All Posts
Use of Medications of Questionable Benefit at the End of Life
20 Apr, 2017 | 14:34h | UTCUse of Medications of Questionable Benefit at the End of Life in Nursing Home Residents with Advanced Dementia – Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
See also: Use of Medications of Questionable Benefit at the End of Life in Nursing Home Residents with Advanced Dementia – CBCNews (free) AND Many With Advanced Dementia Receiving Drugs of Uncertain Benefit – Medscape (free registration required)
“Too much use of meds of questionable benefit at the end of life: Just Stop.” (RT @DeeMangin see Tweet)
Climate Change and Health Reports
21 Apr, 2017 | 14:37h | UTCWhy the Menace of Mosquitoes Will Only Get Worse – The New York Times Magazine (RT @CIDRAP and @marynmck see Tweet) (10 articles per month are free)
Related: Disease Burden Growing as Vector Insects Adapt to Climate Change – IPS (free) (source Global Health NOW Newsletter) AND UN Doc: Climate Change is New Challenge in Fighting Disease Outbreaks – MedPage Today (free registration required)
“Climate change is altering the environment in ways that increase the potential for viruses like Zika”.
The Lancet Countdown: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change – The Lancet (free)
Editorial: Climate and health: joining up the pieces, scaling up the action (free)
Medical Alert! Climate Change Is Harming Our Health – Medical Society Consortium on Climate & Health (link to summary – free PDF available)
Sources: Medical Societies Come Together on Harms of Climate Change – Medscape (free registration required) AND Climate Change Already Affecting Human Health – Physician’s First Watch (free)
Approaches for Evaluation of Asymptomatic Microscopic Hematuria
20 Apr, 2017 | 14:27h | UTCInvited commentary: Asymptomatic Microscopic Hematuria – Rethinking the Diagnostic Algorithm (free)
Routine urinalysis for screening is not presently recommended by any major health organization, but asymptomatic microscopic hematuria is a common incidental finding. This study suggests that the combination of renal ultrasound and cystoscopy is the most cost-effective approach for the evaluation of these patients.
Mortality Trends After Surgical Safety Checklist
20 Apr, 2017 | 14:31h | UTCMortality Trends After a Voluntary Checklist-based Surgical Safety Collaborative – Annals of Surgery (link to abstract – free PDF available)
Sources: Global Health NOW Newsletter (free) AND South Carolina Hospitals Saw Surgery Deaths Drop After Implementing WHO Checklist – AJMC News (free) AND A simple checklist prevents deaths after surgery, a large new study suggests – The Washington Post (a few articles per month are free)
See also: WHO Surgical Safety Checklist – World Health Organization (free) AND A Surgical Safety Checklist to Reduce Morbidity and Mortality in a Global Population – New England Journal of Medicine (free)
β-Blocker Exposure in Pregnancy and Risk of Fetal Cardiac Anomalies
20 Apr, 2017 | 14:28h | UTCβ-Blocker Exposure in Pregnancy and Risk of Fetal Cardiac Anomalies – JAMA Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
See also: No Fetal Heart Risk from Mom’s Beta-Blocker Use – MedPage Today (free registration required)
Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases: low value interventions
20 Apr, 2017 | 14:30h | UTCAustralasian Society for Infectious Diseases: low value interventions – The Medical Journal of Australia (free) (RT @ChooseWiselyAU and @ASIDANZ see Tweet)
See also: Choosing Wisely initiative was launched 5 years ago in our April 5 issue.
The society has just released a selection of 5 low value interventions (details in the text):
– Prescribing antibiotics for asymptomatic bacteriuria.
– Taking a swab of a leg ulcer without signs of clinical infection and treating the patient with antibiotics against the identified bacteria.
– Treating upper respiratory tract infections with antibiotics.
– Investigation for fecal pathogens in the absence of diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.
– Ordering multiple serological investigations for patients with fatigue without a clinical indication or relevant epidemiology.
Why it’s a bad idea to space out your child’s vaccination shots
19 Apr, 2017 | 14:17h | UTCWhy it’s a bad idea to space out your child’s vaccination shots – The Washington Post (a few articles per month are free)
“Splitting immunizations into several visits only increases children’s stress” (RT @IDSAInfo see Tweet)
Preventing Sports Injury and Illness: Key Resources for Family Physicians
19 Apr, 2017 | 14:18h | UTCSelection of resources for primary care providers to improve their ability to prevent and treat injuries from sports and physical activity.
Irritable bowel syndrome in adults: diagnosis and management
20 Apr, 2017 | 14:26h | UTCUpdated Guideline: Irritable bowel syndrome in adults: diagnosis and management – National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE – UK) (free)
The 2017 Atlas of Sustainable Development Goals
19 Apr, 2017 | 14:19h | UTCThe 2017 Atlas of Sustainable Development Goals: a new visual guide to data and development – The World Bank (free) (RT @glassmanamandaand @St_Klingebiel see Tweet)
With over 150 maps and data visualizations, the new publication charts the progress societies are making towards the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Beverage consumption taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages
20 Apr, 2017 | 14:22h | UTCSources: First US sugar tax sees soft drink sales fall by almost 10%, study shows – The Guardian (free) (RT @kamleshkhunti see Tweet) AND Sugary Drink Sales Fizzled After Soda Tax – MedPage Today (free registration required)
Related articles and commentaries on the possible benefits of sugar taxes: W.H.O. Urges Tax on Sugary Drinks to Fight Obesity – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free) Fiscal policies for diet and the prevention of noncommunicable diseases – World Health Organization(free) AND Mexico’s sugar tax leads to fall in consumption for second year running – The Guardian (free) AND Why the government should tax unhealthy foods and subsidise nutritious ones – The Conversation (free)
Alcohol-use disorders: diagnosis and management of physical complications
20 Apr, 2017 | 14:25h | UTCUpdated Guideline: Alcohol-use disorders: diagnosis and management of physical complications – National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE – UK) (free)
Associations of Maternal Antidepressant Use and Complications in Offspring
19 Apr, 2017 | 14:12h | UTCAssociations of Maternal Antidepressant Use During the First Trimester of Pregnancy With Preterm Birth, Small for Gestational Age, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Offspring – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Contradicting a previous study showing increased risk of autism with antidepressant use during pregnancy (free), this large retrospect cohort study of 1 580 629 Swedish offspring did not show an association of antidepressant use during pregnancy and autism or other neurodevelopment problems.
Maternal asthma: Management strategies
19 Apr, 2017 | 14:16h | UTCMaternal asthma: Management strategies – Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine (free)
Dexamethasone versus for postoperative nausea and vomiting in GI surgery
19 Apr, 2017 | 14:15h | UTCA single dose of 8 mg intravenous dexamethasone at induction of anesthesia reduced postoperative nausea and vomiting with no increase in adverse events.
Integrating neglected tropical diseases in global health and development
19 Apr, 2017 | 14:08h | UTCPress release: Unprecedented progress against neglected tropical diseases, WHO reports (free)
See also: Executive summary (free) AND Neglected No More – Gates Notes (free) AND The world’s assault on tropical diseases is working – STAT News (free)
A guide to neglected tropical diseases prioritised by the World Health Organisation – Financial Times (free) (RT @NTDCOUNTDOWN See Tweet)
See also: Fact sheets relating to NTD – World Health Organization (free)
“The World Health Organisation has selected 18 as good candidates to be controlled”
Single Cardiac Troponin Test Plus ECG Can Quickly Rule Out MI
19 Apr, 2017 | 14:10h | UTCRapid Rule-out of Acute Myocardial Infarction with a Single High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T Measurement Below the Limit of Detection: A Collaborative Meta-analysis – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
See also: High-Sensitivity Troponin T Test Rules Out AMI in ED – Medscape (free registration required) AND Meta-Analysis: Single Cardiac Troponin Test Plus ECG Can Quickly Rule Out MI – Physician’s First Watch (free)
“This analysis indicates that a nonischemic ECG and a single negative High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T only misses about 1 in 100 myocardial infarctions – and can provide rapid, useful information in an assessment.” (from Physician’s First Watch commentary above).
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer – NCCN Guideline
18 Apr, 2017 | 14:07h | UTCNon-Small Cell Lung Cancer – NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (free)
ACC/AHA vs. USPSTF statin guidelines
19 Apr, 2017 | 14:11h | UTCComparison of Recommended Eligibility for Primary Prevention Statin Therapy Based on the US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations vs the ACC/AHA Guidelines – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
See also: ACC/AHA vs. USPSTF statin guidelines – Cardiology News (free)
Although recommended by most guidelines for individuals at high risk, there is still some controversy over prescribing statins for primary prevention and over what patients benefit the most – see related commentary: Cholesterol-lowering statin therapy for healthy people is not as simple as ‘yes’ or ‘no’ – The Pharmaceutical Journal (free)
Adherence to the 2016 USPSTF recommendations for statin therapy, compared with the 2013 ACC/AHA guidelines, could lead to a lower number of individuals (an estimated difference of 9.3 million individuals in the U.S. population) recommended for primary prevention statin therapy.
The Breastfeeding-Friendly Pediatric Office Practice
18 Apr, 2017 | 14:03h | UTCThe Breastfeeding-Friendly Pediatric Office Practice – American Academy of Pediatrics (free)
Source: AAP: Pediatricians Should Support Breastfeeding Moms – MedPage Today (free registration required)
Recent recommendation from another organization: Breastfeeding: Primary Care Interventions – U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (free)
Summary of USPSTF recommendations: Primary Care Interventions to Support Breastfeeding: Recommendation Statement – American Family Physician (free)
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force have issued recommendations for promoting and supporting breastfeeding.
Value-Based Reforms Linked to Readmission Reductions
18 Apr, 2017 | 14:02h | UTCAssociation Between Hospitals’ Engagement in Value-Based Reforms and Readmission Reduction in the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program – JAMA Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Sources: Value-Based Reforms Linked to Readmission Reductions – Medscape (free registration required) AND Richard Lehman’s weekly review(free – see below)
A program of incentives (Medicare Hospital Readmission Reduction Program in the US) was effective in reducing 30 day readmissions following infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia.
Insulin pump didn’t improve glycemic control compared to training on injections
18 Apr, 2017 | 13:58h | UTCSee also: Insulin pump didn’t improve glycemic control compared to training on injections – ACP Diabetes Monthly (free)
Too Clean for Our Children’s Good?
18 Apr, 2017 | 14:04h | UTCToo Clean for Our Children’s Good? – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
According to the “hygiene hypothesis”, some exposure to germs and microorganisms might be good for us because it helps develop the immune system.
Diagnosis and management of psoriasis
17 Apr, 2017 | 13:52h | UTCDiagnosis and management of psoriasis – Canadian Family Physician (free)
Amsterdam’s solution to the obesity crisis: no fruit juice and enough sleep
17 Apr, 2017 | 13:55h | UTCAmsterdam’s solution to the obesity crisis: no fruit juice and enough sleep – The Guardian (free) (RT @DrAseemMalhotra see Tweet)
“The city is successfully fighting fat by promoting tap water in its schools, along with healthy cooking classes and a ban on fast food sponsorship”