Goran Mijaljica

Publication Ethics in Biomedical Journals from Countries in Central and Eastern Europe

Publication ethics is an important aspect of both the research and publication enterprises. It is particularly important in the field of biomedical science because published data may directly affect human health. In this article, we examine publication ethics policies in biomedical journals published in Central and Eastern Europe. We were interested in possible differences between East European countries that are members of the European Union (Eastern EU) and South-East European countries (South-East Europe) that are not members of the European Union. The most common ethical issues addressed by all journals in the region were redundant publication, peer review process, and copyright or licensing details. Image manipulation, editors’ conflicts of interest and registration of clinical trials were the least common ethical policies. Three aspects were significantly more common in journals published outside the EU: statements on the endorsement of international editorial standards, contributorship policy, and image manipulation. On the other hand, copyright or licensing information were more prevalent in journals published in the Eastern EU. The existence of significant differences among biomedical journals’ ethical policies calls for further research and active measures to harmonize policies across journals.

Research in disaster settings: a systematic qualitative review of ethical guidelines

BackgroundConducting research during or in the aftermath of disasters poses many specific practical and ethical challenges. This is particularly the case with research involving human subjects. The extraordinary circumstances of research conducted in disaster settings require appropriate regulations to ensure the protection of human participants. The goal of this study is to systematically and qualitatively review the existing ethical guidelines for disaster research by using the constant comparative method (CCM).MethodsWe performed a systematic qualitative review of disaster research ethics guidelines to collect and compare existing regulations. Guidelines were identified by a three-tiered search strategy: 1) searching databases (PubMed and Google Scholar), 2) an Internet search (Google), and 3) a search of the references in the included documents from the first two searches. We used the constant comparative method (CCM) for analysis of included guidelines.ResultsFourteen full text guidelines were included for analysis. The included guidelines covered the period 2000-2014. Qualitative analysis of the included guidelines revealed two core themes: vulnerability and research ethics committee review. Within each of the two core themes, various categories and subcategories were identified.ConclusionsSome concepts and terms identified in analyzed guidelines are used in an inconsistent manner and applied in different contexts. Conceptual clarity is needed in this area as well as empirical evidence to support the statements and requirements included in analyzed guidelines.

Preperitoneal approach for femoral hernia repair.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Although Lichtensteins procedure is the standard procedure in surgical hernia treatment, and the role of laparoscopic hernia repair is constantly increasing, preperitoneal approach for femoral hernia repair should be equally considered. METHODOLOGY After the horizontal incision of transversal fascia, preperitoneal space is visualized. The hernial sac is opened and its content is placed in the abdominal cavity, or if there is a need, resection is performed. Once the peritoneum is sutured, the iliopubic tract and Coopers ligament are bridged with two or three sutures in the medial portion of the femoral ring. RESULTS From 1998 to 2008, 94 patients were treated for femoral hernia using the preperitoneal approach. Out of 94 participants, 86 were female. Intestinal obstruction was present in 48 cases. Resection of the small intestine or omentum was performed in 40 patients. There was no perioperative mortality. We observed early postoperative complications in 4 patients. Following the procedure, there was no recurrence of the femoral hernia. CONCLUSIONS We found that preperitoneal repair is the method of choice in surgical treatment of femoral hernia. The surgical technique is simple and feasible, while fully acknowledging the functional anatomy of the inguinofemoral region and the etiology of the condition.

Full trisomy 5 in a sample of spontaneous abortion and arias stella reaction

Summary Background Historically, 50% of spontaneously expelled abortuses have been thought to be chromosomally abnormal; about 60% are trisomies. In general, trisomy 16 is the most frequent chromosomal abnormality, followed by trisomy 21 and trisomy 22. So far only 1 case of a female fetus with multiple congenital malformations associated with full trisomy 5 has been described. Case Report We present a case of de novo full trisomy 5 in a spontaneous abortion sample. A young couple with normal constitutional karyotype experienced the second spontaneous abortion at 9 weeks of gestation, with the cytogenetic formula 47,XX,+5 in all analyzed cells. Conclusions The routine cytogenetic analysis of miscarriages is still an uncommon practice, but it can have a great impact on the management of couples with repeated pregnancy wastage. Besides of the obvious cost benefit for health care, such analysis would help the physician to decide about future patient management, as well as planning the genetic counseling.