TOP 10 Medical News Stories
Fri, May 26 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
26 May, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC
1 – Cardiovascular Toxicity of Illicit Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Use – Circulation (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Anabolic Steroid Use Linked With Myocardial Dysfunction and Accelerated Atherosclerosis – TCTMD (free) AND Chronic anabolic steroid use may damage heart – American Heart Association News (free)
“The findings are a public health concern, given that as many as 1% of young men, not all of them athletes, may use these agents” (from TCTMD above).
Related: Management of intra-abdominal infections: recommendations by the WSES 2016 consensus conference – World Journal of Emergency Surgery (free)
3 – Thrombolysis may reduce complications of deep vein thrombosis – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article: Thrombolysis for acute deep vein thrombosis – Cochrane Library (Link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Thrombolysis reduced post-thrombotic syndrome, but lead to more bleeding complications than standard anticoagulation. “Individuals with clots in the pelvis and thigh, which carry higher risk of complications, may be likely to gain most benefit”.
4 – Induction of labour within 24 hours, if waters break at 37 weeks of pregnancy, can reduce womb infection – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article: Planned early birth versus expectant management (waiting) for prelabour rupture of membranes at term (37 weeks or more) – Cochrane Library (Link to abstract – $ for full-text)
“Inducing labour within 24hrs may halve risk of infection in the womb when waters break from 37 weeks” (RT @NIHR_DC see Tweet)
Editorial: Targeted coronary post-mortem CT angiography, straight to the heart (free)
Commentary: Digital autopsies should be standard for probable natural deaths, says study – The Guardian (free)
6 – American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2017 Annual Meeting
Can cashews keep colon cancer patients alive? Study says yes — but cautions abound – STAT News (free) AND Reducing Risk After Cancer: Healthy Lifestyle (and Tree Nuts) – Medscape (free registration required)
7 – Recent articles on payment models published in JAMA
The Next Generation of Episode-Based Payments – JAMA (free) AND Value-Based Payment Models for Community Health Centers: Time to (Cautiously) Take the Plunge? – JAMA (free) AND Business Model–Related Conflict of Interests in Medicine: Problems and Potential Solutions – JAMA (free)
8 – Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in adults: diagnosis and management – NICE Guideline (free)
9 – Eating disorders: recognition and treatment – NICE Guideline (free)
10 – The lap band for weight loss is a tale of medicine gone wrong – VOX (free)
See also a recent study showing high complication rates of laparoscopic gastric band surgeries in our May 23rd issue (see #7)
Thu, May 25 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
25 May, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC
Recommended: New QRISK-3 2017 Calculator (free)
QRISK-3 risk prediction model was developed with data from 7.89 million patients in the derivation cohort and 2.67 million patients in the validation cohort. QRISK-3 includes more factors than QRISK2 to help enable doctors to identify those at most risk of heart disease and stroke. New risk factors include: 1) Chronic kidney disease, which now includes stage 3 CKD; 2) Migraine; 3) Use of corticosteroids; 4) Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); 5) Use of atypical antipsychotics; 6) Severe mental illness; 7) Erectile dysfunction; 8) and Systolic blood pressure variability.
2 – Stroke in Childhood: Clinical guideline for diagnosis, management and rehabilitation (2017) – Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (free PDF) (RT @bmj_latest see Tweet)
News release: New guidelines launched to help healthcare professionals and parents spot the signs of stroke in children (free)
Other resources: Stroke in Childhood: Clinical guideline for diagnosis, management and rehabilitation (2017) (free)
3 – Effect of Cephalexin Plus Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole vs Cephalexin Alone on Clinical Cure of Uncomplicated Cellulitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA (Link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Adding Anti-MRSA to Cephalexin No Better for Simple Cellulitis – Medscape (free registration required) AND Adding TMP/SMX to Cephalexin May Not Boost Cure Rate in Uncomplicated Cellulitis – Physician’s First Watch (free)
4 – Oil-Based or Water-Based Contrast for Hysterosalpingography in Infertile Women – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Study confirms ‘flushing’ blocked fallopian tubes can improve fertility and reduce need for IVF – The Conversation (free) AND Can poppyseed oil help infertile couples conceive? – STAT News (free)
5 – Effect of a Modified Hospital Elder Life Program on Delirium and Length of Hospital Stay in Patients Undergoing Abdominal Surgery: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA Surgery (free) (RT @PreetiNMalani see Tweet)
Commentary: Anti-delirium strategy reduces after-surgery confusion in elderly – Reuters Health (free)
Multicomponent nonpharmacologic interventions, including orienting communications, oral and nutritional assistance, and early mobilization reduced postoperative delirium by 56% and length of stay by 2 days.
6 – Very strict blood sugar control in critically ill children provides no benefit – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article (link to abstract – $ for full-text): Tight Glycemic Control in Critically Ill Children – New England Journal of Medicine (free)
“WHO update on HPV vaccine. Short summary – it’s very safe, very effective, widespread implementation recommended” (RT @michaelghead see Tweet)
Commentaries: 43 Percent Of Children Who Died From Car Crashes Were Improperly Restrained – NPR Health News (free)
9 – Complete versus culprit-only revascularisation in ST elevation myocardial infarction with multi-vessel disease – Cochrane Library (link to abstract – $ for full-text) (RT @Gas_Craic see Tweet)
“Compared with culprit-only intervention, the complete revascularisation strategy may be superior due to lower proportions of long-term cardiovascular mortality, long-term revascularisation, and long-term non-fatal myocardial infarction, but these findings are based on evidence of very low quality”
10 – Angioedema in the emergency department: a practical guide to differential diagnosis and management – International Journal of Emergency Medicine (free) (RT @Gas_Craic see Tweet)
Wed, May 24 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
24 May, 2017 | 00:43h | UTC
Commentaries: World Health Organization gets first leader from Africa – Nature News (free) AND WHO elects first ever African director-general after tense vote – The Guardian (free) AND World Health Organization Elects a New Director General from Ethiopia – TIME (free)
2 – Electronic WHO Postpartum Family Planning Compendium – World Health Organization (free)
How to use it: Introducing the World Health Organization Postpartum Family Planning Compendium – International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (free)
This interactive website integrates essential guidance on postpartum family planning for clinicians, program managers, and policy makers.
3 – Review: Perioperative management of patients on direct oral anticoagulants – Thrombosis Journal (free)
Related: Multiple myeloma: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up – Annals of Oncology (free)
See also: News release (free) AND Top Ten Things to Know (free PDF)
6 – Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Breast Cancer – American Institute for Cancer Research (free PDF)
News release: Just one alcoholic drink a day increases breast cancer risk, exercise lowers risk – American Institute for Cancer Research, via EurekAlert (free)
Commentaries: Today’s alcohol and breast cancer headlines are wrong: Here’s how news reports could have done better – HealthNewsReview (free) AND ‘Half a glass of wine every day’ increases breast cancer risk – BBC Health News (free) AND Just One Drink a Day Raises Breast Cancer Risk – Medscape (free registration required)
7 – #ATS2017 – COPD National Action Plan – National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (link to summary) PDF report available for download (free)
Source: ATS 2017: New COPD Action Plan Outlines Strategies for Improved Care – University of Michigan, via NewsWise (free)
8 – The Worst Fat in the Food Supply – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
See also a recent study and commentaries on the effects of trans-fat bans in our April 23rd issue (see #1)
Trans-fat bans seem to be reducing cardiovascular deaths.
9 – Richard Lehman’s weekly review of medical journals, 22 May 2017 – The BMJ Blogs (free)
Editorial: Lack of Evidence for Benefit From Long-term Use of Opioid Analgesics for Patients With Neuropathy (free)
Commentaries: Long-Term Opioid Treatment Seems Only to Add Complications to Polyneuropathy – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Long-Term Opioids May Not Help in Polyneuropathy – MedPage Today (free registration required)
“Patients had worse functional outcomes than controls; some became dependent” (from MedPage Today)
Tue, May 23 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
23 May, 2017 | 00:10h | UTC
1- Effect of Statin Treatment vs Usual Care on Primary Cardiovascular Prevention Among Older Adults: The ALLHAT-LLT Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA Internal Medicine (free) (RT @EricTopol see Tweet)
Editorial: Risks of Statin Therapy in Older Adults (free)
Commentaries: Older adults may not benefit from taking statins to prevent heart disease – Medical News Today (free) AND Pravastatin Doesn’t Improve Clinical Outcomes in Seniors – Physician’s First Watch (free)
Patients > 65 years with moderate hyperlipidemia and hypertension had no benefit from pravastatin for primary prevention. “A nonsignificant direction toward increased all-cause mortality with pravastatin was observed among adults 75 years and older” (HR 1.34; 95% CI, 0.98-1.84; P = .07).
Commentaries: Pediatricians Advise No Fruit Juice Until Kids Are 1 – NPR Health News (free) AND Pediatricians Say No Fruit Juice in Child’s First Year – New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
3 – #ATS2017 – Effect of Home Noninvasive Ventilation With Oxygen Therapy vs Oxygen Therapy Alone on Hospital Readmission or Death After an Acute COPD Exacerbation: A Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA (free)
Editorial: Home Noninvasive Ventilation to Reduce Readmissions for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (free)
Commentary: Addition of Home Noninvasive Ventilation Tied to Fewer Readmissions After COPD Exacerbation – Physician’s First Watch (free)
4 – #ATS2017 – Directly Observed Therapy for Multidrug-Resistant TB Decreases Mortality – ATS 2017 Conference (free summary)
Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) was associated with a 77 percent decrease in mortality in observational study.
7 – Reoperation and Medicare Expenditures After Laparoscopic Gastric Band Surgery – JAMA Surgery (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Following gastric band surgery, device-related reoperation common, costly – Science Daily (free) AND Safety, Effectiveness of Gastric Banding Called Into Question – Medscape (free registration required) AND 1 In 5 Gastric Band Surgeries Require Corrective Operations – American Council on Science and Health (free)
See also: Complete American Urological Association list with 15 Things Physicians and Patients Should Question – Choosing Wisely (free)
9 – Effects of the Informed Health Choices primary school intervention on the ability of children in Uganda to assess the reliability of claims about treatment effects: a cluster-randomised controlled trial – The Lancet (free registration required)
Commentaries: Belief in health bullshit is a global problem; a big study points to solutions – HealthNewsReview (free) AND This researcher may have discovered the antidote to health bullshit – VOX (free)
10 – Metformin, Lifestyle Intervention, and Cognition in the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study – Diabetes Care (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Long-term Metformin Use ‘Has No Cognitive Impact’ – Medscape (free registration required)
Contradicting previous studies suggesting a link between metformin use and cognitive impairment, possibly related to an impaired absorption of B12, this study has shown no such association.
Mon, May 22 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
22 May, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC
Commentary: Doctors have resisted guidelines to treat sepsis. New study suggests those guidelines save lives – STAT News (free)
“For every hour you delay antibiotics in sepsis, mortality goes up” (RT @CMichaelGibson see Tweet)
“Trauma: Golden Hour
Cardiology: Time is muscle
Neurology: Time is brain
Sepsis: Early antibiotics to survive”
(interesting remark by @CMichaelGibson see Tweet)
2 – Italy makes 12 vaccinations compulsory for children – BBC Health News (free) AND Italy passes law obliging parents to vaccinate children – Reuters Health (free)
Related: Embrace the facts about vaccines, not the myths – World Health Organization (free) AND World Immunisation Week: The Rise of Anti-Vaccine Movement and What it Means for Public Health – Independent (free) AND The riskiest vaccine? The one that is not given – Science (free)
“If children are not vaccinated by the age of six, the school starting age, their parents will be fined” (RT @anetrid see Tweet)
3 – Science Has Begun Taking Gluten Seriously – The Atlantic (free)
Original article: Long term gluten consumption in adults without celiac disease and risk of coronary heart disease: prospective cohort study – The BMJ (free)
“New research from Harvard and Columbia says gluten does not cause heart disease. Why is that even a question?”
There has been a lot of controversy going on over the benefits and harms of saturated fats (April 27th issue, see #3) and it is difficult to interpret this new meta-analysis from randomized trials suggesting there may be no benefit from replacing saturated fats for unsaturated fats, since they contradict current guidelines and most epidemiological data from high-quality, long-term prospective cohort studies.
5 – Report: Healthier, fairer, safer: the global health journey 2007–2017 (free)
“New report on WHO’s role in Global Health by Sir Liam Donaldson” (RT @WHO see Tweet)
Commentaries: First-ever global study finds massive health care inequity – Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluatio (IHME) (free) AND Account for primary health care when indexing access and quality – The Lancet (free)
7 – Without action on antibiotics, medicine will return to the dark ages – The Guardian (free)
See more on “superbugs” in our February 28th issue (see #1), April 6th issue (see #9) and also in our Selection of news and education resources on Antibiotic Resistance
8 – Finally, Success Reducing Recurrent Stroke With PFO Closure – Medscape (free registration required)
Two randomized trials presented at the 3rd European Stroke Organization Conference (ESOC) 2017 showed that in carefully selected stroke patients in whom Patent Foramen Oval (PFO) was suspected to be a cause of their strokes, a reduction in recurrent stroke was observed with PFO closure.
9 – Report: #StatusOfMind Social media and young people’s mental health and wellbeing – Royal Society of Public Health (link to introduction – free PDF)
Commentaries: Instagram ‘worst for young mental health’ – BBC News (free) AND Instagram worst social media app for young people’s mental health – CNN news (free)
10 – Point of view: Is ‘Internet Addiction’ Real? – NPR Health News (free)
Fri, May 19 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
19 May, 2017 | 00:02h | UTC
1 – Joint statement on public disclosure of results from clinical trials – World Health Organization (free)
News release: Major research funders and international NGOs to implement WHO standards on reporting clinical trial results (free)
Commentary: Industry leaders agree to implement UN agency’s standards on clinical trial reporting – United Nations News Centre (free)
“Funders of medical research & international NGOs to implement WHO standards on reporting clinical trial results”. “Today, on average 50% of Clinical Trials go unreported, according to several studies, often because the results are negative”. “Unreported trial results leave an incomplete & potentially misleading picture of the risks & benefits of vaccines, drugs and medical devices” (see Tweets)
News release: ACP issues recommendations to prevent and treat substance use disorders (free)
Commentary: Treat Addiction Like a Chronic Disease, ACP Recommends – AJMC (free)
3 – Viewpoint: Primary Care of Patients with Chronic Pain – JAMA (free)
“Opioids should be a therapy of last resort rather than the first choice as is often the case currently”.
4 – Guideline for opioid therapy and chronic noncancer pain – Canadian Medical Association Journal (free)
Commentary: New Guideline Recommends Opioids Only as a Last Resort – Medscape (free registration required)
5 – The Best Intervention: Gavi CEO Seth Berkley’s Q&A, Part I – Global Health NOW (free)
“Perhaps just 10% of the world’s children receive all 11 vaccines recommended by the @WHO, says @GaviSeth, @Gavi CEO” (RT @ghn_news see Tweet)
6 – Tackling Ebola outbreak in remote Congo presents huge challenge: WHO – Reuters Health (free)
Related: As DRC Ebola cases grow, expert sees parallels to Guinea – CIDRAP (free) As Ebola outbreak grows, question of using vaccine becomes more urgent – Science (free) (RT @greg_folkers) AND Suspected Cases of Ebola Rise to 18 in Democratic Republic of Congo – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
7 – New Advice to Move More After a Concussion – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Related: Consensus statement on concussion in sport—the 5th international conference on concussion in sport held in Berlin, October 2016 – British Journal of Sports Medicine (free) AND So, Tom Brady had a concussion. What does that mean? Your guide to the latest science – STAT News (free)
8 – Pressure ulcer prevention and treatment. Is ‘best practice’ evidence-based? – Cochrane Blogs: Evidence for Everyday Nursing (free) (RT @CochraneUK see Tweet)
Evidence for the treatment of pressure ulcers reviewed.
9 – Aerobic or Resistance Exercise, or Both, in Dieting Obese Older Adults – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Quick Take Video Summary: Exercise and Dieting in Obese Older Adults (free)
Commentary: Aerobic Plus Resistance Exercise Best for Obese Older Adults – MedPage Today (free)
10 – Long-term oxygen therapy shows no benefit for moderate lung disease – NIHR Signal: Dissemination Centre Discover Portal (free)
Original article: A Randomized Trial of Long-Term Oxygen for COPD with Moderate Desaturation – New England Journal of Medicine (free)
Patients with stable COPD and moderate resting desaturation (Spo2, 89 to 93%) or moderate exercise-induced desaturation (during the 6-minute walk test, Spo2 ≥80% for ≥5 minutes and <90% for ≥10 seconds) don’t seem to benefit from supplemental oxygen therapy.
Thu, May 18 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
18 May, 2017 | 00:20h | UTC
1 – Report: World Health Statistics 2017: Monitoring health for the SDGs – World Health Organization (free)
News release: Almost half of all deaths now have a recorded cause, WHO data show (free)
See also: World Health Statistics data visualizations dashboard – Monitoring health for the SDGs (free)
Commentaries: More Than Half of World’s Deaths Still Have No Recorded Cause – Scientific American (free) Reporting of Global Vital Death Statistics Improving: WHO – Medscape (free registration required)
Commentaries: Cardiovascular disease causes one-third of deaths worldwide – Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) (free) AND CVD Causes One-Third of Deaths Worldwide: Study Examines Global Burden of CVD From 1990 to 2015 – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free)
“New Study: Cardiovascular disease causes one-third of deaths worldwide” (RT @IHME_UW see Tweet)
3 – Systematic Review: Antenatal corticosteroids for accelerating fetal lung maturation for women at risk of preterm birth – Cochrane Library (link to summary)
Source: A dose of corticosteroids benefit most women anticipating a preterm delivery – NIHR Dissemination Centre Discover Portal (free)
Editorial: Physician age and patient outcomes (free)
Commentaries: Patients fare worse with older doctors, study finds – STAT News (free) AND Mortality Higher Among Inpatients Treated by Older Physicians – Medscape (free registration required) AND Study links physician age to patient mortality risk – EurekAlert (free)
5 – FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA confirms increased risk of leg and foot amputations with the diabetes medicine canagliflozin (Invokana, Invokamet, Invokamet XR) (free)
Commentaries: FDA warns of foot, leg amputations with J&J diabetes drug – Reuters Health News (free) (RT @davidludwigmd) AND FDA Adds Boxed Warning to Canagliflozin for Increased Amputation Risk – Physician’s First Watch (free)
See also our May 11th issue with commentaries on a recent study showing that nearly 1 In 3 recent FDA drug approvals are followed by major safety concerns in the following years, see #10.
“Chile’s advertising policies stop high sugar, salt, fat products marketing to kids using cartoon characters” (RT @OPCAustralia see Tweet)
7 – The science behind One Health: at the interface of humans, animals, and the environment – Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (free) (RT @greg_folkers see Tweet)
Related: One Health – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Resources (free) AND Advancing One Health Policy and Implementation Through the Concept of One Medicine One Science – Global Advances in Health and Medicine (free) AND One Medicine One Science: a framework for exploring challenges at the intersection of animals, humans, and the environment – Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (free)
8 – Richard Lehman reviews the latest research in the top medical journals – The BMJ Blogs (free)
9 – Caffeine overdose is extremely rare — but here’s how it can happen – VOX (free) (RT @juliaoftoronto see Tweet)
10 – Review: Nutrition and metabolism in burn patients – Burns & Trauma (free)
Wed, May 17 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
17 May, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC
News release: More than 1.2 million adolescents die every year, nearly all preventable – World Health Organization (free)
Commentaries: How Many Teenagers Die Each Day … And Why – NPR Goats and Soda (free) AND 1.2 million adolescents’ deaths mostly preventable, report says – CNN (free) AND Pregnancy problems are leading global killer of females aged 15 to 19 – The Guardian (free) AND Road accidents biggest global killer of teenagers – BBC News (free)
See also recently released Lancet Series making a case for global investment in the capabilities of adolescents, see #2.
2 – Cough in Children – Chest Guidelines
Use of Management Pathways or Algorithms in Children With Chronic Cough: CHEST Guideline and Expert Panel Report (free) AND Management of Children With Chronic Wet Cough and Protracted Bacterial Bronchitis: CHEST Guideline and Expert Panel Report (free)
See also other recent CHEST guidelines on the management of cough in Adults: Chronic Cough Due to Gastroesophageal Reflux in Adults (free) AND Symptomatic Treatment of Cough Among Adult Patients With Lung Cancer (free) AND / Cough in the athlete (free) AND / Occupational and Environmental Contributions to Chronic Cough in Adults (free) AND / Treatment of Unexplained Chronic Cough (free)
Related: WHO preparing authorization, logistics for Ebola vaccination in Congo if needed – Reuters Health (free)
4 – Viewpoint: How to rein in the widening disease definitions that label more healthy people as sick – The Conversation (free)
5 – Draft Recommendation Statement: Menopausal Hormone Therapy: Primary Prevention of Chronic Conditions – U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (free)
Source: USPSTF Recommendation Against HRT for Chronic Conditions Stands – Medscape (free registration required)
“The USPSTF recommends against the use of combined estrogen and progestin for the prevention of chronic conditions in postmenopausal women”.
Author interview video: Comparison of Intra-articular Triamcinolone vs Saline for Knee Osteoarthritis (free)
JAMA report video: Comparison of Intra-articular Triamcinolone vs Saline for Knee Osteoarthritis (free)
Source: Study: Intra-articular triamcinolone not effective for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis – Healio Rheumatology (free)
7 – Therapeutic Approach to Adult Fibrotic Lung Diseases – Chest (free)
Source: Hospital Medicine Virtual Journal Club
8 – Early Versus Delayed Feeding in Patients With Acute Pancreatitis: A Systematic Review – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Faster Feeding May Mean Faster Recovery in Pancreatitis – NewsWise (free) AND Early Feeding May Benefit Patients With Mild Pancreatitis – Medscape (free registration required).
For patients with mild to moderate pancreatitis, early feeding appears to be safe and may reduce length of hospital stay.
9 – Review: Renal dysfunction in cirrhosis: acute kidney injury and the hepatorenal syndrome – Gastroenterology Report (free)
Source: Critical Care Reviews Newsletter
10 – Review: Portal vein thrombosis in patients with cirrhosis – Gastroenterology Report (free)
Source: Critical Care Reviews Newsletter
Tue, May 16 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
16 May, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC
Source: Review: Sulfonylureas are associated with overall mortality and CV events vs other antihyperglycemics – ACP Diabetes Monthly (free)
2 – Prevalence of Elevated Cardiovascular Risks in Young Adults: A Cross-sectional Analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Source: Study Assesses ASCVD Risk in Non-Diabetic Adults – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free)
In the absence of diabetes, smoking or hypertension, most adult men younger than 40 years and adult women younger than 50 years are at low risk of cardiovascular disease (defined as < 5% in 10 years, usually not eligible for statin therapy) and may not benefit from cholesterol screening.
3 – BTS guideline for oxygen use in adults in healthcare and emergency settings – British Thoracic Society (free PDF via Critical Care Reviews)
4 – Updated: Will vaccine help curb new Ebola outbreak in the DRC? – Science (free)
“A comprehensive update on Ebola outbreak in DRC. Still unclear whether vaccine requested” (RT @sciencecohen see Tweet)
5 – Editorial: Drowning: a silent killer – The Lancet (free)
See also the World Health Organization report on Preventing Drowning in our May 3rd issue, see #2
6 – Report: Global Health and the Future Role of the United States – The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (free)
Source: New report recommends priority actions to achieve global health security – EurekAlert (free)
7 – Switching from originator infliximab to biosimilar CT-P13 compared with maintained treatment with originator infliximab (NOR-SWITCH): a 52-week, randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority trial – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Celltrion Healthcare: Lancet Publishes Full Data-Set from Influential NOR-SWITCH Study – Business Wire (free)
See related study on the use of Medications of Questionable Benefit at the End of Life in our April 10th issue, see #8 and Deprescribing guidelines for elderly in our May 8th issue, see #4.
Source: Patient often prescribed potentially futile drugs in their final months of life – Science Daily (free)
“Nearly half of older adults in Sweden take 10 or more medications in their last months of life” (from Science Daily)
9 – Review: Recent advances in the management of variceal bleeding – Gastroenterology Report (free)
Source: Critical Care Reviews Newsletter
10 – Review: Hepatic encephalopathy – Gastroenterology Report (free)
Source: Critical Care Reviews Newsletter
Mon, May 15 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
15 May, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC
1 – Guideline: Hip fracture: management – National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE – UK) (free)
See more on “Deprescribing” in our May 9th issue (see #7) and in our May 8th issue (see #4)
3 – Ebola virus disease: Democratic Republic of the Congo – World Health Organization (free)
Updated fact sheet: Ebola virus disease (free) (RT @greg_folkers)
See also: WHO confirms second Ebola case in Congo outbreak – Reuters Health (free) AND Ebola Outbreak Is Declared in Congo, With at Least 3 Dead – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free) AND Ebola: WHO declares outbreak in DR Congo – BBC News (free) AND Ebola: an outbreak has been confirmed in the DRC. Here’s what you need to know – VOX (free) AND The Confusion Over the New Ebola Outbreak – The Atlantic (free) (RT @juliaoftoronto)
4 – Cybercrime and healthcare
The hackers holding hospitals to ransom – The BMJ (free) AND NHS cyber-attack: GPs and hospitals hit by ransomware – BBC News (free) AND Disruption from cyber-attack to last for days, says NHS Digital – as it happened – The Guardian (free) AND Worldwide ransomware attack hits NHS hospitals – video – The Guardian (free) AND British Patients Reel as Hospitals Race to Revive Computer Systems – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free) AND Hackers Hit Dozens of Countries Exploiting Stolen N.S.A. Tool – New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Many hospitals were affected around the world.
5 – Treatment Deintensification Is Uncommon in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Retrospective Cohort Study – Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Source: Treatment deintensification uncommon in type 2 diabetes – ACP Internist (free)
Editorial: Diabetes Mellitus Treatment Deintensification: When Well-Controlled Diabetes Mellitus Becomes Overcontrolled (free)
6 – Zika virus: Brazil says emergency is over – BBC (free) (RT @AthaliaChristie see Tweet)
Related: Brazil announces end to Zika public health emergency – The Guardian (free)
Source: Critical Care Reviews Newsletter
8 – 2016 AHA/ACC Guideline on the Management of Patients With Lower Extremity Peripheral Artery Disease: Executive Summary: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines – Journal of the American College of Cardiology (free, and legal, PDF via Unpawall)
9 – Review: Infection in systemic lupus erythematosus, similarities, and differences with lupus flare – Korean Journal of Internal Medicine (free)
Fri, May 12 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
12 May, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC
Commentaries: This orthopedic surgery is the world’s most common. But patients rarely benefit, a panel says – STAT News (free) AND Guideline Recommends Against Arthroscopy for Most Cases of Degenerative Knee Disease – Journal Watch (free) AND Arthroscopic Surgery Doesn’t Help With Arthritis Knee Pain – NPR Health News (free)
See also: Balance retraining tool used in the study (free)
Commentaries: Online Rehabilitation Program Reduces Chronic Dizziness – Medscape (free registration required) AND Online Intervention Could Reduce Chronic Dizziness – Physician’s First Watch (free)
3 – Can Endgame Tobacco radically reduce cigarette smoking? – Healthy Debate (free) (RT @IrfanDhalla see Tweet)
Related: The tobacco endgame: a qualitative review and synthesis – Tobacco Control (free) AND It’s time to focus on an endgame for tobacco regulation – The Conversation (free)
“The “Tobacco Endgame” concept moves thinking away from the mere control of tobacco towards plans for ending the tobacco pandemic, and foresees a tobacco-free future” (from The Conversation)
4 – Review: Countering cognitive biases in minimizing low value care – The Medical Journal of Australia (free)
“How cognitive bias affects clinical decision making and what to do about it. Well written & useful” (RT @carissa_bon and @JulieLeask see Tweet)
5 – Using AI to Detect Cancer, Not Just Cats – Wired (free) (RT @EricTopol see Tweet)
Related: Is AI a threat or benefit to health workers? – CMAJ News (free)
More on Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare in our April 28Th issue (see #1) and in our April 10th issue (see #8)
6 – NCCN Guidelines Insights: Hepatobiliary Cancers, Version 1.2017 (free)
7 – Hodgkin Lymphoma Version 1.2017, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (free)
Invited commentary: Enhanced Surgical Recovery Through Enhanced Research From Integrated Health Systems (free)
See also our selection of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Free Guidelines and Reviews
In this pre-post difference-in-differences study with 20 medical centers and 15849 surgical patients, implementation of ERAS protocols in patients undergoing elective colorectal resection and patients undergoing emergency hip fracture repair were associated with decreases in hospital length of stay and postoperative complication rates.
9 – Editorial: Vector control: time for a planetary health approach – The Lancet Global Health (free)
Invited commentary: Socioeconomic status and susceptibility to alcohol-related harm (free)
Commentary: Poorest at greater risk from heavy drinking, says study – BBC (free)
Thu, May 11 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
11 May, 2017 | 00:15h | UTC
1 – Practice guideline summary: Reducing brain injury following cardiopulmonary resuscitation (link to abstract – free PDF available)
Sources: Guideline: Offer Cooling After Cardiac Arrest – MedPage Today (free) AND Body Cooling Recommended for Some Comatose Patients After Cardiac Arrest – Physician’s First Watch (free)
2 – Ten Principles of Good Prescribing – by J K Aronson, Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM) (free)
3 – Estimating the future burden of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in India, the Philippines, Russia, and South Africa: a mathematical modelling study – The Lancet Infectious Diseases (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Drug Resistant TB Is Predicted To Steadily Spread In 4 Countries – NPR Goats and Soda (free) AND The Deadliest Form Of Tuberculosis Is Snowballing In Countries That Are Already Hard Hit – Huffington Post (free) AND Researchers Predict Increase in Drug-resistant TB – VOA News (free) AND Drug-resistant tuberculosis strains gain foothold – Science (free)
See also our coverage of #WorldTBDay in our March 24th issue
Invited commentary: Improved life expectancy of people living with HIV: who is left behind? (free)
Source: Treatment now gives some HIV patients a normal life expectancy, study finds – STAT News (free)
Commentaries: Meta-Analysis: Just a Week of NSAID Use Tied to Increased Heart Attack Risk – Journal Watch (free) AND Common painkillers linked to increased risk of heart attack, study says – CNN (free) All NSAIDs Linked to Increased MI Risk – Medscape (free registration required)
Another study suggesting NSAIDs may be associated with increased cardiovascular risk.
6 – Meta-Analysis of Drug-Eluting Stents Versus Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Unprotected Left Main Coronary Narrowing – Journal of The American College of Cardiology (link to abstract – $ for full-text) (source: EvidenceAlerts)
Related recent meta-analysis: Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Using Drug-Eluting Stents Versus Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting for Unprotected Left Main Coronary Artery Stenosis: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials – Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions (free) AND Percutaneous intervention versus coronary artery bypass graft surgery in left main coronary artery stenosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis – BMC Medicine (free)
PCI with drug-eluding stents seems to be a safe alternative to CABG in Unprotected Left Main Coronary Artery Stenosis, but it is associated with higher rates of repeat revascularization.
7 – How To Do A Really Good Job Washing Your Hands – NPR Health News (free)
See also World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “Clean Hands” campaigns in our May 5th issue, see #2.
8 – Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer: AUA/ASTRO/SUO Guideline (free)
Source: Urologic Groups Offer New Prostate Cancer Management Guideline – Physician’s First Watch (free)
9 – Antibiotic Prescribing for Nonbacterial Acute Upper Respiratory Infections in Elderly Persons – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Source: Half of all seniors who went to doctor for common cold prescribed unnecessary antibiotics – Science Magazine (free)
10 – Review: Current Trends in the Management of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease – Gut and Liver (free PDF)
Wed, May 10 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
10 May, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC
1 – Screening for Thyroid Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement – JAMA (free)
Editorial 1: The USPSTF Recommendation on Thyroid Cancer Screening: Don’t “Check Your Neck” (free)
Editorial 2: Cancer Screening, Overdiagnosis, and Regulatory Capture (free)
Editorial 3: How to Look for Thyroid Cancer (free)
Commentaries: No Symptoms, No Thyroid Screening, Says USPSTF – Medscape (free registration required) AND Don’t Screen For Thyroid Cancer, Task Force Says – NPR Health News (free) AND USPSTF Says No to Thyroid Cancer Screening – MedPage Today (free registration required)
The USPSTF recommended against screening for thyroid cancer in asymptomatic adults with “grade D” recommendation (Grade D = “The USPSTF recommends against the service. There is moderate or high certainty that the service has no net benefit or that the harms outweigh the benefits”).
2 – Meta-analysis: Mortality from different causes associated with meat, heme iron, nitrates, and nitrites in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study: population based cohort study – The BMJ (free)
High intakes of red and processed meat are associated with increased risks of all-cause mortality and death due to nine different causes.
3 – 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)
Source: Eating cheese does not raise risk of heart attack or stroke, study finds – The Guardian (free)
Dairy seems to be neutral regarding risks of cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality.
4 – Guideline for opioid therapy and chronic noncancer pain – Canadian Medical Association Journal (free) (RT @IrfanDhalla and @jendlake see Tweet)
7 – Viewpoint: Business Model–Related Conflict of Interests in Medicine: Problems and Potential Solutions – JAMA (free)
Source: Doctors should be paid by salary, not fee-for-service, argue behavioral economists – EurekAlert (free)
8 – Insights: Finding the Rare Pathogenic Variants in a Human Genome – JAMA (free)
“Prudent perspective on whole genome sequencing for healthy individuals” (RT @EricTopol see Tweet)
“Technology allows sequencing of the entire human genome, but for healthy people, it currently has no clear clinical benefit and is inconsistent with a fundamental clinical axiom—to refrain from seeking uninterpretable and misleading information in patients or healthy individuals” .
9 – First opinion: The shadow of Big Tobacco looms over e-cigarettes and harm reduction – STAT News (free)
“Should we settle for lesser harms?”. “Examples of harm reduction strategies include providing methadone to heroin users… opening needle exchanges to prevent the spread of HIV and hepatitis among individual who inject drugs…and promoting e-cigarettes or smokeless tobacco as alternatives to smoking combustible cigarettes”.
10 – Postmarket Safety Events Among Novel Therapeutics Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration Between 2001 and 2010 – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Nearly 1 In 3 Recent FDA Drug Approvals Followed By Major Safety Actions – Scientific American (free) AND One in Three Newly Approved Drugs Has Safety Issues – MedPage Today (free registration required) AND Safety Events Common in Newly Approved Drugs – Medscape (free registration required) AND New safety risks detected in one-third of FDA-approved drugs – The Washington Post (free) (RT @EricTopol see Tweet) AND One-Third Of New Drugs Had Safety Problems After FDA Approval – NPR Health News (free)
*Newer is not always better.
Mon, May 8 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
8 May, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC
1 – Conflict of Interest Theme Issue – JAMA
Theme Issue – Homepage (free)
Highlights (free)
Editorial: The Complex and Multifaceted Aspects of Conflicts of Interest (free)
Editorial: Conflict of Interest and Medical Journals (free)
Conflict of Interest: Why Does It Matter? (free)
Payments to Physicians: Does the Amount of Money Make a Difference? (free)
Why There Are No “Potential” Conflicts of Interest (free)
Addressing Bias and Conflict of Interest Among Biomedical Researchers (free)
Conflict of Interest and the Integrity of the Medical Profession (free)
Strategies for Addressing a Broader Definition of Conflicts of Interest (free)
Conflict of Interest Among Medical School Faculty: Achieving a Coherent and Objective Approach (free)
Teaching Medical Students About Conflicts of Interest (free)
Funding, Institutional Conflicts of Interest, and Schools of Public Health: Realities and Solutions (free)
Conflicts of Interest and Professional Medical Associations: Progress and Remaining Challenges (free)
Conflict of Interest in Practice Guidelines Panels (free)
Financial Conflicts of Interest in Continuing Medical Education: Implications and Accountability (free)
Challenges and Opportunities in Disclosing Financial Interests to Patients (free)
Business Model–Related Conflict of Interests in Medicine: Problems and Potential Solutions (free)
What Do Patients Think About Physicians’ Conflicts of Interest? Watching Transparency Evolve (free)
Public Disclosure of Payments to Physicians From Industry (free)
Physicians, Industry Payments for Food and Beverages, and Drug Prescribing (free)
Conflict of Interest and the Role of the Food Industry in Nutrition Research (free)
How Should Journals Handle the Conflict of Interest of Their Editors? Who Watches the “Watchers”? (free)
Medical Journals, Publishers, and Conflict of Interest (free)
Conflict of Interest and Legal Issues for Investigators and Authors (free)
Is There a Conflict of Interest? (free)
2 – Research letter: Applicability of the IMPROVE-IT Trial to Current Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome – JAMA Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full text)
Source: Cardiac Patients in Trials Don’t Reflect Real-World Populations – MedPage Today (free registration required)
Related: Exclusion of patients with concomitant chronic conditions in ongoing randomised controlled trials targeting 10 common chronic conditions and registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: a systematic review of registration details – BMJ Open (free) AND Do cancer clinical trials exaggerate the real-world benefits of drugs? – STAT News (free)
Patients in clinical trials are often younger, healthier (with less comorbidities), better plugged in to the health care system, better educated and wealthier, indicating that the external validity or generalizability of much of the current evidence to real-world settings may be relatively weak.
3 – Medical News & Perspectives: The Paternal Epigenome Makes Its Mark – JAMA (free)
Related: Influence of paternal preconception exposures on their offspring: through epigenetics to phenotype – American Journal of Stem Cells (free)
“Epigenetic changes may be the underlying mechanism by which paternal factors such as age, diet, weight, stress, and alcohol consumption contribute to a range of health outcomes in offspring including birth defects, behavioral problems, developmental disorders, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer”.
4 – Reducing inappropriate prescribing easier said than done – CMAJ News (free)
Related: Canadian Deprescribing Network (CaDeN) (free)
AND CaDeN Deprescribing Guidelines and Algorithms (free) AND Deprescribing guidelines for the elderly – Ontario Pharmacy Evidence Network (free)
5 – USPSTF recommendations: A 2017 roundup – Journal of Family Practice
Source: Management of Pulmonary Nodules Found Incidentally on Computed Tomography Scans – Journal Watch (free)
Incidental pulmonary nodules discovered outside the context of screening or cancer follow-up are increasingly common in clinical practice. The purpose of these updated recommendations is to reduce the number of unnecessary follow-up examinations while providing practical guidance on follow-up intervals for selected larger nodules.
8 – CDC updates Zika test guidance for pregnant women – CIDRAP (free)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) related resources: CDC Zika Interim Response Plan (free) (RT @greg_folkers) AND CDC updates guidance on interpretation of Zika testing results for pregnant women AND Outcomes of Pregnancies with Laboratory Evidence of Possible Zika Virus Infection in the United States AND Prolonged IgM Antibody Response in People Infected with Zika Virus: Implications for Interpreting Serologic Testing Results for Pregnant Women (free)
9 – Series: Acute Kidney Injury in the Intensive Care Unit
Fluid management in acute kidney injury – Intensive Care Medicine (free PDF)
Renal recovery after acute kidney injury – Intensive Care Medicine (free)
Diagnostic work-up and specific causes of acute kidney injury – Intensive Care Medicine (free PDF)
Source: Critical Care Reviews Newsletter
Source: Critical Care Reviews Newsletter
Tue, May 9 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
9 May, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC
1 – Noncommunicable diseases: the slow-motion disaster – World Health Organization (free)
Related WHO resources: Other dimensions of the NCD crisis: from mental health, ageing, dementia and malnutrition to deaths on the roads, violence and disability (free) AND Tools for implementing WHO PEN (Package of essential noncommunicable disease interventions) (free) AND WHO’s work on NCDs (free)
Source: Noncommunicable Diseases: A Global ‘Slow-Motion Disaster’ – Medscape (free registration required)
2 – UN Global Road Safety Week, 8-14 May 2017 – World Health Organization
Press release 1: Fourth UN Global Road Safety Week 2017, 8-14 May 2017 (free)
Press release 2: Speed management key to saving lives, making cities more livable (free)
New WHO Report: Save LIVES: a road safety technical package (free)
WHO campaign: “Road Safety: Around 1.25 million people die every year on the world’s roads. Save lives, Slow Down!” (see Tweet) AND “Global Road Safety week: Excessive or inappropriate speed contributes to 1 in 3 road traffic fatalities, Slow Down!” (see Tweet).
Commentaries: ACP Updates Guidelines on Treating Low Bone Density, Osteoporosis – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND New ACP Guidelines on the Treatment of Osteoporosis – Medscape (free registration required)
Related guideline: UK clinical guideline for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis – Archives of Osteoporosis (free)
4 – Review: Atrial Fibrillation: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, and Clinical Outcomes – Circulation Research (free)
7 – Missed Opportunities for Deprescription: A Teachable Moment – JAMA Internal Medicine (free)
Related: This physician wants her patients to use fewer medications – The Washington Post (free)
For more on ”Deprescribing” see our May 8th issue, see #4
“Deprescription needs to be prescribed more” (RT @EricTopol see Tweet)
8 – Richard Lehman’s weekly review of medical journals – The BMJ Blogs (free)
9 – Review: Approach to the Patient with Hematochezia – Mayo Clinic Proceedings (free) (RT @HMVJC)
10 – Review: Fever of unknown origin (FUO) revised – Wiener klinische Wochenschrift (free) (RT @HMVJC)
Fri, May 5 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
5 May, 2017 | 00:12h | UTC
1 – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guideline for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection, 2017 – JAMA Surgery (free) (RT @jankluytmans and @CIDRAP_ASP see Tweet)
Invited commentary: Surgical Site Infection Prevention – What We Know and What We Do Not Know – JAMA Surgery (free)
Commentary: ‘Long-Awaited’ CDC Guidelines on SSI Prevention Released – Medscape (free registration required)
Related: Global guidelines on the prevention of surgical site infection 2016 – World Health Organization (free)
2 – World Hand Hygiene Day (May 5th, 2017)
World Health Organization: SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands 5 May 2017 AND Campaign Resources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Clean Hands Count Campaign (free) AND Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings (free)
3 – First opinion: 8 things that excellent hospital doctors do – STAT News (free)
4 – Multiple-micronutrient supplementation for women during pregnancy – Cochrane Library (free summary – $ for full-text)
See also a recent landmark study on the subject in our March 27th issue, see #9.
Source: EvidenceAlerts
The findings of this systematic review support the effect of Multiple-micronutrient supplements with iron and folic acid in improving some birth outcomes.
5 – The World Is Not Ready for the Next Pandemic – TIME cover story (RT @HealthTalkUMN and @paimadhu see Tweet)
Related: The World Is Completely Unprepared for a Global Pandemic – Harvard Business Review (free) Seven reasons we’re at more risk than ever of a global pandemic – CNN (free)
6 – Handheld screen time linked with speech delays in young children – ScienceDaily (free)
Commentary on text and video: Letting a baby play on an iPad might lead to speech delays, study says – CNN (free)
See also more on the subject and screen time recommendations from the American College of Pediatrics in our April 10th issue, see #6.
“New research being presented at the 2017 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting suggests the more time children under 2 years old spend playing with smartphones, tablets and other handheld screens, the more likely they are to begin talking later” (from ScienceDaily).
7 – Randomized controlled trial: Extended and standard duration weight-loss programme referrals for adults in primary care (WRAP): a randomised controlled trial – The Lancet (free)
Invited commentary: Weight management programmes of extended duration – The Lancet (free)
Commentary: Give overweight patients a year of weight-loss classes, say researchers – The Guardian (free)
In this trial with 1,267 overweight or obese participants an extended weight loss program (1 year) was more effective for weight loss and seems cost-effective in the longer term.
8 – Association of Donor Age and Sex With Survival of Patients Receiving Transfusions – JAMA Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ required for full-text)
Source: Blood Donor Age, Sex Do Not Affect Outcomes After All – Medscape (free registration required)
“After reviewing almost 1 million transfusions, the researchers concluded all donations are about the same” (RT @theheartorg see Tweet)
9 – Editor’s Choice: Give patients access to their medical records – The BMJ, by Fiona Godlee, editor in chief (free)
Patients are being empowered in decisions regarding their health care, and this is probably a tendency for the future.
10 – Correspondence: Trial of Transplantation of HCV-Infected Kidneys into Uninfected Recipients – The New England Journal of Medicine (free)
Transplantation of HCV-infected-kidneys into uninfected recipients seems feasible in this era of direct-acting antiviral agents, maybe shortening waiting times for those willing to take the risk.
Thu, May 4 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
4 May, 2017 | 00:29h | UTC
New decision tool: MR CLEAN-R Registry (free)
This new clinical decision tool will improve the selection of patients with acute ischemic stroke who will benefit the most from intra-arterial treatment.
2 – Bystander Efforts and 1-Year Outcomes in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest – New England Journal of Medicine (Link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Quick Take Video Summary: Bystander Efforts in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (free)
Commentary: Bystander CPR and Defibrillation Are Associated with Better Long-Term Outcomes – Journal Watch (free)
In patients who have initially survived after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, those who were submitted to bystander CPR and defibrillation had lower risk of brain damage, nursing home admission and death after one year when compared to patients who survived but were not submitted to bystander CPR.
3 – As scientists take to Twitter, study shows power of ‘visual abstract’ graphics – Scienmag (free) (RT @jdimick1 @UM_IHPI)
Have a look: Example of visual abstract and its benefits for engagement (Tweet)
Original article ($ for full-text): Visual Abstracts to Disseminate Research on Social Media: A Prospective, Case-control Crossover Study – Annals of Surgery
See also: an open-source primer on visual abstracts (free)
This new tendency might increase engagement with medical research.
4 – Cardiology groups issue guidance on heart failure – ACP Hospitalist
Key points from the recently published AHA Heart Failure Guideline (free)
See also our coverage on the new guidelines on our May 1st issue, see #2.
5 – Association Between Academic Medical Center Pharmaceutical Detailing Policies and Physician Prescribing – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Doctors Prescribe More Generics When Drug Reps Are Kept At Bay – NPR (free) AND Limiting Interactions with Pharma Reps Cuts Brand Name Drug Prescriptions – Physician’s First Watch (free)
See more about conflicts of interest in medicine in our yesterday’s issue, see #10.
Commentary: Gluten-Restricted Diets Seem Not to Lower Coronary Risk – Physician’s First Watch (free)
7 – Viewpoint: Breaking the Rules for Better Care – JAMA (free) (RT @gmacscotlan)
“Administrative burdens and complexity are alleged to be among the most costly forms of waste in US health care”. This comentary addresses the problem and provide a few suggestions for better care.
See more about the burden of administrative tasks in healthcare in our April 21st issue, see #5, and about physician’s burnout and clerical work in our April 24th issue, see #9.
8 – Interesting read: The Death of Expertise – The Federalist (free) (RT @wellcometrust and @MaryDixonWoods see Tweet)
This interesting commentary may as well be applied to the changing relationships between patients and doctors.
9 – Statins, Like All Medicines, Are Neither Good Nor Bad – By John Mandrola, MD (free)
“I am sick of the “bad” drug frame. My latest fast-writing: Statins, Like All Medicines, Are Neither Good Nor Bad” (RT @drjohnm see Tweet)
10 – Urinary catheter care: what does the evidence say? – Cochrane Library (free)
“How frequently should indwelling urinary catheters be changed? Are catheter washouts effective? Which type of catheter reduces rates of urinary tract infection?”. This post look at the evidence regarding urinary catheter care.
Wed, May 3 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
3 May, 2017 | 00:02h | UTC
1 – World Asthma Day (May 2, 2017): Asthma Updated Fact Sheet – World Health Organization (free)
Related: Cochrane Evidence resources related to World Asthma Day (free summaries)
2 – Report: Preventing drowning: an implementation guide – World Health Organization (free) (See @WHO Tweet 1 and Tweet 2)
Related publication: Global report on drowning: preventing a leading killer – World Health Organization (free)
3 – Embrace the facts about vaccines, not the myths – World Health Organization (free) (RT @gmacscotland see Tweet)
Related: The amazing power of vaccines, explained in 6 seconds – World Economic Forum (free) AND World Immunisation Week: The Rise of Anti-Vaccine Movement and What it Means for Public Health – Independent (free) (RT @LSHTMpress see Tweet)
See also our coverage on World Immunization Week in our April 25 issue, see #1.
5 – Systematic review: PCSK9 inhibitors for prevention of cardiovascular disease – Cochrane Library (free summary – $ for full-text))
The evidence so far suggests that PCSK9 inhibitor use probably leads to little or no difference in mortality and leads to a modest absolute risk reduction (often less than 1%) in cardiovascular events in high-risk patients.
Commentaries: Fasting Studies Clash With Our Desire To Eat What We Want, When We Want It – NPR Health News (free) AND Fasting Every Other Day Does Not Lead to Greater Weight Loss – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Same Weight Loss With Alternate-Day Fasting vs Cutting Calories – Medscape (free registration required) AND Alternate-Day Fasting Doesn’t Lead to Speedier Weight Loss – MedPage Today (free registration required)
Randomized trial with 100 patients showed no difference in weight loss between alternate-day fasting versus calorie restriction.
7 – Updated Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Pediatric HIV Infection – AIDSInfo (free)
Source: ASCO Issues Guideline on Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer – Medscape (free registration required)
9 – Interesting read: Here’s What Your Future Doctor Visits Could Look Like – Fortune (free) (RT @EricTopol see Tweet)
According to this point of view “tomorrow’s office visit will increasingly take place everywhere but the office”, with a sharp increase in virtual visits and home visits, with doctors coming to patients.
10 – Viewpoint: Conflict of Interest: Why Does It Matter? – JAMA (free)
Editorial 1: The Complex and Multifaceted Aspects of Conflicts of Interest (free)
Editorial 2: Conflict of Interest and Medical Journals (free)
Source: Bruno Besen, MD
Tue, May 2 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
2 May, 2017 | 00:38h | UTC
1 – Use of antibiotics during pregnancy and risk of spontaneous abortion – Canadian Medical Association Journal (free) (RT @CMAJ see Tweet)
Commentary: Use of Certain Antibiotics in Pregnancy Tied to Spontaneous Abortion – Physician’s First Watch (free)
In this nested case-control study, use of common antibiotics such as macrolides (excluding erythromycin), quinolones, tetracyclines, sulfonamides and metronidazole during early pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of spontaneous abortion.
2 – Effect of Using the HEART Score in Patients With Chest Pain in the Emergency Department: A Stepped-Wedge, Cluster Randomized Trial – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
See also: HEART Score for Major Cardiac Events – MdCalc (free)
Commentaries: HEART Score for Chest Pain in ED Found to Be Safe, Cost-Effective – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND HEART Score Safely Informs Chest Pain Decisions in ED – Medscape (free registration required) AND HEART score to risk stratify patients with chest pain is safe but underutilized in the ED – ScienceDaily (free)
3 – Just started. Essentials of Global Health – Free Online Course from the Yale University and Coursera (RT @glassmanamanda)
4 – Expert consensus document: Echocardiography and lung ultrasonography for the assessment and management of acute heart failure – Nature Reviews Cardiology (free)
Source: Critical Care Reviews Newsletter
5 – Short review: CPAP Use in Obstructive Sleep Apnea: What a Cardiologist Needs to Know – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free)
6 – Review: Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome – European Respiratory Review (free)
7 – Women with symptoms of a urinary tract infection but a negative urine culture: PCR-based quantification of Escherichia coli suggests infection in most cases – Clinical Microbiology and Infection (link to abstract – Free and legal PDF here – via @unpaywall)
Sources: The most reliable test and predictive entity for uncomplicated UTI is the patient’s symptoms – Emergency Literature of Note Blog (free) AND Negative Urine Culture + Symptoms = UTI in Most Women – MedPage Today (free registration required)
This study suggests that women with symptoms of uncomplicated cystitis and a negative urinary culture should be treated nonetheless.
Sources: Study: Resistant gram-negative bacteria common in nursing homes – CIDRAP (free) (RT @IDSAInfo see Tweet) AND A quarter of nursing home residents are colonized with drug-resistant bacteria – EurekAlert (free)
9 – For Pregnant Women, Getting Serious About Whooping Cough – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Related: Effectiveness of Vaccination During Pregnancy to Prevent Infant Pertussis – Pediatrics (free) AND Study: Pertussis shot in pregnant moms protects newborns – CIDRAP (free) AND Get the Whooping Cough Vaccine While You Are Pregnant – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (free)
Original article abstract ($ for full-text): Achieved blood pressure and cardiovascular outcomes in high-risk patients: results from ONTARGET and TRANSCEND trials – The Lancet
See more about this article in our April 11 issue, see #8.
Mon, May 1 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
1 May, 2017 | 00:14h | UTC
1 – Guidelines for treatment of drug-susceptible tuberculosis and patient care (2017 update) – World Health Organization (free) (RT @paimadhu see Tweet)
Commentaries: Societies Update Heart Failure Management Guidelines – Heart Failure Society of America (free) AND Societies Release HF Guideline Focused Update – American College of Cardiology, Latest in Cardiology (free)
News release: New guidance on heart failure tests can improve care – American Heart Association News (free)
News release: Guidelines for the Economic Evaluation of Health Technologies (free)
Commentary: New guidelines for evaluating health tech: New guide for economic analysis of drugs and technology – CMAJ News (free)
Best practices guidelines for conducting economic evaluations of health care technologies, so that the information produced is standardized and of high quality and can effectively inform health care decision-making.
8 – Screening for Preeclampsia: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement – JAMA (free)
Evidence Report and Systematic Review: Preeclampsia Screening (free)
Editorial 1: Early Identification of Pregnant Women at Risk for Preeclampsia (free)
Editorial 2: Screening for Preeclampsia and the USPSTF Recommendations (free)
Editorial 3: Preeclampsia and Hypertension – Courting a Long While: Time to Make It Official (free)
“The USPSTF recommends screening for preeclampsia in all pregnant women with blood pressure measurements throughout pregnancy”
Editorial: Gaining perspective on SUDEP: The new guideline (free)
Commentary: New guideline: Address GTCS frequency to reduce SUDEP risk – Clinical Neurology News (free)
News release: New guidance for management of aromatase-inhibitor related bone loss in breast cancer – Internationa Osteoporosis Foundation (free)
Source: Guidelines Issued on Managing Bone Loss Tied to Aromatase Inhibitor Therapy – Physician’s First Watch (free)
Thu, Apr 27 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
27 Apr, 2017 | 01:45h | UTC
Editorial: WOMAN: reducing maternal deaths with tranexamic acid (free)
Commentary: Overlooked Drug Could Save Thousands Of Moms After Childbirth – NPR Goats and Soda (free)
“Tranexamic acid reduced deaths of mothers caused by bleeding after childbirth by 1/3” (RT @LSHTMpress see Tweet)
2 – Guideline: Role of Biomarkers for the Prevention, Assessment, and Management of Heart Failure: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association (free PDF)
News release: New guidance on heart failure tests can improve care – American Heart Association News (free)
Commentaries on the editorial: Does saturated fats clog your arteries? Controversial paper says ‘no’ – CNN (free) AND The Battle Over the Causes of Cardiovascular Disease Heats Up! – By George Henderson and Grant Schofield (free) AND Backlash after report claims saturated fats do not increase heart risk – The Guardian (free) AND Expert reaction to editorial on saturated fat and heart disease – Science Media Centre (free)
Fat wars continue. New interesting but controversial editorial heats up the debate.
4 – Guidelines For Management Of Dyslipidemia And Prevention Of Cardiovascular Disease – American Association Of Clinical Endocrinologists And American College Of Endocrinology (free PDF) (RT @greg_folkers)
5 – Adherence to High-Intensity Statins Following a Myocardial Infarction Hospitalization Among Medicare Beneficiaries – JAMA Cardiology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Source: Heart Attack Survivors Often Fail to Take Statins – The New York Times (free)
In this cohort only 41.6% of patients aged 66 to 75 years continued taking statins as prescribed at 2 years.
6 – Five years wisely: A look at Choosing Wisely’s effort to reduce unnecessary medical care – HealthNewsReview (free) (RT @pash22 and @glassmanamanda see Tweet)
See also: Choosing Wisely initiative was launched 5 years ago in our April 5 issue.
7 – How to Fight Cancer (When Cancer Fights Back) – The Atlantic (free)
“Understanding how the disease evolves is the key to stopping it”.
8 – How hype can mislead cancer patients, families – CNN (free)
Related: Financial toxicity: 1 in 3 cancer patients have to turn to friends or family to pay for care – STAT News (free) AND Not Just Nausea And Vomiting: Cancer Docs Now Worry About ‘Financial Toxicity’ – WBUR (free)
“Cancer cost crisis forces tough choices”.
Sources: Alcohol binge can upset heart’s rhythm, say researchers – BBC Health News (free) AND Binge Drinkers Beware: Study Finds Link Between Alcohol And Heart Arrhythmias – NPR (free) AND Oktoberfest: Downing Beers, Raising Heart Rates – Acute measurement in beer tents shows high rate of sinus tachycardia – MedPage Today (free registration required)
10 – After Knee or Hip Replacement, No Place Like Home – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
See also: Time to Rethink Inpatient Rehab After Knee Replacement? – The Rheumatologist (free)
Original article abstract ($ for full-text): Effect of Inpatient Rehabilitation vs a Monitored Home-Based Program on Mobility in Patients With Total Knee Arthroplasty: The HIHO Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA (free)
The NYT commentary talks about the futility of some interventions currently used to postpone surgery and about the benefits of outpatient rehabilitation.
Fri, Apr 28 – Top 10 Medical News Stories!
28 Apr, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC
1 – Automated Identification of Diabetic Retinopathy Using Deep Learning – Ophthalmology (free)
Source: Artificial Intelligence Shows Potential to Fight Blindness – NewsWise (free)
Related article: Development and Validation of a Deep Learning Algorithm for Detection of Diabetic Retinopathy in Retinal Fundus Photographs – JAMA (link to abstract -$ for full-text)
Another study showing an artificial intelligence-based algorithm can be used with high reliability to screen for diabetic retinopathy, with cases referred to an ophthalmologist for further evaluation and treatment.
See more about how doctors might be affected by artificial intelligence in our April 10 issue, see #8.
2 – Text and video: The riskiest vaccine? The one that is not given – Science (free) (RT @greg_folkers)
3 – Systematic review: Tobacco packaging design for reducing tobacco use – Cochrane Library (link to summary – $ for full-text)
News release: Standardised tobacco packaging: will banning branding cut down smoking? (free)
See also: Standardised cigarette packaging is on its way, but will it reduce smoking? – The Guardian (free)
New evidence finds standardized cigarette packaging may reduce the number of people who smoke.
4 – A better way to care for the dying – The Economist (free) (RT @EricTopol see Tweet)
“How the medical profession is starting to move beyond fighting death to easing it”.
5 – Normal-Weight Central Obesity and Risk for Mortality – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Waist circumference stronger predictor of death risk than BMI – Haelio (free) AND Forget Your BMI and Focus on This Measurement Instead – TIME (free) AND Central Obesity Ups Mortality Across BMI Range – Physician’s Briefing (free) AND Central obesity may increase mortality risk from cardiovascular disease – Cardiovascular Business (free) AND People with a normal BMI who carry weight around the middle at greatest risk of death – HealthCanal (free)
6 – Advil, Motrin and other NSAIDs painkillers should be prescription only, Danish study says – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (free) (RT @medpagetoday see Tweet)
Original article: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use is associated with increased risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a nationwide case–time–control study – European Heart Journal – Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy (free)
See more commentaries on this study in our March 17 issue, see #5.
Editorial: Opioid substitution treatment is linked to reduced risk of death in opioid use disorder – The BMJ (free)
Commentary: Opioid Substitution Therapy Associated with Reduced Mortality – Physician’s First Watch (free)
Opioid substitution treatment seems to be associated with decreased mortality.
8 – Viewpoint: Should we abandon routine blood tests? – The BMJ Opinion (free)
“The practice of ordering routine blood tests for patients attending hospital regardless of clinical need is wasteful and potentially damaging, argue three doctors”.
9 – Viewpoint: Universal health coverage, priority setting, and the human right to health – The Lancet (free registration required)
Wed, Apr 26 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
26 Apr, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC
1 – World Malaria Day, 25 April 2017 – World Health Organization (free)
Press release: Prevent malaria – save lives: WHO push for prevention on World Malaria Day, 25th April (free)
WHO Reports 2017: A framework for malaria elimination (free) AND Malaria prevention works: let’s close the gap – World Malaria Day 2017 (free)
See also: WHO’s work on malaria (free)
Related: Mapping the End of Malaria – Gates Notes (free) (RT @glassmanamanda and @BillGates see Tweet) AND 7 Good Reads For #WorldMalariaDay – NPR Goats and Soda (free) AND Editorial: Is malaria elimination within reach? – The Lancet Infectious Diseases (free)
2 – Guideline: Screening for Preeclampsia: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement – JAMA (free)
Evidence Report and Systematic Review: Preeclampsia Screening (free)
Editorial 1: Early Identification of Pregnant Women at Risk for Preeclampsia (free)
Editorial 2: Screening for Preeclampsia and the USPSTF Recommendations (free)
Editorial 3: Preeclampsia and Hypertension – Courting a Long While: Time to Make It Official (free)
“The USPSTF recommends screening for preeclampsia in all pregnant women with blood pressure measurements throughout pregnancy”
3 – Eat, Sleep, Repeat: How Kids’ Daily Routines Can Help Prevent Obesity – NPR (free)
Observational data suggests regular evening meals, limited screen-viewing time and sleep routine may help prevent obesity in children.
4 – Updated Guideline: Prevention and Management of Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Primary Care – Toward Optimized Practice (TOP) Guidelines (free)
Practical guideline for primary care providers.
5 – Meta-analysis: Exercise interventions for cognitive function in adults older than 50: a systematic review with meta-analysis – British Journal of Sports Medicine (free)
Source: Exercise Could Benefit Cognition in Older Adults – Physician’s First Watch (free)
“Physical exercise interventions significantly improved cognitive function in adults older than 50 years, regardless of baseline cognitive status”.
6 – Accuracy of PECARN, CATCH, and CHALICE head injury decision rules in children: a prospective cohort study – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Sources: External Validation of Three Decision Rules for Pediatric Head Injury – Journal Watch (free) AND Best way to diagnose head injuries in children and minimize CT scans – ScienceDaily (free) AND PECARN, CATCH, CHALICE … or None of the Above? – By Ryan P. Radecki, MD, in Emergency Medicine Literature of Note (free)
The 3 decision rules performed well with negative predictive values >99%. The PECARN clinical decision rule was more sensitive and missed only 1 patient with clinically important traumatic brain injury, but was less specific, meaning more CTs would be required. These findings indicate that CT can generally be avoided if one of the prediction rules are negative.
7 – Cohort study: Use of azithromycin and risk of ventricular arrhythmia – Canadian Medical Association Journal (free)
Source: No Major Azithromycin Arrhythmia Risk in Huge European Cohort – Medscape (free registration required)
Contradicting a previous study (free) and a 2013 safety warning from the US Food and Drug Administration (free), this large cohort did not show an association between azithromycin and ventricular arrhythmia when compared to amoxicillin.
8 – Review: Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Diagnosis and Treatment – Deutsches Ärzteblatt international (free)
Source: Critical Care Reviews Newsletter (free)
9 – With yellow fever reaching Rio, official says Brazil prepared – CIDRAP (free)
10 – Assessment of Global Kidney Health Care Status – JAMA (free)
Source: One in 10 People Worldwide Have Chronic Kidney Disease – Medscape (free registration required)
Related: Global kidney health 2017 and beyond: a roadmap for closing gaps in care, research, and policy – The Lancet (free registration required)
Tue, Apr 25 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
25 Apr, 2017 | 00:56h | UTC
1 – World Immunization Week, 24-30 April 2017 – World Health Organization (free)
Press release: World Immunization Week 2017 (free)
See also: WHO’s work on immunization (free)
“Increasing immunization globally could save an additional 1.5 million people every year”.
2 – Global kidney health 2017 and beyond: a roadmap for closing gaps in care, research, and policy – The Lancet (free registration required)
Chronic kidney disease is increasingly recognized as a global public health problem affecting as many as 10–15% of the population worldwide. It is associated with impaired quality of life and strongly reduced life expectancy. The article identifies key activities for the next 5-10 years to address the problem.
3 – Guideline: Community Mitigation Guidelines to Prevent Pandemic Influenza – United States, 2017 – CDC – MMWR (free)
Source: New CDC guidelines on flu pandemic measures reflect 2009 lessons – CIDRAP (free)
These new guidelines focus on nonpharmaceutical measures to fight and prevent influenza pandemics.
4 – Guideline: Recommendations on hepatitis C screening for adults – Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (free)
News release: CTFPHC Releases Its First Hepatitis C Population-wide Screening Guideline (free)
See also: Summary of recommendations for clinicians and policy-makers (free) AND Clinician FAQ (free)
Commentary: Canada recommends against testing everyone for hepatitis C – Reuters Health (free) (RT @CMichaelGibson)
“Guideline recommends against screening for HCV in adults who are not at elevated risk”.
5 – Nursery Product-Related Injuries Treated in United States Emergency Departments – Pediatrics (free)
Source: Common Nursery Products Send Thousands of Children to Hospitals – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free) (RT @CMichaelGibson)
Baby carriers, mattresses, strollers, high chairs, changing tables, bath seats and other ordinary nursery products lead to injuries and emergency room visits for 66,000 children a year in U.S.
6 – Spend a Dollar on Drug Treatment, and Save More on Crime Reduction – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
7 – Committee Opinion: Hormone Therapy in Primary Ovarian Insufficiency – American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (free)
Source: Group Offers Guidance on Treating Primary Ovarian Insufficiency with Hormone Therapy – Physician’s First Watch (free)
8 – Empyema Guidelines Published – Physician’s First Watch (free)
Original article ($ for full-text): The American Association for Thoracic Surgery consensus guidelines for the management of empyema
9 – Richard Lehman’s weekly review of medical journals, 24 April 2017 – The BMJ Blogs (free)
10 – Relationship between hospital ward design and healthcare-associated infection rates: a systematic review and meta-analysis – Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control (RT @brhospitalist and @PreetiNMalani see Tweet)
Single-patient rooms and easily accessible hand rub dispensers located near the patient’s bed are the most effective measures.
Mon, Apr 24 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!
24 Apr, 2017 | 00:47h | UTC
1 – Report: Global hepatitis report, 2017 – World Health Organization (free)
Press release: New hepatitis data highlight need for urgent global response (free)
Related resources: WHO’s work on Hepatitis (free) AND Global health sector strategy on viral hepatitis, 2016-2021 (free)
The World Health Organization has released the first ever Global Hepatitis Report, with estimates on Hepatitis B and C burden, incidence and mortality. According to the report, deaths from viral hepatitis are increasing, with 1.34 million deaths in 2015, a number comparable to deaths caused by tuberculosis and HIV.
2 – FDA Safety Alert: Codeine and Tramadol Medicines: Drug Safety Communication – Restricting Use in Children, Recommending Against Use in Breastfeeding Women (free)
FDA Statement: New warnings about the use of codeine and tramadol in children & nursing mothers (free)
Commentaries on the statement: FDA: Codeine Now Contraindicated for Pain and Cough in Kids – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Codeine cough syrup should not be given to kids, FDA warns – STAT News (free)
These drugs should not be used at all for children younger than 12 years, and their use should also be limited in some older children.
3 – Prospective cohort study: Sugar- and Artificially Sweetened Beverages and the Risks of Incident Stroke and Dementia – Stroke (free PDF)
Editorial: Sugar-Sweetened and Artificially Sweetened Beverages in Relation to Stroke and Dementia: Are Soft Drinks Hard on the Brain? – Stroke (free PDF)
Commentaries on the study: Diet soda and stroke & dementia news coverage: 3 key points weren’t always reported – HealthNewsReview (free – See Tweet) AND Stroke and dementia risk linked to artificial sweeteners, study suggests – The Guardian (free) AND A diet soda a day might affect dementia risk, study suggests – American Heart Association News (free)
This study has drawn a lot of attention from the media, but no firm conclusions can be made due to the observational nature of the study.
4 – Perspective: Focusing on High-Cost Patients — The Key to Addressing High Costs? – NEJM Catalyst (free) (RT @brhospitalist)
Related commentaries: Caring for High-Need, High-Cost Patients — An Urgent Priority – New England Journal of Medicine (free) AND Richard Smith: The challenge of high need, high cost patients – The BMJ Blogs (free)
Playbook: Better Care for People with Complex Needs – Institute for Healthcare Improvement (free)
5 – Two new articles in The Lancet address important issues in global health economics.
Invited commentary: Patterns of global health financing and potential future spending on health – The Lancet (free)
Commentary on the studies: What Country Spends the Most (And Least) On Health Care Per Person? – NPR Goats and Soda (free)
6 – Systematic review: Effect of Weight Reduction on Hemoglobin A1c in weight loss trials of Type 2 Diabetes Patients – Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
“Each 1kg reduction in weight loss trials associated with 0.1% reduction in HbA1c” (RT @kamleshkhunti see Tweet)
7 – Short review: Statistical significance vs. clinical significance – Students 4 Best Evidence Blog (free) (RT @CochraneUK see Tweet)
Related review: Reporting the findings: Absolute vs relative risk – HealthNewsReview (free) (See Tweet)
8 – Prospective, before-after cohort study: Standardized Criteria for Palliative Care Consultation on a Solid Tumor Oncology Service Reduces Downstream Health Care Use – Journal of Oncology Practice (free)
Editorial: Making the Right Thing Easier to Do: Standardized Integration of Oncology and Palliative Care – Journal of Oncology Practice (free)
Related Guideline: Integration of Palliative Care Into Standard Oncology Care: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Update (free)
Commentaries on the study: Standardized Palliative Care Consults Cut Cancer Readmissions – Also, less chemotherapy after discharge – MedPage Today (free registration required) AND Standardized Cancer Palliative Care Consults Linked to Stronger Home-Based Support – AJMC (free)
Patients with at least one of the following 4 criteria: 1) advanced solid tumor; 2) prior hospitalization within 30 days; 3) hospitalization > 7 days; or 4) active symptoms – received automatic palliative care consultation. The rates of 30-day readmissions dropped from 35% to 18% and chemotherapy after discharge dropped from 44% to 18%.
9 – Survey and commentaries: Why Physician Burnout Is Endemic, and How Health Care Must Respond – NEJM Catalyst (free)
Increased in clerical burden seems to be one of the leading causes, heavily influenced by expanded and more comprehensive use of electronic health records. More on the burden of administrative tasks in healthcare in our April 21 issue, see #5.
10 – Review: The efficacy of bedside chest ultrasound: from accuracy to outcomes – European Respiratory Review (free)