Dermwiz™ Links

Updated July 9, 2004

First, some definitions, from www.thefreedictionary.com:

Wizard (in informatics): An interactive help utility that guides the user through a potentially complex task, such as configuring a PPP driver to work with a new modem. Wizards are often implemented as a sequence of dialog boxes which the user can move forward and backward through, filling in the details required. The implication is that the expertise of a human wizard in one of the above senses is encapsulated in the software wizard, allowing the average user to perform expertly.

Expert System - A computer program that contains a knowledge base and a set of algorithms or rules that infer new facts from knowledge and from incoming data. An expert system is an artificial intelligence application that uses a knowledge base of human expertise to aid in solving problems. The degree of problem solving is based on the quality of the data and rules obtained from the human expert. Expert systems are designed to perform at a human expert level. In practice, they will perform both well below and well above that of an individual expert.The expert system derives its answers by running the knowledge base through an inference engine, a software program that interacts with the user and processes the results from the rules and data in the knowledge base.Expert systems are used in applications such as medical diagnosis, equipment repair, investment analysis, financial, estate and insurance planning, route scheduling for delivery vehicles, contract bidding, counseling for self-service customers, production control and training.

Database - One or more large structured sets of persistent data, usually associated with software to update and query the data. A simple database might be a single file containing many records, each of which contains the same set of fields where each field is a certain fixed width.

Dermatology Diagnostic Databases, Wizards & Expert Systems

	Dermatlas : a wizard-type searchable database of skin diseases cases, with pictures. At the time of writing, it contains over 6000 images contributed by over 200 physicians.
	Dermatologic Online Image Atlas (DOIA) and Pediatric Online Image Atlas (PEDOIA): an alphabetical or body site searchable databases of skin diseases cases, with pictures.
	Dermatology Differential Diagnosis by Morphology : an algorithm-based searchable database that provides differential diagnoses of skin disorders and diseases based on clinical and morphologic appearances of primary and secondary skin lesions. The lists are modified by additional characteristics which may be present.
	Litt's Drug Eruption Reference, a name-searchable literature database to assist in the identification of drug eruptions. It contains over 960 drugs or botanicals and 1200 distinct reaction patterns. Searchable by drug name/type, links to references. Registration required.
	DermPathTutor, an algorithm-based site to teach histological diagnosis of common inflammatory skin diseases. In construction.
	BoDD is a name-searchable literature database of plant allergy. It is an electronic re-incarnation of Botanical Dermatology by John Mitchell & Arthur Rook.
	OMIM (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man), a name-searchable database of over 15,000 human genes and genetic disorders. Constantly updated by multiple reviewers. Edited by Dr. Victor A. McKusick, from John Hopkins U. and NCBI. Searchable by disease name and gene location. Priceless for genodermatoses.

Dermatology Pictures Databases

	Dermatology Atlas, a collection of clinical pictures classified by disease name.From the Loyola University.
	Hardin MD Skin Diseases Pictures, a collection of clinical pictures classified by disease name.
	Dermnet, a collection of over 8000 clinical pictures classified by disease name.
	Catalog of Clinical Images, a small collection of clinical images, including skin. From the University of California in San Diego.
	Ethnomed, a collection of clinical pictures specializing in dark-skinned children and cultural practices.

Online Dermatology Textbooks

	eMedicine, free, very complete Medicine textbooks in the form of review articles. All eMedicine articles go through a 5-step peer-review process. The link is to the Dermatology text.
	The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, Section 10. Dermatologic Disorders. Concise information about selected topics. A Home Edition is available for patients.
	Principles of Pediatric Dermatology, an online Dermatology textbook. By Dr. Mahmoud Hijazy.

General Dermatology Resources

	Dermlinx, a daily selection of literature abstract classified by subspecialty.
	Medscape, from WebMD, offers a wide variety of information for physicians. The link is to the Dermatology home page. Membership required.
	Dermweb, offers information to patients and physicians on selected dermatology subjects.
	Medline Plus, from the US NLM and NIH. An impressive searchable medical encyclopedia. The link is the the Dermatology Topics.
	Web site of the American Academy of Dermatology. The site offers a multitude of resources for physicians and patients.
	Web site of the Canadian Dermatology Association. The site offers a number of resources for patients and physicians.
	Dermnet NZ, the site of the New Zealand Dermatological Society. The site offers information for patients on a multitude of subjects.

Web Directories about Dermatology

	Omni, a searchable database of medical web resources.
	Hardin MD Skin Disorder links.
	Health Web Dermatology, supported by the National Library of Medicine.
	Dermatology HQ, Everything Dermatology, from Acne dermatology to what is dermatology. Maintains an impressive database of Dermatology-related links.
	Sites of interest to Dermatologists, by Constantinos D. Verros, MD.
	Dermatonet, un site en francais et anglais par le Dr. L. Rousseau.

Other Medical Diagnostic Databases, Wizards & Expert Systems

	Immunoquery : a wizard-type searchable database to assist pathologists interpret immunohistochemistry data. Immunoquery will: 1) list the antibodies that can differentiate between tumors entered by the user, 2) rank the antibodies in terms of their ability to differentiate between the tumors, and 3) provide instant references to journal articles describing the reactivity of these antibodies.
	EasyDiagnosis : an algorithm-type expert system that provides an instant online analysis of several important medical symptoms in a user-friendly format, and then predicts the most likely condition responsible.
	CD-Marker.net, a wizard-type searchable database to assist in the diagnosis of lymphomas & leukemias by flow cytometry. Developed by Andy Nguyen.
	Consultant, a wizard-type searchable database of veterinary diagnosis, by Dr. Maurice E White.

Non-Medical Diagnostic Wizards & Expert Systems

	Whale Watcher: An algorithm-type expert system application for identifying whales.
	Bird e-Guide, a wizard-type searchable database for the identification of birds.
	NeoFlora, a wizard-type searchable database to help chose garden plants.
	U. of Connecticut Plant Database, a wizard-type searchable database to help chose garden plants.

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