General Interest
Perspective: Why Do We Need Vaccines?
23 Apr, 2018 | 16:42h | UTCWhy do we need vaccines? – Welcome Trust (free) (via @greg_folkers)
Perspective: Pasta Is Good For You, Say Scientists Funded By Big Pasta
23 Apr, 2018 | 16:42h | UTCPasta Is Good For You, Say Scientists Funded By Big Pasta – BuzzFeed News (free)
Meta-Analysis: Association of Cannabis With Cognitive Functioning in Adolescents and Young Adults
20 Apr, 2018 | 01:57h | UTCAssociation of Cannabis With Cognitive Functioning in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis – JAMA Psychiatry (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Marijuana’s effects on young brains diminish 72 hours after use, research says – CNN (free) AND ‘Poorer Cognitive Functioning’ of Marijuana Users Detailed in New Study – Inverse (free)
Cohort Study: Relationship between Clinic and Ambulatory Blood-Pressure Measurements and Mortality
20 Apr, 2018 | 02:02h | UTCEditorial: The Value in an Ambulatory Blood-Pressure Registry (free)
Commentaries: Value of Ambulatory BP Monitoring Bolstered by Large Study – TCTMD (free) AND 24-hour ambulatory BP measurements strongly predict mortality – The Hospitalist (free) AND Expert reaction to study looking at blood pressure measurement method and predicting risk of heart disease – Science Media Centre (free)
Randomized Trial of Normothermic Preservation in Liver Transplantation
20 Apr, 2018 | 01:56h | UTCA randomized trial of normothermic preservation in liver transplantation – Nature (free PDF for a limited period)
Commentaries: Room temperature liver storage technique improves transplant success – University of Oxford (free) AND Keeping livers ‘alive’ boosts transplant success, trial finds – BBC (free) AND A ‘breakthrough in organ preservation’: Study shows keeping livers warm helps preserve them for transplant – STAT (free)
Research :Gene Therapy in Patients with Transfusion-Dependent β-Thalassemia
20 Apr, 2018 | 01:57h | UTCGene Therapy in Patients with Transfusion-Dependent β-Thalassemia – New England Journal of Medicine (free)
Editorial: Gene Therapy as a Curative Option for β-Thalassemia (free)
Quick Take Video Summary: LentiGlobin Gene Therapy for β-Thalassemia (free)
Commentaries: Gene therapy could free some people from a lifetime of blood transfusions – MIT Technology Review (free) AND Gene Therapy For Inherited Blood Disorder Reduced Transfusions – NPR (free) AND Expert reaction to study on gene therapy for beta-thalassaemia – Science Media Centre (free)
Choosing Wisely Campaigns: A Work in Progress
20 Apr, 2018 | 01:50h | UTCChoosing Wisely Campaigns: A Work in Progress – JAMA (free for a limited period) (via @ChooseWiselyCA see Tweet)
Research: Low-Dose Abiraterone With Food vs Standard Dose Abiraterone In Prostate Cancer
20 Apr, 2018 | 01:44h | UTCCommentaries: Taking a Standard Prostate Cancer Drug with Food Boosts Impact, Lowers Cost – University of Chicago Medical Center, via NewsWise (free) AND Low-Dose Prostate Drug Can Match Standard Dose, Cut Costs – Medscape (free registration required)
Related: Tackling the High Cost of Cancer Care (free commentaries issued when this paper was first presented at the 2017 ASCO annual meeting)
“Savings per patient could reach as high as $300,000” (from NewsWise)
Parenting of the future: Many embryos, each with DNA profile
20 Apr, 2018 | 00:57h | UTCParenting of the future: Many embryos, each with DNA profile – Associated Press (free)
Research: Wildfire Smoke Associated with Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Emergency Department Visits
18 Apr, 2018 | 01:14h | UTCCardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Emergency Department Visits Associated With Wildfire Smoke Exposure in California in 2015 – Journal of the American Heart Association (free for a limited period)
Commentary: Air quality linked to cardiac ‘events,’ heart disease patients unaware – Reuters (free) AND Wildfire smoke associated with more ER visits for heart, stroke ailments among seniors – American Heart Association, via ScienceDaily (free)
Perspective: Smoking Even One Cigarette a Day Raises Risk for Coronary Heart Disease
18 Apr, 2018 | 01:11h | UTCSmoking even one cigarette a day raises risk for coronary heart disease – The Washington Post (a few articles per month are free) (via @DrFrieden see Tweet)
See original article: Meta-Analysis: Just One Cigarette a Day Seriously Elevates Cardiovascular Risk (free article and commentaries)
Perspective: Digital Addiction is a Recipe For Isolation, Depression And Anxiety
17 Apr, 2018 | 20:03h | UTCPerspective: Digital Addiction: A Recipe For Isolation, Depression And Anxiety – Forbes (free)
Original article: Digital Addiction: Increased Loneliness, Anxiety, and Depression – NeuroRegulation (free PDF)
Social Determinants of Health: An American College of Physicians Position Paper
16 Apr, 2018 | 21:37h | UTC
Cohort Study: Being a ‘Night owl’ May Lead to Premature Death
16 Apr, 2018 | 16:42h | UTCCommentaries: ‘Night owls’ slightly more likely to die sooner than ‘early birds’ – NHS Choices (free) AND Why being a night owl may lead to earlier death – VOX (free) AND Night Owls Could Face Higher Risk Of Premature Death, Study Suggests – Forbes (free)
Meta-analysis: Risk Thresholds for Alcohol Consumption
14 Apr, 2018 | 19:51h | UTCEditorial: Thresholds for safer alcohol use might need lowering (free)
Commentaries: Drinking a pint of beer may lower your life expectancy by the same amount as smoking a cigarette – new research – The Conversation (free) AND Expert reaction to study looking at drinking alcohol, life expectancy and alcohol limits – Science Media Centre (free) AND More than six weekly glasses of wine could curb life expectancy by up to five years – OnMedica (free) AND Consuming more than five drinks a week could shorten your life – University of Cambridge, via ScienceDaily (free) AND How much alcohol is too much? A new study says it’s found the number – PBS News Hour (free)
Perspective: “There’s a shocking lack of data on effective treatments for older people”
14 Apr, 2018 | 20:17h | UTCThe Clinical Trial Is Open. The Elderly Need Not Apply – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Related: Cardiac Patients in Trials Don’t Reflect Real-World Populations (link to abstract and commentaries on the subject)
“There’s a shocking lack of data on effective treatments for older people. So what do doctors do? Make guesses”. (via @NYTHealth see Tweet)
Opinion: The Twitter Education of Dr. Milton Packer
14 Apr, 2018 | 19:43h | UTCThe Twitter Education of Dr. Milton Packer – Brian Vartabedian Blog (free)
Related: Do You Practice Twitter-Based Medicine? – MedPage Today (free registration required)
Case-crossover study: spikes in air pollution linked to increased risk of lower respiratory infections
14 Apr, 2018 | 18:22h | UTCShort-term Elevation of Fine Particulate Matter Air Pollution and Acute Lower Respiratory Infection – American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Brief SExposure to Tiny Air Pollution Particles Triggers Childhood Lung Infections – Intermountain Medical Center, via NewsWise (free) AND Spikes in air pollution can heighten risk of chest infections, research suggests – The Guardian (free) AND Air Pollution May Pose Serious Risks to Young Children – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free) AND Short-Term Pollution Spikes Trigger Lung Infections in Young Kids – MedPage Today (free registration required)
Cohort study: healthy lifestyle associated with increased survival in patients with colon cancer
14 Apr, 2018 | 17:49h | UTCAssociation of Survival With Adherence to the American Cancer Society Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines for Cancer Survivors After Colon Cancer Diagnosis: The CALGB 89803/Alliance Trial – JAMA Oncology (free for a limited period)
Editorial: Helping Colorectal Cancer Survivors Benefit From Changing Lifestyle Behaviors: Implementation Science and Private Industry Collaboration to the Rescue (free)
Commentaries: Colon Cancer Patients Who Follow a Healthy Lifestyle Have Longer Survival – NEJM Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Adherence to ACS Guidelines Linked to Survival in Colon Cancer – Physician’s Briefing (free)
Cross-sectional analysis: sedentary behavior linked to reduced medial temporal lobe thickness
14 Apr, 2018 | 18:05h | UTCCommentaries: Sitting Is Bad for Your Brain – Not Just Your Metabolism or Heart – University of California – Los Angeles, via NewsWise (free) AND Could Too Much Sitting Possibly Make Your Brain Thinner? – Forbes (free)
Research: the health, poverty, and financial consequences of a cigarette price increase
13 Apr, 2018 | 01:37h | UTCEditorial: The benefits of taxing cigarettes in middle income countries (free)
See also: To Improve Global Health, Tax the Things that are Killing Us (free policies, articles and commentaries) AND The Lancet Taskforce on NCDs and economics (free registration required for all articles and commentaries)
Research: respiratory infections as triggers for acute myocardial infarction and stroke
13 Apr, 2018 | 01:35h | UTCCommentaries: Flu and pneumonia infections increase risk of having a heart attack and stroke – European Respiratory Foundation, via Eurekalert (free) AND Do Pneumococcal and Respiratory Virus Infections Trigger Cardiovascular Morbidity? – NEJM Journal Watch (free for a limited period)
See also: related study published recently showing a similar six-fold increase in myocardial infarctions in the week following a flu diagnosis (link to abstract and commentaries).
Perspective: demand cancer drugs that truly help patients
13 Apr, 2018 | 01:26h | UTCPerspective: Demand cancer drugs that truly help patients – Nature (free)
“Drug regulators and trial designs should assess benefits that actually matter to people with cancer, says Ajay Aggarwal”
Cohort study: lingering negative affect in response to daily stressors and physical health years later
13 Apr, 2018 | 01:15h | UTCLet It Go: Lingering Negative Affect in Response to Daily Stressors Is Associated With Physical Health Years Later – Psychological Science (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Lingering negative responses to stress linked with health a decade later – Association for Psychological Science, via ScienceDaily (free) AND Even minor stress can impact long-term health, study warns – Medical News Today (free)
Cohort study: vegetable consumption associated with reduced subclinical atherosclerosis in older women
13 Apr, 2018 | 01:09h | UTCCruciferous and Total Vegetable Intakes Are Inversely Associated With Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Older Adult Women – Journal of the American Heart Association (free for a limited period)
Commentaries: Broccoli and sprouts linked to healthier arteries for older women – NHS Choices (free) AND These vegetables may promote artery health – Medical News Today (free)