What's new for DeCS 2018

This article highlights the additions and changes to DeCS in 2018.

Totals by type of terminology


DeCS language 2017 2018 variation 17/18
amount %
Descriptors English 33053 33476 423 1%
Spanish (America) 33053 33476 423 1%
Spanish (Spain) 32811 33476 665 2%
Portuguese 33053 33476 423 1%
Entry terms English 209024 212214 3190 2%
Spanish (America) 46496 51757 5261 11%
Spanish (Spain) 38598 43381 4783 12%
Portuguese 53551 58654 5103 10%
Qualifiers English 81 80 -1 -1%
Spanish (America) 81 80 -1 -1%
Spanish (Spain) 0 80 80 -
Portuguese 81 80 -1 -1%
Total 479882 500230 20348 4%

Changes for 2018

  • 106 MeSH descriptors and 32 DeCS (non MeSH) descriptors were modified in English;

  • 142 MeSH descriptors and 2 MeSH qualifiers, plus 25 exclusively DeCS (non MeSH) descriptors were modified in Spanish;

  • 132 MeSH descriptors and 2 MeSH qualifiers, plus 26 exclusively DeCS (non MeSH) descriptors were modified in Portuguese;

  • 7 MeSH descriptors and 1 MeSH qualifier, plus 93 exclusively DeCS (non MeSH) descriptors were deleted;

  • 2835 and 2612 DeCS synonyms in Spanish and Portuguese were added to concepts that already existed;

  • 391 scope notes were updated in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

  • 289 indexing annotation were updated in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

The ten subcategories receiving the greatest number of new descriptors:

Subcat code Subcategory name Amount of descriptors
D12
Aminoacids, Peptides and Proteins
139
D08
Enzymes and Coenzymes
55
SP3
Population Studies in Public Health
38
B01
Eukayota
32
F01
Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms
23
SP9
Health Law
22
E02
Therapeutics
18
E04
Surgical Procedures, Operative
18
E05
Investigative Techniques
17
G02
Chemical Phenomena
17

New descriptors per category

DeCS/MeSH tree category

Amount of descriptors

A - Anatomy

7

B - Organisms

49

C - Diseases

38

D - Chemicals and Drugs

185

E - Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment

60

F - Psychiatry and Psychology

36

G - Phenomena and Processes

43

H - Disciplines and Occupations

8

HP - Homeopathy

0

I - Anthropology, Education, Sociology and Social Phenomena

20

J - Technology, Industry, Agriculture

14

K - Humanities

4

L - Information Science

9

M - Named Groups

5

N - Health Care

34

SH - Science and Health

4

SP - Public Health

76

V - Publication Characteristics

3

VS - Health Surveillance

4

Z - Geographicals

8
The total is greater than the number of new descriptors because some of them occur in more than one category.

2018 DeCS is available for online searching through DeCS Search or directly from VHL Regional Portal.

Helpful Links

Please consult the DeCS 2018 edition or the online Introduction to 2018 MeSH for more details. The complete list of new and changed vocabulary is available at the following links:

Vocabulary changes

New descriptors

Replaced descriptors

Deleted descriptors

DeCS and MeSH tree number changes



2018 MeSH highlights:

MeSH is available in RDF Linked Data format.

2018 MeSH   is available for download in XML, ASCII and MeSH / MARC formats.


Changes of particular interest

1. MESH PUBLICATION TYPES

Three new Publication Types are available for 2018. Two of the new Publications Types are types of clinical trials.

a) Adapted Clinical Trial: Clinical study in which a prospectively planned opportunity is included to modify trial designs and hypotheses based on analysis of data from subjects in the study.

b) Equivalence Trial: Trial that aims to show a new treatment is no better and no worse than the standard treatment. This Publication Type is a child to Randomized Controlled Trial in the MeSH tree hierarchy.

New related MeSH headings:

  • Adaptative Clinical Trials as Topic and Equivalence Trials as Topic are available for 2018. These are headings are used for the general design, methodology, and economics of the trials.

  • Proof of Concept: This heading is a child to Research in the MeSH tree hierarchy. It is used for an empirical investigation which pertains to the development of prototypes or models that demonstrate the feasibility of novel concepts, ideas, principles, schema or their practical application.

c) Expression of Concern: his new Publication Type is for a notification about the integrity of a published article that is typically written by an editor and should be labeled prominently in the item title. It is the responsibility of the editor to initiate appropriate investigative procedures, discover the outcome of the investigation, and notify readers of that outcome in a subsequent published item. The outcome may require the publication of a retraction notice.


2. MESH QUALIFIER (SUBHEADING) CHANGES

In order to improve indexing consistency and efficiency and to make MEDLINE searching easier and more straightforward, the subheading /contraindications was deleted. This change also helps to eliminate confusion between the use of the subheadings /adverse efffects and /contraindications.

Three new MeSH headings were created to replace /contraindications. These new headings separate the concepts of contraindications for drugs from the contraindications for procedures. Note that Contraindications, Drug and Contraindications, Procedure are children to Contraindications in the MeSH tree hierarchy:

Contraindications
           Contraindications, Drug
           Contraindications, Procedure

Indexing Policy:

a) Use Contraindications for general or unspecified contraindications. Note that Contraindications can be coordinated with specific physical agent heading(s). Coordinate the physical agent heading(s) with the subheading /adverse effects.

b) Coordinate Contraindications, Drug with specific drug heading(s). Coordinate the specific drug heading(s) with the subheadings /therapeutic use or /adverse effects.

c) Coordinate Contraindications, Procedure with procedure heading(s). Coordinate the procedure heading(s) with the subheadings /adverse effects. To eliminate the confusion between /adverse effects and the new MeSH Contraindications headings, two Entry Terms were deleted from the subheading /adverse effects: /injurious effects and /undesirable effects.


3. OTHER CHANGES RELATED TO DESCRIPTORS

a) Isotope and Radioisotope Terminology

(i) This project expanded and updated the isotope terminology with the goal of making more of the isotope terminology found in the literature available in the MeSH vocabulary. The most common isotope was added as an Entry Term to the MeSH heading for the specific element.

Example: Helium-4 is a new Entry Term for Helium.

(ii) Transactinide Series Elements was created as a new MeSH heading.

b) Smoking Terminology

The MeSH vocabulary for smoking and smoking-related terms was updated and expanded.

Several smoking-related terms were promoted from Entry Terms to new MeSH headings.

Examples: Tobacco Smoking, Cigar Smoking and Cigarette Smoking.

New MeSH headings were created as children to Smoking, Non-Tobacco Products and Smoking Reduction.

Other new smoking-related MeSH headings to note are Smokers, Smoking Devices and Smoking Prevention.

Existing smoking-related headings were re-treed in the MeSH hierarchy to account for the new terminology.

c) Sugars Terminology

The terminology and treeing in the MeSH hierarchy of sugars were updated to better reflect their structure and properties. Sugars was created as a new MeSH heading. Prior to 2016, Sugars was an Entry Term to Carbohydrates. Dietary Sugars was created as a new MeSH heading. Prior to 2017, Dietary Sugars was an Entry Term to Dietary Sucrose.

d) Virus Terminology

The MeSH vocabulary for viruses was updated to conform to the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) nomenclature.

New virus MeSH headings were added under Coronavirus: Alphacoronavirus, Betacoronavirus and Gammacoronavirus.

Existing Coronavirus headings were re-treed in the MeSH hierarchy under these specific headings.

e) Do not confuse:

(i) Comorbidity and Multimorbidity

Prior to 2018, Multimorbidity was an Entry Term to Comorbidity. In 2018, Multimorbidity is a new MeSH heading and a child to Comorbidity.

(ii) Pipe Smoking and Smoking Pipes. Pipe Smoking is the behavior and Smoking Pipes are the devices.

(iii) Water Pipe Smoking and Smoking Water Pipes. Water Pipe Smoking is the behavior and Smoking Water Pipes are the devices.

f) One MeSH concept split into two: Egypt, Ancient and Greece, Ancient were created as new MeSH headings. They are treed in the MeSH hierarchy under Ancient Lands. The existing MeSH headings Egypt and Greece were removed from the Ancient Lands tree. Because of these treeing changes, the MEDLINE citations indexed with Egypt or Greece were adjusted accordingly.


4. ENTRY COMBINATION REVISIONS

2017

2018

Blood Transfusion /adverse effects

Factor IXa /deficiency

Factor VIIa /deficiency

Metals, Heavy /poisoning

Receptors, Enterotoxin /agonists

Smoking /prevention and control

Synovial Membrane / surgery

5. TERMS EXCLUSIVELY DECS IN 2017 THAT BECAME PART OF MESH CONCEPTS IN ITS 2018 VERSION:

modifications of the headings below are related to the solution of the MeSH-DeCS conceptual duplication or the hierarchical code modifications categories exclusively DeCS. For more detailed changes in hierarchical codes see: MeSH and DeCS tree number changes.

2017
2018
status
categories
status
descriptor
categories
Abortion Rate descriptor SP entry term in Abortion, Induced E and SP
Air Quality descriptor SP and VS entry term in Air Pollution N, SP and VS
Algicides descriptor SP and VS entry term in Herbicides D, SP and VS
Anthracite descriptor SH entry term in Coal D, N and SP
Appropriate Technology descriptor SP entry term in Culturally Appropriate Technology J and SP
Aquatic Biology descriptor SP entry term in Hydrobiology H and SP
Aquifers descriptor SP entry term in Groundwater G and SP
Artesian Wells descriptor SP entry term in Water Wells J and SP
Bilateral Agreements descriptor SP entry term in International Cooperation I, SH and SP
Biogas descriptor SP entry term in Biofuels D, N and SP
Biological Communities descriptor SP entry term in Biota G, N and SP
Bottled Water descriptor SP entry term in Drinking Water D, G, J, SP and VS
Census descriptor V entry term in Censuses I, N and SP
Chemical Accidents descriptor SP entry term in Chemical Hazard Release N and SP
Chemical Oxygen Demand descriptor SP entry term in Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis N and SP
Community Development descriptor SP entry term in Social Planning I and SP
Compost descriptor SH entry term in Composting N and SP
Critical Path Method descriptor SP entry term in Critical Pathways N and SP
Data Analysis descriptor SP entry term in Statistics as Topic E, H, N and SP
Data Sources descriptor SP entry term in Information Storage and Retrieval L and SP
Deforestation descriptor SP entry term in Conservation of Natural Resources J, N and SP
Demographic Aging descriptor SP entry term in Population Dynamics J, N and SP
Demographic Analysis descriptor SP entry term in Demography I, N and SP
Demographic Transition descriptor SP entry term in Population Dynamics I, N and SP
Desertification descriptor SP entry term in Conservation of Natural Resources J, N and SP
Dosimeter descriptor SP entry term in Radiation Dosimeters J, N and SP
Environmental Indicators descriptor SP entry term in Environmental Biomarkers D, G, N and SP
Environmental Protection descriptor SP entry term in Environmental Protection J, N, SP and VS
Epidemiological Surveillance descriptor SP entry term in Epidemiological Monitoring E, N and SP
Estimation Techniques descriptor SP entry term in Statistics as Topic E, H, N and SP
Exposure to Biological Agents descriptor SP entry term in Containment of Biohazards E, N and SP
Family Planning Programs descriptor SP entry term in Family Planning Services N and SP
Famine descriptor SP entry term in Starvation C and SP
Gross National Product descriptor SP entry term in Gross Domestic Product I and SP
Habitat descriptor SP entry term in Ecosystem G, N and SP
Home Visit descriptor SP entry term in House calls N and SP
Hurricanes descriptor SP entry term in Cyclonic Storms G and SP
Integrated Water Resource Management descriptor SP entry term in Conservation of Water Resources G and SP
Intermediate Technology descriptor SP entry term in Culturally Appropriate Technology J and SP
International Agreements descriptor SP entry term in International Cooperation I, SH and SP
Kidnapping (Disasters) descriptor SP entry term in Crime I and SP
Labor Force descriptor SP entry term in Employment N and SP
Lethality descriptor SP entry term in Mortality E, L, N and SP
Mangrove Swamps descriptor SP entry term in Wetlands G, N and SP
Marriage Rate descriptor SP entry term in Marriage F, I, N and SP
Mathematical Models descriptor SP entry term in Models, Theoretical E and SP
Measures descriptor SP entry term in Weights and Measures E and SP
Midwives descriptor SP entry term in Midwifery H and SP
Midwives, Practical descriptor SP entry term in Midwifery H and SP
Moral Damage descriptor SP entry term in Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic F and SP
Mudflow descriptor SP entry term in Landslides G and SP
National Parks descriptor SP entry term in Parks, Recreational J and SP
National Program of Tobacco Control descriptor SP entry term in Smoking Prevention I, N and VS
Night Work descriptor SP entry term in Shift Work Schedule I, N and VS
Period Analysis descriptor SP entry term in Demography I, N and SP
Petroleum Industry descriptor SP entry term in Oil and Gas Industry J and SP
Pharmaceutical Care descriptor SP entry term in Pharmaceutical Services N and SP
Political Factors descriptor SP entry term in Politics I and SP
Population Policy descriptor SP entry term in Public Policy I, N, SH and SP
Population Pressure descriptor SP entry term in Population Dynamics I, N and SP
Population Surveys descriptor SP entry term in Demography I, N and SP
Prisoner of War descriptor SP entry term in Prisoners of War M and SP
Protein Malnutrition descriptor SP entry term in Protein Deficiency C and SP
Public Policies descriptor SP entry term in Public Policy I, N and SH
Reforestation descriptor SP entry term in Conservation of Natural Resources J, N and SP
Regional Agreements descriptor SP entry term in International Cooperation I, SH and SP
Regulations descriptor SP entry term in Social Control, Formal I, N and SP
Rockfall descriptor SP entry term in Landslides G and SP
Rural Development descriptor SP entry term in Social Planning I and SP
Rural-Urban Migration descriptor SP entry term in Population Dynamics I, N and SP
Scales descriptor SP entry term in Weights and Measures E and SP
Shift Work descriptor SP entry term in Shift Work Schedule I, N and VS
Social Assistance descriptor SP entry term in Social Work I, N and SP
Social Services descriptor SP entry term in Social Work I, N and SP
Soft Drinks descriptor SP entry term in Carbonated Beverages G, J, SP and VS
Sound Contamination descriptor SP entry term in Noise G, N and SP
Spectrometry descriptor SP entry term in Spectrum Analysis E and SP
Statistical Methods and Procedures descriptor SP entry term in Statistics as Topic E, H, N and SP
Survivorship (Public Health) descriptor SP descriptor Survival I and SP
Sustainable Development descriptor SP entry term in Conservation of Natural Resources J, N and SP
Swamps descriptor SP entry term in Wetlands G, N and SP
Tobacco Control Campaigns descriptor SP entry term in Smoking Prevention I, N and VS
Treaties descriptor SP entry term in International Cooperation I, SH and SP
Tropical Storm descriptor SP entry term in Cyclonic Storms G and SP
Validity of Tests descriptor SP entry term in Reproducibility of Results E, N and SP
Water Conservation descriptor SP entry term in Conservation of Water Resources J, N and SP
Water Treatment descriptor SP entry term in Water Purification N and SP
Wells descriptor SP entry term in Water Wells J and SP


6. TERMS EXCLUSIVELY MESH IN 2017 THAT BECAME PART OF DECS IN ITS 2018 VERSION:

2017
2018
status
categories
status
descriptor
categories
Abortion, Induced descriptor E descriptor Abortion, Induction E and SP
Biofuels descriptor D and N descriptor Biofuels D, N and SP
Chemical Hazard Release descriptor N descriptor Chemical Hazard Release N and SP
Civil Rights descriptor I and N descriptor Civil Rights I, N and SP
Coal descriptor D and N descriptor Coal D, N and SP
Containment of Biohazards descriptor E and N descriptor Containment of Biohazards E, N and SP
Critical Pathways descriptor N descriptor Critical Pathways N and SP
Culturally Appropriate Technology descriptor J descriptor Culturally Appropriate Technology J and SP
Data Anonymization descriptor H, L and N descriptor Data Anonymization H, L, N and SP
Defamation descriptor I descriptor Defamation I and SP
Epidemiological Monitoring descriptor E and N descriptor Epidemiological Monitoring E, N and SP
Evaluation Studies as Topic descriptor E and N descriptor Evaluation Studies as Topic E, N and SP
Feminism descriptor I and K descriptor Feminism I, K and SP
Freedom descriptor I and N descriptor Freedom I, N and SP
Genetic Privacy descriptor I and N descriptor Genetic Privacy I, N and SP
Genocide descriptor I descriptor Genocide I and SP
Health Status Disparities descriptor I and N descriptor Health Status Disparities I, N and SP
Human Migration descriptor I and N descriptor Human Migration I, N and SP
Human Rights Abuses descriptor I descriptor Human Rights Abuses I and SP
Human Trafficking descriptor I descriptor Human Trafficking I and SP
Hydrobiology descriptor H descriptor Hydrobiology H and SP
Information Storage and Retrieval descriptor L descriptor Information Storage and Retrieval L and SP
Informed Consent descriptor I descriptor Informed Consent I and SP
Informed Consent by Minors descriptor I and N descriptor Informed Consent by Minors I, N and SP
Interpersonal Relations descriptor F descriptor Interpersonal Relations F and SP
Midwifery descriptor H descriptor Midwifery H and SP
Minority Groups descriptor I descriptor Minority Groups I and SP
Minority Health descriptor N descriptor Minority Health N and SP
Models, Theoretical descriptor E descriptor Models, Theoretical E and SP
Oil and Gas Industry descriptor J descriptor Oil and Gas Industry J and SP
Organ Trafficking descriptor I descriptor Organ Trafficking I and SP
Parks, Recreational descriptor J descriptor Parks, Recreational J and SP
Patient Access to Records descriptor I and N descriptor Patient Access to Records I, N and SP
Patient Rights descriptor I and N descriptor Patient Rights I, N and SP
Personal Autonomy descriptor F, I, K and N descriptor Personal Autonomy F, I, K, N and SP
Persons descriptor M descriptor Persons M and SP
Politics descriptor I descriptor Politics I and SP
Prejudice descriptor F descriptor Prejudice F and SP
Prisoners of War descriptor M descriptor Prisoners of War M and SP
Privacy descriptor I and N descriptor Privacy I, N and SP
Protein Deficiency descriptor C descriptor Protein Deficiency C and SP
Public Policy descriptor I and N descriptor Public Policy I, N and SP
Racism descriptor F and I descriptor Racism F, I and SP
Radiation Dosimeters descriptor E descriptor Radiation Dosimeters E and SP
Severe Acute Malnutrition descriptor C descriptor Severe Acute Malnutrition C and SP
Sexism descriptor F descriptor Sexism F and SP
Slavery descriptor I descriptor Slavery I and SP
Social Behavior descriptor F descriptor Social Behavior F and SP
Social Discrimination descriptor F descriptor Social Discrimination F and SP
Social Justice descriptor I, K and N descriptor Social Justice I, K, N and SP
Social Norms descriptor F and I descriptor Social Norms F, I and SP
Social Planning descriptor I descriptor Social Planning I and SP
Social Problems descriptor I descriptor Social Problems I and SP
Sociological Factors descriptor I descriptor Sociological Factors I and SP
Starvation descriptor C descriptor Starvation C and SP
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic descriptor F descriptor Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic F and SP
Sugars descriptor D descriptor Sugars D and VS
Therapeutic Misconception descriptor I, K and N descriptor Therapeutic Misconception I, K, N and SP
Treatment Refusal descriptor F, I and N descriptor Treatment Refusal F, I, N and SP
Vaccination Refusal descriptor F, I and N descriptor Vaccination Refusal F, I, N and SP
Value of Life descriptor K descriptor Value of Life K and SP
War Crimes descriptor I descriptor War Crimes I and SP
Water Wells descriptor J descriptor Water Wells J and SP
Weights and Measures descriptor E descriptor Weights and Measures E and SP


Other pertinent articles:

MEDLINE/PubMed Year-End Processing Activities

2018 MeSH Headings Available in the MeSH Browser

2018 MeSH Available for Download

Cataloging news - 2018

MEDLINE Data Changes- 2018

What's New for 2018 MeSH

Newly Maintained MEDLINE for 2018 MeSH Now Available in PubMed


Fonte:

Schulman JL. What's New for 2018 MeSH®. NLM Tech Bull. 2017 Nov-Dec;(419):e8. Disponível na Internet: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/nd17/nd17_mesh.html

Adaptation by: Health Terminologies and Classifications Section at BIREME/PAHO/WHO


Last update: April, 2018