General Interest
Antimicrobials from human skin commensal bacteria protect against Staphylococcus aureus and are deficient in atopic dermatites
3 Jul, 2017 | 17:18h | UTCThe Solution for Skin Ailments Could Be Right Under Your Nose – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Original article: Antimicrobials from human skin commensal bacteria protect against Staphylococcus aureus and are deficient in atopic dermatites – Science Translational Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
“Modifying the skin’s own bacteria may lead to treatments for acne, eczema and other common ailments” (RT @NYTHealth see Tweet)
Waiting and watching with ‘Stage 0’ breast cancer put to nationwide test
3 Jul, 2017 | 15:38h | UTCWaiting and watching with ‘Stage 0’ breast cancer put to nationwide test – The Washington Post (a few articles per month are free)
“Treatment of early-stage breast cancer: is no treatment an option?” (RT @GemmaJacklyn see Tweet)
A Longer Life Through Fasting?
2 Jul, 2017 | 21:02h | UTCMedical News & Perspectives: Can a Diet That Mimics Fasting Turn Back the Clock? – JAMA (free)
“A Longer Life Through Fasting?” (RT @JAMA_current see Tweet)
Pub smoking ban: 10 charts that show the impact
3 Jul, 2017 | 15:25h | UTCPub smoking ban: 10 charts that show the impact – BBC News (free)
“It’s 10 years since smoking was banned in enclosed workplaces in England, following similar moves in the rest of the UK. But how has the “pub smoking ban” changed the country?”
Smartphones Open a New World for Medical Researchers
3 Jul, 2017 | 15:24h | UTCSmartphones Open a New World for Medical Researchers – The Wall Street Journal (a few articles per month are free)
“Smartphone-based medical research–good summary of current status (early days), with much more to come” (RT @EricTopol see Tweet)
Practice: I am your trans patient
2 Jul, 2017 | 21:06h | UTCPractice: I am your trans patient – The BMJ (free)
Related infographic: Managing disclosure of gender dysphoria – The BMJ (free PDF)
“Five transgender authors share their experiences of healthcare & the important messages they’d like doctors to know” (RT @bmj_latest see Tweet)
Air pollution: outdoor air quality and health
30 Jun, 2017 | 15:16h | UTCAir pollution: outdoor air quality and health – NICE Guideline (free)
News release: ‘No idling’ zones can help to protect vulnerable people from air pollution, says NICE (free)
Websites offering pirated papers are shaking up science
30 Jun, 2017 | 15:10h | UTCWebsites offering pirated papers are shaking up science – The Economist (a few articles per month are free)
When Anxiety or Depression Masks a Medical Problem
30 Jun, 2017 | 15:09h | UTCWhen Anxiety or Depression Masks a Medical Problem – New York Times (10 articles month are free)
Related: Managing Anxiety in the Medically Ill – Psychiatric Times (free)
“Very 1st differential before making a psych diagnosis should be – is this due to medical problem? 2nd question – medication/substance/alcohol? (RT @AllenFrancesMD see Tweet)
New Natural Selection: How Scientists are Altering DNA to Genetically Engineer New Forms of Life
30 Jun, 2017 | 15:12h | UTC“What happens when you can write and edit genomes? Life 2.0? (RT @EricTopol see Tweet)
Interventions for preventing high altitude illness
29 Jun, 2017 | 20:24h | UTCInterventions for preventing high altitude illness: Part 1. Commonly-used classes of drugs – Cochrane Library (link to summary – $ for full-text) (RT @CochraneUK see Tweet)
Acetazolamide seems to be effective to prevent acute high altitude illness in dosages of 250 to 750 mg/day.
‘Exaggerations’ threaten public trust in science, says leading statistician
29 Jun, 2017 | 15:47h | UTC‘Exaggerations’ threaten public trust in science, says leading statistician – The Guardian (free)
Precision Medicine: the Promise vs. the Reality
29 Jun, 2017 | 15:36h | UTCPrecision Medicine: the Promise vs. the Reality – Michigan University Health Lab (free) (RT @pash22 see Tweet)
“Scientists find great potential in using genetic sequencing to help direct targeted cancer therapy, but practicing oncologists see some important limitations”.
Vector control gets new impetus and direction
29 Jun, 2017 | 15:39h | UTCEditorial: Vector control gets new impetus and direction – Nature Microbiology (free) (RT @Onisillos see Tweet)
Related: Draft Global vector control response 2017–2030 – World Health Organization (free PDF)
Higher IQ in childhood is linked to a longer life
29 Jun, 2017 | 13:54h | UTCChildhood intelligence in relation to major causes of death in 68 year follow-up: prospective population study – The BMJ (free)
Editorial: Higher IQ in childhood is linked to a longer life (free)
Why do those with higher IQs live longer? A new study points to answers – STAT News (free) Higher childhood IQ associated with lower adult mortality – OnMedica (free) AND People with higher IQs are more likely to live to their 80s – New Scientist (free)
Is the staggeringly profitable business of scientific publishing bad for science?
29 Jun, 2017 | 15:35h | UTCIs the staggeringly profitable business of scientific publishing bad for science? – The Guardian (free)
“Interesting long read” (RT @CochraneUK see Tweet)
Air Pollution and Mortality
29 Jun, 2017 | 13:02h | UTCAir Pollution and Mortality in the Medicare Population – New England Journal of Medicine (free)
Quick Take Video Summary: Air Pollution and Mortality
Editorial: Air Pollution Still Kills (free)
Commentary: Study of US seniors strengthens link between air pollution and premature death – Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, via Science Daily (free)
Related: The cost of a polluted environment: 1.7 million child deaths a year, says WHO – World Health Organization (free) AND Estimates and 25-year trends of the global burden of disease attributable to ambient air pollution: an analysis of data from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2015 – The Lancet (free) AND Death in the Air: Air Pollution Costs Money and Lives – World Bank (free infographic and report)
Recognizing Sepsis as a Global Health Priority
29 Jun, 2017 | 13:03h | UTCPerspective: Recognizing Sepsis as a Global Health Priority: A WHO Resolution – New England Journal of Medicine (free)
Stopping Pandemics Before They Start
29 Jun, 2017 | 00:30h | UTCStopping Pandemics Before They Start – New York Times (10 articles per month are free) (RT @wellcometrust see Tweet)
The ABCs and Ds of Whether to Get Prostate Cancer Screening
28 Jun, 2017 | 22:43h | UTCThe ABCs and Ds of Whether to Get Prostate Cancer Screening – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
See also the new USPSTF guidelines on prostate cancer screening and related commentaries in our April 12 issue (see #1) and in our April 13 issue (see #4)
Balanced point of view regarding prostate cancer screening.
Free Online Course: Measuring and Valuing Health
28 Jun, 2017 | 22:27h | UTCFree Online Course: Measuring and Valuing Health – The University of Sheffield and FutureLearn (RT @Imperial_GHD see Tweet)
“Learn how Patient Reported Outcome Measures and Quality Adjusted Life Years can compare treatments and inform healthcare spending”.
Needle-Free Flu Vaccine Patch Works as Well as a Shot
29 Jun, 2017 | 00:29h | UTCThe safety, immunogenicity, and acceptability of inactivated influenza vaccine delivered by microneedle patch (TIV-MNP 2015): a randomised, partly blinded, placebo-controlled, phase 1 trial – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Needle-Free Flu Vaccine Patch Works as Well as a Shot – NBC News (free) AND Microneedle Patch: Safe, Effective Flu Vaccination in First-in-Human Trial – Medscape (free registration required) AND Dissolvable patch offers radical pain-free alternative to flu injection, study finds – The Guardian (free) AND Skin patch may be the future of flu vaccines, study suggests – CNN (free text and video)
A Reality Check for IBM’s AI Ambitions
28 Jun, 2017 | 17:27h | UTCA Reality Check for IBM’s AI Ambitions – MIT Technology Review (free) (RT @EricTopol see Tweet)
“IBM overhyped its Watson machine-learning system, but the company still could have the best access to the kind of data needed to make medicine much smarter”.
The Impact of Whole-Genome Sequencing on the Primary Care and Outcomes of Healthy Adult Patients
27 Jun, 2017 | 19:23h | UTCThe Impact of Whole-Genome Sequencing on the Primary Care and Outcomes of Healthy Adult Patients: A Pilot Randomized Trial – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
In healthy patients, genome sequencing raises alarms while offering few benefits – STAT News (free) AND Whole genome sequencing not ready for routine use: study – Reuters Health News (free) AND One in five ‘healthy’ adults may carry disease-related genetic mutations – Science (free) AND Whole-Genome Sequencing Possible in Clinic, but Value Unclear – Medscape (free registration required)
“While some primary care physicians may be able to manage genomic information appropriately, findings could prompt increased health care use with limited clinical value, the researchers said” (from ACP)
Dr Frankenstein’s bioethical experiment
26 Jun, 2017 | 18:08h | UTCDr Frankenstein’s bioethical experiment – The Lancet (free)