A warm welcome…..

We would like to offer a warm welcome to all new students in Applied Sciences.

It was great to meet you all last week and we hope this week will be a little less exhausting!!!

Also, welcome back to all returning students – doesn’t time fly eh???

Remember we are here if you need anything.

Best wishes,

Joss Granger & Jo Smith

Goodbye CAB Abstracts

The School of Applied Sciences have decided to cancel the subscription to the CAB Abstracts database, which only provides journal abstracts.

Access will cease at the end of July.

Useful replacement databases that provide mainly full text journal articles include ScienceDirect, Wiley Interscience, Swetswise and IngentaConnect.

New Journal Trial

From 26 June until 23 July, we have  a trial of Scopus, which is scientific publisher Elsevier’s abstract and citation database of research literature and web sources. It claims to contain over 16,500 peer-reviewed journals from more than 4,000 publishers.

Natural Medicines – Monthly Update

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database eUPDATE and eCE

Here are just a few of the hundreds of updates we’ve made to Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database this month. You can learn more about these and thousands of other natural medicines by accessing the Database. Plus you can get fully accredited continuing education credits. • The H1N1 influenza (“swine flu”) outbreak has people looking for ways to reduce their risk. Some supplement marketers are attempting to capitalize on people’s fears. Products thought to stimulate immune function or those with antiviral effects are most often promoted…echinacea, elderberry, astragalus, andrographis, and many others. The homeopathic product Oscillococcinum is also commonly suggested. Advise patients not to rely on these products for preventing or treating H1N1 influenza. There is no reliable evidence that they are effective for this use. To help you answer questions, get our patient handout with information from the CDC: Patient Handout: H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) and You. • Hydroxycut products have been withdrawn from the market due to concerns about liver damage and other severe adverse events. The US Food and Drug Administration identified at least 23 reports of hepatotoxicity in patients taking Hydroxycut products. Symptoms ranged from asymptomatic hyperbilirubinemia and jaundice to liver transplant and death. Other adverse events reported have included heart attack, myopathy, and seizures. There were 14 Hydroxycut products on the market, each containing multiple ingredients. The most common ingredients were chromium, Garcinia cambogia extract, Gymnema sylvestre extract, and green tea extract. The exact cause of these events is not known. Remind patients that natural does not equal safe. Advise patients not to use these products.

New MyiLibrary interface

The new MyiLibrary e-book platform is launched tomorrow – with better searching and different branding. Please take a look at the new layout.

Our OPAC links should be redirected to the new site, but please contact us if you have any problems.

MedLab News latest update

MedLab News provides online access to all the latest issues affecting the medical profession.

View the latest issue to find out more.

Harrison Learning Centre changes…..

There have been a few changes here in Harrison that you need to be aware of.

At the request of users, the third floor (excluding the IT Suite) has now been designated a SILENT STUDY AREA. As you enter the floor from the central stairs or the IT Suite , you will expected to remain silent, switch mobile phones to vibrate and be considerate of others users. Staff will be patrolling the floor regularly.

The group study rooms on third floor are now SINGLE STUDY ROOMS with a PC. These can be booked as normal at the Lending Services helpdesk on ground floor. You will be expected to study individually and in silence in these rooms. 

New areas for group study will be available on the second floor, still allowing groups to study together.

Please take notice of the signs in Harrison advising of group or silent study areas.

For more information regarding these changes, please ask at the information helpdesks in the Learning Centre.

Just a reminder that the InfoBites information skills sessions begin next week.

We have a number of sessions at the Harrison Learning Centre throughout the next few weeks. We shall be focusing on Harvard Referencing and EndNote software, but there are also some ‘drop-in’ sessions where you can just come along and we’ll try to help you.

You can see the current timetable on the InfoBites website. Keep your eyes out for next semester’s timetable which will be going onto the website shortly.

We have a number of sessions at the Harrison Learning Centre throughout the next few weeks. We shall be focusing on Harvard Referencing and EndNote software, but there are also some ‘drop-in’ sessions where you can just come along and we’ll try to help you.

You can see the current timetable on the InfoBites website. Keep your eyes out for next semester’s timetable which will be going onto the website shortly.

Natural Medicines…monthly update

	Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database eUPDATE and eCE Here are just a few of the hundreds of updates we’ve made to Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database this month. You can learn more about these and thousands of other natural medicines by accessing the Database. Plus you can get fully accredited continuing education credits. • Vitamin K is now showing up along with calcium and vitamin D in supplements used to prevent bone loss and osteoporosis. Some of these include Bone & Joint Care, Bone Care, Nutra K2 Osteo, OsteoPrime, and many others. Vitamin K is a cofactor in some bone forming processes. Low vitamin K levels are associated with reduced bone mineral density and increased fracture risk. But clinical research using vitamin K supplements is conflicting. Some studies show that taking certain forms of vitamin K supplements increases bone mineral density and might reduce fracture risk, but other research shows no benefit. Tell patients that the jury is still out on using vitamin K-containing supplements for preventing osteoporosis. Caution patients taking warfarin (Coumadin) not to take calcium with vitamin K unless they are prepared to take it consistently. INR monitoring is needed when starting or stopping vitamin K-containing supplements. Continue to recommend calcium and vitamin D supplements for those who need it. • Pomegranate juice has been suspected of potentially interacting with a long list of drugs, similar to grapefruit juice. This was based on test tube and animal studies showing that pomegranate inhibits the drug metabolizing enzyme cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4). But new research in humans shows that pomegranate does NOT significantly increase serum levels of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4. This interaction still shows up in some interaction screening programs. Keep in mind that it is not likely to be clinically significant. • Cran-Max is a dietary supplement promoted for urinary tract infections (UTI). It contains cranberry whole fruit concentrate. A recent clinical trial shows that taking Cran-Max 500 mg daily for 6 months is comparable to trimethoprim 100 mg daily for preventing recurrent UTI in women. For women who want to try cranberry, recommend drinking cranberry juice or cranberry juice cocktail. These have the best evidence. But Cran-Max is worth considering for women who don’t want to drink the juice. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and second only to lung cancer in cancer-related deaths. Many women turn to natural medicines for preventing and treating breast cancer. Get the latest scientific evidence on soy, red clover, flaxseed, European mistletoe, and many other natural medicines used for breast cancer in our new course, Natural Medicines in the Clinical Management of Breast Cancer.

Web of Knowledge is changing….

As of early February, Web of Knowledge will be changing and improving the features available.

Visit the Web of Science presentation for more details.