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Reports the effectiveness of the statistical assessment scheme for papers submitted to the 'British Medical Journal,'. Statistical criticism of the content; Comparison of reports on published and unpublished papers; Acceptability of assessed papers.

Focuses on the use of computer system for the publication of the journal 'British Medical Journal' in Great Britain. Scheme on the use of computer system in the editorial office; Problems relating to computer systems; Advantage on the use of computer systems.

Presents information on the rejection of papers by the journal "Tobacco Control." Statistics on the papers received and published in the journal; Publication of the rejected papers in other international journals; Increase in the competition for publication of papers.

Being asked to review a paper is one of the most difficult tasks to face a clinician. None of physicians have training or guidance in this area, and when a paper lands on their desks with a kindly note from the editor, the first response is often one of horror, something akin to a visitation of the Black Death. Once the shock wears off, the opportunity to review manuscripts can actually be a positive process both for the authors and the reviewer. For an experienced scientist, being asked to review a manuscript should be an exciting proposition. To be selected for this role through scientific respect in a particular held is an intoxicating mix. Although it may be a time burden, it is also a rite of passage in academia. When a manuscript is submitted to a journal, an editorial management decision is first made as to whether it is an appropriate paper for this journal.

The article presents an announcement of the hanging committee of the periodical "Sexually Transmitted Infections." It states that the two papers published in the journal by a researcher exhibit a degree of overlap. Specifically, female patients are the same in both papers. There is also a certain degree of overlap in the introduction, methods, results and discussion sections of the two papers. Authors of the two papers refute the committee's charges and states that their two papers, titled "Sexually Transmitted Diseases" and "Sexually Transmitted Infections" are completely different and do not resemble each other at all.

Presents an introduction to the August 1, 2005 issue of the periodical "Tobacco Control."

The article announces the improvements made by the publication on its upcoming issues. All original articles will be posted on its Web site in called an Online First section right before the papers are published in the print version of the journal. Immediate publication of the papers is what the authors aim so their findings can be cited and shared with the scientific and medical community.

The article offers information on the most significant paper published in the "Journal for Medical Ethics" related to the significant role of health occupations students in the healthcare industry.

The article provides information on the new services offered by the journal "Heart." In this context, the editor introduces several Web sites including "Online First," and "Rapid Communication." Online First allows a paper to be citable within two weeks of being accepted by the journal. While Rapid Communication aims to accelerate and personalize the review process for publication within four weeks. It is being guaranteed to be published on the Web within the following week.

The article discusses the changes of the editorial board of the magazine. The board will be composed of the editor-in-chief, two deputy editors, 29 associate editors (AE) and an editorial advisory board (EAB). The EAB is consists of 25 distinguished researchers and professionals with extensive background on epidemiology and public health.

Editorial. Focuses on the move of the periodical 'Injury Prevention' to go online. Web-based submissions and reviewing of manuscripts; Benefits of being able to go online; Other developments in the periodical.

Editorial. Comments on cases of fraudulent publication faced by editors of the 'British Journal of Sports Medicine' periodical. Examples of duplicate or redundant publication where an author submits the same paper to two or more journals; Difficulties concerning the excessive number of authors who are appending their names to manuscripts.

Presents an introduction to the August 2005 issue of the journal "Archives of Disease in Childhood."

Focuses on the move of the Journal of Medical Genetics towards open access publishing in the U.S. Details on the agreement to fund publication charges by large agencies; Concerns on the costs of publishing a paper in an open access journal; Benefits of open access publishing.

Presents an introduction to various articles on issues of poverty, deprivation, and health, published in February 1, 2005 issue of the "Journal of Epidemiol Community Health."

Objective: Geographic variation in youth smoking prevalence suggests that community-level factors influence risk of tobacco use. We examine the extent to which newspaper coverage of tobacco issues is related to youth smoking attitudes and behaviours. Design: We conducted a content analysis of 8390 newspaper articles on tobacco issues from 386 daily newspapers circulating at 5% or more in 2001-3 Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey communities. This resulted in the creation of community level measures of news volume, content and valence. Associations between news and youth outcomes were assessed using logistic regression analyses adjusting for individual, geographic and tobacco policy factors linked to youth smoking and attitudes. Subjects: 98 747 youth participating in the nationally representative school-based MTF annual surveys between 2001 and 2003. Main outcome measures: Perceived harm of smoking, perceived peer smoking, disapproval of smoking, smoking within the past 30 days, daily cigarette consumption. Results: In the five months preceding survey administration, newspapers in MTF communities published an average of 11.9 tobacco related articles (range 0-55.7). Each 10-article increase in newspaper volume over the five-month period was associated with increased odds of perceiving great harm from smoking (OR = 1.04, p<0.01) and disapproving of smoking (OR = 1.04, p<0.05) and decreased odds of perceiving most or all friends smoke (0.94, p<0.01) and smoking in the past 30 days (OR = 0.93, p<0.001). No consistent association was found between the content or valence of coverage and youth smoking outcomes. Conclusions: Gaining and keeping tobacco on the media agenda is an important tool for tackling youth smoking. As volume appears to be the driving factor, media advocacy may be best targeted towards generating events and highlighting issues likely to increase and sustain news attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on several papers related to pediatrics and adolescent medicine that appeared in the "Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine." The paper "Azithromycin for Recurrent Respiratory Tract Infections? Not yet!," by Peggy Sue Weintrub that appeared in the July 25, 2005 issue investigated the presence of atypical bacteria Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae in recurrent respiratory tract infections (RRTIs) and examined the role of azithromycin in treatment for RRTIs.

The article presents information about various papers related to heart disease, published in different medical journals. N terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide was measured in baseline serum samples from 1034 patients referred for angiography because of symptoms or signs of coronary heart disease. In 501 patients treated with primary angioplasty for ST elevation myocardial infarction, 252 patients were assigned to distal protection with the Percusurge system, and the rest to conventional treatment. Incidence of endocarditis in prosthetic valves is 0.4% per annum. 1123 patients were diagnosed with Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia. A prosthetic mitral valve was present in 51 of these patients.

The article provides information on the journal "Archimedes" which seeks to assist practicing clinicians by providing evidence based answers to common questions which are not at the forefront of research but are at the core of practice. The electronic edition of this journal contains extra information to each of the published Archimedes topics. The papers summarized in tables are linked, by an interactive table, to more detailed appraisals of the studies. To pull the information together, a commentary is provided. But to make it all much more accessible, a box provides the clinical bottom lines.

The article presents information on some of the features of the November 2005 issue of the "Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health." This particular issue has a varied menu to offer, but two themes are perhaps worthy of highlighting. The journal carry a research paper that sets out to test the hypothesis that the concept of sense of coherence moderates the health impacts of stressful life events. The conclusion is that sense of coherence does indeed seem to buffer the impact of recent stressful life events. The editorial of this issue asks what patient preference arms in clinical trials really mean.

Presents an introduction to articles published in the February 2005 issue of the journal "ADC: Journal of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health."

Presents a correction to the December 2004 issue of the "Journal of Medical Ethics."

Background There has been significant discussion about the need to manage conflict of interest (COI) in medical journals. This has lead many journals to implement policies to manage COI for authors and reviewers; however, surprisingly little attention has been focused on the COI of journal editors. Objective The goal of this exploratory study was to determine whether the policies were accessible to the public and to researchers, and to discuss the potential impact on public transparency. Design The authors conducted an internet search of editor COI policy instruments that have been developed, implemented and communicated by the top 10 peer-reviewed medical journals (2010 ISI Web of Knowledge Impact Factor), and assessed their general accessibility by gauging the level of difficulty in navigating the journal's website (number of clicks to find the policy instruments). Results Only four of the 10 medical journals (40%) in this study have accessible COI policy directives that include editors (JIM, PLoS Medicine, AIM, CMAJ). One journal (NEJM) had an editorial on the subject, and another (The Lancet) mentioned editor COI in their general guidelines. These documents are not readily accessible; starting from the journal's main website at least four clicks are needed to access these documents. Conclusion These results suggest that there is a general lack of accessible editor COI policy instruments among leading medical journals, something that may consequently have a negative impact on the trust accorded to these journals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author expresses his concerns for the cardiac journal. He mentions that the journal "Heart" is now established as one of the top five clinical cardiac journals based on the impact factor scores revealed by the European Society of Cardiology. He is encouraging the submission of articles across the full cardiovascular spectrum.

The article provides an overview on the different events that happened in the year 2006 in the field of children services. The year marks the 80th year founding anniversary of the journal. Information about the celiac disease, a certain type of disorder in children have been discovered this year. Meanwhile, a philanthropist Warren Buffet leaves his fortune to Gates Foundation, which will be used in providing therapies for sick children.

The article presents information about a study, conducted to assess the trend in the proportion of gastric cancer papers in the major cancer journals and the research fields of interest in research. Articles addressing cancer in general and stomach cancer in particular were quantified through a PubMed search For 1982-1984 and 2000-2002 and abstracts of gastric cancer articles were hand searched. The proportion of stomach cancer articles from Asian countries increased and a decline was observed in publications originating from the U.S. Genetics was rarely addressed in 1982-1984, but was the most frequent in 2000-2002. The overall proportion of stomach cancer articles is largely below its expected share considering the malignancies world-wide.

Objective: To determine the effect of magazine incidental smoking imagery on youths' smoking intentions. Methods: A magazine was developed incorporating photographs of smokers (Smoking Magazine). A second version of the magazine (Non-smoking Magazine) included these photographs with the tobacco paraphernalia digitally erased. Equal numbers of smokers and non-smokers aged 14-17 years (n = 357) were randomly assigned to look through one version of the magazine and then asked a series of questions. Results: Smokers made more unprompted mention of smoking imagery than non-smokers after viewing Smoking Magazine (52% vs 34%; p<0.05). Smokers viewing Smoking Magazine were more likely to report an urge to smoke (54% vs 40%; p<0.05). Female non-smokers who viewed Smoking Magazine were more likely than those who viewed Non-smoking Magazine to state a future intention to smoke (13% vs 0%; p<0.05). Female smokers were more attracted to the male models appearing in Smoking Magazine than Non-smoking Magazine (49% vs 24%; p<0.05) and the opposite was true for female non-smokers (28% vs 52%; p<0.05). Female smokers were also marginally more likely to desire looking like the female models in Smoking Magazine (64% vs 46%; p = 0.06) but no difference was observed in the non-smoking females (46% vs 46%). Male smokers and non-smokers did not differ in their responses by magazine type. Conclusions: Incidental positive smoking imagery in magazines can generate the same sorts of consumer effects attributed to advertising in general, including tobacco advertising. Sex specific results of our study may be explained by the choice of smoking images used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine variables related with publication bias assessment in a sample of systematic reviews with meta-analysis on cardiovascular diseases. Design: Systematic review of meta-analyses. Setting: Journals indexed in Medline and the Cochrane Library. Study population: 225 reviews with meta-analysis published between 1990 and 2002. Data collection: Data from meta-analyses were gathered according to a structured protocol. The outcome was the assessment, not the existence, of publication bias by the original authors. Results: Publication bias was assessed in 25 (11.1%) reviews, increasing with time: from 3.4% before 1998 to 19.0% in those published in 2002. A stepwise logistic regression model included several variables increasing the assessment of publication bias: number of primary studies (>7 compared with ⩽ 7, odds ratio (OR) = 5.40, 95% Cl = 1.36 to 21.44), number of searched databases (⩾4 compared with <3, OR = 8.58, 95% Cl = 1.73 to 42.62), to be a meta-analysis on observational studies (OR = 3.60, 95% Cl = 1.04 to 12.49), and year of publication (2002 compared with <2000, OR = 5.73, 95% Cl = 1.16 to 28.36). In reviews published in the Cochrane Library publication bias was less frequently assessed (OR = 0.06, 95% Cl = 0.01 to 0.69). Conclusions: The frequency of assessment of publication bias in meta-analysis is still very low, although it has improved with time. It is more frequent in meta-analyses on observational studies and it is related to other methodological characteristics of reviews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There currently exist no data on the factors that contribute to determining why medical ethicists choose to review for and submit articles to medical ethics journals. Objective: To establish which factors contribute to medical ethicists reviewing articles for or submitting them to medical ethics journals by consulting those who are active in this capacity. Methods: Medical ethicists were surveyed to determine their incentives and disincentives for reviewing articles for or submitting them to medical ethics journals. Survey participants were chosen based on a review of the academic and research record of medical ethicists working in North America in higher education institutions. Results: The most frequent incentives to reviewing journal articles were: an opportunity to contribute to the field/profession, the good reputation of the journal, the high impact factor of the journal, and to keep up to date on current research. The most frequent disincentives to reviewing journal articles were: time constraints due to academic commitments, the poor reputation of the journal, and time constraints caused by other editorial commitments (for example, reviewing for other journals/publishers). The most important incentives to submitting journal articles were: the good reputation of the journal, the quality of scholarship previously published in the journal, the impact factor of the journal, and a fast turn-around from acceptance to publication. The most important disincentives to submitting journal articles were: the poor reputation of the journal, the poor quality of work previously published in the journal, and a slow turnaround from acceptance to publication. Conclusion: A series of factors that medical ethics journals should strive to employ to encourage reviewing and submission of articles are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a letter to the editor referencing articles and topics on psoriasis, published in previous issues.

Presents a letter to the editor referencing articles and topics on Wilms tumor in children, published in previous issues.

In order to give the best care to patients and families, pediatricians need to integrate the highest quality scientific evidence with clinical expertise and the opinions of the family. "Archimedes," seeks to assist practising clinicians by providing "evidence based" answers to common questions which are not at the forefront of research but are at the core of practice. The topic summaries are not systematic reviews, through they are as exhaustive as a practising clinician can produce.

The article provides information on the topics covered in the "Archimedes," section within the journal. It tackles on evidence based clinical questions which are not at the forefront of research but essential to the practice. It takes into consideration the pediatrics field of medicine. The format of the issue pertains to the translation of evidence into recommendation transparent.

The article reports on the decision of "Scanorama," the in-flight magazine of the Scandinavian airline SAS, to stop carrying advertisements for Swedish oral snuff, snus. The commitment was made by chief editor Jan Kotschack in response to an inquiry from the Swedish Consumer Agency. Marketing of tobacco products with commercial announcements in periodical publications allegedly violates the Swedish tobacco law.

Presents an introduction to the September 2005 issue of the "Journal of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health."

This article assesses the composition of the editorial boards of leading general pediatric journals. Richard Horton, editor of the journal "The Lancet," stated that there is widespread systematic bias in medical journals against diseases that dominate the least developed regions of the world, an argument also brought forward by researchers from these regions. The countries in which the board members are currently based were classified according to their Human Development Index (HDI). The analysis of the composition of the editorial boards of leading general paediatric journals reveals that 95.7% of their members are based in countries with a high HDI, 3.9% in countries with a medium HDI, and none in a country with a low HDI. The importance of editorial boards lies in the fact that they can help to shape the personalities of journals, and that their composition sends a signal to authors and readers.

Presents an introduction to the articles related to heart disease, published in the April issue of the journal "Heart."

Presents introduction to the March 2005 issue of the journal "Archives of Disease in Childhood."

Presents an introduction to various articles published in the journal "Sexually Transmitted Infections."

Comments on articles published in the 'Journal of Medical Ethics.' Difficulties faced by families concerning preimplantation genetic diagnosis; Features of electronic correspondence; Advantages of implementing electronic letters to editors.

Objective: To examine the evidence base of sports medicine research. Methods: A sample of four major journals that present core research in sport and exercise medicine (British Journal of Sports Medicine, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, and Physical Therapy) was examined using assessment criteria taken from the READER method. Results: Randomised controlled trials comprised 10% or less of all original research articles. Observational/descriptive studies were the most commonly published study design. There was a highly significant difference (p < 0.0001) in the contents of the four journals but when they were compared by categorising the better quality methods together (randomised control trial, case-control, and cohort studies), the difference was not significant (p = 0.09). Conclusions: The overall pattern of publication type seems remarkably stable over medical journals, indicating that the quality of sports medicine research is comparable to that in other specialities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the criteria in the selection of epidemiology research to be presented during conferences. Research are selected from various journals with the highest possible impact factor. The researcher should have extensive experience as a communicator, and have an established research programme. Recommendations on how to improve scientific discussions during conferences are provided.

Presents a correction to the graph reproduced for abstract P03 of supplement two of this volume published in the July 2005 issue of the journal "Archives of Diseases in Children."

Presents corrections to previous articles of the electronic publication of the "Journal of Medical Genetics."

This article reports that scholar Lowell Levin reminds people in this month's Aphorism of the dynamic and ephemeral nature of knowledge. Coupled with Bernard Choi's observation in Speakers' Corner that there are some 17 000 new biomedical books published every year along with 30 000 biomedical journals, then surely knowledge management requires attention.

Presents a correction to an article published previously in the periodical "Sexually Transmitted Infections."

This is the last of a series of glossaries on terms used in genetic epidemiology published by the journal. This glossary covers the most advanced genetic terms, most of which are related to new study designs and laboratory techniques. It provides the reader with examples and references of real studies that applied each of the study designs defined in the glossary. This should help the reader grasp the subtleties of each of these strategies and will allow the reader to research the literature according to their interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Editorial. Presents information on the `Journal of Medical Ethics.' Goals of the journal; Details on the online version of the journal; Sections of the journal.