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A Practitioner's Must Read
Breastfeeding and risks of allergies and asthma
A study has found exclusive breastfeeding for the first three months was linked with a lower risk of respiratory allergies and asthma when children...
Booster shots for tetanus and diphtheria not necessary if vaccinated in childhood
Adults don't need tetanus and diphtheria boosters if they were fully vaccinated as children, a study has found. The conclusion aligns with the World...
No evidence for daily emollient to prevent infant eczema
A randomised controlled trial in 12 hospitals and four primary care sites across the UK found no evidence that daily emollient during the first year of...
Researchers question new guidelines on aspirin in primary prevention
There has been considerable confusion from three large-scale randomised trials of aspirin in high risk primary prevention subjects, leaving doctors understandably confused about whether...
NHS trials sleep pods for doctors' and nurses' power naps
The UK National Health Service (NHS) is trialling sleep pods for doctors and nurses to grab power naps during their shifts, reports The Guardian....
Moderate egg consumption not tied to risk of heart disease
Moderate egg intake, which is about one egg per day in most people, does not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease or mortality even...
Three-pronged approach could eliminate cervical cancer within 100 years
More than 74m cervical cancer cases and 62m deaths could be averted in the next 100 years if 78 of the world’s poorest countries...
Long-term medication for schizophrenia is safe
A Karolinska Institutet data analysis suggests that long‐term antipsychotic use does not increase severe physical morbidity leading to hospitalisation, and is associated with substantially...
UK licences radical ketamine-like drug to treat depression
A radical ketamine-like drug has been licensed for use in the UK for severe depression, a decision that offers hope to the millions of...
Just one dose of the HPV vaccine found to be effective
A new study revealed that one dose of the HPV vaccine may prevent infection from the potential cancer-causing virus, according to research from The...
Induction at 41 weeks the safer option for women and their babies
Inducing labour at 41 weeks in low risk pregnancies is associated with a lower risk of new-born death compared with expectant management (a “wait...
Tenofovir does not increase risk of kidney disease in those at low risk
Antiretroviral treatment containing the older formulation of tenofovir (TDF) did not increase the risk of chronic kidney disease in previously untreated people with HIV...
In the long run, drugs and talk therapy hold same value for depression patients
Spending an hour in talk therapy with a trained counsellor costs much more, and takes more time, than swallowing an inexpensive antidepressant pill. But...
Solutions to physician burnout — US National Academy of Medicine report
In response to concerning rates of burnout among US clinicians and trainees, the National Academy of Medicine has published a report that aims to...
Non-pharmacologic interventions for dementia patients with aggression symptoms
For patients with dementia who have symptoms of aggression and agitation, interventions such as outdoor activities, massage and touch therapy may be more effective...
Updated guidelines on diagnosis treatment of community-acquired pneumonia
The American Thoracic Society (ATS) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) have published updated guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of adults...
Ingestible sensor could revolutionise TB treatment
An ingestible sensor that enables health workers to check that patients have taken their medication could revolutionise tuberculosis treatment, particularly in developing countries, The...
Immunotherapy substantially improves survival in advanced melanoma patients
Immunotherapy substantially improves survival in metastatic melanoma, from 5-year survival levels of 5% a decade ago, to 52% now, a clinical trial shows. Doctors...
Sublingual immunotherapy effective and safe treatment for peanut allergy
Sublingual immunotherapy, a new treatment for peanut, could offer patients a safe and effective way to protect themselves from severe allergic reactions or even...
Surgical masks match respirators for flu and respiratory virus protection
A US study reported “no significant difference in the effectiveness” of medical masks versus more expensive N95 respirators for prevention of influenza or other viral respiratory...
New NICE hypertension guidelines a 'pragmatic compromise’ — The Lancet
The latest UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines on antihypertensives "should be welcomed" as "a pragmatic compromise", writes The Lancet in an...
Low-dose aspirin of no benefit for CVD-free people over 70
Low-dose aspirin does not prolong disability-free survival of healthy people over 70, even in those at the highest risk of cardiovascular disease. The late...
'Alarming' rates of second-line HIV treatment failure in sub-Saharan Africa
The number of people failing second-line antiretroviral treatment (ART) is reaching “alarming” levels in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with failure more common in the first...
FDA approves treatment for highly drug-resistant forms of TB
Pretomanid, a novel compound developed by the non-profit organisation TB Alliance, has been approved by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for treating...
Home births as safe as hospital births — international study
A large international study led by McMaster University shows that low risk pregnant women who intend to give birth at home have no increased...
Concern over contraceptive solutions for women at high risk of HIV
Over the past three days, the World Health Organisation guideline development group has been meeting to discuss its recommendations for the use of contraceptive...
Lack of clinical trials fuels doctors' reluctance to prescribe cannabis
High expectations among the UK public of the benefits of medicinal cannabis are being disappointed because doctors are unwilling to prescribe it in the...
Invasive cervical cancer rates high in women living with HIV in Africa and Latin America
A study has found that rates of invasive cervical cancer (ICC) are particularly high in women living with HIV in South Africa or Latin...
Sleep-disordered breathing linked to accelerated ageing
Increasing severity of sleep-disordered breathing and sleep disruption are associated with epigenetic age acceleration, according to preliminary results of a US study. Results show...
FDA recommends TB Alliance's MDR-TB treatment regimen
Independent experts of a US Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted in favour of the not-for-profit TB Alliance’s treatment for drug resistant tuberculosis, as...
Physical exercise: A ‘fundamental’ psychiatric intervention
When it comes to inpatient treatment of a range of mental health and mood disorders – from anxiety and depression to schizophrenia, suicidality and...
WHO classifies gaming disorder and burnout as illnesses
The World Health Organisation has moved forward with a proposal to classify “gaming disorder” as an illness, reports Venture Beat. After a consideration period...
Tele-medicine preferred to in-person appointments — US study
Nine out of 10 people who had a virtual visit with a doctor said it was more convenient than other ways of getting care,...
'Practice-changing' study on antibiotics given after assisted birth
Thousands of women every year could be spared painful and occasionally life-threatening infections if doctors administered preventive antibiotics after every assisted childbirth, The Guardian...
US opioid prescription guidelines 'wrongly implemented'
The authors of influential US guidelines for opioid prescriptions for chronic pain say that doctors and others in the health care system had wrongly...
Additional routine ultrasounds benefit mothers and babies — POP study
Offering universal late pregnancy ultrasounds at 36 weeks’ gestation eliminates undiagnosed breech presentation of babies, lowers the rate of emergency caesarean sections, and improves...
Interim advice on prescribing of cannabis-based products and cannabinoids
A UK clinical review provides new interim advice for doctors and clinicians in prescribing cannabis-based products and cannabinoids to treat certain conditions.
Since a policy...
Management of asymptomatic bacteriuria — US updates guidelines
The Infectious Disease Society of America has published updated guidelines for the management of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB). The update includes recommendations for previously unaddressed...
Exercise, more than diet, keeps that weight off
Successful weight-loss maintainers rely on physical activity to remain in energy balance (rather than chronic restriction of dietary intake) to avoid weight regain over...
A1c test 'highly unreliable' at diagnosing diabetes
The haemoglobin A1c blood test is 'highly unreliable' at diagnosing diabetes and tends to underestimate the prevalence of the disease, according to a study...