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Search for Drug Names in EMBASE®?
TOPIC: I have the brand name of a drug and I realize that without the preferred generic name or laboratory code I will miss a lot of important articles in the biomedical literature. How can I find comprehensive synonyms for drug brand names in the biomedical literature?
EMBASE® (File 72) is one of the leading sources for searching the biomedical literature. It is especially strong in reporting all aspects of medical and pharmaceutical information. The EMBASE thesaurus, EMTREE, consists of more than 50,000 medical terms, drug names, acronyms, MeSH® subject headings and spelling variations. EMBASE also indexes more than 218,000 synonyms, with over 137,000 drugs and chemicals, which as nonpreferred terms, point to the preferred term. Such pointers include the drug brand name, chemical names, other generic names, laboratory codes, CAS® registry numbers and MeSH terms. EMBASE uses the International Nonproprietary Nomenclature (INN) generic names as its preferred drug terms. This is a key difference from MEDLINE® (File 154), which indexes the United States Adopted Names (USAN) as its preferred terms. For example, EMBASE prefers paracetamol for Tylenol® and MEDLINE indexes acetaminophen.
In EMBASE Dialog’s EXPAND command makes it easy to find the preferred term. An additional EXPAND takes you to a list of synonyms for the preferred term. For details and search aids on using EMTREE click here.
In this application you will search for articles about Rocephin® as a possible treatment for Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS). All you have is the brand name Rocephin; you need to find the INN proprietary name and look at a list of international synonyms and laboratory codes for this drug.
COMMAND SUMMARY
BEGIN 72
EXPAND ROCEPHIN
EXPAND E3
EXPAND R2
SELECT R1 OR R14:R17
SELECT S1 AND (AMYOTROPHIC(W)LATERAL(W)SCLEROSIS OR ALS)
TYPE S2/8/1-5
TYPE S2/7/5
HOW TO...
1. BEGIN File 72 to search EMBASE.
2. EXPAND the drug brand name.
The expanded list shows over 700 records have the term Rocephin.
Notice the addition of the third column, Related Terms (RT). Rocephin has 1 related term. |
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3. EXPAND the E reference number for the drug name, in this case, E3.
EMBASE points to ceftriaxone as the preferred term. The letter U means Use this term. The preferred term has 19 related terms, which will turn out to be synonyms.
4. EXPAND the R reference number of the preferred term.
The expanded display shows the preferred term
and the related terms, including the Descriptor
Code (DC=) for the broader drug class and 17
synonyms. |
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5. SELECT the R reference numbers for drug terms you want from the list. The colon acts as a range.
Note: You can bypass the original EXPAND on the drug name by enclosing the drug name in parentheses.
6. SELECT Set 1 (S1) and additional terms regarding your search query.
7. TYPE a few records in Format 8, a free format, which gives you the Title, Descriptors and Publication Year.
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Note: Partial records shown.
To select the appropriate record number, look at the numbers above each record (e.g. 2/8/1). |
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8. TYPE desired records in Format 7, which provides the Bibliographic Citation and Abstract. |
?t 2/7/5
2/7/5
DIALOG(R)File 72: EMBASE
(c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
14231638 EMBASE No: 2007004053
Motor neuron disease recovery associated with IV ceftriaxone and anti-Babesia therapy
Harvey W.T.; Martz D.
W.T. Harvey, Rocky Mountain Chronic Disease Specialists, L.L.C., 3010 N. Circle Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80909 United States
Author Email: wth928@aol.com
Acta Neurologica Scandinavica ( ACTA NEUROL. SCAND. ) ( United Kingdom ) 2007 , 115/2 (129-131)
CODEN: ANRSA ISSN: 0001-6314 eISSN: 1600-0404
Document Type: Journal ; Review
Language: ENGLISH Summary Language: ENGLISH
Number Of References: 24
This report summarizes what we believe to be the first verifiable case of a significant and progressive motor neuron disease (MND) consistent with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis that resolved during treatment with i.v. ceftriaxone plus oral atovaquone and mefloquine. The rationale for use of these antibiotics was (i) positive testing for Borrelia burgdorferi and (ii) red blood cell ring forms consistent with Babesia species infection. The patient has continued to be free of MND signs and symptoms for 15 months, although some symptoms consistent with disseminated Borreliosis remain. (c) 2007 The Authors. |
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