BMJ Open currently publishes articles reporting research results or study protocols. We have now expanded our scope to include cohort profiles, articles that describe major, ongoing research cohorts. What’s the difference between a protocol, a cohort profile and a research paper? Detailed information about cohort profiles is in our instructions for authors. In brief, cohort […]
Latest articles
Anal sex between young men and women often seems coercive and painful
Anal sex between young men and women often seems coercive and painful, suggests research published in BMJ Open. Feedback from young people reveals an oppressive culture around anal sex, with some young men apparently neglecting or not caring about young women’s consent or pleasure – both when they have anal sex and when they talk […]
Cheese still laden with salt, despite many products meeting reduction targets
The salt content of cheese sold in UK supermarkets remains high, despite many products meeting the recommended government targets on salt reduction, finds research published in the online journal BMJ Open. And salt content varies widely, even within the same type of cheese, the findings show, prompting the researchers to call for much tougher targets […]
Prediabetes, PoTS and Portuguese physicians: most read articles in June
Several new papers made our top ten this month including Mainous et al.’s study on the prevalence of prediabetes in England, and McDonald et al.’s paper on postural tachycardia syndrome predominantly affecting young women. Other popular papers were the recently published paper from Krüsi et al., which explores the effects of criminalisation and policing of […]
Premature newborn survival 30% higher in high volume neonatal centres
The survival of premature newborns in England is 30% higher in specialist units treating large numbers of neonates, reveals an analysis of national data published in BMJ Open. The advantage is particularly evident for very premature babies born after less than 27 weeks of pregnancy, where the figure rises to 50%, prompting the authors to […]
Poorly understood postural syndrome blights lives of young well educated women
A debilitating syndrome that causes an excessively rapid heartbeat on standing up, predominantly affects young well educated women, and blights their lives, because it is so poorly understood and inconsistently treated, reveals a small study published in the online journal BMJ Open. Postural tachycardia syndrome, or PoTS for short, is a by-product of orthostatic intolerance […]
HIV, prostate cancer and food insecurity: most read articles in May
This month’s most read article was Dahlen et al.’s study on the rates of obstetric intervention and associated perinatal mortality among women who give birth in private and public hospitals. Newly-published papers in the top ten most read include O’Brien et al.’s paper on evidence-informed recommendations for rehabilitation with older adults living with HIV. Also proving popular for another month, was He et […]
Use of cement in partial hip replacement linked to risk of death
The use of cement in partial hip replacement surgery may be linked to a risk of death – often occurring within minutes – finds research published in the online journal BMJ Open. The risk is relatively rare. But the alarm was first sounded in 2009, and most of the cases that have come to light […]
Rates of pre-diabetes have tripled over past decade in England
The prevalence of pre-diabetes – higher than normal blood glucose levels – has tripled within the space of 8 years in England, reveals research published in the online journal BMJ Open. More than a third of adults in England now have pre-diabetes, the findings suggest, with those who are disadvantaged and of black and minority […]
Divorce may be linked to higher risk of overweight/obesity among kids involved
Divorce may be linked to a higher risk of overweight and obesity among children affected by the marital split, suggests research published in the on-line journal BMJ Open. Boys may be especially prone to excess weight gain, the findings indicate. The researchers base their findings on a nationally representative sample of more than 3000 pupils […]