July 22, 2010
- Shuga, an explosive HIV awareness drama by MTV, doesn't just draw you in to its narrative; it grabs you by the neck and forcibly yanks you in to a chaotic narrative dripping with sex and secrets. The show is part of MTV's Staying Alive campaign designed to curb the spread of HIV in young people by convincing them to have safe sex.
- Chris Beyrer's journey into health and human rights began in Asia. His interest in medical anthropology took him to villages in Sri Lanka—his first real experience of living in another culture and his first contact with Buddhism, which was to play a pivotal role in his life. Later, he spent time in India with Tibetan refugees whose unmet health needs compelled Beyrer to return to New York and study medicine. Today, Beyrer is Professor in the Departments of Epidemiology, International Health,...
- After reading through many of the 500 or so papers on harm reduction in drug users listed in the PubMed database, it's hard not to conclude that researchers are really bad at understanding the evidence base. Paper after paper begins its introduction with a homily about the need for evidence-based policies. Paper after paper concludes with a stirring call for policies that deliver what the research promises: lower rates of HIV, blood-borne infections, mental illness, and social disruption for...
- Clinician, epidemiologist, and advocate for tobacco control. He was born in Leigh Creek, South Australia, on May 2, 1955, and died of cancer in Adelaide, South Australia, on March 24, 2010.
- Kenneth Schulz and colleagues (April 3, p 1144) have published the 2010 update of the CONSORT Statement. The statement has resulted in improved reporting and better planning and implementation of trials. However, specific elements for trials with children, from newborn babies to adolescents, are not included.
- The CONSORT 2010 Statement included a new item (item 24) on the availability of the full protocol of the trial. We applaud the CONSORT Group for adding this very important item. However, this new standard might pose challenges for trialists who developed their protocols in languages different from English and who wish to submit their manuscripts to English-language journals, which most higher-ranked journals are.
- The CONSORT Statement has changed substantially over the past 14 years. The changes in CONSORT 2010 indicate that the reporting quality of randomised controlled trials is still being perfected. However, reporting guidelines such as CONSORT and PRISMA are not well disseminated and implemented in China.
- I very much appreciate Jacob Lavee and colleagues' Viewpoint about Israel's new strategy for cadaveric organ donation (March 27, p 1131). I applaud their efforts in advocating for and implementing this important new programme. However, I am a little disappointed that the first proposal of such a plan was attributed to Thukral and Cummins in 1990. Frederick Lowy and I wrote a paper that appeared in July, 1989, outlining such a programme.
- We look forward to seeing in 2 years whether Israel's new law increases the organ donation rate. We wish to highlight further ethical implications of this new law and a potential alternative to addressing the organ shortage.
- The new law for allocation of donor organs in Israel is a welcome step at a time when the transplant community is continuously striving to increase the donor pool. With the implementation of this law, the number of individuals signing up for a donor card will undoubtedly increase, which might increase the number of deceased donors. However, we do not think it will increase the proportion of living donors, because the motivation and altruism of living donors will remain the same.
