Women taking probiotics during pregnancy might have lower pre-eclampsia and premature birth risk

But timing may be crucial, findings suggest Probiotics taken during pregnancy might help lower the risks of pre-eclampsia and premature birth, suggests observational research in the online journal BMJ Open. But timing may be crucial, the findings indicate. Pre-eclampsia, a condition in which the mother’s body mounts an exaggerated inflammatory response, affects up to 8 percent […]

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Top 10 Most Read in December: Death, injury and disability from kinetic impact projectiles, Clinical trial transparency of Big Pharma and the relationship between PHC physician specialisation and hospitalisation in Brazil.

December saw four new papers enter into BMJ Open’s top 10 most read articles. In first place is a systematic review of deaths, injuries and permanent disability from rubber and plastic bullets and other projectiles used in crowd-control settings between 1990 and 2017. The authors conclude that rubber/plastic bullets used for crowd control can cause […]

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Emotionally demanding workload and confrontational patients key stressors for GPs

Bullying/unsupportive colleagues and fear of complaints add to the mix The emotional impact of their daily workload and confrontational patients are among the key stressors for family doctors in England, reveals an analysis of feedback from general practitioners (GPs), published in the online journal BMJ Open. Dysfunctional working relationships and unsupportive/bullying colleagues, combined with the […]

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Patients’ unfavourable views of hospital care strongly linked to nurse numbers

Increasing the headcount may boost satisfaction with quality of care, say researchers Patients’ unfavourable views of hospital care in England are strongly linked to insufficient numbers of nurses on duty, rather than uncaring staff, indicates observational research published in the online journal BMJ Open. Increasing the registered nurse headcount may boost satisfaction with the quality […]

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Breast cancer survivorship care: evidence based guideline recommendations for primary care physicians

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and effects over 1.5 million women each year. [1] As the number of survivors also increases [2] it’s essential that primary care physician (PCPs) have access to the best available evidence, and are able to provide optimal care for their patients, who may experience side effects […]

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Rubber/plastic bullets used for crowd control can maim and kill

Given their inherent inaccuracy, they shouldn’t be used for this purpose, say researchers Rubber/plastic bullets used for crowd control can maim and kill, and given their inherent inaccuracy, they shouldn’t be used for this purpose, concludes a review of the available evidence, published in the online journal BMJ Open. Rubber/plastic bullets (kinetic impact projectiles) are […]

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Top 10 Most Read in November: health and social care constraints in England, general practice as a career choice, and cost-effectiveness of interventions in preventing type 2 diabetes

November was an interesting month, with many new papers published: five of which reached this month’s Top 10 Most Read list. In the top spot is Watkins et al, with a time trend analysis looking at the effects of health and social care spending constraints on mortality in England. They found that spending constraints, especially […]

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Different types of alcohol elicit different emotional responses

Spirits most frequently associated with feelings of aggression, international survey shows Different types of alcohol elicit different emotional responses, but spirits are most frequently associated with feelings of aggression, suggests research published in the online journal BMJ Open. To explore the potential emotional factors underpinning alcohol preference the researchers drew on anonymised responses to  the […]

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Primary care consultations last less than 5 minutes for half the world’s population

But range from 48 seconds in Bangladesh to 22.5 minutes in Sweden Primary care consultations last less than 5 minutes for half the world’s population, but range from 48 seconds in Bangladesh to 22.5 minutes in Sweden, reveals the largest international study of its kind, published in the online journal BMJ Open. Shorter consultation times […]

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