One of the most important functions of GIDEON is to help users prepare scientific articles, teaching material and other publications (see the Fingerprint case of the month). A new feature now allows users to create custom-designed charts which compare the features of two or more diseases, drugs or pathogens.

For comparison of key clinical and epidemiological features of infectious diseases, in the Diseases tab, click on a disease (step 1 in the image below), and – while holding down the control button – click on other diseases of your choice. Now click on the Compare button (step 2).

Choosing diseases to compare

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New press release:

Ex Libris continues to expand the MetaLib Knowledge Base with valuable GIDEON research resources

The world-leading GIDEON medical database can now be searched via MetaLib

Jerusalem, Israel, and Los Angeles, CA – July 26, 2007 — Ex Libris™ Group and GIDEON Informatics have today announced that following a successful beta-testing period carried out by MetaLib® customers and Ex Libris staff, the renowned GIDEON (Global Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology Online Network) database has been added to the MetaLib Central Knowledge Base (CKB). Researchers will now be able to use the MetaLib interface to search the GIDEON database for medical resources that aid in diagnosing and referencing a wide range of ailments. By making relevant information more accessible, MetaLib helps reduce information overload—thus increasing the efficiency with which medical problems can be managed and resolved.

Ex Libris remains focused on continually enhancing the MetaLib Central Knowledge Base. Earlier this year, TechXtra and PerX, two major engineering and technology resources, were added to the MetaLib CKB, greatly expanding the range of cross-searchable engineering, mathematics, and computing resources in the MetaLib gateway and metasearch system.

“We are very excited to partner with Ex Libris, an information market leader, and provide an integrated search solution for our mutual customers,” commented Uri Blackman, CEO of GIDEON Informatics, Inc.

Tal Ayalon, MetaLib Knowledge Base team leader, noted, “We are proud to add GIDEON to our rapidly growing MetaLib Central Knowledge Base. The inclusion of GIDEON, one of the most prominent health and medicine databases in the world, reflects the Ex Libris commitment to optimize the research process by making the finest possible resources available to researchers around the world.”

About GIDEON Informatics:

GIDEON Informatics develops and markets point-of-care medical-decision support applications that help reduce diagnostic errors. GIDEON, the company’s flagship product, is a comprehensive, easy-to-use, interactive Web-based infectious-disease knowledge management tool. It helps medical personnel at hundreds of institutions worldwide diagnose and treat infectious diseases and identify microorganisms, including bioterrorism agents. GIDEON Informatics is a privately held corporation headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

For additional information on GIDEON Informatics, see www.gideononline.com.

About MetaLib:

The Ex Libris MetaLib gateway and metasearch system enables users to access their institution’s e-collections, obtain relevant services, and work in a personalized environment. Using the easily customized MetaLib user interface or the user interface of another application tightly integrated with MetaLib, library patrons can conduct a metasearch across heterogeneous resources or link to the resources’ native interface.

The flexible MetaLib infrastructure accommodates both single institutions and consortia. Web-based administration tools enable librarians to quickly activate the full range of information resources that they offer their users. Integrated with the MetaLib system is the award-winning SFX® OpenURL-compliant link resolver, which provides users with context-sensitive linking to services that their institution has defined and customized on the basis of its e-collections and policies.

For additional information on MetaLib, see www.exlibrisgroup.com/metalib.htm.

About Ex Libris Group:

Ex Libris Group is a leading worldwide developer and provider of high-performance applications for libraries, information centers, and researchers, with installations around the globe. Ex Libris Group’s flagship ALEPH® 500 and Voyager® integrated library solutions are in use at over 3,000 sites worldwide. Other products from the Ex Libris suite, deployed at more than 1,300 sites, focus on the digital library and offer state-of-the-art, user-centric solutions for managing electronic resources and digital assets and providing informed access to them.

For additional information on Ex Libris Group, see www.exlibrisgroup.com.

We’re continuing our progress in making it easier to find the information you’re looking for in GIDEON with minimal effort. We have added a new feature in the Microbiology module that link relevant organisms to their drug susceptibility and appropriate vaccines as demonstrated by the highlighted links in this screen shot of the Vibrio Cholerae general tab:

These new links are in addition to links added in the past connecting between disease organisms to microbiology and typical therapy to drugs, vaccines and pathogens.
For example see the links from the Anthrax disease general information tab screen shot below, to the Microbiology organism (Bacillus anthracis), Therapy (eg: Ciprofloxacin) and Anthrax vaccine:

Traditionally GIDEON has been used by Travel Medicine practitioners, who have loved the detailed country information for the various diseases affecting travelers. Their main suggestion was to add more pre-travel information that could be provided to travelers at consultations. We’re happy to announce that we listened and have now launched a new Travel tab in the Epidemiology module.

The general pre-travel information is provided by region and is divided into Professional and Traveler sections. Professional is for health practitioners and is based on content from the CDC Yellow book. Links are provided directly to relevant disease information in GIDEON. Traveler is traveler friendly content from the CDC Traveler’s health destination guide. Links are provided to additional information from the CDC.
The Country section displays the list of all the relevant diseases that have additional information for travelers to the selected country. The content is presented briefly as a “mouse over” and can be accessed more thoroughly by linking to actual country note for the specific disease.

As with all the information in GIDEON, you can print and email each section information. This will be very useful to serve your travelers that want a hard copy of the information or a soft copy via email.

“Traveling with GIDEON” (video) is a new case of the month that provides examples of how to use the Travel tab.

Diagnosing a patient has just become easier with our latest feature, symptom images. As you mouse over any of the symptoms in the Diagnosis module, the signs and symptom description will display a representative photo or image. This will provide an additional visual differentiation of similar symptoms, further enhancing GIDEON diagnosis. See the example of the description of Jaundice to the left.

As a result of feedback from our users, we’ve added ICD9 and ICD10 codes to Diagnosis symptoms and the Epidemiology diseases.

In the Diagnosis module, the mouse-over description for symptoms will display the code, if available. For example, to the left is the description for “Jaundice”.

The General tab of diseases in Epidemiology will display the ICD9 and ICD10 codes below the list of disease synonyms. Synonyms and codes for Babesiosis:

The codes have been integrated both into diagnosis and text search. So if you want to diagnose an infectious disease based on the ICD9 and/or ICD10 codes for symptoms, just enter them in diagnosis search and click the button.

Likewise if you’re searching for a disease based on the ICD9 or ICD10 code, enter the code in text search and click.

One more feature enabled by the microbiology module makeover is support for text search. Search results for organisms will show up in regular text search. Now you can search for all GIDEON main keywords from the text search box, unifying all the information.
We have some more work: index all the text and images and maximize the value of search in GIDEON.

Ever since we launched the web version of GIDEON, our CD customers have requested that in Diagnosis and Microbiology Identify, marking symptoms and tests should enable the right click to select “no”.
Well finally this now works. Left click will rotate from Yes to No to blank. Right click will rotate in reverse from No to Yes to blank.

Based on feedback from users, we’ve updated the Microbiology interface to provide a consistent look and feel like the Epidemiology module. Instead of the “Characterize” button that displayed the popup list of pathogens, the list can be accessed as a tab, as displayed in the following image:
This change enhances usability, as it reduces the number of pop ups and clicks required to find the information. Additionally, it enables deep linking to the Microbiology content from search results.

We just launched a great new feature, Diagnosis search. This provides for an alternate method for entering signs, symptoms and country of acquisition. You can just type them, or their synonyms. See the Getting an Itch on Bali case of the month, or watch the video.

Thanks to the Opera Mini browser, GIDEON is available via the web on many phones. See instructions on how to set up your mobile phone or PDA (Personal Digital Assistant)

You can search for keywords in GIDEON using the text search feature. Searches case of the month provides some examples, available as a video as well.