Support : Publications : Chronolog Archives : June 2001

Annual Reload of MEDLINE® Files on Dialog and DataStar
2001 Version

MEDLINE is reloaded annually because the National Library of Medicine (NLM) re-indexes all documents in the database with new Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) each year. The 2001 reload on Dialog/DataStar followed some important changes at the NLM regarding the 'specialty' files and the content of MEDLINE, in addition to the annual changes in indexing.

The following changes were implemented in the 2001 reload on Dialog and DataStar:

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Changes on Dialog and Datastar

1. Content changes in 2001 — 'Specialty' databases

At the start of 2001, the NLM ceased supplying separate data feeds for the specialty databases AIDSLINE® (157/ACQS) , HealthSTAR® (151/HLPA), Bioethicsline (ETHI), and Toxline® (156/TOXL). Records which previously would have been added to these databases are now part of a larger MEDLINE. Regarding the Toxline records, 'TOXBIB' records (i.e. the journal citations) will continue to be part of MEDLINE, and the 'TOXNET' records (the non-journal literature) may become available later in 2001, at which point we hope to create a new stand-alone toxicology database.

AIDSLINE, BIOETHICSLINE, HealthSTAR and Toxline will remain on Dialog and DataStar as archival files until September 30, 2001. They will be removed by that date at the request of NLM.

2. MEDLINE In Process records — fast access to current literature

The MEDLINE database now contains In Process records (formerly known as PreMEDLINE). In Process records do not carry indexing terms and are included in the database by NLM to speed entry of current information. After indexing with Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and other indexing terms, In Process records are replaced in the database by the definitive version. In Process records can be identified and, if desired, included or excluded from a search in MEDLINE.

Note: See 'MEDLINE 2001 version on Dialog,' 'MEDLINE 2001 version on DataStar' and DataStar MEDLINE In Process (MEIP) later in this article for further details.

3. MeSH changes in 2001

184 descriptors were added (new concepts); 42 descriptors were replaced with more up-to-date terminology; 10 descriptors were deleted; and 222 'see' references (print entry terms) were added. Please see the NLM web site for full details of the changes at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/newh2001.html and http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/replaced2001.html.

4. Removal of monograph records

As part of the restructuring of their data-bases, NLM removed from MEDLINE approximately 22,267 monograph records published from 1976 to 1980. These records will no longer be available in the Dialog or DataStar MEDLINE databases.

5. Chemical data

The NLM has taken action to improve searching on chemicals as follows:

• Beginning in 2001, MeSH Category D headings (chemicals) on all MEDLINE records now have a CAS® Registry Number and the name of the substance in paragraph/field RN. Until 2001, the number and name were only provided on records from June 1980. Please note that many of the newly added CAS Registry Number values are zero, generally for plural Category D terms.



• Over the years, many Supplementary Concept Records have been promoted to MeSH heading status. From 2001, the appropriate MeSH heading now resides on records which had previously contained only the number and name data. Searching on the MeSH heading will now retrieve all citations indexed to that concept without needing to 'OR' in the name of the substance.

6. Specialty backfile records

Backfile records corresponding to journal articles previously found in HealthSTAR were included in the reloaded data received from NLM. These records will be included in a typical Dialog and DataStar MEDLINE search. NLM has indicated they will provide backfile records for AIDSLINE in future updates as these records are prepared for inclusion in MEDLINE. Dialog and DataStar will add these records to MEDLINE as they are received.

7. Specialty Alert profiles

Dialog and DataStar customers who had set Alert profiles in the specialty databases have been informed that their Alerts have been transferred to the MEDLINE file. Customers should continue to monitor their Alert results closely. If the results you receive from your new MEDLINE Alert do not adequately address your topic, or if you have any questions or need help modifying your Alert, please do not hesitate to contact Dialog staff for assistance.

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MEDLINE 2001 version on Dialog

1. In Process records

The reloaded MEDLINE file will contain In Process records. Most In Process records will be replaced by a definitive ("complete") version containing NLM indexing. The replacement records will have a different Dialog accession number, although the NLM accession number will remain unchanged. Not all In Process records will become complete records.

In Process records identification. In Process records can be identified on Dialog by using the field RT=IN PROCESS; completed records can be searched using RT=COMPLETED. Searchers can use this RT= feature to specify search results to include only completed records or only In Process records. If no RT= is identified, the search will include both In Process and completed records. The RT= feature can also be used to specify alert results to include or exclude In Process records.

In Process Records and Alerts. NLM will be providing MEDLINE updates, containing both completed records and/or In Process records, more frequently than in the past. Dialog will add these updates to MEDLINE as soon as possible, and customers will begin to see UD codes as dates. Although more than one update may be added to MEDLINE in a week, Alerts will continue to be run on a weekly and monthly basis. In Process records that attain full MEDLINE completed status within a given month will show up as the completed record in the monthly Alert. Records showing up with RT=IN PROCESS in Alert results have not yet attained completed status.

2. Fields no longer available

Due to format changes, the Summary language (SL) field and the Journal announcement (JA) field are no longer available from NLM. Because monographs are no longer included in MEDLINE, the Call Number (CA) field for DT=MONOGRAPH will no longer be available.

3. Changes to existing fields

In response to customer requests, Dialog has made the volume, page, issue information, and publication year in field SO searchable.

4. New Fields

• RT= See above discussion of In Process records.



• AA= In 2001 all MEDLINE records contain a PubMed unique identifier (PMID) which is indexed in the new AA= field, as well as the existing unique identifier which continues to be indexed in the AN= field. Please note that with the 2002 reload, NLM no longer expects to provide the old unique identifier field; in 2002 MEDLINE will contain only the PMID which will be used exclusively to uniquely identify the MEDLINE record.



• UP= NLM provides the date the record entered the MEDLINE processing system. This date can be found in the 'Record Date Created' field. Dialog will soon be making this field searchable. The concept of publication month has been discontinued by NLM.

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MEDLINE 2001 version on DataStar

1. Tree Structure numbers now with leading zeros

The NLM has changed the notation of Tree Structures, so that the leading part of the number always has two digits (padded with an initial zero if necessary) and subsequent parts always have three digits, again padded with leading zeros if necessary. For example,

D2-241-81-407
  changes to D02-241-081-407

C4# changes to C04#

G4-185-753-891#
  changes to G04-185-753-891#

C10-228-140-300-378#
  remains the same

You must now search the Trees with these added zeros. We have changed alerts, so you will not need to edit those, but you will need to change any SAVEd searches you have stored on the system. To do this, type

..EDIT (PS)ABCD or ..EDIT (PSS)ABCD

where (PS) indicates a permanently saved search, (PSS) a permanently saved StarSearch, and ABCD is the name you gave your saved search.

2. File splits

There is just one small change to the coverage of the MEDLINE file splits: MEYY now covers the period 1993 to date (this was 1994 to date last year). The file splits are otherwise unchanged:

MEDL — 1996 to date
MEYY — 1993 to date
MEZZ — 1966 to date
ME95 — 1985 to 1995
ME84 — 1966 to 1984

A new practice file is available in TRME. A separate file for the latest complete Index Medicus month (formerly known as MEDM) is no longer available. The 2001 MEDLINE Vocabulary (MeSH headings, subheadings, scope notes, annotations and chemical terms) is available in MVOC; the 2000 Vocabulary is in MV00.

3. Deleted fields - LI, IM

The paragraphs LI (Special List Indicator) and IM (Index Medicus Month) are no longer used by the NLM. The information from LI has been added to paragraph SB (Journal subset). IM has been discontinued altogether. Hence, there is no longer a separate 'MEDM' file.

4. Date created, date completed

Documents will now have either 'date created' (in the case of In Process records) or 'date completed' entries in the ED field.

5. Corporate author - CA

Use of this field will begin in 2001. Corporate name data for retrospective records continues to reside at the end of the title (TI). Note that the NLM does not authority-control these data which may be in a language other than English.

6. Accession numbers changed

The NLM has applied different accession numbers to the documents in MEDLINE. You will not be able to RESEARCH any documents you saved with ..KEEP before the reload.

7. In Process records (file label: MEIP)

MEIP contains the latest few weeks of medical literature, with no indexing, before the documents have been processed and indexed for MEDLINE. The In Process records are available both in their own file, MEIP, and in MEDLINE, where you can retrieve them with the quick code INPROCESS=YES (or exclude them with COMPLETE=YES). Most In Process records will become complete MEDLINE documents in due course; a complete indexed document for MEDLINE will replace the In Process record.

MEDLINE Alerts will not contain In Process records; if you wish to receive Alerts with these records, set up the Alert in MEIP. You can set up daily (as well as weekly, bi-weekly and monthly) Alerts in MEIP, and weekly, bi-weekly and monthly Alerts in MEDL.

In Process records are added to MEDL and MEIP daily from Monday to Thursday. Complete MEDLINE records are added to MEDL weekly, usually on Mondays. The NLM does not provide any updates on Fridays.

The full guide to MEDLINE on DataStar, edited to include all this year's changes, is available online. Go to BASE, search BASE-MEDL and then ..PRINT ALL 1.

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