The number one spot in our top 10 monthly most-read chart has been taken by Uchai et al. who has climbed from second spot in last months blog. This month we have seven new entries into the top 10 most-read, with only three articles carrying over from January. I have highlighted some of the new entries below.
Normal saline vs Ringers lactate
McIntyre et al. conducted a pilot ‘FLUID’ trial comparing the use of normal saline vs Ringers lactate for fluid therapy, and find that a large trial powered to evaluate death or re-admission to hospital within 90 days as the primary outcome is feasible based on study fluid adherence, REB approval time and readiness to initiate the trial.
Recommendations for lung cancer screening programmes from Argentina
Boyeras et al. conducted a consensus study of 19 experts to generate recommendations for lung cancer screening programmes. 16 recommendations were produced, including that low-dose CT should be performed annually for high-risk populations and that smoking cessation programmes should be offered and cardiovascular risk assessments should be performed. The authors conclude that the recommendations provide a base from which other institutions can develop their own protocols specific to their needs and resources.
Alcohol minimum unit pricing
Maharaj et al. performed a systematic review of literature relating to the health outcomes of Alcohol minimum unit pricing (MUP). 22 studies, both modelling and natural studies, met the inclusion criteria. The authors inferred a ‘moderate-to-strong’ causal link that MUP could reduce alcohol-related hospitalisation, a finding that was consistent between the modelling and natural studies.
COVID-19 impact on venous leg ulcer management
Guest et al. assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on venous leg ulcer (VLU) management in the UK using electronic record data. In 2020 and 2021 the authors found that VLU healing rate decreased, and that VLU time to heal increased, compared to previous years. This was associated with poorer outcomes, such as an increase risk of amputation. The authors conclude that the COVID-19 pandemic appeared to have had a deleterious impact on the health of patients with a VLU.
| Rank* | Author(s) | Title |
| 1 | Uchai et al. | Body mass index, waist circumference and pre-frailty/frailty: the Tromso study 1994-2016 |
| 2 | McIntyre et al. | FLUID trial: a hospital-wide open-label cluster cross-over pragmatic comparative effectiveness randomised pilot trial comparing normal saline to Ringer’s lactate |
| 3 | Boyeras et al. | Argentine consensus recommendations for lung cancer screening programmes: a RAND/UCLA-modified Delphi study |
| 4 | Erviti et al. | Restoring mortality data in the FOURIER cardiovascular outcomes trial of evolocumab in patients with cardiovascular disease: a reanalysis based on regulatory data |
| 5 | Parker et al. |
Factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake in people with kidney disease: an OpenSAFELY cohort study
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| 6 | Guest et al. | Cohort study assessing the impact of COVID-19 on venous leg ulcer management and associated clinical outcomes in clinical practice in the UK |
| 7 | Maharaj et al. | Impact of minimum unit pricing on alcohol-related hospital outcomes: systematic review |
| 8 | Hundie et al. | Ethiopian womens sexual experiences and coping strategies for sexual problems after gynaecological cancer treatment: a qualitative study |
| 9 | Murakami et al. | Sensitivity of rapid antigen tests for COVID-19 during the Omicron variant outbreak among players and staff members of the Japan Professional Football League and clubs: a retrospective observational study |
| 10 | Mohr et al. | Presence of symptoms 6 weeks after COVID-19 among vaccinated and unvaccinated US healthcare personnel: a prospective cohort study |