Researchers, as well as health care providers and consumers, can now see the ingredients listed on the labels of about 17,000 dietary supplements by looking them up on a website! The Dietary Supplement Label Database is a joint project of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM).

The Dietary Supplement Label Database provides product information in one place that can be searched and organized as desired. By law, any product labeled as a dietary supplement must carry a Supplement Facts panel that list its contents and other added ingredients (such as fillers, binders, and flavorings). The Dietary Supplement Label Database includes this information and much more; such as directions for use, health-related claims, and any cautions listed on the label. The Dietary Supplement Label Database offers these features:

• Quick Search: Search for any ingredient or specific text on a label.
• Search for Dietary Ingredients: An alphabetical list of ingredients is also provided.
• Search for Specific Products: An alphabetical list of products is also provided.
• Browse Contact Information: Search by supplement manufacturer or distributor.
• Advanced Search: Provides options for expanding a search by using a combination of search options, including dietary ingredient, product/brand name, health-related claims, and label statements.

For consumers, the ODS app, My Dietary Supplements (MyDS), is available to keep track of vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other products taken, and has science-based, reliable information on dietary supplements.

The former Dietary Supplements Labels Database, based on DeLima Associates Dietary Supplements On-Line Database (DSOL), will be retired before the end of June, 2013, and replaced by the new ODS/NLM Dietary Supplement Label Database. More information about the Dietary Supplement Label Database is available from a recent NIH News Release or from the MLA 2013 Offline with NLM Sunrise Seminar: NLM Specialized Information Services Update.

The National Library of Medicine’s Specialized Information Services (SIS) Division has announced a listserv for Outreach to Specific Populations, NLM_OSP-L. This list provides health information professionals, librarians, advocates, health care professionals, students, and others with an opportunity to share information and discuss outreach to specific populations through quality information, capacity building and community engagement. This discussion forum will enable participants to stay informed about health information resources, services, and programs tailored to specific populations as well as connect with colleagues in the field, and benefit from discussions that address best practices, challenges, and gaps associated with health information outreach to specific populations.

Information distributed through the OSP Listserv (NLM_OSP-L) may include:

• Health information outreach programs and services tailored to specific populations (i.e. Students/Educators, Health Professionals, Minorities, Women, Seniors, etc.)
• Information resources addressing health topics ranging from HIV/AIDS and Environmental Health to Emergency and Disaster Preparedness
• Announcements of funding opportunities
• National, state and/or local meetings and conferences
• Information and technological resources for and about specific populations
• Training opportunities
• Best practices, trends, and new ideas
• Publications, articles, and research findings related to health information outreach

Feel free to let others know about the OSP listserv, and to share its messages!

The Offline with NLM “Sunrise Seminar” was held at the Annual Meeting of the Medical Library Association in Boston, MA, on May 6, 2013. The session was chaired by David Gillikin, Bibliographic Services Division. The meeting brought attendees up-to-date on some of the Library online systems as well as future plans.

Links to the following PowerPoint presentations are included in the NLM Technical Bulletin:

• PubMed Tips and Tricks – Margaret McGhee, MEDLARS Management Section, Bibliographic Services Division
• NLM Specialized Information Service Update – Janice Kelly, Division of Specialized Information Services
• NLM Digital Programs – Loren Frant, Public Services Division
• NLM’s Plan to Expand Collection Space – Martha Fishel, Public Services Division

Questions from the audience were taken at the end of the session. The questions and answers have been reprinted in the same article.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recently announced the launch of MentalHealth.gov as an online resource for people looking for information about mental health. This website provides information about the signs of mental illness, how individuals can seek help, and how communities can host conversations about mental health. The website also features videos from a number of individuals sharing their stories about mental illness, recovery, and hope.

Also, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will release a Toolkit for Community Conversations About Mental Health, to support communities interested in holding discussions about mental health using consistent information and approaches. The Toolkit has three parts: an “Information Brief,” a “Discussion Guide” and an “Organizing Guide.” These components will help communities and individuals start a conversation about mental health, and help identify innovative and creative actions to meet the mental health needs of the nation. Currently, the “Information Brief” section is available for printing and downloading. The other two sections will be available soon.

These resources make it possible to work collaboratively to provide youth and adults accurate information about the prevention and treatment of mental health conditions, coupled with open spaces to tell their stories, ask for help, share their successes, and support one another. These conversations also serve as a venue to highlight the importance of recovery, support those in recovery, and offer opportunities for everyone to see that recovery is possible.

NIH News in Health is a monthly newsletter from the National Institutes of Health, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) plays a major role in finding better ways to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent diseases. The practical health information in NIH News in Health is reviewed by NIH’s medical experts and based on research conducted either by NIH’s own scientists, or by grantees at universities and medical schools around the country. This issue features:

• Childhood Cancer: Coping With the Diagnosis
• How To Whip Whooping Cough: Preventing Pertussis
• Gene Tests May Improve Therapy for Endometrial Cancer
• Family Studies of Type 1 Diabetes
• Featured Website: Pregnancy: Every Week Counts

NIH News in Health is available online in both HTML and PDF formats. Print copies are available free of charge for offices, clinics, community centers and libraries within the U.S.

The earlier, commonly used term “novel coronavirus” or “NCoV” is being superseded by the newly designated term “Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).” The Coronavirus Study Group, International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, announced the new terminology, which is being adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other groups. When searching for information on this virus, it may be useful to use both the old and new terms, as well as other terms that have been used to describe the virus; including human betacoronavirus 2c EMC, human betacoronavirus 2c England-Qatar, human betacoronavirus 2C Jordan-N3, or betacoronavirus England 1. One caveat is that searching PubMed with the term “coronavirus” will retrieve many citations related to the 2002-03 SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak, since the SARS virus and MERS-CoV are both coronaviruses. Following are key resources for tracking MERS-CoV news:

• CDC’s comprehensive home page on Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)
• CDC Travel Health Notices: A Novel Coronavirus Called “MERS-CoV” in the Arabian Peninsula
• World Health Organization home page on Coronavirus Infections
• “Latest News” on the home page for the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), University of Minnesota
• ProMED-mail, from the International Society for Infectious Diseases, posts frequent updates
• WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean home page on Surveillance, Forecasting and Response: Outbreaks
• WHO Regional Office for Europe home page on Influenza: Coronavirus Infections
• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control home page on Coronavirus Infections “What’s New”
• HealthMap “Coronavirus Surveillance”

The National Library of Medicine has initiated an outreach effort to the Latino community for the federal Web site on AIDS, infoSIDA, a free, online Spanish-language resource for HIV/AIDS information regarding treatment, prevention, and research findings. It is a service of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and includes authoritative content from the following HHS agencies; the National Institutes of Health, including NLM; the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA); and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This Spanish-language Web site is designed to provide health information resources to the Latino community in an easy-to-use format, utilizing culturally appropriate and relevant language.

Today in America, according to the CDC, approximately one in 50 Latinos will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime. The rate of new HIV infections among Latino men is almost three times that of white men (39.9 vs. 15.9 per 100,000), and the rate among Latinas is more than four times that of white women (11.8 vs. 2.6 per 100,000). In 2009, Hispanics/Latinos represented 16% of the U.S. population, but accounted for 20% of new HIV infections. Statistics like these and a need to reach vulnerable populations were a driving force in NLM’s recognition of the need to speak directly to Latinos on the issue of HIV/AIDS, in a culturally relevant manner.

NLM will be promoting the infoSIDA Web site through a multi-platform media outreach effort that includes two new radio public service announcements that will air on Spanish media outlets nationwide. In addition, Ms. Fedora Braverman, a librarian with the NLM Public Services Division, will take part in a June 1st broadcast of “Bienvenidos a América,” discussing infoSIDA and other Spanish-language consumer resources from NLM. Bienvenidos a América (BAA) is a weekly call-in radio show focused on providing Spanish preferred Latinos with information and resources specific to immigration issues. Since this program’s audience is a key component in determining the success of this campaign, NLM will utilize this program, which airs on 111 Spanish radio stations nationwide. In addition to being on the air, the NLM specific segment on BAA will be streamed and made available online. The online resources of infoSIDA will also be publicized and made available via NLM’s social media outlets. Twitter users are invited to follow or join the conversation by using the hash tag #infoSIDA2013.

We are entering a critical time in health care in the United States. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) changes the American health care system in many ways. Of major importance is the fact that it expands access to health insurance for millions of Americans. But do Americans understand the changes that are coming? Do they understand their options for health insurance or how to choose the insurance plan that best meets their needs? And will they know how to use that insurance plan once they have it? Many people don’t have this understanding, and they have a hard time getting reliable information when they try to learn more.

Six participants in the Collaborative on Health Literacy and Access, Health Care Coverage, and Care of the IOM Roundtable on Health Literacy have prepared a discussion paper that presents basic information that can be used to help people understand their health insurance options. The 14-page paper, Helping Consumers Understand and Use
Health Insurance in 2014, is a resource for those who will be helping consumers make important decisions; including patient navigators, community organizations, employers, media, educators, and any individual or organization working to improve understanding of options for health insurance.

NIH News in Health is a monthly newsletter from the National Institutes of Health, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) plays a major role in finding better ways to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent diseases. The practical health information in NIH News in Health is reviewed by NIH’s medical experts and based on research conducted either by NIH’s own scientists, or by grantees at universities and medical schools around the country. This issue features:

• A Bang to the Brain: What We Know About Concussions
• On Sound Footing: The Health of Your Feet
• Ex-Smokers Gain Health Benefits Despite Added Pounds
• Allergies and Complementary Medicine
• Featured Website: NIH BRAIN Initiative

NIH News in Health is available online in both HTML and PDF formats. Print copies are available free of charge for offices, clinics, community centers and libraries within the U.S.

The federal government’s Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has developed a free resource to help health care providers learn more about the evidence supporting eight quality improvement strategies. “Closing the Quality Gap: Revisiting the State of the Science” (CQG Series) is a new series of eight evidence reports that focus on various aspects of health care quality. This series not only expands the topic terrain beyond that covered in the initial 2004-2007 collection of reports, but also marshals the knowledge of eight Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPCs), with the goal of applying and advancing the state of the science for improving the health care system for the benefit of all patients. AHRQ’s evidence reports offer an unbiased analysis of available research on specific health care topics. The individual reports are:

• “Bundled Payment: Effects on Health Care Spending and Quality” 12-E007-1
• “The Patient-Centered Medical Home” 12-E008-1
• “Quality Improvement Interventions to Address Health Disparities” 12-E009-1
• “Medication Adherence Interventions: Comparative Effectiveness” 12-E010-1
• “Public Reporting as a Quality Improvement Strategy” 12-E011-1
• “Prevention of Healthcare–Associated Infections” 12(13)-E012-1
• “Quality Improvement Measurement of Outcomes for People With Disabilities” 12(13)-E013-1
• “Improving Health Care and Palliative Care for Advanced and Serious Illness” 12(13)-E014-1

To order the set, request publication OM 13-0014 from the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse at 1-800-358-9295 or ahrqpubs@ahrq.gov.