Articles
Volume 11 (2013) - January 2013
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Research article
Genetic discrimination and life insurance: a systematic review of the evidence Yann Joly, Ida Ngueng Feze, Jacques Simard BMC Medicine 2013, 11:25 (31 January 2013) Evidence from a systematic review of genetic discrimination studies shows that individual cases of discrimination exist in the context of life insurance, but policy action cannot be justified at present due to limitations of the studies. |
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Research article
Karsten Lunze, David E Bloom, Dean T Jamison, Davidson H Hamer BMC Medicine 2013, 11:24 (31 January 2013) Evidence from a systematic review shows that neonatal hypothermia indirectly contributes to infant mortality, suggesting that hypothermia prevention measures should be employed to help reduce newborn deaths in resource-limited settings. |
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Correspondence
Mark Jit, Carol Levin, Marc Brisson, Ann Levin, Stephen Resch, Johannes Berkhof, Jane Kim, Raymond Hutubessy BMC Medicine 2013, 11:23 (30 January 2013) An expert group from the World Health Organization provides advice on economic issues associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), recommending that analyses are thorough, but not overly complex. |
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Commentary
Meta-narrative and realist reviews: guidance, rules, publication standards and quality appraisal David Gough BMC Medicine 2013, 11:22 (29 January 2013) David Gough comments on the release of the RAMESES publication reporting standards, and emphasizes the importance of applying rigorous research methods, whilst also maintaining quality appraisal and transparency. |
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Guideline
RAMESES publication standards: realist syntheses Geoff Wong, Trish Greenhalgh, Gill Westhorp, Jeanette Buckingham, Ray Pawson BMC Medicine 2013, 11:21 (29 January 2013) Geoff Wong, Trish Greenhalgh et al. propose new publication guidelines for realist synthesis and meta-narrative reviews. The ‘RAMESES’ (Realist and Meta-review Evidence Synthesis: Evolving Standards) statement provides researchers, institutes and journals with guidance on how to conduct these new forms of literature analysis, and adherence to the guidelines will lead to quality assurance and uniform reporting of studies. |
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Guideline
RAMESES publication standards: meta-narrative reviews Geoff Wong, Trish Greenhalgh, Gill Westhorp, Jeanette Buckingham, Ray Pawson BMC Medicine 2013, 11:20 (29 January 2013) Geoff Wong, Trish Greenhalgh et al. propose new publication guidelines for realist synthesis and meta-narrative reviews. The ‘RAMESES’ (Realist and Meta-review Evidence Synthesis: Evolving Standards) statement provides researchers, institutes and journals with guidance on how to conduct these new forms of literature analysis, and adherence to the guidelines will lead to quality assurance and uniform reporting of studies. |
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Commentary
Mithu Sen, G Young BMC Medicine 2013, 11:19 (24 January 2013) Mithu Sen and Bryan Young comment on recent findings that actigraphy can reliably measure Vegetative and Minimally Conscious state sleep-wake cycles, and discuss the importance of improved prognostic methods for this challenging group of patients. |
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Research article
Damian Cruse, Aurore Thibaut, Athena Demertzi, Julia C Nantes, Marie-Aurélie Bruno, Olivia Gosseries, Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse, Tristan A Bekinschtein, Adrian M Owen, Steven Laureys BMC Medicine 2013, 11:18 (24 January 2013) Wrist actigraphy indicates that the sleep-wake cycles of patients in Vegetative states are more impaired than those in Minimally Conscious states indicating a need for improved guidelines in assessing the circadian rhythms of these patients. |
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Review
Vasco Romão, Helena Canhão, João Fonseca BMC Medicine 2013, 11:17 (23 January 2013) João Fonseca and colleagues review genetic and non-genetic predictors of response to therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and discuss how predictive markers could be used to select individual patients for the most appropriate treatment. |
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Commentary
Smoking and HIV: time for a change? Nicola Petrosillo, Stefania Cicalini BMC Medicine 2013, 11:16 (22 January 2013) Nicola Petrosillo and Stefania Cicalini comment on a meta-analysis showing that smoking increases the risk of pneumonia in people with HIV, and discuss the importance of incorporating smoking cessation into HIV care programs. |
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Research article
Systematic review and meta-analysis: influence of smoking cessation on incidence of pneumonia in HIV Preeti De, Amanda Farley, Nicola Lindson, Paul Aveyard BMC Medicine 2013, 11:15 (22 January 2013) Evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that smoking increases the risk of bacterial pneumonia in people with HIV, and the risk is reduced in former smokers, highlighting the importance of smoking cessation for these patients. |
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Opinion
The young osteoarthritic knee: dilemmas in management Paul M Sutton, Edward S Holloway BMC Medicine 2013, 11:14 (18 January 2013) The prevalence of osteoarthritis (OA) in the knees is increasing in younger patients due to modern lifestyles; Paul Sutton and Edward Holloway discuss the considerations orthopedic surgeons should take into account when treating this specific age group. |
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Review
Recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of bladder cancer Grace Cheung, Arun Sahai, Michele Billia, Prokar Dasgupta, Muhammad S Khan BMC Medicine 2013, 11:13 (17 January 2013) Muhammad S Khan and colleagues review recent advances in diagnosis and treatment of bladder cancer, discussing diagnostic tools with improved sensitivity and new treatment options for both muscle-invasive and non-invasive forms of the disease. |
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Research article
Frank Emmert-Streib, Funso Abogunrin, Ricardo de Matos Simoes, Brian Duggan, Mark W Ruddock, Cherith N Reid, Owen Roddy, Lisa White, Hugh F O'Kane, Declan O'Rourke, Neil H Anderson, Thiagarajan Nambirajan, Kate E Williamson BMC Medicine 2013, 11:12 (17 January 2013) High-risk hematuria patients can be identified by grouping together patients using hierarchical clustering based on biomarker data, which may allow more accurate and timely diagnosis during triage for patients with serious diseases. |
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Commentary
James C Coyne, Linda Kwakkenbos BMC Medicine 2013, 11:11 (16 January 2013) Coyne and Kwakkenbos comment on a recent meta-analysis which questioned the long-term effectiveness of the Triple P parenting programme, and highlight that policy makers should be aware that positive results reported by underpowered trials can be misleading. |
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Research article
Jan Y Verbakel, Ann Van den Bruel, Matthew Thompson, Richard Stevens, Bert Aertgeerts, Rianne Oostenbrink, Henriette A Moll, Marjolein Y Berger, Monica Lakhanpaul, David Mant, Frank Buntinx, the European Research Network on Recognising Serious Infection (ERNIE) BMC Medicine 2013, 11:10 (15 January 2013) Clinical prediction rules to recognize infections in children do not show perfect diagnostic accuracy in high and low prevalence ambulatory care settings, suggesting that additional laboratory tests should be used to increase certainty. |
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Minireview
Genetics of scleroderma: implications for personalized medicine? Shervin Assassi, Timothy RDJ Radstake, Maureen D Mayes, Javier Martin BMC Medicine 2013, 11:9 (11 January 2013) Javier Martin and colleagues review recent advances in understanding the genetic basis of scleroderma, and discuss how genetic information can be included in clinical trial design to develop a personalized approach to monitoring and treatment. |
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Minireview
KJ Neff, T Olbers, CW le Roux BMC Medicine 2013, 11:8 (10 January 2013) Carel le Roux and colleagues discuss the associated health benefits of bariatric surgery which can effectively reduce the burden of obesity, and review options for candidate selection for best outcome and the challenges of individualizing treatment. |
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Research article
Tsung Yu, Daniela Vollenweider, Ravi Varadhan, Tianjing Li, Cynthia Boyd, Milo A Puhan BMC Medicine 2013, 11:7 (9 January 2013) An analysis of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for chronic diseases shows that only a small proportion of CPGs make risk-stratified recommendations, and it is uncertain if they take benefit and harm into account for individual patients. |
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Research article
María A Jiménez-Sousa, Amanda Fernández-Rodríguez, María Guzmán-Fulgencio, Mónica García-Álvarez, Salvador Resino BMC Medicine 2013, 11:6 (8 January 2013) Evidence from a meta-analysis suggests that IL28B polymorphisms affect hepatitis C treatment outcome and that the most appropriate genetic marker depends on ethnicity, suggesting that these factors should be considered when making treatment decisions. |
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Opinion
Michel de Lorgeril, Patricia Salen, Pascal Defaye, Mikael Rabaeus BMC Medicine 2013, 11:5 (4 January 2013) Michel de Lorgeril and colleagues review contrasting evidence on the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids (n-3), and discuss how n-3 may be ineffective in statin users due to complex interactions between the two compounds. |
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Review
Clinical development of monoclonal antibody-based drugs in HIV and HCV diseases Michela Flego, Alessandro Ascione, Maurizio Cianfriglia, Stefano Vella BMC Medicine 2013, 11:4 (4 January 2013) Stefano Vella and colleagues review monoclonal antibody-based drugs in clinical development for HIV and HCV treatment, and describe their benefits and drawbacks in comparison with current therapies used to treat infectious diseases. |
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Opinion
Diet, a new target to prevent depression? Almudena Sanchez-Villegas, Miguel A Martínez-González BMC Medicine 2013, 11:3 (3 January 2013) Depression is linked to inflammation and high lipid profiles, so recent cohort studies have focused on the effects of diet; Sanchez-Villegas and Martinez-Gonzalez discuss how diet may prevent depression, and recommend that observational studies and clinical trials can confirm the association. |
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Question and Answer
Video Q&A: Excess body weight and cancer Rudolf Kaaks BMC Medicine 2013, 11:2 (3 January 2013) Rudolf Kaaks talks about types of cancers linked to the overweight and obesity epidemic, and advises that although weight loss may decrease the risk of developing cancer, ultimately prevention is better than the cure. |
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Research article
Tengyue Zhang, Chong Pang, Ningdong Li, Elaine Zhou, Kanxing Zhao BMC Medicine 2013, 11:1 (2 January 2013) Evidence from a meta-analysis shows a plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 gene polymorphism increases diabetic retinopathy risk in Caucasians and in patients who have had diabetes for more than 10 years, but not in Chinese and Japanese patients. |
