability to evaluate and recommend information sources to others develops. Two studies examined how children (6–9 years, Eastern U.S. residents, n = 311) and adults (U.S. residents, n = 180) select mechanistic and entertaining information sources for others depending on their goals. Participants recommended books containing mechanistic information to agents who wanted to learn and entertaining information to agents who wanted to have fun. In contrast to adults who strongly favored entertaining books, children recommended both kinds of books equally to a generally curious agent. These results suggest children can infer others' information-seeking preferences based on their goals and recommend appropriate information sources to satisfy those goals despite possessing little topical knowledge themselves. Public Significance Statement: The current findings demonstrate young children can reason about and recommend information sources to others despite often possessing little relevant knowledge themselves. These findings also highlight a potential decline in interest in causal mechanisms into adulthood, which is of potential importance to educators wishing to increase interest and curiosity toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Understanding concordance between informants' and cognitively impaired participants' information reporting is crucial for Alzheimer's and Alzheimer's-related dementia studies. Methods: The Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi-Cognitive is a community-based cohort study. Households in Nueces County, Texas, USA, were randomly identified. 330 dyads of participants and their named informants answered questions. Models were generated to examine which predictors, including age, gender, ethnicity, cognitive function, and relationship to informant, influenced answer discordance. Results: For demographic items, female participants and participants with spouses/partners as informants had significantly less discordance, with incidence rate rations (IRRs) of 0.65 (CI = 0.44, 0.96) and 0.41 (CI = 0.23, 0.75), respectively. For health items, better cognitive function of the participant was associated with less discordance, with an IRR of 0.85 (CI = 0.76, 0.94). Conclusions: Demographic information concordance is most associated with gender and informant–participant relationship. Level of cognitive function is most associated with concordance for health information. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT03403257. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Botanicals are among the fastest growing segments of the dietary supplement industry in the U.S. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA; Public Law 103-417 [Oct. 25, 1994]) provided a regulatory classification for the trade of numerous botanicals and botanically-derived products as dietary supplements. The global supply chain, the adoption of many botanicals that are also recognized as traditional medicines around the world as dietary supplement ingredients, and the differing recognition of the national and international pharmacopeias as sources for voluntary or mandatory quality standards present challenges in ensuring the quality of the ingredients and products. The complexity of quality assurance by compliance with pharmacopeial standards is illustrated in this article with a brief history of pharmacopoeias including their official recognition in national laws, their approaches to the science behind the standards, the use of reference standards for quality assessment and regulatory compliance, the use of pharmacopeial standards by the industry and regulators within the DSHEA framework in the United States, and a discussion of the global supply chain. Pharmacopeial standards can help regulators and the industry adapt to the new technologies that present both opportunities and challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of the College Of Basic Education is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose To provide a current directory of drug information centers (DICs) in the United States and present information about their characteristics, activities and services, and networking activities. Methods In February 2018, an electronic 23-question survey was delivered to 118 contacts on a distribution list compiled from previous directories of DICs, responses to listserv messages, and an Internet search. DICs, defined as formal centers dedicated to providing drug information services, including but not limited to responding to drug information requests, were asked questions about their characteristics, activities and services, drug information requests, and networking activities. Results The response rate was 79% (93 of 118 DICs). Of the 93 respondents, 82 (88%) met the definition of a DIC and were included in the directory. Of the 82 included DICs, 37 (45%) belonged to a university or college, while 36 (44%) belonged to a medical center or hospital. Seventy percent of the DICs (n = 57) had been in existence for more than 20 years. Of the 81 respondents reporting activities performed at the DICs, precepting pharmacy students (n = 79, 98%) and training pharmacy residents and/or fellows (n = 68, 84%) were most commonly reported. Nearly 90% reported that answering drug information questions was central to the DIC operations. Most DICs (n = 52, 65%) indicated receiving an average of 50 requests or less on a monthly basis. DICs reported a variety of electronic means of communicating with the DIC community, although 16 (21%) of the 77 respondents reported no need to do so. Conclusion The survey identified 82 DICs that collectively provide a variety of services to their clienteles. The DIC directory published herein should facilitate networking among DICs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examined the gueassability of US pharmaceutical pictograms as well as associated demographic factors and cognitive design features among Iranian adults. Methods: A total of 400 participants requested to guess the meaning of 53 US pharmaceutical pictograms using the open-ended method. Moreover, the participants were asked to rate the cognitive design features of each pictorial in terms of familiarity, concreteness, simplicity, meaningfulness and semantic closeness on a scale of 0-100. Results: The average guessability score (standard deviation) was 66.30 (SD=24.59). Fifty-five percent of pharmaceutical pictograms understudy met the correctness criteria of 67% specified by ISO3864, while only 30% reached the criterion level of 85% set by ANSIz535.3. Low literate participants with only primary school education had substantial difficulty in the interpretation of pharmaceutical pictograms compared to those completed higher education levels. Younger adults of <30 years significantly performed better in the interpretation of pharmaceutical pictograms as compared to >31 years old participants. 'Home patient care' and 'daily medication use' had no effect on guessability performance. Concerning cognitive design features, meaningfulness better predict geussability score compared to the others. Conclusions: Several USP pictograms fail to be correctly interpreted by Iranian users and need to be redesigned respecting cognitive design features. Interface designers are recommended to incorporate more familiar and concrete elements into their graphics in order to create more meaningful pictorial symbols and to avoid any misinterpretation by the user. Much effective medication use is expected to be achieved by means of this approach, through the improvement of the communication property of pharmaceutical pictograms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the 2018 U.S. College Book Price Index compiled from reviews of books published in "Choice Reviews" during 2018. Topics discussed include the overall average price for books in the Humanities, Sciences, and Social & Behavioral Sciences for 2018, increase in the average 2018 reference book price over the previous year, and light average price decreases in 2017 shown by both British Academic Books and U.S. College Books.

The Lithuanian national movement of the 19th c. had mostly manifested itself in the literature, which, under the Lithuanian press ban, was being published both in East Prussia and in Lithuanian communities in the United States, and which was being distributed likewise in Lithuania, East Prussia, and the United States. That same time period saw the forming of a new system designed to inform readers of new releases, which was utilized to help any members of the Lithuanian diaspora to keep updated on the newest literature affairs. This system had encompassed the press of both East Prussia and the United States, and it would inform the readers of the newest publications both from the location of where the newspaper was being released and about the new books and periodicals that were being published in foreign countries; thus, it had created a reflection of Lithuanian literature as a whole. The aim of this article is to analyze the circumstances surrounding the informing of readers about the newest publications as it had occurred in the American Lithuanian press up to 1904; main focus is paid here to the information regarding Lithuanian and Lithuanistic publications released in East Prussia and elsewhere in Europe. The basis of this study is a list of 322 Lithuanian and Lithuanistic publications released in Europe; the list itself took shape after overviewing 11 Lithuanian newspapers published in the United States. The 322 publications had been distributed in Lithuanian communities in the United States and were announced by the local Lithuanian press. This study has showed that the first announcements about the new books appeared in the US Lithuanian press in the late 1890s, and in the early 20th c., designated columns for publishing news became an ordinary practice. Unfortunately, a lack of authors capable of writing critical reviews of the new publications forced the émigré press to be content with mostly annotations and very laconic commentaries about the pros and cons of new publications. The fact that announcements were made about books (mostly publications released in Europe) that were not part of the American salespeople's repertoire allows us to believe that the editorial boards of the newspapers behaved thus acting upon the informational mission of their newspapers, their societal role, and in seeking to support the national movement and the dissemination of its ideas as well as the mission of its consolidation. In evaluating the repertoire of the introduced publications, we may speak not only of the dissemination of information on these works but also of a particular perspective that the editorial boards of these periodicals had and which was based on a particular set of values. Attention is paid to Lithuanian literature, its growth and place in the society of that time, and how it matches the needs of the readers. The introduced literature repertoire was dominated by secular works that had reflected the growth of Lithuanian literature and answered the demands of education. The books were oftentimes evaluated first and foremost based on the aspect of how much practical information could they provide - this had to do with the restricted possibilities of Lithuanian education; for example, the amount of information these works could give on the topics of farming, medicine, craftsmanship, and the natural sciences was an important aspect. With time, more attention began to be paid to societal-political literature, which was associated to the dissemination of the ideologies of those times, and Lithuanistic works written by foreign (not Lithuanian) authors. The works were also increasingly evaluated based on the political views of the editorial boards, which had also determined the fact that the readers were urged to buy some books while others were introduced as no good. Yet at the same time it may be observed that attention was being paid to publishing culture, the linguistic aspects especially, prompted by the changes that were happening in written Lithuanian. Attempts were made to limit the distribution of books that had not met the standards of the written languages; however, owing to the poorness of literature, the practical value of the book was of the most importance. The perspective regarding the importance of some books can also be seen based on how many newspapers had referenced those books in their news and how well were these works met. In understanding that the system designed to inform the readership of the books did not meet the standards of even its contemporaries, it must still be said that during those times, a tradition had taken shape to introduce publishing news in the periodicals. This tradition was developed and perfected during later times, but its proper evaluation would require the continuation of its study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern neuromuscular electrodiagnosis (EDX) and neuromuscular ultrasound (NMUS) require a universal language for effective communication in clinical practice and research and, in particular, for teaching young colleagues. Therefore, the AANEM and the IFCN have decided to publish a joint glossary as they feel the need for an updated terminology to support educational activities in neuromuscular EDX and NMUS in all parts of the world. In addition NMUS has been rapidly progressing over the last years and is now widely used in the diagnosis of disorders of nerve and muscle in conjunction with EDX. This glossary has been developed by experts in the field of neuromuscular EDX and NMUS on behalf of the AANEM and the IFCN and has been agreed upon by electronic communication between January and November 2019. It is based on the glossaries of the AANEM from 2015 and of the IFCN from 1999. The EDX and NMUS terms and the explanatory illustrations have been updated and supplemented where necessary. The result is a comprehensive glossary of terms covering all fields of neuromuscular EDX and NMUS. It serves as a standard reference for clinical practice, education and research worldwide. HIGHLIGHTS: Optimal terminology in neuromuscular electrodiagnosis and ultrasound has been revisited. A team of international experts have revised and expanded a standardized glossary. This list of terms serves as standard reference for clinical practice, education and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer‐related mortality in the U.S. TNM staging of lung cancer is implemented to define the extent of disease and consequently assign prognosis and guide treatment. The newest edition of TNM staging of lung cancer has been released recently. In this article, we present the TNM staging of lung cancer in a concise, yet comprehensive, visual format. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the 2017 U.S. College Book Price Index which updates 2016 compilation which covered the years 2014 to 2016. Topics include the overall average price for books in the Humanities, Sciences, and Social and Behavioral Sciences, number of titles, dollar amounts, percentages and average price for books in each "Choice Reviews" subject category, and prices throughout all of the subject categories.

In the article, the author discusses the strategies and consideration in the implementation of the U.S. Pharmacopeia chapter 800 (USP<800>) in the U.S. She focuses on the review of investigational medications for clinical trials at the Altman Clinical and Translational Institute at University of California (UC) San Diego Health using an assessment of risk (AOR). Also cited is the duty of pharmacies to classify hazardous drugs to protect staff from occupational exposure.

What if the ideal tools for teaching undergraduate students the most critical information literacy concepts have been sitting in the stacks all along collecting dust? Reference sources are an optimal medium to introduce all six of the Association of College & Research Libraries' (ACRL) Framework's central concepts for information literacy. Additionally, by understanding a reference source's place in the information search process, students learn to consciously avoid the common pitfall of neglecting exploratory research before specifying research inquiries. Thus, incorporating reference sources thoughtfully into instructional design contributes to the development of both information literacy and metacognition. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Anthropology libraries are highly specialized scholarly repositories that provide breadth, depth, and coherence to an expansive, fragmentary literature. This article profiles three types of anthropology library—(1) governmental, (2) private or specialized, and (3) departmental or museum—and examines the needs and information seeking behavior of anthropology library users, most of whom are graduate students and credentialed researchers. Also described are particular versus general reference sources for anthropology, ethical issues, and the service requirements of this user population. The main conclusion of this article is that anthropologists rely heavily on printed books due to the comparative, foreign, rare, and sometimes antiquated nature of the resources they seek. For this reason, brick-and-mortar anthropology libraries continue to play a special role in ensuring the vitality of the profession. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper develops an understanding of creativity to meet the requirements of the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in Feist v. Rural (1991). The inclusion of creativity in originality, in a minimal degree of creativity, and in a creative spark below the level required for originality, is first established. Conditions for creativity are simultaneously derived. Clauses negatively implying creativity are then identified and considered. The clauses that imply creativity can be extensively correlated with conceptions of computability. The negative of creativity is then understood as an automatic mechanical or computational procedure or a so routine process that results in a highly routine product. Conversely, creativity invariantly involves a not mechanical procedure. The not mechanical is then populated by meaning, in accord with accepted distinctions, drawing on a range of discourses. Meaning is understood as a different level of analysis to the syntactic or mechanical and also as involving direct human engagement with meaning. As direct engagement with meaning, it can be connected to classic concepts of creativity, through the association of dissimilars. Creativity is finally understood as not mechanical human activity above a certain level of routinicity. Creativity is then integrated with a minimal degree of creativity and with originality. The level of creativity required for a minimal degree is identified as intellectual. The combination of an intellectual level with a sufficient amount of creativity can be read from the exchange values connected with the product of creative activity. Humanly created bibliographic records and indexes are then possible correlates to, or constituents of, a minimal degree of creativity. A four-stage discriminatory process for determining originality is then specified. Finally, the strength and value of the argument are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most biomedical writers are generally familiar with the quality-enforcement activities of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but few appear to know about the compendial standards in the US Pharmacopeia- National Formulary (USP-NF), which may be enforced by the FDA. This article briefly outlines the history and applications of USP-NF and reports the results of a survey of AMWA members regarding modern applications of these compendia. Although the response rate to the survey was low, respondents' answers suggest that it may be worthwhile to focus attention on certain concepts in compendial science. Improved familiarity with compendial science will help biomedical writers understand the role of public standards in ensuring the identity, strength, quality, purity, and potency of drug substances, drug ingredients, and drug products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary supplement use is common among military service members; approximately 17 to 20% report using high-risk weight-loss, performance-enhancing, and bodybuilding supplements. To date, no overarching policy or program has been approved or implemented to inform service members or educate health care providers on the potential adverse consequences of using multiple combinations of supplements or the pros and cons of supplements per se. A review of regulations, concerns, and possible solutions is provided. Importantly, the role of third-party certification and education is emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to compare 6th grade Turkish, Singapore, and American mathematics textbooks in terms of certain features of textbook design. Textbooks were compared based on their visual design, text density, internal organization, weights of curriculum strands, topics covered, and content presentation. The results revealed varied assumptions for student Learning and choices of design. Singapore books reflected simple features of text density and enriched use of visual elements, fewer number of topics, and an easier inner organization to follow. American books were mainly designed as reference books. Turkish books reflected a measured middle way between the two and reflected a design that valued active student Learning. However, Turkish books could use ideas to improve visual design and presentation of certain topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Aging Network is a federally funded group of collaborating organizations which provides support and services to older adults and caregivers. Professionals within the network are charged with staying up-to-date on current best practices, pertinent changes in federal policies, and the latest developments in aging. To promote professional networking, the dissemination of innovation, and continuing education, the Aging Network supports three annual service-based conferences at the national level. This investigation analyzed the content of 1,363 presentation sessions at these national conferences over a 10-year period. As a result, a total of 68 unique topics were identified, many of which were linked to the provision of services traditionally offered by the Aging Network including information and referral and service development. Few sessions, however, focused on organizational development, minority health and aging, gender issues, and end of life. These findings may guide conference organizers to better target topics previously unaddressed or deserving of greater attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article surveys reference works published in the general field of education since the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) on January 8, 2002. The study examines the introduction of each work to determine its audience and measure this against its treatment of NCLB. Topical encyclopedias can assist patrons in preliminary research on this major piece of legislation. After narrowing down the research topic, patrons can be referred to an electronic database for further, more detailed information on NCLB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses historical writing related to women's history in the U.S. The author notes how U.S. and foreign literature on women's history written by amateur women historians was rejected by male professional historians. Women scholars such as Mary Bateman and Lucy Maynard Salmon also focused on women's history. Despite the perception that aspects of anthropology such as social history and anthropology were incorporated into women's historical work in the 1970s, authors such as Alice Clark and Ivy Pinchbeck had already utilized these methods. Biographical reference works focusing on women, debates over the utility of cultural history and the application of postmodernist theory to women's history are noted.

The article presents a study that investigates the kind of end-of-chapter questions and problems in selected general chemistry textbooks in the U.S. It identifies end-of-chapter questions and problems commonly used in college general chemistry textbooks in the country and the major differences in the end-of-chapter questions as well as problems in the said textbooks. The study was conducted through a thorough analysis and classification of the end-of-chapter questions present in three top-selling college general chemistry textbooks in the U.S. Results of the study suggest that teachers could benefit in the recognition of the types and categories of end-of-chapter questions as they try to diversify the items.

The article focuses on the efficiency on the use of books and textual materials to support the firsthand experience of students on scientific inquiry in the U.S. It explores the description on the role of trade books in grasping science concepts and understanding the nature of science. Books and other textual materials have been viewed efficient to provide information on natural contexts such as the transformation of caterpillar into a butterfly. This can also be used as a rich source of scientific models and a model for wondering and exploration for student learning.

The article presents the 2007 U.S. College Book Price Index prepared under the sponsorship of the Library Materials Price Index Editorial Board of the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services, American Library Association. The index shows that the overall average price for books in the Humanities, Sciences, and Social and Behavioral Sciences was $62.44, a 0.47% increase over last year. Reference books have the highest average price at $128.54 but have the lowest percentage increase over the previous year at -6.0%.

In turbulent times in U.S. sexual history, Alex Comfort's popular sex manual The Joy of Sex: A Gourmet Guide to Lovemaking served up an exciting yet reassuring menu of sexual practice. More than simply reflecting attitudes, The Joy of Sex participated in shaping the discourses of sex and sexuality of its day. This rhetorical and cultural critique of The Joy of Sex argues that the variety and arrangement of its recipe-book-like entries, compelling illustrations, and other rhetorical elements dramatized and sold an idealized heterosexuality to readers but reduced the meaning of "lovemaking" in the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have identified eight sub-dimensions of patient access to pharmaceuticals: marketing approvals, time of marketing approval, coverage, cost sharing, conditions of reimbursement, speed from marketing approval to reimbursement, extent to which beneficiaries control choice of their drug benefit, and evenness of the availability of drugs to the population. For a sample of commonly used best-selling drugs in the United States (US), we measured these eight access sub-dimensions across four health systems: France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom (UK), and the US. Although the US approved between 15 and 18% more drugs than the other three countries, the US was slower than France and the UK to approve drugs licensed in all four countries. The percentage of drugs covered is approximately the same for all four countries. For covered drugs, we observe the least cost sharing by patients in the Netherlands. The Netherlands imposes conditions of reimbursement on a much larger percentage of drugs. France seems to be the slowest in respect of speed from marketing approval to reimbursement. The US is the most flexible in terms of the extent to which beneficiaries control their choice of drug benefit but it is the least universal in terms of evenness of the availability of drugs to the population. Our study confirms the frequently cited problems of access in European countries: lag between marketing approval and reimbursement, and inflexibility in respect of the extent to which beneficiaries control their choice of drug benefit. At the same time, our study confirms, qualitatively, different kinds of access problems in the US: relatively high patient cost sharing for pharmaceuticals, and wide variation in coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A biography of teacher Justin Lawrence Powers is presented. He was born on March 12, 1895 in Tekonsha, Michigan and graduated at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy with a pharmaceutical chemistry (PhC) degree. He married his wife Gladys L. Laufman in 1917. It says that Powers has established standards for medicines and foods. He has been awarded with the Remington medal for his long service as chairman of the Committee on National Formulatory and the Director of Revision.

Ms. Whisner examines the history and development of an "old friend" of many reference librarians, the United States Government Manual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The National Cancer Institute Thesaurus is described by its authors as "a biomedical vocabulary that provides consistent, unambiguous codes and definitions for concepts used in cancer research" and which "exhibits ontology-like properties in its construction and use". We performed a qualitative analysis of the Thesaurus in order to assess its conformity with principles of good practice in terminology and ontology design.Materials and Methods: We used both the on-line browsable version of the Thesaurus and its OWL-representation (version 04.08b, released on August 2, 2004), measuring each in light of the requirements put forward in relevant ISO terminology standards and in light of ontological principles advanced in the recent literature.Results: We found many mistakes and inconsistencies with respect to the term-formation principles used, the underlying knowledge representation system, and missing or inappropriately assigned verbal and formal definitions.Conclusion: Version 04.08b of the NCI Thesaurus suffers from the same broad range of problems that have been observed in other biomedical terminologies. For its further development, we recommend the use of a more principled approach that allows the Thesaurus to be tested not just for internal consistency but also for its degree of correspondence to that part of reality which it is designed to represent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pays tribute to educator James Hartley Beal who died on September 20, 1945.

Presents information on reference books on death penalty in the U.S. "Encyclopedia of Capital Punishment in the United States," by Louis J. Palmer Jr.; "The Death Penalty in America," edited by Hugo Adam Bedau; "An Eye for an Eye? The Immortality of Punishing by Death," by Stephen Nathanson.

Objective: To document community pharmacists' awareness and use of the United States Pharmacopeia Medication Errors Reporting (USP MER) program.Design: Telephone survey.Setting: Community pharmacies in Vermont.Participants: One self-identified community pharmacist from each community pharmacy.Intervention: Each operating community pharmacy in Vermont was contacted by telephone between June 2002 and February 2003. The first individual to self-identify himself or herself as a pharmacist was asked to participate. The telephone surveys were conducted using a standard script.Main Outcome Measure: Survey responses to questions about awareness and use of USP MER.Results: A pharmacist was contacted in 98% (122/124) of all operating community pharmacies in Vermont. Nine (7%) pharmacists refused to participate, leaving 113 pharmacists who responded to the survey. Although more than one half of all respondents (70/113; 62%) had heard of USP MER, less than one quarter (24/113; 21%) had ever submitted a report. Significantly more pharmacists employed by independent pharmacies had submitted a report, compared with pharmacists from other pharmacy types (chain, supermarket, mass merchandiser; P = .03). Submitting reports through a corporate hierarchy or to a corporate program was the reason most frequently cited by pharmacists for not submitting reports directly to USP MER (37%). Whether corporate reports were forwarded to USP MER is unknown.Conclusion: The majority of Vermont community pharmacists were aware of USP MER. However, use was low. Barriers to reporting to a common system such as USP MER may differ depending on pharmacy type. Further research to document the barriers to submitting reports is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides a bibliography of various reference materials regarding speech and language in the U.S.

Background: Drugs that carry a concern for teratogenicity are often classified as pregnancy category X in the drug label and contraindicated for use during pregnancy. Many drug labels can be found in the Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR), a widely used source of drug information by American clinicians and patients.Objective: To review product labelling in the electronic PDR for the pregnancy category X products for pregnancy prevention risk management components in labelling.Methods: The electronic version of the 2001 and 2002 PDR was searched for 'pregnancy category X' products using the full text search feature. All product labels identified were retrieved and reviewed for trade name, generic name, manufacturer and indication. Product labels were manually searched for any pregnancy prevention risk management strategies included in labelling. Those labels that had specific pregnancy prevention risk management strategies were further evaluated.Results: One hundred and seventeen pregnancy category X products were obtained from 2249 products searched in the 2001 PDR database and 124 pregnancy category X products were obtained from the 2150 products in the 2002 PDR database. All pregnancy category X products identified were drug products. The label/package insert for each drug was reviewed to identify risk management strategies for pregnancy prevention. The majority of the labels include as the sole risk management strategy either a black box warning and/or a contraindication for use in women who are or may become pregnant. Only 13 drugs contained specific pregnancy prevention risk management strategies in the label directing the clinician and/or patient, e.g. frequency of pregnancy testing, number and type of contraception methods. Two drugs, bexarotene capsules and gel, were only included in the 2001 PDR. Three drugs, isotretinoin, acitretin, and thalidomide, have formal pregnancy prevention risk management programmes.Conclusion: This study demonstrates the varied risk management approaches in labelling for pregnancy prevention for pregnancy category X drugs. There is a need for consistency in the classification of pregnancy category X products and the pregnancy prevention risk management strategies utilised in the labelling for them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) joins together a group of established medical terminologies in a unified knowledge representation framework. Two major resources of the UMLS are its Metathesaurus, containing a large number of concepts, and the Semantic Network (SN), containing semantic types and forming an abstraction of the Metathesaurus. However, the SN itself is large and complex and may still be difficult to view and comprehend. Our structural partitioning technique partitions the SN into structurally uniform sets of semantic types based on the distribution of the relationships within the SN. An enhancement of the structural partition results in cohesive, singly rooted sets of semantic types. Each such set is named after its root which represents the common nature of the group. These sets of semantic types are represented by higher-level components called meta-semantic types. A network, called a metaschema, which consists of the meta-semantic types connected by hierarchical and semantic relationships is obtained and provides an abstract view supporting orientation to the SN. The metaschema is utilized to audit the UMLS classifications. We present a set of graphical views of the SN based on the metaschema to help in user orientation to the SN. A study compares the cohesive metaschema to metaschemas derived semantically by UMLS experts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

THe preponderance of books written by African Americans have generally dealth with race, racism, discrimination, and attendant strategies and coping mechanisms that are peculiar to their experience in the United State. This bibliography of nonfiction and fiction books by Black authors was compiled to demonstrate and document the extent to which African Americans have written on other things that have little if anything to do with their "Blackness." Topics on everything from astronomy to zoology are listed under fice headings: humanities, social sciences, science/technology/health, miscellaneous, and fiction (novels in which none of the main characters if Black). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Using data from an evaluation of a community-wide informational intervention, we modeled the demand for medical reference books, telephone advice nurses, and computers for health information. Data were gathered from random household surveys in Boise, ID (experimental site), Billings, MT, and Eugene, OR (control sites). Conditional difference-in-differences show that the intervention increased the use of medical reference books, advice nurses, and computers for health information by approximately 15, 6, and 4%. respectively. The results also suggest that the intervention was associated with a decreased reliance on health professionals for information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article informs that the metaphor resonated with the general public, for the legend of the notorious 18th-century dungeon still circulated in schoolbooks, dictionaries, and encyclopedias in the popular domain. On a hot summer night in 1756 a provincial ruler in Calcutta had rounded up 146 British merchants and soldiers. He herded them into a single cell barely 15 by 18 feet in size. By morning 123 of the prisoners had suffocated to death. The Black Hole was synonymous with barbaric cruelty. When the free speech campaign began in 1906 in the U.S., it centered on the soapbox. Besides word of mouth, the Socialists' own newspaper provided the main source of publicity. Before the campaign was over, however, the city's three daily newspapers had entered the fray.

The article discusses the need to prepare for compliance with the requirements for handling hazardous drugs specified in U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) chapter 800. Topics discussed include a reference to chapter 800 as a much-needed addition to standards within pharmacy and health care, recommendation to use the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) list to determine the hazardous drugs and dosage forms of the drugs in use and identify where storage is needed. INSET: New drugs and dosage forms.

Presents chronological bibliography of works published by Charles A. Bunge from 1965 to 1997 in the United States. Includes `Statewide Public Library Surveys and Plans, 1944-64'; `Current Reference Books'; `Library Education and Reference Performance.'

The Labor History Bibliography, first compiled for the years 1965, 1966, and 1968 by Michael Brook, Reference Librarian of the Minnesota Historical Society, was resumed and became a regular feature with the 1972 Bibliography, compiled by librarian of the Tamiment Institute Library at New York University, Dorothy Wick, who served as Compiler through 1991. Still useful, these publications list, in addition to serials and dissertations, books, scholarly monographs, government reports, union documents and management publications, films, novels and plays, etc. Over the last two years the Bibliography has been revised and expanded to better document the labor history literature, and similarly, the various related works of use and interest to the full spectrum of labor history readership, academic, professional, and activist. The number of citations in the Bibliography has almost quadrupled, reflecting the broadening scope of the field of labor history, the inclusion of more related works from other disciplines, and an expanded database of scholarly and popular serials. As before, a large portion of the year's industrial relations scholarship is included, however, labor union and industry trade periodicals are not indexed.