Volume 5, Number 7 March 1993
Books & Bytes is produced by the HSLIC Library Staff for Health Sciences Center personnel. Copyright University of Washington.
- Serial Title Changes: March 1993
- Recent Gifts and Contributions to the Collections
- A.D.A.M. (Animated Dissection of Anatomy for Medicine)
- New Journal Titles
- Electronic News on UWIN
- Geographic Name Server on Internet
- Dictionary of Modern Medicine
Serial Title Changes: March 1993
New Serial Titles
Bioethics yearbook, v.1(1991).
Report for ... / Federal Centre for AIDS, 1988.
Book Stacks: W2 DC2 F293r
Title changes
American journal of medical quality, v.7:n.3-4(1992:Fall-Win) v.8(1993)-- .
Continues: Quality assurance and utilization review.
Annual report to Congress / Physician Payment Review Commission, 1989-- .
Book Stacks: WT 30 U58.
Continues: Report to congress / Physician Payment Review Commission.
Humane innovations and alternatives, v.5(1991)--.
Continues: Humane innovations and alternatives in animal experimentation.
Recent Gifts and Contributions to the Collections
Acknowledgment and appreciation is extended to the following individuals and departments who have recently made contributions to the Library:
Ms. Marjorie Batey; Mrs. Geraldine A. Brady; Dr. Alexander W. Clowes; Mrs. Joan Eggertorn; Dr. William E. Fassett; Dr. Hjordis M. Foy; Dr. J. Thomas Grayston; Ms. Alma-jean Marion; Dr. Gilbert Omenn; Dr. Karl-Ake Omnell; Dr. Paul B. Robertson; Dr. Robert Schoene; Dr. Dale E. Smith; DNA Probe Lab, UWMC; Department of Comparative Medicine; Department of Epidemiology; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences; Northwest Lipid Research, Harborview Hall; University of Washington Medical Center Administration.
A.D.A.M. (Animated Dissection of Anatomy for Medicine)
by Philip Arny, Teaching Learning Center CoordinatorComputer based simulations of the human body offer exciting alternatives to the study of anatomy through traditional approaches. Anatomy texts suffer from the limitations of the printed page. Printed images cannot capture the complex three-dimensional relationships of anatomical structures, cannot change size or angle of view, and can only contain a limited amount of descriptive text before the image becomes uselessly complex. Dissections offer vital but expensive and difficult to manage lessons in knowledge of actual body structures.
Computer simulations overcome traditional limitations by providing an inexpensive, reusable "cadaver" which can be taken apart layer by layer, rotated, enlarged, and reduced. The computerized body can be extensively and unobtrusively labeled, offering information only when desired. A variety of related images and resources can be linked to various organs, systems, or topics in the simulated body. These resources can include X-rays and other diagnostic scans, as well as textual tools, such as a glossary of terms, related textbook chapters, suggestions for further reading, or links to other informational databases. These tools can be combined to provide a rich environment for exploring human anatomy.
Two such computer simulations are now available on campus. The first, the Digital Anatomist, under development at the UW Department of Biological Structure, creates a comprehensive learning environment for anatomy, combining digitized images of scans and sections with rotatable images of body structures showing their relative positions in three dimensions. A linked program and videodisc, dealing primarily with structures of the human brain, are available for review in the Teaching Learning Center (TLC). This program is currently being used to supplement some Department of Biostructure classes.
A.D.A.M. (Animated Dissection of Anatomy for Medicine), is a Macintosh-based program which is available in the TLC for instructors in the health sciences to evaluate for possible classroom use. A.D.A.M. offers several views (Anterior, Posterior, Lateral, and Medial) as well as serial cross sections. Layers can be peeled away, one at a time, from skin to bone, and the view can be enlarged for close (actual size) examination of detail, or reduced for an area or whole body overview. When reduced, the view can be moved up, down, and across. As different structures are revealed, they can be instantly identified by clicking on them and holding down the mouse button; a label quickly appears. Cross sections and radiological images are available for many (but not all) structures. A.D.A.M., with the addition of an authoring package (not currently owned the by the TLC), allows the linking of additional information (text files, graphic images, video or audio segments) to structures and layers in the simulated body. Using these links, an instructor can build targeted lessons, with commentary and auxiliary materials.
Some schools have started using A.D.A.M. as part of their curriculum, augmenting or replacing texts and gross anatomy labs. While the TLC currently lacks the resources to support using A.D.A.M. in a large class, since we own only a single copy, we invite faculty to experiment with the program and consider it as a tool for possible use in instruction. If enough interest is shown, we will consider acquiring additional copies. For further information, please contact Philip Arny at 685-3125 or by email at parny@u.washington.edu.
New Journal Titles
The following newly acquired journals are not yet covered by MEDLINE or other major indexing services.
Journal of Transcultural Nursing. v. 4(1992) --.
A semiannual publication of the Transcultural Nursing Society, focusing on theory,
research, and practice of transcultural nursing.
Nature Genetics. v. 1(1992) -.
International monthly journal publishing important advances in all fields impacting
on human genetics and the Genome Project.
PCR Methods and Applications. v. 2(1992) -- .
Quarterly publication focusing on improvement in polymerase chain reaction methodology,
new amplification methods, or the results of PCR application.
Trends in Health Care, Law & Ethics. v.7(1992) -- .
Published in cooperation with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New
Jersey - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Information is taken from official
court reports and other well-documented, reliable sources.
Electronic News on UWIN
by Debbie Ketchell, Associate Director, Resource Management and Systems DevelopmentA nice example of using the news to answer a hypothetical patient question is provided by the following scenario, developed with David Losh, M.D., Family Medicine Center, for a teaching session for residents.
"On Tuesday, February 2, Peter Jennings announced on ABC Evening News that there were new findings which would revolutionize the treatment of ulcers. On the newsbit, Dr. Timothy Johnson stated that a bacteria had been found that accounted for the majority of ulcer cases and that ulcers could be cured with antibiotic therapy. Several patients were interviewed, and the results seemed remarkable. They ended the report by stating that if you suffer from ulcers, you should seek out a doctor who knows about this new treatment. Anticipating that some of your ulcer patients will be asking about this, you want to research the topic and determine the validity of the treatment recommended on the Evening News."
When Dr. Losh presented me with this scenario to prepare for the resident's session that afternoon, I signed on to UWIN and selected Electronic News from the main service index, and then moved down the news menu: NEWS -> Science and Technology -> Health News. Once the Health News headlines were displayed, I used the "where is" command, and at the "Word to search for" prompt, typed ulcer. This news item was indeed listed, and I jumped immediately to it. I then used the "view news" command and read the UPI newsfeed article.
The news article provided me with additional valuable information, since this is not a topic I keep up on. First, it told me the article that prompted this press release was from the New England Journal of Medicine (not a surprise since many news releases come from NEJM and the press receives early releases.) Since it undoubtedly referred to the February 3rd issue, I knew the article would not yet be in MEDLINE, but the issue would probably be shelved in the Library's New Acquisitions area by Wednesday or Thursday. Second, the news article provided a much more detailed description than a patient would have gleaned from the TV news report . For instance, the UPI article described the type of ulcer and antibiotic therapy. With this information, I could easily go beyond the NEJM article by switching over to MEDLINE under UWLIB databases and do a quick search on this topic.
This scenario graphically illustrates the power of electronic information resources. I managed to run through this scenario in about 15 minutes by just sitting down at my workstation and jumping into UWIN.
To arrange for database training for a group in your department, or to learn more about the other UWIN resources, contact a Reference Desk or your library liaison.
Geographic Name Server on Internet
by Lisa Oberg, Information Services & Education LibrarianThe Geographic Name Server, a database of U.S. place names, is available via the Internet. This easy-to-use resource provides basic information about cities and towns in the United States. Each entry includes: population, zip codes, area code, elevation, longitude and latitude, county, and note to indicate a county seat. You can search either by place name or zip code.
The Geographic Name Server is available via the UWIN Gopher server or by using Gopher client software. To get to the Geographic Name Server through NCSU Library Without Walls, use the pathway described below from the UWIN gopher menu: Preferred Gopher Servers-> NCSU Library without Walls-> Reference Desk-> Directories->.
Direct access to the Geographic Name Server is available at the Internet address martini.eecs.umich.edu 3000 or by its IP equivalent 141.212.99.9 3000. In some situations you may need to change your software parameter to "local echo" in order to display what you are typing.
For dial-up modem users, Internet access is available by connecting to a campus computer, such as Carson; then use the telnet command or connect to UWIN. Factsheets on how to use telnet and other Internet-related subjects, such as Gopher, are available at a Reference Desk or from the library liaison to your school or department.
Dictionary of Modern Medicine
by Janet Schnall, Information Services Librarian*'Twinkie defense' FORENSIC PSYCHIATRY. A legal tack that was used by the defense and supported by the defendant's psychiatric experts in the trial of a San Francisco supervisor, who in 1979 allegedly killed Mayor G. Moscone and Harvey Milk; the contention was that the emotionally-strained defendant became unbalanced by eating "junk food," citing the consumption of various carbohydrate-rich food products, including doughnuts, candy bars, soft drinks and a proprietary snack cake (Twinkies) for his irrational behavior; the ploy reduced the defendant's conviction from that of first-degree murder to voluntary manslaughter, which carries a lesser sentence; see Television intoxication syndrome.
This is only one of the fascinating and unusual definitions that can be found in The Dictionary of Modern Medicine, compiled and edited by J.C. Segen (REFBKS: W13 S4545d 1992). A recent addition to the Reference Collection, this dictionary is a sourcebook of currently used medical expressions, jargon and medical terms, designed to complement traditional medical dictionaries as well as define terms not found in traditional sources. You will find entries such as: finder's fee, "heavy guns", garden hose appearance, rule of nine, monopsony, couch potato, hole-in-the-stomach man, and "slippery slope." Some definitions include citations to journal articles where the term appears. As George D. Lundberg, editor of JAMA, states in the Foreword, "Wordsmiths of the world, enjoy."
http://healthlinks.washington.edu/hsl/bnb/archive/5/5.html