20 March

Br Med J (BMJ) http://www.bmj.com/

• 12:36
  First hepatitis D medicine is given restricted approval in Scotland after US rejection - Elisabeth Mahase Br Med J (BMJ)
  Scotland has become the first country in the UK to approve a specific treatment for the hepatitis delta virus (HDV), after it granted bulevirtide (Hepcludex) “restricted use” approval for patients with chronic infection and compensated liver disease.1The drug (2 mg powder for injection) will be (...) -- Infectious diseases, UK
• 12:31
  US state legislators propose death penalty for women who have an abortion - Janice Hopkins Tanne Br Med J (BMJ)
  Republican legislators in South Carolina have proposed a bill to change the state’s laws, making a fertilised egg or embryo a person and charging a woman who has an abortion with murder, which carries a 30 year prison sentence or the death penalty.1 Henry McMaster, the state’s Republican (...)
• 12:30
  Junior doctor strike led to 175 000 postponements, data show - Gareth Iacobucci Br Med J (BMJ)
  More than 175 000 planned hospital appointments and procedures were postponed during last week’s 72 hour strike by junior doctors, show official data from NHS England.1The release of the figures came as BMA leaders agreed to meet England’s health and social care secretary, Steve Barclay, this (...)
• 12:21
  Covid-19: US maternal mortality rose during pandemic - Janice Hopkins Tanne Br Med J (BMJ)
  Two studies show that maternal mortality in the US dramatically increased during the covid-19 pandemic and was especially severe among racial and ethnic minorities and in rural areas and small cities.12The US already has the worst maternal mortality rate among industrialised countries. The (...) -- COVID-19
• 12:06
  Gene editing: China’s new regulations contain concerning loopholes, experts warn - Elisabeth Mahase Br Med J (BMJ)
  China’s new ethics regulations are a step in the right direction in terms of overseeing gene editing research, but there are concerns that private ventures may not be covered.Joy Zhang, founding director of the Centre for Global Science and Epistemic Justice at the University of Kent, said that (...)
• 10:31
  GP training overhaul aims to boost flexibility, breadth, and quality of training - Adrian O’Dowd Br Med J (BMJ)
  GP trainees should be offered better and broader training alongside enhancements to their knowledge of technology, health inequalities, and areas of care such as mental health, says a report from Health Education England (HEE).1The report on HEE’s vision for the future of general practice (...)
• 09:06
  Trust and transformation: an agenda for creating resilient and sustainable health systems - Hans Kluge, Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, Josep Figueras, Martin McKee Br Med J (BMJ)
  Health systems are facing unprecedented challenges as they emerge from the covid-19 pandemic. How they have responded has varied greatly. Just as with SARS in 2003, when some Asian health systems redesigned facilities to be better prepared for a future pandemic,1 we have seen new ways of (...)

17 March

Br Med J (BMJ) http://www.bmj.com/

• 19:55
  Why I wish they had composted the Pope - Richard Smith Br Med J (BMJ)
  As I wrote this piece, Pope Benedict XVI was being buried, but I wish he had been composted. Nature would have been respected, greenhouse gas emissions would have been reduced, and in little more than a month the Vatican would have had a bag of rich soil that could be used to grow something in (...)
• 18:16
  Falling employment and worsening health in the UK: connected or distinct trends? - Jonathan Cribb Br Med J (BMJ)
  Two concerning economic and social trends in the UK emerging from the covid-19 pandemic are the fall in employment of people aged 50 and over and the increase in sickness levels in the population. The drop in employment has not been caused by rising unemployment (when people are generally (...)
• 17:26
  Babies should be given peanut products between 4 and 6 months to reduce allergy, say researchers - Jacqui Wise Br Med J (BMJ)
  Researchers have called on the government to change official weaning advice, saying that peanut products should be introduced into babies’ diets during a “window of opportunity” of between 4 and 6 months of age to reduce the risk of allergy.The incidence of peanut allergy has tripled in recent (...) -- Paediatrics
• 17:00
  Birmingham trust is taking a defensive approach to patient safety matters, claims ombudsman - Clare Dyer Br Med J (BMJ)
  The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has accused one of the UK’s largest hospital trusts of taking a defensive approach to patient safety matters and refusing “to accept accountability or learn from past failings.”1The ombudsman, whose office takes final decisions on complaints that have (...)
• 16:36
  Semaglutide: should the media slim down its enthusiasm? - Margaret McCartney Br Med J (BMJ)
  “Hollywood’s favourite skinny jab is coming to the NHS,” read BBC Science Focus magazine, calling it a “weight loss game changer.”1 The Times said its arrival “could trim benefits bill.”2 The Economist’s cover story was enthusiastic: “Eat, inject, repeat—curing obesity, worldwide: The long term effects (...)
• 13:51
  Mouldy homes are damaging my patient’s health - Tamara Joffe Br Med J (BMJ)
  We must remember 2 year old Awaab Ishak. His death, the coroner concluded, was caused by exposure to mould in his home.1 We must talk about the health impacts of patients living in mouldy, damp housing.In 2000, my experienced GP trainer told me that she had only ever written one housing medical (...)
• 13:50
  Male footballers are 50% more likely to develop neurodegenerative disease, finds Swedish study - Elisabeth Mahase Br Med J (BMJ)
  Elite male footballers were 1.5 times as likely to develop neurodegenerative disease as population controls, found a study of men who played in Sweden’s top division from 1924 to 2019.1The observational study, published in Lancet Public Health, found that 8.9% of players (537 of 6007) and 6.2% (...) -- Neurology
• 13:36
  The UK’s Illegal Migration Bill will have grave consequences for health and human welfare - Sophie McCann Br Med J (BMJ)
  The UK’s Illegal Migration Bill, announced by the home secretary on 7 March 2023, will have devastating humanitarian and medical consequences for people seeking sanctuary in the UK. On a daily basis, we at MSF witness the grave impact worldwide of violent policies that focus on deterrence and (...)
• 11:17
  TikTok surgery reignites worries over doctors and social media - Shefali Malhotra Br Med J (BMJ)
  In October 2022, a Thai surgeon live streamed an operation on the social media app TikTok. The recording made its way to Twitter, causing an intense backlash. Some people complained that the doctor had violated his patient’s privacy and should be severely disciplined. But others pointed out that (...)
• 11:12
  What is the role of clinically assisted hydration in the last days of life? - Andrew Davies, Caroline Barry, Stephen Barclay Br Med J (BMJ)
  What you need to knowDecisions about the provision of clinically assisted hydration to patients in their last days of life are complex and should always be individualisedEvidence is lacking about the potential benefits and harms of clinically assisted hydration in the last days of lifeClinical (...) -- Uncertainties page

16 March

Br Med J (BMJ) http://www.bmj.com/

• 14:16
  Cancer plans are essential owing to the complexity of care - Robert A Haward Br Med J (BMJ)
  Sullivan and Aggarwal’s editorial sets out the case for, and reasons for retaining, a specific plan for cancer.1 The issues are not new, and previous experience remains relevant today.The first national cancer policy in the UK was published in 1995 by the chief medical officers of England and (...)
• 14:15
  Public health grants in England are “far too little, far too late,” says president of directors - Matthew Limb Br Med J (BMJ)
  Experts have said that the £3.53bn public health grant to English local authorities for 2023-24, just announced by the government, won’t properly fund services.Ministers said the grant allocations will give each local authority a 3.3% cash terms increase.1 Jim McManus, president of the (...)
• 13:46
  Budget fails to tackle workforce shortages and NHS funding, say critics - Matthew Limb Br Med J (BMJ)
  Leading doctors, patients’ groups, and health analysts have rounded on the UK chancellor of the exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, for ignoring critical pressures on NHS staffing and funding in his spring budget. They said that Hunt’s failure to publish an NHS workforce plan on 15 March, alongside a (...)
• 12:51
  Patient safety and strikes: aspects of love - Kamran Abbasi Br Med J (BMJ)
  Ten years on from Robert Francis’s inquiry into events at the UK’s Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, is the NHS any safer? A recurring theme of investigations into avoidable harm, say Graham Martin and colleagues, is a failure to heed the concerns of patients and carers (...)
• 11:55
  Pensions: Doctors welcome government’s decision to abolish lifetime allowance - Gareth Iacobucci Br Med J (BMJ)
  In his spring budget for 20231 the UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt unveiled a major policy for tackling the number of senior NHS doctors reducing their hours or taking early retirement because of high taxation charges on their pensions.In a surprise move, Hunt announced a package of measures, (...)
• 11:26
  A teenager with auricular infection secondary to piercing - Xiaoting Cheng, Kevin A Peng, Bing Chen, Yilai Shu Br Med J (BMJ)
  A teenage girl presented with persistent ear pain after an uneventful piercing of her right auricle to place an earring. Five days after the piercing, she noticed otalgia adjacent to the piercing, and pain in the right side of her neck. She had no other medical conditions. Before presentation (...) -- Case Review
• 11:21
  The cost of bearing witness: watching and sharing videos of police brutality online - Michelle A Williams Br Med J (BMJ)
  In recent weeks we’ve seen an uproar ring out after police killed an unarmed Black man in the United States. I’m speaking of Tyre Nichols, who died in January 2023 after being punched, kicked, and beaten by five Memphis officers from an “elite” unit. But I could be speaking about Eric Garner, or (...)
• 11:16
  Spindle cell sarcoma on the scalp - Fang Li, Daguang Wang Br Med J (BMJ)
  This is a painless, red, nodular mass with overlying crusting on the scalp of a woman in her 50s (fig 1). The mass had been growing slowly over three years, with rapid growth in the six months before presentation. The woman had undergone hysterectomy and chemotherapy for uterine leiomyosarcoma (...)
• 11:11
  Oral anticoagulants, dementia . . . and other stories Br Med J (BMJ)
  Oral anticoagulants and dementia in people with atrial fibrillationOral anticoagulation helps to prevent stroke in people with atrial fibrillation and may also protect against cognitive decline. Atrial fibrillation puts people at increased risk of dementia because of ischaemic stroke, (...)
• 10:10
  Ann Robinson’s research reviews—16 March 2023 - Ann Robinson Br Med J (BMJ)
  AML: markers on the road to cure?Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a cruel disease: 85% of those diagnosed will be dead within five years. Treatment usually consists of chemotherapy to achieve remission, often followed by stem cell transplant for those at highest risk of relapse. Stem cell (...)

15 March

Br Med J (BMJ) http://www.bmj.com/

• 10:35
  Voices from the picket lines: junior doctors speak out - Chris Stokel-Walker, Gareth Iacobucci, Elisabeth Mahase, Melina Zachariou, Charlotte Rose Br Med J (BMJ)
  Martin Whyte, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne“I’ve been a doctor for eight years, and all I’ve seen in that time is that workloads have become more intense. We’re not worth 26% less than we were 15 years ago. It’s a complete unwillingness to make pay appropriate for the level of (...)
• 10:41
  Psychological first aid training could help manage acute stress in junior doctors - Daniel J Chivers Br Med J (BMJ)
  Greenberg and colleagues offer valuable insights on the immediate management of acute psychological trauma—psychological first aid—in conflict zones.1 They explain that the use of peer delivered interventions can alleviate acute distress. Military personnel with supportive supervisors are less (...)
• 10:05
  Bold action is needed to strengthen primary prevention - Petra Meier, Srinivasa Vittal Katikireddi, Katherine Smith Br Med J (BMJ)
  Primary prevention tackles the underlying causes of ill health, preventing or substantially delaying onset, reducing the burden of disease in populations, and helping individuals live longer, healthier lives. In turn, this reduces pressure on health and social care systems. Primary prevention (...)
• 09:51
  What’s happened to NHS spending and staffing in the past 25 years? - John Appleby Br Med J (BMJ)
  Twenty five years ago, in the financial year 1998-99, the Department of Health in England spent £36.6bn in total, equivalent to £59bn in 2021-22 prices. The bulk of this covered the NHS but also included public health, arm’s length health bodies, and other health services. Today, in 2022-23, the (...)
• 09:46
  Comparative effectiveness of BNT162b2 versus mRNA-1273 covid-19 vaccine boosting in England: matched cohort study in OpenSAFELY-TPP - William J Hulme, Elsie M F Horne, Edward P K Parker, Ruth H Keogh, Elizabeth J Williamson, Venexia Walker, Tom M Palmer, Helen J Curtis, Alex J Walker, Colm D Andrews, Amir Mehrkar, Jessica Morley, Brian MacKenna, Sebastian C J Bacon, Ben Goldacre, Miguel A Hernan, Jonathan A C Sterne Br Med J (BMJ)
  AbstractObjectiveTo compare the effectiveness of the BNT162b2 mRNA (Pfizer-BioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) covid-19 vaccines during the booster programme in England.DesignMatched cohort study, emulating a comparative effectiveness trial.SettingLinked primary care, hospital, and covid-19 (...) -- COVID-19

14 March

Br Med J (BMJ) http://www.bmj.com/

• 14:41
  James Duncan Donnelly - Peter Donnelly, Rob Donnelly, Katie Donnelly Br Med J (BMJ)
  After house jobs in medicine and surgery, and senior house officer posts in casualty, paediatrics, and obstetrics, James Duncan Donnelly (“Jimmy”) worked in general practice and community paediatrics before going to the Birmingham hospital board and joining the then newly emerging specialty of (...)
• 14:40
  Lawrence Guy Gardner - William Hinton Br Med J (BMJ)
  Lawrence Guy Gardner (“Lawrie”) did his elective in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland. After qualifying he moved to Elkhorn, Manitoba, Canada, with his wife, Jean, in 1965. While there he spent two years in general practice before returning to the UK in 1968. Lawrie then trained in anaesthesia at Jessop (...)
• 14:36
  Rajeev Gopal Banhatti - Ravindra Gokhale Br Med J (BMJ)
  bmj;380/mar14_8/p494/FAF1faRajeev Gopal Banhatti was born to two parents who were professors in English literature and freelance writers. He grew up in rural Maharashtra state in India. We met at Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College in Pune as a freshers and became lifelong friends. Rajeev was (...)
• 14:35
  Melvin Ross - Melvin Ross Br Med J (BMJ)
  After national service as medical officer at the Guards Depot, Caterham, Melvin Ross started a new practice from scratch as a singlehanded general practitioner in Islington, north London. After a few years, and now with a partner, he joined up with another two partner practice, which soon (...)
• 14:06
  The NHS workforce crisis is a retention crisis - Malinga Ratwatte Br Med J (BMJ)
  The NHS is in the grip of chronic workforce shortages. This fact is plain to see for people working in the service and makes the daily working lives of staff increasingly difficult.Data from NHS England show that more than 9000 medical posts in secondary care were vacant in September 2022.1 In (...) -- UK