Abstract: LILACS is the most complete and frequently updated (every four months: January, May and August) collection of databases for recording and disseminating the scientific production of Latin American and Caribbean Health professionals. It is the result of a cooperative effort between the constituent countries. LILACS is an electronic database (CD-ROM and On-line) that indexes regional literature from more than 670 journals, with 253,536 (27th edition, 2000) citations incorporated since 1982 with abstracts in are of English, Portuguese or Spanish. Of the 670 journals indexed in LILACS, only 41 overlap with MEDLINE/ EMBASE. The United States National Library of Medicine's medical subject headings (MeSH) vocabulary is used to index each LILACS citation. LILACS is edited by BIREME (Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Information Center, http://www.bireme.br), in the city of S o Paulo, Brazil. Currently, BIREME is an agency of the Pan-American Health Organization / World Health Organization. Using the Brazilian Cochrane Centre website (http://www.epm.br/ cochrane) you can have free access to the information on how to search the Lilacs database on-line: numbers of records, step-by-step instructions, webform, search strategy for RCTs, references and contact. In the Cochrane Library 2000, Issue 2, of the 50 Cochrane Review Groups, only four are using the LILACS database (Depression, Anxiety & Neurosis; Hepato-biliary; Infectious Diseases; and Schizophrenia Groups). Just four others: Ear, Nose and Throat disorders; Metabolic and Endocrine Disorders; Neuromuscular Disease and Peripheral Vascular Disease Review Groups mention LILACS as an electronic Database that will be searched in the near future. With each new edition of LILACS, the Brazilian Cochrane Centre will be locating new RCTs and CCTs for re-tagging Lilacs database and will send these for inclusion on the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register and CENTRAL. LILACS at a glance! Fields (37th edition, May 2000) All records 242,538 Abstract available 148,573 Pt RCT 482 Pt CCT 186 Ct Human 148,462 La Spanish 135,081 La Portuguese 88,473 La English
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