LINUS January 1998


CD-ROM Highlights


New CD-ROMs at Medical Library


Ong Hong Kiat, Medical Library

Methods in Enzymology Index on CD-ROM

This cd-rom is produced by the Academic Press and uses the DynaText search software developed by Electronic Book Technologies Inc. It contains cumulative indexes for all Methods in Enzymology volumes published from 1955 to 1994 (v. 1-244). The Medical Library subscribes to Methods in Enzymology (print form) from v. 1 (1955) onwards, and this cumulative index on cd-rom provides a quick and easy way to find references for virtually every specialty covered in the 244 volumes. The cd-rom contains:

  1. Contents of Volumes which gives the specific title of each volume and the tables of contents.
  2. Cumulative Contributor Index (author index)
  3. Cumulative Subject Indexes comprising:
    v.33, covering v.1-30 (1955-74)
    v.75, covering v.31-32, 34-60 (1974-79)
    v.95, covering v.61-74, 76-80 (1979-81)
    v.120, covering v.81-94, 96-101 (1982-83)
    v.140, covering v.102-119, 121-134 (1983-86)
    v.175, covering v. 135-139, 141-167 (1987-88)
    v.199, covering v. 168-174, 176-194 (1989-91)
    v.229, covering v. 195-198, 200-227 (1991-93)
    one volume covering v. 228, 230-244 (1994).

The volume numbers in the cumulative contributor index and the page numbers in the subject indexes are hyperlinked back to the table of contents of the volumes they appear in, so that they can be seen in context.

To check for articles published in later years of Methods in Enzymology, use databases like MEDLINE, EMBASE, Biological Abstracts, Chemical Abstracts and Science Citation Index.

Cochrane Library

This title is produced by the Cochrane Collaboration, an international network of individuals and institutions established in October 1993 to help people make well-informed decisions about health care. It does this by preparing, maintaining and promoting the accessibility of systematic reviews of health care interventions. The Library has the following databases:

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

This database (CDSR) includes the full text of regularly updated systematic reviews of the effects of health care. CDSR has 2 sections:

  1. Complete reviews
  2. Protocols for reviews currently being prepared (include expected dates of completion)

CDSR is updated and amended regularly as new evidence becomes available and errors are identified. The Cochrane Collaboration welcomes comments and criticisms intended to improve the validity and usefulness of Cochrane reviews.

Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness

This database (DARE) is prepared by the National Health Service Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD), a sibling organisation of the U.K. Cochrane Centre at the University of York, England. It contains information on previously published reviews of effects of health care. DARE complements CDSR by offering a selection of quality accessed reviews in those subjects where there is currently no Cochrane review. The CRD identifies reviews via weekly searches of Current Contents Clinical Medicine, monthly searches of MEDLINE and CINAHL databases, hand searching of key major medical journals, and scanning of grey literature sources. DARE has 4 main types of reviews:

  1. Structured abstracts provide access to and summarise previously published good quality systematic reviews
  2. ACP Journal Club abstracts of reviews are produced by the American College of Physicians Journal Club up to 1995
  3. INAHTA records are references to reports prepared by members of the International Network of Agencies for Health Technology (INAHTA), many with structured abstracts
  4. Source records are references to other published systematic reviews and these records in general have not been quality accessed by the CRD

Cochrane Controlled Trials Register

This database, CCTR, is a collection of references to controlled trials in health care. Cochrane Groups (individuals sharing an interest in a particular health care problem or type of problem) identify the trials by searching databases like MEDLINE and EMBASE, as well as by hand searching back issues of journals and conference proceedings, including non-English-language publications. The Cochrane Collaboration also invites other groups and organisations to contribute their specialised registers for inclusion in CCTR. Many of the Cochrane Groups are working with the National Library of Medicine to ensure that all clinical trials will eventually be identifiable using MEDLINE.

Cochrane Review Methodology Database

This is a bibliographic database. It is not comprehensive. The broad intention is to include all published reports of empirical studies of methods used in reviews, as well as, methodological studies that are directly relevant to doing a review, such as empirical studies of the association between research methods and bias in randomised controlled trails.

Users can sign out the cd-rom from the Medical Library Office for use on the standalone pc at the Reference Area. Users can save and reload their search strategies. Users can also save or print their search results with a stored-value photocopy card which can be purchased from the vendor.


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LINUS January 1998, The National University of Singapore Library