EndNote X7 to be Released May 20
News from The Libraries – May 2013
This morning librarians Linda Levy and Peg Seger taught a class on WISER at the San Antonio Airport’s emergency center. Attendees included personnel responsible for airport operations and security. This session continued the series of classes provided for a variety of emergency personnel in San Antonio and Laredo. Support for these classes is provided by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine – South Central Region.
A study recently published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology showed that men who are “highly fit” have less risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to men who have a “low level of fitness”. Researchers use this example. A 55-year old man who is considered to have a “low level of fitness” would require approximately 15 minutes to walk a mile. His fitness level would put him at a nearly 30 percent risk of dying from a cardiovascular disease. On the contrary, a “moderately fit” 55 year old man could walk a mile in 10 minutes. This man’s risk of dying from a cardiovascular disease would be 10 percent.
The purpose of the study, conducted at The Cooper Institute and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas Texas, was to determine the relationship between fitness levels measured at ages 45, 55, and 65 and the lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease and death caused by cardiovascular disease. 11,049 men, ranging from 40 to 69 years of age, were included in the study. Their initial examination occurred before 1990 and they were subsequently followed up until death or until the age of 90. Participants had traditional risk factor measurement.
Lifestyle trends, such as poor diet and lack of exercise, can promote weight gain. In turn, weight gain can lead to diabetes mellitus, obesity and metabolic syndrome, which are all risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Texas and the leading cause of death in Texas Hispanics, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. In 2007, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in South Texas was higher than the state rate.
To watch a video report on the study please follow this Health Day link: http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/outrunning-heart-disease/1d3afoy1b?from=
Berry, J, et al. (2011). Lifetime Risks for Cardiovascular Disease Mortality by Cardiorespiratory Fitness Levels Measured at Ages 45, 55, and 65 Years in Men. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 57 (15).
UTHSC Library staff members have recently taught two CNE classes for nurses from the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (Metro Health). The first class, “PubMed for Nurses,” focused on the use of the National Library of Medicine’s free biomedical database PubMed to find professional- level health information relevant for nurses. The nurses learned about the scope and features of PubMed and the difference between PubMed and MEDLINE. They also learned some tips for effective searching and how to customize and work with their search results.
The second class, “Health Websites for Your Patients,” introduced the nurses to free and reliable health information websites that they could share with their patients and patients’ families. These sites, all provided through the National Library of Medicine and other NIH Institutes, include MedlinePlus®/ MedlinePlus en español (http://medlineplus.gov/), NIHSeniorHealth (http://nihseniorhealth.gov/), and Genetics Home Reference (http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/). Each of these sites is designed for use by health care consumers rather than health professionals, offering user-friendly navigation features to health information that has been selected for to conform to the standards of currency, reliability, authority, and objectivity.
UTHSC staff members are certified to teach CNE classes through the South Central Region of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM SCR), which is accredited by the Texas Nurses Association for these activities. Metro Health District nurses received one hour of CNE credit for each class.
Researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston have announced that people in US-Mexico border communities who are living with diabetes have a three to five times higher risk of contracting tuberculosis. The results of the study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, were published in the May issue of the Bulletin of the World Health Organization and reported on the UT Health website.
Tuberculosis is an ongoing problem for communities on both sides of the border, such as Laredo and Nuevo Laredo. The two Laredos current have 120 cases of TB, but joint efforts by the two cities’ public health organizations have helped to keep the spread of the disease under control according to a recent article in the Laredo Sun.
The most common signs and symptoms of TB, which is spread through the air, are a cough with phlegm for more than 15 days, sometimes bloody, fever, night sweats, momentary dizziness, chills and weight loss.
Although many women who suffer from hot flashes due to menopause or breast cancer surgery and chemotherapy would like to find effective alternative therapies to reduce their discomfort, a study conducted at the Mayo Clinic and presented at the current meeting of the American College of Clinical Oncology reported that flaxseed is not an effective replacement for estrogen therapy. During the study, which was undertaken due to anecdotal evidence that flaxseed might reduce hot flashes, nearly 200 women were given either a daily flaxseed bar or a placebo for six weeks. Reductions in the number of hot flashes experienced by each group were about the same. Both groups also experienced side effects, probably due to the fiber in the flaxseed bar and in the placebo bar.
The study is reported in the “Consumer Health News” section of the Health Day Web site at http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=653616.
First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack have unveiled the federal government’s new food icon. The MyPlate icon emphasizes the fruit, vegetable, grains, protein and dairy food groups. MyPlate replaces MyPyramid as the government’s primary food group symbol as an easy-to-understand visual cue to help consumers adopt healthy eating habits consistent with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. MyPyramid will remain available to interested health professionals and nutrition educators in a special section of the new website.
To learn more about MyPlate and to obtain usage tips and resources for specific audiences, visit: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/.
The Laredo Independent School District will be offering a free food program during the summer, beginning June 6, for all children and youth under the age of 18. There are no requirements or registration involved. According to Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Todd Staples, “The food is served to all regardless of economic status and even includes students with disabilities over 18 who are enrolled in the school nutrition program.” Breakfast, lunch and snacks will be offered Monday through Thursday in 62 locations, including schools, county recreation centers, libraries, housing, churches and other community settings.
Information (including sites and times of meals) on the Laredo program can be obtained by calling the 311 system or visiting the Laredo Independent School District News and Information page. To find other local locations for the summer nutrition program throughout the state, please visit the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Summer Nutrition Program website.
This morning the UT Health Science Center Libraries’ community advisors gathered by videoconference in Harlingen, Laredo and San Antonio. They represented a wide range of organizations, including Migrant Health Promotion, Gateway Community Clinic, Mercy Ministries, Texas A&M International University, Texas Health & Human Services Commission, Su Clinica Familiar, San Antonio Public Library, the Alamo Area Library System, San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, the Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics, University Health System – CareLink, and the Area Health Education Centers (AHECs).
[From a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Press Release]
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced an initiative to promote utilization of promotores de salud as a means of strengthening outreach and education on the availability of health services and insurance coverage to underserved Hispanic/Latino communities.
The HHS initiative aims to develop a national program to recognize the work of promotores, develop a database of promotores networks, which will include information on their training and where they work, and to foster cooperation among various networks. The project also aims to develop an English-Spanish web site with information and resources to assist community workers and their networks.
For more information and to view the full press release, visit: http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/promotores.
Hurricane Beulah is still recognized as one of the most significant storms to make landfall in Texas. On September 21, 1967 the storm moved into the mouth of the Rio Grande, and inundated South Texas with heavy rainfall. The memories of the hurricane and its aftermath were still fresh in the minds of many who attended the May 6th opening of a photography exhibit which chronicles the response of health professionals and local volunteers to refugees displaced by flooding in Starr County.
Hurricane Beulah caused extensive flooding on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. To escape the rising floodwaters, over 14,000 refugees from Camargo, Tamaulipas crossed the border into the small town of Roma, Texas. The refugees were in desperate need of food, shelter, and medical care. It was in Roma that Dr. Mario E. Ramirez, the only physician in town and Starr County’s Public Health Service Director, rose to action in the face of a crisis. For several weeks, Dr. Ramirez along with volunteers from the local community, UT Medical Branch in Galveston, Santa Rosa Hospital in San Antonio as well as the U.S. Army worked to help the hurricane victims.
Dr. Mario E. Ramirez examines a replica of a makeshift incubator that is depicted in one of the photographs included in the Hurricane Beulah exhibit. Dr. Ramirez attended the opening reception for the exhibit at the Regional Academic Health Center in Harlingen on May 6.
In 2007 the Library at the UT Health Science Center Regional Academic Health Center in Harlingen was named for Dr. Mario E. Ramirez. The Ramirez Library subsequently received materials from his personal archive and library. These are a rich collection of photographs, letters, and documents. Many of the materials donated by Dr. Ramirez are related to Hurricane Beulah, including 139 photographs and 185 pages of letters, newspaper clippings, and personal journal entries. The photographs were taken by George Tuley, a Rio Grande City teacher, who would later go on to a 39-year career as a photojournalist at the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.
The photographs portray the use of makeshift medical equipment in the absence of IV poles, incubators, and oxygen tents. The photographs also document the transformation of a high school into a packaged disaster hospital where blackboards were used to record patient information including diagnoses and treatments.
In 2009 the Ramirez Library received a Library Technology Award from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) to support the digitization, cataloging, and uploading of the Hurricane Beulah photographs to the UT Health Science Center Libraries Digital Archive as well as the creation of a traveling exhibit. The full collection of Hurricane Beulah photographs from the Ramirez Collection can be viewed online at http://bit.ly/beulahphotos. The photography exhibit will remain on display at the Ramirez Library, and a traveling version of the exhibit will be made available to local schools, libraries and museums. For more information, please contact Graciela Reyna, Assistant Director, Mario E. Ramirez, M.D. Library at (956) 365-8850 or reynag@uthscsa.edu.
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