How well are randomized controlled trials reported in the dermatology literature?

Objective: To assess the methodological quality of the design and reporting of randomized controlled trials published in one major dermatology specialty journal.

Design And Data Sources: In a survey of all published parallel group randomized controlled trials, we found 73 reports with allocation described as randomized from all issues of Clinical and Experimental Dermatology from its inception in 1976 through 1997.

Main Outcome Measures: Direct and indirect measures of the adequacy of randomization, trial sample size, baseline comparisons, and intention-to-treat analysis.

The Cochrane Skin Group. Preparing, maintaining, and disseminating systematic reviews of clinical interventions in dermatology.

In 1979, Prof Archie Cochrane challenged the medical profession to produce a critical summary of randomized controlled clinical trials according to specialty, which should be updated periodically. The Cochrane Collaboration, an international voluntary group of reviewers and researchers from a range of professional backgrounds dedicated to producing systematic reviews, was established in 1992 in response to Cochrane's challenge. Systematic reviews produced by the Cochrane Collaboration start with individuals who formulate questions that are important to the care of patients.

Breast-feeding promotion in a diarrhoea programme in rural communities.

Breast-feeding promotion is an important intervention for the control of infant diarrhoea. This study assesses the impact of a breast-feeding counselling programme on the prevalence of exclusive breast feeding in rural communities in Nigeria. Mothers attending primary care facilities because their infants had acute diarrhoea were randomised into two groups.

Breastfeeding training improves health worker performance in rural Nigeria.

The training of health workers in breastfeeding and lactation management is to enable them make correct breastfeeding recommendations to mothers. This study aims to provide answers to two research questions: what components of breastfeeding training are easily achieved with extension health workers, and what health worker variables affect these outcomes. Multivariable analysis of the outcomes of a controlled breastfeeding training programme for community health workers (CHW) in rural communities of Osun State, Nigeria, was performed by logistic regression.

Effect of early complementary feeding on nutritional status in term infants in rural Nigeria.

Breastfeeding is common in developing countries, but exclusive breastfeeding is rare, and complementary foods are introduced at an early age. The objective of the present study is to determine the effect of early complementary feeding on the nutritional status of infants. Weight-for-age (WA) indices have been determined for 82 infants 3 to 4 months old participating in a breastfeeding study.

Spontaneous somatic mutations. Structural studies on mutant immunoglobulins.

The precise alterations in the protein amino acid sequences of the immunoglobulin heavy chains of spontaneously arisen MOPC 21 mutant clones IF2 and IF1 have been determined. All the cyanogen bromide fra-ments of both heavy chains have been isolated and compared to the wild type CNBr fragments. For IF2, there is an internal deletion, from the wild type sequence, of 96 amino acids, from residues 121 to 215 inclusive.

Evolution of immunoglobulin subclasses. Primary structure of a murine myeloma gamma1 chain.

The amino acid sequences of the first six CNBr fragments (303 residues) of MOPC 21 heavy chain have been determined, using conventional techniques. This completes the determination of the covalent structure of MOPC 21 immunoglobulin (IgG1, K). MOPC 21 gamma1 chain is a unique sequence of 440 amino acid residues.

Expression of antibody genes in tissue culture: structural mutants and hybrid cells.

Detailed information on the nature and frequency of somatic mutations has been derived from studies of the clonal diversification of the myeloma MOPC 21 in tissue culture. A screening procedure is described that permitted the isolation of four spontaneous mutations at the gamma1 structural gene locus. These originate from four mutation events.

Molecular analysis of spontaneous somatic mutants.

Eukaryotic structural gene mutations occurring spontaneously in a mouse myeloma cell line offer the opportunity to study somatic mutation in animal cells at the molecular level. Studies on the myeloma protein and on mRNA have enabled us to characterise four such mutants representing four different mutation mechanisms. The results may have some bearing on the origin of antibody diversity.

Mouse immunoglobulin subclasses: cyanogen bromide fragments and partial sequence of a gamma1 chain.

The purification and characterisation of all the cyanogen bromide fragments of MOPC 21 heavy (gamma1) chain is described. The ten BrCN fragments account for the whole chain. Four of these fragments have been used to establish the sequence of the C-terminal stretch (138 residues) that includes the entire CH3 and a part of the CH2 homology regions.