From the book:

Many cancer patients are diagnosed at a stage in which the cancer is too far advanced to be cured, and most cancer treatments are effective in only a minority of patients undergoing therapy. Thus, there is tremendous opportunity to improve the outcome for people with cancer by enhancing detection and treatment approaches. Biomarkers will be instrumental in making that transition. Advances in biotechnology and genomics have given scientists new hope that biomarkers can be used to improve cancer screening and detection, to improve the drug development process, and to enhance the effectiveness and safety of cancer care by allowing physicians to tailor treatment for individual patients—an approach known as personalized medicine. However, progress overall has been slow, despite considerable effort and investment, and there are still many challenges and obstacles to overcome before this paradigm shift in oncology can become a reality.

Nass, Sharyl J.
Moses, Harold L.

Washington DC: National Academies Press, 2007.

CALL NO: RC270.3.T84 C36 2007

ISBN-13: 9780309103862

ISBN-10: 030910386X

From the book:

With To Err is Human, which discussed in 1999 patient safety and healthcare errors, the Institute of Medicine began publishing a series of technical reports on quality and health care of enormous and lasting influence.  Whether a report has focused on safety and errors, quality of care, leadership, nursing care, workplace environment, diversity, public health, or health professions education, the healthcare sector has responded with improved patient safety, higher quality of care, and reduced errors.

…Focusing on nursing education strategies and the core competencies derived from these reports and delineating how to use the reports in  the classroom, the book also has an exhaustive references section and reproduces all twelve set of recommendations that distill the practical import of each report.

Finkelman, Anita Ward
Kenner, Carole
American Nurses Association

Silver Spring MD: American Nurses Association, 2007.

CALL NO: RT71 .F46 2007

ISBN-13: 9781558102408

ISBN-10: 155810240X

As soon as we received this book, it was checked out!

Therefore, I wanted to know what Dr. Patricia McMullen, PhD, JD, CNS, CRNP, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Academic Affairs, The Catholic University of America – School of Nursing, thought about Practical Tips for Producing Scholarly Articles.

• How did you hear about this book? Was it recommended to you or did you read a review?

Dr. McMullen:  I saw this text at a booth at a nursing conference.

• Have you read/used the book? What do you think about the book?

Dr. McMullen: I have read the majority of the book and skimmed the remainder of the book.  I think this is a good practical text to help new scholars become published scholars.  The examples that are provided in the book should be particularly helpful to someone who has had little experience with submitting articles for publication.

• Do you recommend it? For what audience?

Dr. McMullen:  I would recommend this book for graduate students who are interested in submitting this work for publication.  The book would also be good for new faculty members who have not had much experience in submitting articles/chapters for publication.

• Do you have any other comments?

Dr. McMullen: This book would likely not be too helpful for someone with a lot of publishing experience.  But, it would be extremely helpful for the neophyte writer.

Thank you for allowing me to submit my assessment of this book.

Many thanks to Dr. McMullen for providing us with more details about Practical Tips for Producing Scholarly Articles.

Note: Information about this book was previously posted in the June 7th, 2007 blog:

Writing scholarly articles can be a daunting experience, but it is a necessary task for many in the human service field. Furman takes a hands-on approach to helping readers succeed at scholarly writing and publishing. Using practice guidelines, case examples, and written exercises, he leads readers through each step of the publication process, from idea generation to revision and submission. The result is an invaluable reference book for scholars and practitioners alike.

Furman, Rich

Chicago Ill: Lyceum Books, 2007.

CALL NO: PN146 .F87 2007

ISBN: 1933478071

Skin Laid Bare is the title of the first chapter of this interesting book about our largest organ.

Description from University of California Press:

We expose it, cover it, paint it, tattoo it, scar it, and pierce it. Our intimate connection with the world, skin protects us while advertising our health, our identity, and our individuality. This dazzling synthetic overview, written with a poetic touch and taking many intriguing side excursions, is a complete guidebook to the pliable covering that makes us who we are. Skin: A Natural History celebrates the evolution of three unique attributes of human skin: its naked sweatiness, its distinctive sepia rainbow of colors, and its remarkable range of decorations. Jablonski begins with a look at skin’s structure and functions and then tours its three-hundred-million-year evolution, delving into such topics as the importance of touch and how the skin reflects and affects emotions. She examines the modern human obsession with age-related changes in skin, especially wrinkles. She then turns to skin as a canvas for self-expression, exploring our use of cosmetics, body paint, tattooing, and scarification. Skin: A Natural History places the rich cultural canvas of skin within its broader biological context for the first time, and the result is a tremendously engaging look at ourselves.

Jablonski, Nina G.

Berkeley: University of California Press, 2006.

CALL NO: QP88.5 .J33 2006

ISBN: 0520242815

This book addresses the challenges that are associated with producing appropriate animal models for testing biodefense countermeasures.

From Preface:

Washington DC: National Academies Press, 2006. 

CALL NO: RA1199 .O84 2006

Synopsis from amazon.co.uk:

The fragmented information that consumers receive about the nutritional value and health risks associated with fish and shellfish can result in confusion or misperceptions about these food sources. Consumers are therefore confronted with a dilemma: they are told that seafood is good for them and should be consumed in large amounts, while at the same time the federal government and most states have issued advisories urging caution in the consumption of certain species or seafood from specific waters. “Seafood Choices” carefully explores the decision-making process for selecting seafood by assessing the evidence on availability of specific nutrients (compared to other food sources) to obtain the greatest nutritional benefits. The book prioritizes the potential for adverse health effects from both naturally occurring and introduced toxicants in seafood; assesses evidence on the availability of specific nutrients in seafood compared to other food sources; determines the impact of modifying food choices to reduce intake of toxicants on nutrient intake and nutritional status within the U.S. population; develops a decision path for U.S. consumers to weigh their seafood choices to obtain nutritional benefits balanced against exposure risks; and identifies data gaps and recommendations for future research. The information provided in this book will benefit food technologists, food manufacturers, nutritionists, and those involved in health professions making nutritional recommendations.

We received this book on May Day 2007.  I just could not believe the vast amount of information contained in this book. If 722 pages of seafood choices is too filling for you right now, try the lean 8 page seafood choices report brief.  

Washington DC: National Academies Press, 2007. 

CALL NO: RA602.F5 S428 2007

I decided to make this theme change based on the simplicity, style, elegance and (hopefully as I gain more experience) flexibility of the PressRow Theme. You can read more about the stylings of Chris Pearson on his blog:   Pearsonified.

Let me know what you think.

Writing scholarly articles can be a daunting experience, but it is a necessary task for many in the human service field. Furman takes a hands-on approach to helping readers succeed at scholarly writing and publishing. Using practice guidelines, case examples, and written exercises, he leads readers through each step of the publication process, from idea generation to revision and submission. The result is an invaluable reference book for scholars and practitioners alike.

CALL NO: PN146 .F87 2007

Healthy Steps Multimedia Training Kit: DVD/CD-ROM Edition

The Healthy steps interactive multimedia training & resource kit contains a user’s manual, a set of nine video segments, and a fully interactive, multimedia CD-ROM that takes the user from an introduction to Healthy steps to on-screen examples of how Healthy steps specialists interact with families. The kit contains downloadable written materials to distribute to parents. In addition to gaining an understanding of Healthy steps, medical professionals that use the kit can earn continuing medical education credit for physicians through the Boston University School of Medicine and Continuing Education Units for nurses through Advocate Health Care.

CALL NO: RJ102 .H439 2007

Validation of Toxicogenomic Technologies: A Workshop Summary

A workshop on the validation of toxicogenomic technologies was held on July 7, 2005, in Washington, DC, by the National Research Council (NRC). The workshop concept was developed during deliberations of the Committee on Emerging Issues and Data on Environmental Contaminants and was planned by the ad hoc workshop planning committee  These activities are sponsored by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). The day-long workshop featured invited speakers from industry, academia, and government who discussed the validation practices used in gene-expression (microarray) assays and other toxicogenomic technologies. The workshop also included roundtable discussions on the current status of these validation efforts and how they might be strengthened.

CALL NO: RA1224.3 .v5 2007