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Observational studies suggest that high serum uric acid levels are associated with multiple health outcomes, including cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. This review findings suggest there is a clear association only for gout and nephrolithiasis.

3 – The opioid crisis changed how doctors think about pain – VOX (free)

“One of the expectations our patients have is that pain can be completely eliminated. We as a medical community are coming to an understanding that this is not realistic.” (RT @KariTikkinen and @voxdotcom and see Tweet)

4 – Reducing US cardiovascular disease burden and disparities through national and targeted dietary policies: A modelling study – PLOS Medicine (free)

Commentaries: Change in USA food policies could prevent 230,000 heart disease deaths by 2030 – Imperial College of London (free) AND U.S. nutrition policies may cut heart disease and save lives – Reuters Health News (free)

“Increased discounts on fruit and vegetables, and higher taxes on sugary drinks, could prevent heart disease deaths, says a new study” (from Imperial College of London commentary)

5 – Perspective: Cyberattack on Britain’s National Health Service: A Wake-up Call for Modern Medicine – New England Journal of Medicine (free)

6 – Current and future perspectives on the management of polypharmacy – BMC Family Practice (free) (RT @Azeem_Majeed see Tweet)

7 – Handshake-free zone in a neonatal intensive care unit: Initial feasibility study – American Journal of Infectious Control (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Commentaries: Hospitals Could One Day Be Handshake-Free Zones To Prevent The Spread Of Disease – WBGH News (free) AND Handshake-Free Zone: Stopping the Spread of Germs in the Hospital – Medscape (free registration required) AND Handshake-Free Zones Target Spread Of Germs In The Hospital – NPR Health News (free)

8 – Association of Gestational Weight Gain With Maternal and Infant Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Commentaries: RCOG statement on gestational weight gain or loss and adverse outcomes – Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (free) AND Weight gain greater, less than recommended during pregnancy linked with increased risk of adverse outcomes – The JAMA Network Journals, via EurekAlert (free) AND Pregnancy Weight Gain Status Tied to Adverse Outcomes – MedPage Today (free registration required) AND Gaining Too Much, Too Little Weight in Pregnancy Tied to Adverse Outcomes for Mother, Baby – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Global study finds 75% of pregnant women don’t have healthy weight gain – The Guardian (free)

9 – Pelvic floor exercises may reduce need for further treatments for pelvic organ prolapse – NIHR Signal (free)

Original article: Pelvic floor muscle training for secondary prevention of pelvic organ prolapse (PREVPROL): a multicentre randomised controlled trial – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

10 – Eggs in Early Complementary Feeding and Child Growth: A Randomized Controlled Trial – Pediatrics (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Commentary: Eggs Significantly Increase Growth in Young Children – Washington University in St. Louis, via NewsWise (free) AND An egg a day appears to help young children grow taller – BBC Health News (free)

“Surpassing previous research, study finds eggs are more viable nutrition, better intervention for children in developing countries” (from NewsWise)

#ASCO2017 – Risk-Based Approach to Chemotherapy Duration Recommended for Stage III Colon Cancer

7 Jun, 2017 | 15:24h | UTC

#ASCO2017 (Unpublished results) – Risk-Based Approach to Chemotherapy Duration Recommended for Stage III Colon Cancer – ASCO Daily News(free) AND ASCO2017:The IDEA Collaboration: Global Study Sets New Risk-Based Standard to Personalize Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer After Surgery – ASCO Post (free)

Commentaries: Chemo Cut in Half Following Surgery Without Increased Recurrence Risk in Patients With Low-Risk Colon Cancer – Targeted Oncology (free) Less Is More: Patients With Colon Cancer Get a Chemo Break – Medscape (free registration required) Cutting Chemo Time in Low-Risk Colon Ca an Option – MedPage Today (free registration required)

Six decades of struggle over the pill

8 Jun, 2017 | 15:41h | UTC

Six decades of struggle over the pill – Nature News (free)

Source: Global Health NOW Newsletter

“A notable anniversary highlights the progress and benefits of contraceptives, but also the continuing battle for access to them”.

Dozens of recent clinical trials may contain wrong or falsified data

7 Jun, 2017 | 15:19h | UTC

Data fabrication and other reasons for non-random sampling in 5087 randomised, controlled trials in anaesthetic and general medical journals – Anaesthesia (free)

Commentaries: Dozens of recent clinical trials may contain wrong or falsified data, claims study – The Guardian (free) AND Two in 100 clinical trials in eight major journals likely contain inaccurate data: Study – Retraction Watch (free)

Antibiotics Versus Surgical Therapy for Uncomplicated Appendicitis (again)

7 Jun, 2017 | 15:21h | UTC

Antibiotics Versus Surgical Therapy for Uncomplicated Appendicitis: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Controlled Trials – Annals of Surgery (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Commentary: Antibiotics Versus Surgery: Equally Effective in Treating Appendicitis? – Medscape (free registration required)

This meta-analysis and the author’s conclusions do not favor antibiotics alone for the treatment of uncomplicated appendicitis, contradiction the results of other recent meta-analysis, as well as a recent guideline on the subject, suggesting antibiotics might be an option in selected cases.

WHO updates Essential Medicines List

7 Jun, 2017 | 15:26h | UTC

News release: WHO updates Essential Medicines List with new advice on use of antibiotics, and adds medicines for hepatitis C, HIV, tuberculosis and cancer (free)

Report 1: The 2017 Expert Committee on the Selection and Use of Essential Medicines (free PDF)

Report 2: WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (free PDF)

Report 3: WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for Children (free PDF)

Commentaries: WHO creates controversial ‘reserve’ list of antibiotics for superbug threats – The Washington Post (free) AND Health officials set to release a list of drugs everyone on Earth should be able to access – STAT News (free) AND WHO’s New Essential Medicines List Includes a 40-Year First – Medscape (free registration required)

WHO Essential Medicines List is used by many countries to guide decisions regarding which medications should be available for their population.

Inflammatory bowel disease: Five things physicians and patients should question

7 Jun, 2017 | 15:19h | UTC

Inflammatory bowel disease: Five things physicians and patients should question – Choosing Wisely Canada (free)

The impact of the environment on children’s health – New WHO Reports

7 Jun, 2017 | 15:14h | UTC

The impact of the environment on children’s health – New WHO Reports

News release: The cost of a polluted environment: 1.7 million child deaths a year, says WHO – World Health Organization (free)

Report 1: Don’t pollute my future! The impact of the environment on children’s health – World Health Organization (free)

Report 2: Inheriting a sustainable world: Atlas on children’s health and the environment – World Health Organization (free)

Related links: WHO’s work on environmental health (free) AND 10 facts on children’s environmental health (free)

Current Tobacco Smoking and Desire to Quit Smoking Among Students Aged 13–15 Years

7 Jun, 2017 | 15:17h | UTC

Current Tobacco Smoking and Desire to Quit Smoking Among Students Aged 13–15 Years — Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 61 Countries, 2012–2015 – MMWR: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (free)

Commentaries: What’s The Rate Of Smoking In The 13- To 15-Year-Old Crowd? – NPR Goats and Soda (free)

Simplified diagnostic management of suspected pulmonary embolism

7 Jun, 2017 | 15:12h | UTC

Simplified diagnostic management of suspected pulmonary embolism (the YEARS study): a prospective, multicentre, cohort study – The Lancet(link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Commentaries: Simplified Diagnosis of Acute PE: The YEARS Study – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free) AND A Simple, Safe Approach to Decrease Use of CT for Pulmonary Embolism – Journal Watch (free)

Association Between Cirrhosis and Stroke

7 Jun, 2017 | 15:18h | UTC

Association Between Cirrhosis and Stroke in a Nationally Representative Cohort – JAMA Neurology (free)

Commentary: Cirrhosis Tied to Stroke Risk- Physician’s First Watch (free)

Patients with cirrhosis seem to have a higher risk of stroke, particularly hemorrhagic stroke.

#ASCO2017 – Small studies get big headlines

7 Jun, 2017 | 15:12h | UTC

#ASCO2017 – Small studies get big headlines at ASCO 2017 – HealthNewsReview (free)

“Claim – Biggest breakthrough in a decade”. “Reality – The trial included only 15 women; no survival outcomes measured” (RT @HealthNewsRevu see Tweet)

More people now die from NCDs than from causes like malaria and polio

7 Jun, 2017 | 15:10h | UTC

Small Steps Can Save Millions of Lives – Bloomberg (free) (RT @ghn_news see Tweet)

“More people now die from noncommunicable diseases than from causes like malaria and polio. Policy makers need to catch up”.

BSACI guideline for the diagnosis and management of peanut and tree nut allergy

7 Jun, 2017 | 15:20h | UTC

BSACI guideline for the diagnosis and management of peanut and tree nut allergy – British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (free)

Editorial: Nut allergy guideline (free)

Commentary: First ever single guidance published for investigating and managing nut allergy – EurekAlert (free)

See also related guidelines (U.S.) and commentaries recommending early introduction of peanuts to prevent allergies in our January 6 issue, see #1 and #2.

#ASCO2017 – Biosimilar May Be As Effective as Trastuzumab for Early Breast Cancer

7 Jun, 2017 | 15:13h | UTC

#ASCO2017 – CT-P6 compared with reference trastuzumab for HER2-positive breast cancer: a randomised, double-blind, active-controlled, phase 3 equivalence trial – The Lancet Oncology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Commentary: Biosimilar May Be As Effective as Trastuzumab for Early Breast Cancer – Physician’s First Watch (free)

Commentary: What is the best antidote for a jellyfish sting? (Clue: it’s not urine) – The Guardian (free)

Vinegar seems to be the best treatment.

Prenatal antidepressant use and risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in offspring

7 Jun, 2017 | 15:07h | UTC

Prenatal antidepressant use and risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in offspring: population based cohort study – The BMJ (free)

Editoral: The safety of antidepressants in pregnancy (free)

Commentary: Kids’ ADHD Risk May Be Linked to Mother’s Underlying Mental Health, Not Prenatal Antidepressant Use – Physician’s First Watch(free)

Growth and Rupture Risk of Small Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms

7 Jun, 2017 | 15:11h | UTC

Growth and Rupture Risk of Small Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms: A Systematic Review – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Commentaries: Growth, rupture risk appear low for small intracranial aneurysms, review indicates – ACP Internist Weekly (free) AND How Frequently Do Small Brain Aneurysms Rupture? – MedPage Today (free registration required)

“The annualized rupture rate was 0% for aneurysms 3 mm or smaller, below 0.5% for aneurysms 5 mm or smaller, and below 1% for aneurysms 7 mm or smaller”

Why health IT is such a tragedy

7 Jun, 2017 | 15:02h | UTC

Why health IT is such a tragedy – Suneel Dhand, MD via KevinMD.com (free)

Pharmacologic Management of Newly Detected Atrial Fibrillation

Uncovered: an unexpected source of superbugs

Short-term catheterisation: considerations for best practice

#ASCO2017 – Pregnancy After Breast Cancer Does Not Increase Chance of Recurrence

Thu, June 8 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!

#ASCO2017 – Risk-Based Approach to Chemotherapy Duration Recommended for Stage III Colon Cancer

Six decades of struggle over the pill

Dozens of recent clinical trials may contain wrong or falsified data

Antibiotics Versus Surgical Therapy for Uncomplicated Appendicitis (again)

WHO updates Essential Medicines List

Inflammatory bowel disease: Five things physicians and patients should question

The impact of the environment on children’s health – New WHO Reports

Current Tobacco Smoking and Desire to Quit Smoking Among Students Aged 13–15 Years

Simplified diagnostic management of suspected pulmonary embolism

Association Between Cirrhosis and Stroke

#ASCO2017 – Small studies get big headlines

More people now die from NCDs than from causes like malaria and polio

BSACI guideline for the diagnosis and management of peanut and tree nut allergy

#ASCO2017 – Biosimilar May Be As Effective as Trastuzumab for Early Breast Cancer

Data Sharing Statements for Clinical Trials

20 million starving to death

What is the best antidote for a jellyfish sting?

Prenatal antidepressant use and risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in offspring

Growth and Rupture Risk of Small Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms

Why health IT is such a tragedy

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