TOP 10 Medical News Stories
Mon, January 8 – 10 Stories of The Day!
8 Jan, 2018 | 00:56h | UTC
1 – New free online course: Antimicrobial Stewardship: A competency-based approach – World Health Organization (via @snahrgang)
See also other OpenWHO Courses
2 – 2018 Edition: Let’s Talk TB (free PDF chapters) (via @paimadhu and @Onisillos)
“Let’s Talk TB is a book on the current best practices on TB diagnosis and treatment available for free for all GPs and private practitioners in India and other high-burden countries”
Source: Critical Care Reviews Newsletter
7 – Too Many Older Patients Get Cancer Screenings – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
8 – Essay: What if sugar is worse than just empty calories? An essay by Gary Taubes – The BMJ (free)
9 – Best Diets – U.S. News & World Report rankings (Free)
News release: U.S. News Reveals Best Diets Rankings for 2018 (free)
Commentaries: DASH ranked Best Diet Overall for eighth year in a row by U.S. News and World Report – NIH (free) AND DASH and Mediterranean Diets Tie for Best Overall Diet – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND What are the best diets for 2018? – Medical News Today (free) AND From Vegan To ‘Keto’ And Mediterranean: Experts Rank 2018’s Best Diets – NPR (free)
Commentaries: Youth Use of Cigarette Alternatives May Raise Risk of Trying the Real Thing – TCTMD (free) AND Noncigarette tobacco product use is associated with future cigarette smoking – 2 Minute Medicine (free) AND Electronic Cigarette Use and Smoking Among Adolescents – The ASCO Post (free)
Fri, January 5 – 10 Stories of The Day!
5 Jan, 2018 | 00:42h | UTC
1 – Practice guideline update summary: Mild cognitive impairment – American Academy of Neurology (free PDF)
Commentary: Mild cognitive impairment: a practice guideline update – Clinical Advisor (free)
“For patients diagnosed with MCI, clinicians may choose NOT to offer cholinesterase inhibitors”.
“If clinicians choose to offer cholinesterase inhibitors, they must first discuss with patients the fact that this is an off-label prescription not currently backed by empirical evidence”.
2 – Association of Cardiovascular Risk With Inhaled Long-Acting Bronchodilators in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Nested Case-Control Study – JAMA Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Starting new COPD inhaler tied to heart attack risk – Reuters (free) AND New Use of Long-Acting Bronchodilators in COPD Tied to Increased Cardiovascular Risk – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND COPD patients beginning inhaler therapy at greater short-term risk for CVD – Cardiovascular Business (free)
3 – Myeloablative Autologous Stem-Cell Transplantation for Severe Scleroderma – The New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Stem Cell Transplant for Severe Scleroderma Improves Survival, Quality of Life – NIH (free) AND Stem Cell Transplantation Offers Hope For Severe Scleroderma – MedicalResearch (free)
4 – Updated WHO Recommendation on Tranexamic Acid for the Treatment of Postpartum Haemorrhage (free PDF)
Commentary: Updated WHO recommendation on intravenous tranexamic acid for the treatment of post-partum haemorrhage – The Lancet Global Health (free)
Commentaries: ACA Pay-For-Performance Programs Not Living Up To Expectations – MedicalResearch (free) U.S. Researchers: Change or End the Current Pay-for-Performance System – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Impact of US Pay for Performance Programs ‘Limited And Disappointing’ Say Experts – ScienceNewsline (free)
Related: The Effects of Pay-for-Performance Programs on Health, Health Care Use, and Processes of Care: A Systematic Review – Annals of Internal Medicine (free) AND Pay-for-performance fails to perform – Harvard Medical School, via ScienceDaily (free) AND Value-Based Purchasing: Time for Reboot or Time to Move On? by Ashish K. Jha, MD – The JAMA Forum (free)
8 – Association of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program Implementation With Readmission and Mortality Outcomes in Heart Failure – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: To Fix the Hospital Readmissions Program, Prioritize What Matters – JAMA Forum (free) AND Readmissions reduction program linked to increased mortality for heart failure patients – Cardiovascular Business (free) AND Going the Wrong Way: ACA’s Readmission Reduction Program Linked To Increased Heart Failure Deaths – MedicalResearch (free) AND Hospital quality-control program tied to rise in heart failure deaths – Reuters (free)
Related: The data are in, but debate rages: Are hospital readmission penalties a good idea? – STAT (free)
9 – Report: Strategies to Limit Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption in Young Children – The National Academies Press (free PDF)
10 – A strategy of ‘delayed antibiotic prescribing’ for respiratory infections may reduce antibiotic use – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article: Delayed antibiotic prescriptions for respiratory infections – Cochrane Library (free) AND Summary: Delayed antibiotic prescriptions for respiratory tract infections – Cochrane Library (free)
Thu, January 4 – 10 Stories of The Day!
4 Jan, 2018 | 00:52h | UTC
1 – Draft Recommendation Statement: Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Screening With Electrocardiography – U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (free)
Commentaries: USPSTF Examines ECG Screening to Prevent CVD Events, AFib – AAFP (free) AND USPSTF Doesn’t Endorse Routine ECG for Atrial Fibrillation Detection or CVD Prevention – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND USPSTF Releases Draft Recommendations on ECG Screening for CVD, A-fib – TCTMD (free)
2 – Association of Broad- vs Narrow-Spectrum Antibiotics With Treatment Failure, Adverse Events, and Quality of Life in Children With Acute Respiratory Tract Infections – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Study: For kids with respiratory infections, broader isn’t better – CIDRAP (free) AND Treatment Failure, or is Treatment the Failure? – Emergency Medicine Literature of Note Blog (free)
Commentaries: Two surgical approaches equal in treating infection-caused hydrocephalus – PennState Health News (free) AND Surgery For Saving Babies From ‘Water On The Brain’ Developed in Uganda – NPR Goats and Soda (free)
News release: Abuse and adversity in childhood linked to more cardiovascular risk in adulthood (free)
Commentaries: Distressing experiences as a kid impact cardiovascular health later in life – AHA News (free) AND Adversity In Childhood and Adolescence Sets Stage for Cardiometabolic Outcomes – AHA Centers for Health Metrics and Evaluation (free)
Commentary: Exposure to fine particulate pollution linked to increase in early births: study – The Sidney Morning Herald (free)
Source: Global Health NOW Newsletter
See related news and commentaries on The Impact of the Environment on Children’s Health and on Air Pollution and Mortality
6 – Association of Short-term Exposure to Air Pollution With Mortality in Older Adults – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Short-term exposure to low levels of air pollution linked with premature death among US seniors – Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, via EurekAlert (free) AND Even ‘Safe’ Levels of Air Pollution Tied to Higher Mortality – Medscape (free registration required) AND Low-Level Pollution Exposures Increase Death Risk Among Elderly – MedPage Today (free registration required)
See related news and commentaries on The Impact of the Environment on Children’s Health and on Air Pollution and Mortality
7 – Tackling the High Cost of Cancer Care – The ASCO Post (free)
Original abstract: A prospective international randomized phase II study evaluating the food effect on the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of abiraterone acetate (AA) in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) (free) AND Commentary: A group of cancer doctors discovered a way to slash the cost of expensive pills by up to 75%, but they’ve hit a wall – Business Insider (free)
Related Website (news section): Value in Cancer Care Consortium (free resources)
See also other articles and commentaries on financial toxicity of cancer treatments
9 – Suicide Risk Behaviors Among Sexual Minority Adolescents in the United States, 2015 – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: LGBQ teens face serious suicide risk, research finds – CNN (free) AND LGBQ Adolescents at Much Greater Risk of Suicide than Heterosexual Counterparts – MyScience (free) AND Suicide Risk Rife in Sexual Minority Teens – Medscape (free registration required) AND Sexual minority young people are at a higher risk for suicide – San Diego State University, via EurekAlert (free)
10 – Safety of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with Cardiac Devices – The New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: MRI scan safe for most people with older pacemakers, defibrillators – Reuters (free) AND Even Thoracic MRI Safe for ‘Legacy’ ICDs, Pacemaker Systems: Large Cohort Study – Medscape (free registration required) AND MRIs safe with older pacemakers, study finds – MedicalXpress (free)
Wed, January 3 – 10 Stories of The Day!
3 Jan, 2018 | 00:03h | UTC
1 – Association Between Calcium or Vitamin D Supplementation and Fracture Incidence in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Calcium and vitamin D supplements not associated with lower risk of fractures – OnMedica (free) AND 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)
See related meta-analysis: Timely Use of Probiotics in Hospitalized Adults Prevents Clostridium difficile Infection (free)
“Based on this systematic review and meta-analysis of 31 randomized controlled trials including 8672 patients, moderate certainty evidence suggests that probiotics are effective for preventing C. difficile-associated diarrhea”
3 – Mandrola’s Top 10 Cardiology Stories of 2017 – Medscape (free registration required)
4 – Top nephrology-related stories of 2017 – NephJC (free)
5 – Regional Variation of Computed Tomographic Imaging in the United States and the Risk of Nephrectomy – JAMA Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Editorial: Use of Advanced Imaging Tests and the Not-So-Incidental Harms of Incidental Findings (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
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)
6 – Overdiagnosis across medical disciplines: a scoping review – The BMJ Open (free) (via @brooke_nickel)
Author Interview: Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Surgeons and Interventionalists (free)
Commentary: Work-Related Musculoskeletal Injury Common in Surgeons, Interventionalists – Medscape (free registration required)
8 – Richard Lehman’s journal review, 2 January 2018 – The BMJ Opinion (free)
Richard Lehman reviews the latest research in the top medical journals.
9 – Infographic: 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)
10 – Comparative Effectiveness of Implementation Strategies for Blood Pressure Control in Hypertensive Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Meta-Analysis: It Takes a Team to Optimize Hypertension Tx – MedPage Today (free registration required) AND Blood pressure control best achieved with a multilevel, multicomponent approach – American College of Physicians, via EurekAlert (free)
Tue, January 2 – 10 Stories of The Day!
2 Jan, 2018 | 00:01h | UTC
1 – 2017 year in review: key health issues – World Health Organization (free)
Review the biggest health stories from WHO in 2017.
2 – Biggest global health moments of 2017 – Devex (free)
3 – No interventions proven to prevent late-life dementia, systematic reviews find – ACP Internist (free)
Other Commentaries: No Magic Bullet for Preventing Late-Life Dementia – Physician’s Weekly (free) AND No interventions proven to prevent late-life dementia – MedicalXpress (free)
Original Articles:
– Physical Activity Interventions in Preventing Cognitive Decline and Alzheimer-Type Dementia: A Systematic Review – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
– Pharmacologic Interventions to Prevent Cognitive Decline, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Clinical Alzheimer-Type Dementia: A Systematic Review – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
– Does Cognitive Training Prevent Cognitive Decline?: A Systematic Review – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
– Over-the-Counter Supplement Interventions to Prevent Cognitive Decline, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Clinical Alzheimer-Type Dementia: A Systematic Review – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
4 – Best 10 ICU Trials of 2017 – from The Bottom Line (free)
(via @azevedo_lcp and @Gas_Craic see Tweet with infographic summarizing the review)
5 – “Less is More”: The New paradigm in Critical Care – by Paul Marik, in EMCrit (free)
6 – What We Mean When We Say Evidence-Based Medicine – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
7 – Opinion: The 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?”.
8 – Medical News & Perspectives: Will the FDA’s New Tobacco Strategy Be a Game Changer? – JAMA (free)
Commentaries: New Guidance Issued to Optimize Heart Failure Treatment – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free) AND Expert Consensus on Optimization of Heart Failure Treatment – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free) AND HFrEF Tx Guidelines Catch Up with New Therapies – MedPage Today (free registration required)
10 – Meta-Analysis of Culprit-Only Versus Multivessel Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction and Multivessel Coronary Disease – American Journal of Cardiology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: STEMI Patients With Multivessel Disease Best Served by a Single, Complete Procedure: Meta-analysis – TCTMD (free)
Related Systematic Review: Complete versus culprit-only revascularisation in ST elevation myocardial infarction with multi-vessel disease – Cochrane Library (free) AND Summary How should we deal with non-culprit lesions during a STEMI? A mid-night conundrum – Evidently Cochrane (free)
Fri, December 15 – 10 Stories of The Day!
15 Dec, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC
Press 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)
Related: Corticosteroids for Pneumonia: Ready for Primetime? – emDocs (free)
“Corticosteroid therapy reduced mortality and morbidity in adults with severe CAP; the number needed to treat for an additional beneficial outcome was 18 patients (95% CI 12 to 49) to prevent one death. Corticosteroid therapy reduced morbidity, but not mortality, for adults and children with non-severe CAP”
3 – Estimates 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)
4 – Effect 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)
Commentaries: The built environment and obesity in UK Biobank: right project, wrong data? – The Lancet Public Health (free) AND Living near exercise facilities linked to lower BMI and smaller waists – OnMedica (free) Living near physical activity facilities linked to smaller waistline, lower BMI and lower body fat percentage – London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (free)
6 – Association 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)
7 – Healthcare-acquired infections: prevention strategies – Internal Medicine Journal (free)
Source: Hospital Medicine Virtual Journal Club
Editorial: Shedding Light on the Risks of Methylphenidate and Amphetamine in Pregnancy (free)
Commentary: ADHD med use during pregnancy and risk of birth defects – Brigham and Women’s Hospital, via ScienceDaily (free) AND Class of ADHD medication linked to increased risk of congenital heart defects – Cardiovascular Business (free)
“Researchers find small increase in the risk of heart defects following first-trimester exposure to methylphenidate but not to amphetamines” (from ScienceDaily)
9 – The Surprising Effects of Loneliness on Health – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
10 – Individualized Glycemic Control for U.S. Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Individualized Glycemic Control Could Safely Cut Costs in Type 2 Diabetes – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Individualized HbA1c Targets for Diabetes Drop Cost, Improve QoL – Medscape (free registration required) AND Personalized Blood Sugar Goals Can Save Diabetes Patients Thousands – University of Chicago Medical Center, via NewsWise (free)
Thu, December 14 – 10 Stories of The Day!
14 Dec, 2017 | 01:25h | UTC
1 – The BMJ Christmas Issue – “The soul of the Christmas issue is originality. We don’t want to publish anything that resembles anything we’ve published before” (see details).
Original Article 1: Does Peppa Pig encourage inappropriate use of primary care resources? (free) AND Commentary: Peppa Pig might inspire unrealistic expectations of GPs – OnMedica (free)
Original Article 2 The science behind “man flu” (free) AND Commentary: Of mice and “man flu” – HealthNewsReview (free)
See also: The top six BMJ Christmas papers – Medical News Today (free) AND The BMJ Holiday Issue: Rain Doesn’t Mean More Joint Pain; Wine Glasses Getting Bigger – Physician’s First Watch (free)
3 – Noninvasive Cardiac Radiation for Ablation of Ventricular Tachycardia – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: A ‘Game Changer’ for Patients With Irregular Heart Rhythm – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
“The use of stereotactic radiotherapy in five patients with refractory ventricular tachycardia (VT) showed a 99.9% reduction in VT burden”. (via @NEJM see Tweet with infographic)
5 – AAFP Decides to Not Endorse AHA/ACC Hypertension Guideline – American Academy of Family Physicians (free) (via @kennylinafp see Tweet)
Commentary: New Hypertension Guideline: A Case of Guideline Creep? – Medscape (free registration required)
6 – Artificial Intelligence Promising for CA, Retinopathy Diagnoses – Physician’s Weekly (free)
Original Article 1: Diagnostic Assessment of Deep Learning Algorithms for Detection of Lymph Node Metastases in Women With Breast Cancer – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text) AND Commentary: Findings Show Potential Use of Artificial Intelligence in Detecting Spread of Breast Cancer – The JAMA Network (free)
Original Article 2: Development and Validation of a Deep Learning System for Diabetic Retinopathy and Related Eye Diseases Using Retinal Images From Multiethnic Populations With Diabetes – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text) AND Commentary: Artificial Intelligence Detects Diabetic Retinopathy and Related Eye Diseases among Patients with Diabetes – The JAMA Network (free)
7 – People Don’t Take Their Pills. Only One Thing Seems to Help. – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
“High-tech approaches and “reminder” packaging don’t work well. Reducing prices does”.
8 – Supplement: The Economics of Hypertension and Cardiovascular Disease – American Journal of Preventive Medicine (free editorials, reviews and research articles)
Source: EvidenceAlerts
9 – Phone Addiction Is Real — And So Are Its Mental Health Risks – Forbes (free)
Related commentaries: We Need to Talk About Kids and Smartphones – TIME (free) AND Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation? – The Atlantic (free) How Smartphones Hijack Our Minds – The Wall Street Journal (a few articles per month are free)
10 – Atraumatic versus conventional lumbar puncture needles: a systematic review and meta-analysis – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Atraumatic needles associated with fewer side effects for lumbar puncture – ACP Hospitalist Weekly (free) AND Atraumatic Lumbar Puncture Needles Show Major Benefit in Meta-Analysis – Physician’s First Watch (free)
Wed, December 13 – 10 Stories of The Day!
13 Dec, 2017 | 01:31h | UTC
1 – The Altmetric TOP 100 Articles. What academic research caught the public imagination in 2017? (free)
2 – Universal Health Coverage Day, 12 December 2017 – World Health Organization (free resources)
Fact Sheet: Universal Health Coverage (UHC) – World Health Organization (free)
Related: Opinion: 5 ways to make progress towards universal health coverage – Devex (free)
JAMA Editorials: Menopausal Hormone Therapy for Primary Prevention of Chronic Disease (free) AND Evidence for Postmenopausal Hormone Therapy to Prevent Chronic Conditions: Success, Failure, and Lessons Learned (free) AND Menopausal Hormone Therapy for the Primary Prevention of Chronic Conditions: Unfulfilled Expectations (free)
Audio Interview: USPSTF Recommendation Statement: Hormone Therapy After Menopause (free)
Summary: Hormone Therapy Not Recommended for Prevention of Chronic Conditions in Postmenopausal Women – The JAMA Network (free)
“The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against the use of combined estrogen and progestin in postmenopausal women, or estrogen alone in postmenopausal women who have had a hysterectomy, to prevent chronic conditions such as heart disease, dementia and stroke”.
4 – CAR T-Cell Therapies Drive Outcomes in Lymphoma, Myeloma: Treatments Hold Promise for People with Hard-to-Treat Blood Cancers – 2017 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting (free)
Related commentary: CAR T-Cell Therapy Makes Further Inroads in Lymphoma and Myeloma – ASCO Post (free)
Related Study: Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells in Refractory B-Cell Lymphomas – New England Journal of Medicine (free), Editorial: A Milestone for CAR T Cells (free) AND Visual Abstract (free)
5 – Topical Tranexamic Acid Compared With Anterior Nasal Packing for Treatment of Epistaxis in Patients Taking Antiplatelet Drugs: Randomized Controlled Trial – Academic Emergency Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Topical TXA in Epistaxis – R.E.B.E.L.em (free)
6 – Get Ready For A Tsunami Of ECGs – Cardiobrief (free)
Related: Thoughts on the Apple Watch and Mobile ECG, by Dr John Mandrola (free) AND Overdiagnosis Only a Matter of Time With ECG Watches – Medscape (free registration required)
7 – State of The Art Review: Recent advances in pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV – The BMJ (free fo 2 weeks)
Related Guidelines: WHO implementation tool for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) of HIV infection – World Health Organization (free) AND Summary: WHO implementation tool for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) of HIV infection (free PDF)
Related Commentary: Why PrEP takers should still use condoms with HIV+ partners – The Conversation (free)
“PCI is associated with a reduction in the risk of major cardiovascular outcomes at short-term follow-up in patients with LMCA stenosis; but at long term, MACCE rate is increased for PCI”
9 – Pediatric Injuries Related to Window Blinds, Shades, and Cords – Pediatrics (free)
Commentaries: Researchers: Window Blind Cords as Dangerous to Young Children as Bodies of Water – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Kids continue to die in window-blind accidents, despite safety warnings – Reuters (free)
10 – Severe COPD and the transition to a palliative approach – Breathe (free)
See more on palliative care in chronic respiratory disorders in our Decembe 6th issue (see #10)
Tue, December 12 – 10 Stories of The Day!
12 Dec, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC
1 – The other big drug problem: Older people taking too many pills – The Washington Post (free)
Related Articles and Commentaries: Current and future perspectives on the management of polypharmacy – BMC Family Medicine (free) 11 Drugs You Should Seriously Consider Deprescribing – Medscape Slideshow (free registration required) AND Too Many Meds? America’s Love Affair With Prescription Medication – Consumer Reports (free) AND Common ED Medication Errors: Polypharmacy – emDocs (free)
Related Website and Guidelines: Canadian Deprescribing Network (CaDeN) (free) AND CaDeN Deprescribing Guidelines and Algorithms (free) AND Deprescribing guidelines for the elderly – Ontario Pharmacy Evidence Network (free)
2 – Treated Incidence of Psychotic Disorders in the Multinational EU-GEI Study – JAMA Psychiatry (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Environment May Play Major Role in Psychosis – PsychCentral (free) AND Psychosis incidence highly variable internationally – University College London, via EurekAlert (free)
3 – Mortality Associated with Metformin Versus Sulfonylurea Initiation: A Cohort Study of Veterans with Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease – Journal of General Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Metformin appears better than sulfonylureas as first-line therapy for patients with CKD – ACP Diabetes (free) AND Metformin May Up Survival in Older Men With Moderate CKD – Medscape (free registration required)
4 – Diet quality is associated with disability and symptom severity in multiple sclerosis – Neurology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Healthy diet may be linked to less disability, fewer symptoms for people with MS – News Medical (free) AND High-quality Diet, Healthy Lifestyle May Reduce MS Disability – Medscape (free registration required) AND Healthy Diet Tied to Less MS Disability – MedPage Today (free registration required)
5 – Review: Lung Manifestations in the Rheumatic Diseases – Chest (free)
Source: Critical Care Reviews Newsletter
6 – Review: Diagnosis and treatment of hyperkalemia – Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine (free)
Source: Critical Care Reviews Newsletter
7 – Viewpoint: Disclosures in Nutrition Research: Why It Is Different – JAMA (free)
“Medical researchers must disclose financial conflicts of interest. An article in @JAMA_current says nutrition researchers should also be obliged to disclose their food-related religious beliefs, comments to the public and personal diet”. (via @davidludwigmd see Tweet)
Commentary: Expert Consensus on the Assessment and Diagnosis of GERD – PracticeUpdate (free registration required)
9 – Intrauterine insemination with ovarian stimulation versus expectant management for unexplained infertility (TUI): a pragmatic, open-label, randomised, controlled, two-centre trial – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Fertility study shows cheaper treatment is effective – MedicalXpress (free)
10 – Caesarean section is better for extremely premature breech babies but not necessarily for their mothers – NIHR Signal (free)
“Delivering extremely preterm breech babies (23 to 27 weeks) by caesarean reduced the risk of infant death or brain bleeds by around 40%, compared with vaginal delivery”. (RT @NIHR_DC see Tweet)
Mon, December 11 – 10 Stories of The Day!
11 Dec, 2017 | 01:06h | UTC
1 – ADA 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes – Diabetes Care (Free Supplement)
News Release: American Diabetes Association Releases 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, with Notable New Recommendations for People with Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes (free)
Summary of Revisions: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes—2018 (free)
Commentaries: ADA 2018 Standards Address Diabetes Drugs With CV Benefit – Medscape (free registration required)
2 – Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes—2018 Abridged for Primary Care Providers – Diabetes Care (free PDF)
Commentary: ADA 2018 Abridged Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes: Update for Primary Care – Medscape (free registration required
3 – Pharmacomechanical Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis for Deep-Vein Thrombosis – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Pharmacomechanical Thrombolysis for Deep-Vein Thrombosis – NEJM Resident 360 (free) AND Pharmacomechanical Thrombolysis for DVT – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free)
Pharmacomechanical thrombolysis did not result in lower risk of post-thrombotic syndrome and was associated with higher risk of major bleeding.
“PPIs are the most effective agents in preventing CIB, but they may increase the risk of pneumonia”.
Commentaries: We’re barely using the best tool we have to fight obesity – VOX (free) AND Gastric bypass patients sustain long-term weight loss, comorbidity reduction – Cardiovascular Business (free) AND Weight Loss After Bariatric Procedures Mostly Sustained Over Time – Medical Research (free)
6 – Bedtime Use of Technology and Associated Sleep Problems in Children – Global Pediatric Health (free)
Commentary: Screen time before bed linked with less sleep, higher BMIs in kids – Penn State, via ScienceDaily (free)
7 – Opinion: Does Cancer Screening Save More Lives Overall? Not Necessarily – WBUR (free) (via @HealthNewsRevu see Tweet)
Related systematic review: Does screening for disease save lives in asymptomatic adults? Systematic review of meta-analyses and randomized trials – International Journal of Epidemiology (free)
“We are not suggesting that cancer screening is useless. Our critique aims to show that screening tests are like any other medical intervention: there are benefits and harms. And it’s why we support informed decision-making”.
8 – Themed Review: Comprehensive Care: Older People Living With Frailty in Hospitals – NIHR Dissemination Centre (free download)
10 – The best and worst analogies for CRISPR, ranked – STAT (free)
Related: Simple guide to CRISPR, one of the biggest science stories of the decade – VOX (free)
Fri, December 8 – 10 Stories of The Day!
8 Dec, 2017 | 00:12h | UTC
1 – First Dementia Global Monitoring System Launched: Global Dementia Observatory (free resources)
News release: Dementia: number of people affected to triple in next 30 years – World Health Organization (free)
Invited Commentary: Tuberculosis eradication: renewed commitment and global investment required (free)
Related: Banning trans fats in New York prevented thousands of heart attacks, study finds – STAT News (free) AND The Worst Fat in the Food Supply – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Commentaries: Myocardial Injury After Noncardiac Surgery Linked With Higher 1-Year Mortality – TCTMD (free) AND Perioperative Myocardial Injury After Noncardiac Surgery – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free)
6 – Analysis: Transvaginal mesh failure: lessons for regulation of implantable devices – The BMJ (free)
Related commentaries: Women harmed because vaginal mesh regulation ‘not fit for purpose’ – The Guardian (free) AND Vaginal mesh operations for prolapse should be banned, watchdog to say – The Guardian (free)
7 – Case-control and Cohort studies: A brief overview – Students 4 Best Evidence (free)
8 – Blood Pressure Trajectories in the 20 Years Before Death – JAMA Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Blood pressure declines 14 to 18 years before death – University of Connecticut, via ScienceDaily (free) AND Long, Slow Decline in BP Often Precedes Seniors’ Death – MedPage Today (free registration required)
9 – Understanding common misconceptions about p-values – The 20% Statistician (free)
Related review: Statistical tests, P values, confidence intervals, and power: a guide to misinterpretations – European Journal of Epidemiology (free)
Source: Nature Briefing Newsletter
10 – Low FODMAP diet may improve irritable bowel symptoms more than other diets – NIHR Signal (free)
Thu, December 7 – 10 Stories of The Day!
7 Dec, 2017 | 01:33h | UTC
1 – Book: Child and Adolescent Health and Development – Disease Control Priorities, 3rd Edition (free)
Press Release: DCP3 Publishes Latest Volume: Child and Adolescent Health and Development (free)
Key Messages from the Series: Disease Control Priorities 3rd edition – The Lancet (7 reviews – free registration required)
Other books in the series: Essential Surgery / Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health / Cancer / Mental, Neurological, and Substance Use Disorders / Injury Prevention and Environmental Health / Major Infectious Diseases / Cardiovascular, respiratory, and related disorders / Disease Control Priorities (all free)
“Third edition of Disease Control Priorities launches today. A vast resource evaluating policy choices affecting the access, uptake & quality of interventions & delivery platforms to improve health in LMICs”. (RT @MRCTEG_LSHTM see Tweet)
2 – Contemporary Hormonal Contraception and the Risk of Breast Cancer – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Even Low-Dose Contraceptives Slightly Increase Breast Cancer Risk – NPR (free) AND Study confirms higher breast cancer risk with hormone-based contraception – Reuters (free) AND Small risk of breast cancer seen with hormone contraceptives – Associated Press (free) All forms of hormonal contraception carry breast cancer risk, study finds – the Guardian (free) AND Birth Control Pills Still Linked to Breast Cancer, Study Finds – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Editorial: Breast cancer screening (free)
Commentaries: Breast cancer screening has ‘little impact’ on cancer deaths – OnMedica AND It’s Time to End Mammograms, Some Experts Say – TIME (free)
See more on the arguments for and against screening for breast cancer with mammography in our November 7th issue (see #4)
4 – Hemophilia B Gene Therapy with a High-Specific-Activity Factor IX Variant – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Quick Take Video Summary: Gene Therapy for Factor IX Deficiency (free)
Commentary: One-dose gene therapy produces clotting factor, safely stops bleeding in hemophilia B patients – MedicalXpress (free)
5 – Recovery after critical illness: putting the puzzle together—a consensus of 29 – Critical Care (free)
6 – Moral Choices for Today’s Physician – JAMA (free)
7 – Two nerve drugs are not suitable for treating long-term low back pain – NIHR Signal (free)
Original Article: Benefits and safety of gabapentinoids in chronic low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials – PLOS One (free)
“Evidence supports NICE guidance not to use two nerve drugs (gabapentin and pregabalin) to treat long-term lower back pain”. (RT @NIHR_DC see Tweet)
8 – Oral Sex and Condom Use in a U.S. National Sample of Adolescents and Young Adults – Journal of Adolescent Health (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Kids aren’t protecting themselves against STDs during oral sex – Reuters (free)
Commentaries: Walking to a pathway for cardiovascular effects of air pollution – The Lancet (free) AND Traffic fumes in city streets ‘largely wipe out exercise benefits for over-60s’ – The Guardian (free)
Editorial: Traffic pollution is linked to poor pregnancy outcomes (free)
Commentary: Air pollution from London traffic is affecting the health of unborn babies – Imperial College London (free) AND Traffic pollution linked to low birth weight of unborn babies, study reveals – Medical News (free)
Wed, December 6 – 10 Stories of The Day!
6 Dec, 2017 | 00:50h | UTC
1 – Primary care-led weight management for remission of type 2 diabetes (DiRECT): an open-label, cluster-randomised trial – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Intensive weight loss can ‘reverse’ type 2 diabetes – OnMedica (free) AND Weight Management May Reverse T2D – MedPage Today (free registration required) AND Radical diet can reverse type 2 diabetes, new study shows – The Guardian (free)
Related Report: FP2020 – The Way Ahead (free)
Commentaries: Contraceptive use gaining momentum in world’s poorest countries – Reuters (free) AND FP2020 reports progress on family planning, but faces an uphill battle – Devex (free)
Commentaries: New easy-to-use tool can help determine Alzheimer’s risk, similar to pediatric growth curves – CMAJ, via EurekAlert (free) AND Cognitive Decline Charts Could Help Flag Whether Patient Has Dementia – Physician’s First Watch (free)
4 – Readmissions After Revascularization Procedures for Peripheral Arterial Disease: A Nationwide Cohort Study – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Burden of Readmission High in PAD Patients Following Revascularization – TCTMD (free) AND 1 in 6 Patients Undergoing Peripheral Arterial Revascularization Readmitted Within 30 Days – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND 1 in 6 Readmitted After Peripheral Revascularization – MedPage Today (free registration required)
5 – It’s Gonna Get a Lot Easier to Break Science Journal Paywalls – Wired (Free) (via @EricTopol)
7 – A Failure to Heal – The New York Times Magazine (10 articles per month are free) (RT @camialderighi see Tweet)
Commentaries: Clinician denial of certain patient requests linked with decreased satisfaction – 2 Minute Medicine (free) AND Denial of some patient requests, but not others, associated with decreased patient satisfaction, study finds – ACP Internist (free) AND Patient satisfaction surveys are worthless – Physician’s Weekly (free)
Commentaries: Newborn Screening Policies For CHD Associated With Lower Infant Deaths – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free) AND Infant CCHD deaths cut by 33% after mandatory pulse oximetry testing – Cardiovascular Business (free) AND Screening for Critical Congenital Heart Disease at Birth Saves Lives – CDC (free)
Related guideline: Canadian Cardiovascular Society/Canadian Pediatric Cardiology Association Position Statement on Pulse Oximetry Screening in Newborns to Enhance Detection of Critical Congenital Heart Disease (free)
10 – Advance care planning for patients with chronic respiratory diseases: a systematic review of preferences and practices – Thorax (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Doctors rarely discuss end-of-life care for chronic lung conditions – Reuters (free)
Related guideline: An Official American Thoracic Society Clinical Policy Statement: Palliative Care for Patients with Respiratory Diseases and Critical Illnesses (free)
Tue, December 5 – 10 Stories of The Day!
5 Dec, 2017 | 00:13h | UTC
Editorial: Overlapping Surgery – Perspectives From the Other Side of the Table (free)
Commentaries: Study: Overlapping surgeries boost complication risks – Becker’s Hospital Review (free) AND Does Overlapping Surgery Increase Complication Risk After Hip Surgery? – The JAMA Network (free)
2 – Cheese consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis of prospective studies – European Journal of Nutrition (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Eating 40g of cheese a day may reduce heart attack and stroke risk – NHS Choices (free)
Related meta-analysis: Milk and dairy consumption and risk of cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality: dose–response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies – European Journal of Epidemiology (free)
3 – WHO reviewing data on Sanofi dengue vaccine, urges limited use – Reuters (free)
Related: Brazil recommends restrictions on Sanofi dengue vaccine – Reuters (free) AND Sanofi restricts dengue vaccine but downplays antibody enhancement – CIDRAP (free) AND New dengue vaccine could worsen disease in some people – STAT (free)
5 – Pulmonary embolus in the ED – Which patients require systemic thrombolytics? – emDocs (free)
6 – An Unconscious Patient with a DNR Tattoo – New England Journal of Medicine (free)
Commentary: His tattoo said “do not resuscitate.” Doctors wanted another opinion – The New York Times (free)
7 – Headline vs. study: The unbearable heaviness of false hope – HealthNews Review (free)
8 – Our Review Criteria – HealthNewsReview (free)
“Such a great list! Ten Criteria for Reviewing a News Article on Health. Cost, harms, quality of evidence, disease-mongering, conflict of interest, etc.” (RT @CaulfieldTim see Tweet)
9 – Richard Lehman’s journal review, 4 December 2017 – The BMJ Opinion (free)
Richard Lehman reviews the latest research in the top medical journals.
Commentary: Does Cognition in Children Born Extremely Preterm Catch Up by Early Adulthood? – Journal Watch (free)
Mon, December 4 – 10 Stories of The Day!
4 Dec, 2017 | 01:07h | UTC
1 – SIGN Guidelines on Pharmacological management of glycaemic control in people with type 2 diabetes & Management of diabetes – Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (free guidelines and resources) (via @kamleshkhunti)
2 – HIV Prevention Efforts and Incidence of HIV in Uganda – New England Journal of Medicine (free)
Commentaries: Combination HIV prevention reduces new infections by 42 percent in Ugandan district – National Institutes of Health (free) AND Combination HIV Prevention Reduces Infections – MD Magazine (free)
Commentary and Summary: Consensus for Management of Bleeding on Oral Anticoagulants – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free)
4 – Clinical Guidelines Synopsis: Diagnostic Testing for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults – JAMA (free)
Commentaries: Evidence Insufficient to Recommend Prenatal Vitamin D Supplementation, Researchers Say – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Jury Still Out on Vitamin D Supplements in Pregnancy – MedPage Today (free registration required)
6 – Risk of death associated with new benzodiazepine use among persons with Alzheimer disease: A matched cohort study – International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (link to abstract – $ for full-text) (RT @Deprescribing see Tweet)
Commentaries: Benzodiazepines linked to increased risk of death among Alzheimer’s disease patients – News Medical (free) AND Benzodiazepines Tied to a 41% Increased Mortality Risk in AD – Medscape (free registration required)
7 – Rational decision making in medicine: Implications for overuse and underuse – Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice (free) (via @AllenFrancesMD)
Commentaries: HIV-positive adults are under-treated for cardiovascular problems compared to those without HIV – UCLA Research Alert (free) AND HIV patients less likely to be prescribed aspirin, statins despite increased cardiovascular risk – Cardiovascular Research (free)
Related: Cardiovascular risk and dyslipidemia among persons living with HIV: a review – BMC Infectious Diseases (free)
Related guideline: ACR Thyroid Imaging, Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS): White Paper of the ACR TI-RADS Committee – Journal of the American College of Radiology (free PDF)
Fri, December 1 – 10 Stories of The Day!
1 Dec, 2017 | 02:23h | UTC
1 – World AIDS Day, 1 December 2017 – World Health Organization (free)
2 – Book: Cardiovascular, respiratory, and related disorders – Disease Control Priorities, 3rd Edition (free)
Press Release: Disease Control Priorities, 3rd Edition Launches Volume on Cardiovascular, Respiratory, and Related Disorders (free)
Summary: Cardiovascular, respiratory, and related disorders: key messages from Disease Control Priorities, 3rd edition – The Lancet (free registration required)
Previous volumes: 1 – Essential Surgery / 2 – Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health / 3 – Cancer / 4 – Mental, Neurological, and Substance Use Disorders / 5 – Injury Prevention and Environmental Health / 6 – Major Infectious Diseases (all free)
3 – Guideline: Protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding in facilities providing maternity and newborn services – World Health Organization (free)
4 – Guideline: Outbreak Response and Incident Management: SHEA Guidance and Resources for Healthcare Epidemiologists in United States Acute-Care Hospitals – Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology (free)
Commentary: New document guides hospitals in responding to infectious disease outbreaks – Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (free)
Commentaries: Single people have a higher risk of dementia – OnMedica (free) AND Marriage linked to lower dementia risk – Reuters (free)
Editorial: Diabetes and adiposity: a heavy load for cancer (free)
Commentaries: Diabetes and obesity together responsible for nearly 800,000 cancers worldwide – Imperial College London (free) AND ‘Alarming’ rise in cancer rates driven by diabetes, obesity – Medical News Today (free) AND Nearly 6% of cancers worldwide are attributable to diabetes and obesity – eCancer News (free)
7 – Conventional Polysomnography Is Not Necessary for the Management of Most Patients with Suspected Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Noninferiority, Randomized Controlled Trial – American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Conventional Polysomnography vs. Home Testing for Obstructive Sleep Apnea – Journal Watch (free) AND Home Sleep Testing OK for Evaluating Suspected Sleep Apnea – MedPage Today (free registration required)
8 – Unnecessary Tests and Treatment Explain Why Health Care Costs So Much – Scientific American (free)
9 – Big data often yields small returns. Here’s how to fix that – STAT (free)
10 – Diagnostic Accuracy of Pediatric Teledermatology Using Parent-Submitted Photographs: A Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA Dermatology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Parent-Supplied Photos Allow Pediatric Dermatology Diagnoses without an Office Visit in Most Instances – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (free) AND Smartphone pics may be sharp enough for dermatology diagnosis – Reuters (free)
Thu, November 30 – 10 Stories of The Day!
30 Nov, 2017 | 00:46h | UTC
1 – Guideline: Asthma: diagnosis, monitoring and chronic asthma management – National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (free)
News release: New ways to diagnose and manage asthma can improve care, says NICE (free)
Commentaries: NICE changes guidelines on asthma – PharmaTimes (free) AND NICE releases the latest asthma management standards – News Medical (free)
2 – The potential impact of food taxes and subsidies on cardiovascular disease and diabetes burden and disparities in the United States – BMC Medicine (free) (via @ArsenaultBenoit)
Related Guideline: Fiscal policies for diet and the prevention of noncommunicable diseases – World Health Organization (free)
Related articles: Reducing US cardiovascular disease burden and disparities through national and targeted dietary policies: A modelling study – PLOS Medicine (free) AND Taxes and Subsidies for Improving Diet and Population Health in Australia: A Cost-Effectiveness Modelling Study – PLOS Medicine (free) AND Policy lessons from health taxes: a systematic review of empirical studies – BMC Public Health (free)
3 – Association Between Wait Time and 30-Day Mortality in Adults Undergoing Hip Fracture Surgery – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Delaying Surgery for Hip Fracture for More Than One Day Associated with Small Increased Risk of Death – The JAMA Network (free) AND Delaying Hip Fracture Surgery for 1 Day Tied to Higher Mortality Risk – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Emergency Hip Surgery Best Done Within 24 Hours – Medscape (free registration required)
4 – Gene Therapy Shows Promise For A Growing List Of Diseases – NPR (free)
5 – A three-talk model for shared decision making: multistage consultation process – The BMJ (free)
Commentary: Immediate ART treatment improves retention rates – Boston University School of Medicine (free)
“The European Atlas of Cardiology brings together data from 56 countries to demonstrate the prevalence and cost of cardiovascular disease, and the need to utilise resources more effectively” (RT @OUPMedicine see Tweet)
9 – Computerised decision support can improve antibiotic prescribing in hospitals – NIHR Signal (free)
Original Article: The effectiveness of computerised decision support on antibiotic use in hospitals: A systematic review – PLOS One (free)
10 – Palliative Care Eligibility, Symptom Burden, and Quality-of-Life Ratings in Nursing Home Residents – JAMA Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Nursing home residents eligible for palliative care often don’t get it – Reuters (free) AND Most nursing home residents eligible for palliative care but lack access – MedicalXpress (free)
Wed, November 29 – 10 Stories of The Day!
29 Nov, 2017 | 00:59h | UTC
1 – World Malaria Report 2017 – World Health Organization (free)
News release: Global response to malaria at crossroads (free)
“After unprecedented global success in malaria control, progress has stalled”
2 – Effect of Oral Capsule– vs Colonoscopy-Delivered Fecal Microbiota Transplantation on Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection: A Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Comparison of Fecal Transplant Using Capsule vs Colonoscopy to Prevent Clostridium Difficile Infection – The JAMA Network (free) AND New evidence suggests there’s a much easier way to get a fecal transplant – Quartz (free) AND Fecal transplant by capsule may match colonoscopy for C diff – CIDRAP (free)
Related: Faecal transplant effectively treats recurrent or unresponsive Clostridium difficile – NIHR Signal (free)
Commentary: Comparison of Oral Anticoagulants for Preventing Stroke in AF – MPR (free)
4 – The Value-Based Payment Modifier: Program Outcomes and Implications for Disparities – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Pay-for-performance fails to perform – Harvard Medical School, via ScienceDaily (free)
Related: The Effects of Pay-for-Performance Programs on Health, Health Care Use, and Processes of Care: A Systematic Review – Annals of Internal Medicine (free) AND Value-Based Purchasing: Time for Reboot or Time to Move On? by Ashish K. Jha, MD – The JAMA Forum (free)
5 – Tens of thousands dying from $30 billion fake drugs trade, WHO says – Reuters Health (free)
Related: About 11 percent of drugs in poor countries are fake, U.N. says – Associated Press (free)
6 – Five ways to fix statistics – Nature (free)
“As debate rumbles on about how and how much poor statistics is to blame for poor reproducibility, Nature asked influential statisticians to recommend one change to improve science. The common theme? The problem is not our maths, but ourselves”.
7 – Richard Lehman’s journal review, 27 November 2017 – The BMJ Opinion (free)
Richard Lehman reviews the latest research in the top medical journals.
9 – Long-term effects of glucocorticoids on function, quality of life, and survival in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a prospective cohort study – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Glucocorticoids offer long-term benefits for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy – Children’s National Health System, via ScienceDaily (free)
10 – Aerobic exercise moderately reduces depressive symptoms in new mothers – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article: Does aerobic exercise reduce postpartum depressive symptoms? a systematic review and meta-analysis – British Journal of General Practice (free)
“Involving new mothers in group exercise programmes, or advising them on an exercise of their choice, reduced depressive symptoms compared with usual care” (RT @NIHR_DC see Tweet)
Tue, November 28 – 10 Stories of The Day!
28 Nov, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC
Commentaries: New HIV guideline outlines cost-effective prevention strategies for high-risk people – ScienceDaily (free)
Related Free Online Course (Starts Dec 04): PrEParing: PrEP for Providers and Patients – Johns Hopkins University and Coursera
Related guidance: WHO implementation tool for pre-exposure prophylaxis of HIV infection (free) AND Summary: WHO implementation tool for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) of HIV infection (free)
News Release: ACC’s Innovation Roadmap Provides Framework for Future of Care Delivery (free)
Summary with key points to remember: ACC Statement on Transforming Cardiovascular Care Through Innovation (free)
Commentary: How Common Are New Cancers in Cancer Survivors? – The JAMA Network (free) AND New cancers common in cancer survivors – OnMedica (free)
Commentaries: Young people oppose Fitbits in schools – The Conversation (free) AND Activity Trackers Don’t Always Work the Way We Want Them To – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free) AND Fashionable FitBits discourage young teens from exercising, study finds – MedicalXpress (free)
6 – Sinusitis Mimics: ED-relevant pearls and pitfalls – emDocs (free)
7 – Adherence to a Healthy Lifestyle is Associated With a Lower Risk of Diverticulitis among Men – American Journal of Gastroenterology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Unhealthy lifestyle may cause half of diverticulitis cases – Reuters (free)
8 – Does contrast cause kidney injury? The evidence – First10EM (free)
9 – SACN-COT statements on potassium-based sodium replacers – Public Health England (free)
Commentary: Experts urge use of salt alternative in food products – The Guardian (free)
10 – Faecal transplant effectively treats recurrent or unresponsive Clostridium difficile – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article: Systematic review with meta-analysis: the efficacy of faecal microbiota transplantation for the treatment of recurrent and refractory Clostridium difficile infection – Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Mon, November 27 – 10 Stories of The Day!
27 Nov, 2017 | 01:28h | UTC
1 – Management of tricuspid valve regurgitation: Position statement of the European Society of Cardiology Working Groups of Cardiovascular Surgery and Valvular Heart Disease – European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (free) (via @rafavidalperez)
Editorial: Mass Administration of Ivermectin in Areas Where Loa loa Is Endemic (free)
Quick Take Video Summary: Point-of-Care Loa loa Testing for Onchocerciasis Control (free)
“Low dose aspirin does not increase time to healing of venous leg ulcers, percentage healed, estimated change in venous leg ulcer area, or change in health related quality of life”.
Commentaries: Understanding AVATAR therapy: who, or what, is changing? – The Lancet Psychiatry (free) AND Avatars can help schizophrenia patients control threatening voices – Reuters (free) Avatar therapy ‘reduces power of schizophrenia voices’ – BBC (free)
5 – Cause-specific mortality for 249 causes in Brazil and states during 1990–2015: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2015 – Population Health Metrics (free) (via @PauloLotufo)
6 – Medical News & Perspectives: Loneliness Might Be a Killer, but What’s the Best Way to Protect Against It? – JAMA (free)
Commentary: How Do We Prevent Loneliness? – Made in America (free)
7 – Blood pressure self-monitoring works best when people are well-supported – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article: Self-monitoring of blood pressure in hypertension: a meta-analysis – PLOS Medicine (free)
8 – Prolonged Infusion Piperacillin-Tazobactam Decreases Mortality and Improves Outcomes in Severely Ill Patients: Results of a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis – Critical Care Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Source: ACP Journal Wise ($)
“Receipt of prolonged infusion of piperacillin-tazobactam was associated with reduced mortality and improved clinical cure rates across diverse cohorts of severely ill patients”.
Commentaries: Long-Term Safety of Glucocorticoids in Patients with Early Rheumatoid Arthritis – Journal Watch (free) AND Long-term Low-dose Steroids OK in Early RA – MedPage Today (free registration required)
“Long-Term Safety of Glucocorticoids in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis. Stopping steroids completely is difficult in patients whose disease flares with tapering, but low-dose levels are relatively safe” (RT @JWatch see Tweet)
10 – Blood Pressure Status in Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer: A Report from the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study – Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer Are More Likely to Develop High Blood Pressure – American Association for Cancer Research (free) AND Childhood cancer survivors 70% likely to develop hypertension as adults – Cardiovascular Business (free)
Related Guideline: Prevention and Monitoring of Cardiac Dysfunction in Survivors of Adult Cancers: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline (free)
Fri, November 24 – 10 Stories of The Day!
24 Nov, 2017 | 04:35h | UTC
1 – Living systematic review series published in Journal of Clinical Epidemiology (free articles)
– News Release – Cochrane Community (free)
– Living systematic review: 1. Introduction—the why, what, when, and how (free)
– Living systematic reviews: 2. Combining human and machine effort (free)
– Living systematic reviews: 3. Statistical methods for updating meta-analyses (free)
– Living systematic reviews: 4. Living guideline recommendations (free)
See also Cochrane Community Page on Living Systematic Reviews with updates and resources
“Living Systematic Reviews are future of all Reviews” (RT @PaulGlasziou see Tweet)
Commentaries: Higher thyroid hormone levels associated with artery disease and death – AHA/ASA Newsroom (free) AND High Thyroid-Hormone Levels Linked to Increased CVD Mortality – Medscape (free registration required)
Commentary: Updated International Guidelines for Ventilation During CPR – Journal Watch (free)
“OFID: Despite guidelines, continued overtreatment of patients with positive urine cultures but no symptoms” (RT @IDSAInfo see Tweet)
Commentaries: Four clinical signs can improve GP pneumonia diagnosis, finds study – Pulse (free) AND Four simple tests could help GPs spot pneumonia and reduce unnecessary antibiotics – European Lung Fundation, via EurekAlert (free)
6 – Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Comparing the Efficacy of Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs, Opioids, and Paracetamol in the Treatment of Acute Renal Colic – European Urology (free) (via @KariTikkinen and @EUplatinum)
“In kidney stone–related acute pain episodes in patients with adequate renal function, treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs offers effective and most sustained pain relief, with fewer side effects, when compared with opioids or paracetamol”.
8 – Point-of-use fortification of foods with micronutrient powders containing iron in children of preschool and school-age – Cochrane Library (link to summary – $ for full-text)
“Powdered vitamins and minerals added to foods at the point-of-use reduces anaemia and iron deficiency in preschool- and school-age children”.
10 – Comprehensive assessment when older people are in hospital improves their chances of getting home and living independently – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article: Comprehensive geriatric assessment for older adults admitted to hospital – Cochrane Library (free summary – $ for full-text) AND News Release: Comprehensive geriatric assessment for older adults admitted to hospital (free)
“Comprehensive assessment when older people are in hospital improves their chances of getting home and living independently” (RT @NIHR_DC see Tweet)
Wed, November 22 – 10 Stories of The Day!
22 Nov, 2017 | 01:36h | UTC
Editorial: No benefit of arthroscopy in subacromial shoulder pain (free)
Commentaries: Common shoulder surgery may offer little pain relief – OnMedica (free) AND Is a common shoulder surgery useless? – MedicalXpress (free) AND Popular Surgery To Ease Chronic Shoulder Pain Called Into Question – NPR (free)
Commentaries: ACP, CDC issue best practice advice on HBV – ACP Internist (free) AND CDC, ACP Offer Joint Guidance on Hepatitis B Vaccination and Screening – Physician’s First Watch (free)
Editorial: Leaving Tiny, Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms Untreated: Why Is It So Hard? (free)
4 – Association of Hormonal Contraception With Suicide Attempts and Suicides – American Journal of Psychiatry (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Hormonal Contraception May Increase Risk of Suicide, Study Suggests – Psychiatric News Alert (free) AND Oral Contraceptives Linked to Suicide – Medscape (free registration required)
5 – 2017 SEOM clinical guideline for treatment of cancer pain – Clinical and Translational Oncology (free)
Commentaries: Cancer: 42 percent of cases down to risk factors you can change – Medical News Today (free) AND Preventable Cancer Estimate Reaches 40% – MedPage Today (free registration required)
7 – New Choosing Wisely Canada list: Six Things Pharmacists and Patients Should Question (RT @CPhAAPhC see Tweet)
See more on the Choosing Wisely initiative in our April 5 issue (see #6)
Related algorithm: Antihyperglycemic deprescribing algorithm (free PDF)
See also other Deprescribing Guidelines and Algorithms (free resources)
Related: CheXNet: Radiologist-Level Pneumonia Detection on Chest X-Rays with Deep Learning – Stanford ML Group (free)
Invited Commentary: Gestational Hypertension and Diabetes—A Major Public Health Concern (free)
Commentaries: Pregnancy-related conditions taken together leave moms — and dads — at risk – McGill University Health Centre, via EurekAlert (free) AND Gestational Diabetes and Hypertension = Huge Risk for Later Disease – Medscape (free registration required)
Thu, November 23 – 10 Stories of The Day!
23 Nov, 2017 | 03:42h | UTC
1 – Children, Adolescents and Screens: What We Know and What We Need To Learn – Pediatrics Supplement (free articles)
– Digital Screen Media and Cognitive Development
– Media Multitasking and Cognitive, Psychological, Neural, and Learning Differences
– Benefits and Costs of Social Media in Adolescence
– Digital Life and Youth Well-being, Social Connectedness, Empathy, and Narcissism
– Digital Media, Anxiety, and Depression in Children
– Internet Gaming Disorder in Children and Adolescents
– Virtual Reality in Pediatric Psychology
– Digital Media and Sleep in Childhood and Adolescence
– Screen Media Exposure and Obesity in Children and Adolescents
– Digital Media and Risks for Adolescent Substance Abuse and Problematic Gambling
– Small Screen Use and Driving Safety
– Children’s Privacy in the Big Data Era: Research Opportunities
– Developing Digital and Media Literacies in Children and Adolescents
– Digital Media, Participatory Politics, and Positive Youth Development
– Digital Inequality and Developmental Trajectories of Low-income, Immigrant, and Minority Children
– Global Perspectives on Children’s Digital Opportunities: An Emerging Research and Policy Agenda
– Screen Violence and Youth Behavior
– The Effect of Advertising on Children and Adolescents
– Social Group Stories in the Media and Child Development
– Sexual Media and Childhood Well-being and Health
“Initial combination therapy can be recommended for patients with BP >150/95 mm Hg”
Editorial: Coffee gets a clean bill of health (free)
Commentaries: Moderate coffee drinking ‘more likely to benefit health than to harm it’ say experts – The BMJ, via EurekAlert (free) AND Coffee: No Harm, No Foul If Only 4 Cups Daily – MedPage Today (free registration required)
4 – Oxygen therapy for acute myocardial infarction: A systematic review and meta-analysis – International Journal of Nursing Studies (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Source: Supplemental Oxygen Is Associated with Excess Risk for Recurrent Myocardial Infarction – Journal Watch ($)
See related article – “Oxygen Therapy in Suspected Acute Myocardial Infarction” – and commentaries in our August 29th issue (see #1)
“Supplemental Oxygen Associated w/ Excess Risk for Recurrent Myocardial Infarction. It’s time to stop the free flow of oxygen when not absolutely needed” (RT @JWatch see Tweet)
6 – Richard Smith: How might artificial intelligence improve healthcare? – The BMJ Opinion (free)
7 – Counting the costs: U.S. hospitals feeling the pain of physician burnout – Reuters (free)
Commentaries: What The Industry Knew About Sugar’s Health Effects, But Didn’t Tell Us – NPR (free) AND Sugar Industry Long Downplayed Potential Harms – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free) AND Big Sugar Buried These Concerning Health Studies 50 Years Ago – ScienceAlerts (free) AND Sugar Industry Suppressed Evidence of Health Risks of Sucrose – UC San Francisco (free)
9 – As Malaria Resists Treatment, Experts Warn of Global Crisis – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
10 – Effects of Sodium Reduction and the DASH Diet in Relation to Baseline Blood Pressure – Journal of The American College of Cardiology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: DASH Diet, Sodium, and Baseline Blood Pressure – Latest in Cardiology, American College of Cardiology (free) AND Big BP Reductions When DASH Diet Combined With Low Sodium Intake – TCTMD (free)
Tue, November 21 – 10 Stories of The Day!
21 Nov, 2017 | 00:21h | UTC
1 – Development and validation of QDiabetes-2018 risk prediction algorithm to estimate future risk of type 2 diabetes: cohort study – The BMJ (free) (RT @JuliaHCox see Tweet)
See QDiabetes 2018 risk calculator (free)
2 – Clinical Guidelines Synopsis: Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults – JAMA (free)
Editorial: The New 2017 ACC/AHA Guidelines “Up the Pressure” on Diagnosis and Treatment of Hypertension (free)
Related Viewpoint: The 2017 Clinical Practice Guideline for High Blood Pressure (free)
See original AHA/ACC Hypertension Guidelines and related resources in our November 13th issue (see #1)
3 – Policy Statement: Stigma Experienced by Children and Adolescents With Obesity – American Academy of Pediatrics (free)
News release: The AAP and the Obesity Society Address the Social and Emotional Impact of Weight Stigma on Children and Teens (free)
Commentaries: Help obese kids avoid weight stigma, doctors advise – Reuters (free) AND How Not to Talk to a Child Who Is Overweight – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Commentary: Stillbirth risk doubled in women sleeping on their back – OnMedica (free) AND Women advised to sleep on side to help prevent stillbirth – BBC (free)
5 – Direct medical costs of motorcycle crashes in Ontario – Canadian Medical Association Journal (free)
Commentaries: Motorcycle crashes cause 5 times as many deaths as car accidents, 6 times the health costs – CMAJ, via EurekAlert (free) AND Motorcycle crashes are alarmingly common — and incredibly costly – STAT (free)
6 – Elimination of schistosomiasis: the tools required – Infectious Diseases of Poverty (free)
7 – Current and new challenges in occupational lung diseases – European Respiratory Review (free)
8 – Richard Lehman’s journal review, 20 November 2017 – The BMJ (free)
Richard Lehman reviews the latest research in the top medical journals.
Related article: Guideline for opioid therapy and chronic noncancer pain – Canadian Medical Association Journal (free)
Fri, November 17 – 10 Stories of The Day!
17 Nov, 2017 | 01:21h | UTC
1 – Exploring Attributes of High-Value Primary Care – Annals of Family Medicine (free)
Commentaries: Lower cost, higher quality primary care practices are distinguished by six attributes – American Academy of Family Physicians, via ScienceDaily (free) AND Identifying ‘high-value’ practices in primary care; a Stanford study pinpoints key attributes – Stanford Medicine (free)
2 – Critical Lessons From High-Value Oncology Practices – JAMA Oncology (free)
Editorial: Strategies to Achieve High-Value Oncology Care: A Beginning (free)
Audio interview: Critical Lessons From High-Value Oncology Practices (free)
Commentary: High-Value Cancer Care Keeps Costs Down? Yes, It’s Possible! – Medscape (free registration required) AND High-value oncology practices include “support for the patient journey” – Stanford Medicine (free)
3 – Changing Health Care Compensation by Rewarding Value-Based Outcomes – NEJM Catalyst (free)
Commentaries: Can brain training reduce dementia risk? Despite new research, the jury is still out – The Guardian (free) AND Nonpharma Intervention Cuts Dementia Risk by a Third – Medscape (free registration required) AND Dementia breakthrough? Brain-training game ‘significantly reduces risk’ – Medical News Today (free)
“There are good reasons to be cautious about a new study claiming computer-based training can reduce the risk of dementia. But what does work?” (from The Guardian).
“High risk NSTEMI undergoing cath within 12 hours had lower risk of death and MI at 180 days” (RT @CircAHA see Tweet)
Original article: Payments by US pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers to US medical journal editors: retrospective observational study – The BMJ (free)
7 – Review: Undernutrition and severe acute malnutrition in children – The BMJ (free)
Infographic: Screening and referring children under 5 years old with acute undernutrition (free PDF)
8 – Review: Diabetic foot – The BMJ (free)
Infographic: A visual overview of the primary care assessment and monitoring of a diabetic foot (free PDF)
9 – Review of Strategies to Reduce Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI) and Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) in Adult ICUs – Journal of Hospital Medicine (free) (via @brhospitalist)
10 – Simple steps help prevent ICU delirium – ACP Hospitalist (free)