World MS Day 2015

Today, May 27^th, is World Multiple Sclerosis Day. The theme for this years day is access; access to diagnosis, treatment and support; access to buildings, leisure and travel facilities; and access to education, training and employment. There are a number of events taking place in Dublin to mark the day; you can get more information on these and the day itself at http://worldmsday.org

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a progressive disease of the nervous system, for which there is no cure at present. It is one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system; approximately 2.3 million people worldwide suffer from MS, with around 8,000 in Ireland. MS is more likely to affect women than men, with a ratio of 2:1. Symptoms are varied and include fatigue, vision problems, dizziness and depression.

Some resources which may be of interest are listed below:

• The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Ireland provides information on MS and links to local support groups across the country.

• Searching RCSI Library's Clinical Key database for 'Multiple Sclerosis' will provide you with detailed information on MS from a number of sources including ebooks and journals. You can access Clinical Key through the 'Find Articles: Databases' section of the library's website (RCSI staff and students only)

• The US National Library of Medicine (NLM) provides an information page on MS with links to evidence based research and consumer summaries. 

• The Cochrane Library has published a number of systematic reviews and protocols evaluating the effects of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for MS. You can see the full list here 

                                         

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International Clinical Trials Day

Today, 20th May, is International Clinical Trials Day. It commemorates the day James Lind started his famous trial on scurvy and is the recognised date for organisations, clinical research professionals and the public to celebrate and acknowledge the importance of research in healthcare.

Frank Moriarty, who is based at the HRB Centre for Primary Care Research at RCSI in Dublin, has written an article in the latest Irish Times health supplement calling for open and transparent clinical trial reporting, in order to eliminate bias towards positive results. He argues that this bias 'can alter the balance of evidence for a drug and make it appear more beneficial that it actually is'. You can read the full article here .

The RCSI library website has links to a wide range of resources on evidence based healthcare. Of particular interest may be the CONSORT website. The main product of the CONSORT group is the CONSORT Statement which is an evidence based, minimum set of recommendations for reporting randomized trials. It offers a standard way for authors to prepare reports of trial findings, facilitating their complete and transparent reporting, reducing the influence of bias on their results and aiding their critical appraisal and interpretation.

The ISRCTN registry , a primary clinical trial registry recognised by WHO and ICMJE that accepts all clinical research studies, may also be of interest as well as clinicaltrials,gov which is maintained by the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) and provides access to information on publicly and privately supported clinical studies on a wide range of diseases and conditions,

                                                              Wellcome Library, London.

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Need a Library book over the summer?

From Monday 18 May 2015, you can get a vacation loan for most items from RCSI Library - please ask at the Service Desk when taking out the book.

Please note:

• Vacation loans are due on Monday 14 September 2015
• A vacation loan is subject to certain conditions - if there are requests for the item over the summer months, then we may need to recall the item. In this case, you must agree to return the item (by post etc.) and are responsible for the item until its return. 
• Exceptions: USMLE and MCQ books and DVDs are exempt from vacation loans as these are required over the summer. 

Please ask at the Library Service Desks if you have any queries about vacation loans.