Author Archives: Marina

Searching for Conference Abstracts

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Oftentimes when searching the literature, you may want to include conference abstracts. These can be vital sources of information in subject areas that are on the forefront of research or where the literature is scarce. However, finding and using conference abstracts can sometimes lead to confusion and frustration.

The first source of frustration is that conference abstracts are just that, abstracts. There are no full-text article associated with them. Sometimes the authors may publish an article later from their conference abstract, but this would be a separate citation. The “full-text” may only be a PDF of the poster abstracts, but typically will not include any more information than the database record.

The second source of frustration is finding these conference abstracts. Not every database includes conference abstracts, so if you are only searching PubMed you will not find them, as PubMed does not typically index conferences (including conference papers, posters, presentations, etc.).

The following databases are great for searching for conference abstracts/posters and papers:

  • Web of Science: WOS Core Collection includes Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Science (CPCI-S) –1994-present and Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Social Science & Humanities (CPCI-SSH) –1994-present.
  • Embase: “Embase includes conference abstracts from important biomedical, drug and medical device conferences dating back to 2009. It currently indexes 7,000+ conferences covering over 2.4 million conference abstracts-advanced information that can’t be found searching MEDLINE alone.”
  • Scopus: “9 million conference papers from proceedings and journals.”

Takeaways:

  1. Not every database indexes conference abstracts – PubMed does NOT generally index conference abstracts.
  2. Most of the time the meeting abstract is included in the database record (unless it is a summary record to all the abstracts from a conference).
  3. There is no full-text article for a conference abstract – it is possible that later an article will be published based on the same study presented initially as a conference abstract, however that will be a separate citation.

 

PubMed 2.0 is Under Development

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The National Library of Medicine is working on a new interface for PubMed. The new interface will have a more modern look and feel, and will include a variety of new features, such as additional support for mobile devices.

This new interface is currently in beta testing over at PubMed Labs and is publicly available. Users are encouraged to try it and provide their feedback.

Please be aware, since the new interface is still in development, as of now it can’t replace the current PubMed in content and functionality. The National Library of Medicine has announced that not all new/planned features can be found in PubMed Labs yet, but more and more features are being added.

The MSKCC Library is monitoring the progress of these new developments. Once the new PubMed is fully ready for public use, the Library will be offering relevant instruction and assistance.

We hope that the new PubMed will provide an exceptional user experience and support the features users are looking for.

Time Restricted Eating, Circadian Rhythms, and More

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A selection of cancer research in the news this past week…

  • An animal study on breast cancer showed that eating within just an eight-hour window every day could “prevent the development of tumours”. The study’s lead researcher, Dr. Manasi Das, suggested that “this intervention may be effective in breast cancer prevention and therapy”. The study on time restricted eating was formally presented at ENDO 2019 conference (March 23-26, New Orleans).
  • Researchers from Tulane University established that circadian disruption caused by exposure to dim light at night may contribute to the metastatic spread of breast cancer to the bone. This animal study was also presented at ENDO 2019 conference.
  • Also focused on breast cancer, a trial conducted at Marshall University demonstrated that walnut consumption altered gene expressions related to tumor progression and could “decrease breast cancer growth and survival”. The new study on this ongoing research is in press and is due to be published in Nutrition Research. Note: Primary funding for this study “was from the California Walnut Commission to WEH”.
  • Researchers from Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine conducted a study that uncovered “how cancer cells with identical genomes can respond differently to the same therapy”. The study published in Nature Communications established the “relationship between mitochondria variability and drug response” which “may lead to more effective targeted cancer treatments”.
  • University of Bradford and University of Surrey, UK researchers discovered that prostate cancer cells “spit out” a protein from their nucleus taken up by other cells, including normal cells, which provokes tumor growth. The study was published in Scientific Reports.
  • A study conducted by researchers from the UK and Spain determined that a protein produced by melanoma cells triggers reprogramming of healthy immune cells to prevent them from attacking cancer cells and to help them survive instead. The study was published in Cell.