Editorial note.

Abstract

In this issue the European Paediatric Neurology Society, the International Child Neurology Association (ICNA) and the European Journal of Paediatric Neurology come together to remember our friend and colleague Linda de Meirleir. Ingrid Tein, President of ICNA, has written a tribute to Linda capturing the generosity of spirit and the immense contribution of her friend to the care of children with neurological and metabolic diseases. We have significantly expanded the numbers, geographical spread and breadth of expertise of the Editorial Board of EJPN. The journal has invited more board members from outside Europe reflecting the international nature of submissions and published articles. I would like to welcome the new board members and thank the established members for contributing to the success of the journal. The role of a board member includes helping to develop and guide new developments in the journal, reviewing papers, writing editorial commentaries and soliciting original research papers for publication. All this is done in evenings and weekends and is rarely acknowledged. The same is true for all the wonderful reviewers for the journal in 2018 who I would also like to thank. The reviewer who spends time carefully analysing and constructively criticising an article does so because they hope they will be afforded the same respect by reviewers of their own research work. Reviewing papers is challenging and rewarding work which keeps you at the cutting edge of new developments in paediatric neurology. I am sure my colleagues are fed up of me saying there was a recent paper in EJPN on this or that topic when we encounter yet another complex case in the clinic. Learning from our clinical practice through the problems we face and the questions we are asked as child neurologists is probably the best way to retain new knowledge and develop clinical experience. Ours is a specialty where rare diseases are the bread and butter of every day practice. Why then have we taken the decision to no longer publish single case reports in the journal? We will continue to accept case series if they present novel observations or suggest novel hypotheses which can be tested. Single case reports are often the first step into research presentation or publication for trainees in child neurology and can be a stepping stone to further original research. Is EJPN denigrating clinical observation and research through this decision? Remarkable observations from patients helps drive our curiosity and can develop hypotheses for disease mechanisms and treatment. However, in the internet and email age the ease of exchange of information on a global scale should allow any rare but important single observation to be subject to critical review prior to submitting for publication in an international journal. Single cases can be valuable or misleading. I would suggest that remarkable single cases be presented locally, nationally or internationally. Draw attention to the observation through platform and poster presentations and actively seek critical discussion. If the same observation is noted by colleagues then collaborate with them to put together a case series. If a group of authors from different institutions with different training and different cultural backgrounds come together and produce a paper after active, critical discussion then this will be of interest to journal editors.