Public education campaigns on potential dangers urgently needed, say researchers Children are very vulnerable to severe injury from the use of quad bikes, also known as ATVs, finds research published in the open access journal BMJ Open. Public education campaigns on the potential dangers associated with their use are urgently needed, say the researchers. First developed […]
Category: In the news
Scant evidence to support roll out of social prescribing policy internationally
Inconsistent evidence for improvements in social support, physical function, or primary health services use Limited evidence for improvements in self-rated health and quality of care There’s scant evidence to support the roll out of social prescribing policy internationally, concludes a review of the available evidence, published in the open access journal BMJ Open. The review found […]
Exposure to air pollution may worsen autism-related hospital admissions in children
Boys more at risk than girls; cutting air pollutant levels could lower risks, say researchers Autistic children seem to be at heightened risk of being admitted to hospital if they are exposed to air pollution for relatively brief periods, with boys more at risk than girls, suggests research published in the open access journal BMJ Open. […]
Steroid meds linked to structural and volume changes in brain white and grey matter
Associations may help explain neuropsychiatric side effects after long term use, say researchers The use of prescribed steroids, including in inhalers, is linked to changes in the structure and volume of white and grey matter in the brain, suggests the findings of the largest study of its kind, published in the open access journal BMJ Open. […]
Men have high probability of outliving women, especially the married and degree educated
Between 25% and 50% of men have done so in all continents over past 200 years Sometimes large differences in life expectancy mask substantial overlap in lifespan Men have a high probability of outliving women—especially those who are married and have a degree—reveals a statistical analysis spanning 200 years across all continents of the globe […]
Minimum unit alcohol pricing may not be curbing drinking in those most at risk
Levels fell more in women who don’t drink as heavily as men after introduction of policy Policy not linked to reduced consumption in younger, deprived, or heaviest drinking men Associated with an increase in consumption among 5% of heaviest drinkers The introduction of minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol may not be curbing drinking in […]
Water births provide “clear benefits” for healthy mums and their newborns
Less need for intervention during/after the birth plus greater satisfaction for mums Water births provide “clear benefits” for healthy mums and their newborns, with fewer interventions and complications during and after the birth than standard care, as well as higher levels of satisfaction for the mum, finds a synthesis of the available evidence, published in […]
Wearable activity trackers + AI might be used to pick up presymptomatic COVID-19
Fertility tracker identified indicative physiological changes up to 2 days ahead of symptoms Wearable activity trackers that monitor changes in skin temperature and heart and breathing rates, combined with artificial intelligence (AI), might be used to pick up COVID-19 infection days before symptoms start, suggests preliminary research published in the open access journal BMJ Open. The […]
Top 10 BMJ Open papers by Altmetric score—2022 so far
Among the various criticisms of traditional journal metrics is that, given the timelines involved in academic research and publishing, metrics based on citations alone cannot capture the attention received by publications in the period immediately after publication, nor the wider impact beyond the academic research community. Other data can help to show which recent publications […]
Men with prostate cancer have higher risk of serious blood clots
Male prostate cancer patients have a 50% higher risk of dangerous blood clots than men without prostate cancer New research published in the online journal BMJ Open suggests that men with prostate cancer have a 50% higher risk of developing serious and potentially fatal blood clots during the five years after their cancer diagnosis compared […]