Database Vendors Research Articles

Optimizing drug-dose alerts using commercial software throughout an integrated health care system.

All default electronic health record and drug reference database vendor drug-dose alerting recommendations (single dose, daily dose, dose frequency, and dose duration) were silently turned on in inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department areas for pediatric-only and nonpediatric-only populations. Drug-dose alerts were evaluated during a 3-month period. Drug-dose alerts fired on 12% of orders (104 098/834 911). System-level and drug-specific strategies to decrease drug-dose alerts were analyzed. System-level strategies included: (1) turning off all minimum drug-dosing alerts, (2) turning off all incomplete information drug-dosing alerts, (3) increasing the maximum single-dose drug-dose alert threshold to 125%, (4) increasing the daily dose maximum drug-dose alert threshold to 125%, and (5) increasing the dose frequency drug-dose alert threshold to more than 2 doses per day above initial threshold. Drug-specific strategies included changing drug-specific maximum single and maximum daily drug-dose alerting parameters for the top 22 drug categories by alert frequency. System-level approaches decreased alerting to 5% (46 988/834 911) and drug-specific approaches decreased alerts to 3% (25 455/834 911). Drug-dose alerts varied between care settings and patient populations.

In-database batch and query-time inference over probabilistic graphical models using UDA–GIST

To meet customers' pressing demands, enterprise database vendors have been pushing advanced analytical techniques into databases. Most major DBMSes use user-defined aggregates (UDAs), a data-driven operator, to implement analytical techniques in parallel. However, UDAs alone are not sufficient to implement statistical algorithms where most of the work is performed by iterative transitions over a large state that cannot be naively partitioned due to data dependency. Typically, this type of statistical algorithm requires pre-processing to set up the large state in the first place and demands post-processing after the statistical inference. This paper presents general iterative state transition (GIST), a new database operator for parallel iterative state transitions over large states. GIST receives a state constructed by a UDA and then performs rounds of transitions on the state until it converges. A final UDA performs post-processing and result extraction. We argue that the combination of UDA and GIST (UDA---GIST) unifies data-parallel and state-parallel processing in a single system, thus significantly extending the analytical capabilities of DBMSes. We exemplify the framework through two high-profile batch applications: cross-document coreference, image denoising and one query-time inference application: marginal inference queries over probabilistic knowledge graphs. The 3 applications use probabilistic graphical models, which encode complex relationships of different variables and are powerful for a wide range of problems. We show that the in-database framework allows us to tackle a 27 times larger problem than a scalable distributed solution for the first application and achieves 43 times speedup over the state-of-the-art for the second application. For the third application, we implement query-time inference using the UDA---GIST framework and apply over a probabilistic knowledge graph, achieving 10 times speedup over sequential inference. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first in-database query-time inference engine over large probabilistic knowledge base. We show that the UDA---GIST framework for data- and graph-parallel computations can support both batch and query-time inference efficiently in databases.

What’s to argue? A comparison of opposing viewpoints in context to the updated points of view reference center, with a nod to the original points of view reference center

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an evaluative comparison of databases for argumentative/persuasive rhetoric. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews and compares the databases in terms of the organization, types of information included and the ease of use. Findings – To assist students in learning the rhetorical modes of argument and persuasion, some database vendors have developed proprietary electronic databases specific to this purpose. EBSCOhost’s Points of View Reference Center and Gale/Cengage’s Opposing Viewpoints in Context are two such databases. Which is better largely depends on the dominant user demographic of the educational institution. Both databases have strengths and weaknesses; therefore, the best results can be achieved by using them to complement one another. But if only one database can be selected, then that choice should most be influenced by the user demographic served. Research limitations/implications – These databases have value as primers and introductions to research and writing in the rhetorical mode(s) of argumentation and persuasion, but students taking advanced classes should supplement them with more sophisticated searches in standard aggregator databases, which are not examined in detail in this paper. Originality/value – This paper offers selectors an apples-to-apples comparison and analysis of two related resources, providing an insight about which can be used in the selection process.

Indexing chemical structures: Exemplified compound indexing in patents by the vendors Thomson Reuters, Chemical Abstracts and Elsevier – A comparative study by the Patent Documentation Group (PDG)

The following article briefly discusses the history of the PDG and why Taskforce/Working Group efforts have been an important part of PDG activities. The authors describe a methodology for analysing exemplified compound indexing from the patent literature in three databases: Chemical Abstracts (CAPLUS and REGISTRY), Derwent World Patents Index (DWPI) and Reaxys. This article also discusses the post analysis feedback from the database vendors. The feedback and the further discussions with the vendors culminated in some examples of positive changes to their indexing policies.

Evaluating Language Functionality in Library Databases

ABSTRACTThis article discusses the technology and design features of library databases that allow users to search and retrieve information in a language other than English. The author begins with reviewing language localization trends in the following databases: EBSCO Academic Search Complete, Gale Academic OneFile, JSTOR, ProQuest Linguistics and Language Behavior s, and WorldCat on FirstSearch by OCLC (hereafter WorldCat). This review is followed by an evaluation of these databases' abilities to search in a non-English language using a simple keyword search constructed using Google Translate. The results show that searching databases using languages written in Roman fonts (European languages, for example) is supported across all the databases, while searching using languages represented in non-Roman scripts is not well supported (Russian, Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese, etc.). These database features are undergoing constant development as library database vendors expand their products to other countries and languages. This article gives readers a simple method to get a snapshot understanding of language functionality in library databases. Language functionality is an important consideration when working with non-native English speakers and other second language learners. This article will be of interest to librarians who work with departments focused on area studies, linguistics, classics, and foreign languages. Librarians who work in multi-lingual and international environments will also gain a better understanding of how to select databases that best meet the needs of mul-tilingual and international patrons.

Specialist Bibliographic Databases.

Specialist bibliographic databases offer essential online tools for researchers and authors who work on specific subjects and perform comprehensive and systematic syntheses of evidence. This article presents examples of the established specialist databases, which may be of interest to those engaged in multidisciplinary science communication. Access to most specialist databases is through subscription schemes and membership in professional associations. Several aggregators of information and database vendors, such as EBSCOhost and ProQuest, facilitate advanced searches supported by specialist keyword thesauri. Searches of items through specialist databases are complementary to those through multidisciplinary research platforms, such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Familiarizing with the functional characteristics of biomedical and nonbiomedical bibliographic search tools is mandatory for researchers, authors, editors, and publishers. The database users are offered updates of the indexed journal lists, abstracts, author profiles, and links to other metadata. Editors and publishers may find particularly useful source selection criteria and apply for coverage of their peer-reviewed journals and grey literature sources. These criteria are aimed at accepting relevant sources with established editorial policies and quality controls.

Issues in Hedge Fund Index Engineering: A Comparison and Demonstration

We examine hedge fund index construction methodologies, by describing and analysing the general principles and construction methods for a successful hedge fund index. We present case studies from two well-known database vendors and evaluate them using numerical examples on the same dataset. Despite the fact that they follow a similar due diligence process, there are great differences in the index engineering practices arising from different quantitative techniques, even for indices in the same hedge fund category. However, those quantitative techniques provide similar results. The differences are rather due to the use of different hedge fund universes and different inclusion criteria. This paper is the first to use actual numerical case studies to illustrate and compare how hedge fund index engineering works. Having read it the reader will have a good understanding of how hedge fund indices are formed and current issues in the area.

Product equivalence and drug databases

Pharmacists rely on computerized drug information to assist themin their decisions about various aspects of drug therapy and drugdistribution, including the substitutability of one product for another.A federal court in Florida recently considered a lawsuit brought bya manufacturer against a drug database vendor, contending that thevendor's computerized information about the manufacturer's productwas false.

Relevance status value model of Index Islamicus on Islamic History and Civilizations

Purpose – The purposes of this study were to measure the relevance status of Index Islamicus, evaluate the semantic correlation between a query and documents and inquire the basis of its rank. Sorting the retrieved results from the most relevant to the least relevant is the common option of an information retrieval system. This sorting mechanism or relevance judgment is computed by measuring closeness of query with its documents. Design/methodology/approach – Forming up 100 queries on Islamic History and Civilizations, with two indexing elements (keyword and concept), a laboratory experiment was generated on its first ten items of the rank. Throughout an experimental research design, the relevance status value formula was used to measure system-computed rank and compare it with mean average precision. Findings – The results showed that the average status value of Index Islamicus’s ranking on relevance criterion was 18 per cent effective in terms of retrieving precise documents. Despite the main focus of this study being only on one subject domain and the items calculated were only 1,000, this small percentage of its ranking mechanism proved that semantic correlations between queries with subject domain did not achieve the satisfactory level. Research limitations/implications – Implication of this study could be a guideline for further research on ranking mechanism of other search engines because the limitation of this study was Index Islamicus being the only database, which was the focus of this study. Practical implications – Throughout this study, Index Islamicus would be benefited knowing the status of its ranking mechanism as well as other databases can make further research on their own ranking method following this study. Social implications – Researchers and vendors of online databases can ensure their users a true platform of search engine with a proper ranking list. Originality/value – Relevance status value model for Index Islamicus on Islamic History and Civilization that allows the system to rank documents according to the match between document and query and gives the idea of a better index. The model improves the system’s ranking mechanism, and promotes the use of semantic relationships. This research promotes the computation of relevance status value by domain for capturing subject-specific relevance criteria and semantic relationships.

Macprofessionals Public Library iPad Checkout Solution

Portable devices have become a hot topic lately with Apple, Google, and Microsoft all creating mobile operating systems for tablets. These devices are portable, fun, productive, and, in many cases, cheaper than full computers—and they are often highly desired by library users. As a result, more and more libraries are considering purchasing and circulating tablets. If that includes your library, the first thing to consider is whether circulating tablets makes sense for your library and its users and, if so, which device best meets your needs. To make these determinations, consider what your users might want to do with tablets. They could take notes, use some of the many available medical apps, create presentations, or use video calling to communicate with remote members of study or project groups. Many database and journal vendors are creating mobile apps for easy access to online content, making a tablet a portable research tool. Finally, a number of tablets could be designated for staff use in roaming reference, thereby extending the library's reach beyond offices and service desks. The next major consideration is the time and expertise required to manage the devices. To manage tablets for checkout, you have to select, purchase, and install apps; delete unwanted content after each use; reinstall apps that patrons may have deleted; and correct other issues that may arise. Performing these tasks in-house requires significant staff time as well as technical experience, both of which may be very limited in smaller libraries. In such cases, a vendor solution may be the best option. Turnkey solutions for circulating tablets are a new area in the library automation market, so choices are somewhat limited. This reviewer is aware of only one vendor offering a full-service solution for libraries wishing to circulate tablets: Macprofessionals, which offers a product called the Public Library iPad Checkout Solution. Despite the name, this product is not just for public libraries. It can work well in any library that wishes to circulate iPads.

English

Mobile technologies are playing an increasingly important role in the academic lives of research scholars. The use of mobile devices for academic purposes is the main objective of this study. As such, it has become important to find out how mobile devices improve research work of the research scholars and make it easier, more accessible, faster, and time saving in their academic/research work, and how these devices benefit in research performance of the scholars. The study shows that research scholars do use mobile devices for more than communication and mobile learning (m-learning). Majority of respondents fall under the age group of 26–30 years and are using smartphones. Mobile devices are easier, more accessible, faster, time saving, and can be used for m-learning to improve social interactions. Mobile apps are most frequently used for checking social networking sites (SNSs). Accessing e-newspapers is the most specific use of mobile devices. Majority respondents are using mobile devices for searching Web OPAC. Finding other research scholars and discussing with peers through groups are the main purpose of using academic SNSs. Majority respondents stated that mobile devices are very easy to use, but not significantly used for exchange of ideas with their research supervisors related to research work, which is the principal issue addressed by this study. Mobile devices are least used for identifying potential collaborators. Lack of high speed and authentic e-resources are the biggest barriers that interrupt the access of licensed e-resources subscribed by the study libraries for enhancement of research work. The findings of the study will not only guide research scholars in effective use of mobile devices for academic purpose but also help mobile manufactures, university authorities, librarians, and database vendors in exploring mobile devices adoption and usage among the university students.

Association between statin use and cancer: data mining of a spontaneous reporting database and a claims database.

Purpose: In recent years, the potential risk of cancer associated with statin use has been a focus of much interest. However, it remains uncertain whether statin therapy is associated with cancer risk. To examine the association between statin use and the risk of cancer, we conducted data mining using the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) and a large organized database of claims constructed by a database vendor (The Japan Medical Data Center Co., Ltd, Tokyo, Japan [JMDC]).Methods: Relevant reports in the FAERS, which included data from the first quarter of 2004 through the end of 2012, were identified and analyzed. The reporting odds ratio (ROR) was used to detect spontaneous report signals and was calculated using the case/non-case method. Additionally, signals were detected via the information component (IC) using the IC025 metric. Furthermore, event sequence symmetry analysis (ESSA) was applied to identify the risk of cancer following treatment with statins over the period January 2005 to July 2013.Results: In the FAERS database analyses, significant signals for colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer were found for statins as a class. In the ESSA, significant associations between statin use and colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer were found, with adjusted sequence ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 1.20 (1.08-1.34) and 1.31 (1.13-1.53), respectively, at an interval of 48 months.Conclusions: Multi-methodological approaches using different algorithms and databases suggest that statin use is associated with an increased risk for colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer.

UDA-GIST

Enterprise applications need sophisticated in-database analytics in addition to traditional online analytical processing from a database. To meet customers' pressing demands, database vendors have been pushing advanced analytical techniques into databases. Most major DBMSes offer User-Defined Aggregate (UDA), a data-driven operator, to implement many of the analytical techniques in parallel. However, UDAs can not be used to implement statistical algorithms such as Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC), where most of the work is performed by iterative transitions over a large state that can not be naively partitioned due to data dependency. Typically, this type of statistical algorithm requires pre-processing to setup the large state in the first place and demands post-processing after the statistical inference. This paper presents General Iterative State Transition (GIST), a new database operator for parallel iterative state transitions over large states. GIST receives a state constructed by a UDA, and then performs rounds of transitions on the state until it converges. A final UDA performs post-processing and result extraction. We argue that the combination of UDA and GIST (UDA-GIST) unifies data-parallel and state-parallel processing in a single system, thus significantly extending the analytical capabilities of DBMSes. We exemplify the framework through two high-profile applications: cross-document coreference and image denoising. We show that the in-database framework allows us to tackle a 27 times larger problem than solved by the state-of-the-art for the first application and achieves 43 times speedup over the state-of-the-art for the second application.

Survey of Large-Scale Data Management Systems for Big Data Applications

Today, data is flowing into various organizations at an unprecedented scale. The ability to scale out for processing an enhanced workload has become an important factor for the proliferation and popularization of database systems. Big data applications demand and consequently lead to the developments of diverse large-scale data management systems in different organizations, ranging from traditional database vendors to new emerging Internet-based enterprises. In this survey, we investigate, characterize, and analyze the large-scale data management systems in depth and develop comprehensive taxonomies for various critical aspects covering the data model, the system architecture, and the consistency model. We map the prevailing highly scalable data management systems to the proposed taxonomies, not only to classify the common techniques but also to provide a basis for analyzing current system scalability limitations. To overcome these limitations, we predicate and highlight the possible principles that future efforts need to be undertaken for the next generation large-scale data management systems.

Pharmacist-managed inpatient discharge medication reconciliation: A combined onsite and telepharmacy model

The development, implementation, and pilot testing of a discharge medication reconciliation service managed by pharmacists with offsite telepharmacy support are described. Hospitals' efforts to prepare legible, complete, and accurate medication lists to patients prior to discharge continue to be complicated by staffing and time constraints and suboptimal information technology. To address these challenges, the pharmacy department at a 324-bed community hospital initiated a quality-improvement project to optimize patients' discharge medication lists while addressing problems that often resulted in confusing, incomplete, or inaccurate lists. A subcommittee of the hospital's pharmacy and therapeutics committee led the development of a revised medication reconciliation process designed to streamline and improve the accuracy and utility of discharge medication documents, with subsequent implementation of a new service model encompassing both onsite and remote pharmacists. The new process and service were evaluated on selected patient care units in a 19-month pilot project requiring collaboration by physicians, nurses, case managers, pharmacists, and an outpatient prescription drug database vendor. During the pilot testing period, 6402 comprehensive reconciled discharge medication lists were prepared; 634 documented discrepancies or medication errors were detected. The majority of identified problems were in three categories: unreconciled medication orders (31%), order clarification (25%), and duplicate orders (12%). The most problematic medications were the opioids, cardiovascular agents, and anticoagulants. A pharmacist-managed medication reconciliation service including onsite pharmacists and telepharmacy support was successful in improving the final discharge lists and documentation received by patients.

Association of statin use with storage lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS): data mining of prescription database

The efficacy and safety of statins have been studied in a number of clinical trials and epidemiological studies. In recent years, the Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has assessed the evidence available on the following adverse reactions associated with the use of statins: sleep disturbances, memory loss, micturition disorders (problems with urination), sexual disturbances, depression, and interstitial pneumopathy. However, the association between statin use and the risk of these adverse reactions remains unclear. To examine the association between statin use and the risk of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) or the disorder causing LUTS, we carried out data mining using a prescription database. A large organized database of prescriptions constructed by a database vendor was used in the study. Symmetry analysis was used to identify the risk of LUTS after using statins over the period January 2006 to August 2013. Statin use in combination with drugs administered for storage LUTS was examined by prescription sequence symmetry analysis (PSSA). A significant association between statins and drugs for storage LUTS was found, with adjusted sequence ratios (ASRs) of 1.21 (95% CI, 1.00 - 1.46), 1.19 (95% CI, 1.04 - 1.38), and 1.17 (95% CI, 1.05 - 1.30) for intervals of 91, 182, and 365 days, respectively. In the analyses of individual statins, significant associations were found only for pravastatin. Significant associations with individual drugs for storage LUTS were found for solifenacin succinate with ASRs of 1.36 (95% CI, 1.02 - 1.81), 1.48 (95% CI, 1.19 - 1.84), and 1.47 (95% CI, 1.25 - 1.73) for intervals of 91, 182, and 365 days, for flavoxate hydrochloride with an ASR of 1.56 (95% CI, 1.13 - 2.17) at an interval of 182 days, and for oxybutynin hydrochloride with ASRs of 2.06 (95% CI, 1.11 - 3.94) and 1.71 (95% CI, 1.09 - 2.72) at intervals of 182 and 365 days. Significant associations with gender were found only in females with ASRs of 1.25 (95% CI, 1.04 - 1.51) and 1.23 (95% CI, 1.07 - 1.41) at intervals of 182 and 365 days, respectively. Analysis of the prescription database showed significant association for storage LUTS in statin users.

Adaptive self-tuning techniques for performance tuning of database systems: a fuzzy-based approach with tuning moderation

Self-tuning of database management systems (DBMS) offers important advantages such as improved performance, reduced total cost of ownership, eliminates the need for an expert database administrator (DBA), and improves business prospects. Several techniques have been proposed by researchers and the database vendors to self-tune the DBMS. However, the research focus was confined to physical tuning techniques, and the algorithms used for self-tuning the shared memory of DBMS have high computational overheads as they use large statistical data. As a result, these approaches are not only computationally expensive but also do not adapt well to highly unpredictable workload types and user-load patterns. Hence, in this paper an important soft-computing method, namely, fuzzy-based self-tuning approach has been proposed wherein, three inputs namely, buffer-hit-ratio, number of users and database size are extracted from the database management system as sensor inputs that indicate degradation in performance, and key tuning parameters called the effectors are altered (Burlson and Donald 2010) according to the fuzzy rules. The fuzzy rules are framed after a detailed study of impact of each tuning parameter on the response-time of user queries. The proposed self-tuning architecture is based on modified Monitor, Analyze, Plan and Execute (MAPE) feedback control loop framework termed Monitor, Estimate and Execute (MEE). The self-tuning approach using this method has been tested under various workload types. The results have been validated by comparing the performance of the proposed self-tuning system with the workload-analysis-based self-tuning feature of the commercial database system, Oracle 10g. The results show significant improvement in performance under two workload types, namely, TPC-C and TPC-E and user-load variations in the range 2---100. The system is also tested under TPC-D workload for the user-load 1---10. This improved self-tuning helps in simplifying the job of the DBA, and results in cost saving and betters the business prospectus of the enterprise. A novel tuning moderation technique is also presented in this paper, that provides the necessary stability to the system while the tuning parameters are dynamically altered.

PDA survey of medical residents: e-books before e-mail

Introduction - Increasingly, database vendors are allowing downloads of their products to personal digital as- sistants (PDAs). The Hospital Library at Capital Health in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has the opportunity to provide PDA versions of resources to our users. The purpose of this survey is to find out the current environment of PDA use among the medical residents as a basis for developing library training and support for this technology. Question -A re medical residents using PDAs, and if yes, what type of PDA are they using, what experience do they have using them, how do they think they will use them in a clinical setting, and what products do they think they will find valuable in their practice? Methods - A Web-based survey was developed using PollDaddy software. A message was sent to all the medical residents on rotation at Capital Health on 12 November 2008; the survey closed 12 December 2008. Setting - The survey was developed by the Health Sciences Library of Capital Health. Capital Health is an academic health centre in Nova Scotia, Canada. The medical residents are affiliated with Dalhousie University Medical School. Participants - The participants were medical residents currently working in Capital Health hospitals. There were 55 re- spondents. Results - The majority of respondents own a PDA and have more than 1 year of experience using the de- vice. They use PDAs to look up drug information, for messaging, and to consult e-books. More than 90% of those surveyed use PDAs in their clinical practice. The Palm platform is used by 64% of respondents while the iPhone is used by 24%. Conclusion - Medical residents are using PDAs with a preference for the Palm platform. They are used for clinical decision making, and 61 different sources were listed as currently used by the medical residents. Implica- tions for the library are to provide training for the Palm and to concentrate on resource-specific training, rather than basic training on how to use a PDA. Limitations - There are approximately 300 medical residents on rotation at any one time. We received 55 responses. We realized, too late, that people could select only one item for question 7 (Which resources do you use?). However, most respondents provided lists of titles of PDA resources for question 8.

Association of statin use with sleep disturbances: data mining of a spontaneous reporting database and a prescription database.

Particular interest has been generated regarding the possible influence of statin use on sleep quality. However, no conclusive evidence exists that a particular statin is more likely to be associated with sleep disturbances versus others. It remains uncertain whether different statins produce different risks for sleep disturbance. To examine the association between statin use and the risk of sleep disturbances, we conducted data mining using the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) and a large organized database of prescriptions constructed by a database vendor (Japan Medical Information Research Institute, Inc. Japan). Relevant reports in the FAERS were identified and analyzed. Data from the first quarter of 2004 through the end of 2012 [corrected] were included in this study.The reporting odds ratio (ROR) was used to detect spontaneous report signals, calculated using the case/non-case method. For the ROR, a signal was detected if the lower limit of 95 % two-sided confidence interval (95 % CI) was >1. Additionally, signal detection using the IC was conducted using the IC025 metric, a lower limit of the 95 % CI of the IC, where a signal is detected if the IC025 value exceeds 0. In addition, symmetry analysis was used to identify the risk of insomnia after using statins over the period of January 2006 to August 2013. In the analyses of the FAERS database, significant signals for sleep disturbances including disturbances in initiating and maintaining sleep, sleep disorders NEC, sleeping disorders due to a general medical condition, and parasomnias were found. In the prescription sequence symmetry analysis, a significant association between statin use and hypnotic drug use was found, with adjusted sequence ratios of 1.14 (1.03-1.26), 1.20 (1.11-1.29), and 1.18 (1.11-1.25) at intervals of 91, 182, and 365 days, respectively. Multi-methodological approaches using different algorithms and databases strongly suggest that statin use is associated with an increased risk for sleep disturbances including insomnia.

Difference in risk of gastrointestinal complications between users of enteric-coated and buffered low-dose aspirin

Difference in the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) complications between users of enteric-coated and buffered low-dose aspirin (LDA) is unclear. The purpose of the study is to examine the difference in risk of GI damage between enteric-coated and buffered LDA products. A large and chronologically organized receipt database constructed by a database vendor was utilized. Prescription and event sequence symmetry analysis was used to identify the risk of LDA-induced GI complications over the period from January 2005 to July 2011. LDA use in combination with H2-receptor antagonists (H2RAs) and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) was examined by prescription sequence symmetry analysis. Likewise, symmetry analysis was undertaken to evaluate the association between the diagnosis of GI disease and the prescription of LDA products. In July 2011, enteric-coated LDA users were more frequently co-administered PPIs than buffered LDA users (25.4% vs. 14.4%). Prescription sequence symmetry analysis of acid inhibitor use found no significant associations with enteric-coated LDA use and buffered LDA use. The event sequence symmetry analysis of ulcer, gastritis and duodenitis, and melena found significant associations with entericcoated LDA use, with adjusted sequence ratios (ASRs) of 1.58 (1.23 - 2.06), 1.30 (1.03 - 1.65), and 14.38 (2.19 - 607.95), respectively, at the 6-month interval. At the 12-month interval, analysis of ulcers and melena found significant associations for enteric-coated LDA users, with ASRs of 1.39 (1.13 - 1.73) and 20.83 (3.33 - 863.25), respectively. Our findings do not support that there is no difference in the risk of GI complications between enteric-coated LDA and buffered LDA, but rather may imply that the risk of GI complications associated with enteric-coated LDA is higher than that with buffered LDA.