General Interest
Opinion: Why are Nurses Invisible in the Media?
18 Jun, 2018 | 21:13h | UTCNurses play vital roles in health care. Why are they invisible in the media? – STAT (free)
USPSTF Draft Statement: Screening for Unhealthy Alcohol Use in Adolescents and Adults
15 Jun, 2018 | 02:27h | UTCCommentary: USPSTF Again Recommends Screening for Unhealthy Alcohol Use in Adults – NEJM Physician’s First Watch (free)
Research: IQ Scores Dropping Since the 1970s
15 Jun, 2018 | 02:26h | UTCFlynn effect and its reversal are both environmentally caused – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Researchers find IQ scores dropping since the 1970s – MedicalXpress (free) AND IQ Scores Are Falling in “Worrying” Reversal of 20th Century Intelligence Boom – Science Alert (free) AND IQ Scores Are Falling Due to Environmental Factors, Study Finds – TIME (free)
Randomized Trial: Increased Supervision of Medical Residents Not Associated with Reduced Medical Errors
15 Jun, 2018 | 02:23h | UTCEffect of Increased Inpatient Attending Physician Supervision on Medical Errors, Patient Safety, and Resident Education: A Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Effect of increased inpatient attending physician supervision on medical errors, patient safety, and resident education: a randomized clinical trial – PSNet (free) AND Increased attending supervision on rounds didn’t significantly reduce medical errors – ACP Hospitalist (free) AND Additional physician resident supervision doesn’t improve patient safety – Modern Healthcare (free) AND Closer Resident Supervision Does Not Reduce Medical Errors – Medscape (free registration required) AND Is More Supervision of Medical Residents Always Better for Patient Care? – MedicalResearch.com (free)
The WHO Essential Diagnostic List: A Tool for the Future
15 Jun, 2018 | 02:22h | UTCThe WHO essential diagnostic list: a tool for the future – BMJ Global Health Blog (free)
Related: The desperate global need for medical diagnostics – The Conversation (free) AND Health care is an essential human right – and so is a proper diagnosis – The Conversation (free)
See Original WHO Report: List of Essential In Vitro Diagnostics First edition (2018) – World Health Organization (free report and news release)
Perspective: The Search for Cancer Treatment Beyond Mutant-Hunting
15 Jun, 2018 | 02:17h | UTCThe Search for Cancer Treatment Beyond Mutant-Hunting – The New York Times Magazine (10 articles per month are free)
American Cancer Society Public Health Statement: Eliminating Combustible Tobacco Use in the United States
15 Jun, 2018 | 02:08h | UTC
Perspective: Shaking Hands is Disgusting – Here’s What Else You Can Do
15 Jun, 2018 | 02:06h | UTCShaking hands is disgusting – here’s what else you can do – The Conversation (free)
Related: Handshake-free zones to prevent infections? (link to abstract and commentaries)
Cohort Study: Work Stress and Risk of Death in Men and Women
15 Jun, 2018 | 02:04h | UTCCommentaries: Stress at work in patients with cardiometabolic disease – The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology (free) AND Job strain linked to heightened risk of early death in men with heart disease/diabetes – OnMedica (free) AND Work stress raises risk of premature death in vulnerable men – study – The Guardian (free) AND Job Strain as Bad as Smoking in Men With Diabetes, Heart Disease – Medscape (free registration required)
Research: 1.35 Million Children’s Lives Saved by HiB and Pneumococcal Vaccines Since 2000
15 Jun, 2018 | 02:02h | UTCCommentaries: Pneumococcal and Haemophilus influenzae type b disease: moving numbers in the right direction – The Lancet Global Health (free) AND 1.35 million children’s lives saved by HiB and pneumococcal vaccines since 2000 – Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, via MedicalXpress (free) AND Dramatic reduction in two killer childhood diseases, study finds – The Telegraph (free)
Research: Honey May Reduce Injury and Improve Outcomes After Accidental Button Battery Ingestion
15 Jun, 2018 | 01:51h | UTCCommentaries: Ingesting honey after swallowing button battery reduces injury and improves outcomes – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, via ScienceDaily (free) AND Honey + Sucralfate May Reduce Injury After Accidental Button Battery Ingestion – MPR (free)
CRISPR: Edited Cells Might Cause Cancer, Find Two Studies
15 Jun, 2018 | 01:48h | UTCA serious new hurdle for CRISPR: Edited cells might cause cancer, find two studies – STAT (free)
Related: Genome-editing tool could increase cancer risk – eCancer News (free) AND Gene editing tool may raise cancer risk in cells, scientists warn – Reuters (free) AND Expert reaction to using CRISPR/Cas9 and potential cancer risk in cells – Science Media Centre (free)
Opinion: The Flu Vaccine is Being Oversold
15 Jun, 2018 | 01:42h | UTCThe flu vaccine is being oversold – it’s not that effective – The Conversation (free)
See Related Cochrane Systematic Reviews: Vaccines for Preventing Influenza and Its Complications (free)
“The infection rate in adults drops from 2% per year to 1%. You could say that’s halved, but it effectively only drops by 1%. So this means that out of every 100 healthy adults vaccinated, 99 get no benefit against laboratory confirmed influenza”.
Perspective: Increasing Fatality Rates From Preventable Deaths in Teenagers and Young Adults
15 Jun, 2018 | 01:22h | UTCIncreasing Fatality Rates From Preventable Deaths in Teenagers and Young Adults – JAMA (free for a limited period)
Perspective: Scientists Can Design ‘Better’ Babies. Should They?
15 Jun, 2018 | 01:10h | UTCScientists Can Design ‘Better’ Babies. Should They? – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Perspective: Designing Hospitals That Heal as Well as Treat
15 Jun, 2018 | 01:05h | UTCCare Redesign: Designing Hospitals That Heal as Well as Treat – NEJM Catalyst (free)
Perspective: Doctors Scrutinize Overtreatment in Cancer
7 Jun, 2018 | 23:33h | UTCDoctors Scrutinize Overtreatment, As Cancer Death Rates Decline – NPR (free)
Social Medicine: Twitter in Healthcare
7 Jun, 2018 | 23:34h | UTCSocial Medicine: Twitter in Healthcare – Journal of Clinical Medicine (free)
Related: University of Twitter? Scientists give impromptu lecture critiquing nutrition research – CBC (free) AND Twitter-Based Medicine: How Social Media is Changing the Public’s View of Medicine – The Health Care Blog (free) AND What’s your doctor reading? How social media is disrupting medical education – National Post (free)
Research: Uptake of HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis by Gay and Bisexual Men Associated with Less Condom Use
7 Jun, 2018 | 23:32h | UTCCommunity-level changes in condom use and uptake of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis by gay and bisexual men in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia: results of repeated behavioural surveillance in 2013–17 – The Lancet HIV (free registration required)
Commentaries: Uptake of PrEP coincides with less condom use – OnMedica (free) AND PrEP uptake on the rise and condom use declines in gay men – News Medical (free) AND A pill that protects people from HIV may also lead to more sex without condoms – Science (free)
Related: How PrEP to Prevent HIV May be Fueling a Rise in Other STDs (link to abstract and commentaries)
Research: Myopia Linked to Longer Periods of Education
7 Jun, 2018 | 23:31h | UTCEducation and myopia: assessing the direction of causality by mendelian randomization – The BMJ (free)
Editorial: Intense schooling linked to myopia (free)
Commentaries: Education and myopia: assessing the direction of causality by mendelian randomization – The BMJ Opinion (free) AND Myopia could be linked to longer periods spent in education – OnMedica (free) AND Highly Educated, Very Nearsighted? – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Cohort Study: Job Strain Associated with Atrial Fibrillation
7 Jun, 2018 | 23:30h | UTCNews Release: Stressful jobs are associated with a higher risk of heart rhythm disorders – European Society of Cardiology (free)
WHO Mental Health ATLAS
7 Jun, 2018 | 02:57h | UTCMental Health ATLAS 2017 – World Health Organization (free PDF)
News Release: Mental health: massive scale-up of resources needed if global targets are to be met (free)
See also: WHO Campaign on Mental Health (free resources)
“Every US$ 1 invested in scaling up treatment for common mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety leads to a return of US$ 4 in better health and ability to work” (via @WHO see Tweet)
Perspective: The Case for Medical Nihilism and “Gentle Medicine”
7 Jun, 2018 | 02:55h | UTCRichard Smith: The case for medical nihilism and “gentle medicine” – The BMJ Opinion (free)
Perspective: Beyond Legalization — Dilemmas Physicians Confront Regarding Aid in Dying
7 Jun, 2018 | 02:47h | UTC
ASCO 2018: Many Women with Early-Stage Breast Cancer Can Forgo Chemotherapy When Guided by a 21-Gene Expression Assay
7 Jun, 2018 | 02:23h | UTCCommentaries: 2018 ASCO: TAILORx: Most Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer Can Forgo Chemotherapy When Guided by a Diagnostic Test – The ASCO Post (free) AND Many breast cancer patients can skip chemo, big study finds – STAT (free) AND Many women with early-stage breast cancer can skip chemotherapy: study – Reuters (free) AND For Some Breast Cancer Patients, The Chemo Decision Just Got Easier – NPR (free) AND Breast cancer: Test means fewer women will need chemotherapy – BBC (free) AND Good News for Women With Breast Cancer: Many Don’t Need Chemo – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)