All Posts
Prebiotic for Overweight or Obesity Children?
7 Jun, 2017 | 15:03h | UTCPrebiotic Reduces Body Fat and Alters Intestinal Microbiota in Children With Overweight or Obesity (free PDF)
Commentary: Prebiotics reduce body fat in overweight children – American Gastroenterological Association, via EurekAlert (free)
Small randomized trial (42 patients) suggests prebiotics might be useful for overweight and obese children.
The Specialists’ Stranglehold on Medicine
7 Jun, 2017 | 15:04h | UTCThe Specialists’ Stranglehold on Medicine – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Thirty-Year Mortality After Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery
7 Jun, 2017 | 15:05h | UTCThirty-Year Mortality After Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: A Danish Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study – Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Many good years after heart bypass surgery, but something happens after ten years – Aarhus University, via Science Daily (free)
“For patients who make it through the first month after the operation is close to that of the population in general. But 8-10 years after a heart bypass operation, mortality increases by 60-80 per cent” (from Science Daily)
Should physicians provide futile care?
6 Jun, 2017 | 14:55h | UTCShould physicians provide futile care? – ACP Internist Blog (free)
Wed, June 7 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
7 Jun, 2017 | 00:48h | UTC
1 – 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.
Key Recommendations: Pharmacologic Management of Newly Detected Atrial Fibrillation (free)
3 – #ASCO2017 (Unpublished results) – Risk-Based Approach to Chemotherapy Duration Recommended for Stage III Colon Cancer – ASCO Daily News (free) AND ASCO2017:The IDEA Collaboration: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)
4 – #ASCO2017 (Unpublished results) – Pregnancy After Breast Cancer Does Not Increase Chance of Recurrence – ASCO News Releases (free)
Commentaries: Yes, a Pregnancy After Breast Cancer Is Safe – Medscape (free registration required) AND Pregnancy after breast cancer doesn’t raise recurrence risk – Reuters Health News (free) AND Pregnancy After Breast Cancer Does Not Increase Recurrence Risk – Oncology Times (free)
5 – 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.
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.
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)
9 – 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.
Commentaries: What’s The Rate Of Smoking In The 13- To 15-Year-Old Crowd? – NPR Goats and Soda (free)
Reengineering the analgesic ladder for critically ill patients
6 Jun, 2017 | 14:56h | UTCReengineering the analgesic ladder for critically ill patients – PulmCrit (free)
Multiple outcomes and analyses in clinical trials create challenges for interpretation and research synthesis
7 Jun, 2017 | 15:01h | UTC“RCTs included hundreds of outcomes and results; a small proportion were in public reports. Trialists and meta-analysts may cherry-pick what they report from multiple sources of RCT information.” (RT @hildabast see Tweet)
Home blood pressure monitors inaccurate 70 percent of the time?
7 Jun, 2017 | 15:02h | UTCCommentaries: Home blood pressure monitors inaccurate 70 percent of the time, study finds – MedicalXpress (free) AND Home blood pressure monitors may not be accurate enough – Reuters Health (free)
Small study (85 patients) suggests many of the devices are too inaccurate to be useful.
A New Mindset for Health Security
6 Jun, 2017 | 14:56h | UTCA New Mindset for Health Security – Global Health NOW (free)
“What are governments doing to prevent, identify, and contain infectious disease outbreaks?”
#ASCO2017 – Survival in a Trial Assessing Patient-Reported Outcomes for Symptom Monitoring During Cancer Treatment
5 Jun, 2017 | 14:52h | UTC#ASCO2017 – Overall Survival Results of a Trial Assessing Patient-Reported Outcomes for Symptom Monitoring During Routine Cancer Treatment – JAMA (free)
Commentaries: Quickly reporting cancer complications may boost survival – STAT News (free) AND If This Were a Drug, the Price Would Be $100,000 – Medscape (free registration required) AND How a simple tech tool can help cancer patients live longer – The Washington Post (free)
“For surveillance of cancer, digital tracking of patient-generated data improves survival”. “The cost of digital tracking is very low and > 5 months median survival improvement is more than cancer drugs that cost > $100,000” (RT @EricTopol see Tweets and Answers)
Tricuspid Valve Dysfunction After Pacemaker or ICD Implant
6 Jun, 2017 | 14:57h | UTCKey points to remember from a recent review of tricuspid valve dysfunction following pacemaker (PPM) or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) placement (link to original abstract – $ for full-text)
Tue, June 6 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
6 Jun, 2017 | 02:29h | UTC
1 – 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)
2 – #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)
3 – #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)
4 – 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)
5 – 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”
“The World Health Organization is making a list of drugs that everyone on Earth should have access to” (RT @statnews see Tweet)
7 – 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”.
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.
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)
Television-Watching Health Effects Worse Than Other Sitting
6 Jun, 2017 | 14:54h | UTCTelevision-Watching Health Effects Worse Than Other Sitting – American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) 2017 Annual Meeting, via Medscape (free registration required)
Predicting the Need for Fluid Therapy
6 Jun, 2017 | 15:00h | UTCReview: Predicting the Need for Fluid Therapy—Does Fluid Responsiveness Work? – Journal of Intensive Care (free)
Related: Fluid management series – Journal of Intensive Care (all articles are free)
ACP Decries Withdrawal from Climate Agreement
5 Jun, 2017 | 14:48h | UTCACP Decries Withdrawal from Climate Agreement – American College of Physicians (free)
See also: How scientists reacted to the US leaving the Paris climate agreement – Nature News (free) Leaving the Paris Climate Accord Could Lead to a Public Health Disaster – Scientific American (free)
Related guideline: Climate Change and Health: A Position Paper of the American College of Physicians (free)
See more on Climate Change and Health in our April 21 issue, see #6, #7, #8 and #9.
#ASCO2017 – Abiraterone for Prostate Cancer
5 Jun, 2017 | 14:51h | UTC#ASCO2017 – Abiraterone for Prostate Cancer
Abiraterone plus Prednisone in Metastatic, Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer – New England Journal of Medicine (free) AND Abiraterone for Prostate Cancer Not Previously Treated with Hormone Therapy – New England Journal of Medicine (free)
ASCO News Releases: Abiraterone Delays Metastatic Prostate Cancer Growth by 18 Months, Extends Survival (free) Abiraterone Slows Advanced Prostate Cancer, Helps Patients Live Longer (free)
The ‘living dead’: prisoners executed for their organs then sold to foreigners for transplants
5 Jun, 2017 | 14:46h | UTC“I have to fly tonight because they are shooting my donor tomorrow.”
“Here’s an ethics study. Would you accept organ from executed prisoner if it were a matter of your life or death?” (RT @barttels2 see Tweet)
Engaging Patients in Patient Safety – a Canadian Guide
5 Jun, 2017 | 14:49h | UTCEngaging Patients in Patient Safety – a Canadian Guide (free) (RT @pash22)
News release: How to Effectively Engage Patients in Patient Safety: New Guide available (free)
Changing the narratives for patient safety – World Health Organization
5 Jun, 2017 | 14:50h | UTCPerspectives: Changing the narratives for patient safety – World Health Organization (free)
“No simple solutions to patient safety: why we have to change the narratives” (RT @MaryDixonWoods See Tweet)
Questions raised over physician-assisted suicide
5 Jun, 2017 | 14:48h | UTC
Estimates of global, regional, and national morbidity, mortality, and aetiologies of diarrhoeal diseases
5 Jun, 2017 | 14:44h | UTCInvited commentary: Diarrhoeal disease trends in the GBD 2015 study: optimism tempered by skepticism (free)
Other commentaries: Despite substantial global reduction in diarrhea deaths, half a million children still die from diseases each year – Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) (free) AND Global diarrhoea deaths down by a third – BBC News (free)
“Deaths due to diarrhoea in children under 5 down 34% 2005-15, but still 4th leading cause of death” (RT @TheLancetInfDis see Tweet)
“Global diarrhoea deaths in children down by a third, but still fourth biggest killer in under fives, >500,000 a year” (RT @anetrid see Tweet)
The Value of Teaching Patients to Administer Their Own Care
5 Jun, 2017 | 14:45h | UTCThe Value of Teaching Patients to Administer Their Own Care – Harvard Business Review (a few articles per month are free) (RT @EricTopol see Tweet)
Carotid Artery Stenting Versus Endarterectomy for Stroke Prevention
5 Jun, 2017 | 14:41h | UTCCarotid Artery Stenting Versus Endarterectomy for Stroke Prevention: A Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials – Journal of the American College of Cardiology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: CAS vs. CEA for Stroke Prevention – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free)
“CAS and CEA were associated with similar rates of a composite of periprocedural death, stroke, MI, or nonperiprocedural ipsilateral stroke. The risk of long-term overall stroke was significantly higher with CAS, and was mostly attributed to periprocedural minor stroke”.
Introducing a One-Page Adult Preventive Health Care Schedule: USPSTF Recommendations at a Glance
5 Jun, 2017 | 14:47h | UTCIntroducing a One-Page Adult Preventive Health Care Schedule: USPSTF Recommendations at a Glance – American Family Physician (free PDF)
“The popular one-page preventive health care schedule is now available with the latest USPSTF recs from 2017” (RT @AFPJournal see Tweet)
Italy has introduced mandatory vaccinations – other countries should follow its lead
5 Jun, 2017 | 14:42h | UTCSee more on mandatory vaccination in our May 29 issue, see #6