reblog

Ische Library Associate – Award Winner

Congratulations to the Isché Library’s Circulation Associate, Amy Corder. Amy is currently a graduate student in the School of Library and Information Science in addition to working full-time with us.

Library Outreach Student Award Recap: Amy Corder – Reblogged from NNLM/SCR Blogadillo

The annual meeting of the South Central Chapter of the Medical Library Association is one of our biggest events of the year. We hold our advisory board meetings, exhibit, and sometimes offer continuing education. One of the highlights for us is being able to bring our Library Outreach Student Award winners with us to show them the ropes. In this three-week series, we’ve asked some of them to reflect on their experiences.

Thanks to the NNLM SCR Library Outreach Student Award, I was able to attend SCC/MLA’s 45th annual conference in San Antonio, TX.

Although I work as an associate in a health sciences library, I had no idea what to expect from a medical library conference. Luckily, the NNLM Regional Medical Library staff explained everything about what to expect at the conference beforehand so that I wasn’t completely lost, and they answered all of my questions.

Attending committee meetings was unexpectedly my favorite part of SCC. Two of the committee meetings I attended were the Continuing Education and Research committees, where I was able to get a glimpse into how each committee plans for the following year and all of the work that goes into preparing for the conference each year.

However, the Outreach Committee meeting was the highlight of my time at the conference. I was interested to hear all of the different outreach activities among medical libraries in our region and how NNLM supports them in their endeavors. I had no idea of how varied outreach efforts were in the medical library community, from providing health information training to public librarians, to attending health fairs locally, and conducting webinars.

It was very interesting to see the research trends that are developing within medical libraries and how medical librarians can help to move forward medical research and evidence-based medicine. Not to mention, the social events were an extremely fun way to network with other health information professionals!

I had a great time at SCC and would encourage other Library and Information Science students to attend. I left the conference feeling motivated about my career path and connected to the larger community of health sciences librarians.

New Blood Test Could Spot Autism in Children

Researchers have been working on an experimental blood test that could point out autism in children. So far, the test is 98 percent accurate in children ages 3 to 10 in diagnosing if they have autism.

“The test was able to predict autism, regardless of where on the spectrum an individual was,” according to study co-author Juergen Hahn in the MedlinePlus article. The test was also able to indicate the severity of the autism-related condition with good accuracy.

This new test is a stark contrast to the current approach of diagnosing autism, which entails a consensus from a group of medical professionals. The blood test, on the other hand, looks for key metabolism markers in the child.

The study was small, with less than 200 participants, so more research is planned to follow-up on the claims.

To read more about the study, please visit “Could a Blood Test Spot Autism in Childhood?”

Reblogged from Blogadillo on March 23, 2017 from the NNLM/SCR. Like them on Facebook and like us on Twitter.

Flu Season Still in Full Swing

Flu Season Still in Full Swing. (reblogged from Blogadillo)

With flu season still in swing, itÔÇÖs more important than ever to get that flu shot and practice good health behavior! As of the week ending on January 4, 2014 at least?á35 states are now showing widespread geographic influenza activity?áaccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In addition to the activity across the country,?áevery state in the South Central Region?áis showing the highest level of influenza activity. The unusually high number of those affected by the flu prompted the CDC to issue an official health advisory notice to clinicians.

The?áhealth advisory notice?ástates

From November through December 2013, CDC has received a number of reports of severe respiratory illness among young and middle-aged adults, many of whom were infected with influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 (pH1N1) virus.?áMultiple pH1N1-associated hospitalizations, including many requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and some fatalities have been reported. The pH1N1 virus that emerged in 2009 caused more illness in children and young adults, compared to older adults, although severe illness was seen in all age groups.

One common misconception of the flu is that fatalities are more likely to occur in the very young and very oldÔÇôthis is not the case with the pH1N1 strain. According to the?áInfluenza Associated Hospitalizations?áin the CDC FluView Weekly Index, those ages 18-64 account for 61% of hospitalizations. This means everyone is at risk for catching the flu, regardless of age and health status. Despite these numbers, those in 18-64 age range are still the?áleast likely to get vaccinated.

To do your part in preventing the spread of flu germs, here are the CDCÔÇÖs?áGood Health Habit tips:

1. Avoid close contact.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
2. Stay home when you are sick.
If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.
3. Cover your mouth and nose.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.
4. Clean your hands.
Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
6. Practice other good health habits.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work or school, especially when someone is ill. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.