This is the start of a road map for the effective introduction of inquiry-based learning in chemistry. Advantages of inquiry-based approaches to the development of scientific literacy are widely discussed in the literature. However, unless chemistry educators take account of teachers' reservations and identified disadvantages such approaches will never have the place they deserve in the everyday teaching of chemistry. If circumstances do not allow for complicated and open-ended inquiry tasks, simpler and more structured inquiry-based tasks may be used. As a first step, teachers could be asked to modify and adapt established ‘step-by-step’ instructions to practical activities which require some stages to be designed by the students. If this happens only a few times in a school year the question arises about its effectiveness to develop experimental design skills and to reinforce knowledge and ideas taught in chemistry lessons. The present study describes the results of an empirical research project aimed to finding the answer. Modification of step-by-step practical activities as described requires limited time and effort, yet the results suggest that many students benefit from this approach.

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The results of an earlier empirical research study on modifying ‘step-by-step’ instructions to practical activities requiring one or more steps of the experiments to be designed by students initiated a longitudinal study to investigate the effectiveness of the approach for younger students and over a period of time. The longitudinal study that followed took the form of a four year research project that began in September 2016. Over 900 students have been involved. All were 12–13 years old in the beginning of the study. Each year they spend six lessons carrying out practical activities using worksheets we provide. This paper reports the findings of the first year, when the participating classes were allocated to one of three groups. Group 1 was the control group. Students simply followed the step-by-step instructions. Groups 2 and 3 were experimental groups. Group 2 students not only followed the same instructions, but also had to complete experimental design tasks on paper. Group 3 students followed the same instructions, but one or more steps were incomplete and students were required to design these steps. The impact of the intervention on the students’ experimental design skills, disciplinary content knowledge and attitude toward chemistry is measured by structured tests. After the first school year of the project it was clear that the type of instruction only had a weak significant positive effect on the results of the Group 2 students’ disciplinary content knowledge. No significant effect of the intervention could be detected on the changes in the students’ grades and attitudes toward the subject, which only seemed to depend on the ranking of their schools. This paper provides the interesting details of the results of the first year (pilot) of the research and discusses changes to the approach that have been made for the remaining three years of the project.

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Providing services closer to the population is a rational economic option for the reform of the Hungarian cervical cancer screening program. The other policy aspects of this development, human resource need, stakeholders' interests, organizational aspects, and attitude of the target population need to be carefully considered.

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The authors discuss the diagnostic criteria of iniencephaly based on data from the literature and eleven additional, new cases. The most important differential diagnostic problems involve anencephaly with spinal retroflexion and the Klippel‐Feil syndrome. Ultrasound indicated cranio‐spinal alterations while amniotic fluid AFP estimation and exfoliative cytology substantiated abnormal closure of the neural tube, thus comprising helpful means for prenatal diagnosis of iniencephaly. The authors emphasize the need for median‐sagittal sectioning through the spinal column for accurate evaluation of vertebral abnormalities. This, together with close observation of the occiput and the foramen magnum, helps the precise diagnosis of iniencephaly and once regularly applied will most likely result in more frequent recognition of this developmental abnormality.

To overcome the disadvantages of conventional surgery, we developed our own method of computed tomography controlled stereotactic aspiration surgery for hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage. A new ultrasonic surgical aspirator was also developed to facilitate aspiration of a dense clot in the acute stage. Between 1980 and 1988, 437 patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage underwent aspiration surgery. Computed tomography controlled stereotactic aspiration surgery can be performed in hematomas of any site or any stage with minimal tissue damage, even in aged patients. Aspiration surgery led to a favorable clinical experience and outcome, especially in the acute stage.