Archives | LinksMedicus Free Medical News & Perspectives

Mon, Feb 13 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

13 Feb, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – Tight Glycemic Control in Critically Ill Children – New England Journal of Medicine

“Critically ill children with hyperglycemia did not benefit from tight glycemic control targeted to a blood glucose level of 80 to 110 mg per deciliter, as compared with a level of 150 to 180 mg per deciliter”

2 – Epidemic of untreatable back and neck pain costs billions, study finds – The Guardian

3 – Improving how physicians working in hospital settings prescribe antibiotics – The Cochrane Library

4 – Podcast: Improving how antibiotics are prescribed by physicians working in hospital settings – Cochrane Library

5 – The effect of a reduction in alcohol consumption on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis – The Lancet Public Health (RT @hswapnil and @drjohnm)

More evidence that less alcohol improves hypertension

6 – Comment: Alcohol and blood pressure – The Lancet Public Health

7 – The three questions that every patient should ask their doctor – The Guardian

8 – Exclusion of patients with concomitant chronic conditions in ongoing randomised controlled trials targeting 10 common chronic conditions and registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: a systematic review of registration details – BMJ Open

Despite widespread multimorbidity, more than three-quarters of ongoing trials assessing interventions for patients with chronic conditions excluded patients with concomitant chronic conditions. This indicates that the external validity or generalisability of much of the current evidence is relatively weak.

9 – Proton Pump Inhibitors Do Not Reduce the Risk of Esophageal Adenocarcinoma in Patients with Barrett’s Esophagus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis – PLOS One

Source: PracticeUpdates – PPIs Do Not Reduce the Risk of Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Associated With Barrett’s Esophagus (free registration required)

10 – Coronary Calcium in Early Middle Age Associated with Increased CHD Risk – Physician’s First Watch

Fri, Feb 17 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

17 Feb, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – 10 ways to improve the quality of maternal and newborn care in health facilities – World Health Organization

2 – Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory tract infections: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data – The BMJ

This meta-analysis showed a protective effect of vitamin D against acute respiratory infection. The authors suggest their findings support the introduction of public health measures such as food fortification to improve vitamin D status

“A clinically useful effect remains uncertain despite hints in a new analysis… current evidence does not support the use of vitamin D supplementation to prevent disease, except for those at high risk of osteomalacia, currently defined as 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels less than 25 nmol/L”

4 – Vitamin D supplements & acute respiratory infections – BMJ Press Release (RT @trished)

5 – State of Global Air 2017: Your source for the latest global, regional, and country-specific data on air quality and health – Health Effects Institute & Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation

New comprehensive resource on the subject

6 – State of Global Air 2017 Report – Health Effects Institute & Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation

7 – Efficacy of Some Wearable Devices Compared with Spray-On Insect Repellents for the Yellow Fever Mosquito, Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) – Journal of Insect Science

Source: For mosquito repellents, stick with the spray – Medical Xpress

None of the bracelets caused any significant reduction in mosquito attraction. Bracelets in general do not offer adequate protection from mosquito bites.

8 – Bariatric Surgery versus Intensive Medical Therapy for Diabetes — 5-Year Outcomes – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ required for full-text)

9 – Benefits of Bariatric Surgery in Diabetic Patients Persist at 5 Years – Physician’s First Watch

10 – Point of View: Prostate Cancer 2017: Light at the End of the Tunnel? – Broome Docs

Wed, Feb 8 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

8 Feb, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

3 – 2017 Adult Immunization Schedule Released – Physician’s First Watch

6 – Prevention of contrast-induced acute kidney injury in patients undergoing cardiovascular procedures-a systematic review and network meta-analysis – PLoS One

7 – Nicotine, Carcinogen, and Toxin Exposure in Long-Term E-Cigarette and Nicotine Replacement Therapy Users: A Cross-sectional Study – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ required for full-text)

Sources: Medscape – E-Cigarettes as Safe as Nicotine Replacement in Real-World Study (free registration required) And Study of cancer-causing toxins finds e-cigs much safer than smoking – Reuters And Study: E-Cig Use Safer than Smoking? Toxic exposures much lower in biomarker analysis – MedPage Today (free registration required)

8 – Dengue: knowledge gaps, unmet needs, and research priorities – The Lancet Infectious Diseases (free registration required) (RT @Onisillos)

9 – Prevention and control of dengue—the light at the end of the tunnel – The Lancet Infectious Diseases (free registration required) (RT @Onisillos)

10 – Disease and economic burdens of dengue – The Lancet Infectious Diseases (free registration required) (RT @Onisillos)

Fri, Feb 10 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

10 Feb, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – Thromboprophylaxis after Knee Arthroscopy and Lower-Leg Casting – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ required for full-text)

Prophylaxis with low-molecular-weight heparin after knee arthroscopy or during immobilization due to casting was not effective for the prevention of venous thromboembolism

2 – Quick Take Video Summary: Preventing Venous Thromboembolism after Arthroscopy and Casting – New England Journal of Medicine

3 – Clinical Decisions: Thromboprophylaxis after Knee Arthroscopy – New England Journal of Medicine

4 – Association of Coronary Artery Calcium in Adults Aged 32 to 46 Years With Incident Coronary Heart Disease and Death – JAMA Cardiology

The presence of coronary artery calcium identified on a computed tomographic scan in asymptomatic adults aged 32 to 46 years was associated with an increased risk of fatal and nonfatal coronary heart disease during 12.5 years of follow-up

5 – German Guidelines on Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorders – European Addiction Research

6 – Why your doctor’s advice to take all your antibiotics may be wrong – STAT News (RT @CIDRAP and @HelenBranswell)

7 – 3rd ESO–ESMO International Consensus Guidelines for Advanced Breast Cancer (ABC 3) – Annals of Oncology

8 – Cancer screening in the United States, 2017: A review of current American Cancer Society guidelines and current issues in cancer screening – CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians

9 – Early enteral nutrition in critically ill patients: ESICM clinical practice guidelines – Intensive Care Medicine

10 – MAP: Find Out What New Viruses Are Emerging In Your Backyard – NPR

Mon, Feb 6 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

6 Feb, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – #WorldCancerDay 2017 (4 February) – World Health Organization

2 – #WorldCancerDay 2017 (4 February) – Guide to Cancer Early Diagnosis – World Health Organization

News release: Early cancer diagnosis saves lives, cuts treatment costs

3 – #WorldCancerDay 2017 (4 February) – Cancer: Fact sheet – World Health Organization

4 – Cerebral Palsy in Under 25s: Assessment and Management – National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

5 – Acute Respiratory Infection and Use of Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs on Risk of Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Nationwide Case-Crossover Study – The Journal of Infectious Diseases

Source: Medscape – NSAIDs Plus Respiratory Infection Increase Heart Attack Risk (free registration required)

“Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use during acute respiratory infection (ARI) increases the risk for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) 3.4-fold if taken by mouth and 7.2-fold with parenteral dosing”

6 – High-altitude living decreases the risk of heart disease – ScieceDaily

7 – Stinging insect hypersensitivity: A practice parameter update – American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology; American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

Source: NEJM Journal Watch – Recommendations for Managing Stinging Insect Reactions ($ resource to find articles of interest in all specialties)

8 – Alpha blockers in the management of ureteric lithiasis: A meta-analysis – International Journal of Clinical Practice

Source: EvidenceAlerts (free resource to find articles of interest in all specialties – registration required)

Stone expulsion time was in average 3.99 days shorter with α-blockers with greater benefit for stones > 5 mm

9 – Folic Acid Supplementation for the Prevention of Neural Tube Defects: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement – JAMA

Source: EvidenceAlerts (free resource to find articles of interest in all specialties – registration required)

10 – The Effects of Pay-for-Performance Programs on Health, Health Care Use, and Processes of Care: A Systematic Review – Annals of Internal Medicine

Thu, Feb 2 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

2 Feb, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – Pediatric Obesity—Assessment, Treatment, and Prevention: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline

Source: Newswise

2 – Association Between Tracheal Intubation During Adult In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest and Survival – JAMA

“Findings do not support early tracheal intubation for adult in-hospital cardiac arrest”

3 – Designing a High-Performing Health Care System for Patients with Complex Needs: Ten Recommendations for Policymakers – The Commonwealth Fund (RT @LGTLibrary)

4 – Updated Algorithm for the PubMed Best Match Sort Order (RT @hildabast)

An introduction to the new “Best Match” search on PubMed

5 – New Pre-eclampsia Evidence Confirms Aspirin Guideline – Medscape (free registration required)

“For women with a history of pre-eclampsia, daily low-dose aspirin can lead to a 30% reduction in recurrence, new research shows, lending support to US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines”

6 – Robotic cholecystectomy versus conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A meta-analysis (link to abstract – $ required for full-text) (@SurgJournal)

The study suggests robotic cholecystectomy provides no additional benefit and is associated with greater operative times related primarily to the preparatory phase

7 – Testing for Zika Virus (ZIKV) Infection in Pregnancy: Key Concepts to Deal with an Emerging Epidemic American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology

8 – Mentally Stimulating Activities in Late Life and Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment – JAMA

9 – Mental activities may protect against mild cognitive impairment – ScienceDaily

10 – Lung Cancer Screening Program Finds A Lot That’s Not Cancer – NPR

Wed, Feb 1 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

1 Feb, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1- Diabetic Neuropathy: A Position Statement by the American Diabetes Association

2 – Global economic cost of smoking-attributable diseases – BMJ Tobacco Control

Fri, Jan 27 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

27 Jan, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – Approaches to Limit Intervention During Labor and Birth – American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

2 – ACOG Encourages Low-Intervention Approach for Low-Risk Women in Labor – Physician’s First Watch

3 – ACOG: Hands-Off Approach for Low-Risk Pregnancies: College calls for limited labor interventions; promotes one-on-one support – MedPage Today (free registration required)

4 – What Precisely Is Precision Oncology – and Will It Work? – The ASCO Post (@RasoiniR)

5 – Study finds reduced antibiotic use could cut Clostridium difficile infections – CIDRAP (@GlobalBioD)

6 – Driving and dementia: Efficient approach to driving safety concerns in family practice – Canadian Family Physician

7 – Atrial Fibrillation, Type 2 Diabetes, and Non–Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants: A Review – JAMA Cardiology (RT @DrYasserAlwali)

Non–Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants likely the best option for anticoagulation in diabetic patients with atrial fibrillation

8 – Psychological distress in relation to site specific cancer mortality: pooling of unpublished data from 16 prospective cohort studies – The BMJ

Depression and anxiety are associated with increased mortality in cancer patients

9 – Red meat: Good or bad for health? – Medical News Today

10 – At-home sleep apnea testing puts squeeze on for-profit laboratories – STAT News

Tue, Feb 7 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

7 Feb, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – Comparative Effectiveness of Vancomycin and Metronidazole for the Prevention of Recurrence and Death in Patients With Clostridium difficile Infection – JAMA Internal Medicine (RT @PreetiNMalani)

Among patients with severe infections, those treated with vancomycin had a lower risk of death than patients treated with metronidazole

2 – Top Preventive Services Recommendations Ranked by Relative Efficacy – Annals of Family Medicine Research (RT @aafp and @juliekwoodmd)

3 – Updated Priorities Among Effective Clinical Preventive Services – Annals of Family Medicine

Priorities for Improving Utilization of Clinical Preventive Services. Top 5 are: 1) Childhood immunization; 2) Brief prevention counseling for tobacco use in youth; 3) Tobacco use screening and brief counseling for adults; 4) Alcohol misuse screening and brief intervention; and 5) Aspirin chemoprevention for those at higher risk of CVD.

4 – Richard Lehman’s journal review-6 February 2017 – The BMJ Blog Archive

5 – International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation – UN Women

6 – Impact of weight maintenance and loss on diabetes risk and burden: a population-based study in 33,184 participants – BMC Public Health

7 – Study highlights importance of preventing weight gain in adults to reduce type 2 diabetes – EurekaAlert!

8 – Preventative medicine: the argument for and against – The Conversation

9 – Editorial: Health in slums: understanding the unseen – The Lancet

See also from previous weeks: The history, geography, and sociology of slums and the health problems of people who live in slums – The Lancet (free registration required) And Improving the health and welfare of people who live in slums – The Lancet (free registration required)

10 – Exercise management in type 1 diabetes: a consensus statement – The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology (free registration required)

Source: PracticeUpdate – Exercise Management in Type 1 Diabetes: A Consensus Statement (free resource to find articles of interest in all specialties – registration required)

Wed, Jan 25 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

25 Jan, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement (@EricTopol)

“The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for OSA in asymptomatic adults”

2 – Editorial: Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Important to Find, but How Hard Should We Look? – JAMA Internal Medicine

3 – Editorial: Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Implications for the Sleep Health of the Population – JAMA

4 – Data from Home Sleep Testing Could Be as Good as Sleep Lab Testing for OSA – Physician’s First Watch

(Original article abstract – $ required for full-text)

5 – Just pass the tissues… Evidence on remedies for the common cold – Cochrane Library

6 – We Will Miss Antibiotics When They’re Gone – The New York Times (RT @greg_folkers)

7 – The Conversation Placebo – The New York Times

8 – Parsimonious blood use and lower transfusion triggers: What is the evidence? – Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine

9 – Update of the ASAS-EULAR management recommendations for axial spondyloarthritis – Annals of Rheumatic Diseases

10 – New Guidelines Streamline Spondyloarthritis Management: Up-to-date recommendations integrate AS and axSpA – MedPage Today (free registration required)

Fri, Feb 3 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

3 Feb, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – Studies Link Some Stomach Drugs to Possible Alzheimer’s Disease and Kidney Problems: Doctors and patients are grappling with the unsettling finding that chronic use of popular heartburn medicines may be riskier than was thought – Scientific American

2 – Hormone Blockers Can Prolong Life if Prostate Cancer Recurs – The New York Times

3 – Radiation with or without Antiandrogen Therapy in Recurrent Prostate Cancer – New England Journal of Medicine (Link to abstract – $ required for full-text)

4 – Three ways you can just say no to antibiotic drug abuse – The Conversation (RT @Onisillos)

5 – ‘Kangaroo mother care’ helps preterm babies survive … but offers benefits for all – The Conversation

6 – Richard Lehman’s journal review-30 January 2017 – The BMJ Blog Archive

7 – ‘We simply don’t know’: Egg donors face uncertain long-term risks – STAT News

8 – Comparison of adjuvant gemcitabine and capecitabine with gemcitabine monotherapy in patients with resected pancreatic cancer (ESPAC-4): a multicentre, open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial – The Lancet

10 – Trial finds combination of pancreatic cancer drugs extends survival – The Guardian

Mon, Jan 30 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

30 Jan, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – Beta-blockers for hypertension – Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

Source: EvidenceAlerts (free resource to find articles of interest in all specialties – registration required)

Beta-blockers are inferior to other antihypertensive drugs and have little or no effects on mortality

2 – Combined Treatment With Chondroitin Sulfate and Glucosamine Sulfate Shows No Superiority Over Placebo for Reduction of Joint Pain and Functional Impairment in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Six-Month Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial – Arthritis & Rheumatology

Source: NEJM Journal Watch ($ resource to find articles of interest in all specialties)

Another trial showed this combination is no better than placebo

3 – Video: Pain Expert: ‘I Haven’t Prescribed an Opioid in a Decade: Daniel Clauw, MD, states the case for avoiding opioids in chronic pain – MedPage Today (free registration required)

4 – Cases of Acute Liver Failure Found in Patients Taking Newer Hepatitis C Drugs – Physician’s First Watch

5 – Are New Drugs for Hepatitis C Safe? A Report Raises Concerns – New York Times

6 – Long-term hormone therapy for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women – Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

Source: EvidenceAlerts (free resource to find articles of interest in all specialties – registration required)

Increases the risk after using it for 1 year (combined therapy):

– Coronary Event – from 2 per 1000 a year to between 3 and 7 per 1000.

– Venous Thromboembolism – from 2 per 1000 a year to between 4 and 11 per 1000.

Increases the risk with longer use (combined therapy):

– Stroke – after 3 years’ use: from 6 per 1000 to between 6 and 12 per 1000.

– Breast Cancer – after 5.6 years’ use: from 19 per 1000 to between 20 and 30 per 1000

– Gallbladder Disease (after 5.6 years’ use: from 27 per 1000 to between 38 and 60 per 1000

– Death from lung cancer (after 5.6 years’ use plus 2.4 years’ additional follow-up: from 5 per 1000 to between 6 and 13 per 1000)

7 – Hybrid zoo: Introducing pig–human embryos and a rat–mouse – Nature News

8 – Individualized Venous Thromboembolism Risk Stratification Using the 2005 Caprini Score to Identify the Benefits and Harms of Chemoprophylaxis in Surgical Patients: A Meta-analysis – Annals of Surgery (link to abstract – $ required for full-text)

Source: Medscape – VTE Chemoprophylaxis Not Needed for 75% of Surgery Patients (free registration required)

See also: CAPRINI SCORE: DVT RISK ASSESSMENT Tool (in this meta-analysis, patients with a Caprini Score < or = to 6 didn’t benefit from chemoprophylaxis)

9 – Contentious flu vaccine policies at hospitals are based on flawed research, study says – STAT News (RT @Onisillos)

10 – Paying doctors bonuses for better health outcomes makes sense in theory. But it doesn’t work – VOX

Mon, Jan 23 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

23 Jan, 2017 | 00:30h | UTC

1 – Diagnostic accuracy of multi-parametric MRI and TRUS biopsy in prostate cancer (PROMIS): a paired validating confirmatory study – The Lancet

2 – Multiparametric MRI Might Help Men Avoid Unnecessary Prostate Biopsies – Physician’s First Watch

3 – Clinicians’ Expectations of the Benefits and Harms of Treatments, Screening, and Tests: A Systematic Review – JAMA Internal Medicine. See also: Medscape – Clinicians Often Underestimate Harms of Tests and Treatments (free registration required)

4 – The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: The Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research (2017) (PDF – Free Download)

Source: Nature News: Marijuana’s benefits, Antarctic ice cracks and a $500-million donation

5 – News Release: Nearly 100 Conclusions on the Health Effects of Marijuana and Cannabis-Derived Products Presented in New Report; One of the Most Comprehensive Studies of Recent Research on Health Effects of Recreational and Therapeutic Use of Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Products

6 – Integrated Control and Management of Neglected Tropical Skin Diseases – PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

7 – Post-stroke dementia – a comprehensive review – BMC Medicine

8 – Transmission of Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in South Africa – New England Journal of Medicine

9 – Why Is Extensively Drug-Resistant TB On The Rise? – NPR

10 – Spread of highly drug-resistant tuberculosis sparks concerns – STAT News

Tue, Jan 24 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

24 Jan, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – Japanese guidelines for childhood asthma 2017 – Japanese Society of Allergology

2 – Elder abuse prevalence in community settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis – The Lancet Global Health (RT @zgassoumis)

4 – Richard Lehman’s journal review – 23 January 2017 – The BMJ Blog

5 – Just released. AHRQ Toolkit To Improve Safety for Mechanically Ventilated Patients (RT @brhospitalist)

6 – Just Started. Introduction to Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis – Free Online Course from Coursera and Johns Hopkins University

7 – Cheese Consumption and Risk of All-Cause Mortality: A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies – Nutrients

Cheese consumption was not associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality

8 – The Differential Diagnosis of Dyspnea – Deutsches Ärzteblatt international

9 – Mosquito-transmitted viruses – the great Brazilian challenge – Brazilian Journal of Microbiology

10 – Recent advances in the understanding and management of atrial fibrillation: a focus on stroke prevention – F1000 Research

Wed, Jan 18 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

18 Jan, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – Pharmacologic Treatment of Hypertension in Adults Aged 60 Years or Older to Higher Versus Lower Blood Pressure Targets: A Clinical Practice Guideline from the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Family Physicians

This new guideline suggests a less aggressive treatment target, recommending a systolic blood pressure of less than 150 mmHg for most adults aged 60 or older. For adults aged 60 or older with a history of stroke or transient ischemic attack the recommended target is a systolic blood pressure of less than 140 mmHg.

2 – Loosened blood pressure guidelines stir immediate controversy – STAT News (RT @sxbegle)

3 – ACP/AAFP Release Recommendations For BP Levels in Patients Above 60 With HTN – American College of Cardiology

4 – ACP and AAFP release new hypertension recommendations – EurekAlert (RT @greg_folkers)

5 – Russian Proposal Would Phase In Cigarette Ban, but Current Smokers Get a Pass – The New York Times

If the proposal introduced by the Health Ministry is adopted, Russia will ban the sale of cigarettes to people born in 2015 and after

6 – New Choosing Wisely Canada Recommendations: 9 Things Nurses and Patients Should Question

This list contains tests and treatments commonly used that are not supported by evidence, and/or could expose patients to unnecessary harm. See also the lists in all medical specialties.

7 – Proton Pump Inhibitors Increase Risk for Hepatic Encephalopathy in Patients With Cirrhosis in: A Population Study – Gastroenterology (Link to abstract – $ required for full-text)

Source: PracticeUpdate – Proton Pump Inhibitors Increase Risk for Hepatic Encephalopathy in Patients With Cirrhosis (free registration required)

8 – Conflicts of interest in medicine: pervasive, worrisome, and detrimental to healthcare – Health News Review

9 – Patient Advocacy Organizations, Industry Funding, and Conflicts of Interest – JAMA Internal Medicine

10 – ACC Issues Decision-Making Guide for Periprocedural Management of Anticoagulation in Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation – Physician’s First Watch

Tue, Jan 17 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

17 Jan, 2017 | 00:37h | UTC

1 – Best of the Cochrane Library: 2016 in review

2 – ASAS-EULAR updated recommendations for the management of axial spondyloarthritis

3 – Woman Killed by a Superbug Resistant to Every Available Antibiotic – Scientific American

4 – A Nevada woman dies of a superbug resistant to every available antibiotic in the US – STAT News

5 – Editorial: Why do surgeons continue to perform unnecessary surgery? – Patient Safety in Surgery

6 – Estimation of national, regional, and global prevalence of alcohol use during pregnancy and fetal alcohol syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis – The Lancet Global Health

7 – Comment: High global prevalence of alcohol use during pregnancy and fetal alcohol syndrome indicates need for urgent action – The Lancet Global Health

8 – The global toll of fetal alcohol syndrome: Study provides worldwide estimates of this preventable birth defect – Science Daily

9 – Just Started. Statistical Reasoning for Public Health 1: Estimation, Inference, & Interpretation – Free Online Course from Coursera and Johns Hopkins University

10 – Starts Jan 23. Statistical Reasoning for Public Health 2: Regression Methods – Free Online Course from Coursera and Johns Hopkins University

Tue, Jan 31 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

31 Jan, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – Editorial: Important Questions About Lung Cancer Screening Programs When Incidental Findings Exceed Lung Cancer Nodules by 40 to 1 – JAMA Internal Medicine (RT @EricTopol)

2 – Implementation of Lung Cancer Screening in the Veterans Health Administration – JAMA Internal Medicine

3 – Screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm in asymptomatic adults – Journal of Vascular Surgery (link to abstract – $ required for full-text)

Source: EvidenceAlerts (free resource to find articles of interest in all specialties – registration required)

This systematic review concluded that population-based screening for AAA with ultrasound in asymptomatic men aged 65 years or older reduced AAA-related mortality (42% reduction / Number needed to screen = 212) and rupture (38% reduction / number needed to screen = 200)

4 – Onset of diabetes or rapidly deteriorating condition could be first sign of hidden pancreatic cancer – News-Medical.net

A study with nearly 1 million patients found that 50 per cent of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes the previous year

5 – Neglected tropical diseases are finally getting the attention they deserve – STAT News (RT @gatesfoundation)

6 – Will war on neglected diseases hit target? Some fear progress on NTDs will stall if priorities shift in new era – Financial Times

7 – Point of View: Six myths promoted by the new surviving sepsis guidelines – PulmCrit

8 – Meeting Coverage: Zika: What Do We Know a Year Later? – MedPage Today (free registration required)

9 – Fall risk and anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation in the elderly: A delicate balance – Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine

10 – Postexposure management of infectious diseases – Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine

Thu, Jan 26 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

26 Jan, 2017 | 00:15h | UTC

1 – Antimicrobial stewardship: changing risk-related behaviours in the general population (Joint NICE and Public Health England guideline)

This new guidance aims to encourage people to manage some common infections at home

2 – News Release: Children and young people should be taught simple hygiene measures to help curb the spread of infections, says NICE

3 – Higher medication doses in heart failure? – Canadian Family Physician (RT @medmyths and @RichardLehman1)

“Starting patients on low doses and focusing on tolerability is essential”

4 – If You Look at X-Rays or Moles for a Living, AI Is Coming for Your Job – Wired (RT @EricTopol)

Link to original article abstract (Nature) – $ required for full-text

Artificial intelligence algorithm performed as well as 21 board-certified dermatologists

5 – Pelvic trauma: WSES classification and guidelines – World Journal of Emergency Surgery

6 – European Respiratory Society guidelines for the diagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesia – European Respiratory Journal

Source: EvidenceAlerts (Free resource to find new evidence and articles of interest)

7 – Guidelines for screening and management of late and long-term consequences of myeloma and its treatment – British Journal of Haematology

8 – Guideline for the investigation and management of eosinophilia – British Journal of Haematology

9 – The diagnosis and management of primary autoimmune haemolytic anaemia – British Journal of Haematology

10 – Organisms created with synthetic DNA pave way for new entirely new life forms – The Guardian

“Scary: Genetics researchers achieve the central goal of synthetic biology: creation of new life forms & functions” (RT @AllenFrancesMD)

Fri, Jan 20 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

20 Jan, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – Surviving Sepsis Campaign: International Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock – Critical Care Medicine (PDF)

2 – A users’ guide to the 2016 Surviving Sepsis Guidelines – Intensive Care Medicine

3 – Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock – JAMA Clinical Guidelines Synopsis

5 – Renin angiotensin system inhibitors for patients with stable coronary artery disease without heart failure: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials – The BMJ

Contradicting current guidelines, patients with stable coronary artery disease without heart failure did not benefit from ACE inhibitors or RAS blockers when compared with other active controls (calcium antagonists, thiazide diuretics, and conventional treatment)

6 – No Survival Advantage with ACE Inhibitors in Stable CAD: Blocking RAS pathway not better than other preventive strategies – MedPage Today (free registration required)

7 – Review: Challenges in Infective Endocarditis – Journal of the American College of Cardiology

9 – The clinically approved antiviral drug sofosbuvir inhibits Zika virus replication – Scientific Reports

10 – Mosquito-Disseminated Insecticide for Citywide Vector Control and Its Potential to Block Arbovirus Epidemics: Entomological Observations and Modeling Results from Amazonian Brazil – PLOS Medicine See also a related commentary on CIDRAP

Fri, Jan 13 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

13 Jan, 2017 | 00:38h | UTC

1 – Review: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery – JAMA Surgery (RT @PreetiNMalani)

2 – Migraine and risk of perioperative ischemic stroke and hospital readmission: hospital based registry study – The BMJ

3 – Migraine Associated with Perioperative Ischemic Stroke – Physician’s First Watch

4 – GOLD 2017 Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management and Prevention of COPD – Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease

5 – Smoking costs the world economy $1 trillion per year, World Health Organization says – The Washington Post

6 – Management of Pregnancy in Patients With Complex Congenital Heart Disease: A Scientific Statement for Healthcare Professionals From the American Heart Association (PDF)

7 – New AHA Guidance on Managing Pregnancy in CHD Patients – MedPage Today (Free registration required)

8 – Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases – JAMA (RT @greg_folkers)

9 – Review: Cardiac Pacemakers: Function, Troubleshooting, and Management – Journal of the American College of Cardiology

10 – Tea consumption and risk of ischaemic heart disease – Heart

Thu, Jan 19 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

19 Jan, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – Chronic Cough Due to Gastroesophageal Reflux in Adults: CHEST Guideline and Expert Panel Report

See also other recent CHEST guidelines on the management of cough: Cough in the athlete / Occupational and Environmental Contributions to Chronic Cough in Adults / Treatment of Unexplained Chronic Cough

2 – Review: Benign prostatic hyperplasia: Evaluation and medical management in primary care – Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine

3 – Guidelines on red cell transfusion in sickle cell disease. Part I: principles and laboratory aspects – British Committee for Standards in Haematology

4 – Guidelines on red cell transfusion in sickle cell disease. Part II: indications for transfusion – British Committee for Standards in Haematology

5 – Is this really the final word on whether calorie-restricted diets make you live longer? – The Conversation

6 – Caloric restriction improves health and survival of rhesus monkeys – Nature Communications

7 – Reevaluation of Diagnosis in Adults With Physician-Diagnosed Asthma – JAMA (link to abstract – $ required for full-text)

8 – Asthma ruled out in 33% of diagnosed adults – Internal Medicine News

9 – Antipsychotics May Boost Respiratory Failure Risk in COPD: Risk was dose-dependent; no safe dose found – MedPage Today (free registration required)

10 – Association Between Antipsychotic Agents and Risk of Acute Respiratory Failure in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – JAMA Psychiatry (link to abstract – $ required for full-text)