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In this meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia, corticosteroid treatment was associated with reduced in-hospital mortality and length of hospital stay.

3 – Targeted Temperature Management for 48 vs 24 Hours and Neurologic Outcome After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Commentaries: Targeted Temperature Management for 24 vs. 48 Hours After OHCA – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free) AND Longer Induced Cooling Not Better After Cardiac Arrest – MedPage Today (free registration required)

“Small trial shows no advantage to an additional day of cooling” (from MedPage Today)

4 – Diagnostic Stewardship – Leveraging the Laboratory to Improve Antimicrobial Use – JAMA (free)

“This Viewpoint discusses the potential benefits and harms of diagnostic stewardship – modifying the ordering, performance, and reporting of diagnostic tests to improve antimicrobial use”

5 – Report: Antibiotic Use in the United States, 2017: Progress and Opportunities – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (free)

Commentary: CDC antibiotics report calls for all-out stewardship efforts – CIDRAP (free)

“CDC report: antibiotic stewardship protects patients, saves $, slows antibiotic resistance” (RT @IDSAInfo see Tweet)

6 – A ‘perfect storm’ superbug: How an invasive fungus got health officials’ attention – STAT (free)

7 – A Dangerous, “Silent Reservoir” For Gonorrhea: The Throat – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)

“Drug-resistant gonorrhea is increasing. Now scientists say the epidemic is being driven by oral sex”. (RT @NYTHealth see Tweet)

8 – Richard Lehman’s journal review, 31 July 2017 – The BMJ Blogs (free)

Richard Lehman reviews the latest research in the top medical journals.

9 – Really Rapid Review: Paris IAS 2017 – HIV and ID Observations in Journal Watch Blogs (free) (RT @CarlosdelRio7 see Tweet)

Highlights from the latest International AIDS Society meeting.

10 – New National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC) Summaries in Low back, Cervical and Thoracic Spine Disorders with focus on occupational health.

Low Back Disorders – American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (free summary from NGC – $ see original guideline in ACOEM website)

Cervical and thoracic spine disorders – American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (free summary from NGC – $ see original guideline in ACOEM website)

Diagnostic approaches for inherited hemolytic anemia in the genetic era

1 Aug, 2017 | 17:07h | UTC

Review: Diagnostic approaches for inherited hemolytic anemia in the genetic era – Blood Research (free)

Clinical variants of pityriasis rosea

1 Aug, 2017 | 17:07h | UTC

Review: Clinical variants of pityriasis rosea – World Journal of Clinical Cases (free)

Intensive speech therapy helps stroke survivors with persistent communication difficulties

28 Jul, 2017 | 22:14h | UTC

Intensive speech therapy helps stroke survivors with persistent communication difficulties – NIHR Signal (free)

Original article: Intensive speech and language therapy in patients with chronic aphasia after stroke: a randomised, open-label, blinded-endpoint, controlled trial in a health-care setting – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ for full-text) AND commentary: Intensive speech therapy helps months after stroke – Reuters (free)

Effectiveness of Tympanostomy Tubes for Otitis Media: A Meta-analysis

28 Jul, 2017 | 17:42h | UTC

Effectiveness of Tympanostomy Tubes for Otitis Media: A Meta-analysis – Pediatrics (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Commentary: Weigh Risks/Benefits of Tympanostomy Tubes: Researchers – Medscape (free registration required)

Source: EvidenceAlerts (free resource to find articles of interest)

“Tympanostomy tubes improve hearing at 1 to 3 months compared with watchful waiting, with no evidence of benefit by 12 to 24 months”

Online education, pain coaching and advice by video conference can reduce knee pain

28 Jul, 2017 | 18:10h | UTC

Online education, pain coaching and advice by video conference can reduce knee pain – NIHR Signal (free)

Original article: Effectiveness of an Internet-Delivered Exercise and Pain-Coping Skills Training Intervention for Persons With Chronic Knee Pain: A Randomized Trial – Annals of Internal Medicine (free) AND Commentaries: Online Intervention Reduces Knee Pain, Improves Mobility – Medscape (free registration required) AND The Internet may be an effective tool for treating chronic knee pain – 2 Minute Medicine (free) AND Chronic knee pain eased with the help of Skype – CNN (free text and video)

“Reduced pain for 73% of knee pain patients receiving videoconference physio, pain coaching and online education” (RT @NIHR_DC see Tweet)

Hope may lead to unrealistic expectations

28 Jul, 2017 | 17:29h | UTC

Hope may lead to unrealistic expectations – Students 4 Best Evidence (free)

This is the tenth in a series of 34 blogs based on a list of ‘Key Concepts’ developed by an Informed Health Choices project team.

Mon, July 31 – 10 Stories of The Day!

31 Jul, 2017 | 01:39h | UTC

1 – World Hepatitis Day (28 July 2017) – World Health Organization Campaign (free)

News release: Eliminate hepatitis: WHO (free)

WHO Updated Factsheets (free): Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis D and Hepatitis E

2 – Tenofovir reduces mother-to-child hepatitis B transmission – NIHR Signal (free)

Original article: Systematic review with meta-analysis: the efficacy and safety of tenofovir to prevent mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus – Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

3 – The clinical practice guideline for the management of ARDS in Japan – Journal of Intensive Care (free)

Source: Critical Care Reviews Newsletter (free)

4 – “It is like texting at the dinner table”: a qualitative analysis of the impact of electronic health records on patient–physician interaction in hospitals – Journal of Innovation in Health Informatics (free)

Commentary: Doctors frustrated that electronic records steal time from patients – Reuters (free)

5 – Why you really should take your full course of antibiotics – The Conversation (free)

Commentary against a recent article in the BMJ arguing the antibiotic course has had its day

6 – FDA announces comprehensive regulatory plan to shift trajectory of tobacco-related disease, death – U.S. Food and Drug Administration (free)

Commentaries: The FDA just took a radical step to cut nicotine in cigarettes so they’re not addictive – VOX (free) AND FDA Proposes Reducing Nicotine In Cigarettes – NPR (free) AND FDA Targets Cigarettes in Broadening of Fight Against Addiction – Bloomberg (free text and video) AND FDA announces plans to slash nicotine levels in cigarettes – STAT News (free) AND FDA plans to reduce nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive levels – The Guardian (free)

“Woooow. FDA wants to cut the nicotine in cigarettes to nonaddictive levels. This is a public health power move” (RT @onceuponA see Tweet)

7 – Interventions for the prevention of recurrent erysipelas and cellulitis – Cochrane Library (link to summary – $ for full-text)

Commentary: Ongoing Antibiotic Prophylaxis Helps Prevent Cellulitis Recurrence – Medscape (free registration required)

8 – Alcohol drinking patterns and risk of diabetes: a cohort study of 70,551 men and women from the general Danish population – Diabetologia (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Commentaries: Drinking Alcohol 3 to 4 Days a Week Tied to Lowest Risk for Diabetes – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Moderate drinkers less likely to develop diabetes – OnMedica (free) AND Regular alcohol consumption could cut diabetes risk, study finds – The Guardian (free) AND Diabetes Risk May Be Lowest Drinking 3 to 4 Days Per Week – Medscape (free registration required)

Observational data suggests moderate alcohol consumption may have a possible protective effect against diabetes.

9 – Effectiveness of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of pain in knee and hip osteoarthritis: a network meta-analysis – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Diclofenac 150 mg/day is the most effective NSAID available at present, but are the cardiac and renal risks worth it? Paracetamol does not seem to work for this condition.

10 – Peer review is a black box. Let’s open it up – STAT News (free)

Sugar intake from sweet food and beverages, common mental disorder and depression

28 Jul, 2017 | 16:09h | UTC

Sugar intake from sweet food and beverages, common mental disorder and depression: prospective findings from the Whitehall II study – Scientific Reports (free)

Commentaries: Too much sugar could increase depression risk in men, study suggests – The Guardian (free) AND High sugar diets linked to heightened depression risk in men – The Independent (free)

Association does not imply causation, but this observational study suggests sugar intake has adverse effects on long-term psychological health.

Diabetic sight loss cut by screening

28 Jul, 2017 | 16:58h | UTC

Retrospective analysis of newly recorded certifications of visual impairment due to diabetic retinopathy in Wales during 2007–2015 – BMJ Open (free)

Commentaries: Diabetic sight loss cut by screening, research shows – BBC (free) AND Eye screening linked to fall in sight loss in people with diabetes – NHS Choices (free)

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