Two BMJ studies published last week have been widely cited by the press. The first has found that women’s resting heart rate is a good predictor of coronary events in women. US researchers studied the heart rates of 129,000 postmenopausal women and found that those with the highest heart rates were more likely to have a myocardial infarction or coronary death than those with the lowest heart rates.

The second study examined the effects of fertility drugs on the risk of women developing ovarian cancer. Researchers reported that there is no association between the use of fertility drugs and ovarian cancer. However many of the women who took part in the study had not yet reached the peak age for ovarian cancer and the researchers will continue to monitor them.

BMJ in the news:

• Pulse rate clue to heart attacks – BBC Online, UK
• Women’s heart rate helps detect health risks – Reuters, USA
• Women with faster heart beat could have a higher cardiac risk – Daily Mail, UK
• Fertility Drugs and Ovarian Cancer Not Linked, Study Says – New York Times, US
• IVF drugs cancer risk ‘ruled out’ – BBC Online, UK
• No cancer link to fertility drugs – Channel 4 News, UK
• Needles can stick it to pain – Science News, USA
• Patients less likely to turn up for appointments under flagship – The Telegraph, UK
• Women ‘need better information on breast cancer screening’ – The Guardian, UK
• Drugmakers Should Focus On Science Instead Of Marketing – RedOrbit, USA

BMJ in blogs:

• ICMCC Website – Articles » Blog Archive » Penn study shows how … By Lodewijk
• Fertility drugs and cancer By NHS Choices
• Fertility Drugs Do Not Increase Risk Of Ovarian Cancer « Medical news By enartion

Most commented:

• Encouraging the use of cycle helmets – effect of a brief intervention
• Murphy’s lore
• Breast screening: the facts – or maybe not
• When can doctors stay away?
• Corticosteroid injection for rotator cuff disease

Most read:

• Doctors, patients, and the drug industry
• Acupuncture treatment for pain: systematic review of randomised clinical trials with acupuncture, placebo acupuncture, and no acupuncture groups
• Resting heart rate as a low tech predictor of coronary events in women: prospective cohort study
• Outcome of depression in later life in primary care: longitudinal cohort study with three years’ follow-up
• Relationships with the drug industry: More regulation, greater transparency
  

Juliet Walker is the editorial intern, BMJ