BACKGROUND Research is needed to determine the prevalence and variables associated with the diagnosis of flatfoot, and to evaluate the validity of three footprint analysis methods for diagnosing flatfoot, using clinical diagnosis as a benchmark. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study of a population-based random sample ≥ 40 years old (n = 1002) in A Coruña, Spain. Anthropometric variabl...

BACKGROUND The measurements used in diagnosing biomechanical pathologies vary greatly. The aim of this study was to determine the concordance between Clarke's angle and Chippaux-Smirak index, and to determine the validity of Clarke's angle using the Chippaux-Smirak index as a reference. METHODS Observational study in a random population sample (n= 1,002) in A Coruña (Spain). After informed pa...

INTRODUCTION Cancer is an important and growing public health burden in South Africa (SA). Over the past few decades, there has been considerable scientific activity in cancer in SA. However, there has been limited analysis of cancer scientific publications. In this paper, we present a protocol for bibliometric analysis of cancer research conducted in SA. METHODS AND ANALYSIS A comprehensive ...

A standard application form for the ethical review of health-related research studies has recently been adopted by many Irish medical research ethics committees. In order to assess the impact of the new form, we reviewed all comments made by the Beaumont Hospital Ethics Committee during two six-month periods, immediately prior to adoption of the new form (2010), and soon afterwards (2011). Neit...

INTRODUCTION Faecal incontinence (FI) is the involuntary loss of liquid or solid stool that is a social or hygienic problem. The prevalence of FI in residents of care homes is high, but it is not an inevitable consequence of old age or dementia. There is good evidence on risk factors, but few studies provide evidence about effective interventions. There is a need to understand how, why, and in ...

Cosmetic Dermatology is a growing subspecialty. High-quality basic science studies have been published; however, few double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trials, which are the major instrument for evidence-based medicine, have been conducted in this area. Clinical research is essential for the discovery of new knowledge, improvement of scientific basis, resolution of challenges, and goo...

INTRODUCTION A national survey was recently conducted to explore medical education research priorities in Scotland. The identified themes and underlying priority areas can be linked to current medical education drivers in the UK. The top priority area rated by stakeholders was: 'Understanding how to balance service and training conflicts'. Despite its perceived importance, a preliminary scoping...

The paper extracted pertinent aspects of 21 years (1981-2001) of scientific cooperation among Zimbabwe's Blair Research Laboratory (BRL), the Biomedical Research and Training Institute (BRTI), and the Danish Bilharziasis Laboratory (DBL). DBL supported the building of research capacity at BRL through PhD-level training and short courses on research training organized by BRTI. The BRL-BRTI-DBL c...

Scientists planning research that involves the use of animals are required to examine the possibilities for replacement, reduction, or refinement (the Three Rs), and their protocol must be reviewed by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Good scientific practice involving appropriate search techniques on the available Three Rs resources is essential for both ethical and scientific r...

BACKGROUND Requirements for Institutional Review Board approval and informed consent for research involving human subjects have existed for more than 2 decades. However, evidence of fulfillment of these requirements is sometimes lacking in cardiovascular research reports in Argentina. Since ethical standards vary between committees, there may be some confusion among researchers regarding the ne...