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MEDLINE/HealthSTAR Regeneration 2001

March 29, 2001 Author: CDLCategories:

NLM has begun sending new MEDLINE records to CDL and we are now loading these into our MEDLINE/HealthSTAR database.  Users with Updates will begin to see new records this week.  Please remember that CDL’s MEDLINE coverage is NOT the same as PubMED’s coverage.  CDL does not load OldMEDLINE or PreMEDLINE records.  See the NLM Technical Bulletin for more information on the differences between PubMed and MEDLINE. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/nd99/nd99_scope.html

The CDL version of MEDLINE will continue to use the 2000 MeSH records.  CDL will not be loading the 2001 MeSH headings.  When you do a browse search, you will be browsing the year 2000 MeSH headings. MeSH terms that are new for 2001 will not be included, however, you can search on these new terms by doing a Keyword (KW) search in the Telnet and Web interfaces.  This means that you may get slightly different sets of items retrieved if you do the same search on CDL’s version of MEDLINE/HealthSTAR and on PubMed or other versions of MEDLINE.

Interface changes for CDL version of MEDLINE/HealthSTAR.

  1. Unique ID (UI) & PUBMED Identifier (PMID)
    Sometime in 2001 NLM will no longer use the UI.  Instead they will be using a PMID.  The CDL display label will become “Unique ID/ PMID:” in the web interface, and UI/PMID in the telnet interface.  Both UI’s and PMID’s will be in the same index.  FIND UI will be a synonym for FIND PMID.  The TAG will remain AN.
  2. New fields from NLM
    NLM is adding some new non-MeSH subject fields to MEDLINE.  These new fields will be searched in the Keyword (KW) and Subject word (SW) indexes.  Note: The SW index appears only in telnet interface.  These will display as subjects.  NLM expects to begin populating these fields some time in 2001.  Although we do not yet have sample data or even examples of the content of these fields, the field names are fairly self-explanatory as to the possible content.
    Personal Name as Subject
    Procurement Source
    Sponsoring Agency
    Space Flight Mission
  3. Abstracts
    NLM says that abstracts may be multiply-occurring in the future.If this is the case, then users will see multiple abstracts.  In addition to the MEDLINE abstract other abstracts found may also be added in MEDLINE records in the future.  These could be abstracts that are added by outside producers or, perhaps, consumer-directed abstracts that some journals are beginning to include.