Young men who are obese in their early 20s are significantly more likely to develop serious ill health by the time they reach middle age, or not even make it that far, suggests research published in BMJ Open. It’s well known that obesity in adulthood poses a risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, but it’s […]
Painkillers taken before marathons linked to potentially serious side effects
Attempts to ward off pain in marathons and other endurance sports by taking over the counter painkillers may be ill advised, because these drugs may cause serious side effects in these circumstances, suggests research published in BMJ Open. Many competitors try to prevent pain interfering with their performance by taking painkillers that are readily available […]
Volcanoes, drug launches and type 2 diabetes: Most read articles in March
The most-read article in March was Christine Clar and colleagues’ systematic review of SGLT2 receptor inhibitors in type 2 diabetes. Doyle et al‘s review on the links between patient experience and clinical safety – originally published in January – remains popular, and Katzmarzyk et al’s article discusses sedentary behaviour and life expectancy in the USA also proves popular as […]
Baldness linked to increased risk of coronary heart disease
Male pattern baldness is linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease, but only if it’s on the top/crown of the head, rather than at the front, finds an analysis of published evidence in BMJ Open. A receding hairline is not linked to an increased risk, the analysis indicates. The researchers trawled the […]
Drugs and mental health, the mistreatment of clinical interns and evidence-based practice: Most-read articles in February
The most-read article in February was Al-Shafaee and colleagues’ study of the mistreatment of clinical interns in Oman. Doyle et al‘s systematic review of the links between patient experience and clinical safety – originally published in January – remains popular, and Ubbink et al’s newly published scoping review on evidence-based practice was the third most-read. Ward et al‘s paper on […]
Myth that UK supply of innovative new pharma drugs is drying up
The widely held belief that the UK supply of innovative new medicines has conspicuously dwindled in recent decades, is not borne out by the evidence, reveals research published in BMJ Open. In fact, the reverse may be true, the figures suggest. The prevailing view is that pharmaceutical industry innovation has been in decline, with […]
Rock stars, hypnotics and the Olympics: Most read articles in January
The most read article in January was Doyle et al‘s recently published systematic review of the links between patient experience and clinical safety. Bellis et al‘s much discussed paper on rock star mortality was in second place, followed by Kripke et al‘s study of hypnotics and mortality, originally published almost a year ago. Newly published papers in the top ten […]
One in 20 cases of pre-eclampsia may be linked to air pollutant
One in every 20 cases of the serious condition of pregnancy, pre-eclampsia, may be linked to increased levels of the air pollutant ozone during the first three months, suggests a large study published in BMJ Open. Mothers with asthma may be more vulnerable, the findings indicate. Pre-eclampsia is characterised by raised blood pressure and the […]
Around 1 in 10 young mentally ill teens drinks, smokes, and uses cannabis
Around one in 10 young teens with mental health issues also drinks alcohol, smokes cigarettes, and uses cannabis on a weekly basis, indicates Australian research published in BMJ Open. The prevalence of this pattern of substance use increased with age, the study found, prompting the authors to raise concerns that these behaviours are likely to […]
Using the SPIRIT statement to improve trial protocols
We have updated our instructions for authors to show that we now encourage the use of the SPIRIT statement. SPIRIT (Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials) is ‘an international initiative that aims to improve the quality of clinical trial protocols by defining an evidence-based set of items to address in a protocol’. Its creation […]