Online MeSH Browser Announced

Note: Adapted from an article prepared by Stuart Nelson, Head, Medical Subject Headings which is from the NLM Technical Bulletin March/April 1999 issue

A new vocabulary look-up aid is now available for use with MeSH (Medical Subject Headings). It is designed to help quickly locate descriptors of possible interest and to show the hierarchy in which descriptors of interest appear. Virtually complete MeSH records are available, including the scope notes, annotations, entry vocabulary, history notes, allowable qualifiers, etc. The browser does not link directly to any MEDLINE or other database retrieval system and thus is not a substitute for the Internet Grateful MED or PUBMED systems. The link for the MeSH Browser is on the MeSH Homepage http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/

The Browser was created to provide an easy look-up for those primarily interested in the MeSH vocabulary itself. In the past, questions had come from the information community asking for a way to scan or browse MeSH. There was voiced a need for access to MeSH as a controlled vocabulary, or as an endpoint and not as a preliminary look-up before MEDLINE searching.

The MeSH Browser points to the newest version of MeSH. It will also find new Supplementary Concepts as these are added and updated quarterly. The initial screen of the MeSH Browser displays the date of the latest update so the currency of the vocabulary data being browsed is always known.

The MeSH Browser may be used to find descriptors, qualifiers, or Supplementary Concepts of interest and see these in relationship to other concepts. The browser is part of the MeSH WebPages. It finds descriptors of interest without assuming knowledge of the often-complex vocabulary structure and rules. For example, if you enter male neoplasms as a search, the Browser will display a list of related descriptors including:

Breast Neoplasms, Male (a MeSH descriptor)
Genital Neoplasms, Male (a MeSH descriptor)
Male Breast Neoplasms (an entry term to MeSH)
Male Genital Neoplasms (an entry term to MeSH)
Etc.

The look-up can be restricted or limited with any of the following:

--Main Headings
--Qualifiers
--Supplementary Concepts
--All of the Above

Searching for names of chemicals and other Supplementary Concepts (non-descriptors and non-qualifiers) can be limited to any of the following fields:

--Heading Mapped To (HM) (Supplementary List)
--Indexing Information (II) (Supplementary List)
--Pharmacological Action (PA)
--CAS Registry/EC Number (RN)
--Related CAS Registry Number (RR)
When a single descriptor has been selected, the complete record can then be displayed. Fields or elements within the descriptor are linked directly to additional sources such as related Indexing Manual sections, definitions and other similar information. The MeSH hierarchy or Tree Structure can also be displayed online as in this example and each descriptor is a direct link to the complete MeSH record for that term. For example, the following shows the hierarchy for Breast Neoplasms, Male:
Neoplasms by Site [C04.588]
Abdominal Neoplasms [C04.588.033]
Anal Gland Neoplasms [C04.588.083]
Bone Neoplasms [C04.588.149]
Breast Neoplasms [C04.588.180]
Breast Neoplasms, Male [C04.588.180.260]
Etc.

Your comments regarding the MeSH Browser are welcome, as are your suggestions for other ways to enhance the usefulness of the MeSH vocabulary.

Contact: Stuart Nelson, M.D., Head, Medical Subject Headings, (301) 496-1495 (voice), (301) 402-2002 (fax)

Comments may also be sent to meshsugg@nlm.nih.gov

Latitudes, May/June 1999 -- Vol. 8, Number 3

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