SMS text pre-notification and delivery of reminder e-mails to increase response rates to postal questionnaires in the SUSPEND trial : a factorial design, randomised controlled trial

Acknowledgements SUSPEND was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme (project 80/71/01) and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment. The Health Services Research Unit of the University of Aberdeen is funded in part by the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Chief Scientist Office, HTA programme, NIHR, National Health Service, or Department of Health. The authors thank the SUSPEND staff and participants, without whom this study would not have been possible.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Decision aids for people considering taking part in clinical trials

The authors would like to thank the Cochrane Consumers and Communication Group editors and staff, in particular Sandy Oliver and John Kis‐Rigo, for their help and assistance with this review. We would also like to thank Cynthia Fraser, based at the Health Services Research Unit (University of Aberdeen), for help with development, refinement and running of the search strategies and Graeme MacLennan (also based at the Health Services Research Unit) for statistical advice. We would like to thank Muhammad Omar (Managing Editor of the Cochrane Incontinence Group) and Steven MacLennan (Academic Urology Unit, University of Aberdeen) for advice regarding RevMan and GRADE softwPeer reviewedPublisher PD

The influence of early research experience in medical school on the decision to intercalate and future career in clinical academia : A questionnaire study

Funding for the study was made available from University academic development funds.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Estimating Site Performance (ESP) : can trial managers predict recruitment success at trial sites? An exploratory study

Availability of data and materials All quantitative data generated and analysed during this study are included in this published article [and its supplementary information files] Additional file 3. The dataset of predictions used and analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. The transcript of the group discussion generated and analysed during the current study is not publicly available due it containing information that could compromise research participant consent (it would be a relatively simple matter to identify trials and trial managers) but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Polymorphisms in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene, intakes of folate and related B vitamins and colorectal cancer : a case-control study in a population with relatively low folate intake

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A pragmatic multi-centre randomised controlled trial of fluid loading in high-risk surgical patients undergoing major elective surgery - the FOCCUS study

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A randomized trial comparing treatments for varicose veins

Supported by a grant from the Health Technology Assessment Programme of the National Institute for Health Research (06/45/02). The Health Services Research Unit is funded by the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health Directorate. We thank Janice Cruden for her secretarial support and data management; Gladys McPherson and the programming team at the Centre for Healthcare Randomised Trials; Tracey Davidson, Lynda Constable, Jackie Ellington, Laura Elliott, and Yvonne Fernie for help with scoring the Aberdeen Varicose Vein Questionnaire; Luke Vale and Laura Ternent, our original economists in the group; members of the Project Management Group for their ongoing advice and support of the trial; members of the study team (Graeme MacLennan, Maria Prior, and Denise Bolsover) who contributed to the behavioral recovery component of the trial; the independent members of the trial steering committee (Alun Davies [chair], Ian Loftus, and Jane Nixon) and the data and safety monitoring committee (Gerry Stansby [chair], Winston Banya, and Marcus Flather); and the staff members at recruitment sites (see the Supplementary Appendix) who facilitated recruitment, treatment, and follow-up of trial participants.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Measuring the psychosocial burden in women with low-grade abnormal cervical cytology in the TOMBOLA trial: psychometric properties of the Process and Outcome Specific Measure (POSM)

Background There is a need for an instrument to measure the psychosocial burden of receiving an abnormal cervical cytology result which can be used regardless of the clinical management women receive. Methods 3331 women completed the POSM as part of baseline psychosocial assessment in a trial of management of low grade cervical cytological abnormalities. Factor analysis and reliability assessment of the POSM were conducted. Results Two factors were extracted from the POSM: Factor 1, containing items related to worry; and Factor 2 containing items relating to satisfaction with information and support received and change in the way women felt about themselves. Factor 1 had good reliability (Cronbach’s alpha 0.769), however reliability of the Factor 2 was poorer (0.482). Data collected at four subsequent time points demonstrated that the factor structure was stable over time. Conclusion This study demonstrates the presence and reliability of a scale measuring worries within the POSM. This analysis will inform its future use in this population and in other related contexts