At the 2012 International AIDS Conference in late July, researchers discussed a potential cure for HIV. We have already made great strides in developing medication that can help to suppress the virus, but it’s hard to imagine we could be so close to curing a virus that has plagued mankind for decades.
Does this breakthrough of modern science grab your attention? Interested in following the story of AIDS research as scientists work to uncover the secrets of this potential cure? Good news! The Library has many databases that can assist you in your quest!
I have three recommendations for progressively more in-depth research into the topic:
1. You may want to start with a basic overview of the virus. Just after the International AIDS Conference on July 31st, the Credo Current blogged about HIV. Here, you can find a topic entry for HIV along with links to definitions, journal articles, books, images, and newspaper articles.
2. Newspaper articles are a great way to introduce yourself to the latest breakthroughs and most up-to-date stories. From our A-Z Resource List, you can access our Newspaper Source database and our McClatchy-Tribune database, both available through EBSCO. Better yet, search both at the same time. After clicking the link to either database, select “Choose Databases” at the top of the main search page. Choose all the databases you would like to search simultaneously, click “OK,” and start searching! Find recent news articles such as “FDA approves first pill to prevent HIV” and “South Africa hails life-saving HIV programme.”
3. Our nursing databases will provide more in-depth articles. CINAHL Plus with Full Text, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, and MEDLINE: EBSCO are three great databases to get you started. Follow the same procedure indicated above to search all three databases simultaneously and find articles such as “Elimination of paediatric HIV in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa” and “Helping Patients Talk about HIV.”
When perusing all of our wonderful resources, certain searching methods produce better results. For example:
1. Because we are constantly learning more about HIV and AIDS, I would recommend limiting your search to articles published in the past year or two.
2. You may notice that if you search for “AIDS,” you come up with a fair number of articles about other topics such as “hearing aids.” To prevent this, I would recommend searching instead for “HIV.” Many articles are tagged with both the subjects “HIV” and “AIDS.” If you would prefer to search only for “AIDS,” try entering the search term “AIDS NOT hearing.” This should at least eliminate the hearing aid articles from your search.
As always, call us at 765-973-8311, email us at iueref@iue.edu, or stop by with any questions. We’re here to help!