Dimensions of difficulty in children reported to have an autism spectrum diagnosis and features of extreme/'pathological' demand avoidance.

Background: A subset of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) resemble descriptions of extreme/'pathological' demand avoidance, displaying obsessive avoidance of everyday demands and requests, strategic or 'socially manipulative' behaviour and sudden changes in mood. Investigating challenging presentations using dimensional description may prove preferable to identifying subgroups. However, there remains an imperative to explore which behavioural traits appear most problematic to inform quantitative investigation.

Optimizing engagement of undergraduate students in medical education research: The eMERG training network.

Background: The practice of evidence-based medicine and critical appraisal are essential for the modern doctor. Early engagement of medical students in research methodology is considered as a rising need for most medical school curricula; however, few peer-reviewed initiatives have been reported so far. We developed a Medical Education Research Group (eMERG) as part of a novel undergraduate surgical masterclass, which aimed to train undergraduate students on basic research methodology, as well as to motivate them to pursue a clinical and academic career in surgical specialties.

Online health information on obesity in pregnancy: a systematic review.

Objective: To assess the quality of health information available online for healthcare users on obesity in pregnancy and evaluate the role of the internet as an effective medium to advocate a healthy lifestyle in pregnancy.

Study Design: We used the poly-search engine Polymeta and complimented the results with Google searches (till July 2015) to identify relevant websites. All open access websites in English providing advice on the risks and management of obesity in pregnancy.

The pathophysiology and pharmacological treatment of Huntington disease.

Introduction: Huntington disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition characterised by motor, cognitive and behavioural dysfunction, and has an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. As there is currently no treatment to delay progression of the disease, pharmacological intervention is aimed at symptomatic relief.

Methods: We set out to assess the current evidence on the pharmacological treatment of motor and non-motor symptoms in HD by carrying out a systematic literature review across five large scientific databases.