On Doctoring MEDLINE searches, with reference librarian comments, March 2000

The question was

How is cyclic vomiting related to migraines in pediatric patients?

1     exp Vomiting/    results=4504   
2     Migraine/    results=3372   
3     1 and 2    results= 59   
4     limit 3 to (newborn infant < birth to 1 month > or infant <    results=33   
1 to 23 months > or preschool child < 2 to 5 years > or
child < 6 to 12 years > or adolescence < 13 to 18 years >)
5     from 4 keep 3-6,10-11    results= 6   

Reference Librarian comments

Your search is perfection. You used subject-headings appropriately, combined sets, "limited" results, etc. I think it was smart to NOT use the "focus" check-box in this search, because we were not expecting too much retrieval.

Just out of personal interest, I thought I'd try your search exactly -- except that in search #4 I'd try to get the word "cyclic" involved. That seemed to work, and then in reading some of the references, I noticed the acronym "CVS" (for cyclic vomiting syndrome) was sometimes used -- so I plugged that it also.

Anyway: good job. Thanks for participating in the assignment.

#
Search History
Results
1
exp Vomiting/
4504
2
exp Migraine/
3372
3
1 and 2
59
4
cyclic.mp.
43157
5
3 and 4
17
6
cvs.mp.
1373
7
3 and 6
6
8
5 or 7
18