BackgroundSpecific centile growth charts for children with Down syndrome (DS) have been produced in many countries and are known to differ from those of normal children. Since growth assessment depends on the growth pattern characteristic for these conditions, disorder-specific charts are desirable for various ethnic groups.AimsTo provide cross-sectional weight, height, and head circumference (HC) references for healthy United Arab Emirates (UAE) children with DS.MethodsA retrospective and cross-sectional growth study of Emirati children with DS, aged 0 to 18 years old, was conducted. Height, weight, and HC were measured in each child. Cole’s LMS statistical method was applied to estimate age-specific percentiles, and measurements were compared to UAE reference values for normal children.ResultsIncidence of DS in the UAE population is 1 in 374 live births (267 in 10 000 live births). We analyzed 1263 growth examinations of 182 children with DS born between 1994 and 2012. The male-to-female ratio was 1.6:1. Height, weight, and HC centile charts were constructed for ages 0 to 13 years. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in DS children aged 10 to 13 years of age was 32% and 19%, respectively. The DS children were significantly shorter and heavier than normal children in the UAE.ConclusionsWeight, height, and HC growth charts were created for children with DS. These can be used as a reference standard for the UAE children with DS. Overweight and obesity are quite common in DS children ≥10 years of age, as DS children tend to be shorter and heavier than non-DS children.

The extra demand imposed upon the Libyan health services during and after the Libyan revolution in 2011 led the ailing health systems to collapse. To start the planning process to re-engineer the health sector, the Libyan Ministry of Health in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other international experts in the field sponsored the National Health Systems Conference in Tripoli, Libya, between the 26th and the 30th of August 2012. The aim of this conference was to study how health systems function at the international arena and to facilitate a consultative process between 500 Libyan health experts in order to identify the problems within the Libyan health system and propose potential solutions. The scientific programme adopted the WHO health care system framework and used its six system building blocks: i) Health Governance; ii) Health Care Finance; iii) Health Service Delivery; iv) Human Resources for Health; v) Pharmaceuticals and Health Technology; and vi) Health Information System. The experts used a structured approach starting with clarifying the concepts, evaluating the current status of that health system block in Libya, thereby identifying the strengths, weaknesses, and major deficiencies. This article summarises the 500 health expert recommendations that seized the opportunity to map a modern health systems to take the Libyan health sector into the 21st century.

Special Communication introductionAn author in biomedical publications is generally regarded as an individual "who has made substantial intellectual academic contributions to a published study" to the extent that he/she ought to take both academic credit and intellectual responsibility publicly. [1] Thus, appropriate assignment of authorship carries ethical, legal as well as intellectual implications. [2] International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) has established 4 criteria for defining the role of both authors and nonauthor contributors. [2] Strict adherence to these criteria should resolve most of the disputes regarding authorship.Research and publications are vital for the professional advancement and individual academic progress. Ranking is extremely important for many reasons including; financial, appointments to committees, as well as leadership rules. [3] The increasing emphasis on publications as the main criteria for promotion lead to fierce competitiveness and deliberate or unintended breaches of the ICMJE's guidelines. [4] Multiple authorship, honorary and ghost authors are only few examples of authorship misconduct. Unfairness in authorships may include under representation of laboratory and imaging services and favoritism among subordinates. [5] The complexity and multicenter nature of many studies, interference by sponsors in data presentation, role of medical writers promoted fertile environment for authorship misconduct. Such misconducts have led to emerging practices in authorship attributions, the need for clear and transparent processes and calls for innovative methods of authorship attribution. [6,7] In this special communication, we revisit the latest ICMJE criteria for authorship, highlight the increasingly recognized forms of authorship misconduct, and reflect on some emerging concepts and practices in authorship attribution. Researchers should be clear on all of these matters from the planning stage of their experimentation and data collection rather than at the time of data analysis and manuscript drafting.Medical research and publications are not only important for scientific development but also vital for the professional advancement and individual academic progress. Ranking is extremely important for appointments and leadership roles. Authorship is central to the credit and responsibility in medical research and appropriate assignment of authorship carries ethical, legal as well as intellectual implications. Despite being globally established for many years, deviation from the "International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)" criteria for authorship is still seen in varying orders of magnitude and in different shapes and forms. In this communication, we revisit the latest ICMJE criteria for authorship, highlight the increasingly recognized forms of potential of authorship misconduct (intentional or unintentional) and reflect on some emerging concepts and practices in authorship attribution. The target readers are primarily young and aspiring researchers who m...

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