First-born children have a lower risk of cardiovascular events, but having lots of siblings is associated with an increased risk First-born children have a lower risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes than brothers and sisters born later, but people who are part of a large family with many siblings have an […]
Latest articles
Clinical Influencers – the medical professionals promoting health on social media
Throughout 2020, social media companies were dragged into the spotlight of the traditional media over the spread of misinformation. Debates raged over corporate responsibility to prevent their channels being hijacked to spread harmful misinformation, both of a political nature in the US elections and for medical and scientific messages relating to the pandemic. This issue […]
Top 10 Most Read in April: SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in healthcare workers and the impact of COVID-19 on mental and physical health.
As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, it comes as no surprise that interest in COVID-19-related articles continues to grow. Therefore, most of the new entries into April’s top ten are linked to COVID-19, for example, a systematic review and meta analysis protocol that aims to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on female fertility. A study on […]
Autistic people across Europe have struggled to access COVID-19 services during pandemic
Likely result: rises in associated deaths, ill health, and poor quality of life, warn authors Autistic people across Europe have not only struggled to access standard health and care services during the pandemic, but, crucially, also those for COVID-19, finds research published in the online journal BMJ Open. The likely consequences of this widening of existing […]
Long term use of prescription meds for insomnia not linked to better quality sleep
No difference between those who did and didn’t take these drugs for 1–2 years Long term use of prescription meds for insomnia doesn’t seem to improve disturbed sleep in middle-aged women, suggests research published in the online journal BMJ Open. There was no difference in sleep quality or duration between those who did and didn’t take […]
Top 10 Most Read in March: coping with long COVID, mental health in the pandemic, and screen-time for kids
A look at the top 10 most read BMJ Open articles for March shows that the top spot is unchanged from February, four papers in the top ten last month have climbed, two have dropped down the list, and we have three new entries. Screen time Many parents of young children face the dilemma of […]
Top 10 most read in February: COVID-19 determinants of severity, neurological manifestations and therapeutic interventions
It is unsurprising that the three new entries to February’s top ten most read articles in BMJ Open are COVID-19 related. Debuting this month in second place is an ecological study from Pana et al. Using publicly available data from 37 countries that had reported at least 25 daily deaths up to 8 June 2020, […]
Vaccination Attitudes and Uptake: A Q&A with Dr Samantha Vanderslott
As vaccines for coronavirus roll out across the globe, people can start to see a path out of the pandemic. Yet despite the development and distribution of safe and efficacious vaccines, a number of challenges lie ahead. Achieving high vaccination coverage will be crucial to the goal of suppressing community transmission of the disease. […]
Preschoolers’ extensive electronic media use linked to emotional/behavioural issues
Associated with hyperactivity, short attention span, poor concentration and friendship issues Preschoolers’ extensive use of electronic media, including game consoles, mobile phones, and tablets, is linked to a heightened risk of emotional and behavioural problems by the age of 5, finds research published in the online journal BMJ Open. This behaviour is associated with hyperactivity, short […]
From locked-in syndrome to rock and roll, and everything in between
BMJ Open marks a decade of influential open access research From a Belgian survey, showing that many patients with locked-in syndrome aren’t necessarily unhappy, to a study showing that solo performers living the rock n roll lifestyle are twice as likely to die young as their band members, and everything in between, BMJ Open is marking a decade of influential […]