This page is a reference tool for you to use while you are completing your Ovid Search assignment for Medical Pharmacology . Below you will find tips and hints for searching the BUMC Medline Plus/ OVID for specific literature sources reviewed during the Library workshop presented on September 27, 2007. The searches that you are required to perform for this assignment are challenging, so don´t wait until the last minute! If you have questions, please feel free to contact the Library by email at refquest@medlib.bu.edu or by calling (617) 638-4228. You can also stop by the Reference Desk between the hours of 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM Monday through Friday. The Library will also hold drop-in sessions before the due date of the assignment.
Search I: Finding Review Articles that may compare one drug to another
If you need to find Review Articles that compare one drug to other treatment options, you can limit your Ovid search to both "Review Articles" and "Comparative Study".
Step 1: For example, if you are interested in Galantamine, an Alzheimer’s drug, type the term "Galantamine" into the search box and click . Ovid will automatically take the term that you typed into the search box and map that term to a Medical Subject Heading (MeSH). When articles are indexed in Medline, indexers attach MeSH terms to each citation in order to describe the subject of an article in a consistent way.
Step 2: Next to each MeSH term that is displayed, you will see two columns, Explode and Focus. If you check the Explode box, you will search for all citations associated with that individual term plus any articles that are associated with other related terms that are more specific than the MeSH term that you selected. If you check the Focus box in the second column, you will emphasize the MeSH term in your search. Be careful when you choose to focus a MeSH term because it will limit your search to a much smaller number of citations. For this example, select the Explode checkbox next to the MeSH term and choose to Include All Subheadings (subheadings are discussed in Part II). Click .
Your search for "Galantamine" will produce 471 results. Now you can apply limits to this set of results.
Step 3: You can reduce the number of citations in your results by using Ovid's Search Limits. In the Limits section, which is located below the search field, select Review Articles and click .
Step 4: Click on the link. This link will provide a full listing of all of the limits available in Ovid. Limits help you narrow your search down to the most relevant or specific articles for your search. Here you can limit your results to a specific age group, a specific range of dates, or a type of article. For this search, select "Comparative Study" under the box for Publication Types. Click .
Your results will be reduced from 471 citations to 8 review article citations that discuss comparative studies.
Note: If your drug does not have a MeSH term associated with it you can search for the drug as a keyword. For example, search for the drug "ibandronate". You will see that the drug's name has no MeSH term associated with it. This will happen frequently when you are doing research on very new drugs. In these cases, you can search for the term as a keyword by selecting "ibandronate.mp" box.
Search II: Finding Clinical Trials that evaluates the efficacy of a new drug
If you need to find citations that include Clinical Trials, you can also use the Publication Types box to limit a search to "Clinical Trials". This strategy is useful if you are searching for the most current information about the effectiveness of a new drug.
Step 1: Enter the term "Galantamine" and click . Again, you will see that "Galantamine" is a MeSH term. Select Explode next to your MeSH term and click WITHOUT selecting the box to "Include All Subheadings".
Step 2: MeSH terms often have Subheadings attached to them. Subheadings allow you to focus on a particular area related to your MeSH term. In the search for "Galantamine", select "Pharmacology" and "Therapeutic Use" as subheadings. Note that your should choose to combine your subheadings with "OR". Click .
Step 3: You will retrieve 398 citations, which is likely more articles than you are willing to read. To reduce this number, click on the link.
Step 4: On the limits page, locate the "Publication Types" box and select "Clinical Trial, All".
Click , and your results will be reduced to 68. This selection will search all clinical trials, including randomized control trials. Some other useful limits include "English", "Full Text" (includes citations that are available electronically), and "Local Holdings" (includes citations that are available either in print or electronically through Boston University).
Medline/Ovid can also be used as a tool to identify pharmacokinetic studies. From your previous search for "Galantamine", you may recall that some MeSH terms can be focused by selecting subheadings. "Pharmacokinetics" is often attached as a subheading for drug terms and can be used to limit a search for a drug to pharmacokinetic studies.
Step 1: Enter for the term "Galantamine" and click .
Step 2: Select Explode next to your MeSH term and click .
Step 3: You will see a list of subheadings. Check the box in front of the subheadings "metabolism" and "pharmacokinetics" and click .
You will retrieve 31 citations, all of which will relate to pharmacokinetics and/or metabolism.
Step 4: As discussed in Search I, you will find that many new drug names are not yet MeSH terms. Though you can search for these terms as keywords, they will not have subheadings. However, you can attach floating subheadings or subheadings that are not connected to a MeSH term. Each of the 83 subheadings that are part of the MeSH vocabulary can be identified by a two letter abbreviation. To construct a floating subheading, you can use this two letter abbreviation followed by the command .fs, which stands for floating subheading. For example, if I wanted to search for the floating subheading for "Adverse Effects", I would type in the following:
ae.fs
For this example search, if you want to attach the subheadings "Metabolism" and "Pharmacokinetics" to your keyword "Ibandronate". First search for the drug name and click .
As you learned from Search I, Ibandronate is not a MeSH term. You should choose to search for the term as a keyword. This search retrieves 347 results.
Step 5: Next, search for the abbreviated version of the subheading "Metabolism" (me), as a floating subheading. Thus, to execute this search you would need to type the following into the search box:
me.fs
Click .
Step 6: Type the floating subheading for "Pharmacokinetics" into the search box.
pk.fs
Click .
Step 7: Next, combine your two floating subheadings with OR by typing in "2 OR 3" into the search box.
Step 8: Lastly, combine your subheadings with your keyword by typing in "1 AND 4". This search retrieves 100 articles.
Search IV: Finding Studies involving an in vitro or animal model
If you want to locate studies that explore the therapeutic effect of a drug in an animal or in vitro model, you can use the limits in Ovid to include only studies with animals (under Check Tags) or in vitro (under Publication Types) in your search.
Step 1: Search for the drug "Galantamine". Limit it to the subheading "Pharmacology". You will retrieve 146 citations. Step 2: Click on the link. Scroll down the page to the Check Tags box. Check Tags are used to limit your results to a specific group of research subjects. Select "Animals" and click . You will reduce your results to 104 studies.
Step 3: Again, click in the link. Scroll down to the Publication Types box. Select "In Vitro". You will reduce your results to 14 citations, all of which will be studies involving animals in the laboratory.
. Ovid will automatically take the term that you typed into the search box and map that term to a Medical Subject Heading (MeSH). When articles are indexed in Medline, indexers attach MeSH terms to each citation in order to describe the subject of an article in a consistent way. 
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link. This link will provide a full listing of all of the limits available in Ovid. Limits help you narrow your search down to the most relevant or specific articles for your search. Here you can limit your results to a specific age group, a specific range of dates, or a type of article. For this search, select "Comparative Study" under the box for Publication Types. Click 
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