Enlarged breast tissue in men (gynaecomastia) linked to heightened risk of death

Those with a pre-existing risk factor most vulnerable, research suggests Men with enlarged breast tissue, not caused by excess weight—a condition formally known as gynaecomastia—may be at heightened risk of an early death before the age of 75, suggests the first study of its kind, published online in the open access journal BMJ Open. Those with […]

Read More…

Size of attainment gap between UK White and minority ethnic medical students varies by ethnicity and medical school

Minorities significantly disadvantaged by UK medical education system, say researchers Remedial action urgently needed to close gap The size of the gap in academic achievement between White and minority ethnic medical students in the UK varies considerably, depending on their individual ethnicity and which medical school they attended, finds the largest study of its kind, […]

Read More…

6+ hours/day of sedentary leisure time linked to doubling in fibroids risk

Risk seems to be linear in women who’ve not yet gone through the menopause  Clocking up 6 or more hours of sedentary leisure time every day may double a woman’s risk of uterine fibroids before she’s gone through the menopause, suggests research published in the open access journal BMJ Open. The risk of these benign, but […]

Read More…

Work stress, workload, understaffing driving out health professionals from NHS

Pay increases alone may not be sufficient to fix NHS staff retention, researchers suggest Work stress, high workload, and understaffing are the primary factors driving health professionals out of the NHS, suggest the results of a survey published in the open access journal BMJ Open. The findings prompt the researchers to suggest that pay increases alone […]

Read More…

Around 1 in 3 UK medical students plans to leave NHS within 2 years of graduation

Pay, work-life balance, and working conditions key drivers for decision, finds survey Around 1 in 3 UK medical students plans to leave the NHS within 2 years of graduating—either to practise abroad or to abandon medicine altogether—suggest the results of the largest survey of its kind, published in the open access journal BMJ Open. Pay, work-life […]

Read More…

Childhood trauma may heighten subsequent risk of pregnancy complications

Pregnancy-related diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, low birthweight/premature babies more likely Childhood trauma, such as abuse, emotional neglect, and exposure to domestic violence, may heighten a woman’s subsequent risk of pregnancy complications, and of giving birth to a low birthweight or premature baby, finds a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published in the […]

Read More…

Mid-life structural jawbone changes may signal women’s subsequent height loss

Dentists likely to spot these on x-ray, and should tell doctors about them, say researchers  Mid-life structural changes to the jawbone may signal subsequent height loss in women, suggests research published in the open access journal BMJ Open. Dentists, who are likely to spot these on mouth x-rays during routine check-ups, should collaborate with patients’ doctors […]

Read More…

Bhopal explosion may have heightened risk of disability and cancer among future generations

And it may have curbed educational attainment and prompted fall in proportion of male births Disaster likely affected people across a substantially more extensive area than previously thought  The Bhopal gas explosion in 1984—one of India’s worst industrial disasters—may have heightened the risk of disability and cancer in later life among future generations, curbed their educational […]

Read More…

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons strongly linked to raised rheumatoid arthritis risk

These environmental toxicants seem to mediate most of smoking’s effects on risk The amount of environmental exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAH for short, is strongly linked to a person’s risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, suggests research published in the open access journal BMJ Open. These chemicals, formed from the burning of coal, oil, gas, […]

Read More…

Doctors more extroverted, but also more neurotic and less open than patients: study

Character trait differences might have clinical implications for doctor–patient relationships Doctors are more extroverted, agreeable, and conscientious, but also more neurotic and less open than their patients, finds an analysis of responses to two nationally representative Australian surveys, published online in the open access journal BMJ Open. These character trait differences might have clinical implications for […]

Read More…