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At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources

PubMed2002

Information retrieval on the Internet: a guide for dental practitioners.

The Internet is not designed for efficient information retrieval. Searchers experience difficulties when trying to find information quickly. Once they find the information, they often cannot assess the validity of the information or its origin. Various Internet search engines and information retrieval systems try to facilitate this process to make the searching more efficient. Searchers use these services, which are usually free, to satisfy their information needs. Knowing when to use which search engine and how to use it is crucial to finding the right information in a timely fashion.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2002

Treatments for chronic fatigue syndrome and the Internet: a systematic survey of what your patients are reading.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the type, quality, and focus of patient information on the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome on the Internet using simple search techniques. DESIGN: The search phrase 'chronic fatigue syndrome' was entered into nine common Internet search engines. The 25 most highly ranked pages identified by each of the nine search engines were analysed using a standardized pro forma. The following outcome measures were used: balance of content, consistency of content with evidence-based practice, declared authorship with credentials, information sources including the presence of references, the declaration of any potential conflict of interest, and the need to clarify information with an appropriate health professional. RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty-five websites were reviewed during a 2-week period in September 2000. A further 15 sites (6.3%) were inaccessible. Agreement between websites and systematic reviews of treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome ranged from 4 to 68%, the greatest agreement being for recommendations for graded exercise and the avoidance of prolonged rest. Most sites (64%) had a named author. Only a quarter to a third contained a declaration of interest, advised readers to clarify information with an appropriate health professional, or avoided inaccurate statements. CONCLUSIONS: The Internet contains a great deal of information on chronic fatigue syndrome that is neither balanced nor consistent with evidence-based practice. Doctors individually, and as a profession, should provide guidance on which Internet sites to trust.

Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic↗

PubMed2005

Using the world wide web to facilitate the editing and publishing of a textbook for faculty professional development.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this report is to describe the editing and publication of a textbook to increase the opportunity for faculty to contribute textbook chapters, using the internet WWW to facilitate the editing process. METHODOLOGY: An outline of 22 sections containing 214 chapters, was developed. Each section was assigned to an editor Editors recruited authors for each of their section chapters. Chapters were submitted to the editors, then a chief editor completed the editing for the chapter. RESULTS: Chapters that were completed early were posted on the WWW which permitted additional review by the authors facilitating communication with the editors. The additional lead time on the WWW permitted indexing and identification by internet search engines (e.g., Google), so that by the time the textbook was completed, most major search engines had already identified the on-line textbook. Page/type-setting was streamlined by the electronic transfer of the equivalent on-line chapter files to the publisher. 41 chapters were contributed by 18 senior faculty, 51 chapters were contributed by 29 assistant professors, 46 chapters were contributed by 23 non-faculty community physicians, 38 chapters were contributed by 27 residents, and 40 chapters were contributed by 37 medical students. CONCLUSION: A textbook project such as this provides faculty with the opportunity to contribute to the medical literature enhancing their professional development. The WWW provides a new forum for publishing a textbook. It also provides a new communication option between editors and authors to better coordinate the content and editorial style of the chapters.

Faculty, Medical↗

PubMed2002

Breast cancer on the world wide web: cross sectional survey of quality of information and popularity of websites.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the characteristics of popular breast cancer related websites and whether more popular sites are of higher quality. DESIGN: The search engine Google was used to generate a list of websites about breast cancer. Google ranks search results by measures of link popularity---the number of links to a site from other sites. The top 200 sites returned in response to the query "breast cancer" were divided into "more popular" and "less popular" subgroups by three different measures of link popularity: Google rank and number of links reported independently by Google and by AltaVista (another search engine). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Type and quality of content. RESULTS: More popular sites according to Google rank were more likely than less popular ones to contain information on ongoing clinical trials (27% v 12%, P=0.01 ), results of trials (12% v 3%, P=0.02), and opportunities for psychosocial adjustment (48% v 23%, P<0.01). These characteristics were also associated with higher number of links as reported by Google and AltaVista. More popular sites by number of linking sites were also more likely to provide updates on other breast cancer research, information on legislation and advocacy, and a message board service. Measures of quality such as display of authorship, attribution or references, currency of information, and disclosure did not differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Popularity of websites is associated with type rather than quality of content. Sites that include content correlated with popularity may best meet the public's desire for information about breast cancer.

Breast Neoplasms↗

PubMed2006

[Information about electroconvulsive therapy on the internet].

This article aims to provide a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the information about electroconvulsive therapy that is currently available on the internet. We carried out a quantitative assessment by entering five search terms into eight (meta)search engines. We achieved our qualitative assessment by visiting the first twenty websites generated by each search on one of the search engines, in particular Google (www.google.com), and by scoring these websites with an adapted Sandvik-score. We conclude that the scored websites are technically sound but are incomplete as far as content is concerned.

Electroconvulsive Therapy↗

PubMed2005

ProbIDtree: an automated software program capable of identifying multiple peptides from a single collision-induced dissociation spectrum collected by a tandem mass spectrometer.

In MS/MS experiments with automated precursor ion, selection only a fraction of sequencing attempts lead to the successful identification of a peptide. A number of reasons may contribute to this situation. They include poor fragmentation of the selected precursor ion, the presence of modified residues in the peptide, mismatches with sequence databases, and frequently, the concurrent fragmentation of multiple precursors in the same CID attempt. Current database search engines are incapable of correctly assigning the sequences of multiple precursors to such spectra. We have developed a search engine, ProbIDtree, which can identify multiple peptides from a CID spectrum generated by the concurrent fragmentation of multiple precursor ions. This is achieved by iterative database searching in which the submitted spectra are generated by subtracting the fragment ions assigned to a tentatively matched peptide from the acquired spectrum and in which each match is assigned a tentative probability score. Tentatively matched peptides are organized in a tree structure from which their adjusted probability scores are calculated and used to determine the correct identifications. The results using MALDI-TOF-TOF MS/MS data demonstrate that multiple peptides can be effectively identified simultaneously with high confidence using ProbIDtree.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2005

HBVPathDB: a database of HBV infection-related molecular interaction network.

AIM: To describe molecules or genes interaction between hepatitis B viruses (HBV) and host, for understanding how virus' and host's genes and molecules are networked to form a biological system and for perceiving mechanism of HBV infection. METHODS: The knowledge of HBV infection-related reactions was organized into various kinds of pathways with carefully drawn graphs in HBVPathDB. Pathway information is stored with relational database management system (DBMS), which is currently the most efficient way to manage large amounts of data and query is implemented with powerful Structured Query Language (SQL). The search engine is written using Personal Home Page (PHP) with SQL embedded and web retrieval interface is developed for searching with Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). RESULTS: We present the first version of HBVPathDB, which is a HBV infection-related molecular interaction network database composed of 306 pathways with 1 050 molecules involved. With carefully drawn graphs, pathway information stored in HBVPathDB can be browsed in an intuitive way. We develop an easy-to-use interface for flexible accesses to the details of database. Convenient software is implemented to query and browse the pathway information of HBVPathDB. Four search page layout options-category search, gene search, description search, unitized search-are supported by the search engine of the database. The database is freely available at http://www.bio-inf.net/HBVPathDB/HBV/. CONCLUSION: The conventional perspective HBVPathDB have already contained a considerable amount of pathway information with HBV infection related, which is suitable for in-depth analysis of molecular interaction network of virus and host. HBVPathDB integrates pathway data-sets with convenient software for query, browsing, visualization, that provides users more opportunity to identify regulatory key molecules as potential drug targets and to explore the possible mechanism of HBV infection based on gene expression datasets.

Databases, Genetic↗

PubMed1998

The Internet--a new information medium for nurses--Part 1.

Part one of this series examined some Internet basics. Computer requirements and Internet connection options were covered, and Web addresses and search engines were reviewed. With this information in hand, you can determine if your current computer equipment is adequate or what type of computer and modern to purchase, and the type of Internet connection that will be right for you. Once online, remember to type web addresses exactly as they appear and to read the help sections of various search engines to learn how to perfect your search techniques. Part two of this series will cover practical issues of Internet use. Suggestions will be offered for dealing with e-mail file attachments, and how to avoid unsolicited e-mail and computer viruses. Techniques for reviewing and evaluating online health information will be discussed as well.

Humans↗

PubMed2003

SciQuest and the complete archive of the NZVJ launched online.

The complete archive of the New Zealand Veterinary Journal went online on 1 January 2003 on SciQuest (www.sciquest.org.nz), an innovative new e-publishing website developed by the New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA). This follows hot on the heels of the CD-Rom version released from the same platform in June last year. Subscribers in 2003 will be able to search and retrieve, online, the full text of any article published in the journal since its inception in 1952. To date, few veterinary science journals are able to offer such a complete and comprehensive resource. SciQuest's mission is to provide high-speed access to science and continuing education articles to scientists and veterinarians in a fully indexed and searchable format, both online (via the internet) and offline (via CD-Rom). Searching and browsing the archive online is free and abstracts are available for all articles published from 1972 onwards. Access to full text, which is presented in PDF format exactly as published, is restricted to journal subscribers. The site will be updated with each issue of the journal as it is published. The online format will largely suit institutional users and casual enquiries, whereas the offline version is designed to be loaded onto computer hard drives for immediate access, any-time, and is better suited to frequent users and veterinary practitioners. A major advantage of the offline resource is its speed and immediacy, returning search results and full text much faster than the online version, without the need for internet access. The search engine has been designed to suit specific problem-oriented enquiries, and great effort has been expended to ensure the archive is both complete and accurate. The same search engine and interface has been provided on both versions, which allows for fast and highly specific searching of titles and full text of all articles for the occurrence of any word or combinations of words, as well as indexes of author, volume, year, article type, animal type and subject. Search results can be instantly sorted by author and date of publication, and powerful secondary search features such as 'by the same author', 'in the same issue' and 'same subject' links add power and flexibility. The offline version will be updated with annual releases and is available for purchase to subscribers and members of the NZVA.

Editorial↗

PubMed2002

Continuing dental education on the World Wide Web.

Continuing dental education (CDE) courses delivered on the World Wide Web (Web CDE) offer numerous advantages over traditional CDE; however, two major issues--location of suitable courses and course quality--need resolution. Locating high-quality courses is difficult due to the lack of the standardized metadata that allows search engines to match courses to practitioners' needs. Web directories created by professional organizations are beginning to show promise, but require further development. Search engines and Web directories are discussed and improvements currently underway summarized. Course quality remains a highly significant concern. A national effort to create Web CDE course quality standards is underway that includes proposed standards. These proposed standards are summarized and used to comment on the current state of Web CDE courses. Examples are given when possible. Three emerging Web CDE technologies and a look to the future of Web CDE are discussed.

Computer-Assisted Instruction↗

PubMed2005

Ultrasonographic contrast media: has the time come in obstetrics and gynecology?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this work was to review the technical aspects and clinical applications of contrast media (microbubbles and nanomolecular agents) in obstetric and gynecologic ultrasonographic imaging. METHODS: With the use of a computerized database (MEDLINE) and several Web-based search engines (Google Scholar and Copernic), relevant articles on ultrasonographic contrast media were reviewed. References cited in these articles and not obtained via the search engines were also reviewed. RESULTS: Ultrasonographic contrast media constitute a new and expanding technology. They are frequently used, for example, in adult cardiology. Extensive research in laboratory setups, animals, and human subjects has shown their safety and huge potential as an adjunctive tool in clinical practice. They increase signals returning from insonated tissues and are particularly effective as intravascular agents, enhancing color and Doppler signals, for instance. Preliminary results in tumor imaging are encouraging. The ultrasonographic contrast media permit pharmacokinetic perfusion studies, which may be of enormous clinical importance in the study of early cancer development. Targeted imaging and therapies are becoming a reality. Microbubbles have already brought a new dimension to diagnostic ultrasonographic imaging. Many authors have described the clinical value of these agents in liver, prostate, and breast imaging, among others. Newer types of media, the nanomolecules, are now emerging as the latest in imaging enhancers as well as therapeutic agent carriers. CONCLUSIONS: Although showing potential in imaging of the uterus and fallopian tubes as well as some obstetric applications, the contrast media, in particular the nanomolecules, seem to be most promising in ovarian cancer.

Contrast Media↗

PubMed2004

German-language paediatric websites.

BACKGROUND: Among medical subspecialties, paediatrics is relatively well represented on the Internet, as evidenced by the number of topical pages retrieved with different search engine queries. We sought to identify the kind of information that is readily available and to evaluate those resources for the quality of patient education from the consumer's perspective. METHODS: A review was conducted of paediatric material found on German-language websites. In November 2002, we used a popular method of searching information on the Internet to locate German-language websites identified by the search string "kinderarzt". The first 200 websites listed in the most popular search engine 'Google' were recorded in a database and compared with one another. RESULTS: A search of the Internet identified 40.900 potential paediatric sites. The most common features of the reviewed websites included information about a specific paediatric practice (71%); general health-care information (52%); and a description of vaccinations (30%). E-mail consulting was offered by 44% of the sites. Only a few sites conform to the code of the Health On the Net (HON) Foundation, clearly state authorship, or exactly identify the most recent material update. CONCLUSIONS: The Internet is a tool capable of providing an unprecedented amount of information to patients interested in paediatric health topics. Our assessment of the status of German-language paediatric information on the Internet indicates that many colleagues use the Internet only to promote their private practice. Our findings indicate that Internet-based information regarding paediatric health care is extensive at present, but is also poorly organised and hard to find.

Austria↗

PubMed2001

Identification of bacteriophage MS2 coat protein from E. coli lysates via ion trap collisional activation of intact protein ions.

Collisional activation of the intact MS2 viral capsid protein with subsequent ion/ion reactions has been used to identify the presence of this virus in E. coli lysates. Tandem ion trap mass spectrometry experiments on the +7, +8, and +9 charge states, followed by ion/ion reactions, provided the necessary sequence tag information (and molecular weight data) needed for protein identification via database searching. The most directly informative structural information is obtained from those charge states that produce a series of product ions arising from fragmentation at adjacent residues. The formation of these product ions via dissociation at adjacent amino acid residues depends greatly on the charge state of the parent ion. Database searching of the charge-state-specific sequence tags was performed by two different search engines: the ProteinInfo program from the Protein information Retrieval On-line World Wide Web Lab or PROWL and the TagIdent program from the ExPASy molecular biology server. These search engines were used in conjunction with the sequence tag information generated via collisional activation of the intact viral coat protein. These programs were used to evaluate the feasibility of generating sequence tags from collisional activation of intact multiply charged protein ions in a quadrupole ion trap.

Capsid↗

PubMed2002

Effectiveness of off-line and web-based promotion of health information web sites.

The relative effectiveness of off-line and web-based promotional activities in increasing the use of health information web sites by target audiences were compared. Visitor sessions were classified according to their method of arrival at the site (referral) as external web site, search engine, or "no referrer" (i.e., visitor arriving at the site by inputting URL or using bookmarks). The number of Australian visitor sessions correlated with no referrer referrals but not web site or search-engine referrals. Results showed that the targeted consumer group is more likely to access the web site as a result of off-line promotional activities. The properties of target audiences likely to influence the effectiveness of off-line versus on-line promotional strategies include the size of the Internet using population of the target audience, their proficiency in the use of the Internet, and the increase in effectiveness of off-line promotional activities when applied to locally defined target audiences.

Australia↗

PubMed2005

Dissemination of 'patient-oriented evidence that matters' on the Internet: the case of Type 2 diabetes treatment.

AIMS: To evaluate the dissemination of patient-oriented evidence that matters (POEMs) derived from the UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) through health information websites. METHODS: Google and Altavista search engines were used to generate a list of websites about Type 2 diabetes treatments. We evaluated a random sample of 50 websites from each list, plus the first 10 websites displayed on each search engine looking for the presence of POEMs about diabetes treatment derived from the UKPDS. Websites were also ranked using the DISCERN instrument. RESULTS: The final sample consisted of 66 websites. The most frequently stated item was that tight blood pressure decreased complications and/or mortality (55.5%). The effects of metformin on morbidity and/or mortality in overweight patients and the greater effect of control of blood pressure rather than blood glucose control on complications were stated in 18.2 and 16.7% of cases, whereas the lack of effect of tight blood glucose control on premature mortality and of insulin or sulphonylureas on aggregate micro- or macrovascular outcomes in overweight patients were stated in one case each (1.5%). The lack of effect of tight blood glucose control on quality of life was not stated in any website. POEMs were more frequently present in websites rated high with the DISCERN instrument, websites with the Health-on-the-Net seal and non-commercial websites. CONCLUSIONS: The dissemination of POEMs through the Internet is poor. If patients are to be involved in decision-making processes, efforts should be made to update the Internet contents to meet this challenge.

Databases, Factual↗

PubMed2004

[Quality assessment of information about female urinary incontinence from French speaking websites].

OBJECTIVES: An increasing number of patients look for medical information on Internet, and find hardly accurate answers to their questions. The objective of this study was to assess the quality of information about urinary incontinence on free access Web-sites. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A search using the most used search engines in French speaking countries and key words given by patients located 24 Web-sites on female urinary incontinence to review. A general description of each site was done. Then a specially designed assessment scale, whose criteria were extracted from a literature review and from practice guidelines for the management of female urinary incontinence, was used by two reviewers to assess each Web-site content. RESULTS: Three key terms (urinary incontinence, urine loss, urine leak) were used on three search engine (Google, Yahoo, Voila) and the first 10 Web-sites located for each search were analyzed. The mean score was low (7.92 (+/-3.1) range 0-24, maximum 24) and only four sites received the "highly recommended" mention. CONCLUSIONS: This study using medical evidence-based criteria to assess the quality content of French speaking Web-sites about female urinary incontinence highlights the poor quality of information available for Internet "typical users". Doctors should play a greater role in evaluating these sites and/or developing their quality.

Health Education↗

PubMed2002

The quality and accessibility of Australian depression sites on the World Wide Web.

OBJECTIVES: To provide information about Australian depression sites and the quality of their content; to identify possible indicators of the quality of site content; and determine the accessibility of Australian depression web sites. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey of 15 Australian depression web sites. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: (i) Quality of treatment content (concordance of site information with evidence-based guidelines, number of evidence-based treatments recommended, discussion of other relevant issues, subjective rating of treatment content); (ii) potential quality indicators (conformity with DISCERN criteria, citation of scientific evidence); (iii) accessibility (search engine rank). RESULTS: Mean content quality scores were not high and site accessibility was poor. There was a consistent association between the quality-of-content measures and the DISCERN and scientific accountability scores. Search engine rank was not associated with content quality. CONCLUSIONS: The quality of information about depression on Australian websites could be improved. DISCERN may be a useful indicator of website quality, as may scientific accountability. The sites that received the highest quality-of-content ratings were beyondblue, BluePages, CRUfAD and InfraPsych.

Australia↗

PubMed2006

Information about liver transplantation on the World Wide Web.

Orthotopic liver transplant (OLTx) has evolved to a successful surgical management for end-stage liver diseases. Awareness and information about OLTx is an important tool in assisting OLTx recipients and people supporting them, including non-transplant clinicians. The study aimed to investigate the nature and quality of liver transplant-related patient information on the World Wide Web. Four common search engines were used to explore the Internet by using the key words 'Liver transplant'. The URL (unique resource locator) of the top 50 returns was chosen as it was judged unlikely that the average user would search beyond the first 50 sites returned by a given search. Each Web site was assessed on the following categories: origin, language, accessibility and extent of the information. A weighted Information Score (IS) was created to assess the quality of clinical and educational value of each Web site and was scored independently by three transplant clinicians. The Internet search performed with the aid of the four search engines yielded a total of 2,255,244 Web sites. Of the 200 possible sites, only 58 Web sites were assessed because of repetition of the same Web sites and non-accessible links. The overall median weighted IS was 22 (IQR 1 - 42). Of the 58 Web sites analysed, 45 (77%) belonged to USA, six (10%) were European, and seven (12%) were from the rest of the world. The median weighted IS of publications originating from Europe and USA was 40 (IQR = 22 - 60) and 23 (IQR = 6 - 38), respectively. Although European Web sites produced a higher weighted IS [40 (IQR = 22 - 60)] as compared with the USA publications [23 (IQR = 6 - 38)], this was not statistically significant (p = 0.07). Web sites belonging to the academic institutions and the professional organizations scored significantly higher with a median weighted IS of 28 (IQR = 16 - 44) and 24(12 - 35), respectively, as compared with the commercial Web sites (median = 6 with IQR of 0 - 14, p = .001). There was an Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) of 0.89 and an associated 95% CI (0.83, 0.93) for the three observers on the 58 Web sites. The study highlights the need for a significant improvement in the information available on the World Wide Web about OLTx. It concludes that the educational material currently available on the World Wide Web about liver transplant is of poor quality and requires rigorous input from health care professionals. The authors suggest that clinicians should pay more attention to take the necessary steps to improve the standard of information available on their relevant Web sites and must take an active role in helping their patients find Web sites that provide the best and accurate information specifically applicable to the loco-regional circumstances.

Humans↗