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Respiratory effect of beta-blockers in people with asthma and cardiovascular disease
11 Apr, 2017 | 15:48h | UTCRespiratory effect of beta-blockers in people with asthma and cardiovascular disease: population-based nested case control study – BMC Medicine (free) (RT @atscommunity)
Cardioselective beta-blockers, mostly atenolol and bisoprolol in this cohort, were not associated with increased risk of moderate or severe asthma exacerbations. In contrast, non-selective beta-blockers, mostly sotalol and carvedilol in this cohort, were associated with increased risk.
EULAR revised recommendations for the management of fibromyalgia
12 Apr, 2017 | 15:52h | UTCEULAR revised recommendations for the management of fibromyalgia – Annals of Rheumatic Diseases (free)
Source: EULAR Revised Recommendations for the Management of Fibromyalgia – Medscape (free registration required)
Why Are So Many People Popping Vitamin D?
11 Apr, 2017 | 15:47h | UTCWhy Are So Many People Popping Vitamin D? – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
“Labs performing these tests are reporting perfectly normal levels of vitamin D — 20 to 30 nanograms per milliliter of blood — as “insufficient.” As a consequence, millions of healthy people think they have a deficiency”
Note: Some organizations still think appropriate levels would be above 30 nanograms per milliliter of blood, more details in the text.
Multivitamins are probably a waste of money
12 Apr, 2017 | 15:50h | UTCVitamins and the Failure of Free-Market Health – The Atlantic (free)
“The booming dietary-supplement industry is plagued by outlandish claims, undermining credible science, and seeding confusion”.
Effect of Baseline Nutritional Status on Long-term Multivitamin Use and Cardiovascular Disease Risk – JAMA Cardiology (link to abstract – $ required for full-text)
See also: Multivitamins may not improve heart health in men – UPI (free) AND Other recent commentary on multivitamins: Multivitamins a waste of money and just create ‘very expensive urine’ – The Guardian (free)
“Multivitamin use does not prevent major CV disease events in men, regardless of baseline nutritional status” (RT @CaulfieldTim)
Emergencies in Hematology and Oncology
11 Apr, 2017 | 15:45h | UTCEmergencies in Hematology and Oncology – Mayo Clinic Proceedings (free)
Comprehensive review covering the most common oncological emergencies.
Hypertension Canada’s 2017 Guidelines
10 Apr, 2017 | 16:10h | UTC
F.D.A. Will Allow 23andMe to Sell Genetic Tests for Disease Risk to Consumers
10 Apr, 2017 | 16:03h | UTCF.D.A. Will Allow 23andMe to Sell Genetic Tests for Disease Risk to Consumers – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
See also: Before you send your spit to 23andMe, what you need to know – STAT News (free) AND 23andMe given green light to sell DNA tests for 10 diseases – Nature News (free) AND 23andMe Rides Again: FDA Clears Genetic Tests To Predict Disease Risk – Forbes (free) AND Too Much Information? FDA Clears 23AndMe to Sell Home Genetic Tests for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s – Scientific American (free)
“The controversial step will significantly expand direct-to-consumer testing – but what if the news is bad?” (from Scientific American above)
Achieved blood pressure and cardiovascular outcomes in high-risk patients
11 Apr, 2017 | 15:44h | UTC
Achieved blood pressure and cardiovascular outcomes in high-risk patients: results from ONTARGET and TRANSCEND trials – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ required for full-text) (RT @AnilMakam “Lower achieved blood pressure in high risk patients for cardiovascular disease do WORSE” see Tweets)
In high-risk patients, patients who achieved a systolic blood pressure < 120 mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure < 70 mmHg had HIGHER risk of complications. “These data suggest that the lowest blood pressure possible is not necessarily the optimal target for high-risk patients”
The cross-cutting contribution of the end of neglected tropical diseases to the sustainable development goals
10 Apr, 2017 | 16:06h | UTCThe cross-cutting contribution of the end of neglected tropical diseases to the sustainable development goals – Infectious Diseases of Poverty(free) (RT @ghn_news see Tweet)
Related commentary from the author: Impact beyond the neglected (free)
See also: United Nations – Sustainable Development Goals
This review examines how the interventions being used against neglected tropical diseases are contributing to achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Surgical or Transcatheter Aortic-Valve Replacement in Intermediate-Risk Patients
10 Apr, 2017 | 16:08h | UTCSurgical or Transcatheter Aortic-Valve Replacement in Intermediate-Risk Patients – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ required for full text)
Quick Take Video Summary: SURTAVI Study: TAVR versus Open Surgery (free)
See this and other highlights from the American College of Cardiology’s 66th Annual Scientific Session (some articles are no longer free)
This innovative technology seems to be useful for patients with aortic stenosis at high risk for surgery. In this new study, it was noninferior to surgery at 2 years of follow-up in old patients (averaged nearly 80 years) at intermediate risk. Longer follow up data will be important to see if it is a suitable alternative for younger patients.
Here’s why one tech investor thinks some doctors will be ‘obsolete’ in five years
10 Apr, 2017 | 15:56h | UTCHere’s why one tech investor thinks some doctors will be ‘obsolete’ in five years – CNBC (free) (RT @CMichaelGibson)
According to this point of view, radiologists will be the first ones that are affected by Artificial Intelligence. As we can see below, other specialists that work by interpreting medical images may follow, like dermatologists, ophthalmologists and pathologists.
See also: If You Look at X-Rays or Moles for a Living, AI Is Coming for Your Job – Wired (free) AND Adapting to Artificial Intelligence: Radiologists and Pathologists as Information Specialists – JAMA Viewpoint (free – and legal – PDF found with Unpaywall) AND Development and Validation of a Deep Learning Algorithm for Detection of Diabetic Retinopathy in Retinal Fundus Photographs – JAMA Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ required for full-text) AND Predicting non-small cell lung cancer prognosis by fully automated microscopic pathology image features – Nature(free) see commentary in Computers trounce pathologists in predicting lung cancer type, severity, researchers find – Science News (free)
Screening for Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder?
10 Apr, 2017 | 16:05h | UTCInvited commentary: Good News for Screening for Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder – JAMA Psychiatry (free)
See also: Do You Zone Out? Procrastinate? Might Be Adult ADHD – NPR Health News (free)
Others disagree… call it “disease mongering”, “overdiagnosis”. For example, Prof Allen Francis, author of Saving Normal: An Insider’s Revolt against Out-of-Control Psychiatric Diagnosis, DSM-5, Big Pharma, and the Medicalization of Ordinary Life, wrote some remarks about the study, see Tweet 1, Tweet 2 and Tweet 3
See also: The Selling of Attention Deficit Disorder – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
TV. How much is too much for our kids?
10 Apr, 2017 | 16:01h | UTCTV. How much is too much for our kids? – World Economic Forum (free)
Original Article Abstract ($ required for full-text): Family Socioeconomic Status Moderates Associations Between Television Viewing and School Readiness Skills – Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics
See also: Media and Young Minds – Recommendations from The American Academy of Pediatrics (free) AND Pediatricians relax guidelines on screen time for kids to give more flexibility – STAT News (free)
Seniors are given so many drugs, it’s madness
10 Apr, 2017 | 15:54h | UTCSeniors are given so many drugs, it’s madness – The Globe and Mail (free) (RT @RasoiniR)
“While most prescribing is well-intentioned, it’s also unco-ordinated; there is a tendency to overmedicate and leave people on drugs for too long”.
Antipsychotics May Boost Respiratory Failure Risk in COPD – MedPage Today
7 Apr, 2017 | 15:50h | UTCAssociation 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) (RT @atscommunity)
See also: Antipsychotics Tied to Respiratory Failure in At-Risk Patients – Medscape (free registration required) AND Antipsychotics May Boost Respiratory Failure Risk in COPD – MedPage Today (free registration required)
When Globalization Brings Brain-Invading Worms
10 Apr, 2017 | 15:55h | UTCWhen Globalization Brings Brain-Invading Worms – The Atlantic (free) (RT @PreetiNMalani and @AdrienneLaF)
Infectious diseases are spreading faster and emerging quicker due to globalization.
Initiative aims to break science’s citation paywall
7 Apr, 2017 | 15:45h | UTCNow free: citation data from 14 million papers, and more might come – Science (free) (RT @robertkiley see Tweet) AND Initiative aims to break science’s citation paywall – Nature Breaking News (free) AND Global Coalition Pushes for Unrestricted Sharing of Scholarly Citation Data – Creative Commons (free) AND Initiative for Open Citations – I4OC (free)
Open Science, Open Access and Open Data gaining momentum.
Benefits of Endovascular Treatment for Stroke Last at Least 2 Years
7 Apr, 2017 | 15:51h | UTCBenefits of Endovascular Treatment for Stroke Last at Least 2 Years – Physician’s First Watch (free)
Original article abstract ($ required for full-text): Two-Year Outcome after Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke – New England Journal of Medicine
No TV during meals may lower obesity risk
10 Apr, 2017 | 16:00h | UTCNo TV during meals may lower obesity risk – Medical News Today (free)
Original article abstract ($ required for full-text): Television, Home-Cooked Meals, and Family Meal Frequency: Associations with Adult Obesity – Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Related article: Screen time is associated with adiposity and insulin resistance in children – Archives of Diseases in Childhood (free) AND Screentime linked to greater diabetes risk among children – The Guardian (free)
The first study in adults and the second study in children suggest there might be a link between screen time and weight gain or adiposity.
Smoking causes one in ten deaths globally, major new study reveals
7 Apr, 2017 | 15:52h | UTCRelated commentary: Death, disease, and tobacco (free)
Explore data visualizations by The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) (free)
See also: Smoking causes one in ten deaths globally, major new study reveals – The Guardian (free)
See also: Other articles from The Global Burden of Diseases Study (free)
With same training, insulin pumps no better than injections
7 Apr, 2017 | 15:26h | UTCSource: With same training, insulin pumps no better than injections – Reuters Health News (free) (RT @CMichaelGibson)
Social rank: a risk factor whose time has come?
7 Apr, 2017 | 15:48h | UTCSocial rank: a risk factor whose time has come? – The Lancet (free)
“Inequality kills – and there are many things we can do about it, but don’t” (RT @mellojonny see Tweet)
“Medical treatment has less influence on lifespan & health outcomes than the quality of social services & primary prevention programs” (RT @AllenFrancesMD see Tweet)
This interesting commentary provides a panel with evidence-based strategies to minimize the impact of social hierarchy on health.
How hospitals could be rebuilt, better than before
7 Apr, 2017 | 15:44h | UTCA prescription for the future: How hospitals could be rebuilt, better than before – The Economist (a few articles per monty are free) (RT @EricTopol)
“Technology could revolutionize the way they work”.
Are Virtual Doctor Visits Really Cost-Effective?
7 Apr, 2017 | 15:28h | UTCAre Virtual Doctor Visits Really Cost-Effective? Not So Much, Study Says – Kaiser Health News (free)
“Perhaps telehealth visits don’t save money after all. Increased convenience can increase utilization” (RT @drval)
Unlocking paywalled research papers (legally)
6 Apr, 2017 | 15:14h | UTCUnpaywall finds free versions of paywalled papers – Nature (free) (RT @dannykay68)
See also: Unlocking paywalled research papers: Two big steps forward, two steps back, by James C Coyne – Coyne of the Realm (RT @hildabast)
Apparently, it successfully finds an open-access version (completely legal) of a paper around 30% of the time. We have tried and it worked for some of the articles we’ve tested. See it for yourself.