Top 10 Most Read in May: neurological manifestations of COVID-19, sleep disturbances in women, and sham treatments for back pain

Although COVID-19 articles still dominated our top 10 list in May, two of our new entries this month have a different focus. Our most read article from Li et al. has moved up the chart from its previous spot at number 6, this article is a systematic review protocol on the impact of COVID-19 on […]

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Number and relative age of siblings is linked to risk of cardiovascular events

First-born children have a lower risk of cardiovascular events, but having lots of siblings is associated with an increased risk First-born children have a lower risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes than brothers and sisters born later, but people who are part of a large family with many siblings have an […]

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Clinical Influencers – the medical professionals promoting health on social media

Throughout 2020, social media companies were dragged into the spotlight of the traditional media over the spread of misinformation. Debates raged over corporate responsibility to prevent their channels being hijacked to spread harmful misinformation, both of a political nature in the US elections and for medical and scientific messages relating to the pandemic. This issue […]

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Top 10 Most Read in April: SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in healthcare workers and the impact of COVID-19 on mental and physical health.

As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, it comes as no surprise that interest in COVID-19-related articles continues to grow. Therefore, most of the new entries into April’s top ten are linked to COVID-19, for example, a systematic review and meta analysis protocol that aims to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on female fertility. A study on […]

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Autistic people across Europe have struggled to access COVID-19 services during pandemic

Likely result: rises in associated deaths, ill health, and poor quality of life, warn authors Autistic people across Europe have not only struggled to access standard health and care services during the pandemic, but, crucially, also those for COVID-19, finds research published in the online journal BMJ Open. The likely consequences of this widening of existing […]

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Long term use of prescription meds for insomnia not linked to better quality sleep

No difference between those who did and didn’t take these drugs for 1–2 years Long term use of prescription meds for insomnia doesn’t seem to improve disturbed sleep in middle-aged women, suggests research published in the online journal BMJ Open. There was no difference in sleep quality or duration between those who did and didn’t take […]

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Top 10 most read in February: COVID-19 determinants of severity, neurological manifestations and therapeutic interventions

It is unsurprising that the three new entries to February’s top ten most read articles in BMJ Open are COVID-19 related. Debuting this month in second place is an ecological study from Pana et al. Using publicly available data from 37 countries that had reported at least 25 daily deaths up to 8 June 2020, […]

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Preschoolers’ extensive electronic media use linked to emotional/behavioural issues

Associated with hyperactivity, short attention span, poor concentration and friendship issues  Preschoolers’ extensive use of electronic media, including game consoles, mobile phones, and tablets, is linked to a heightened risk of emotional and behavioural problems by the age of 5, finds research published in the online journal BMJ Open. This behaviour is associated with hyperactivity, short […]

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