python NCBI example

test.py

from Bio import Entrez
Entrez.email = "[email protected]"

handle = Entrez.esearch(db="pubmed", term="pyramidal cell")
record = Entrez.read(handle)
len(record) # this matches http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=pyramidal%20cell

first = record["IdList"][0]

# from http://stackoverflow.com/a/20149984/125617
def print_abstract(pmid):
    handle = Entrez.efetch(db='pubmed', id=pmid, retmode='text', rettype='abstract')
    print handle.read()

print_abstract(first)

def fetch_abstract(pmid):
    handle = Entrez.efetch(db='pubmed', id=pmid, retmode='xml')
    xml_data = Entrez.read(handle)[0]
    try:
        article = xml_data['MedlineCitation']['Article']
        abstract = article['Abstract']['AbstractText'][0]
        return abstract
    except IndexError:
        return None

fetch_abstract(first) ## some warnings, though...