Internal Medicine
Meningococcal vaccine may protect against gonorrhoea
11 Jul, 2017 | 19:10h | UTCEffectiveness of a group B outer membrane vesicle meningococcal vaccine against gonorrhoea in New Zealand: a retrospective case-control study – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: More reason to use Meningococcal B vaccine – it could also cut the Clap – The Conversation (author’s commentary – free) AND Meningococcal Vaccine May Provide Immunity Against Gonorrhea – Medscape (free registration required) AND Meningitis vaccine may also cut risk of ‘untreatable’ gonorrhoea, study says – The Guardian (free)
Coffee Drinking and Mortality Studies
11 Jul, 2017 | 17:59h | UTCAssociation of Coffee Consumption With Total and Cause-Specific Mortality Among Nonwhite Populations – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Related study: Coffee Drinking and Mortality in 10 European Countries: A Multinational Cohort Study – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: No, These Two Studies Don’t Prove That Coffee Leads To Longer Life – Forbes (free) AND Coffee cuts risk of dying from stroke and heart disease, study suggests – The Guardian (free) AND Drinking coffee reduces risk of death from all causes, study finds – Imperial College of London (free)
RCT: Palliative Care in Heart Failure
11 Jul, 2017 | 17:07h | UTCPalliative Care in Heart Failure: The PAL-HF Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Palliative Care Intervention Improves Quality of Life in Advanced Heart Failure Patients – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free) AND Palliative Care Improves Heart Failure Quality-of-Life – MedPage Today (free registration required)
Behavioral Counseling to Promote a Healthful Diet and Physical Activity for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Adults Without Cardiovascular Risk Factors
11 Jul, 2017 | 17:12h | UTCEditorial 1: Healthful Physical Activity and Diet Promotion—For the Many or the Few? (free)
Editorial 2: Cardiovascular Risk Factor Control for All (free)
Editorial 3: Healthful Diet and Physical Activity for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Adults Without Known Risk Factors: Is Behavioral Counselling Necessary? (free)
The JAMA Network – For The Media: USPSTF Recommendation Regarding Behavioral Counseling for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention (free)
Shared Decision Making: The Importance of Diagnosing Preferences
11 Jul, 2017 | 16:46h | UTCShared Decision Making: The Importance of Diagnosing Preferences – JAMA Internal Medicine (free)
Related: Editorial: Sharing Medicine – A JAMA Internal Medicine Series (free) AND Sharing as the Future of Medicine – JAMA Internal Medicine (free)
Post-Surgical Complications
11 Jul, 2017 | 16:45h | UTCPost-Surgical Complications – emDocs (free)
Practical review of this common problem in the emergency department.
Women with High-Risk Pregnancies Are More Likely To Develop Heart Disease
10 Jul, 2017 | 14:59h | UTCWomen with High-Risk Pregnancies Are More Likely To Develop Heart Disease – NPR (free)
Related review: Adverse Pregnancy Conditions, Infertility, and Future Cardiovascular Risk: Implications for Mother and Child – Cardiovascular Drugs and Therapy (free)
Richard Lehman’s journal review / 10 July 2017
10 Jul, 2017 | 14:59h | UTCRichard Lehman’s journal review / 10 July 2017 – The BMJ Blogs (free)
Richard Lehman reviews the latest research in the top medical journals
Management of Small Renal Masses
10 Jul, 2017 | 14:54h | UTCManagement of Small Renal Masses: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline (free)
Summary: National Guideline Clearinghouse (free)
Effective Care for High-Need Patients
10 Jul, 2017 | 14:53h | UTCEffective Care for High-Need Patients: Opportunities for Improving Outcomes, Value, and Health (free PDF)
See also: News release (free) AND Executive summary (free PDF) AND Key Points (free PDF) AND Characteristics of Successful Care Models for High-Need Patients (free PDF)
See more resources on high-need, high-cost patients in our July 4th issue (see #2)
Source: STAT News Newsletter
“Nearly half of the nation’s spending on health care is driven by 5 percent of patients, and improving health outcomes and curbing spending in health care will require identifying who these high-needs patients are and providing coordinated services” (from EurekAlert)
The weird power of the placebo effect, explained
9 Jul, 2017 | 00:47h | UTCThe weird power of the placebo effect, explained – VOX (free)
Related: Placebos can work even when patients know what they are – World Economic Forum (free)
Breaking multiple unhealthy habits all at once has modest impact
9 Jul, 2017 | 00:41h | UTC3 – Breaking multiple unhealthy habits all at once has modest impact, but not always… – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article: Multiple Risk Behavior Interventions: Meta-analyses of RCTs – American Journal of Preventive Medicine (free)
“Review suggests it might be sensible to tackle smoking and diet separately, rather than at the same time” (RT @NIHR_DC see Tweet)
Antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea on the rise, new drugs needed
9 Jul, 2017 | 00:44h | UTC1 – Scientists warn that antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea is on the rise – World Health Organization (free)
News Release: Antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea on the rise, new drugs needed – Word Health Organization (free)
Commentaries: Untreatable gonorrhoea on the rise worldwide – Nature News (free) AND New data show gonorrhea increasingly resistant to antibiotics STAT News (free) AND WHO warns of imminent spread of untreatable superbug gonorrhea – Reuters (free) AND Untreatable gonorrhoea ‘superbug’ spreading around world, WHO warns – The Guardian (free)
Related guideline: WHO guidelines for the treatment of Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Direct oral anticoagulants for treatment of Heparin-induced Thrombocytopenia
9 Jul, 2017 | 00:35h | UTCDirect oral anticoagulants for treatment of HIT: update of Hamilton experience and literature review – Blood (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Source: Direct Oral Anticoagulants for Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia – Journal Watch ($)
This literature review and observational study suggest direct oral anticoagulants (rivaroxaban, apixaban, dabigatran) are safe and effective for the treatment of Heparin-induced Thrombocytopenia.
Cardiologist-Level Arrhythmia Detection with Convolutional Neural Networks
9 Jul, 2017 | 00:36h | UTCThe Machines Are Getting Ready to Play Doctor – MIT Technology Review (free) (RT @EricTopol see Tweet 1 and Tweet 2)
Original article: Cardiologist-Level Arrhythmia Detection with Convolutional Neural Networks – Cornell University Library (free PDF)
In this study, a machine learning algorithm was better at diagnosing arrhythmias than cardiologists.
Salt intake and Cardiovascular Disease
9 Jul, 2017 | 00:28h | UTCSalt intake and Cardiovascular Disease – European Heart Journal (free)
Commentary: CardioBrief: Int’l Experts Call Sodium Guidelines Far Too Restrictive – MedPage Today (free)
Summary of the technical report on sodium intake and cardiovascular disease with key recommendations for individuals and policymakers.
Pretreatment fasting plasma glucose and insulin modify dietary weight loss success
9 Jul, 2017 | 00:38h | UTCPretreatment fasting plasma glucose and insulin modify dietary weight loss success: results from 3 randomized clinical trials – American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Fasting blood sugar, fasting insulin identified as new biomarkers for weight loss – University of Copenhagen, via ScienceDaily (free) AND Low-Fat or Low Carb for Weight Loss? It Depends on Your Glucose Metabolism – EbioMedicine (free)
Individuals with diabetes or pre-diabetes seem to have better results with low-carb diets.
Gabapentin for chronic neuropathic pain in adults
9 Jul, 2017 | 00:26h | UTCCochrane Review: Gabapentin for chronic neuropathic pain in adults – Cochrane Library (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Analgesic Effects of Gabapentin Assessed in Chronic Neuropathic Pain – MPR (free)
“Gabapentin at doses of 1800 mg to 3600 mg daily (1200 mg to 3600 mg gabapentin encarbil) can provide good levels of pain relief to some people with postherpetic neuralgia and peripheral diabetic neuropathy”.
Doxycycline may be a safer first option for treating a blistering skin condition
8 Jul, 2017 | 20:28h | UTCDoxycycline may be a safer first option for treating a blistering skin condition – NIHR Signal (free)
Original Article: Doxycycline versus prednisolone as an initial treatment strategy for bullous pemphigoid: a pragmatic, non-inferiority, randomised controlled trial – The Lancet (free) AND Editorial: Doxycycline: a first-line treatment for bullous pemphigoid? (free)
Guideline – Management of Crohn’s disease
7 Jul, 2017 | 14:06h | UTC
Guideline – Management of ulcerative colitis
7 Jul, 2017 | 14:06h | UTC
Free online course – Easing the burden of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease
7 Jul, 2017 | 14:09h | UTCFree online course, starts July 17: Easing the burden of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease – University of Sidney and Coursera
Guidelines for the investigation and management sepsis in pregnancy
7 Jul, 2017 | 14:07h | UTC
Cases of recurrent Clostridium difficile infection are increasing
7 Jul, 2017 | 14:04h | UTCCommentaries: Cases of recurrent Clostridium difficile infection are soaring – University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, via EurekAlert (free) AND Multiply Recurrent C difficile Infection Rates Sharply Rise – Medscape (free registration required) AND Demand for FMT likely to increase with rise in multiply recurrent C. difficile cases – 2 Minute Medicine (free) AND Marked increase seen in multiply recurrent C diff – CIDRAP (free)
Effect of azithromycin on asthma exacerbations and quality of life in adults with persistent uncontrolled asthma
7 Jul, 2017 | 14:03h | UTCEffect of azithromycin on asthma exacerbations and quality of life in adults with persistent uncontrolled asthma (AMAZES): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Add-On Azithromycin Associated with Fewer Asthma Exacerbations – Physician’s First Watch (free)