Immunology in clinical practice. XIII. Immune diseases of the eye

In this report we consider the development of the Internet, from its origins as a military invention in the times of the cold war to its present day role, together with the World Wide Web, as a means of global communication which plays a key role in medical research and particularly in medical genetics. A few of the major genetics related research projects and gene research centers are introduced and their aims are briefly discussed. Detailed information about chromosome and gene mapping, together with sequence and structure databases, can be easily and rapidly accessed through the Internet. A variety of web-sites are briefly described and then listed at the end of the report, which will serve as a useful starting point from which the interested reader can access an almost endless source of genetics related information on the Internet. Finally, some of the ethical, legal and social implications of the links between gene therapy and the Intemet are considered.     

The information highway for the pediatrician: an understanding of the Internet for the clinician

The author details the information highway available to the computer-literate pediatrician: the Internet, Electronic mail (E-mail), the World Wide Web, and explains how to access the information.     

Java and its future in biomedical computing

Java, a new object-oriented computing language related to C++, is receiving considerable attention due to its use in creating network-sharable, platform-independent software modules (known as "applets") that can be used with the World Wide Web. The Web has rapidly become the most commonly used information-retrieval tool associated with the global computer network known as the Internet, and Java has the potential to further accelerate the Web's application to medical problems. Java's potentially wide acceptance due to its Web association and its own technical merits also suggests that it may become a popular language for non-Web-based, object-oriented computing.     

Digital images in dermatology and the Dermatology Online Atlas on the World Wide Web

The digital revolution opens new ways of storing, retrieving and distributing images. The informativeness of digital images of dermatological conditions as compared to conventional photographs and slides has proven to be statistically similar; in many cases, digital images may even substitute for dermatologic physical examination. Current developments in high-speed, high-capacity international networks and the growing popularity of the World Wide Web are converging in ways that have great potential for enhancing access to biomedical information, including medical images. However, lack of metainformation and indexing services specialised in retrieving images makes finding images--as opposed to textual information--on the Web difficult. To provide an image collection and entry point into dermatological resources on the World Wide Web, we have developed an image database (Dermatological OnlIne Atlas--DOIA). The database, which is freely available on the Internet at http://dermis.net, contains about 3,000 clinical images covering more than 600 dermatological diagnoses. It is designed for worldwide use; international submissions are encouraged. It serves as a teaching tool for medical students, doctors and patients, assists professional users by being an easy gateway to other databases such as MEDLINE, PDQ, and OMIM and serves as a platform for conducting research by means of administering Internet surveys to users. We conclude that an online image atlas has multiple educational, clinical, and research applications.     

A profile of current Internet users in dentistry

The authors developed a profile of current Internet users in dentistry using a survey administered through electronic mail and the World Wide Web. Eight hundred twenty-five respondents from 52 countries comprised dentists, assistants, hygienists, dental students and educators. Respondents reported that they used the Internet for discussing clinical cases, obtaining diagnostic and therapeutic information, buying dental products, communicating with patients and participating in continuing education. Eighty percent considered the Internet to be a useful or very useful resource in dentistry.     

Using Intranet Technology in the ICU

Current information management tends to focus on patient information, although non-patient-derived information is equally important in the delivery of health care. Intranets, based on technologies derived from the global Internet and the World Wide Web, are a viable means to strategically bring nonclinical information to the point of care.     

A five-day course of dirithromycin in the treatment of acute exacerbation of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

As in other areas of society, the Internet and the World Wide Web are becoming important topics in medical informatics. This is evident from the recent American Medical Informatics Association's 1996 Annual Fall Symposium, where the theme was "Beyond the Superhighway: Exploiting the Internet with Medical Informatics." Of the over 330 papers and abstracts published in the Proceedings, one third dealt with the Internet and/or the Web. In some cases, system developers demonstrated how this technology can do old tasks in new ways. In other cases, researchers described new tasks that are now possible with this technology. Still others examined this technology to show how it can be evaluated and improved. This paper summarizes their accomplishments.     

Evaluating Internet end-to-end performance: overview of test methodology and results

OBJECTIVE: An evaluation of Internet end-to-end performance was conducted for the purpose of better understanding the overall performance of Internet pathways typical of those used to access information in National Library of Medicine (NLM) databases and, by extension, other Internet-based biomedical information resources. DESIGN: The evaluation used a three-level test strategy: 1) user testing to collect empirical data on internet performance as perceived by users when accessing NLM Web-based databases, 2) technical testing to analyze the Internet paths between the NLM and the user's desktop computer terminal, and 3) technical testing between the NLM and the World Wide Web ("Web") server computer at the user's institution to help characterize the relative performance of Internet pathways. MEASUREMENTS: Time to download the front pages of NLM Web sites and conduct standardized searches of NLM databases, data transmission capacity between NLM and remote locations (known as the bulk transfer capacity [BTC]), "ping" round-trip time as an indication of the latency of the network pathways, and the network routing of the data transmissions (number and sequencing of hops). RESULTS: Based on 347 user tests spread over 16 locations, the median time per location to download the main NLM home page ranged from 2 to 59 seconds, and 1 to 24 seconds for the other NLM Web sites tested. The median time to conduct standardized searches and get search results ranged from 2 to 14 seconds for PubMed and 4 to 18 seconds for Internet Grateful Med. The overall problem rate was about 1 percent; that is, on the average, users experienced a problem once every 100 test measurements. The user terminal tests at five locations and Web host tests at 13 locations provided profiles of BTC, RTT, and network routing for both dial-up and fixed Internet connections. CONCLUSION: The evaluation framework provided a profile of typical Internet performance and insights into network performance and time-of-day/day-of-week variability. This profile should serve as a frame of reference to help identify and diagnose connectivity problems and should contribute to the evolving concept of Internet quality of service.     

The Internet & Healthcare Education: HELIX

With the advent of the World Wide Web (WWW), we are now on the cusp of a revolution in computer technology that will dramatically enhance medical education. An historical analogy might be Johann Gutenberg's invention of movable type in the 1400's-radically decreasing the cost, time, and expertise required to reproduce printed materials. Now, the WWW can decrease the cost of disseminating medical educational materials. When an educational module is authored for the Web, it can be placed on a computer "server" which in turn, distributes the program on the WWW to anyone with a computer and Internet access. Rapidly emerging standards are being developed to allow increasingly rich educational experiences on the Internet. With the introduction of HTML (hypertext markup language), a standardized method of placing text and graphics, as well as the connections between them, was created.     

Analysis of core virion polypeptides from the pathogen causing chicken egg-drop syndrome

This article introduces the podiatric physician interested in pediatrics to the resources available on the Internet. It surveys search engines, gateway sites on the World Wide Web leading to a wealth of pediatric information and services, and features such as electronic mail, news-groups, and Gopher sites. Examples illustrate how such resources can be helpful to the practicing podiatrist.     

The current and future role of the Internet in patient education

The Internet technology known as the World Wide Web is rapidly emerging as the most powerful medium of mass communication this century and it can be harnessed to dispense global, cost-effective, high-quality, multimedia patient education material. This paper reviews how the Internet has progressed from delivering simple static, text-based material to sophisticated interactive Web sites based on CGI Technology. Interactive Web sites can be used to deliver health assessment questionnaires and Web-based decision-support systems can give patients advice on the emergency management of acute medical problems. The advantages and drawbacks of this new technology, including information regulation and quality are discussed. The role of the Hospital Intranet as a patient education resource is described. The paper concludes by illustrating how patients can appreciate the 3-D structure of bones and organs using virtual reality in a VRML Web environment.     

Ureterocystoplasty--ureteral augmentation of the urinary bladder

The article is preceded by an introduction to world-wide communication networks. Some important basic features are explained. The major impact is on temporary and future aspects of the Internet for psychiatry. A variety of advantages in World Wide Web telemedicine for patients, clients, psychotherapists, clinicians and scientists are extensively demonstrated. Useful and established possibilities are discussed. Finally, the risks of this kind of communication are shown and listed.     

Psybertherapy on the Internet and its implications for psychiatry, psychotherapy, and psychosomatics

First of all, an introduction to worldwide communication networks is given. Some relevant basic features are explained. Actual and future aspects of the Internet for psychiatry, psychotherapy, and psychosomatic medicine are highlighted. There is a variety of possible advantages in World Wide Web telemedicine for patients, clients, consultants, clinicians and scientists. Useful tools and established opportunities are discussed and listed as Web-sites. The systematic review gives access to the most important fields of mental health on the Internet. Finally, some of the risks of this kind of communication for therapy and society are visible.     

Nursing on-line for continuing education credit

BACKGROUND: The Internet was evaluated as a source of continuing education credit for RNs. METHOD: Using the search engines Alta Vista, Excite, Magellan, and Infoseek, 600 World Wide Web sites were reviewed for on-line programs that would lead to the receipt of a continuing education (CE) certificate of completion for a varying number of CE hours. RESULTS: Five sites provided CE programs online and one site used e-mail to deliver the program to personal computers. All sites offered certificates and were approved to offer continuing nursing education credit through a state board of nursing or through the agency sponsoring the Internet site. The CE hours were also approved by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate the Internet is a source of CE units (hours) for nurses that may be used to satisfy requirements of state boards of nursing. The sites are easily accessible and eliminate travel and great expenses. The Internet is a rich source of current health-related information not approved for CE units but pertinent to health care professionals.     

First impressions: A multicultural content analysis of professional psychology program Web sites.

With the ascension of the Internet as an information resource, Web sites are likely to be the first exposure applicants have to specific programs. The authors evaluated professional psychology program Web sites for ethnic and sexual orientation minority content, discovering that diversity content of Web sites was considerably less than in previously examined paper application materials. Clinical psychology programs were more likely to state a commitment to diversity training while counseling psychology programs were more likely to state a diversity minor/track. School psychology programs had the lowest diversity content on their Web pages. This article explores how graduate psychology program Web sites communicate multicultural information and offers recommendations on using the World Wide Web as a cost-effective tool to attract a diverse student body. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

HOMSTRAD: a database of protein structure alignments for homologous families

We describe a database of protein structure alignments for homologous families. The database HOMSTRAD presently contains 130 protein families and 590 aligned structures, which have been selected on the basis of quality of the X-ray analysis and accuracy of the structure. For each family, the database provides a structure-based alignment derived using COMPARER and annotated with JOY in a special format that represents the local structural environment of each amino acid residue. HOMSTRAD also provides a set of superposed atomic coordinates obtained using MNYFIT, which can be viewed with a graphical user interface or used for comparative modeling studies. The database is freely available on the World Wide Web at: http://www-cryst.bioc.cam. ac.uk/-homstrad/, with search facilities and links to other databases.     

Multimedia image and data navigation workstation

World Wide Web (WWW) standards have been established for the transmission of and remote consultation on medical information and records, including medical images, extracted from an existing hospital information system. A software package called Osiris is being used for the display and manipulation of medical images in a hospital-based picture archiving and communication system. Recent extensions of Osiris, through the integration of WWW navigational tools, allow easy access to a variety of clinical data from patient records. A special interface allows access to radiologic images, laboratory results, and related textual information through public-domain software programs. These technologic advances offer medical professionals the convenience and ease of use that have made WWW and Internet navigation so popular in the academic community.