General Interest
WHO: 9 in 10 Infants Worldwide Received Vaccinations in 2017
20 Jul, 2018 | 02:29h | UTC9 in 10 infants worldwide received vaccinations in 2017 – World Health Organization (free)
Perspective: Is Your Cellphone Giving you Cancer?
20 Jul, 2018 | 02:26h | UTCIs your cellphone giving you cancer? A comprehensive guide to the messy, frustrating research – VOX (free)
Cohort Study: Fertility Treatments and Cancer Risk
20 Jul, 2018 | 02:24h | UTCCommentaries: No association found between fertility treatment, some types of cancer – ACP Internist (free) AND Fertility treatment does not appear to raise serious cancer risk – OnMedica (free)
Study: Biomarkers of Dairy Fat and Total and Cause-specific Mortality
20 Jul, 2018 | 02:08h | UTCSerial measures of circulating biomarkers of dairy fat and total and cause-specific mortality in older adults: the Cardiovascular Health Study – American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (free for a limited period)
Commentaries: Study finds no significant link between whole dairy products and heart disease, stroke – News Medical (free) AND Full-fat dairy may actually benefit heart health – Medical News Today (free)
Related Studies: Meta-Analysis: Cheese consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease (link to abstract and commentaries) AND Milk and dairy consumption and risk of cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality (free study and commentaries)
Cohort Study: Sex Differences in Outcomes of Heart Failure
20 Jul, 2018 | 01:58h | UTCCommentaries: Death rates from heart failure higher for women than men – CMAJ, via EurekAlert (free) AND Women face greater risk of dying from heart failure – Cardiovascular Business (free) AND Heart Failure May Be More Lethal in Women – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Study: The Right Diet Can Boost Potency of Cancer Drugs (in mice)
13 Jul, 2018 | 03:02h | UTCThe right diet can boost potency of cancer drugs – Nature News (free)
Original article: Suppression of insulin feedback enhances the efficacy of PI3K inhibitors – Nature (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Related: Top oncologist to study effect of diet on cancer drugs – The Guardian (free)
“Diets appear to matter in mouse cancer Rx – can these preclinical findings be translated to humans?” (via @Aiims1742 see Tweet)
Meta-Analysis: Multivitamins Do Not Reduce Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality
13 Jul, 2018 | 02:47h | UTCAssociation of Multivitamin and Mineral Supplementation and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis – Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes (free for a limited period)
Editorial: Multivitamins Do Not Reduce Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality and Should Not Be Taken for This Purpose: How Do We Know That? (free)
Commentaries: Study: Multivitamins Do Not Prevent Strokes, Heart Attacks or Cardiovascular Disease Deaths – University of Alabama at Birmingham, via NewsWise (free) AND Multivitamin-mineral supplements do not reduce heart disease, deaths – Reuters (free)
Related: Supplements Not Effective for CVD Prevention and Treatment (link to abstract and commentaries) AND Multivitamins are probably a waste of money (free commentaries)
Oposition to Breast-Feeding Resolution by U.S. Stuns World Health Officials
13 Jul, 2018 | 02:35h | UTCOposition to Breast-Feeding Resolution by U.S. Stuns World Health Officials – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Study: Physician Burnout Can Lead to Major Medical Errors
13 Jul, 2018 | 02:30h | UTCPhysician Burnout, Well-being, and Work Unit Safety Grades in Relationship to Reported Medical Errors – Mayo Clinic Proceedings (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Medical errors may stem more from physician burnout than unsafe health care settings – Stanford Medicine, via ScienceDaily (free) AND Physician burnout, depression can lead to major medical errors: Study – ABC News (free) AND Burnout Tied to Twofold Higher Risk for Medical Errors – Medscape (free registration required)
Related: Perspective: The Burnout Crisis in American Medicine (free commentaries on the subject)
Meta-Analysis: Health Benefits of the Great Outdoors
13 Jul, 2018 | 02:20h | UTCThe health benefits of the great outdoors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of greenspace exposure and health outcomes – Environmental Research (free) (via @Mental_Elf and @AllenFrancesMD)
Commentary: It’s official — spending time outside is good for you – University of East Anglia, via ScienceDaily (free)
Perspective: Seriously, Juice Is Not Healthy
13 Jul, 2018 | 02:26h | UTCSeriously, Juice Is Not Healthy – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
“Would you take a multivitamin if it contained 10 teaspoons of sugar? No. Then why are you drinking juice?” (via @NYTHealth see Tweet)
WHO News: Ebola Virus Outbreak Likely Over in Congo
13 Jul, 2018 | 02:19h | UTCDisease Outbreak News: Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo – World Health Organization (free)
Related: Ebola virus outbreak likely over in Congo, WHO says – NBC News (free) AND Good news: the Ebola outbreak in DRC is contained – VOX (free)
Perspective: Use of ‘Smart Drugs’ on the Rise
13 Jul, 2018 | 02:18h | UTCUse of ‘smart drugs’ on the rise – Nature (free)
Related: A ‘smart’ approach to performance drugs – ACP Internist (free) AND Growing use of smart drugs by students could be a recipe for disaster – The Conversation (free) AND Brain Hackers Seeking Peak Performance Use Risky Chemical Cocktails: “Smart drugs” are not clinically proven and could be dangerous – Scientific American (free) AND Universities must do more to tackle use of smart drugs, say experts – The Guardian (free) AND Tweaking brains with ‘smart drugs’ to get ahead in Silicon Valley – The Washington Post (free) AND Professors take same ‘smart drugs’ as students to keep up with workloads, claims academic – Independent (free)
Study: Association of Cataract Surgery with Traffic Crashes
13 Jul, 2018 | 01:42h | UTCAssociation of Cataract Surgery With Traffic Crashes – JAMA Ophthalmology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Cataract surgery tied to lower risk of car crashes – Reuters (free) AND Cataract Surgery Tied to Slight Reduction in Car Crashes – Physician’s First Watch (free)
Google Is Training Machines to Predict When a Patient Will Die
13 Jul, 2018 | 01:11h | UTCGoogle Is Training Machines to Predict When a Patient Will Die – Bloomberg (free)
Study: Use of a Lower Nicotine Concentration e‐liquid May be Associated with Compensatory Behavior
13 Jul, 2018 | 01:05h | UTCCommentaries: Ex-smokers might be better off with high rather than low nicotine e-cigs – Cancer Research UK (free) AND Vapers may inhale more toxins with lower-strength e-cigarettes – NHS Choices (free)
Perspective: Hidden Conflicts?
6 Jul, 2018 | 09:51h | UTCHidden conflicts? – Science Magazine (free for a limited period)
““Pay-later conflicts of interest” have gone largely unnoticed & entirely unpoliced”. (via @cpiller see Tweet)
Study: Long Work Hours Associated with Increased Risk of Diabetes
6 Jul, 2018 | 09:41h | UTCCommentaries: Clocking up 45+ working hours/week linked to heightened risk of diabetes in women – BMJ, via ScienceDaily (free) AND Greater Risk of Diabetes in Women With Longer Work Week – MedicalResearch.com (free)
Related Study: Effect of Work Stressors on the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes (link to abstract and commentary)
Australia Wins Landmark WTO Ruling on Plain Tobacco Packaging
6 Jul, 2018 | 09:26h | UTCAustralia wins landmark WTO ruling on plain tobacco packaging – Reuters (free)
Other commentaries: WTO Tobacco Ruling Opens Door to New Plain-Packaging Laws – Bloomberg (free) AND ‘Resounding victory’: Australia wins tobacco plain packaging dispute – The Guardian (free) AND Australian Tobacco Plain Packaging Upheld In Decision At WTO – Intellectual Property Watch (free)
Source: International Health Policies Newsletter
Opinion: Endless Gaming May Be a Bad Habit. That Doesn’t Make It a Mental Illness
6 Jul, 2018 | 03:28h | UTCOpinion: Endless Gaming May Be a Bad Habit. That Doesn’t Make It a Mental Illness – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Related: Gaming addiction as a mental disorder: it’s premature to pathologise players – The Conversation (free)
“The World Health Organization has made “internet gaming” a diagnosable disorder. But many experts aren’t even sure it exists”.
Cohort Study: Coffee Drinking and Mortality
6 Jul, 2018 | 03:22h | UTCAssociation of Coffee Drinking With Mortality by Genetic Variation in Caffeine Metabolism: Findings From the UK Biobank – JAMA Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Expert reaction to research association between coffee and lower risk of death – Science Media Centre (free) AND Fresh grounds for coffee: Study shows it may boost longevity – Associated Press (free) AND Coffee Drinkers Are More Likely To Live Longer. Decaf May Do The Trick, Too – NPR (free)
Related Studies: Meta-Analysis: Coffee consumption and health (free research and commentaries) AND Coffee Drinking and Mortality Studies (link to abstract and commentaries)
Another observational study showing possible benefits from drinking coffee.
Opinion: Why Do-It-Yourself Blood Tests are a Bad Idea
6 Jul, 2018 | 03:16h | UTCWhy do-it-yourself blood tests are a bad idea – Common Sense Family Doctor (free)
Related: Benjamin Mazer: Theranos’ dystopian vision lives on – The BMJ Opinion (free)
“Routine blood testing in healthy people has numerous downsides that Holmes never mentioned, including poor predictive value, false positives, and overdiagnosis” (from Common Sense Family Doctor)
“When you go about testing everyone for everything, you don’t create a world of healthy people….you create a nightmare where everyone is sick” (from The BMJ Opinion)
Systematic Review: Continuity of Care and Mortality
6 Jul, 2018 | 03:17h | UTCCommentaries: Seeing same doctor every time ‘reduces risk of death’ – NHS Choices (free) AND Sticking with 1 doctor could have health benefits: Study – UPI (free)
Study: The Plateau of Human Mortality
6 Jul, 2018 | 03:11h | UTCThe plateau of human mortality: Demography of longevity pioneers – Science (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: There’s no limit to longevity, says study that revives human lifespan debate – Nature News (free) AND Italian study suggests human lifespan could continue increasing – NHS Choices (free) AND Age 105? Then you’ve a better chance of living even longer – The Guardian (free) AND How Long Can We Live? The Limit Hasn’t Been Reached, Study Finds – The New York Times (free)
Study: Global Burden of Diabetes Attributable to Air Pollution
6 Jul, 2018 | 03:07h | UTCCommentaries: Air pollution and diabetes: it’s time to get active! – The Lancet Planetary Health (free) AND Air pollution linked to 3.2 million new diabetes cases in one year – CNN (free) AND Air pollution contributes significantly to diabetes globally – Washington University School of Medicine (free)
Related: WHO Report: 9 out of 10 People Worldwide Breathe Polluted Air (free report and commentaries) AND Ambient Air Pollution in Relation to Diabetes (free research) AND The Lancet Commission on pollution and health (free resources) AND Air Pollution and Mortality (free research and commentaries) AND Global burden of disease attributable to ambient air pollution (free report and commentaries) AND 5.5 million lives were lost in 2013 to diseases associated with Air Pollution (free report and infographic)