BackgroundThe use of lengthy, detailed, and complex informed consent forms (ICFs) is of paramount concern in biomedical research as it may not truly promote the rights and interests of research participants. The extent of information in ICFs has been the subject of debates for decades; however, no clear guidance is given. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine the perspectives of research participants about the type and extent of information they need when they are invited to participate in biomedical research.MethodsThis multi-center, cross-sectional, descriptive survey was conducted at 54 study sites in seven Asia-Pacific countries. A modified Likert-scale questionnaire was used to determine the importance of each element in the ICF among research participants of a biomedical study, with an anchored rating scale from 1 (not important) to 5 (very important).ResultsOf the 2484 questionnaires distributed, 2113 (85.1%) were returned. The majority of respondents considered most elements required in the ICF to be ‘moderately important’ to ‘very important’ for their decision making (mean score, ranging from 3.58 to 4.47). Major foreseeable risk, direct benefit, and common adverse effects of the intervention were considered to be of most concerned elements in the ICF (mean score = 4.47, 4.47, and 4.45, respectively).ConclusionsResearch participants would like to be informed of the ICF elements required by ethical guidelines and regulations; however, the importance of each element varied, e.g., risk and benefit associated with research participants were considered to be more important than the general nature or technical details of research. Using a participant-oriented approach by providing more details of the participant-interested elements while avoiding unnecessarily lengthy details of other less important elements would enhance the quality of the ICF.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12910-018-0318-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BackgroundThere is an increasing trend in rickettsioses or typhus fevers in the island of Sri Lanka. The seroepidemiological mapping previously published did not include the northern region of the island. This study was conducted to demonstrate the presence of scrub typhus (ST) and to characterise the clinical presentation of ST in this region.FindingsSerum samples from patients (n = 64) with clinical symptoms suspected of typhus fever following exclusion of other common febrile illnesses commonly seen in the northern region of Sri Lanka were selected and screened for ST using specific IgM and IgG ELISA (ImBios, USA). ST was confirmed by serology in 54 patients, with typical eschar being found in 49 of cases positive for ST. Fever was the sole presenting complaint of these patients with the duration of febrile illness varying from 2–14 days. Of these patients 44.4% had regional lymphadenopathy, 18.5% hepatomegaly, 12.9% pneumonitis and 9.3% splenomegaly. None of the patients had a rash.ConclusionsThis study confirms the presence of high numbers of patients with ST in northern Sri Lanka. It was found that 84.4% of the patients presenting with clinical features of rickettsioses (54 of the 64) were seropositive for ST with a significant majority having a typical eschar. This data provided will enable clinicians to be vigilant of ST in this region and provide appropriate therapy and also facilitate planning for preventive measures aimed at reducing the burden of ST.

Acinetobacter species frequently causes nosocomial infection, particularly in patients receiving invasive ventilation at intensive care units for a prolonged period. Odynophagia is a rare, initial clinical manifestation of prevertebral abscess which subsequently develops when the abscess extends into the retropharyngeal space causing a midline bulge of the posterior pharyngeal wall. Here, we present and discuss a patient with uncontrolled diabetic mellitus who presented with severe odynophagia and dysphagia. He was diagnosed to have prevertebral abscess caused by a rarely reported bacteria, Acinetobacter baumannii.

Giant cell arteritis, a large vessel vasculitis is characterized by headache, visual impairment, constitutional symptoms, and increased inflammatory markers. Visual involvement in giant cell arteritis ranges from amaurosis fugax to permanent visual loss, and extensive bilateral visual impairment is a rare presentation. We hereby report a case of combined left central retinal artery occlusion and bilateral anterior ischemic optic neuritis in a patient who poorly responded to standard corticosteroid therapy.

AFLP, though rare, is an obstetric emergency which carries a high incidence of maternal and perinatal mortality, despite optimal care. We report a case of a 23-year-old primi mother, who presented to us with vague symptoms of feeling unwell and abdominal pain, was diagnosed with AFLP, and was managed accordingly with the highest level of care available but succumbed a few days into her illness though timely delivery was able to save the baby. By this case report we once again wish to emphasize the value of a timely diagnosis with a high level of clinical suspicion and supportive laboratory investigations including imaging; the need for early termination of pregnancy; and adequate supportive care as the key management options for AFLP. Further, we wish to explore the current treatment options available for AFLP and discuss a few novel therapeutic strategies such as plasma exchange in treating such cases and the pros and cons associated with these treatment modalities.