Several new entries make it into our top 10 Most Read list this month. In first place is a systematic review on the associations between low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol and mortality in the elderly. Further down the list is an analysis of Italian medical societies’ websites to examine conflicts of interest between professional medical societies and industry. Other new entries this month include an investigation into the relationship between air pollution and child and adolescent mental health by researchers from Umeå University in Sweden. Using a cohort of over half a million individuals under 18 years of age, the authors found that neighbourhood air pollution concentration is associated with dispensed medications for certain psychiatric disorders. At number 6 is a systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of chronic pain in the UK. The authors conclude that chronic pain affects between one-third and one-half of the population of the UK, corresponding to just under 28 million adults. Lastly, making it in at number 9 is a study by Chaiton and colleagues on smokers’ quitting behaviour. The authors found that it may take as much as 30 or more attempts before a smoker quits successfully.

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