Support : Publications : Chronolog Archives : October 2001

New Toxicology File to Replace TOXLINE^® on Dialog^® and DataStar™

When Dialog was advised by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) that discrete data feeds for TOXLINE® (File 156 on Dialog; file label TOXL on DataStar) would cease in January 2001, we anticipated dissatisfaction among our customers at the gap in coverage which would occur upon the demise of this database. A survey of our top TOXLINE® customers revealed that they were overwhelmingly in favor of a standalone toxicology file on Dialog and DataStar.

Dialog was given permission by the NLM to re-create a toxicology file if they so wished with the condition that the name 'TOXLINE®' not be used for the new file. The NLM provided a toxicology search strategy to vendors which formed the basis for building Version 1 of Dialog's and DataStar's new standalone Toxicology file.

The birth of Dialog and DataStar's Toxicology file — Version 1

In order to minimize the need to memorize new names and file numbers, we opted to use the TOXLINE® file number (156) and label (TOXL) for Dialog and DataStar's standalone Toxicology file. Version 1 contains toxicology records which are also available in the recently reloaded MEDLINE (F155/MEZZ). These are journal citations relating to toxicology, also called TOXBIB records by the NLM. File 156/TOXL includes records from 1966 to date. The updating frequency has been improved from monthly to weekly. At the time of writing, a definitive name had not yet been chosen for the standalone Toxicology file.

Toxicology file — Version 2

The NLM plans to provide Dialog with reload data for the specialty non-journal citations from NTIS, CRISP, FEDRIP, TSCATS, DART, and RISKLINE. These are also referred to as TOXNET records. Once these records have been received, Dialog and DataStar will work towards merging the TOXNET with the TOXBIB data. At that point, we will release Version 2 of the standalone Toxicology file. The new file will be closely related to TOXLINE®. At the time of writing, Dialog has no definitive date as to when the NLM can provide the TOXNET data.

BIOSIS and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts — Toxicology file Version 3?

The old Dialog version of TOXLINE (previously in File 156) also contained toxicology related records from BIOSIS and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists' International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (IPA). These records supplemented the material submitted by the NLM and related institutes, especially in the area of environmental and reproductive toxicology. Since these records were supplied to Dialog through NLM, their delivery has, of course, ceased with the end of the discrete toxicology feed from NLM. In an effort to address certain weaknesses in its toxicology coverage, NLM has started indexing some additional sources. Consult http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/jf01/jf01_toxline.html for a list.

Dialog and DataStar are considering building a Toxicology file — Version 3 that might include material from non-NLM sources. We would welcome feedback from you as to which additional sources you would ideally like to see in a standalone Toxicology file. Please send your comments to .

'Old' TOXLINE®

NLM has granted all vendors an extension to keep TOXLINE® online as an archival file until December 31, 2001. However, customer feedback has shown that our users have now reached the point where access to up-to-date toxicology data is needed. We have, therefore, decided to press ahead with the standalone Toxicology file as described above.

On DataStar, we have been able to move the archival TOXNET data into a separate file called TOYY. This file will remain online until December 31, 2001, when it will have to be removed. In order to avoid customers potentially retrieving the same information twice, from the new Toxicology file and the 'old' TOXLINE, the TOXBIB element has been removed from TOYY. As mentioned earlier, once we have received the TOXNET reload data from NLM we will merge it with the TOXBIB data currently available in File 156/TOXL. In the meantime, if you want a comprehensive TOXBIB/TOXNET search result on DataStar, you should search both TOXL and TOYY.

On Dialog, for technical reasons we have not been able to move the archival TOXNET data to a new file number. We did feel, however, that the availability of an up-to-date TOXBIB file (which represents about 80% of the former TOXLINE® material) on Dialog would outweigh the disadvantage of not being able to access archival TOXNET material over a period of 3 months.

For further information on Dialog and DataStar's Toxicology file and Search Tips, please consult the Bluesheet for 156 and the Datasheet for TOXL at http://library.dialog.com/bluesheets/.

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