February 09, 2010
More Changes to PubMed
Changes have been made to the new PubMed interface. Limits can now be accessed from the home page, the Advanced Search page has been simplified, and you can now see a message about items on the Clipboard on the home page, not just on the Search Results page.
If you haven't already seen this, here's the video that demonstrates the PubMed interface released this fall.
Posted by cshannon at 10:48 AM | Comments (0)
A protein may switch off cancer cells
Lights out: A protein may switch off cancer cells
ANN ARBOR, Mich.—A protein acting as a switch to activate the cell death process may prove to be an effective targeted treatment for killing cancer cells.
University of Michigan researchers discovered that the protein called RIP plays a role in mediating both the life and death of squamous cell carcinoma cancer cells, said Yvonne Kapila, associate professor, Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine at the School of Dentistry.
This is key because cancer cells elude the normal cell death process. If that process could be activated artificially by a targeted introduction of RIP into cancer patients, those cells could be destroyed before they circulate out of control in the body, Kapila said.
The findings are promising but still a long way from being used as a therapy, Kapila said. Researchers still need to show that introducing RIP is safe before it can be tested in humans.
Kapila's lab set out to find a mechanism that activates cell life and death. "The cell must analyze multiple signals and say, 'OK, am I going to die or am I going to live,'" Kapila said. "We felt there must be some kind of communication between pathways of life and death otherwise the cell will be confused and not know what to do."
Researchers looked at squamous cell carcinoma cells from head and neck tumors and also fibroblasts from mice, but the findings could apply to other cancers as well since the death process is largely the same. They found that RIP was indeed the communicator, interacting with a cell death protein called FAS and with a protein called FAK during cell survival conditions.
Normal cells usually need to attach to a matrix to survive, and die if detached, Kapila said. This unique type of cell death caused by detachment from the matrix is called anoikis. Cancer cells can detach from a matrix but elude anoikis and circulate freely, which allows them to spread and metastasize in the body.
"This is a great advantage," Kapila said. "They can go wherever they like and find a happy home and set up shop there."
Next, researchers modified, or knocked out, portions of RIP to see which parts were critical in each process, Kapila said.
"In the future if one were to use this for therapy, if we know which pieces of the protein are important for each function, we know where to focus," Kapila said.
The next step is to study the process in mice and analyze patient samples of RIP at different levels.
In a separate project, Kapila's group is examining a separate molecule and its success in shrinking tumors, and how it interacts with RIP.
Other authors are Pachiyappan Kamarajan, and Julius Bunek, Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, U-M School of Dentistry; Yong Lin, Molecular Biology and Lung Cancer Program, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Gabriel Nunez, Department of Pathology, U-M School of Medicine.
from UM Gateway
Posted by schnitzr at 08:39 AM | Comments (0)
February 08, 2010
New from the NLM: Emergency Access Initiative for Haiti
The National Library of Medicine has announced that free full-text articles from over 200 biomedical journals and over 65 select reference books will be made available for medical teams responding to the earthquake in Haiti and the libraries supporting their efforts.
The Emergency Access Initiative (EAI) collection includes common biomedical journal titles and reference books, and emergency medicine-related titles. EAI serves as a temporary collection replacement and/or supplement for libraries affected by disasters that need to continue to serve medical staff and affiliated users. It is also intended for healthcare personnel responding to a specific disaster.
"Although the project was set up to assist libraries affected by disasters in the United States, NLM and the publishers are activating the EAI now, for the first time ever, in light of the medical disaster unfolding in Haiti," noted NLM Director Dr. Donald A.B. Lindberg. "It's hard to imagine a more urgent need."
Emergency Access Initiative: http://eai.nlm.nih.gov
To access the collection in PubMed, simply do a search, then click on the Emergency Access--Free Articles link on the search results page.
Posted by cshannon at 11:43 AM | Comments (0)
Is your pet getting its teeth checked regularly?
When I was at the vet recently(for dental work on a pet), I saw that February is Pet Dental Health Month. As with humans, animals need to have their teeth checked. February is a great time to get this done--maybe your vet will give you a discount too!
Find more information, click here.
http://www.healthypet.com/PetCare/PetCareArticle.aspx?art_key=53d99aad-e759-473e-8977-f8f75eefb754
Posted by cshannon at 09:48 AM | Comments (1)
February 07, 2010
Give Kids a Smile --Aftermath
Two members of the Health Sciences Libraries' staff spent Saturday morning (2/6/10) distributing reliable health information and giving out MedlinePlus pens, as well as flyers with resources for free/low cost health care, to about 90+ parents at the Give Kids a Smile annual event held at the UM School of Dentistry. While the participants were waiting for their dental check-ups, we also gave out colorful stickers to the children. Other volunteers in the waiting room were occupied with keeping the children entertained, while still others demonstrated (on Mr. Potato Head and various stuffed animals) the correct way to brush one's teeth. The event went very well thanks to the warmth and friendliness of the numerous volunteers (mostly pre-dental and dental students) and to the competence and the organizational efforts of the staff of the Dental School. Thanks to everyone involved in this delightful, extremely worthwhile and highly appreciated annual event. And how often can one make that statement about your ordinary "visit to the dentist"?
Posted by schnitzr at 05:00 AM | Comments (0)
February 02, 2010
Oral health for infants, children, adolescents, pregnant women
The Maternal and Child Health Library at Georgetown University in
collaboration with the National Maternal and Child Oral Health
Resource Center (OHRC) released a new edition of the knowledge path
about oral health for infants, children, adolescents, and pregnant
women. Presented in time for National Children's Dental Health Month
in February, this electronic guide points to resources that analyze
data, describe effective programs, and report on policy and research
aimed at improving access to and the quality of oral health care. The
knowledge path contains sections with resources for professionals,
resources for consumers, and resources on specific aspects of oral
health. Topics include child care and Head Start, dental caries,
dental sealants, fluoride varnish, K-12 education, pregnancy,
school-based care, and special health care needs. The knowledge path
is available at
http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_oralhealth.html.
Knowledge paths on other topics are available at
http://mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/index.html .
We welcome your comments and help in disseminating this information to
the health education and health promotion communities.
Thank you,
Susan Brune Lorenzo, MLS
E-mail: smblorenzo@gmail.com
Maternal and Child Health Library
National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health at
Georgetown University
Web site: http://mchlibrary.info
--
Posted by schnitzr at 03:17 PM | Comments (0)
February 01, 2010
Dentistry Museum Sparkles
"The Michigan Daily" 2/1/10 has an interesting article about the Sindecuse Museum of Dentistry saying that it "is an exhibit you can sink your teeth into." The article continues:
The University hosts one of the few museums in the world specifically dedicated to honoring the discipline of — believe it or not — dentistry.
The Sindecuse Museum of Dentistry is scattered throughout the School of Dentistry and the W.K. Kellogg Institute Building. Named after Dr. Gordon Sindecuse, a University alum, the museum was created in 1992 to preserve dental paraphernalia and recognize the fusion of art and dentistry. The museum contains over 12,000 objects, but only 15 percent of these artifacts are put on display due to lack of space. Most of the items are kept in drawers, portfolios and rolling racks under carefully monitored temperatures to battle decay.
Amber Ostaszewski, an LSA sophomore on staff at the museum, described Sindecuse as a “dental cabinet of curiosity.”
More at: http://www.michigandaily.com/content/dentistry-museum-profile
Posted by schnitzr at 01:57 PM | Comments (0)
January 31, 2010
JEBDP offering CEU's to reviewers
Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice to Offer Continuing Education Units for Reviewers
One of the First US Dental Journals to Link Peer Review to Continuing Education
St Louis, MO, 23 September 2009 – Elsevier, a leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services announced today, that the Editors of Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice (JEBDP), the foremost publication of information about evidence-based dental practice, will begin offering continuing education units (CEUs) to its recognized experts and valued peer reviewers.
With this new policy, External link JEBDP becomes one of the first U.S. dental journals, and the first publication in the burgeoning area of evidence-based dentistry, to award CEUs to reviewers. "We view this as a tangible way of rewarding and expressing appreciation to our dedicated peer reviewers," commented Michael G. Newman, D.D.S., Professor Emeritus at the UCLA School of Dentistry and Editor-in-Chief of JEBDP. "Granting CEUs also recognizes the unique role played by reviewers for JEBDP in developing the authoritative content included in our journal."
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authored_newsitem.librarians/companynews05_01323
Posted by schnitzr at 06:15 AM | Comments (0)
PubMed--additional changes in February:
Watch for:
PubMed® Advanced Search, Limits, and Homepage Revised
Changes coming to PubMed in early February include:
Advanced search page will be streamlined.
A link to Clipboard will be added to the homepage, if applicable.
A new Limits page with additional limits for dates and search field tags.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/jf10/jf10_pm_advanced_search.html
Posted by schnitzr at 05:18 AM | Comments (0)
January 11, 2010
Women's Health and Fitness Day
Women's Health and Fitness Day is a one-day event for the purpose of educating the community about issues surrounding women's health and fitness. The day will be organized by medical students, faculty members, and staff.
Florine Mark, President and Chairwoman of the Board of Weight Watchers Group, Inc., will talk about "Tools to Be the Best You Can Be," as the keynote speaker at this year's Women's Health and Fitness Day on Saturday, January 23. Organized by the women students of the University of Michigan Medical School, this free community event is aimed at raising awareness about health and fitness issues important to women. Attendees - who can be men or women - participate in a variety of workshops on various health topics, including depression, hypertension, cancer and dieting. There will also be fitness classes - yoga, fitball and zumba. The event will day place at the Ypsilanti High School, 2095 Packard Rd., from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. For information, go to www.umich.edu/~medfit/whfd2010 or email whfd.2010@gmail.com
Posted by schnitzr at 07:26 AM | Comments (0)
Warm Greeting
Soldier returns home after 14 months in Iraq--to warm, enthusiastic greeting:
Posted by schnitzr at 07:16 AM | Comments (0)
January 08, 2010
Google News Now Provides a More Journalistic Approach
January 2010
An In-depth Look at the News
Google News
Google has partnered with The Washington Post and The New York Times to provide a more journalistic approach to providing news. This new offering, called Living Stories
Each story includes an in-depth review of the issues involved, a timeline showing key events, selected news articles and features, videos, slideshows, graphics, profiles of the key players, and links to key resources. Because these "living stories" are maintained by editors rather than generated algorithmically, they offer a way to get a good introduction and perspective on a current issue.
Living Stories may not be the go-to source for late-breaking news stories, but this is an exciting initiative. In fact, I hope that newspapers everywhere look at how Living Stories is received; this is a great way to leverage all the content that newspapers produce and tap into the knowledge of reporters by including links to the key primary sources as well.
source: Bates Information Service www.BatesInfo.com/tip.html
Posted by schnitzr at 02:46 PM | Comments (0)
UM Health Sciences Libraries Get Into the Spirit
In addition to our regular workload, the staff of the Health Sciences Libraries (HSL) of the University of Michigan have been busy with a number of charitable activities during the holiday season. Our staff members have taken part in Sponsor-a-Family, a Community Action Network program that provides services to low-income individuals. We have provided age-appropriate holiday presents as well as gift certificates for a local family of four with children ages 17,15, and 2, according to a wish-list that this group has submitted to us.
The HSL have also been active in acquiring and recycling eyeglasses in conjunction with a Lions Club project. The glasses are first sent to a nearby prison where they are cleaned and repaired by prisoners and then sent abroad to be distributed to those who need them in developing countries. Over the past three years, we have collected the equivalent of nine large boxes filled with recycled eyeglasses passed along to us by our users.
Because there has been a shortage in local Michigan food banks due to the economy, staff members have contributed to the supply by bringing in non-perishable cans of soup, beans, and other healthy food items. This has been an activity coordinated by our affiliated hospital’s patient nutrition unit.
Finally, on a continuous basis we are collecting warm clothing, including socks, gloves, hats, scarves, down jackets, and blankets—all intended for the inhabitants of our city’s homeless shelter.
Posted by schnitzr at 11:43 AM | Comments (0)
CRLT Winter 2010 Seminar Series
The Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) is pleased to present our Winter 2010 Seminar Series. To register for the following seminars, please visit our website at http://www.crlt.umich.edu/faculty/facseminar.php, where you will find detailed descriptions of each program.
>
> **Teaching in, with, and about Museums:
> Engaging Students in Materially Different Ways
> 1/26 2:00-4:00 p.m.
> **Teaching Undergraduates in the Archives:
> The Future of the Past
> 2/2 2:00-4:00 p.m.
> **Active Learning with 20-150 Students
> 2/10 3:00-5:00 p.m.
> **Now That I Have It, What Grade Should I Give It?
> Evaluating Student Writing
> 2/11 4:00-6:00 p.m.
> **Using Technology to Provide Students with Effective Feedback
> 2/15 3:00-5:00 p.m.
> **Mentoring Graduate Students Through the Dissertation
> 2/16 3:00-5:00 p.m.
> **Rethinking the Science Lecture:
> Using Inquiry to Improve Student Learning
> 2/22 1:00-3:00 p.m.
> **Arts at the Core: The Importance of the Arts in the
> 21st-Century Curriculum
> 3/9 12:00-1:30 p.m.
> **When Race Breaks Out
> 3/25 3:00-5:00 p.m.
>
> Seminars are open to faculty on all three campuses (Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint) and are free of charge.
>
>
> CRLT North presents our Winter 2010 Engineering Programs. For more information and to register, please visit http://www.engin.umich.edu/teaching/crltnorth/currentworkshops.html
>
> **A Conversation on the Future of Engineering Education
> with Sheri Sheppard and James Duderstadt
> 2/5 2:30-4:00 p.m.
> **Teaching for Student Retention in Engineering
> 2/18 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
> **First Days: (dis)Ability in the Classroom
> (A CRLT Players performance)
> 3/31 2:00-4:00 p.m.
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by schnitzr at 11:41 AM | Comments (0)
UM Copyright Office Soon to Have Open Hours
The UM Library Copyright Office offers scholars, researchers, staff, and students clear and straightforward information about copyright. To learn more, use the links on the left to navigate the collection of resources created by the Copyright Office.
Sometimes, you just need to talk to someone. Starting in February,Melissa Levine, Lead Copyright Officer and Greg Grossmeier, Copyright Specialist offer regular public hours. Please stop by with your questions and feel free to refer students, faculty, and others who may need some help. We are always available at copyright@umich.edu and by appointment. Give us a call.
We are always looking for ways to improve this site and welcome your questions, comments, and feedback.
The information presented here is intended for informational purposes and should not be construed as legal advice. If you have specific legal questions pertaining to the University of Michigan, please contact the Office of the General Counsel.
Posted by schnitzr at 11:35 AM | Comments (0)
January 07, 2010
Give Kids a Smile
For the fourth year in a row, the staff members of the Dental School will present the annual "Give Kids a Smile" event. This year, it will be held on Saturday Feb. 6, 2010, with registration beginning at 9AM for patients and ending at noon, and the event running until 2:00PM. After children are registered by their parents or guardians, the children's teeth will be examined, cleaned, and x-rayed; some minor restorative work will also be done if needed. There is no charge. For more information on the Michigan Dental Association's toolkit, please see: http://www.smilemichigan.com/NewsArticles/GiveKidsaSmileMediaKit.aspx
The Health Sciences Libraries will have a table with handouts listing sources of reliable health information, and they will distribute pens, as well.
Posted by schnitzr at 12:50 PM | Comments (0)
December 08, 2009
Whirlwind Tour of Clinical Resources
Cross-posted on the UM Health Sciences Libraries blog.
The Health Sciences Libraries are proud to present a whirlwind tour of clinical resources.
On December 10th, from 11 am until 2 pm, please join us in UH 2C228 (off the Cafeteria, behind the Gift Shop) to view the new electronic resources that the M-Library now has available. In addition to DynaMed, EMBASE, & Scopus, come see the new Mirlyn & new PubMed interfaces, AccessMedicine, AccessPharmacy, StatRef!, CINAHL, Pediatric Care Online, Facts & Comparisons, Dentistry and Oral Sciences Source, MedlinePlus, and otheres .
This is a drop-in session, so no need to register. Come for a few minutes or just to pick up handouts or stay/play for an hour. Questions to: hslibraries@umich.edu
Posted by markmac at 09:32 AM | Comments (0)
November 23, 2009
School of Dentistry Involvement with Open.Michigan
In case you weren't aware of this: Faculty in the UM School of Dentistry have contributed a number of excellent videos and other course content to the University of Michigan's open education initiative - Open.Michigan. That means that the content is freely available to anyone and everyone for their use and reuse. The Dental content includes:
- CRSE materials - Dental Materials
- DENT 718 - Advanced Topics in Removable Prosthodontics
- Health Case Studies
- Patient Communication Skills
For more information about the Open.Michigan initiative, which aims to open educational resources to the global community, visit their website and About page.
Posted by markmac at 11:10 AM | Comments (1)
November 06, 2009
Dentistry and Oral Sciences Source Presentation
For those of you who were not able to attend Tuesday's presentation on the new dentistry-specific database 'Dentistry and Oral Sciences Source', I've attached the slides for your convenience! Feel free to comment here or email me directly at markmac[at]umich.edu.
Posted by markmac at 12:28 PM | Comments (0)
