Attempts to ward off pain in marathons and other endurance sports by taking over the counter painkillers may be ill advised, because these drugs may cause serious side effects in these circumstances, suggests research published in BMJ Open. Many competitors try to prevent pain interfering with their performance by taking painkillers that are readily available […]
Category: In the news
Baldness linked to increased risk of coronary heart disease
Male pattern baldness is linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease, but only if it’s on the top/crown of the head, rather than at the front, finds an analysis of published evidence in BMJ Open. A receding hairline is not linked to an increased risk, the analysis indicates. The researchers trawled the […]
Myth that UK supply of innovative new pharma drugs is drying up
The widely held belief that the UK supply of innovative new medicines has conspicuously dwindled in recent decades, is not borne out by the evidence, reveals research published in BMJ Open. In fact, the reverse may be true, the figures suggest. The prevailing view is that pharmaceutical industry innovation has been in decline, with […]
One in 20 cases of pre-eclampsia may be linked to air pollutant
One in every 20 cases of the serious condition of pregnancy, pre-eclampsia, may be linked to increased levels of the air pollutant ozone during the first three months, suggests a large study published in BMJ Open. Mothers with asthma may be more vulnerable, the findings indicate. Pre-eclampsia is characterised by raised blood pressure and the […]
Around 1 in 10 young mentally ill teens drinks, smokes, and uses cannabis
Around one in 10 young teens with mental health issues also drinks alcohol, smokes cigarettes, and uses cannabis on a weekly basis, indicates Australian research published in BMJ Open. The prevalence of this pattern of substance use increased with age, the study found, prompting the authors to raise concerns that these behaviours are likely to […]
2012 year in review
2012 was a hugely successful year for BMJ Open. We published four times as many papers as in 2011. Credit for this must go, first and foremost, to the hundreds of reviewers who have given their time to assess manuscripts. We are also grateful that so many authors have chosen to publish with us. […]
BMJ Open in the news
BMJ Open research has made the news again. The paper by Peter T Katzmarzyk (Pennington Biomedical Research Center) and I-Min Lee (Harvard) on the impact of sitting and television viewing on life expectancy in the USA has received widespread coverage, from the BBC in the UK, through numerous US news outlets, and as far as […]
High levels of burnout among UK family doctors, especially in group practice
Levels of burnout in UK general practice are high, suggests a study of general practitioners (GPs) in one area of South East England, published in BMJ Open. Male doctors, those who work in group practices, and those who repeatedly see the same patients seem to be at significantly greater risk, the research shows, prompting the […]
Exploring open access in higher education
BMJ Open will be taking part in the The Guardian’s Higher Education Network’s live blog/debate tomorrow on Exploring open access in higher education. Discussion kicks off at noon, BST and will run until 2 pm. There is a large panel, drawn from publishing, academia, industry and policy. The event will ‘consider the various ways in which higher […]
Open Access Week is here
BMJ Open is proudly sponsoring Open Access Week 2011. A global event, now in its fifth year, Open Access Week promotes open access as a new norm in scholarship and research. The website currently lists 119 upcoming events so have a look to see what is happening near you or browse their back catalogue […]