Influence of vitamin D supplementation on muscle strength and exercise capacity in Mongolian schoolchildren: a randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To determine whether weekly oral vitamin D supplementation influences grip strength, explosive leg power, cardiorespiratory fitness or spirometric lung volumes in Mongolian schoolchildren.

Methods: Multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted in children aged 6-13 years at baseline attending 18 schools in Ulaanbaatar. The intervention was weekly oral doses of 14,000 IU vitamin D (n=4418) or placebo (n=4433) for 3 years.

Risk factors for active tuberculosis in 938 QuantiFERON-positive schoolchildren in Mongolia: a community-based cross-sectional study.

Background: There is controversy regarding the relative influence of 'exogenous' versus 'endogenous' factors on the risk of progression from latent tuberculosis infection to active tuberculosis (TB) disease in children.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis to identify risk factors for active tuberculosis in QuantiFERON®-TB Gold (QFT-G)-positive children aged 6-13 years attending 18 schools in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Children underwent clinical and radiological screening for active tuberculosis, and data relating to potential risk factors for disease progression were collected by questionnaire and determination of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations.

Gender differences and burden of chronic conditions: impact on quality of life among the elderly in Taiwan.

Background: Multiple chronic conditions affect people's health-related quality of life (QoL) and the distributions of the conditions may differ between genders. Our goal was to examine gender differences in chronic conditions and QoL among community-living elderly in Taiwan and to examine whether differences in QoL between genders, if present, were attributable to the distribution of chronic conditions.

Methods: We used data from the Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (NAHSIT, 2005-2008), which interviewed a representative sample of the Taiwanese population.

Use of best-worst scaling to estimate the magnitude of stressful life events in older adults.

Aim: The magnitude of stressful life events can be measured by using rating scales such as the Social Readjustment Rating Scale. This study aimed to estimate the magnitude of stressful life events by using a best-worst scaling approach in a sample of community-dwelling older persons in Taiwan.

Methods: Participants aged 55 years or older were asked to rate the stressfulness of 11 life events on a scale from 0 to 10 and the best-worst scaling.

Methods to perform systematic reviews of patient preferences: a literature survey.

Background: Systematic reviews are a commonly used research design in the medical field to synthesize study findings. At present-although several systematic reviews of patient preference studies are published-there is no clear guidance available for researchers to conduct this type of systematic review. The aim of our study was to learn the most current practice of conducting these systematic reviews by conducting a survey of the literature regarding reviews of quantitative patient preference studies.