Journal of paediatrics and child health
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J Paediatr Child Health · Jul 2011
Clinicopathological characteristics of ovarian tumours according to menarchal status in Korean girls.
To evaluate our experience with ovarian tumours in young girls and to identify specific characteristics in relation to their menarchal status that might assist in the early diagnosis and prompt management. ⋯ The incidence of ovarian tumour and torsion is rare, especially in pre-menarchal girls. However, we found a higher prevalence of torsion in pre-menarchal girls with an ovarian tumour. A high level of suspicion for torsion should be considered when treating pre-menarchal girls with an ovarian tumour, irrespective of the tumour size to preserve adnexal tissue.
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J Paediatr Child Health · Jun 2011
The placebo mystique: Implications for clinical trial methodology.
The World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki states that the use of a placebo in a clinical trial can only be justified ethically when no proven active treatment is available as a comparison. Despite this, placebos remain a popular choice as controls in clinical trials. Recent literature reviews have suggested that reliance on placebos may, in part, be because of methodological misconceptions about the need for placebos to control for the 'placebo effect'. This study aimed to assess doctors' understanding of the requirements for placebo use in clinical trials. ⋯ Misconceptions about the methodological requirement for placebos in randomised controlled trials may influence researcher decisions to use placebo controls in unethical situations.
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Medical practitioners are frequently called upon to write multiple-choice questions for high stakes examinations, such as final year medical student assessments and specialist college accreditation examinations. The fairness and validity of these examinations depends principally on the generation of high-quality questions, which adequately sample the curriculum. The most common format for multiple-choice examinations are single best answer and extended matching type questions. This paper provides a simple guideline that will assist with the production of high-quality multiple-choice papers in these formats.
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J Paediatr Child Health · May 2011
Improving nutritional status of children with cystic fibrosis at Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital.
To determine the nutritional status of children attending a cystic fibrosis clinic in a tertiary hospital in South Africa and compare it to previously reported 10-year rates. ⋯ These children demonstrated continuing improvement in nutritional status, although deficits remain. The normalisation of mean weight-for-age and weight-for-height with far fewer wasted patients is encouraging. Interventions are needed in some areas to ensure that all children show progress.