General Interest
Review: Ethical Aspects of Brain Computer Interfaces
1 Jan, 2018 | 12:04h | UTCEthical aspects of brain computer interfaces: a scoping review – BMC Medical Ethics (free)
Commentary: Ethical questions raised by brain-computer interfaces – BMC Series Blog (free)
Blockchains and Health Care: Promising and Moving Quickly, Though no Silver Bullet
31 Dec, 2017 | 15:53h | UTCBlockchains and health care: promising and moving quickly, though no silver bullet – STAT (free) (via @EricTopol see Tweet)
Opinion: Why New Blood Pressure Guidelines Could Lead to Harm
1 Jan, 2018 | 12:01h | UTCWhy New Blood Pressure Guidelines Could Lead to Harm – The New York Times (free)
Will the FDA’s New Tobacco Strategy Be a Game Changer?
29 Dec, 2017 | 19:42h | UTCMedical News & Perspectives: Will the FDA’s New Tobacco Strategy Be a Game Changer? – JAMA (free)
Opinion – The Evidence Keeps Piling Up: E-Cigarettes are Definitely Safer Than Smoking
29 Dec, 2017 | 19:43h | UTCThe evidence keeps piling up: e-cigarettes are definitely safer than smoking – The Guardian Science (free)
Related guidelines and reports: Balancing risks and opportunities – British Medical Association (free PDF) AND Nicotine without smoke: Tobacco harm reduction – Royal College of Physicians (free summary and PDF) AND RCGP Position Statement on the use of electronic nicotine vapour products (E-Cigarettes) – Royal College of General Practitioners (free PDF)
See related STAT News story addressing the question: “Should we settle for lesser harms?”.
Infographic: Date Night with the Electronic Health Record
29 Dec, 2017 | 19:38h | UTCInfographic: Date Night with the EHR – NEJM Catalyst (free)
Related Guideline: Putting Patients First by Reducing Administrative Tasks in Health Care: A Position Paper of the American College of Physicians (free)
Related Commentary: Why Physician Burnout Is Endemic, and How Health Care Must Respond – NEJM Catalyst (free)
Perspective: Swallowing a Spy — The Potential Uses of Digital Adherence Monitoring
29 Dec, 2017 | 19:37h | UTCRelated commentary: The ‘smart pill’ for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder raises tricky ethical questions – STAT (free)
CRISPR-ing Humans in 2018
29 Dec, 2017 | 17:49h | UTC“CRISPR-ing humans in 2018: gearing up for many clinical trials X3” (RT @EricTopol see Tweet)
– CRISPR in 2018: Coming to a Human Near You – MIT Technology Review (free)
– In 2018, We Will CRISPR Human Beings – GIZMODO (free)
– Human CRISPR Trials Will Happen in 2018. They’ll Look Like This – BigThink (free)
Related: Simple guide to CRISPR, one of the biggest science stories of the decade – VOX (free)
Research: Regional Variation of CT Imaging and the Risk of Nephrectomy
29 Dec, 2017 | 17:45h | UTCEditorial: Use of Advanced Imaging Tests and the Not-So-Incidental Harms of Incidental Findings (free)
Commentary: Trunk Imaging Tied to Higher Nephrectomy Risk – MedPage Today (free registration required)
“The remarkable number of unnecessary CT scans and their downstream risk from incidental findings” (via @EricTopol see Tweet)
Why Doctors Keep Doing Expensive Procedures That Don’t Work
29 Dec, 2017 | 17:41h | UTCWhy American doctors keep doing expensive procedures that don’t work – VOX (free)
“The proportion of medical procedures unsupported by evidence may be nearly half”.
Meta-Analysis: Calcium or Vitamin D Supplementation and Fracture Incidence in Older Adults
29 Dec, 2017 | 17:08h | UTCCommentaries: Do Vitamin D, Calcium Supplements Cut Fracture Risk in Older Patients? – MPR (free) AND Vitamin D and Calcium Don’t Prevent Bone Fractures – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free) AND Calcium And Vitamin D Supplements Still Do Not Prevent Fractures – American Council on Science and Health (free)
What We Mean When We Say Evidence-Based Medicine
29 Dec, 2017 | 17:10h | UTCWhat We Mean When We Say Evidence-Based Medicine – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
How Big Tech is Going After Your Health Care
29 Dec, 2017 | 17:05h | UTCHow Big Tech is Going After Your Health Care – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Measles Deaths Fall to a Record Low Worldwide
29 Dec, 2017 | 16:54h | UTCMeasles Deaths Fall to a Record Low Worldwide – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Research: Exposure to Magnetic Field Non-Ionizing Radiation and the Risk of Miscarriage
28 Dec, 2017 | 17:19h | UTCCommentary: Health risks linked to electromagnetic field exposure – Kaiser Permanente, via ScienceDaily (free)
Meta-Analysis: Association of Age-Related Hearing Loss With Cognitive Function
28 Dec, 2017 | 17:18h | UTCAssociation of Age-Related Hearing Loss With Cognitive Function, Cognitive Impairment, and Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis – JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Hearing loss may be a risk factor for dementia – Reuters (free) AND As hearing fades with age, dementia risk may rise – MedicalXpress (free)
Treating Anxiety in Children
28 Dec, 2017 | 17:08h | UTCTreating Anxiety in Children – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Childhood Obesity Climbing with Media Use, European Doctors Warn
28 Dec, 2017 | 17:08h | UTCChildhood obesity climbing with media use, European doctors warn – Reuters (free)
Systematic Review: The Impact of Social Activities on the Cognitive Functioning of Healthy Older Adults
27 Dec, 2017 | 21:49h | UTC
Systematic Review: Music Therapy for Depression
27 Dec, 2017 | 21:16h | UTCMusic therapy for depression – Cochrane Library (free)
Original Article: Music Therapy for Depression (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Music therapy may help ease depression – Reuters Health (free)
Research: Prenatal and Early-Life Fructose and Mid-Childhood Asthma
27 Dec, 2017 | 21:09h | UTCPrenatal and Early-Life Fructose, Fructose-Containing Beverages, and Mid-Childhood Asthma – Annals of the American Thoracic Society (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Sugary fruit juices and drinks linked to childhood asthma – NHS Choices (free) AND Toddler and maternal fructose intake linked to asthma – OnMedica (free) AND Moms’ Soda Habit in Pregnancy May Boost Kids’ Odds for Asthma – Medline Plus (free) AND Childhood asthma linked to high maternal sugar intake during pregnancy – Medical News (free) AND Sugary Diet During Pregnancy May Increase Asthma Risk in Children – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Research: Effect of High-Intensity Exercise on Motor Symptoms in Patients With Parkinson Disease
26 Dec, 2017 | 23:33h | UTCEffect of High-Intensity Treadmill Exercise on Motor Symptoms in Patients With De Novo Parkinson Disease: A Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA Neurology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Exercise May Aid Parkinson’s Disease, but Make It Intense – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free) AND High-Intensity Exercise May Cut Parkinson’s Motor Symptoms – Medscape (free registration required) AND Vigorous Exercise May Hold Benefit in Early Parkinson’s – MedPage Today (free registration required) High-intensity exercise delays Parkinson’s progression – Northwestern University, via ScienceDaily (free)
Tracking Universal Health Coverage: 2017 Global Monitoring Report
26 Dec, 2017 | 23:36h | UTCPress Release: World Bank and WHO: Half the world lacks access to essential health services, 100 million still pushed into extreme poverty because of health expenses (free)
Infographic: Tracking Universal Health Coverage: 2017 Global Monitoring Report (free)
Commentaries: Healthcare costs are pushing millions into extreme poverty. This outrage must end – World Economic Forum (free) AND Almost 100 million people a year ‘forced to choose between food and healthcare’ – The Guardian (free)
Research: Association between microcephaly, Zika virus infection, and other risk factors in Brazil
26 Dec, 2017 | 23:30h | UTCAssociation between microcephaly, Zika virus infection, and other risk factors in Brazil: final report of a case-control study – The Lancet Infectious Diseases (link to abstract – $ for full-text) (via @Onisillos)
Commentaries: Zika virus, not vaccine or insecticide, linked to birth defects in Brazil – STAT (free) AND Study bolsters Zika-microcephaly link, rules out others – CIDRAP (free)
Research: Estimates of Global Seasonal Influenza-Associated Respiratory Mortality
26 Dec, 2017 | 23:34h | UTCEstimates of global seasonal influenza-associated respiratory mortality: a modelling study – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Respiratory diseases linked to seasonal flu claim thousands of lives every year – UN health agency (free) AND Up to 650 000 people die of respiratory diseases linked to seasonal flu each year – World Health Organization (free) AND CDC says more people die of influenza worldwide than some experts have estimated – PBS NewsHour (free)