Gale Virtual Reference Library

Our Gale Virtual Reference Library has a new look and features!

New features include:

• A completely updated, engaging user interface available in more than 35 languages
• Improved user-focused navigation and organization
• Eye catching book covers and interactive online book experience with two-page view and page flipper
• ReadSpeaker text-to-speech technology in 19 languages
• Cross-search and browse easily across series
• Download PDF articles to an eBook Reader

There is a short video which shows all the new features, so take a few minutes to check it out! Just click on the GVRL image above to go to the video. (Note: it takes a few minutes to load).

New titles just added include:

Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 93
Short Story for Students, Volume 34

Chilton’s Will Be Gone Soon!

Have you gotten used to using the Chilton Library for your automotive research needs? Unfortunately, this is one of the resources which will be eliminated in October 2010. We do not want to leave you without something, so try the Auto Repair Reference Center as an alternative. Using this is a little different, but it has primarily the same information.

Remember as always, if you want to access this from home, you must be a Las Vegas resident with a valid card number and PIN. If all of these criteria do not apply to you, then you must use this resource inside of our libraries. Ok, are you ready? Great, let’s get started. Follow these easy steps and you are on your way;

1. Go to the Library’s homepage, lvccld.org.
2. Click Find Information
3. Click Databases A-Z
4. Scroll down to & select Auto Repair Reference Center

Once you access this electronic resource, there are many ways to get started. Let’s start with the easiest.

• Select the Year of your vehicle from the list displayed.

• Select the Make of the vehicle.
• Select the Model of your vehicle.
• Select the Submodel, if there is one.

You should be at Repair Topics now.

Click on what you need, whether it’s Wiring Diagrams (not all models have these), Repair Procedures or Service Bulletins and Recalls. (These categories will change based on the type of vehicle selected)  Clicking on each will give you a list of more topics that will help to narrow your results.

After browsing through the various options, you hopefully have found exactly what you need. Now what? You can print the information, or send a copy via email and you are all set!

Be sure to browse the tabs from the Auto Repair Reference Center homepage for even more information.

Vitamin B6 and Arthritis

High doses of vitamin B6, also called pyridoxine, may reduce inflammatory markers associated with rheumatoid arthritis, researchers report in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that occurs when the body’s immune system, which normally fights against disease and infection, attacks itself. Unlike osteoarthritis, which only affects the bones and cartilage, rheumatoid arthritis may also cause swelling in other areas of the body.

In the 12-week study, 35 adults with rheumatoid arthritis were randomly assigned to take either 100 milligrams of vitamin B6 plus 5 milligrams of folic acid or 5 milligrams of folic acid alone daily. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamin B6 is 1.3 milligrams for adults who are 19-50 years old.

At the beginning and end of the study, the researchers measured the patients’ blood levels of pro-inflammatory markers, including interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). The researchers also measured immune responses by recording the number of immune cells present in the blood.

IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels significantly decreased in the vitamin B6 group after supplementation, while no significant changes were noted in the folic acid group. However, the number of immune cells was generally similar between the two groups.

Additional research is needed to determine if vitamin B6 is beneficial for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Many other integrative therapies have been studied as potential treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis. For instance, borage seed oil may be beneficial in treating rheumatoid arthritis because it is high in gamma linolenic acid (GLA), which has known anti-inflammatory effects. Several human studies suggest that fish oil supplements may improve morning stiffness and joint tenderness. Group therapy has also been reported to improve joint pain.

For more information about integrative therapy options for rheumatoid arthritis, please visit Natural Standard’sComparative Effectiveness database.

Vitamin D Deficiency and Diabetes

Researchers in Maryland have found that vitamin D deficiency may be linked to poor diabetes control.

Vitamin D is found in foods, such as eggs, fish and fortified milk. It is also produced in the body after sun exposure. Adequate vitamin D levels are necessary for the body to absorb the essential minerals calcium and phosphorus. It is also important for immune system function and healthy bones.

The researchers analyzed data from 124 adults with type 2 diabetes from 2003 to 2008. They specifically analyzed their average glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and vitamin D levels. HbA1c levels are used to measure how well diabetes is being controlled. The American Diabetes Association recommends that patients with diabetes keep their HbA1c levels below seven percent.

The researchers found that more than 91 percent of the participants were vitamin D deficient, and only eight subjects reported taking vitamin D supplements. Individuals with the lowest vitamin D levels had the highest HbA1c levels, which indicated poor diabetes control.

The researchers also noted that this association was even more pronounced among African Americans compared to Caucasians.

This recent study was presented at the annual meeting of The Endocrine Society. It supports earlier findings that vitamin D may be needed for proper pancreatic beta-cell function and insulin secretion.

However, this study does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship between vitamin D deficiency and diabetes. Additional research is needed to fully understand the potential correlation between the two conditions.

For more information about vitamin D, please visit Natural Standard’s Foods, Herbs & Supplements database.

Quick Search – WebFeat

On Friday, the Quick Search link under Find Information was discontinued.  The was the link to WebFeat our federated search engine.

We now have Search By Topic which is similar to the subject topics on WebFeat and Databases A-Z.  The difference  of course you have to search individual databases.

To help in your research we have added an Explore section in the library catalog.  This provides an excellent starting point for finding information on a topic for reports or debates.

You will find Explore at the bottom of the your search results page as well as individual pages for a specific book.

By clicking on one of the links, it will execute the same search in a group of resources by one vendor such as EBSCO or Gale.  This will give you a variety of references to use such as magazine and newspapers articles as well as articles in reference books.