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The PLoS Medicine Editors and partners from the Maternal Health Task Force at the Harvard School of Public Health announce their partnership and a call for papers on “quality of maternal health care.”

During my medical house job the only people with hypertension whom I saw were those who were admitted with the consequences of cardiovascular disease. I was therefore desperately worried that my father who was hypertensive was about to have a stroke or a myocardial infarction. Fortunately, my next job was a trainee in general practice, where I daily saw people with hypertension who were living fairly normal lives, which helped to get things back in perspective. That latter post, and one in accident and emergency, followed by three years out of medicine, helped me to put the acute and chronic pathology I had seen and read about into a population …

Research studies on the side effects of commonly prescribed drugs constituted the three most read papers published by the BMJ in 2005, according to an internal audit that assessed their use by readers. Studies that showed increased risk of myocardial infarction in patients taking cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX 2) inhibitors and that explored the link between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and suicide came top. For the audit Sara Schroter, the BMJ 's senior researcher, analysed research papers using three measures: the number of citations a paper received, the number of times it was accessed on the web, and the number of rapid responses it generated. The top scoring paper was a case-control study that showed greater risk of myocardial infarction in patients taking the COX 2 inhibitor rofecoxib (Vioxx) and in patients taking diclofenac …

Purpose: This research was aimed to explore the major subjects and research theme and to classify characteristics of the key words in recent Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing. Methods: With survey design, whole 103 published papers during 2003-2006 were analyzed with structured analysis form; research subjects, research methodology, data analysis, and key words of the published papers were classified and extracted. Various theme was founded and classified to 9 domains. Results: Most of the research subjects were women. Eighty-eight percent of papers conducted quantitative research; 83% chose convenience sampling and 69% used survey design, while experimental design was 29%. Key words were categorized 9 domains: demographic, health related concept, health behavior(intervention), sex-related, life event, disease, et al. Among 9 domains, health related concept, especially psycho-social topics such as depression, anxiety, stress were mostly studied and then physiologic topics such as labor pain, fatigue, and menstrual symptoms. Conclusion: Most of the subjects were women and the most common domain studied was health related concepts in Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing. And key words and topics were on women's health issues. We can conclude that Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing has published by her own philosophy.

JGIM plans to publish a special issue devoted to aspects of addressing alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use in patients seen in the primary care setting. This call for papers comes at a time when substance abuse issues are being recognized increasingly as mainstream general internal medicine concerns. This shift has occurred over the past decade as the importance of substance abuse disorders in medical practice has become well established. It has been estimated that alcohol consumption is responsible for over 100,000 deaths annually and over $100 billion in economic costs in the United States.1 When the impact of tobacco and illicit drug use is added to these figures, the total number of deaths per year increases to over 500,0002 and total economic costs are approximately one quarter of a trillion dollars.3 Underlying these findings regarding substance use-related mortality and costs is the fact that the use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs has been closely linked to a variety of medical and psychosocial problems, all of which may prompt a visit to a primary care physician or health care facility. For example, over 25% of admissions to community hospitals are alcohol related4 and the prevalence of alcohol abuse or dependence ranges from 16 to 36% in outpatient medical settings.5 A recent study of adult primary care patients demonstrated that 60% used alcohol, of whom 9% were at-risk drinkers, 8% were problem drinkers and 5% were alcohol dependent.6 Data from this same study showed that 27% of these primary care patients used tobacco, and at least 20% had a history of illicit drug use, of whom 5% were current illicit drug users.6 Such studies give compelling evidence that substance use disorders are prevalent in primary care practice. Physicians need to be prepared to deal with these issues. Yet, we have a suboptimal record of identifying and addressing patients' needs in this regard in both inpatient and outpatient settings.4,7 Recognition of the importance of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug abuse disorders in primary care practice has resulted in a call for primary care physicians to take a larger role in the identification and management of substance use disorders.8–11 These disorders are after all quite similar to other problems managed by primary care physicians. They are characterized by a chronic course with periodic exacerbations and have both medical and psychosocial sequelae. Perhaps more importantly, these conditions can be identified by well-established screening methods and do respond to effective treatment. Recent research on the identification and treatment of substance use disorders has focussed on primary care settings. Increasingly, this research is being performed by investigators who are from fields such as General Internal Medicine, General Pediatrics, and Family Medicine. For example, major advances in the identification of effective screening methods for alcohol use disorders have been the result of research done in primary care settings by generalist physicians. As a result of this work, we now understand the utility of screening instruments such as the CAGE and the AUDIT and know the importance of early identification of alcohol problems.12–20 In addition, evidence is convincing that effective management of “at risk” and problem drinking and tobacco use can be delivered in the primary care setting.21–24 Even the treatment of illicit drug use with pharmacotherapies that historically were restricted to specialized treatment programs may soon become the province of primary care.25 The Society of General Internal Medicine's (SGIM) Substance Abuse Task Force has been at the forefront of these developments. The Task Force's members are among the leading investigators, educators, and clinicians in the substance abuse field. The group has taken a leadership role in bringing issues related to substance abuse “into the fold” of SGIM and generalist physicians in other fields.26 At the 2000 SGIM national meeting, the Task Force decided to seek publication of a special issue of JGIM which would focus on substance abuse. With the support of the Josiah Macy Foundation and the Physician Leadership on National Drug Policy (PLNDP), the Task Force will be sponsoring the publication of this issue entitled “Substance Abuse: Innovations in Primary Care” in early 2002. This special issue will follow standard JGIM format, with all articles focussed on aspects of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use relevant to generalist physicians. Authors may submit original research articles, brief reports, reviews, perspectives, reflections, or articles appropriate for the Journal's new sections on Health Policy, Populations at Risk, and Innovations in Education and Clinical Practice (see JGIM's instructions for authors at http://www.blackwellscience.com/journals/internal/form.html). The deadline for submission of articles is June 1, 2001. As Co-Chairs of the SGIM Task Force, we will serve as Co-Editors of this special issue. For further information concerning submission of original manuscripts or to volunteer to review articles, please contact Jeffrey Samet (ude.ub@temasj) or Patrick O'Connor (ude.elay@ronnoco.kcirtap).

There is currently no functioning national antibiotic policy or a national policy to contain antimicrobial resistance in India.

This annual BMJ award recognises outstanding original research with potential to contribute considerably to improving health and healthcare. Trish Groves introduces the shortlist

Edited by J Chitnis, G Cumberbatch, A Gankande. (£18.56). Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. ISBN 978-1-4443-3068-7 A fiercely competitive exam with a dearth of resources to prepare with, the first part of the Membership of the College of Emergency Medicine gives shudders to all emergency medicine trainees—past, present and future. This book provides the reader high-yield facts in the form of 11 practice papers with 50 questions in a true/false format similar to the exam layout. Perhaps more tailored to the candidate who is looking for some mock exam practice, this book will benefit anyone thinking of sitting the Part A exam. The questions are tough and logic provoking, and so …

Informative white papers such as that of Becker et al. ([1][1]) are often helpful, although they could assist practitioners further by suggesting that clinical trials could and should be done when there is a reasonable consideration. For example, although the authors and others ([2][2]) state that

Despite increases in the number of women doctors in the United States over the past 40 years they are still under-represented as first or senior authors on papers published in leading journals, finds research in the New England Journal of Medicine (2006;355:281-7). The observation that many papers in leading journals were written by men prompted the authors to wonder what message that sent to ambitious young women. “Publication in medical journals is an important measure of academic productivity. It is also highly emphasized in the academic promotion process and an important means by which the academic medical community communicates,” they wrote. The study looked at original articles published in 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, and 2004 in the New England Journal of Medicine , JAMA , the Annals of Internal Medicine , the Annals of Surgery , Obstetrics & Gynecology , and the Journal of Pediatrics . The researchers were able to identify the sex of 99% of 7249 US doctors listed as first or senior authors on these papers. They also looked at the sex of authors of guest editorials in the New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA . Overall the percentage of female first or senior authors increased from 6% in 1970 to 29% in 2004. The percentage of women who wrote guest editorials also rose overall. In JAMA the percentage rose from 0% in 1970 to 19% in 2004, while in the New England Journal of Medicine it rose from 2% in 1970 to 20% in 2000, although it then fell to 11% in 2004. The greatest increases occurred in the Journal of Pediatrics and Obstetrics & Gynecology , while the smallest gains were made in the Annals of Surgery , changes that broadly reflect the numbers of women in these specialties. In 1960 6% of medical students were women; now they make up 49% of the total number. One in four practising doctors is a woman, and in academic medicine almost a third of full time faculty members are women. But women represent only 10% of medical school deans, 11% of departmental chairs, and 14% of full professors. In an accompanying editorial (2006;355:310-2) four women doctors say that the authorship sex gap will narrow only when more women reach senior faculty positions. They wrote, “Each author … has experienced the challenges of raising children while working full-time in careers in medicine and science. Spending more time on scholarly activities necessarily means less time with family; women may be less likely than men to accept this trade-off.” Career paths in medicine should be more flexible and success less narrowly defined, they say. The paper’s first author, Reshma Jagsi, an assistant professor of radiation oncology at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, said that formal mentoring and additional financial support would help the goal of increasing diversity in the medical workforce to be met.

The aim of this article is to give a brief guide to scientific writing to encourage more clinicians to take the plunge and write up that unusual case or present the results of their experience with a new treatment or surgical technique. Its target audience is the practitioner who wishes to publish clinical material and the young academic, clinical resident or research fellow. Both groups require guidance in the early days of their publishing career.

Early this year, investigators working with the Cochrane Collaboration published an update on the use of neuraminidase inhibitors (oseltamivir and zanamivir) for the prevention and treatment of influenza in healthy individuals.1 This updated version expands on a 2009 Cochrane review2 that reported inconclusive findings regarding the effectiveness of oseltamivir, mainly due to missing data from prior, unpublished studies. The drug manufacturer had offered to supply the missing information, but reportedly failed to do so. So, the investigators obtained regulatory review information, consisting of thousands of pages of individual patient results from clinical trials, via a Freedom of Information Act request. They sought to reconcile any data discrepancies with …

The Lancet has retracted a paper by researchers at the Medical University of Innsbruck in Austria after an official investigation found that the clinical trial it reported had serious ethical and procedural flaws. Austria’s Agency for Health and Food Safety says that the urologists who conducted the trial of stem cell treatment for stress incontinence in women failed to get proper ethical approval and neglected to adequately inform patients of the experimental nature of the procedures. In one case an insurance confirmation form seemed to have been forged. “In our view, the conclusions of this official investigation pinpoint so many irregularities in the conduct of their work that, taken together, …

EDITOR—Dimoliatis raises some important points in his personal view asking whether reviewers of papers should have their names published.1 There are two aspects of the debate on open access reviewing that strike me as interesting points from a qualitative perspective. The first is whether the authors think that the paper has been genuinely …

I recently reviewed a paper, which I ended up loving. I felt as though the paper was mine. Although my name is nowhere to be found in the published version, I am in there. I spent much time and effort on it: I wrote hundreds of words in recommendations, some of which were important and accepted by the authors, improving the first version of the manuscript and resulting in version two. Then a new cycle began. And all this depended on my dedication and voluntary contribution—at the expense of my own papers, and at the expense of building my own curriculum vitae. Reviewing does not seem to count for much. But why not? Shouldn't it? Some two months later the editor asked me to review the second version of the manuscript. In doing so I felt—besides helping the authors and editors—a great responsibility to readers. I felt I needed to protect the readers from “junk information” and to contribute to the dissemination of the truth (and …

This book continues to impress. The first edition was excellent, the second and third even better. But the fourth edition is the best yet. Even if you own the previous editions, it is worth adding this one to your library because two new important chapters have been added on complex interventions and quality improvement (topics missing from other standard EBM textbooks). As an EBM educator, researcher, and practitioner, I am unclear exactly for whom the book is best suited. I feel it is most suitable for those with …

This issue's recently published papers concentrates on early goal directed therapy, starting with new data from the original study through to new studies that may have a major bearing on the treatment of septic shock in years to come. A timely reminder about talking, walking and teaching clinical medicine completes the roundup.

More than three years after publishing a research paper in Nature Medicine , 15 German scientists retracted it because of “several incorrect statements and the erroneous presentation of primary data, results and conclusions” ( Nature Medicine 2003;9: 1221 ). The paper, whose lead author was Alexander Kugler, then senior registrar in the urology department of Gottingen University Hospital, presented a small clinical trial …

Editor—In January 1996, Gough et al reported the potential adverse effects of minocycline1; an editorial in the same issue amplified the position.2 Their paper highlighted the fact that minocycline is the most widely prescribed systemic antibiotic for acne, and one for which no resistance has yet been described. They noted, …

Purpose: This study s aim was to analyze literature using the identified key words of published literature within the Korean Journal of Womens Health Nursing from 2007~2009. The study explored the major subjects and research methodology used and evaluated the quality of this Journal articles. Method...