2016 US election result preceded fall in proportion of boys born in Canada

Sex ratio at birth fell in politically liberal areas, but not in conservative ones The 2016 US presidential election result, which brought Donald Trump to power, was associated with a temporary fall in the proportion of boys to girls born in Ontario, Canada’s most populated province, reveals research published in the online journal BMJ Open. This […]

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Almost a third of UK doctors may be ‘burnt out’ and stressed, poll suggests.

Those in emergency medicine and general practice most at risk. Nearly one in three UK doctors may be ‘burnt out’ and stressed,’ suggests the results of an in-depth survey, published in the online journal BMJ Open. The findings indicate that doctors working in emergency medicine and general practice are the most at risk of exhaustion, stress, […]

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Caring for a grandchild linked to lower risk of loneliness and social isolation

Active grandparents have larger social networks than those without this role Caring for a grandchild may be linked to a lower risk of loneliness and social isolation, suggests research published in the online journal BMJ Open. Active grandparents have larger social networks, which include people who are important to them, than those who don’t have this […]

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Top 10 Most Read in November: prevalence of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, burnout among obstetricians and gynaecologists, and risk factors for self-harm in LGBTQ+ young people

The top ten list for November gives us a real mix of topics, with three new papers entering the list this month. At number one is a cohort and nested case-control study describing the epidemiology of diagnosed hypermobility spectrum disorder (HSD) and Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) using linked electronic medical records. EDS and HSD have historically […]

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25-fold surge in vitamin D supplement prescriptions for kids in UK primary care

Increasingly higher doses and no prior diagnostic blood test in large number of cases The number of vitamin D supplement prescriptions written for children in primary care in the UK has surged 25-fold in under 10 years, reveals an analysis of family doctor (GP) prescribing data, published in the online journal BMJ Open. Increasingly higher doses […]

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Open Access Week 2019: Our most discussed articles

This week marks the tenth International Open Access (OA) Week. To celebrate OA week, we have gathered our ten most discussed articles of the past year according to Altmetric. We think this list of 10 articles highlights the enormous breadth of BMJ Open’s content, covering topics as diverse as medical ethics to salty noodles. And, […]

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3+ hours daily social media use linked to poor sleep patterns in UK teens

Findings provide “meaningful evidence” for adolescent health and wellbeing, say researchers Spending three or more hours a day on social media is associated with poor sleep patterns, such as falling asleep after 11 pm on school nights and waking during the night, among UK teens, suggests research published in the online journal BMJ Open. The findings […]

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Top ten most read in September: Old age decline in grip strength, LGBTQ perspectives in child welfare, and opioid use in back pain

The list of the top ten most read articles in September sees many previous entries keeping their places, including a cohort study into the association between developmental factors and old age decline in grip strength. However, September has also welcomed two new entries into the top ten. New in at number six is a study […]

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Antidepressants linked to heightened pregnancy related diabetes risk

Venlafaxine and amitriptyline and longer course of treatment associated with greatest risks Taking antidepressants while expecting a baby is linked to a heightened risk of developing diabetes that is specifically related to pregnancy, known as gestational diabetes, finds research published in the online journal BMJ Open. The risk was greatest among mums to be who were […]

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