TOP 10 Medical News Stories
Fri, June 30 – 10 Stories of The Day!
30 Jun, 2017 | 00:34h | UTC
1 – Interventions 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.
2 – Comparison of Outcome of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Versus Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation for Non–ST-Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome – The American Journal of Cardiology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Source: EvidenceAlerts
In patients with Non–ST-Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome and left main or multivessel CAD, CABG significantly reduced the risk of death from any causes, myocardial infarction, or stroke compared with PCI with drug-eluting stents.
3 – A Placebo-Controlled Trial of Antibiotics for Smaller Skin Abscesses – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Adding Antibiotics to Incision-and-Drainage of Small Skin Abscesses Helps – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Antibiotics Improve Short-Term Outcomes for Simple Abscesses – Medscape (free registration required) AND Study finds benefit for antibiotic treatment of simple skin wounds – CIDRAP (free)
4 – Air Pollution and Mortality in the Medicare Population – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Quick Take Video Summary: Air Pollution and Mortality (free)
Editorial: Air Pollution Still Kills (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
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)
5 – Childhood 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)
6 – Is the staggeringly profitable business of scientific publishing bad for science? – The Guardian (free)
“Interesting long read” (RT @CochraneUK see Tweet)
7 – Precision Medicine: the Promise vs. the Reality – Michigan University Health Lab (free) (RT @pash22)
“Scientists find great potential in using genetic sequencing to help direct targeted cancer therapy, but practicing oncologists see some important limitations”.
8 – Clinical Review: Update on anti-tumor necrosis factor agents and other new drugs for inflammatory bowel disease – The BMJ (free)
9 – Editorial: Clinical effects of antivirals for hepatitis C: context is critical – The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology (free)
Original Cochrane review: Direct-acting antivirals for chronic hepatitis C – Cochrane Library (link to summary – $ for full-text)
Commentary in The Guardian: ‘Miracle’ hepatitis C drugs costing £30k per patient ‘may have no clinical effect’ (free)
“Presence of nucleated RBCs is a robust predictor of post-discharge mortality and unplanned hospital readmission” (RT @Crit_Care see Tweet)
Thu, June 29 – 10 Stories of The Day!
29 Jun, 2017 | 00:38h | UTC
Commentaries: Cardiovascular disease causes one-third of deaths worldwide – American College of Cardiology, via EurekAlert (free) AND Global Cardiovascular Disease Burden – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free)
Commentaries: Aspirin reduces risk of pre-eclampsia in pregnant women – University of Exeter, via Science Daily (free) AND Daily Aspirin Cuts Preterm Preeclampsia in High-Risk Women – MedPage Today (free registration required)
3 – Free 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”.
4 – The 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)
5 – The 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 #3)
“The upside (and downside) of prostate cancer screening” (RT @NYTHealth see Tweet)
6 – Stopping Pandemics Before They Start – New York Times (10 articles per month are free) (RT @wellcometrust see Tweet)
7 – Moisturisers improve eczema symptoms and lessen the need for corticosteroids – NIHR Signal (free)
Original Article: Emollients and moisturisers for eczema – Cochrane Library (link to summary – $ for full-text)
8 – A 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”.
9 – Cardiovascular Testing and Clinical Outcomes in Emergency Department Patients With Chest Pain – JAMA Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Cardiac Tests in ED Patients Not Tied to Better Outcomes – Medscape (free registration required) AND Cardiac Testing for Slight ACS Risk Just Means More Procedures – MedPage Today (free registration required) AND Cardiac Testing in Emergency Room Chest Pain Patients – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free)
10 – Trial of Electrical Direct-Current Therapy versus Escitalopram for Depression – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: A New Brain-Stimulation Treatment Disappoints – Physician’s First Watch (free)
“For depression, new transcranial direct current stimulation treatment is not as effective as escitalopram” (RT @JWatch see Tweet)
Wed, June 28 – 10 Stories of The Day!
28 Jun, 2017 | 00:44h | UTC
1 – Asthma self-management programmes can reduce unscheduled care – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article: Systematic meta-review of supported self-management for asthma: a healthcare perspective – BMC Medicine (free)
2 – The 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)
Commentaries: 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) AND Whole-genome sequencing finds rare genetic disease risk in 1 of 5 healthy adults – ACP Internist Weekly (free)
“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)
3 – Blinding: A detailed guide for students – Students 4 Best Evidence (free)
“New @Students4BE blog: Saul provides a detailed overview of ‘blinding’ in RCTs. What is it & why is it important?” (RT @CochraneUK see Tweet)
Commentary: OB/GYN Group Revises Breast Screening Recommendations for Average-Risk Women Physician’s First Watch (free)
Related guideline with a more conservative approach: Breast Cancer: Screening – U.S.Preventive Services Task Force (free)
News release: Ob-Gyn Awareness of Sex Workers’ Health Risks During Routine Visits is Essential (free)
Commentary: Group Offers Guidance on Screening for Female Sex Workers – Physician’s First Watch (free)
6 – Tamiflu: an expensive lesson in panic stockpiling – Dr Justin Coleman Blog (RT @pash22 see Tweet)
7 – WHO guidelines on ethical issues in public health surveillance – World Health Organization (free)
Commentary: Ethics of public health surveillance: new guidelines – The Lancet Public Health (free)
“Public health surveillance: privacy, autonomy, equity, common good need to be balanced. New ethics guidelines” (RT @trished see Tweet)
8 – Report: Preventing Cognitive Decline and Dementia: A Way Forward – The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (free PDF)
Commentaries: When it comes to preventing dementia, not much is proved to work, says expert committee – STAT News (free) AND National Academies Committee Sees Promising but Inconclusive Evidence on Interventions to Prevent Cognitive Decline, Dementia – National Institute on Aging (free)
Editorial: Cosmetics, Regulations, and the Public Health – Understanding the Safety of Medical and Other Products (free)
The JAMA Network – For the Media: How Many Adverse Events Are Reported to FDA for Cosmetics, Personal Care? (free)
Commentaries: More Health Problems Reported With Hair And Skin Care Products – NPR (free) AND The Hidden Dangers of Makeup and Shampoo – TIME (a few articles per month are free)
Tue, June 27 – 10 Stories of The Day!
27 Jun, 2017 | 00:50h | UTC
Commentary: Update on the Statement on Brain AVMs: Despite New Data, Questions Still Unanswered (free)
Top Ten Things to Know: Management of Brain Arteriovenous Malformations (free PDF)
Slide Set: Management of Brain Arteriovenous Malformations (free PDF)
Original article: 2016 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) consensus guidelines: Surgical treatment of infective endocarditis: Executive summary (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Source: EvidenceAlerts (free resource to find articles of interest)
In this meta-analysis including 19 randomized trials, probiotics given within 2 days of the first antibiotic dose (more effective than if started later) reduced the risk of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) by >50% in hospitalized adults. 1 case of CDI would be prevented for every 23−144 patients treated with probiotics when antibiotics are started. “There was no convincing evidence of superior efficacy for any of the tested probiotic formulations, delivery methods (drink or capsule), or probiotic doses”.
4 – A Meta-analysis of the Impact of Aspirin, Clopidogrel, and Dual Antiplatelet Therapy on Bleeding Complications in Noncardiac Surgery – Annals of Surgery (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Source: EvidenceAlerts (free resource to find articles of interest)
“Antiplatelet therapy at the time of noncardiac surgery confers minimal bleeding risk with no difference in thrombotic complications. In many cases, it is safe to continue antiplatelet therapy in patients with important indications for their use”
5 – Policy lessons from health taxes: a systematic review of empirical studies – BMC Public Health (free)
Related: Proper debate on sugar tax needed in fight against obesity and diabetes – The AGE (free)
See more on Fiscal policies for the prevention of diseases in our June 8th issue (see #4) and in our April 20th issue (see #1)
“91 studies on health taxes show they change consumption: a systematic review of empirical studies” (RT @BoydSwinburn see Tweet)
6 – New Choosing Wisely Canada List: Respiratory medicine: Six things physicians and patients should question (free) (RT @ChooseWiselyCA see Tweet)
See more on the Choosing Wisely initiative in our April 5 issue, see #6.
7 – Richard Lehman’s journal review, 26 June 2017 – The BMJ Blogs (free)
Reviews on the latest research in the top medical journals.
8 – Better Medicine – Shared decisions, best evidence – The BMJ
Related article: Overdiagnosis and overtreatment: generalists — it’s time for a grassroots revolution (free)
“This Better Medicine resource page builds on the work of The BMJ’s Too Much Medicine initiative and the overdiagnosis group of the RCGP in helping health professionals worldwide to share knowledge with patients and jointly make better informed choices about their care”.
9 – Chinese courts call for death penalty for researchers who commit fraud – STAT News (free)
Related: China cracks down on fake data in drug trials – Nature (free)
10 – Viewpoint: Contact Precautions for Endemic MRSA and VRE: Time to Retire Legal Mandates – JAMA (free)
“Contact precautions are easy to use with a single patient, but burdensome when applied to an entire hospital” (RT @JAMA_current see Tweet)
This viewpoint suggests a more selective use of contact precautions for the control of endemic pathogens.
Mon, June 26 – 10 Stories of The Day!
26 Jun, 2017 | 00:03h | UTC
1 – ACG and CAG Clinical Guideline: Management of Dyspepsia – American College of Gastroenterology and Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (free PDF)
3 – Heart Rate and Rhythm and the Benefit of Beta-Blockers in Patients With Heart Failure – Journal of the American College of Cardiology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Do mortality rates differ according to baseline heart rates for those taking beta-blockers? – Cardiovascular Business (free) AND Heart Rate and Rhythm and the Benefit of Beta-Blockers in Patients With Heart Failure – PracticeUpdate (free registration required)
“In HFrEF, beta blockers reduce mortality – but only for those in sinus rhythm says new work in JACC” (RT @JACCJournals see Tweet)
4 – Time-to-Furosemide Treatment and Mortality in Patients Hospitalized With Acute Heart Failure – Journal of the American College of Cardiology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Door-to-Furosemide Time in Acute Heart Failure – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free) AND The Door-to-Lasix Quality Measure – Emergency Medicine Literature of Note (free)
“God help us if this sort of observational data leads to “door to furosemide time” being adopted as a quality measure” (RT @adamcifu see Tweet)
5 – KDIGO 2017 Clinical Practice Guideline Update for the Diagnosis, Evaluation, Prevention, and Treatment of Chronic Kidney Disease–Mineral and Bone Disorder (CKD-MBD) (free PDF) (RT @goKDIGO see Tweet)
Executive summary: 2017 KDIGO Chronic Kidney Disease–Mineral and Bone Disorder (CKD-MBD) Guideline Update: what’s changed and why it matters (free PDF)
News release and available resources: CKD-Mineral and Bone Disorder (CKD-MBD) (free)
6 – Effect of Nebulized Hypertonic Saline Treatment in Emergency Departments on the Hospitalization Rate for Acute Bronchiolitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA Pediatrics (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Source: No Benefit of Nebulized Hypertonic Saline for Acute Bronchiolitis – Journal Watch ($ resource to find articles of interest)
Hypertonic saline clearly does not have any benefit for bronchiolitis (RT @JAMAPeds see Tweet)
7 – Special Issue – Homepage: Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain & Ireland (ACPGBI): Guidelines for the Management of Cancer of the Colon, Rectum and Anus (2017)
1 – Introduction (free)
2 – Diagnosis, Investigations and Screening (free)
3 – Surgical Management (free)
4 – Multidisciplinary Management (free)
5 – Follow Up, Lifestyle and Survivorship (free)
6 – Audit and Outcome Reporting (free)
7 – Pathology Standards and Datasets (free)
8 – Anal Cancer (free)
8 – Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs Regarding Cardiovascular Disease in Women: The Women’s Heart Alliance – Journal of the American College of Cardiology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Women and Heart Disease: New Data Reaffirm Lack of Awareness By Women and Physicians – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free) AND Women’s CV Risk Underestimated, Underassessed – MedPage Today (free registration required) AND Greater emphasis on preventing, treating heart disease in women needed – American College of Cardiology, via EurekAlert (free)
Related guidelines: Preventing and Experiencing Ischemic Heart Disease as a Woman: State of the Science: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association (free) AND Acute Myocardial Infarction in Women: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association (free)
Women continue to underestimate their risk of cardiovascular disease.
9 – Host and viral traits predict zoonotic spillover from mammals – Nature (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Spillover Beasts: Which Animals Pose The Biggest Viral Risk? – NPR Goats and Soda (free) (RT @NPRGoatsandSoda see Tweet with interesting illustration) AND Bats Are the Number-One Carriers of Disease – TIME Health (free) AND Where in the world will the next emerging disease appear? – CNN (free text and video) AND Bats really do harbor more dangerous viruses than other species – Science (free) AND Whence new plagues? – The Economist (a few articles per month are free)
“The majority of human emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, with viruses that originate in wild mammals of particular concern”
10 – News release: Latest health evidence shows that making changes to diet, physical activity and behaviour may reduce obesity in children and adolescents – Cochrane Library (free)
Review 1: Diet, physical activity and behavioural interventions for the treatment of overweight or obese children from the age of 6 to 11 years (link to summary – $ for full-text)
Review 2: Diet, physical activity and behavioural interventions for the treatment of overweight or obese adolescents aged 12 to 17 years (link to summary – $ for full-text)
Commentary: What’s the best way for children to lose weight? Here’s what the research says – The Conversation (free)
Fri, June 23 – 10 Stories of The Day!
23 Jun, 2017 | 00:34h | UTC
1 – WHO Framework on integrated people-centered health services (free resources)
Video: WHO – What is people-centered care? And why does it matter? Our new video explains! (free) (RT @WHO see Tweet)
“Integrated people-centered health services means putting the comprehensive needs of people and communities, not only diseases, at the center of health systems, and empowering people to have a more active role in their own health”.
2 – Cluster-Randomized, Crossover Trial of Head Positioning in Acute Stroke – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Quick Take Video Summary: The Head Position in Stroke Trial (free)
Commentary: Head Positioning During Early Stroke Treatment Apparently Doesn’t Affect Outcome – Physician’s First Watch (free)
3 – Review: Radiation Associated Cardiac Disease – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free)
Related Guidelines and Reviews: Prevention and Monitoring of Cardiac Dysfunction in Survivors of Adult Cancers: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline (free) AND 2016 ESC Position Paper on cancer treatments and cardiovascular toxicity developed under the auspices of the ESC Committee for Practice Guidelines (free) AND Canadian Cardiovascular Society Guidelines for Evaluation and Management of Cardiovascular Complications of Cancer Therapy (free) AND Cardiotoxicity of anticancer treatments: Epidemiology, detection, and management – CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians (free)
4 – Why We Overrate the Lifesaving Power of Cancer Tests – Scientific American (free) (RT @EricTopol see Tweet)
Invited commentary: Every breath you take… (free)
Commentary: CPAP improves respiratory and survival rates in children in Ghana – Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, via EurekAlert (free)
Commentaries: Mother’s heart health tied to breastfeeding – Reuters Health (free) Does breastfeeding prevent heart disease and strokes? – STAT News (free) AND Breastfeeding could help a mother’s heart – in more ways than you think – American Heart Association News (free)
Observational data suggests there may be a protective effect.
7 – Cardiopulmonary resuscitation – 30:2 or just keep going? – by Scott Munro, in Evidently Cochrane (free) (RT @NIHR_DC see Tweet)
“Untrained bystander CPR had better outcomes when given telephone advice from EMS services to perform continuous CPR, rather than interrupted CPR with rescue breaths”. For trained EMS professionals, “it is possible that there is little or no difference between the two approaches”.
8 – An update on Zika virus infection – The Lancet (free registration required)
“Update on Zika virus infection (2017): review focuses on important updates & gaps in the knowledge” (RT @TheLancet see Tweet)
10 – Acupuncture for analgesia in the emergency department: a multicentre, randomised, equivalence and non-inferiority trial – Medical Journal of Australia (link to abstract – Free PDF here) (RT @theMJA see Tweet)
Author commentaries: Emergency doctors are using acupuncture to treat pain, now here’s the evidence – The Conversation (free)
Positive commentaries: Acupuncture Found to Be an Effective Analgesia Option in ER – PracticeUpdate (free registration required) AND Acupuncture relieves pain in emergency patients: Study – RMIT University, via ScienceDaily (free)
“Not so fast” commentaries: Acupuncture in the ER: No, study did not prove it was ‘safe and effective’ – HealthNewsReview (free) AND A skeptical look at a study of acupuncture delivered in emergency rooms, by James C Coyne (free)
Thu, June 22 – 10 Stories of The Day!
22 Jun, 2017 | 00:07h | UTC
1 – Every Newborn Action Plan – World Health Organization (free) (RT @WHO see Tweet with infographic)
Related report from UK: Each Baby Counts – Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (free PDF) Each Baby Counts Homepage (free resources) AND Reducing baby deaths and brain injuries during childbirth – BBC News (free)
Every year, 2.7 million babies die in the first 28 days of life. 75% of these deaths are preventable.
2 – WHO bids goodbye to Dr Chan and celebrates her achievements – World Health Organization (Source: WHO Newsletter)
Report 1: Ten years of transformation: Making WHO fit for purpose in the 21st century (free)
Report 2: Ten years in public health 2007-2017 (free)
Report 3: Healthier, fairer, safer: the global health journey 2007–2017 (free)
Related: My decade leading the WHO: dirty fights and steps toward universal coverage – by By Margaret Chan, Via STAT News (free)
“As Dr Margaret Chan’s term as Director-General of WHO comes to an end, we’d like to share some of the successes, setbacks and enduring challenges of the past decade in global public health.”
3 – Your vitamin D tests and supplements are probably a waste of money – VOX (free)
Related: Why Are So Many People Popping Vitamin D? – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
“Screening for vitamin D has exploded — with no good evidence that it helps people.”
4 – Performance Improvement: Phenytoin Toxicity – JAMA (free)
Interesting case of medication error and prevention of subsequent adverse events (RT @JAMA_current see Tweet)
5 – Obstetrics and Gynaecology: Ten Things Physicians and Patients Should Question – Choosing Wisely (free) (RT @ChooseWiselyCA see Tweet)
“New Choosing Wisely recommendations list! @SOGCorg identifies 10 tests, treatments to question in obstetrics and gynecology”
6 – 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, and legal, PDF via Unpawall)
Commentary: New ultrasound scoring system for thyroid nodules to reduce unnecessary biopsies – University of Alabama at Birmingham, via EurekAlert (free)
7 – Harnessing the Power of Data in Health – Stanford Medicine 2017 Health Trends Report (free PDF)
News release: Stanford Medicine launches health care trends report (free)
“Stanford Medicine launches report on health care trends” (RT @StanfordMed see Tweet)
8 – A medicine review is about stopping medicine as much as it is about prescribing – Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (free) (RT @MaryanneDemasi see Tweet)
Original report: The Challenge of Polypharmacy: From Rhetoric to Reality – Royal Pharmaceutical Society and Royal College of General Practitioners Partnership (free PDF)
Related: Current and future perspectives on the management of polypharmacy – BMC Family Practice (free)
9 – Is aircraft noise exposure associated with cardiovascular disease and hypertension? Results from a cohort study in Athens, Greece – Occupational and Environmental Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Noise May Raise Blood Pressure Risk – New York Times (10 articles per month are free) AND Long term exposure to aircraft noise linked to high blood pressure – The BMJ, via EurekAlert (free) AND Live Near an Airport? Nighttime Airplane Noise May Cause Hypertension – Medscape (free registration required)
Cohort study suggests a possible association.
Commentary: EULAR: Guidance for Managing Lupus Pregnancy – MedPage Today (free registration required)
Wed, June 21 – 10 Stories of The Day!
21 Jun, 2017 | 01:44h | UTC
Commentaries: Task Force presents new ranking of colorectal cancer screening tests – American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, via EurekAlert (free) AND Latest Colorectal Cancer Screening Guidelines – Latest Colorectal Cancer Screening Guidelines – GI and Hepatology News (free)
Related: Colorectal Cancer Screening – U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (free)
Editorial 1: Putting the US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation for Childhood Obesity Screening in Context (free)
Editorial 2: Practical Considerations for the US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations on Obesity in Children and Adolescents (free)
Author interview: USPSTF Recommendation: Screening for Obesity in Children and Adolescents (free audio)
The JAMA Network – for the media: Screening for Obesity in Children and Adolescents Recommended (free)
Commentary: USPSTF Recommends Screening For Obesity in Children and Adolescents – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free)
“The USPSTF recommends that clinicians screen for obesity in children and adolescents 6 years and older and offer or refer them to comprehensive, intensive behavioral interventions to promote improvements in weight status”
4 – Review: Differentiating lower motor neuron syndromes – Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry – Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry (free)
6 – Risks of Breast, Ovarian, and Contralateral Breast Cancer for BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutation Carriers – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
The JAMA Network – For the media: Study Estimates Age-Specific Overall Risk of Breast, Ovarian Cancer among Women with BRCA1/2 Genetic Mutations (free)
Commentary: Risk for Breast and Ovarian Cancer in BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutation Carriers: Refining Our Estimates – Physician’s First Watch (free)
7 – Taxing sugary drinks would boost productivity, not just health – The Conversation (free)
Original article: The impact on productivity of a hypothetical tax on sugar-sweetened beverages – Health Policy (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
See more on the potential benefits of sugar taxes in our June 8th issue (see #4) and in our April 20th issue (see #1)
8 – Yoga, Physical Therapy, or Education for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Noninferiority Trial – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Yoga Vs. Physical Therapy For Chronic Low Back Pain: Which Is More Effective? – Forbes (free) AND Yoga Noninferior to Physical Therapy for Low Back Pain – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Yoga as Good for Low Back Pain as Physical Therapy – Medscape (free registration required)
Commentaries: No Benefit From Corticosteroids for Acute, Simple Urticaria – Medscape (free registration required) AND Got hives? Hold the steroids – American College of Emergency Physicians, via EurekAlert (free)
Related: Is Zika Dangerous For Kids? It Probably Depends On The Age – NPR Goats and Soda (free)
Tue, June 20 – 10 Stories of The Day!
20 Jun, 2017 | 00:15h | UTC
1 – Glucose targets for preventing diabetic kidney disease and its progression – Cochrane Library (link to summary – $ for full review)
Sources: EvidenceAlerts and @anupam1623
Intensive glycemic control had no effect on risks of kidney failure, death and major cardiovascular events. “The clinical impact of targeting an HbA1c < 7% or blood glucose < 6.6 mmol/L (120 mg/dL) is unclear and the potential harms of this treatment approach are largely unmeasured.”
News Release: Healthcare providers should individualize patient education (free)
AHA statement: Doctors’ orders should include tailored health education for patients (free)
Commentary: Sharpening the Focus on Therapeutic Patient Education and Self-management (free)
Top Ten Things to Know: Evidence for Therapeutic Patient Education Interventions to Promote Cardiovascular Patient Self-Management (free PDF)
3 – Effect of antibiotic stewardship on the incidence of infection and colonisation with antibiotic-resistant bacteria and Clostridium difficile infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis – The Lancet Infectious Diseases (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Antibiotic Stewardship Programs Linked to Lower Rates of Drug-Resistant Infections – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Review ties stewardship to sharp drop in resistant bacteria – CIDRAP (free)
Original analysis: What data from 205 million private health insurance claims reveals about America’s opioid crisis – Amino (free)
6 – Alterations in Cardiac Deformation, Timing of Contraction and Relaxation, and Early Myocardial Fibrosis Accompany the Apparent Recovery of Acute Stress-Induced (Takotsubo) Cardiomyopathy: An End to the Concept of Transience – Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Broken heart syndrome may have lasting damage, say researchers – BBC Health News (free) AND Broken heart syndrome may cause permanent damage – News Medical (free) AND ‘Octopus pot’ syndrome: why a broken heart can be as bad as cardiac arrest – The Guardian (free)
7 – Changes in Hospital Quality Associated with Hospital Value-Based Purchasing – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Value-Based Purchasing Program Has Little Effect – Medscape (free registration required) AND Is There Value in Hospital Value-Based Purchasing? – NEJM Catalyst (free)
How VBP works: Hospital Value-Based Purchasing – U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (free)
8 – Richard Lehman’s weekly review of medical journals, 19 June 2017 – The BMJ Blogs (free)
9 – The Science Behind How Nature Affects Your Health – Forbes (free)
“100% agree: Social determinants of health have a far greater impact on our health than healthcare delivery systems” (RT @SueDHellmann see Tweet)
10 – Inspired by War Zones, Balloon Device May Save Civilians From Fatal Blood Loss – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Mon, June 19 – 10 Stories of The Day!
19 Jun, 2017 | 00:03h | UTC
Invited commentary: Remembering the basics: interventions to improve sputum collection for tuberculosis diagnosis (free)
Pooled sputum collection (sputum that was pooled from each spontaneous expectoration into the same sputum container over a period of several hours) increased the diagnostic performance of smear microscopy 1.6 times and the delivery of standardized instruction emphasizing the difference between sputum and saliva (verbally or visually) increased the odds of a positive microscopy result 1.4 times. “The effect of these simple, inexpensive strategies on diagnostic performance was similar to that of the relatively expensive GeneXpert MTB/RIF test, which, in the largest published studies, increased the odds of diagnosing tuberculosis by 1.3–1.5 times”
Invited Commentary: Trimming the Fat on Diet Recommendations for a Healthy Heart: Emphasis on Eating Patterns over Dietary Restrictions (free)
Top Ten Things to Know: Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: A Presidential Advisory from the American Heart Association (free PDF)
AHA News: Advisory: Replacing saturated fat with healthier fat could lower cardiovascular risks (free)
News release: Replacing saturated fat with healthier fat may lower cholesterol as well as drugs in context of a healthy diet (free)
AHA no longer recommends decreasing total fat, but to replace saturated fats with polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats. “Replacing saturated fat with healthier fat in the diet lowers cardiovascular disease risk as much as cholesterol-lowering statin drugs”
Commentary: New web calculator to more accurately predict bowel cancer survival – University of Nottingham, via EurekAlert (free)
See also: QCancer-2017(colorectal, survival) risk calculator (free risk calculator based on the data)
4 – Racial Differences in the Relationship of Glucose Concentrations and Hemoglobin A1c Levels – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Glycation of Hemoglobin Differs by Race – Physician’s Briefing (free) AND Hemoglobin A1c Overestimates Average Glucose in Blacks – Medscape (free registration required) AND Why a key diabetes test may work differently depending on your race – CNN (free)
In this study with 104 black patients and 104 white patients with type 1 diabetes, HbA1c values in black persons were 0.4 percentage points higher than those in white persons for a given mean glucose concentration.
5 – Free online course. Starts today! Improving the Health of Women, Children and Adolescents: from Evidence to Action – London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, via FutureLearn (free)
Press release: New Guideline Aims to Reduce Infections in Total Hip & Knee Replacement Patients (free)
Commentaries: New medication guidelines for rheumatic disease patients having joint replacement – Hospital for Special Surgery, via EurekAlert (free) AND New Guidelines Issued on Antirheumatic Drugs for Patients Undergoing Knee or Hip Replacement – Physician’s First Watch (free)
7 – What If (Almost) Every Gene Affects (Almost) Everything? – The Atlantic (free) (RT @AllenFrancesMD see Tweet)
8 – Evolocumab for Treatment of High Cholesterol: Clinical Effectiveness (free PDF) (RT @AnilMakam see Tweet 1, Tweet 2, Tweet 3 and Tweet 4)
News release: Institute for Clinical and Economic Review’s “New Evidence Update” on PCKS9 Inhibitors Highlights Lack of Mortality Benefit With Evolocumab (free)
Lack of mortality benefit in a recent large trial is highlighted in this updated review. Se more on the FOURIER trial and commentaries in our March 20th issue, see #2.
9 – Why are doctors killing themselves? – by Anne Malatt, via MJA Insight (free)
Related: Why are doctors plagued by depression and suicide? A crisis comes into focus – STAT News (free)
Fri, June 16 – 10 Stories of The Day!
16 Jun, 2017 | 02:32h | UTC
1 – World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (June 15, 2017)
WHO News release: Abuse of older people on the rise – 1 in 6 affected – World Health Organization (free)
See also: Elder abuse fact sheet (free) AND WHO’s work on elder abuse (free) AND World report on ageing and health (free)
Related: Elder abuse prevalence in community settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis – The Lancet Global Health (free) AND Protecting the global longevity dividend – The Lancet Global Health (free)
2 – OpenWHO – The World Health Organization launched a series of video courses on epidemics, pandemics & health emergencies, open to the public (free courses and videos) (RT @WHO see Tweet)
3 – A randomized trial of telemedicine efficacy and safety for nonacute headaches – Neurology (free) (RT @EricTopol see Tweet)
Commentary: For Headache, Telemedicine May Be as Effective as in-Person – American Academy of Neurology, via NewsWise (free)
4 – New Choosing Wisely List: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists – Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question (free)
See more on the Choosing Wisely initiative in our April 5 issue, see #6.
“Great choosing wisely list from @ASHPOfficial. Great doctoring tips for physicians & trainees” (RT @AnilMakam see Tweet)
5 – Doctors are prone to burn-out and depression. We need to take care – World Economic Forum (free)
6 – Pharmacological treatments and risk of readmission to hospital for unipolar depression in Finland: a nationwide cohort study – The Lancet Psychiatry (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Lithium Markedly Cuts Hospital Readmission in Depression – Medscape (free registration required)
7 – Review: Pathophysiology of Takotsubo Syndrome – Circulation (free)
Commentaries: Risks of major birth defects greater if mother is overweight – OnMedica (free) AND Obese women more likely to have babies with serious birth defects, says study – The Guardian (free)
9 – Machine Learning Versus Standard Techniques for Updating Searches for Systematic Reviews: A Diagnostic Accuracy Study – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Artificial intelligence may help doctors keep up with new research – Reuters (free)
“Machine-learning fed by citations of a systematic saved a ton of time for updating it, didn’t miss important studies” (RT @hildabast see Tweet)
10 – Opinion: Too much medical care: bad for you, bad for health care systems – STAT News (free)
Thu, June 15 – 10 Stories of The Day!
15 Jun, 2017 | 01:19h | UTC
1 – World Blood Donor Day (June 14, 2017) – World Health Organization (free)
See also: 10 facts on blood transfusion (free) AND Giving blood in a time of crisis (free) AND WHO’s work on blood transfusion safety (free)
2 -Time to Delivery of an Automated External Defibrillator Using a Drone for Simulated Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests vs Emergency Medical Services – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
The JAMA Network – For the Media: Can Use of a Drone Improve Response Times for Out-Of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests Compared to an Ambulance? (free)
Commentaries: Drones Can Get Defibrillators to Bystanders Faster Than EMS Can – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Defibrillator Drones Can Reach You Four Times Faster Than EMS – ECN (free)
In 18 simulated cases in Sweden, the drones could get automatic external defibrillators to the scene an average of 16 minutes faster than emergency medical services.
3 – 6 Ways Drones Could Change Health Care – Scientific American (free)
4 – Non–Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulant Dosing in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and Renal Dysfunction – Journal of The American College of Cardiology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: NOAC Doses: Just Stick to the Label – MedPage Today (free registration required)
“Among the 1,473 patients with a renal indication for dose reduction, 43.0% were potentially overdosed, which was associated with a higher risk of major bleeding”
5 – Hospitals Are Dramatically Overpaying for Their Technology – Harvard Business Review (a few articles per month are free)
“For years, hospitals have invested in sophisticated devices and IT systems that, on their own, can be awe-inspiring. Yet these technologies rarely share data, let alone leverage it to support better clinical care”.
6 – Effect of Low-Dose Ferrous Sulfate vs Iron Polysaccharide Complex on Hemoglobin Concentration in Young Children With Nutritional Iron-Deficiency Anemia: A Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
The JAMA Network – For the Media: Treating Nutritional Iron-Deficiency Anemia in Children (free)
Commentaries: Ferrous Sulfate Drops Tied to Higher Hemoglobin Increases in Kids with Anemia – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Traditional treatment is better for iron-deficiency anaemia in children – OnMedica (free) AND Ferrous Sulfate Effective for Iron-Deficiency Anemia in Kids – Medscape (free registration required)
Researchers expected that Iron Polysaccharide Complex would restore hemoglobin more effectively, because it is designed to be tolerated better, but the proportion of infants and children with a complete resolution of iron-deficiency anemia was higher in the ferrous sulfate group (29 percent vs 6 percent).
Invited commentary: Preventing major gastrointestinal bleeding in elderly patients (free)
Commentaries: Aspirin Bleeding Risk in Over 75s Higher Than Thought – Medscape (free registration required) AND Aspirin linked to higher risk of serious bleeding in the elderly – Reuters Health News (free)
In this cohort, the risk of major bleeding increased sharply in patients above 75 years.
“Socially transmitted conditions”: a new name for non-communicable diseases (RT @LancetGH see Tweet)
9 – Essential medicines require essential diagnostics – The Huffington Post Canada Blogs (free)
See more about the new WHO list of essential medicines in our June 7th issue, see #1.
“To use essential medicines, have to know what you’re treating says @paimadhu so need essential diagnostics list too” (RT @markcha see Tweet)
10 – Real-World Effectiveness of Antipsychotic Treatments in a Nationwide Cohort of 29 823 Patients With Schizophrenia – JAMA Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Oral clozapine, long-acting injectables tied to lower relapse risk in schizophrenia – Clinical Psychiatry News (free registration required) AND Long-Acting Antipsychotics Tied to Superior Outcomes – Medscape (free registration required)
“The risk of rehospitalization is about 20% to 30% lower during long-acting injectable treatments compared with equivalent oral formulations”
Wed, June 14 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
14 Jun, 2017 | 00:02h | UTC
Commentary: CANVAS: Canagliflozin Reduces CV Events, but at Cost of Amputations – Medscape (free registration required)
Patients treated with canagliflozin had a lower risk of cardiovascular events than those who received placebo but a greater risk of amputation and fractures. The benefits and harms were likely small. See interesting commentaries on the trade-offs by @AnilMakam, see Tweet 1; Tweet 2; Tweet 3; Tweet 4; Tweet 5; Tweet 6; Tweet 7; Tweet 8; and Tweet 9.
2 – The End of Human Doctors – The Bleeding Edge of Medical AI Research (Part 1) – By Luke Oakden-Rayner (RT @pash22 see Tweet)
Original article: Development and Validation of a Deep Learning Algorithm for Detection of Diabetic Retinopathy in Retinal Fundus Photographs – JAMA (free)
See more on the impact of artificial intelligence in healthcare in our April 28th issue, see #1, and in our April 10th issue, see #8
3 – The End of Human Doctors – The Bleeding Edge of Medical AI Research (Part 2) – By Luke Oakden-Rayner (RT @pash22 see Tweet)
Original article: Dermatologist-level classification of skin cancer with deep neural networks – Nature (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
See more on the impact of artificial intelligence in healthcare in our April 28th issue, see #1, and in our April 10th issue, see #8
4 – Association of Adverse Events With Antibiotic Use in Hospitalized Patients – JAMA Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Antibiotic-Associated Adverse Events Common – Medscape (free registration required)
“20% of hospitalized patients receiving antibiotics had adverse drug event. Of those, 20% of regimens inappropriate” (RT @PeterPronovost see Tweet)
5 – Medical News & Perspectives: More Treatments on Deck for Alcohol Use Disorder – JAMA (free)
6 – Association Between Persistent Pain and Memory Decline and Dementia in a Longitudinal Cohort of Elders – JAMA Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Persistent Pain May Increase Dementia Risk – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Cohort of community-dwelling older adults suggests there might be a link.
7 – Snakebite finally makes a WHO list of top global health priorities – STAT News (free)
8 – How to fall to your death and live to tell the tale – Mosaic Science (free)
“Falls—such as slipping in the shower or tripping down stairs—kill over 420,000 people worldwide each year” (RT @ghn_news see Tweet)
9 – A Test in Context: Fractional Flow Reserve: Accuracy, Prognostic Implications, and Limitations – Journal of The American College of Cardiology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
10 key points to remember: FFR: Accuracy, Prognostic Implications, and Limitations – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free)
10 – Combination inhaler treatment in emergency departments may reduce admissions for asthma attacks – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article: Combined inhaled beta-agonist and anticholinergic agents for emergency management in adults with asthma – Cochrane Library (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Tue, June 13 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
13 Jun, 2017 | 00:18h | UTC
Editorial: Global Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity (free)
Commentaries: New study finds more than 2 billion people overweight or obese – Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (free) AND More Than 10 Percent of World’s Population Is Obese, Study Finds – The New York Times (free) AND Being overweight – not just obese – kills millions a year, say experts – The Guardian (free)
“High BMI accounted for 4.0 million deaths globally, nearly 40% of which occurred in persons who were not obese”
Editorial: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: Use of Real-Time Tools to Identify Children With Severe Sepsis in the Pediatric Emergency Department (free)
Commentary: New pediatric protocol reduces missed sepsis diagnoses by 76 percent – American College of Emergency Physicians, via EurekAlert (free)
Commentaries: CDC Outlines Options for HIV-Discordant Couples Who Want to Conceive – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND CDC Reversal: Sperm From HIV-Infected Men Okay for Insemination – Medscape (free registration required)
4 – It’s time to get serious about the safety of medical devices – STAT News (free)
6 – Kidney Cancer, Version 2.2017, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (free)
7 – Guidelines for the recognition and management of mixed depression – CNS Spectrums (free)
Commentary: First-Ever Guideline for Mixed Depression Released – Medscape (free registration required)
8 – Richard Lehman’s weekly review of medical journals, 12 June 2017 – The BMJ Blogs (free)
10 – Drugs may help people pass larger kidney stones – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article: Alpha blockers for treatment of ureteric stones: systematic review and meta-analysis – The BMJ (free)
Mon, June 12 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
12 Jun, 2017 | 00:10h | UTC
1 – New Series from The Lancet: Health in Humanitarian Crises (free registration required)
Related: How to Fix the Broken Humanitarian System: A Q&A with Paul Spiegel – Global Health NOW (free)
“Evidence is important to guide more effective & efficient health responses in humanitarian contexts” (RT @TheLancet see Tweet)
Editorial: The Need to Test Strategies Based on Common Sense (free)
The JAMA Network – For the Media: Home Monitoring of Blood Sugar Did Not Improve Glycemic Control After 1 Year (free)
Commentary: Is the finger-stick blood test necessary for type 2 diabetes treatment? – University of North Carolina Health Care, via EurekAlert (free)
Related: Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose – Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (free)
“Another RCT showing no benefit for Glucose Self-monitoring in Non–Insulin-Treated Patients with Type 2 Diabetes” (RT @PaulGlasziou see Tweet)
Source: Critical Care Reviews Newsletter
5 – ‘How long have I got?’: Why many cancer patients don’t have answers – USA Today (free)
Related: Integration of Palliative Care Into Standard Oncology Care: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Update (free)
See more on Standardized Criteria for Palliative Care Consultation in our April 24 issue, see #8
“ASCO now recommends that everyone with advanced cancer receive palliative care within eight weeks of diagnosis.” (RT @cancerassassin1 see Tweet)
6 – Diagnosis and management of dementia with Lewy bodies – Neurology (free)
Commentary: New International Guidelines Issued on Dementia with Lewy Bodies – Mayo Clinic, via NewsWise (free)
7 – Timing of food introduction and development of food sensitization in a prospective birth cohort – Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Delayed food introduction may increase likelihood of allergy in later childhood – McMaster University, via News Medical (free)
Commentaries: Risk of HF and Death in Patients on SGLT-2 Inhibitors – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free) AND SGLT2 inhibitors may have class effect for reduction of cardiac risk – ACP Diabetes Monthly (free)
Observational data suggests these class of drugs may be associated with lower risk of heart failure and deaths compared to other drugs.
9- Canagliflozin will receive new boxed warning about amputation risks – ACP Internist (free)
FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA confirms increased risk of leg and foot amputations with the diabetes medicine canagliflozin (Invokana, Invokamet, Invokamet XR) (free)
10 – Working with influenza-like illness: Presenteeism among US health care personnel during the 2014-2015 influenza season – American Journal of Infection Control (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Working while sick – ACP Internist (free) AND Health worker survey reveals many work during flu illness – CIDRAP (free)
Over 40% of surveyed health care personnel worked with self-reported influenza-like illness. “To reduce levels of health-worker–associated flu transmission, the researchers said that misconceptions about working while sick and sick leave policies both need to be addressed” (from CIDRAP)
Fri, June 9 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
9 Jun, 2017 | 00:05h | UTC
1 – Head injury: assessment and early management – NICE Guideline (free)
2 – Are Small Breast Cancers Good because They Are Small or Small because They Are Good? – New England Journal of Medicine (no abstract available – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Some Small Tumors In Breasts May Not Be So Bad After All – NPR Health News (free) AND Mammograms: Are we overdiagnosing small tumors? – Yale University, via MedicalXpress (free) AND With Breast Cancer, the Best Treatment May Be No Treatment – Wired (free)
See a related article and commentaries on Mammography and Overdiagnosis in our October 14th, 2016 issue, see #1 and #2.
3 – Completion Dissection or Observation for Sentinel-Node Metastasis in Melanoma – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Quick take video summary: Dissection or Observation for Sentinel-Node Metastasis (free)
Commentaries: Watch-and-Wait OK in Sentinel Node Positive Melanoma – MedPage Today (free registration required) AND Common Surgical Treatment for Melanoma Does Not Improve Patients’ Overall Survival, Study Shows – Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, via NewsWise (free)
Commentary: ACR Releases Guideline on prevention & treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis – American College of Rheumatology, via EurekAlert (free)
5 – Practice Guidelines for Preoperative Fasting and the Use of Pharmacologic Agents to Reduce the Risk of Pulmonary Aspiration – Anesthesiology, via Medscape (free registration required)
Commentaries: Study Warns of Diabetic Ketoacidosis With SGLT2 Inhibitors in T2D – MedPage Today (free registration required) AND SGLT2 Inhibitors Double the Risk for Diabetic Ketoacidosis – Medscape (free registration required) AND New class of type 2 diabetes drug associated with rare, life-threatening outcome – Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Via EurekAlert (free)
Related: SGLT2 inhibitors and diabetic ketoacidosis: data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System – Diabetologia (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
7 – Precision Oncology: Who, How, What, When, and When Not? – ASCO Educational Book (free) (RT @pash22)
See also: 2017 ASCO Educational Book – full volume (free)
8 – Hope and hype around cancer immunotherapy – CNN (free)
9 – Cervical stitch (cerclage) for preventing preterm birth in singleton pregnancy – Cochrane Library (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
“Cervical cerclage reduces the risk of preterm birth in women at high-risk of preterm birth and probably reduces risk of perinatal deaths”
10 – Income and Cancer Overdiagnosis: When Too Much Care Is Harmful – New England Journal of Medicine (no abstract available – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Are wealthier people more likely to receive a diagnosis of cancer? – Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, via EurekAlert (free)
Thu, June 8 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
8 Jun, 2017 | 00:08h | UTC
Editorial: Alcohol consumption and brain health (free)
Commentaries: Even moderate drinking linked to a decline in brain health, finds study – Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry (free) AND Moderate drinking may alter brain, study says – CNN (free) AND Even moderate drinking may speed brain decline – STAT News (free) AND Even moderate drinking linked to changes in brain structure, study finds – Reuters (free)
Observational studies suggest that high serum uric acid levels are associated with multiple health outcomes, including cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. This review findings suggest there is a clear association only for gout and nephrolithiasis.
3 – The opioid crisis changed how doctors think about pain – VOX (free)
“One of the expectations our patients have is that pain can be completely eliminated. We as a medical community are coming to an understanding that this is not realistic.” (RT @KariTikkinen and @voxdotcom and see Tweet)
Commentaries: Change in USA food policies could prevent 230,000 heart disease deaths by 2030 – Imperial College of London (free) AND U.S. nutrition policies may cut heart disease and save lives – Reuters Health News (free)
Related: Taxes and Subsidies for Improving Diet and Population Health in Australia: A Cost-Effectiveness Modelling Study – PLOS Medicine (free) AND The US had no soda taxes in 2013. Now nearly 9 million Americans live with them – VOX (free)
“Increased discounts on fruit and vegetables, and higher taxes on sugary drinks, could prevent heart disease deaths, says a new study” (from Imperial College of London commentary)
5 – Perspective: Cyberattack on Britain’s National Health Service: A Wake-up Call for Modern Medicine – New England Journal of Medicine (free)
Related: 11 Things the Health Care Sector Must Do to Improve Cybersecurity – Harvard Business Review (free) AND Eric D Perakslis: Cyber security modeled as infection prevention and control in the healthcare delivery setting – The BMJ Opinion (free) AND Healthcare Seen Highly Vulnerable to Cyberattack – MedPage Today (free registration required)
6 – Current and future perspectives on the management of polypharmacy – BMC Family Practice (free) (RT @Azeem_Majeed see Tweet)
7 – Handshake-free zone in a neonatal intensive care unit: Initial feasibility study – American Journal of Infectious Control (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Hospitals Could One Day Be Handshake-Free Zones To Prevent The Spread Of Disease – WBGH News (free) AND Handshake-Free Zone: Stopping the Spread of Germs in the Hospital – Medscape (free registration required) AND Handshake-Free Zones Target Spread Of Germs In The Hospital – NPR Health News (free)
8 – Association of Gestational Weight Gain With Maternal and Infant Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: RCOG statement on gestational weight gain or loss and adverse outcomes – Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (free) AND Weight gain greater, less than recommended during pregnancy linked with increased risk of adverse outcomes – The JAMA Network Journals, via EurekAlert (free) AND Pregnancy Weight Gain Status Tied to Adverse Outcomes – MedPage Today (free registration required) AND Gaining Too Much, Too Little Weight in Pregnancy Tied to Adverse Outcomes for Mother, Baby – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Global study finds 75% of pregnant women don’t have healthy weight gain – The Guardian (free)
9 – Pelvic floor exercises may reduce need for further treatments for pelvic organ prolapse – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article: Pelvic floor muscle training for secondary prevention of pelvic organ prolapse (PREVPROL): a multicentre randomised controlled trial – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
10 – Eggs in Early Complementary Feeding and Child Growth: A Randomized Controlled Trial – Pediatrics (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Eggs Significantly Increase Growth in Young Children – Washington University in St. Louis, via NewsWise (free) AND An egg a day appears to help young children grow taller – BBC Health News (free)
“Surpassing previous research, study finds eggs are more viable nutrition, better intervention for children in developing countries” (from NewsWise)
Wed, June 7 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
7 Jun, 2017 | 00:48h | UTC
1 – News release: WHO updates Essential Medicines List with new advice on use of antibiotics, and adds medicines for hepatitis C, HIV, tuberculosis and cancer (free)
Report 1: The 2017 Expert Committee on the Selection and Use of Essential Medicines (free PDF)
Report 2: WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (free PDF)
Report 3: WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for Children (free PDF)
Commentaries: WHO creates controversial ‘reserve’ list of antibiotics for superbug threats – The Washington Post (free) AND Health officials set to release a list of drugs everyone on Earth should be able to access – STAT News (free) AND WHO’s New Essential Medicines List Includes a 40-Year First – Medscape (free registration required)
WHO Essential Medicines List is used by many countries to guide decisions regarding which medications should be available for their population.
Key Recommendations: Pharmacologic Management of Newly Detected Atrial Fibrillation (free)
3 – #ASCO2017 (Unpublished results) – Risk-Based Approach to Chemotherapy Duration Recommended for Stage III Colon Cancer – ASCO Daily News (free) AND ASCO2017:The IDEA Collaboration: Global Study Sets New Risk-Based Standard to Personalize Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer After Surgery – ASCO Post (free)
Commentaries: Chemo Cut in Half Following Surgery Without Increased Recurrence Risk in Patients With Low-Risk Colon Cancer – Targeted Oncology (free) Less Is More: Patients With Colon Cancer Get a Chemo Break – Medscape (free registration required) Cutting Chemo Time in Low-Risk Colon Ca an Option – MedPage Today (free registration required)
4 – #ASCO2017 (Unpublished results) – Pregnancy After Breast Cancer Does Not Increase Chance of Recurrence – ASCO News Releases (free)
Commentaries: Yes, a Pregnancy After Breast Cancer Is Safe – Medscape (free registration required) AND Pregnancy after breast cancer doesn’t raise recurrence risk – Reuters Health News (free) AND Pregnancy After Breast Cancer Does Not Increase Recurrence Risk – Oncology Times (free)
5 – Antibiotics Versus Surgical Therapy for Uncomplicated Appendicitis: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Controlled Trials – Annals of Surgery (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Antibiotics Versus Surgery: Equally Effective in Treating Appendicitis? – Medscape (free registration required)
This meta-analysis and the author’s conclusions do not favor antibiotics alone for the treatment of uncomplicated appendicitis, contradiction the results of other recent meta-analysis, as well as a recent guideline on the subject, suggesting antibiotics might be an option in selected cases.
Editorial: Nut allergy guideline (free)
Commentary: First ever single guidance published for investigating and managing nut allergy – EurekAlert (free)
See also related guidelines (U.S.) and commentaries recommending early introduction of peanuts to prevent allergies in our January 6 issue, see #1 and #2.
Commentaries: Dozens of recent clinical trials may contain wrong or falsified data, claims study – The Guardian (free) AND Two in 100 clinical trials in eight major journals likely contain inaccurate data: Study – Retraction Watch (free)
9 – Association Between Cirrhosis and Stroke in a Nationally Representative Cohort – JAMA Neurology (free)
Commentary: Cirrhosis Tied to Stroke Risk- Physician’s First Watch (free)
Patients with cirrhosis seem to have a higher risk of stroke, particularly hemorrhagic stroke.
Commentaries: What’s The Rate Of Smoking In The 13- To 15-Year-Old Crowd? – NPR Goats and Soda (free)
Tue, June 6 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
6 Jun, 2017 | 02:29h | UTC
1 – The impact of the environment on children’s health – New WHO Reports
News release: The cost of a polluted environment: 1.7 million child deaths a year, says WHO – World Health Organization (free)
Report 1: Don’t pollute my future! The impact of the environment on children’s health – World Health Organization (free)
Report 2: Inheriting a sustainable world: Atlas on children’s health and the environment – World Health Organization (free)
Related links: WHO’s work on environmental health (free) AND 10 facts on children’s environmental health (free)
2 – #ASCO2017 – CT-P6 compared with reference trastuzumab for HER2-positive breast cancer: a randomised, double-blind, active-controlled, phase 3 equivalence trial – The Lancet Oncology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Biosimilar May Be As Effective as Trastuzumab for Early Breast Cancer – Physician’s First Watch (free)
3 – #ASCO2017 – Small studies get big headlines at ASCO 2017 – HealthNewsReview (free)
“Claim – Biggest breakthrough in a decade”. “Reality – The trial included only 15 women; no survival outcomes measured” (RT @HealthNewsRevu see Tweet)
4 – Simplified diagnostic management of suspected pulmonary embolism (the YEARS study): a prospective, multicentre, cohort study – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Simplified Diagnosis of Acute PE: The YEARS Study – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free) AND A Simple, Safe Approach to Decrease Use of CT for Pulmonary Embolism – Journal Watch (free)
5 – Growth and Rupture Risk of Small Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms: A Systematic Review – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Growth, rupture risk appear low for small intracranial aneurysms, review indicates – ACP Internist Weekly (free) AND How Frequently Do Small Brain Aneurysms Rupture? – MedPage Today (free registration required)
“The annualized rupture rate was 0% for aneurysms 3 mm or smaller, below 0.5% for aneurysms 5 mm or smaller, and below 1% for aneurysms 7 mm or smaller”
“The World Health Organization is making a list of drugs that everyone on Earth should have access to” (RT @statnews see Tweet)
7 – Small Steps Can Save Millions of Lives – Bloomberg (free) (RT @ghn_news see Tweet)
“More people now die from noncommunicable diseases than from causes like malaria and polio. Policy makers need to catch up”.
Commentary: What is the best antidote for a jellyfish sting? (Clue: it’s not urine) – The Guardian (free)
Vinegar seems to be the best treatment.
Editoral: The safety of antidepressants in pregnancy (free)
Commentary: Kids’ ADHD Risk May Be Linked to Mother’s Underlying Mental Health, Not Prenatal Antidepressant Use – Physician’s First Watch (free)
Mon, June 5 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
5 Jun, 2017 | 01:26h | UTC
1 – #ASCO2017 – Overall Survival Results of a Trial Assessing Patient-Reported Outcomes for Symptom Monitoring During Routine Cancer Treatment – JAMA (free)
Commentaries: Quickly reporting cancer complications may boost survival – STAT News (free) AND If This Were a Drug, the Price Would Be $100,000 – Medscape (free registration required) AND How a simple tech tool can help cancer patients live longer – The Washington Post (free)
“For surveillance of cancer, digital tracking of patient-generated data improves survival”. “The cost of digital tracking is very low and > 5 months median survival improvement is more than cancer drugs that cost > $100,000” (RT @EricTopol see Tweets and Answers)
2 – #ASCO2017 – Abiraterone for Prostate Cancer
Abiraterone plus Prednisone in Metastatic, Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer – New England Journal of Medicine (free) AND Abiraterone for Prostate Cancer Not Previously Treated with Hormone Therapy – New England Journal of Medicine (free)
ASCO News Releases: Abiraterone Delays Metastatic Prostate Cancer Growth by 18 Months, Extends Survival (free) Abiraterone Slows Advanced Prostate Cancer, Helps Patients Live Longer (free)
3 – Perspectives: Changing the narratives for patient safety – World Health Organization (free)
“No simple solutions to patient safety: why we have to change the narratives” (RT @MaryDixonWoods See Tweet)
4 – Engaging Patients in Patient Safety – a Canadian Guide (free) (RT @pash22)
News release: How to Effectively Engage Patients in Patient Safety: New Guide available (free)
5 – ACP Decries Withdrawal from Climate Agreement – American College of Physicians (free)
See also: How scientists reacted to the US leaving the Paris climate agreement – Nature News (free) Leaving the Paris Climate Accord Could Lead to a Public Health Disaster – Scientific American (free)
Related guideline: Climate Change and Health: A Position Paper of the American College of Physicians (free)
See more on Climate Change and Health in our April 21 issue, see #6, #7, #8 and #9.
6 – Introducing a One-Page Adult Preventive Health Care Schedule: USPSTF Recommendations at a Glance – American Family Physician (free PDF)
“The popular one-page preventive health care schedule is now available with the latest USPSTF recs from 2017” (RT @AFPJournal see Tweet)
Invited commentary: Diarrhoeal disease trends in the GBD 2015 study: optimism tempered by skepticism (free)
Other commentaries: Despite substantial global reduction in diarrhea deaths, half a million children still die from diseases each year – Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) (free) AND Global diarrhoea deaths down by a third – BBC News (free)
“Deaths due to diarrhoea in children under 5 down 34% 2005-15, but still 4th leading cause of death” (RT @TheLancetInfDis see Tweet)
“Global diarrhoea deaths in children down by a third, but still fourth biggest killer in under fives, >500,000 a year” (RT @anetrid see Tweet)
8 – Spondyloarthritis in over 16s: diagnosis and management – NICE Updated Guideline (free)
See also: 2016 update of the ASAS-EULAR management recommendations for axial spondyloarthritis (free)
See more on mandatory vaccination in our May 29 issue, see #6
10 – Carotid Artery Stenting Versus Endarterectomy for Stroke Prevention: A Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials – Journal of the American College of Cardiology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: CAS vs. CEA for Stroke Prevention – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free)
“CAS and CEA were associated with similar rates of a composite of periprocedural death, stroke, MI, or nonperiprocedural ipsilateral stroke. The risk of long-term overall stroke was significantly higher with CAS, and was mostly attributed to periprocedural minor stroke”.
Fri, June 2 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
2 Jun, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC
Commentary: EASL releases updated guidelines for managing hepatitis B virus infection – Clinical Advisor (free registration required)
2 – Trial of Minocycline in a Clinically Isolated Syndrome of Multiple Sclerosis – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Quick Take Video Summary: Minocycline to Delay the Onset of MS
Commentaries: Acne antibiotic delays development of multiple sclerosis in small trial – Reuters Health (free)
3 – Sofosbuvir, Velpatasvir, and Voxilaprevir for Previously Treated HCV Infection – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: When DAA Treatment for Hepatitis C Fails, 3-Drug Regimen “Highly Effective” – Physician’s First Watch (free)
4 – Health Policy Trials: The Changing Face of Clinical Trials – New England Journal of Medicine (free)
6 – Review: Chronic constipation: Update on management – Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine (free)
7 – Research transparency: 5 questions about open science answered – The Conversation (free)
8 – Viewpoint: No Shortcuts on the Long Road to Evidence-Based Genomic Medicine – JAMA (free)
“The need for evidence in genomic medicine is more important than ever” (RT @JAMA_current see Tweet)
9 – Editorial: Acting on Social Determinants of Health: A Primer for Family Physicians – American Family Physician (free) (RT @kennylinafp)
10 – Transient ischaemic attacks may have greater long-term impact than previously thought – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article: Ongoing impairments following transient ischaemic attack: retrospective cohort study – European Journal of Neurology (free)
Thu, June 1 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
1 Jun, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC
1 – Systolic Blood Pressure Reduction and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis – JAMA Cardiology (free) (RT @GreenlandRohan see Tweet)
Commentaries: Reducing blood pressure below recommended targets significantly reduces CVD, mortality risk – Clinical Advisor (free registration required) And New Review Supports Aggressive BP Targets – MedPage Today (free registration required)
Ideal blood pressure targets are controversial and recommendations vary across hypertension guidelines. This new meta-analysis suggests the risk of cardiovascular disease would be lowest with a systolic blood pressure between 120-124 mmHg.
Commentary: New Guidance Focuses on Best Injection Practices for Diabetes – Medscape (free registration required)
Related guideline: New Insulin Delivery Recommendations – Mayo Clinic Proceedings (free)
3 – Review: Improving the Management of COPD in Women – Chest (free)
4 – World No Tobacco Day 2017 – Cochrane Evidence resources to support stop smoking efforts (free)
See also our coverage of World No Tobacco Day in our May 31 issue, see #1.
5 – Growing use of smart drugs by students could be a recipe for disaster – The Conversation (free)
“Students used to take drugs to get high. Now they take them to get higher grades” (RT @ConversationUK see Tweet)
6 – Powerful New Ebola Vaccine Heads To Congo To Help Stop Outbreak – NPR Goats and Soda (free)
See also: DRC approves use of Ebola vaccine – CIDRAP (free) AND Ebola vaccine approved for use in ongoing outbreak – Nature News (free)
7 – State of the art review: Diagnosis and management of inflammatory bowel disease in children – The BMJ (free until 15 June)
8 – Cancer drugs are getting better and dearer – The Economist (a few articles per month are free) (RT @pash22 see Tweet)
See more articles and commentaries about “financial toxicity” of cancer treatments in our April 27 issue, see #8.
9 – A blood test threshold for diagnosing heart failure in general practice is reviewed – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article: Primary care REFerral for EchocaRdiogram (REFER) in heart failure: a diagnostic accuracy study (free)
“Most accurate diagnosis for heart failure in general practice came from using NTproBNP level at a low cut-off of ≥125 pg/ml” (RT @NIHR_DC see Tweet)
Commentaries: Warfarin OK in Expectant Moms with Mechanical Heart Valve – MedPage Today (free registration required) AND Anticoagulation in Pregnant Women With Mechanical Valves – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free) (RT @keaglemd see Tweet)
In this meta-analysis, warfarin was associated with lower risk of adverse maternal outcomes, whereas LMWH was associated with lower risk of adverse fetal outcomes.
Wed, May 31 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
31 May, 2017 | 00:14h | UTC
1 – World No Tobacco Day, 31 May 2017: Beating tobacco for health, prosperity, the environment and national development – World Health Organization (free)
Press release: World No Tobacco Day 2017: Beating tobacco for health, prosperity, the environment and national development (free)
See more on the Beating Tobacco Campaign in our May 29th issue, see #1.
2 – The British Society for Rheumatology Guideline for the Management of Gout – Rheumatology (free)
Source: BSR guideline: Urate-lowering drugs should be offered early in gout – Healio Rheumatology (free)
3 – Triple Therapy Versus Biologic Therapy for Active Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: In Rheumatoid Arthritis, Adding a Biologic Agent Before Trying Triple Therapy Likely Not Cost-Effective – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Biologics before triple therapy not cost effective for rheumatoid arthritis – MedicalXpress (free) Triple Therapy More Cost-Effective Than MTX + Biologic in RA – Medscape (free registration required)
4 – Treatment of Osteoarthritis of the Knee: An Update Review – Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US) (Key messages and abstract – free)
See also: Executive Summary (free PDF) AND Full Report (free PDF)
Source: EvidenceAlerts
See also: News release (free) AND Top Ten Things to Know (free PDF)
Related: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Adults and Children With Mechanical Circulatory Support: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association (free PDF) AND CPR in Patients With Mechanical Circulatory Support – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free)
Source: First10EM – Articles of the month, May 2017 (free)
7 – Handshake-Free Zones Target Spread Of Germs In The Hospital – NPR (free)
9 – Richard Lehman’s weekly review of medical journals – The BMJ Blogs (free)
10 – Draft Recommendation Statement: Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: Screening – U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (free)
Commentary: USPSTF: Not Enough Evidence to Recommend Routine Scoliosis Screening – Physician’s First Watch (free)
Tue, May 30 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
30 May, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC
Commentary: Some heart attack patients may not benefit from beta blockers – University of Leads, via Science Daily (free)
Large cohort suggests there may be no benefit in continuing B-Blockers in patients who do not develop heart failure or ventricular dysfunction after myocardial infarction.
2 – A New Renaissance in Pericardial Diseases – Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases (special issue with series of review articles on the management of pericardial disease).
Source: Hospital Medicine Virtual Journal Club
1 – Introduction: A New Renaissance in Pericardial Diseases (free)
2 – Structure and Anatomy of the Human Pericardium (free)
3 – Pathophysiology of the Pericardium (free)
4 – Acute Pericarditis (free)
5 – Recurrent Pericarditis (free)
6 – Constrictive Pericarditis: A Practical Clinical Approach (free)
7 – Pericardial Effusions: Causes, Diagnosis, and Management (free)
8 – Pericardial Masses, Cysts and Diverticula: A Comprehensive Review Using Multimodality Imaging (free)
9 – Congenital Absence of the Pericardium (free)
10 – Surgical Management of Pericardial Diseases (free)
3 – Sat-fat bait and switch – ACP Internist (free)
Related: Backlash after report claims saturated fats do not increase heart risk – The Guardian (free)
Interesting and balanced point of view arguing against recent articles suggesting saturated fats are not that bad (April 27th issue, see #3).
4 – Review: Current guidelines on prevention with a focus on dyslipidemias – Cardiovascular Diagnosis & Therapy (free)
Review comparing current recommendations for the treatment of dyslipidemia.
5 – Science Needs a Solution for the Temptation of Positive Results – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
6 – Diagnosis creep: the new problem in medicine – MJA Insight (free)
Related: How to rein in the widening disease definitions that label more healthy people as sick – The Conversation (free)
7 – Updated tutorial: What is a Systematic Review? – PubMed Health (free) (RT @hildabast)
8 – Report: From Panic and Neglect to Investing in Health Security: Financing Pandemic Preparedness at a National Level – World Bank (free PDF)
Press release: After Ebola and Zika, Most Countries Still Not Prepared for a Pandemic (free)
Commentary: World Bank says most nations not ready for pandemic – CIDRAP (free)
9 – The tiny pill which gave birth to an economic revolution – BBC News (free)
“A great read—and a powerful reminder that contraceptives are one of the best tools we have to drive economic growth” (RT @melindagates see Tweet).
10 – Comparison of general obesity and measures of body fat distribution in older adults in relation to cancer risk: meta-analysis of individual participant data of seven prospective cohorts in Europe – British Journal of Cancer (free)
Commentaries: Why your waist measurement can predict cancer risk – The Guardian (free) AND Large Waist Raises Cancer Risk – Medscape (free registration required)
Mon, May 29 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
29 May, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC
1 – Preparing for the next WHO Campaign: World No Tobacco Day, 31 May 2017 – World Health Organization (free infographics, posters, banners, publications and other resources for the upcoming campaign)
See also: “Tobacco Endgame” policies in our May 12th issue, see #3.
See also: Smoking prevalence and attributable disease burden in 195 countries and territories in our April 7th issue, see #1.
“Wednesday 31 May is World No Tobacco Day. Tweet using #NoTobacco “Protect health, reduce poverty, promote development” (RT @gmacscotland see Tweet)
2 – Type 2 diabetes in adults: management – NICE Guideline (free)
See also: Algorithm for blood glucose lowering therapy in adults with type 2 diabetes (free PDF)
Source: UK NICE Elevates SGLT2 Inhibitors in Diabetes Guidance – Medscape (free registration required)
3 – Viewpoint: Direct-to-Consumer Medical Testing in the Era of Value-Based Care – JAMA (free)
See also a recent discussion on direct-to-consumer genetic testing in our April 10th issue, see #5
Others disagree: “Dissing every consumer medical test as “low value”. Sorry, that’s not true. It’s called paternalism” (RT @EricTopol see Tweet)
4 – The Weight Loss Trap: Why Your Diet Isn’t Working – Time (cover story) (free)
“The challenges of weight loss and obesity – really well addressed” (RT @EricTopol see Tweet)
Commentary: Several non-drug options help with fatigue during, after cancer treatment – Reuters Health News (free)
6 – Countries like German and Italy are adopting mandatory vaccination policies
Germany vaccination: Fines plan as measles cases rise – BBC Health News (free) AND German kindergartens must report parents for refusing vaccine advice under new law – Reuters Health News (free)
See also: Italy makes 12 vaccinations compulsory for children and related commentaries in our May 22nd issue, see #2.
7 – #ATS2017 – Antibiotic therapy for nearly one in four adults with pneumonia does not work – American Thoracic Society, via Science Daily (free) (RT @IDSAInfo see Tweet)
See also: Pneumonia Treatment Failure Rates High – Medscape (free registration required) AND Adults With Pneumonia Often Fail First Antibiotic – MedPage Today (free registration required)
8 – Clinical relevance of thrombocytosis in primary care: a prospective cohort study of cancer incidence using English electronic medical records and cancer registry data – British Journal of General Practice (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Cautions and caveats help buoy Guardian story on using high platelet count for cancer detection – HealthNewsReview (free) High blood platelet count ‘as good a cancer predictor as a lump in the breast’ – The Guardian (free)
Thrombocytosis seems to be a risk marker of cancer in adults, but questions remain about the clinical usefulness of these findings.
9 – New Guideline Summaries – National Guideline Clearinghouse (US):
1 – Systemic therapy of incurable gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours – Cancer Care Ontario (free) AND 2 – Guidelines for the management of severe traumatic brain injury, 4th edition – Brain Trauma Foundation (free) AND 3 – American Gastroenterological Association Institute guideline on the management of Crohn’s disease after surgical resection – National Guideline Clearinghouse (free) AND 4 – Management of adult pancreatic injuries: a practice management guideline from the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma – National Guideline Clearinghouse (free)
10 – Cancer Pain – Updated PDQ Cancer Information Summary, National Cancer Institute (US) (free)