On Doctoring MEDLINE searches, with reference librarian comments

The question was

"What is the efficacy of treating HIV positive
patients with IL-2...?"

1 :  exp Interleukin-2/         {13112}
2 :  limit 1 to yr=1990-1999         {13112}
3 :  exp Hiv/         {23596}
4 :  *interleukin-2/         {5893}
5 :  3 and 4         {63}
6 :  from 5 keep 1,3,5,9-11,14,19,22,36,47,54         {12}
7 :  from 5 keep 54         {1}
8 :  from 5 keep 47         {1}
9 :  from 5 keep 47         {1}
10 :  exp Interleukin-2/         {13112}
11 :  limit 10 to yr=1990-1999         {13112}
12 :  exp Hiv/         {23596}
13 :  *interleukin-2/         {5893}
14 :  12 and 13         {63}
15 :  from 14 keep 1,3,5,9-11,14,19,22,36,47,54         {12}
16 :  from 14 keep 54         {1}
17 :  from 14 keep 47         {1}
18 :  from 14 keep 47         {1}
19 :  15         {12}
20 :  from 19 keep 6,8,10         {3}
21 :  exp Interleukin-2/         {13112}
22 :  limit 21 to yr=1990-1999         {13112}
23 :  exp Hiv/         {23596}
24 :  *interleukin-2/         {5893}
25 :  23 and 24         {63}
26 :  from 25 keep 1,3,5,9-11,14,19,22,36,47,54          { 12}

Reference Librarian comments

I can't quite "get" what your overall approach was here, but you were
doing several things correctly. "Explode" and "Focus" and
combining sets, etc.

Remember that you can click on the "expand search history" tab and
see former sets. (Then you wouldn't have to repeat the "exp
interleukin-2" business over and over...)

The subject is not easy at all. I tried this strategy (below) and
got about 17 articles...

1 :  exp *Interleukin-2/ad,ae,po,ct,to,tu [Administration & Dosage,
Adverse Effects,
Poisoning, Contraindications, Toxicity, Therapeutic Use]

2 :  exp *Hiv seropositivity/dt [Drug Therapy] or exp HIV infections/dt

3 :  1 and 2

Another thing to know -- we have access to special AIDS databases.