Submited on: 07 May 2015 04:56:35 PM GMT
Published on: 08 May 2015 07:27:44 AM GMT
 
Impact of hygienic caring of the umbilical cord in the prevention of neonatal tetanus
Posted by Dr. Isa Muhammed on 16 May 2015 09:29:02 AM GMT Reviewed by Author Invited Reviewers

  • What are the main claims of the paper and how important are they?

    The paper underscores the importance of educating caregivers on the need to hygienically care for the umbilical cords of their new born babies so that the incidence of neonatal tetanus would be reduced in the setting and the country at large.


  • Are these claims novel? If not, please specify papers that weaken the claims to the originality of this one.

    I consider it as novel considering the fact that most clinicians are out of touch with the rather ancient disease. This is in spite the grave consequences that NNT causes in Nigeria and other NNT endemic countries.


  • Are the claims properly placed in the context of the previous literature?

    Very well.


  • Do the results support the claims? If not, what other evidence is required?

    Yes


  • If a protocol is provided, for example for a randomized controlled trial, are there any important deviations from it? If so, have the authors explained adequately why the deviations occurred?

    NA


  • Is the methodology valid? Does the paper offer enough details of its methodology that its experiments or its analyses could be reproduced?

    Yes, very well


  • Would any other experiments or additional information improve the paper? How much better would the paper be if this extra work was done, and how difficult would such work be to do, or to provide?

    No


  • Is this paper outstanding in its discipline? (For example, would you like to see this work presented in a seminar at your hospital or university? Do you feel these results need to be incorporated in your next general lecture on the subject?) If yes, what makes it outstanding? If not, why not?

    Yes especially now that the global NNT elimination deadline is 2015.


  • Other Comments:

    No

  • Invited by the author to review this article? :
    Yes
  • Have you previously published on this or a similar topic?:
    No
  • References:
    None
  • Experience and credentials in the specific area of science:

    Over 20 years of clinical practice, and at least 10 years in child survival area

  • How to cite:  Muhammed I .Impact of hygienic caring of the umbilical cord in the prevention of neonatal tetanus[Review of the article 'Impact of hygienic caring of the umbilical cord in the prevention of neonatal tetanus ' by Jones C].WebmedCentral 2015;6(5):WMCRW003216
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Impact of hygienic caring of the umbilical cord in the prevention of neonatal tetanus
Posted by Dr. Ahmad Abdallah on 14 May 2015 05:53:03 AM GMT Reviewed by Author Invited Reviewers

  • What are the main claims of the paper and how important are they?

    Underscores the importance of women of childbearing age especially in the developing countries to know how to hygienically care for the umbilical cord of their newborn babies to reduce the incidence of NNT which often is as a result of applying other contaminated substances such as cow dung all in the name of caring for the umbilical cord of the often unimmunised child.


  • Are these claims novel? If not, please specify papers that weaken the claims to the originality of this one.

    Not as such but is a good reminder now that the NNT elimination deadline is Dec. 2015. Additionally, it is key to reminding paediatricians and other clinicians working in Post-natal units to ensure that all mothers are well educated on the hygienic caring of the umbilicalcords of all newborns in the developing countries of especially sub-Saharan Africa where the knwledge is often lacking.


  • Are the claims properly placed in the context of the previous literature?

    Yes


  • Do the results support the claims? If not, what other evidence is required?

    Yes


  • If a protocol is provided, for example for a randomized controlled trial, are there any important deviations from it? If so, have the authors explained adequately why the deviations occurred?

    NA


  • Is the methodology valid? Does the paper offer enough details of its methodology that its experiments or its analyses could be reproduced?

    Yes


  • Would any other experiments or additional information improve the paper? How much better would the paper be if this extra work was done, and how difficult would such work be to do, or to provide?

    The paper touches on all key areas leaving no any unaddressed issue especially in the Nigerian context and low-income economies of the African continent as a whole.


  • Is this paper outstanding in its discipline? (For example, would you like to see this work presented in a seminar at your hospital or university? Do you feel these results need to be incorporated in your next general lecture on the subject?) If yes, what makes it outstanding? If not, why not?

    Yes especially looking at the timeline of the 2015 global NNT elimination.


  • Other Comments:

    NA

  • Invited by the author to review this article? :
    Yes
  • Have you previously published on this or a similar topic?:
    No
  • References:
    None
  • Experience and credentials in the specific area of science:

    I am a currently a consultant public health physician with at least 15 years in practice.

  • How to cite:  Abdallah A .Impact of hygienic caring of the umbilical cord in the prevention of neonatal tetanus[Review of the article 'Impact of hygienic caring of the umbilical cord in the prevention of neonatal tetanus ' by Jones C].WebmedCentral 2015;6(5):WMCRW003215
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Dear Dr. Abdallah,

Thanks for your excellent review.

I have noted your observations and hope to add a Table to capture the required information.

Thanks once again.

Dr. Saleh


Responded by Dr. Jalal-Eddeen A Saleh on 16 May 2015 09:11:11 AM
Impact of hygienic caring of the umbilical cord in the prevention of neonatal tetanus
Posted by Dr. Zahra Sulaiman on 13 May 2015 10:02:47 PM GMT Reviewed by Interested Peers

  • What are the main claims of the paper and how important are they?

    Underscores the importance of caring of the umbilical cord of newborn babies hygienically as an important way of preventing NNT, a deadly VPD.


  • Are these claims novel? If not, please specify papers that weaken the claims to the originality of this one.

    Although remarkable achievements has been recorded in the global NNT eradication program, it is disheartening to note that this VPD is still a major cause of neonatal deaths in the low-income economies of the world, hence the need to remind clinicans and public health physicians on ways to prevent the disease so that endemic countries would be able to meet with the 2015 deadline.


  • Are the claims properly placed in the context of the previous literature?

    Yes


  • Do the results support the claims? If not, what other evidence is required?

    Yes


  • If a protocol is provided, for example for a randomized controlled trial, are there any important deviations from it? If so, have the authors explained adequately why the deviations occurred?

    N/A


  • Is the methodology valid? Does the paper offer enough details of its methodology that its experiments or its analyses could be reproduced?

    Very well


  • Would any other experiments or additional information improve the paper? How much better would the paper be if this extra work was done, and how difficult would such work be to do, or to provide?

    N/A

     


  • Is this paper outstanding in its discipline? (For example, would you like to see this work presented in a seminar at your hospital or university? Do you feel these results need to be incorporated in your next general lecture on the subject?) If yes, what makes it outstanding? If not, why not?

    Yes


  • Other Comments:

    It is my believe that manuscripts of this nature should undergo peer review.

  • Invited by the author to review this article? :
    No
  • Have you previously published on this or a similar topic?:
    No
  • References:
    None
  • Experience and credentials in the specific area of science:

    I am an Epidemiologist/Public Health Physician

  • How to cite:  Sulaiman Z .Impact of hygienic caring of the umbilical cord in the prevention of neonatal tetanus[Review of the article 'Impact of hygienic caring of the umbilical cord in the prevention of neonatal tetanus ' by Jones C].WebmedCentral 2015;6(5):WMCRW003214
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Dear Dr. Zahra,

Thanks for your review.

Kindest regards.

Dr. Saleh 


Responded by Dr. Jalal-Eddeen A Saleh on 16 May 2015 09:09:36 AM
Impact of hygienic caring of the umbilical cord in the prevention of neonatal tetanus
Posted by Anonymous Reviewer on 11 May 2015 01:23:44 AM GMT Reviewed by WMC Editors

  • What are the main claims of the paper and how important are they?

    This stduy investigated the Impact of hygienic caring of the umbilical cord in the prevention of neonatal tetanus in Negeria to demonstrate the importance  of  the prevention of neonatal tetanus.


  • Are these claims novel? If not, please specify papers that weaken the claims to the originality of this one.

    yes


  • Are the claims properly placed in the context of the previous literature?

    yes


  • Do the results support the claims? If not, what other evidence is required?

    yes, please clarify the demographic charactersitics of samples, a table might be better


  • If a protocol is provided, for example for a randomized controlled trial, are there any important deviations from it? If so, have the authors explained adequately why the deviations occurred?

    Not available


  • Is the methodology valid? Does the paper offer enough details of its methodology that its experiments or its analyses could be reproduced?

    yes


  • Would any other experiments or additional information improve the paper? How much better would the paper be if this extra work was done, and how difficult would such work be to do, or to provide?

    national difference in Negeria, rural and urban difference


  • Is this paper outstanding in its discipline? (For example, would you like to see this work presented in a seminar at your hospital or university? Do you feel these results need to be incorporated in your next general lecture on the subject?) If yes, what makes it outstanding? If not, why not?

    yes, public health intervention in developing countries, especially resouce limited countries is very important


  • Other Comments:

    the author should give us more information about the demographic charactersitics of samples, and discuss more about NNT in the similair settings in Negeria and/or in sub-sahara africa

  • Invited by the author to review this article? :
    Yes
  • Have you previously published on this or a similar topic?:
    No
  • References:
    None
  • Experience and credentials in the specific area of science:

    public health researcher in China

  • How to cite:  Anonymous.Impact of hygienic caring of the umbilical cord in the prevention of neonatal tetanus[Review of the article 'Impact of hygienic caring of the umbilical cord in the prevention of neonatal tetanus ' by Jones C].WebmedCentral 2015;6(5):WMCRW003212
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Dear Dr. Zhang,

I write to express my gratitude for your interest in reviewing my manuscript.

I will add a table for the demographic characteristics as suggested and also add some few lines on similar settings in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa as well.

Thanks once again.

Dr. Saleh


Responded by Dr. Jalal-Eddeen A Saleh on 14 May 2015 04:59:47 PM
Impact of hygienic caring of the umbilical cord in the prevention of neonatal tetanus
Posted by Dr. Sanaa Rizvi on 10 May 2015 08:31:45 PM GMT Reviewed by Interested Peers

  • What are the main claims of the paper and how important are they?

    Underscores the importance of umbilical cord care in northeast Nigeria


  • Are these claims novel? If not, please specify papers that weaken the claims to the originality of this one.

    Is an ancient disease that thrives in underserved populations especially because of beliefs and cultural practices; thus there is need to remind paediatricians and public health physicians on the importance of caring for the umbilical cord of all neonates as not all mothers accept the tetanus toxoid vaccines to passively pass the immunity to their unborn children. 


  • Are the claims properly placed in the context of the previous literature?

    Absolutely!


  • Do the results support the claims? If not, what other evidence is required?

    Sure


  • If a protocol is provided, for example for a randomized controlled trial, are there any important deviations from it? If so, have the authors explained adequately why the deviations occurred?

    Not applicable


  • Is the methodology valid? Does the paper offer enough details of its methodology that its experiments or its analyses could be reproduced?

    Yes


  • Would any other experiments or additional information improve the paper? How much better would the paper be if this extra work was done, and how difficult would such work be to do, or to provide?

    It depends but to me, it is very comprehensive.


  • Is this paper outstanding in its discipline? (For example, would you like to see this work presented in a seminar at your hospital or university? Do you feel these results need to be incorporated in your next general lecture on the subject?) If yes, what makes it outstanding? If not, why not?

    Yes


  • Other Comments:

    It would be glad to give a peer review if need be.

  • Invited by the author to review this article? :
    No
  • Have you previously published on this or a similar topic?:
    No
  • References:
    None
  • Experience and credentials in the specific area of science:

    I am a Paediatrician.

  • How to cite:  Rizvi S .Impact of hygienic caring of the umbilical cord in the prevention of neonatal tetanus[Review of the article 'Impact of hygienic caring of the umbilical cord in the prevention of neonatal tetanus ' by Jones C].WebmedCentral 2015;6(5):WMCRW003211
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Dear Dr. Rizvi,

I wish to thank you for your interest in my manuscript and the beautiful remarks that you passed on the content.

Thanks once again.

Dr. Saleh 


Responded by Dr. Jalal-Eddeen A Saleh on 14 May 2015 04:56:35 PM
Impact of hygienic caring of the umbilical cord in the prevention of neonatal tetanus
Posted by Dr. Hadiza Musa on 09 May 2015 01:56:20 PM GMT Reviewed by Interested Peers

  • What are the main claims of the paper and how important are they?

    Highlights the importance of educating care givers on hygienic caring of the umbilical cords to reduce NNT in a Nigerian setting and developing countries as a whole.


  • Are these claims novel? If not, please specify papers that weaken the claims to the originality of this one.

    I think this is timely especially now that the NNT elimination deadline is Dec. 2015. Thus there is to remind clinicians on this important but often forgotten aspect of minimizing NNT among the unimmunized populations.


  • Are the claims properly placed in the context of the previous literature?

    Yes


  • Do the results support the claims? If not, what other evidence is required?

    Yes


  • If a protocol is provided, for example for a randomized controlled trial, are there any important deviations from it? If so, have the authors explained adequately why the deviations occurred?

    Yes


  • Is the methodology valid? Does the paper offer enough details of its methodology that its experiments or its analyses could be reproduced?

    Certainly!


  • Would any other experiments or additional information improve the paper? How much better would the paper be if this extra work was done, and how difficult would such work be to do, or to provide?

    No


  • Is this paper outstanding in its discipline? (For example, would you like to see this work presented in a seminar at your hospital or university? Do you feel these results need to be incorporated in your next general lecture on the subject?) If yes, what makes it outstanding? If not, why not?

    Yes as literature on this subject is limited especially that we are in the NNT elimination year. 


  • Other Comments:

    No

  • Invited by the author to review this article? :
    No
  • Have you previously published on this or a similar topic?:
    No
  • References:
    None
  • Experience and credentials in the specific area of science:

    I have at least 10 years experience working as a Consultant Paediatrician.

  • How to cite:  Musa H .Impact of hygienic caring of the umbilical cord in the prevention of neonatal tetanus[Review of the article 'Impact of hygienic caring of the umbilical cord in the prevention of neonatal tetanus ' by Jones C].WebmedCentral 2015;6(5):WMCRW003210
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Dear Dr. Musa,

I appreciate your interest and effort in finding time to review my manuscript.

Many thanks.

Dr. Saleh


Responded by Dr. Jalal-Eddeen A Saleh on 14 May 2015 04:54:40 PM

  • What are the main claims of the paper and how important are they?

    The paper clearly underscores the need for NNT endemic countries to uphold the need for umbilical cord caring to be able to meet with the 2015 deadline.


  • Are these claims novel? If not, please specify papers that weaken the claims to the originality of this one.

    Argaubly the claims are novel considering the fact most of the developing countries tend to overlook the importance of umbilical cord caring in the prevention of this deadly disease that is often associated with poverty and health inequality.


  • Are the claims properly placed in the context of the previous literature?

    Very well.


  • Do the results support the claims? If not, what other evidence is required?

    Very well.


  • If a protocol is provided, for example for a randomized controlled trial, are there any important deviations from it? If so, have the authors explained adequately why the deviations occurred?

    NA


  • Is the methodology valid? Does the paper offer enough details of its methodology that its experiments or its analyses could be reproduced?

    Very well.


  • Would any other experiments or additional information improve the paper? How much better would the paper be if this extra work was done, and how difficult would such work be to do, or to provide?

    NA


  • Is this paper outstanding in its discipline? (For example, would you like to see this work presented in a seminar at your hospital or university? Do you feel these results need to be incorporated in your next general lecture on the subject?) If yes, what makes it outstanding? If not, why not?

    I am working on an article to assess the Nigeria's journey so far towards meeting with the 2015 NNT elimination dealine and would surely use the content of this paper.


  • Other Comments:

    I strongly believe that there is need for this rich paper to undergo peer review to give credence to the author and also enable scholars to cite the paper as a peer reviewed article.

  • Invited by the author to review this article? :
    No
  • Have you previously published on this or a similar topic?:
    No
  • References:
    None
  • Experience and credentials in the specific area of science:

    I am a specialist in Paediatric Infectious Diseases

  • How to cite:  Modibbo A .Neonatal tetanus and the Impact of hygienic caring of the umbilical cord towards its prevention[Review of the article 'Impact of hygienic caring of the umbilical cord in the prevention of neonatal tetanus ' by Jones C].WebmedCentral 2015;6(5):WMCRW003209
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Dear Dr. Modibbo,

Thanks for your interest in reviewing my article. I am humbled by your remarks.


Responded by Dr. Jalal-Eddeen A Saleh on 14 May 2015 04:53:04 PM