TOP 10 Medical News Stories

Fri, Apr 21 – Top 10 Medical News Stories!

21 Apr, 2017 | 00:27h | UTC

1 – Frequency of Evidence-Based Screening for Retinopathy in Type 1 Diabetes – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

In patients who have had type 1 diabetes for 5 years, annual retinal examinations are currently recommended. Based on their findings, the authors suggest an individualized screening schedule, with less frequent screening for patients at low risk and more frequent screening for patients at higher risk, leading to decreased cost without delaying the diagnosis of clinically significant disease.

2 – Report: Building the foundations for sustainable development: a case for global investment in the capabilities of adolescents – The Lancet (free)

“Investing in adolescent health & education could bring 10-fold economic benefit” (RT @TheLancet see Tweet)

3 – Beyond Medication Reconciliation: The Correct Medication List – JAMA (free) (RT @AnilMakam see Tweet)

Achieving a “correct medication list” involves multiple levels of medication reconciliation. This viewpoint describes the main steps for achieving this goal.

4 – Association between active commuting and incident cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mortality: prospective cohort study – The BMJ (free)

Editorial: Active commuting is beneficial for health (free)

5 – Electronic Health Record Logs Indicate That Physicians Split Time Evenly Between Seeing Patients And Desktop Medicine – Health Affairs (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Source: By the Numbers: Docs’ Logged-On Time Increases – MedPage Today (free registration required)

“Electronic health records systems now account for about half of the average doctor’s day”

6 – Why the Menace of Mosquitoes Will Only Get Worse – The New York Times Magazine (RT @CIDRAP and @marynmck see Tweet) (10 articles per month are free)

“Climate change is altering the environment in ways that increase the potential for viruses like Zika”.

7 – The Lancet Countdown: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change – The Lancet (free)

Editorial: Climate and health: joining up the pieces, scaling up the action (free)

8 – Diabetes incidence and glucose intolerance prevalence increase with higher outdoor temperature – BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care (free)

Sources: Climate Change Linked to Rising Diabetes Prevalence: Study – MedPage Today (free registration required) AND Is there a link between climate change and diabetes? – CNN (free)

“Association between climate change and diabetes?” (RT @kamleshkhunti see Tweet)

9 – Medical Alert! Climate Change Is Harming Our Health – Medical Society Consortium on Climate & Health (link to summary – free PDF available)

Sources: Medical Societies Come Together on Harms of Climate Change – Medscape (free registration required) AND Climate Change Already Affecting Human Health – Physician’s First Watch (free)

10 – Too many studies have hidden conflicts of interest. A new tool makes it easier to see them – VOX (free)

“Great news: PubMed is finally publishing info about funding sources/conflicts of interest on its abstracts” (RT @paimadhu and @juliaoftoronto see Tweet)

Thu, Apr 20 – Top 10 Medical News Stories!

20 Apr, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – Changes in prices, sales, consumer spending, and beverage consumption one year after a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in Berkeley, California, US: A before-and-after study – PLOS One (free)

Sources: First US sugar tax sees soft drink sales fall by almost 10%, study shows – The Guardian (free) (RT @kamleshkhunti see Tweet) AND Sugary Drink Sales Fizzled After Soda Tax – MedPage Today (free registration required)

2 – Updated Guideline: Alcohol-use disorders: diagnosis and management of physical complications – National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE – UK) (free)

3 – Updated Guideline: Irritable bowel syndrome in adults: diagnosis and management – National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE – UK) (free)

4 – Cost-effectiveness of Common Diagnostic Approaches for Evaluation of Asymptomatic Microscopic Hematuria – JAMA Internal Medicine (free)

Invited commentary: Asymptomatic Microscopic Hematuria – Rethinking the Diagnostic Algorithm (free)

Routine urinalysis for screening is not presently recommended by any major health organization, but asymptomatic microscopic hematuria is a common incidental finding. This study suggests that the combination of renal ultrasound and cystoscopy is the most cost-effective approach for the evaluation of these patients.

5 – β-Blocker Exposure in Pregnancy and Risk of Fetal Cardiac Anomalies – JAMA Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

See also: No Fetal Heart Risk from Mom’s Beta-Blocker Use – MedPage Today (free registration required)

6 – Syncope and Its Impact on Occupational Accidents and Employment: A Danish Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Study – Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes (free)

News release: Fainting spells may increase risk of workplace accidents, job loss – American Heart Association News (free)

7 – Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases: low value interventions – The Medical Journal of Australia (free) (RT @ChooseWiselyAU and @ASIDANZ see Tweet)

See also: Choosing Wisely initiative was launched 5 years ago in our April 5 issue.

The society has just released a selection of 5 low value interventions (details in the text):

– Prescribing antibiotics for asymptomatic bacteriuria.

– Taking a swab of a leg ulcer without signs of clinical infection and treating the patient with antibiotics against the identified bacteria.

– Treating upper respiratory tract infections with antibiotics.

– Investigation for fecal pathogens in the absence of diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.

– Ordering multiple serological investigations for patients with fatigue without a clinical indication or relevant epidemiology.

8 – Use of Medications of Questionable Benefit at the End of Life in Nursing Home Residents with Advanced Dementia – Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

“Too much use of meds of questionable benefit at the end of life: Just Stop.” (RT @DeeMangin see Tweet)

9 – Should You Take an Anticoagulant for AF? — Applying the 4 questions – Dr John M Blog (free) (@drjohnm see Tweet)

Very interesting post about how to practice shared decision making in patients with atrial fibrillation.

10 – Mortality Trends After a Voluntary Checklist-based Surgical Safety Collaborative – Annals of Surgery (link to abstract – free PDF available)

Sources: Global Health NOW Newsletter (free) AND South Carolina Hospitals Saw Surgery Deaths Drop After Implementing WHO Checklist – AJMC News (free) AND A simple checklist prevents deaths after surgery, a large new study suggests – The Washington Post (a few articles per month are free)

Wed, Apr 19 – Top 10 Medical News Stories!

19 Apr, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – Integrating neglected tropical diseases in global health and development: Fourth WHO report on neglected tropical diseases (free)

Press release: Unprecedented progress against neglected tropical diseases, WHO reports (free)

2 – A guide to neglected tropical diseases prioritised by the World Health Organisation – Financial Times (free) (RT @NTDCOUNTDOWN See Tweet)

“The World Health Organisation has selected 18 as good candidates to be controlled”

3 – Rapid Rule-out of Acute Myocardial Infarction with a Single High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T Measurement Below the Limit of Detection: A Collaborative Meta-analysis – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

“This analysis indicates that a nonischemic ECG and a single negative High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T only misses about 1 in 100 myocardial infarctions – and can provide rapid, useful information in an assessment.” (from Physician’s First Watch commentary above).

4 – Comparison of Recommended Eligibility for Primary Prevention Statin Therapy Based on the US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations vs the ACC/AHA Guidelines – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Although recommended by most guidelines for individuals at high risk, there is still some controversy over prescribing statins for primary prevention and over what patients benefit the most – see related commentary: Cholesterol-lowering statin therapy for healthy people is not as simple as ‘yes’ or ‘no’ – The Pharmaceutical Journal (free)

Adherence to the 2016 USPSTF recommendations for statin therapy, compared with the 2013 ACC/AHA guidelines, could lead to a lower number of individuals (an estimated difference of 9.3 million individuals in the U.S. population) recommended for primary prevention statin therapy.

5 – Associations of Maternal Antidepressant Use During the First Trimester of Pregnancy With Preterm Birth, Small for Gestational Age, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Offspring – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Contradicting a previous study showing increased risk of autism with antidepressant use during pregnancy (free), this large retrospect cohort study of 1 580 629 Swedish offspring did not show an association of antidepressant use during pregnancy and autism or other neurodevelopment problems.

6 – Dexamethasone versus standard treatment for postoperative nausea and vomiting in gastrointestinal surgery: randomised controlled trial (DREAMS Trial) – The BMJ (free)

A single dose of 8 mg intravenous dexamethasone at induction of anesthesia reduced postoperative nausea and vomiting with no increase in adverse events.

7 – Maternal asthma: Management strategies – Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine (free)

8 – Why it’s a bad idea to space out your child’s vaccination shots – The Washington Post (a few articles per month are free)

“Splitting immunizations into several visits only increases children’s stress” (RT @IDSAInfo see Tweet)

9 – The 2017 Atlas of Sustainable Development Goals: a new visual guide to data and development – The World Bank (free) (RT @glassmanamanda and @St_Klingebiel see Tweet)

With over 150 maps and data visualizations, the new publication charts the progress societies are making towards the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

10 – Preventing Sports Injury and Illness: Key Resources for Family Physicians – American Family Physician (free)

Selection of resources for primary care providers to improve their ability to prevent and treat injuries from sports and physical activity.

Tue, Apr 18 – Top 10 Medical News Stories!

18 Apr, 2017 | 00:08h | UTC

1 – WHO Approves World’s First-Ever Dengue Vaccine – TIME (free) (RT @Onisillos and @JoanneLiu_MSF)

“For general background take a look at The Lancet Infectious Diseases Dengue series” (all articles are free) (RT @Onisillos see Tweet) 1 – Disease and economic burdens of dengue; 2 – Prevention and control of dengue – the light at the end of the tunnel; and 3 – Dengue: knowledge gaps, unmet needs, and research priorities

“World Health Organization Approves Dengue Vaccine: still lots of challenges ahead: it needs three injections & price” (RT @JoanneLiu_MSF see Tweet)

2 – Changes in the Employment Status and Risk of Stroke and Stroke Types – Stroke (Free PDF)

News release: Japanese study: Unemployment may increase stroke risk – American Heart Association News

Source: STAT Newsletter

3 – Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer – NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (free)

4 – New drugs, new toxicities: severe side effects of modern targeted and immunotherapy of cancer and their management – Critical Care (free)

Source: Critical Care Reviews Newsletter

5 – The Cost of Not Taking Your Medicine – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)

According to the commentary, the lack of adherence to prescribed medications is estimated to cause approximately 125.000 deaths, at least 10 percent of hospitalizations and cost the American health care system between $100 billion and $289 billion a year.

6 – Too Clean for Our Children’s Good? – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)

According to the “hygiene hypothesis”, some exposure to germs and microorganisms might be good for us because it helps develop the immune system.

7 – The Breastfeeding-Friendly Pediatric Office Practice – American Academy of Pediatrics (free)

Source: AAP: Pediatricians Should Support Breastfeeding Moms – MedPage Today (free registration required)

Recent recommendation from another organization: Breastfeeding: Primary Care Interventions – U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (free)

Summary of USPSTF recommendations: Primary Care Interventions to Support Breastfeeding: Recommendation Statement – American Family Physician (free)

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force have issued recommendations for promoting and supporting breastfeeding.

8 – Association Between Hospitals’ Engagement in Value-Based Reforms and Readmission Reduction in the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program – JAMA Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Sources: Value-Based Reforms Linked to Readmission Reductions – Medscape (free registration required) AND Richard Lehman’s weekly review (free – see below)

A program of incentives (Medicare Hospital Readmission Reduction Program in the US) was effective in reducing 30 day readmissions following infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia.

9 – Richard Lehman’s weekly review of medical journals, 17 April 2017 – The BMJ Blogs (free)

10 – Relative effectiveness of insulin pump treatment over multiple daily injections and structured education during flexible intensive insulin treatment for type 1 diabetes: cluster randomised trial (REPOSE) – The BMJ (free)

Mon, Apr 17 – Top 10 Medical News Stories!

17 Apr, 2017 | 02:01h | UTC

1 – Hospital costs in relation to body-mass index in 1.1 million women in England: a prospective cohort study – The Lancet (free)

Related commentary: The costs of overweight – The Lancet (free)

“Every 2 kg/m2 increase in BMI associated with a 7.4% increase in annual hospital costs” (RT @ZaherToumi see Tweet)

2 – Can machine-learning improve cardiovascular risk prediction using routine clinical data? – PLOS One (free)

“When expert MD guidelines are outperformed by machine learning for heart risk prediction” (RT @EricTopol see Tweet)

3 – A New, More Rigorous Study Confirms: The More You Use Facebook, the Worse You Feel – Harvard Business Review (free) (RT @EricTopol see Tweet)

Original article abstract ($ for full-text): Association of Facebook Use With Compromised Well-Being: A Longitudinal Study – American Journal of Epidemiology

4 – Amsterdam’s solution to the obesity crisis: no fruit juice and enough sleep – The Guardian (free) (RT @DrAseemMalhotra see Tweet)

“The city is successfully fighting fat by promoting tap water in its schools, along with healthy cooking classes and a ban on fast food sponsorship”

5 – The Ebola outbreak, 2013–2016: old lessons for new epidemics – Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (free) (RT @royalsociety see Tweet)

This article is part of the themed issue ‘The 2013–2016 West African Ebola epidemic: data, decision-making and disease control’ (all articles are free)

Comprehensive review of the latest Ebola outbreak with lessons learned and recommendations for future epidemics.

6 – Integrating Clinical Research into Epidemic Response: The Ebola Experience (2017) – National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (Free Download – PDF)

Source: New report charts ways to expedite critical research during epidemics – STAT News (free)

7 – Yellow Fever – Once Again on the Radar Screen in the Americas – New England Journal of Medicine (free)

8 – CSH (Chinese Society of Hepatology) guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of drug-induced liver injury (free)

9 – Life after breast, prostate, and colon cancer: Primary care’s role – Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine (free)

10 – Diagnosis and management of psoriasis – Canadian Family Physician (free)

Fri, Apr 14 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!

14 Apr, 2017 | 00:18h | UTC

1 – Mortality and Cardiovascular Disease in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Quick Take Video Summary: Mortality and Cardiovascular Disease in Diabetes (free)

Large cohort showing the long-term cardiovascular outcomes in patients with diabetes.

2 – Ten years in public health 2007-2017 – World Health Organization (free)

WHO has launched a report that chronicles the evolution of global public health over the last decade. The first chapter examines WHO’s key role in promoting universal health coverage (free). The full series will be published over the next 6 weeks.

3 – Radical increase in water and sanitation investment required to meet development targets – World Health Organization (free)

4 – Screening for Endocrine Hypertension: An Endocrine Society Scientific Statement (free)

Source: Screen for Endocrine Hypertension, Endocrine Society Says – Medscape (free registration required)

“The statement provides guidance on screening for 15 hormonal disorders that present with hypertension and that can be potentially cured with surgery or treated with medication” (from Medscape commentary above).

5 – European Association of Urology releases its 1st thromboprophylaxis guideline (free)

6 – Procedure-specific Risks of Thrombosis and Bleeding in Urological Cancer Surgery: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis – European Urology (free)

“Extended thromboprophylaxis is warranted in some procedures (eg, open and robotic cystectomy) but not others (eg, robotic prostatectomy without pelvic lymph node dissection in low-risk patients)”

7 – Procedure-specific Risks of Thrombosis and Bleeding in Urological Non-cancer Surgery: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis – European Urology (free)

“Extended prophylaxis is warranted for some procedures (eg, kidney transplantation procedures in high-risk patients) but not others (transurethral resection of the prostate and reconstructive female pelvic surgery in low-risk patients)”

8 – Four reasons why we shouldn’t forget about Zika – The Conversation (free)

9 – Recorded childhood cancers rise by 13% worldwide, study finds – The Guardian (free)

Original articles: International incidence of childhood cancer, 2001–10: a population-based registry study – The Lancet Oncology (free) AND Worldwide comparison of survival from childhood leukaemia for 1995–2009, by subtype, age, and sex (CONCORD-2): a population-based study of individual data for 89 828 children from 198 registries in 53 countries – The Lancet Haematology (free) Related commentary: Issues raised by the incidence and survival of childhood cancers (free)

10 – ASCO has just published 3 guidelines on the management of pancreatic cancer:

1 – Potentially Curable Pancreatic Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Update (free) AND 2 – Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Summary (free) AND 3 – Locally Advanced Unresectable Pancreatic Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Summary (free)

Thu, Apr 13 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!

13 Apr, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – Hospital Admissions for Myocardial Infarction and Stroke Before and After the Trans-Fatty Acid Restrictions in New York – JAMA Cardiology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Sources: Banning trans fats in New York prevented thousands of heart attacks, study finds – STAT News (free) AND Trans Fat Bans Tied to Fewer Heart Attacks and Strokes – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)

Other localities might consider doing the same as well.

2 – Short term use of oral corticosteroids and related harms among adults in the United States: population based cohort study – The BMJ (free)

Corticosteroids, even if used for short periods of time, seems to be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In this retrospective cohort with 1.5 million adults, the incidence of acute adverse events (sepsis, venous thromboembolism, fracture) increased by twofold to fivefold above background rates.

3 – Prostate Cancer Screening – Conflicting views on the new USPSTF draft recommendations

In favor of screening: New Official Prostate Cancer Screening Guidelines Announced: Too Little, Too Late? – Forbes (free) AND Federal Task Force Softens Opposition To Routine Prostate Cancer Screening – NPR

Against screening: The new recommendations for prostate cancer screenings are a bad deal – STAT News (free)

4 – Childhood cancers: 2 new studies on international incidence and survival (RT @TheLancet see Tweet)

Childhood cancer: International incidence of childhood cancer, 2001–10: a population-based registry study – The Lancet Oncology (free)

Childhood leukemia: Worldwide comparison of survival from childhood leukaemia for 1995–2009, by subtype, age, and sex (CONCORD-2): a population-based study of individual data for 89 828 children from 198 registries in 53 countries – The Lancet Haematology (free)

Related commentary: Issues raised by the incidence and survival of childhood cancers (free)

5 – Screening to Prevent Invasive Cervical Cancer: ASCO Resource-Stratified Clinical Practice Guideline (free)

“The ASCO guidelines outline the minimum standards for HPV-based screening for each resource strata; additional and more frequent screening may be added as the resources become available”.

6 – Potentially Curable Pancreatic Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Update (free)

Due to a recent study showing a 2,5 month increase in median overall survival, the doublet regimen of gemcitabine and capecitabine seems to be preferred in the absence of concerns for toxicity or tolerance.

7 – The Patients Were Saved. That’s Why the Families Are Suing – The New York Times (free)

“Historically, the practice has been “if in doubt, err on the side of aggressive, life-sustaining treatment,””. That might be changing.

8 – Famine now threatens 20 million people – more than at any time since World War II – Washington Post (RT @AthaliaChristie and @wpjenna)

9 – Why Chinese Scientists Are More Worried Than Ever About Bird Flu – NPR Goats and Soda

Source: Global Health NOW Newsletter

H7N9 is a very deadly virus, killing around a third of the people who have contracted it. The virus has proved an ability to mutate quickly and researchers are concerned that a future mutation could make them to spread more easily among humans.

10 – Fresh fruit consumption in relation to incident diabetes and diabetic vascular complications: A 7-y prospective study of 0.5 million Chinese adults – PLOS Medicine (free)

Source: Fresh Fruit Protects Against Diabetes, Complications – MedPage Today (free registration required)

Wed, Apr 12 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!

12 Apr, 2017 | 00:20h | UTC

1 – Prostate Cancer Screening Draft Recommendations – U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (free)

Viewpoint: The US Preventive Services Task Force 2017 Draft Recommendation Statement on Screening for Prostate Cancer: An Invitation to Review and Comment – JAMA (free)

For those aged 55 to 69 it recommends “informed, individualized decision making based on a man’s values and preferences”. According to a useful infographic from the draft recommendations, the benefits are likely small. For every 1000 men offered PSA based screening over a period of 10-15 years, the test would avoid cancer spreading in 3 men and death from prostate cancer in 1-2 men, with the undesired consequences of false positives and subsequent procedures in many patients.

2 – 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)

Related commentary: Tallying the bills of mortality from air pollution (free)

4.2 million deaths globally were attributable to fine particles and another 254 000 to surface ozone in 2015. The article also has details on country-specific deaths and disability-adjusted life-years from 1990 through 2015.

3 – How Many Pills Are Too Many? – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)

“Evidence has mounted about the dangers of taking multiple, perhaps unnecessary, medications” (from Tweet)

4 – The hospital of tomorrow in 10 points – Critical Care (free)

This is the first article in a new thematic series about the future of critical care (free)

5 – EULAR revised recommendations for the management of fibromyalgia – Annals of Rheumatic Diseases (free)

Source: EULAR Revised Recommendations for the Management of Fibromyalgia – Medscape (free registration required)

6 – Management of Osteoarthritis of the Hip – American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (free PDF)

Source: AAOS releases new clinical practice guideline for osteoarthritis of the hip – Medical Express (free)

7 – New ILAE Epilepsy Classification Published – Medscape (free registration required)

Position paper: Operational classification of seizure types by the International League Against Epilepsy (free)

Practical manual: Instruction manual for the ILAE 2017 operational classification of seizure types (free)

“For the first time in 30 years, an epileptic seizures classification update” (RT @MedscapeNeuro see Tweet)

8 – Vitamins and the Failure of Free-Market Health – The Atlantic (free)

“The booming dietary-supplement industry is plagued by outlandish claims, undermining credible science, and seeding confusion”.

9 – Effect of Baseline Nutritional Status on Long-term Multivitamin Use and Cardiovascular Disease Risk – JAMA Cardiology (link to abstract – $ required for full-text)

See also: Multivitamins may not improve heart health in men – UPI (free) AND Other recent commentary on multivitamins: Multivitamins a waste of money and just create ‘very expensive urine’ – The Guardian (free)

“Multivitamin use does not prevent major CV disease events in men, regardless of baseline nutritional status” (RT @CaulfieldTim)

10 – Surprising And Sobering: 7 Facts About Global Health – NPR (free)

Tue, Apr 11 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!

11 Apr, 2017 | 00:26h | UTC

1 – Respiratory effect of beta-blockers in people with asthma and cardiovascular disease: population-based nested case control study – BMC Medicine (free) (RT @atscommunity)

Cardioselective beta-blockers, mostly atenolol and bisoprolol in this cohort, were not associated with increased risk of moderate or severe asthma exacerbations. In contrast, non-selective beta-blockers, mostly sotalol and carvedilol in this cohort, were associated with increased risk.

2 – Why Are So Many People Popping Vitamin D? – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)

“Labs performing these tests are reporting perfectly normal levels of vitamin D — 20 to 30 nanograms per milliliter of blood — as “insufficient.” As a consequence, millions of healthy people think they have a deficiency”

Note: Some organizations still think appropriate levels would be above 30 nanograms per milliliter of blood, more details in the text.

3 – Updated Fact Sheet: Lymphatic filariasis – World Health Organization (free) (RT @AbraarKaran)

4 – Body-Weight Fluctuations and Outcomes in Coronary Disease – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ required for full-text)

Source: Weight Fluctuation Tied to Mortality in CAD Population – MedPage Today (free registration required)

5 – Emergencies in Hematology and Oncology – Mayo Clinic Proceedings (free)

Comprehensive review covering the most common oncological emergencies.

6 – Pharmacological treatment optimization for stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Proposals from the Société de Pneumologie de Langue Française (free)

7 – Risk of pneumonia associated with incident benzodiazepine use among community-dwelling adults with Alzheimer disease – CMAJ (free)

Source: Benzodiazepines Tied to Higher Pneumonia Risk in Patients with Alzheimer’s – Physician’s First Watch (free)

8 – Achieved blood pressure and cardiovascular outcomes in high-risk patients: results from ONTARGET and TRANSCEND trials – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ required for full-text) (RT @AnilMakam “Lower achieved blood pressure in high risk patients for cardiovascular disease do WORSE” see Tweets)

In high-risk patients, patients who achieved a systolic blood pressure < 120 mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure < 70 mmHg had HIGHER risk of complications. “These data suggest that the lowest blood pressure possible is not necessarily the optimal target for high-risk patients”

9 – Richard Lehman’s weekly review of medical journals – The BMJ Blogs (free)

10 – Toward Responsible Human Genome Editing – JAMA (free)

Mon, Apr 10 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

10 Apr, 2017 | 01:25h | UTC

Links = Interest ≠ Endorsement

1 – Hypertension Canada’s 2017 Guidelines for Diagnosis, Risk Assessment, Prevention, and Treatment of Hypertension in Adults (free)

2 – Surgical or Transcatheter Aortic-Valve Replacement in Intermediate-Risk Patients – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ required for full text)

Quick Take Video Summary: SURTAVI Study: TAVR versus Open Surgery (free)

See this and other highlights from the American College of Cardiology’s 66th Annual Scientific Session (some articles are no longer free)

This innovative technology seems to be useful for patients with aortic stenosis at high risk for surgery. In this new study, it was noninferior to surgery at 2 years of follow-up in old patients (averaged nearly 80 years) at intermediate risk. Longer follow up data will be important to see if it is a suitable alternative for younger patients.

3 – The cross-cutting contribution of the end of neglected tropical diseases to the sustainable development goals – Infectious Diseases of Poverty (free) (RT @ghn_news see Tweet)

Related commentary from the author: Impact beyond the neglected (free)

This review examines how the interventions being used against neglected tropical diseases are contributing to achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

4 – The World Health Organization Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Self-Report Screening Scale for DSM-5 – JAMA Psychiatry (free)

Invited commentary: Good News for Screening for Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder – JAMA Psychiatry (free)

Others disagree… call it “disease mongering”, “overdiagnosis”. For example, Prof Allen Francis, author of Saving Normal: An Insider’s Revolt against Out-of-Control Psychiatric Diagnosis, DSM-5, Big Pharma, and the Medicalization of Ordinary Life, wrote some remarks about the study, see Tweet 1, Tweet 2 and Tweet 3

See also: The Selling of Attention Deficit Disorder – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)

5 – F.D.A. Will Allow 23andMe to Sell Genetic Tests for Disease Risk to Consumers – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)

“The controversial step will significantly expand direct-to-consumer testing – but what if the news is bad?” (from Scientific American above)

6 – TV. How much is too much for our kids? – World Economic Forum (free)

Original Article Abstract ($ required for full-text): Family Socioeconomic Status Moderates Associations Between Television Viewing and School Readiness Skills – Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics

7 – No TV during meals may lower obesity risk – Medical News Today (free)

Original article abstract ($ required for full-text): Television, Home-Cooked Meals, and Family Meal Frequency: Associations with Adult Obesity – Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

The first study in adults and the second study in children suggest there might be a link between screen time and weight gain or adiposity.

8 – Here’s why one tech investor thinks some doctors will be ‘obsolete’ in five years – CNBC (free) (RT @CMichaelGibson)

According to this point of view, radiologists will be the first ones that are affected by Artificial Intelligence. As we can see below, other specialists that work by interpreting medical images may follow, like dermatologists, ophthalmologists and pathologists.

9 – When Globalization Brings Brain-Invading Worms – The Atlantic (free) (RT @PreetiNMalani and @AdrienneLaF)

Infectious diseases are spreading faster and emerging quicker due to globalization.

10 – Seniors are given so many drugs, it’s madness – The Globe and Mail (free) (RT @RasoiniR)

“While most prescribing is well-intentioned, it’s also unco-ordinated; there is a tendency to overmedicate and leave people on drugs for too long”.

Fri, Apr 7 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!

7 Apr, 2017 | 01:13h | UTC

1 – Smoking prevalence and attributable disease burden in 195 countries and territories, 1990–2015: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015 – The Lancet (free)

Related commentary: Death, disease, and tobacco (free)

Explore data visualizations by The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) (free)

2 – Benefits of Endovascular Treatment for Stroke Last at Least 2 Years – Physician’s First Watch (free)

Original article abstract ($ required for full-text): Two-Year Outcome after Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke – New England Journal of Medicine

3 – Association Between Antipsychotic Agents and Risk of Acute Respiratory Failure in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – JAMA Psychiatry (Link to abstract – $ required for full-text) (RT @atscommunity)

See also: Antipsychotics Tied to Respiratory Failure in At-Risk Patients – Medscape (free registration required) AND Antipsychotics May Boost Respiratory Failure Risk in COPD – MedPage Today (free registration required)

4 – Social rank: a risk factor whose time has come? – The Lancet (free)

“Inequality kills – and there are many things we can do about it, but don’t” (RT @mellojonny see Tweet)

“Medical treatment has less influence on lifespan & health outcomes than the quality of social services & primary prevention programs” (RT @AllenFrancesMD see Tweet)

This interesting commentary provides a panel with evidence-based strategies to minimize the impact of social hierarchy on health.

5 – Now free: citation data from 14 million papers, and more might come – Science (free) (RT @robertkiley see Tweet) AND Initiative aims to break science’s citation paywall – Nature Breaking News (free) AND Global Coalition Pushes for Unrestricted Sharing of Scholarly Citation Data – Creative Commons (free) AND Initiative for Open Citations – I4OC (free)

Open Science, Open Access and Open Data gaining momentum.

6 – A prescription for the future: How hospitals could be rebuilt, better than before – The Economist (free) (RT @EricTopol)

“Technology could revolutionize the way they work”.

7 – Are Virtual Doctor Visits Really Cost-Effective? Not So Much, Study Says – Kaiser Health News (free)

“Perhaps telehealth visits don’t save money after all. Increased convenience can increase utilization” (RT @drval)

8 – Relative effectiveness of insulin pump treatment over multiple daily injections and structured education during flexible intensive insulin treatment for type 1 diabetes: cluster randomised trial (REPOSE) – The BMJ (free)

Source: With same training, insulin pumps no better than injections – Reuters Health News (free) (RT @CMichaelGibson)

9 – Singapore Ministry of Health Clinical Practice Guidelines: Lipids (free PDF)

10 – Nearly a third of tests and treatments are unnecessary – CMAJ News (free) (RT @ChooseWiselyCA)

Press release: Canadians have more than 1 million potentially unnecessary medical tests and treatments every year – Canadian Institute for Health Information (free)

See report: Unnecessary Care in Canada (free PDF)

Growing problem in many countries, making resources less available for treatments and conditions that matter.

Thu, Apr 6 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!

6 Apr, 2017 | 00:03h | UTC

1 – The first issue of the Lancet Planetary Health is out (#OpenAccess)

Editorial: Welcome to The Lancet Planetary Health

2 – Unpaywall finds free versions of paywalled papers – Nature (free) (RT @dannykay68)

Apparently, it successfully finds an open-access version (completely legal) of a paper around 30% of the time. We have tried and it worked for some of the articles we’ve tested. See it for yourself.

3 – Long-term use of antibiotics and risk of colorectal adenoma – Gut (free)

Sources: Antibiotics overuse could increase bowel cancer risk, study finds – The Guardian (free) (RT @Onisillos) AND Long-Term Use of Antibiotics Associated with Later-Life Colorectal Adenomas – Physician’s First Watch (free)

4 – Effectiveness of Vaccination During Pregnancy to Prevent Infant Pertussis – Pediatrics (free)

Source: Global Health NOW Newsletter

5 – Inhaled Corticosteroids May Raise Women’s Risk of the Metabolic Syndrome – NewsWise (free)

This study was presented at #ENDO2017 and hasn’t been published yet.

6 – National Heart Foundation of Australia & Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand: Australian Clinical Guidelines for the Management of Acute Coronary Syndromes (free)

7 – Low-dose aspirin can reduce risk of death from cancer, research says – CNN (free)

Not so fast: CNN claims aspirin can reduce cancer death risk, falling into observational study trap – HealthNewsReviews (free)

8 – Cancer patients have 55% greater risk of suicide, study finds – The Guardian (free) (RT @ghn_news)

9 – Antibiotic-Resistant ‘Superbugs’ Are Here – Council on Foreign Relations (free)

Source: Global Health NOW Newsletter

10 – Managing supplies of vaccines is a huge problem – The Economist (free) (RT @glassmanamanda)

Wed, Apr 5 – 10 Medical Stories of The Day!

5 Apr, 2017 | 00:10h | UTC

1 – Thyroid Hormone Therapy for Older Adults with Subclinical Hypothyroidism – New England Journal of Medicine (free)

Source: Levothyroxine Shows No Benefit in Older Adults with Subclinical Hypothyroidism – Physician’s First Watch (free)

2 – Cardiometabolic Abnormalities Among Normal-Weight Persons From Five Racial/Ethnic Groups in the United States: A Cross-sectional Analysis of Two Cohort Studies – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ required for full-text)

Sources: Certain Racial/Ethnic Groups More Likely to Have Cardiometabolic Abnormalities at Normal Weight – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Cardiovascular Risk High Among Some Normal Weight Minorities – Medscape (free registration required)

Compared with whites, all racial/ethnic minority groups had higher prevalence of metabolic abnormalities, with a high prevalence even in persons with normal weight. The prevalence of metabolic abnormalities in whites with a BMI of 25 kg/m² corresponded to the prevalence in BMI values of 22.9 kg/m² in African Americans, 21.5 kg/m² in Hispanics, 20.9 kg/m² in Chinese Americans, and 19.6 kg/m² in South Asians.

3 – The wound/burn guidelines – Japanese Dermatological Association (all guidelines are free)

Wounds in general / Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment for pressure ulcers / Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment for diabetic ulcer/gangrene / Guidelines for the management of skin ulcers associated with connective tissue disease/vasculitis / Guidelines for the management of lower leg ulcers/varicose veins / Guidelines for the management of burns

4 – Management of the Diseases of Mesenteric Arteries and Veins: Clinical Practice Guidelines of the European Society of Vascular Surgery (free)

5 – CUA guideline on the management of cystic renal lesions – Canadian Urological Association Journal (free)

6 – Choosing Wisely initiative was launched 5 years ago, and now has over 490 recommendations from 18 countries (all resources are free)

Lists from other countries: Choosing Wisely UK / Choosing Wisely Australia / Choosing Wisely Canada

The Choosing Wisely is a leading effort to encourage conversations aimed at reducing unnecessary tests and treatments to improve value in healthcare.

7 – Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder – Deutsches Ärzteblatt international (free)

8 – Seven reasons we’re at more risk than ever of a global pandemic – CNN (free) (RT @AthaliaChristie)

9 – One in 10 Pregnant Women With Zika in U.S. Have Babies With Birth Defects – The New York Times (10 articles a month are free)

10 – Prognosis of undiagnosed chest pain: linked electronic health record cohort study – The BMJ (free)

“Chest pain rarely harmless. Even if undiagnosed 6 months after first presentation linked to increased cardiac events.” (RT @pascalmeier74)

Tue, Apr 4 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

4 Apr, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – Child and Adolescent Health From 1990 to 2015: Findings from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors 2015 Study – JAMA Pediatrics (free)

Editorial: Importance of Innovations in Neonatal and Adolescent Health in Reaching the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 (free)

Source: Child Deaths Drop From 14.2 Million In 1990 To 7.3 Million In 2015 – NPR Goats and Soda (free)

2 – Just Started! Free Online Course: Essentials of Global Health – Yale University and Coursera

3 – Free Online Course, Starts April 10. To Screen or not to Screen? Methods and health policies through case studies – University of Geneva and Coursera

4 – Free Online Course, Starts April 17. An Introduction to Population Health – University of Manchester and Coursera

5 – ACR Appropriateness Criteria Adds Topics, Covers More Clinical Variants Than Ever Before (free)

Browse Appropriateness Criteria Topics (free)

Source: Newswise

This comprehensive guide from American College of Radiology (ACR) covers 230 topics with more than 1,100 clinical indications and has just been updated. It is a very useful resource for doctors in all specialties to guide which exam is most appropriate in each clinical situation.

6 – Management of Inpatient Hyperglycemia and Diabetes in Older Adults – Diabetes Care (free)

Source: Management of Hyperglycemia in Elderly, Hospitalized Adults – PracticeUpdates (free registration required)

7 – The association between insomnia symptoms and risk of cardio-cerebral vascular events: A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies – European Journal of Preventive Cardiology (free)

Source: Insomnia associated with increased risk of heart attack and stroke – EurekAlert (free) (RT @CaulfieldTim)

8 – You Should Appreciate Germs – Gates Notes (free)

9 – Eosinophilia – Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice (free)

10 – It’s not just you: science papers are getting harder to read – Nature (free)

More commentaries on academic writing and the importance of making research understandable to all: ‘It’s time to make sure research is understandable to all’ – The Telegraph (free) AND Scientific language is becoming more informal – Nature (free)

“Here we show that in mice DND1 binds a UU(A/U) trinucleotide motif predominantly in the 3′ untranslated regions of mRNA, and destabilizes target mRNAs through direct recruitment of the CCR4-NOT deadenylase complex”

Mon, Apr 3 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

3 Apr, 2017 | 00:18h | UTC

1 – Building Next Generation Immunization Supply Chains – Vaccine Supplement (free)

News release: Global Immunization Impact Constrained by Outdated Vaccine Delivery Systems, Researchers Say – World Health Organization (free)

See also: Battling Infectious Diseases in the 20th Century: The Impact of Vaccines (free – classic 2015 page with interesting infographics) (RT @stefaniei)

This 29 open access articles are part of a special supplement published in Vaccine to address the challenges of Immunization Supply Chains.

2 – Return on investment of public health interventions: a systematic review – Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health (free)

Source: BMJ News ($)

“For every £1 invested in public health, £14 will subsequently be returned to the wider health and social care economy”. Based on the findings, the authors suggest that cuts to public health services are short sighted and represent a false economy, with substantial opportunity costs.

3 – Neuropathic pain in adults: pharmacological management in non-specialist settings – Updated NICE Guideline (free)

4 – The World Is Completely Unprepared for a Global Pandemic – Harvard Business Review (free) (RT @glassmanamanda and @BillGates)

5 – Effects of intensive glucose control on microvascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis of individual participant data from randomised controlled trials – The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology (RT @EricTopol see Tweet with interest discussion) (link to abstract – $ required for full-text)

Contradicting the analysis above, a recent report found no significant impact of tight glycemic control on the risk of dialysis / transplantation / renal death, blindness, or neuropathy: Glycemic Control for Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Our Evolving Faith in the Face of Evidence – Circulation (free)

Benefits of intensive glucose control on microvascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes remains controversial.

6 – Cognitive Dysfunction in Older Adults With Diabetes: What a Clinician Needs to Know – Diabetes Care (free)

Source: Management of Older Adults With Diabetes and Cognitive Dysfunction – PracticeUpdate (free registration required)

“Recommendations include the need for simplified medication regimens, avoidance of glucose-lowering drugs with a high risk of hypoglycemia, periodic reassessment of glycemic goals, and repeated education of the patient and caregiver” (from PracticeUpdate commentary above)

7 – Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline (free PDF)

Source: Endocrine Society Issues Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Guideline – Medscape (free registration required)

8 – Addition of anti-leukotriene agents to inhaled corticosteroids for adults and adolescents with persistent asthma – Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (link to summary – $ required for full-text)

Source: EvidenceAlerts

In patients with asthma not controlled with daily low-dose inhaled corticosteroids, adding anti-leukotriene agents reduced by half the number of patients with asthma exacerbations requiring an oral corticosteroid and improved lung function and asthma control.

9 – Anemia and blood transfusion in the critically ill patient with cardiovascular disease – Critical Care (free)

10 – Corticosteroids in septic shock: a systematic review and network meta-analysis – Critical Care (free)

Fri, Mar 31 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

31 Mar, 2017 | 00:04h | UTC

1 – Press release: “Depression: let’s talk” says WHO, as depression tops list of causes of ill health – World Health Organization (free)

See also: Depression: let’s talk – WHO campaign (free) AND Depression updated factsheet (free) AND Depression and Other Common Mental Disorders: Global Health Estimates (free)

Depression is now the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide, according to The World Health Organization.

2 – Spondyloarthritis in Over 16s: Diagnosis and Management – NICE Guideline (free)

3 – Mental health of adults in contact with the criminal justice system – NICE Guideline (free)

News release: Checks needed every year for people with a mental health problem in the criminal justice system, says NICE (free)

4 – Zika Virus Infection and Associated Neurologic Disorders in Brazil – New England Journal of Medicine (free)

Source: Global Health NOW Newsletter

In Brazil, there were many fewer cases of microcephaly than expected in 2016. The researchers are trying to find an explanation.

5 – New Lists from Choosing Wisely Canada – List of Items Physicians and Patients Should Question (all resources are free)

Critical Care / Pediatric neurosurgery / Sport and exercise medicine / Nursing / Long term care / Medical microbiology

Lists from other countries: Choosing Wisely UK / Choosing Wisely Australia / Choosing Wisely U.S.

The Choosing Wisely initiative aims to reduce unnecessary tests, treatments and procedures to reduce harm and promote value in healthcare.

6 – Impact of total knee replacement practice: cost effectiveness analysis of data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative – The BMJ (free)

Total knee replacement for patients with osteoarthritis had minimal effects on quality of life in this study. Severely affected patients seem to benefit the most from the procedure.

7 – Exposure to any antenatal corticosteroids and outcomes in preterm infants by gestational age: prospective cohort study – The BMJ (free)

Editorial: Antenatal corticosteroids for women at risk of preterm delivery (free)

See also: Antenatal Steroids Benefit Very Premature Infants Most – Medscape (free registration required)

“This study found that among infants born from 23 to 34 weeks’ gestation, antenatal exposure to corticosteroids compared with no exposure was associated with lower mortality and morbidity at most gestations”.

8 – History of Periodontitis Diagnosis and Edentulism as Predictors of Cardiovascular Disease, Stroke, and Mortality in Postmenopausal Women – Journal of the American Heart Association (free) (RT @kamleshkhunti)

Press release: Gum disease, tooth loss may increase postmenopausal women’s risk of death – American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal Report (free)

History of periodontal disease was associated with a 12 percent higher risk of death from any cause and loss of all natural teeth was associated with a 17 percent higher risk of death from any cause.

9 – The seven deadly sins of statistical misinterpretation, and how to avoid them – The Conversation (free) (RT @Sab_Ra)

10- Approach to preventive care in the elderly – Canadian Family Physician (free)

Thu, Mar 30 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

30 Mar, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – 100 Objects That Shaped Public Health: From the Obscure to the Everyday, These Objects Tell the Story – Global Health NOW (free)

Very interesting compilation with 100 objects that have made their mark on public health (for better or worse).

2 – Press release: WHO Launches Global Effort to Halve Medication-Related Errors in 5 Years – World Health Organization (free)

3 – Non–Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and Valvular Heart Disease – Journal of the American College of Cardiology (free)

Source: SciCombinator

Except for patients with moderate/severe mitral stenosis or mechanical heart valves, who were excluded in most trials, high-dose NOACs was as effective and safe for patients with valvular heart disease as for patients without valvular disorders.

4 – Clinical Trials of Therapeutics for the Prevention of Congenital Zika Virus Disease: Challenges and Potential Solutions – Annals of Internal Medicine (free)

5 – Persistent erectile dysfunction in men exposed to the 5α-reductase inhibitors, finasteride, or dutasteride – PeerJ (free)

Source: SciCombinator

Observational data suggests there might be a link.

6 – Prevention of everolimus-related stomatitis in women with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer using dexamethasone mouthwash (SWISH): a single-arm, phase 2 trial – The Lancet Oncology (link to abstract – $ required for full-text)

See also: SWISH Four Times a Day to Keep Oral Mucositis Away – Medscape (free registration required)

This simple and inexpensive treatment resulted in a more than ten-times reduction in the incidence of grade 2 or higher stomatitis.

7 – A National Strategy for the Elimination of Hepatitis B and C: Phase Two Report – National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (free)

Press release: U.S. Could Be Rid of Hepatitis B and C as Public Health Problems, Preventing Nearly 90,000 Deaths by 2030, With Better Attention to Prevention, Screening, Treatment, and Creative Financing for Medicines (free)

See also: Phase One Report (free)

U.S. Strategy for the Elimination of Hepatitis B and C.

8 – Five ways consortia can catalyse open science – Nature (free)

9 – Exposing peer review – Research Information (free) (RT @Sab_Ra)

10 – Ten Steps to Producing a Well-Written Evidence-Based Health Care Dissertation – Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, University of Oxford (free)

Wed, Mar 29 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

29 Mar, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – Putting Patients First by Reducing Administrative Tasks in Health Care: A Position Paper of the American College of Physicians (free)

See also: ACP: Stop Saddling Docs With Administrative Tasks – MedPage Today (free registration required)

“It’s time for all those involved in the healthcare industry to reevaluate and reduce the administrative task burden placed on clinicians” (from MedPage commentary above).

2 – Effective Prevention and Treatment of Substance Use Disorders – An American College of Physicians Position Paper (free)

3 – I have cancer. This comic shows how much pressure I feel to be a hero – VOX (free)

Source: STAT Newsletter

Interesting read…

4 – EULAR recommendations for the management of rheumatoid arthritis with synthetic and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs – Annals of Rheumatic Diseases (free)

Source: EvidenceAlerts Newsletter

5 – Validating the HERDOO2 rule to guide treatment duration for women with unprovoked venous thrombosis: multinational prospective cohort management study – The BMJ (free)

Source: Richard Lehman’s weekly review

HERDOO2 rule stands for Hyperpigmentation, Edema, or Redness in either leg; D-dimer level ≥250 μg/L; Obesity with body mass index ≥30; or Older age, ≥65 years. The authors concluded that women with a first unprovoked VTE event and none or one of the HERDOO2 criteria have a low risk (3.0% per patient year) of recurrent VTE and can safely discontinue anticoagulants after completing short term treatment.

6 – Comparison of Antibiotic Therapy and Appendectomy for Acute Uncomplicated Appendicitis in Children: A Meta-analysis – JAMA Pediatrics (free)

Editorial: Medical Treatment of Pediatric Appendicitis: Are We There Yet? (free)

Nonoperative treatment was successful in 90% of cases. Subgroup analysis indicated an increased risk for initial fails and recurrent appendicitis in those with appendicolith.

7 – Screening for Celiac Disease: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement (free)

Editorial 1: The US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation on Screening for Asymptomatic Celiac Disease: A Dearth of Evidence (free)

Editorial 2: Celiac Disease and Nonceliac Gluten or Wheat Sensitivity: The Risks and Benefits of Diagnosis (free)

“Some sanity about screening for asymptomatic celiac disease in the gluten-free diet “epidemic” era” (RT @EricTopol see Tweet)

8 – Value-Based Purchasing: Time for Reboot or Time to Move On? by Ashish K. Jha, MD – The JAMA Forum (free)

Pay-for-performance (P4P) as a policy tool does not seem to be improving health care quality or lowering costs.

9 – The year in cardiology 2016: peripheral circulation – European Heart Journal (free)

10 – Regression to the mean, or why perfection rarely lasts – The Conversation (free) (RT @PaulGlasziou)

“Regression to the mean, and its importance in healthcare decisions” (RT @Tammy_Hoffmann see Tweet)

Tue, Mar 28 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

28 Mar, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – A framework for malaria elimination – World Health Organization (free) (RT @Onisillos)

News release: WHO releases new guidance on malaria elimination (free)

“Updated 2017 framework gives guidance, tools, activities and strategies to achieve malaria elimination, 10 years on” (RT @MalariaAtlas)

2 – Implementation and Evaluation of a Large-Scale Teleretinal Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Program in the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services – JAMA Internal Medicine (free) (RT @PreetiNMalani)

Editorial: Seeing the Effect of Health Care Delivery Innovation in the Safety Net (free)

A large-scale telemedicine diabetic retinopathy screening program increased overall rates of screening by 16.3%, and wait times for screening were reduced by 89.2%.

3 – Association of Gastric Acid Suppression with Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (link to abstract – $ required for full-text)

“Another study that suggests gastric acid suppression may increase risk of recurrent Clostridium difficile” (RT @PreetiNMalani)

4 – The Comics Revealing Medical School’s Hidden Flaws and Hard Lessons – The Atlantic (free)

Source: Global Health Now Newsletter

Very interesting read…

5 – A.I. VERSUS M.D – What happens when diagnosis is automated? – The New Yorker (free) (RT @EricTopol)

“In some trials, “deep learning” systems have outperformed human experts.”

6 – Richard Lehman’s weekly review of medical journals, 27 March 2017 – The BMJ Blogs (free)

7 – Just Started: Leading Healthcare Quality and Safety – Free Online Course from The George Washington University and Coursera (free)

8 – Management of Breech Presentation: Green-top Guideline – British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (free)

9 – Enhanced recovery after surgery: Current research insights and future direction – World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery (free)

10 – Diagnosis of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension – European Respiratory Review (free)

Mon, Mar 27 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

27 Mar, 2017 | 00:37h | UTC

1 – Gates Foundation announces open-access publishing venture – Nature News (free)

Another victory for open science.

2 – Going Under the Knife, With Eyes and Ears Wide Open – New York Times (free access to 10 articles per month)

“More and more surgeries are being performed with the patient awake and looking on, for financial and medical reasons”.

3 – Telehealth Doctor Visits May Be Handy, But Aren’t Cheaper Overall – NPR Health News (free)

Link to original article abstract ($ required for full-text): Direct-To-Consumer Telehealth May Increase Access to Care But Does Not Decrease Spending – Health Affairs

Costs have increased in this study because 88 percent of telehealth visits represented people who would not have gone to a doctor otherwise.

4 – ESPEN guideline: Clinical nutrition in surgery – Clinical Nutrition (free)

Source: Critical Care Reviews Newsletter

5 – HER2 Testing and Clinical Decision Making in Gastroesophageal Adenocarcinoma: Guideline From the College of American Pathologists, American Society for Clinical Pathology, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (free)

Source: EvidenceAlerts (free registration required)

6 – Adverse Effects of Prostate Cancer Treatments Vary – MedPage Today (free registration required)

Study 1 – Link to abstract ($ required for full-text): Association Between Radiation Therapy, Surgery, or Observation for Localized Prostate Cancer and Patient-Reported Outcomes After 3 Years – JAMA

Study 2 – Link to abstract ($ required for full-text): Association Between Choice of Radical Prostatectomy, External Beam Radiotherapy, Brachytherapy, or Active Surveillance and Patient-Reported Quality of Life Among Men With Localized Prostate Cancer – JAMA

7 – Revised Framingham Stroke Risk Profile to Reflect Temporal Trends – Circulation (free)

“A revised Framingham Stroke Risk Profile more accurate at predicting contemporary stroke risk”.

“Instant classic paper on stroke risk prediction?! Will patients be interested in this?” (RT @MaryCushmanMD)

8 – Association between clinically recorded alcohol consumption and initial presentation of 12 cardiovascular diseases: population based cohort study using linked health records – The BMJ (free)

Editorial: Alcohol and cardiovascular disease (free)

9 – Maternal multiple micronutrient supplementation and other biomedical and socioenvironmental influences on children’s cognition at age 9–12 years in Indonesia: follow-up of the SUMMIT randomised trial – The Lancet Global Health (free)

“Maternal MMN had long-term benefits for child cognitive development at 9–12 years of age, thereby supporting its role in early childhood development, and policy change toward MMN”. The related commentary above does not seem to agree with this statement from the authors, stating that the new evidence does not provide enough weight for a policy change from prenatal iron and folate to MMN supplementation.

10 – #WorldTBDay (24 March 2017) – New Commentaries (see previous commentaries and resources)

New estimate suggests a quarter of the world’s population has latent tuberculosis – The Conversation (free) AND Report warns of rise in drug-resistant tuberculosis – CIDRAP (free) AND Latest transmission patterns for drug resistant TB pose a new challenge – The Conversation (free)

Fri, Mar 24 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

24 Mar, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

#WorldTBDay, 24 March 2017 – Highlights from Today’s Campaigns and Resources

1 – #WorldTBDay – World Health Organization Campaign (free)

See also: WHO’s work on TB (free)

2 – #WorldTBDay – Ethics guidance for the implementation of the End TB strategy 2017 – World Health Organization (free)

News Release: WHO issues ethics guidance to protect rights of TB patients (free)

3 – #WorldTBDay – The End TB Strategy – World Health Organization (free)

4 – #WorldTBDay – Global tuberculosis report 2016 – World Health Organization (free)

News release: WHO report warns global actions and investments to end tuberculosis epidemic are falling far short (free)

5 #WorldTBDay – WHO treatment guidelines for drug-resistant tuberculosis (2016 update) – World Health Organization (free)

See also: WHO resources on drug-resistant tuberculosis (free)

6 – #WorldTBDay – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Campaign (free)

7 – #WorldTBDay – The epidemiology, pathogenesis, transmission, diagnosis, and management of multidrug-resistant, extensively drug-resistant, and incurable tuberculosis – The Lancet Respiratory Medicine (free registration required)

“Rise of multi-drug resistant strains of tuberculosis could derail global efforts to eradicate the disease, according to a new report”

8 – #WorldTBDay – Open Access Special collection from Elsevier Journals (free)

9 – #WorldTBDay – Clinical management of adults and children with multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis – Clinical Microbiology and Infection (free)

10 – #WorldTBDay – Preventing the spread of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and protecting contacts of infectious cases – Clinical Microbiology and Infection (free)

Thu, Mar 23 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

23 Mar, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – Efficacy of a Low-Cost, Heat-Stable Oral Rotavirus Vaccine in Niger – New England Journal of Medicine (free)

Editorial: Rotavirus Vaccines – A New Hope (free)

Quick Take Video Summary: Efficacy of Heat-Stable Oral Rotavirus Vaccine (free)

2 – Trial of Pregabalin for Acute and Chronic Sciatica – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ required for full-text)

Pregabalin did not reduce pain and was associated with higher incidence of adverse events.

3 – #WorldWaterDay (22 March 2017): Guidelines for drinking-water quality 2017 – World Health Organization (free)

4 – Selected articles from the Annual Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine 2017 – Critical Care (free)

10 open access review articles selected from the Annual Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine 2017.

5 – Mechanical ventilation in obese ICU patients: from intubation to extubation – Critical Care (free)

6 – Implementation of key demand-reduction measures of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and change in smoking prevalence in 126 countries: an association study – The Lancet Public Health (free)

“The authors deserve ample credit for reinforcing, with solid empirical evidence, the core message in the FCTC: tobacco control policy matters”

7 – Genetic assessment of age-associated Alzheimer disease risk: Development and validation of a polygenic hazard score – PLOS Medicine (free) (RT @EricTopol see Tweet)

*Very interesting, but do we want to know?*

8 – PLOS Medicine special issue edited by Carol Brayne & Bruce Miller: Dementia Across the Lifespan and Around the Globe (free) (RT @tshakey)

9 – Prosthetic joint infection development of an evidence-based diagnostic algorithm – European Journal of Medical Research (free)

Comprehensive review with practical algorithm.

10 – Dairy consumption, systolic blood pressure, and risk of hypertension: Mendelian randomization study – The BMJ (free)

Contradicting evidence from previous observational studies, dairy consumption was not associated with lower blood pressure.

Mon, Mar 20 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

20 Mar, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

#ACC17 – Highlights from the American College of Cardiology’s 66th Annual Scientific Session

1 – #ACC17 – PCI, Drugs Equally Beneficial for Treating Fully Blocked Arteries: Study shows percutaneous coronary intervention is not needed in all cases – Latest in Cardiology, American College of Cardiology (free)

See also: First Clinical Trial of CTO Procedures Fails to Deliver – Medscape (free registration required)

– Among patients with at least one coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) added to optimal medical therapy did not improve outcomes.

– “DECISION-CTO is a strong RCT testing medical therapy to CTO procedures. No diff in outcomes and, crucially, no diff in angina. Wow” (RT @drjohnm – see tweet).

2 – #ACC17 – Evolocumab and Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease – New England Journal of Medicine (free)

Editorial: PCSK9 Inhibition to Reduce Cardiovascular Events (free)

“PCSK9 costs 14K per year or 28K for 2 years, would need to treat 66 patients to prevent one event at cost of $1,848,000/ 2 yrs, $924,000/yr” (RT @CMichaelGibson – see tweet)

“Evolocumab did not reduce cardiovascular or death from any cause. There was not even a trend for improvement” (see Medscape commentary above)

3 – #ACC17 – Fractional Flow Reserve-Guided Multivessel Angioplasty in Myocardial Infarction – New England Journal of Medicine (free)

Editorial: Complete Revascularization in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction? (free)

“The advantage in Compare-Acute was mostly due to fewer repeat revascularizations; larger trials are needed to assess hard outcomes.” (TCTMD commentary above).

4 – #ACC17 – Surgical or Transcatheter Aortic-Valve Replacement in Intermediate-Risk Patients – New England Journal of Medicine (free)

“Mortality and stroke at 2 years were similar with surgery and transcatheter aortic-valve replacement, but different adverse events were associated with each procedure” (from commentary above)

5 – #ACC17 – Depression Doubles Risk of Death After Heart Attack, Angina – Latest in Cardiology, American College of Cardiology (free)

“Effect persists for years, underscoring the need for mental health screening and treatment”.

6 – #ACC17 – AFib Patients Taking Digoxin Have Increased Risk of Death – Latest in Cardiology, American College of Cardiology (free)

7 – #ACC17 – Coronary atherosclerosis in indigenous South American Tsimane: a cross-sectional cohort study – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ required for full-text)

See also: ‘Healthiest hearts in the world’ found – BBC News (free) AND Indigenous Bolivians Have Some of the Healthiest Hearts – New York Times (free access to 10 articles per month)

8 – #ACC17 – Rivaroxaban or Aspirin for Extended Treatment of Venous Thromboembolism – New England Journal of Medicine (free)

Editorial: Reduced-Intensity Rivaroxaban for the Prevention of Recurrent Venous Thromboembolism (free)

“The number needed to treat to prevent one VTE was 30 with the 10 mg dose of rivaroxaban and 33 with the 20 mg dose of rivaroxaban” (see Latest in Cardiology commentary above).

9 – #ACC17 – Researchers Sound Alarm Over Zika’s Potentially Harmful Heart Effects – Latest in Cardiology, American College of Cardiology (free)

10 – #ACC17 – Web-Based Lifestyle Counseling Leads to 10-point Reduction in Systolic Blood Pressure – Latest in Cardiology, American College of Cardiology (free)

Thu, Mar 16 – Top 10 Medical News Stories

16 Mar, 2017 | 00:01h | UTC

1 – 2017 AHA/ACC Focused Update of the 2014 AHA/ACC Guideline for the Management of Patients With Valvular Heart Disease (free PDF)

2 – Focused Update of the Valvular Heart Disease Guideline Released – Latest in Cardiology, American College of Cardiology (free) (RT @ACCinTouch)

3 – ECRI Institute Names Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns for 2017 (free news release / free registration required to download the report)

Source: ECRI’s 2017 Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns – Medscape (free registration required)

“New report examines root causes for serious patient safety events”.

4 – What Hospitals Waste – ProPublica (free)

Source: What Hospitals Waste – Medscape (free registration required)

“The nation’s health care tab is sky-high. We’re tracking down the reasons. First stop: A look at all the perfectly good stuff hospitals throw away”

5 – Why clinical trial outcomes fail to translate into benefits for patients – Trials (free) (RT @BioMedCentral)

6 – Should hospitals — and doctors — apologize for medical mistakes? – The Washington Post (free)

7 – Depression Doubles Risk of Death After Heart Attack, Angina – Latest in Cardiology, American College of Cardiology (free) (RT @ACCmediacenter) #ACC17

“Effect persists for years, underscoring the need for mental health screening and treatment”

8 – Association between concurrent use of prescription opioids and benzodiazepines and overdose: retrospective analysis – The BMJ (free)

Patients with concurrent use of opioids and benzodiazepines had a substantially higher risk of an emergency room visit or inpatient admission for opioid overdose.

9 – Particulate air pollution and mortality in 38 of China’s largest cities: time series analysis – The BMJ (free)

“Adopting and enforcing tighter air quality standards in China could save 3 million premature deaths each year”

10 – Risk of heart failure after community acquired pneumonia: prospective controlled study with 10 years of follow-up – The BMJ (free)

Patients diagnosed with community acquired pneumonia had increased risk of heart failure in the following years.