Tips

American Heart Month

Promoting awareness in its 48th year, the American Heart Association is going red for American Heart Month.?á Did you know that Heart Disease is the No. 1 killer of women ages 20 and older and more women die of heart disease more than the next four causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer??á In America, an estimated 2,200 die each day due to heart related disease. By doing away with smoking, increasing physical activity, reducing cholesterol in diet and losing weight will help to prevent heart disease.

Warning signs of heart disease include but are not limited to:

  • Chest discomfort
  • Shortness of breath
  • Discomfort in other areas of the upper body
  • Breaking out in a cold sweat, lightheadedness & nausea

Expand your knowledge

Take a peek at an interactive tool with the Heart Attack Risk Calculator to measure your risk of heart disease in the next 10yrs.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/

New Dietary Guidelines

On January 31st, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans were released and their main focus is to emphasize that reducing calorie consumption and increasing physical activity will lead to better health. Currently, more than two-thirds of adults and one-third of children are overweight or obese and ultimately the new guidelines will help to prevent diet-related chronic disease. Tips that are emphasized to incorporate in our everyday lives are:

  • Avoiding oversized portions
  • Drinking water instead of other beverages
  • Consuming foods with less sodium
  • Reducing caloric intake
  • Increasing fresh fruits and vegetables

Be on the lookout for more consumer-friendly tools and advice which will be released within the next few months.

For more information please visit:
www.dietaryguidelines.gov
www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines
www.healthfinder.gov/prevention
www.mypyramid.gov

Phrase searching in PubMed

Problem: you want to search PubMed for a phrase like text messaging, but the phrase keeps getting broken up.

Solution: when searching for phrases:

ÔÇó Search the phrase first without quotes or search tags.
ÔÇó Check Search details to see how the search was translated.
ÔÇó Use quotes (” “) when your phrase is broken apart.

For details and screen shots, read the complete article at
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/jf11/jf11_skill_kit_pm_phrase_searching.html

Using quotes work really well when you are looking for a specific article title!

National Takeback Initiative

Got a cabinet full of unused prescription drugs? Well the National Takeback Initiative is going on this Saturday September 25th in hopes to safely dispose of unused and expired prescriptions and over the counter solid dosage medicines. The effort is to bring forth awareness of pharmaceutical controlled substance abuse. These drugs are a potential source of supply for illegal use and an unacceptable risk to public health and safety.

A few recommended disposal options include:

  • Mixing the medicine with coffee grounds or cat liter
  • Placing the unwanted meds in a sealed container or a plastic bag

For more information, please visit:

http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/takeback/

http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/pdf/prescrip_disposal.pdf

http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicineSafely/EnsuringSafeUseofMedicine/SafeDisposalofMedicines/ucm186187.htm

Allied Health starts today

Welcome (& welcome back), School of Allied Health students! Here are some library tips as you (re)orient yourself to campus:

1. The RegistrarÔÇÖs office is on the fourth floor of the library. Students get their IDs here. After getting your ID, stop by the Circulation desk for a library barcode.

2. You need a library barcode for off campus access.

3. Your ID can also store money for printing, books and food purchases. Get it formatted in the LSUHSC Bookstore on the 2nd floor of the Resource Center Building to access this feature. More info about PayPaw.

4. Computers are available in the Library Commons and the open access lab on the libraryÔÇÖs 4th floor. Simply log in with your lsuhsc user id and password.

5. Wireless access and laptop ports are available throughout campus. Wireless instructions.

6. More questions? The library is here to help.

Nursing school starts today

Welcome (& welcome back), School of Nursing students! Here are some library tips as you (re)orient yourself to campus:

1. The RegistrarÔÇÖs office is on the fourth floor of the library. Students get their IDs here. After getting your ID, stop by the Circulation desk for a library barcode.

2. You need a library barcode for off campus access.

3. Your ID can also store money for printing, books and food purchases. Get it formatted in the LSUHSC Bookstore on the 2nd floor of the Resource Center Building to access this feature. More info about PayPaw.

4. Computers are available in the Library Commons and the open access lab on the libraryÔÇÖs 4th floor. Simply log in with your lsuhsc user id and password.

5. Wireless access and laptop ports are available throughout campus. Wireless instructions.

6. More questions? The library is here to help.

Arthritis Facts!

Arthritis is the nation’s leading cause of disability – Fact

Approximately 46 million people in America have been diagnosed with arthritis, and of them 300,000 are children. Arthritis is a group of?á conditions that affects joints as well as other parts of the body. Avoiding a sedentary lifestyle by walking or doing some other type of exercise is recommended to improve conditions. Inactivity may cause arthritis patients to experience more pain. Nearly everyone over the age of 75 is affected by arthritis in at least one joint, according to the American College of Rheumatology.

The 3 most common types of arthritis are:

  • Rheumatoid
  • Juvenile
  • Osteoarthritis

A few ways to keep moving are stationary cycling, walking and gardening.

For additional information visit:

http://www.arthritis.org/arthritis-awareness-month.php

Be Free of Fraud: Tech Tips

LSUHSC Information Technology had come up with a page of Tips for Protecting Yourself from Technology-Based Fraud. Check it out & stay safe.

PubMed?« Revisions in February

Changes coming to PubMed in early February include:

  • Advanced search page streamlined
  • link to Clipboard will be added to the homepage, if applicable
  • new Limits page with additional limits for dates and search field tags
  • Tips for Newbies

    Spring Semester is upon us! New students take note:

    1. The Registrar’s office is on the fourth floor of the library. Students get their IDs here. After getting your ID, stop by the Circulation desk for a library barcode.

    2. You need a library barcode for off campus access.

    3. Your ID can also store money for printing, books and food purchases. Get it formatted in the LSUHSC Bookstore on the 2nd floor of the Resource Center Building to access this feature. More info from PayPaw.

    4. Computers are available in the Library Commons and the open access lab on the library’s 4th floor. Simply log in with your lsuhsc user id and password.

    5. Wireless access and laptop ports are available throughout campus. Wireless instructions.

    6. More questions? The library is here to help.

    RefWorks now available in Stat!Ref

    Stat!Ref, an online textbook provider, now offers direct export to RefWorks, our bibliographic manager.

    More info & directions

    Pathophysiology resources

    ATTN Nursing students! Freaking out about that pathophysiology paper between bites of turkey? Check out these online resources to get some work done at home. Remember, we’re closed Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

    EbschoHOST – CINAHLplus with Full text
    Database of journal articles in nursing. Limit to full text under “search options” on the right side of the screen.

    StatRef
    Online textbooks in nursing. Search many textbooks at once for your topic.

    Nursing Consult
    Search nursing books and journal articles from MEDLINE/PubMed.

    MEDLINEplus
    Simple overviews on health topics from authoritative sources on the web.
    Genetics Home Reference
    Free access to consumer-friendly information on medical genetics and disorders, with references to scientific journal articles

    Off campus access instructions

    Halloween

    skullbook Just a friendly reminder that the Libraries will be open this weekend. The Isché Library will be open from 9:30-6 on Saturday & from 12-12 on Sunday. The Dental Library is open from 1:30-10 on Sunday.

    To help you and your family stay safe this Halloween, here are Tips from the Centers for Disease Control, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Diabetes Association. Enjoy!

    APA style update

    APA style was developed by social and behavioral scientists to standardize scientific writing. Here at LSU, the School of Nursing and some departments in the School of Allied Health use APA style to cite references in their papers.

    Why is standardized scientific writing necessary, anyway? A big reason is to enable others who read your paper to find the references that you used. Scientific research is built upon the ideas and experimentation of others, and it is critical to credit the shoulders of giants on which you stand.

    APA style can be confusing if you’ve never written a paper before. Luckily, there is a great tutorial on http://www.apastyle.org/ that is the perfect introduction to citing books and journals, both in a paper and on your reference page.

    If you don’t have time to view the 20 minute tutorial, check out these slide numbers for quick reference:
    Link to APA style tutorial: http://flash1r.apa.org/apastyle/basics/index.htm

    Slides 14, 15, 16: Citing references in text
    Slide 15 includes a handy table of in-text citation styles depending on the number of authors
    Slide 18: Components of a citation
    Slide 21: Formatting references to journal articles
    Slide 22: Formatting a reference to an entire journal issue
    Slide 23: Formatting a reference to a book chapter in an edited book
    Slide 24: Formatting a reference to an entire book

    There’s also a tutorial on What’s new in APA style, 6th edition, if you’re used to using the 5th.

    Happy citing!

    Glitches Gone in EMBASE.com

    EMBASE.com is functioning properly and has some new features.
    The best new feature is the suggested EMTREE descriptors at the search box. EMBASE.com uses controlled vocabulary (EMTREE terms and phrases) to focus the literature search to find articles about the topic. Just select the EMTREE term and search. The EMTREE term will be searched as well as the keyword.