This description consists of two sections:
The "root" element, or the base tag that all other tags/elements fall under. <health-topics> contains two attributes:
Each MedlinePlus topic represented by the file has its own <health-topic> element. This topic title is the value of the element. The attributes for this element include:
Synonyms associated with the topic. It is not
required. Some topics have no synonyms, while others may have
multiple synonyms.
Example: <also-called>Gestational
diabetes</also-called>
Use on MedlinePlus: These words or phrases
are listed on the "Also called:" line appearing just beneath the
health topic name on health topic pages.
For English topics, this is the equivalent Spanish health topic,
For Spanish topics, this is the equivalent English health topic.
There is one or none <language-mapped-topic> per <health-topic>.
Example: <language-mapped-topic
url="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/abdominalpain.html"
id="3062" language="Spanish">Dolor abdominal</language-mapped-topic>
Attribute id use on MedlinePlus: Not used for the public site.
Full text of the health topic summary. There is one
<full-summary> per <health-topic>.
Example:
<full-summary><p>Parkinson's disease is a disorder that affects
nerve cells, or neurons, in a part of the brain that controls muscle
movement. In Parkinson's, neurons that make a chemical called
dopamine die or do not work properly. Dopamine normally sends
signals that help coordinate your movements. No one knows what
damages these cells. Symptoms of Parkinson's disease may include</p>
<ul> <li>Trembling of hands, arms, legs, jaw and face </li>
<li>Stiffness of the arms, legs and trunk </li> <li>Slowness of
movement </li> <li>Poor balance and coordination </li> </ul> <p>As
symptoms get worse, people with the disease may have trouble
walking, talking or doing simple tasks. They may also have problems
such as depression, sleep problems or trouble chewing, swallowing or
speaking. </p> <p>Parkinson's usually begins around age 60, but it
can start earlier. It is more common in men than in women. There is
no cure for Parkinson's disease. A variety of medicines sometimes
help symptoms dramatically. </p></ full-summary>
Use on
MedlinePlus: The topic summary appears at the top of the health
topic page, beneath the title. Hyperlinks to other MedlinePlus topic
pages may appear in topic summaries.
Health topic
group(s) of which the <health-topic> belongs to. A <health-topic> must
have at least one group; it may have multiple groups.
Example:
<group url="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/digestivesystem.html"
id="2">Digestive System</group>
For each group to which the
<health-topic> belongs, the group name will be provided as <group>
tag value, Example: "Digestive System". Additional information will
be provided on 2 attributes:
See references associated with the <health-topic>.
Not every topic has an associated see reference. There may be more
than one see reference.
Example:
<see-reference>Bellyache</see-reference>
Use on MedlinePlus: Used
on alphabetical list of topics to guide user to a health topic page;
e.g., on the "Health Topics: S" page, "Shaking Palsy see Parkinson's
Disease" appears as a see reference.
Medical Subject
Headings (MeSH) associated with the topic. There may be more than
one <mesh-heading> associated with a <health-topic>.
Example:
<mesh-heading>
<descriptor id="D015746">Abdominal
Pain</descriptor>
</mesh-heading>
The <mesh-heading> tag has <descriptor> element and id attribute:
The related health topics associated with this <health-topic>.
Not every topic has an associated <related-topic>. There may be more
than one <related-topic>.
Example: <related-topic
url="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pain.html"
id="351">Pain</related-topic>
The related topic title is the
value of <related-topic>. The <related-topic> has id and url
attributes.
Use on MedlinePlus: The id is not used, but the name
of the related topic and url is used in the "Related Topics" box on
MedlinePlus health topic pages.
The other-language associated with the <health-topic>. Not every
topic has an associated other-language. There may be more than one
other-language.
Example: <other-language vernacular-name="繁體中文"
url="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/acne.html#Chinese
- Traditional">Chinese - Traditional</other-language>
The
other-language element value contains the language name in English.
The <other-language> tag has vernacular-name and url attributes.
Health topic pages on MedlinePlus may have a primary National
Institutes of Health institute assigned to them. It is not required.
Example: <primary-institute
url="http://www.niaid.nih.gov/">National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases</primary-institute>.
The primary-institute
element value contains the primary institute name.
The
primary-institute> has url attribute. Example:
url="http://www.niaid.nih.gov/".
For every MedlinePlus health topic, there will be at least one
site record.
Example: <site title="National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases"
url="http://www.niaid.nih.gov/Pages/default.aspx">
<information-category>Organizations</information-category>
<organization>National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases</organization>
<standard-description>NIH</standard-description>
</site>
The attributes for this element include:
The <site> element may contain the following elements: