Articles
Volume 11 (2013) - July 2013
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Research article
The relationship of Asperger’s syndrome to autism: a preliminary EEG coherence study Frank H Duffy, Aditi Shankardass, Gloria B McAnulty, Heidelise Als BMC Medicine 2013, 11:175 (31 July 2013) EEG-derived measures of brain connectivity show that Asperger's syndrome and autism in children are closely related, but there are neurophysiological differences between the groups, suggesting that Asperger’s should be considered a separate entity. |
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Research article
Safety of TNF-α inhibitors during IBD pregnancy: a systematic review Ole Nielsen, Edward V Loftus Jr, Tine Jess BMC Medicine 2013, 11:174 (31 July 2013) Evidence from a systematic review shows the use of tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is safe during pregnancy, but these biologics should be discontinued if IBD is in remission. |
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Commentary
Insights into physical activity and cardiovascular disease risk in young children: IDEFICS study Robert G McMurray BMC Medicine 2013, 11:173 (30 July 2013) Robert McMurray comments on a study identifying age- and gender-specific exercise recommendations to prevent clustering of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in children, and suggests that a case-by-case approach is required. |
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Research article
David Jiménez-Pavón, Kenn Konstabel, Patrick Bergman, Wolfgang Ahrens, Hermann Pohlabeln, Charalampos Hadjigeorgiou, Alfonso Siani, Licia Iacoviello, Dénes Molnár, Stefaan De Henauw, Yannis Pitsiladis, Luis A Moreno, On behalf of the IDEFICS consortium BMC Medicine 2013, 11:172 (30 July 2013) Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor clustering can occur in inactive children <6 years, suggesting that current guidelines are insufficient and 60-85 min/day of exercise, of which at least 20 min is vigorous, should be recommended. |
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Research article
Sreeram V Ramagopalan, Raph Goldacre, Giulio Disanto, Gavin Giovannoni, Michael J Goldacre BMC Medicine 2013, 11:171 (25 July 2013) Patients admitted to hospital for vitamin D (vitD) deficiency are more likely to have immune-mediated diseases including Crohn's disease, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, suggesting that vitD deficiency could be involved in autoimmunity pathogenesis |
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Research article
Thomas A Gaziano, Ankur Pandya, Krisela Steyn, Naomi Levitt, Willie Mollentze, Gina Joubert, Corinna M Walsh, Ayesha A Motala, Annamarie Kruger, Aletta E Schutte, Datshana P Naidoo, Dorcas R Prakaschandra, Ria Laubscher BMC Medicine 2013, 11:170 (24 July 2013) A non-laboratory based cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk score has similar ranking performance to laboratory-based scores in South African populations, suggesting the score could be used to predict disease risk in countries where laboratory testing is not practical. |
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Commentary
Understanding breast cancer stem cell heterogeneity: time to move on to a new research paradigm Ferdinando Mannello BMC Medicine 2013, 11:169 (23 July 2013) Ferdinando Mannello comments on research in BMC Cancer exploring the differences between breast cancer stem cells and non-cancerous cells, discussing how such work could improve understanding of carcinogenesis, heterogeneity and drug resistance. |
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Review
John F Brothers, Kahkeshan Hijazi, Celine Mascaux, Randa A El-Zein, Margaret R Spitz, Avrum Spira BMC Medicine 2013, 11:168 (19 July 2013) Early detection of lung cancer is important so patients can be treated as soon as possible; Avrum Spira and colleagues review genetic and genomic biomarkers in development for early diagnosis, and discuss how they could reduce lung cancer deaths. |
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Research article
Ralph HB Benedict, Bianca Weinstock-Guttmam, Karen Marr, Vesela Valnarov, Cheryl Kennedy, Ellen Carl, Christina Brooks, David Hojnacki, Robert Zivadinov BMC Medicine 2013, 11:167 (18 July 2013) Presence and severity of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, assessed by extra-cranial and trans-cranial doppler sonography, is not associated with cognitive decline and depression in these patients. |
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Commentary
Sabine Rohrmann, David Faeh BMC Medicine 2013, 11:165 (16 July 2013) Sabine Rohrmann and David Faeh comment on a recent trial reporting that individuals who eat over three servings of nuts a week have a lower mortality risk, but suggest further investigations should determine the quantity and type of nuts to be eaten, and the underlying mechanisms responsible. |
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Research article
Frequency of nut consumption and mortality risk in the PREDIMED nutrition intervention trial Marta Guasch-Ferré, Mònica Bulló, Miguel Martínez-González, Emilio Ros, Dolores Corella, Ramon Estruch, Montserrat Fitó, Fernando Arós, Julia Wärnberg, Miquel Fiol, José Lapetra, Ernest Vinyoles, Rosa Lamuela-Raventós, Lluís Serra-Majem, Xavier Pintó, Valentina Ruiz-Gutiérrez, Josep Basora, Jordi Salas-Salvadó, on behalf of the PREDIMED study group BMC Medicine 2013, 11:164 (16 July 2013) A large trial in a Mediterranean population finds an inverse trend between regular nut consumption and mortality in individuals with high cardiovascular risk, and suggests that nuts but not olive oil, may also have a protective effect on premature mortality in individuals. |
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Research article
Adam E Handel, Geir K Sandve, Giulio Disanto, Antonio J Berlanga-Taylor, Giuseppe Gallone, Heather Hanwell, Finn Drabløs, Gavin Giovannoni, George C Ebers, Sreeram V Ramagopalan BMC Medicine 2013, 11:163 (12 July 2013) There is a correlation between vitamin D (vitD) levels and the number of vitD receptor binding sites, which are enriched at autoimmune disease-associated loci when vitD levels are sufficient, providing a link between vitD and disease. |
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Research article
Lesley Berk, Michael Berk, Seetal Dodd, Claire Kelly, Stefan Cvetkovski, Anthony Francis Jorm BMC Medicine 2013, 11:162 (11 July 2013) Online guidelines for caregivers of adult bipolar disorder patients are useful and inexpensive, but according to an online survey, those caring for patients with severe forms of the disorder require a more complex stepped-care approach for support and guidance. |
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Opinion
Personalizing guidelines for diabetes management: twilight or dawn of the expert? Stavroula A Paschou, Richard David Leslie BMC Medicine 2013, 11:161 (10 July 2013) Stavroula Paschou and David Leslie discuss the limitations of guidelines for managing type 2 diabetes and recommend that a more personalized approach is required, taking multiple targets and therapies into account. |
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Research article
Yong Zhao, Zhaoshun Jiang, Tingbao Zhao, Mingliang Ye, Chengjin Hu, Huimin Zhou, Zhaohui Yin, Yana Chen, Ye Zhang, Shanfeng Wang, Jie Shen, Hatim Thaker, Summit Jain, Yunxiang Li, Yalin Diao, Yingjian Chen, Xiaoming Sun, Mary Fisk, Heng Li BMC Medicine 2013, 11:160 (9 July 2013) Trial shows promising results for patients with type 2 diabetes by using cord blood stem cells to re-educate mononuclear cells before returning them to the patient’s circulation, resulting in improved long term metabolic control. |
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Debate
Jeroen P Jansen, Huseyin Naci BMC Medicine 2013, 11:159 (4 July 2013) Jansen and Naci discuss the use of network meta-analyses (used for multiple treatment comparisons) and conclude that validity is comparable to standard pairwise meta-analyses if there are no imbalances in the distribution of effect modifiers. |
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Question and Answer
Stephen D Lawn BMC Medicine 2013, 11:158 (4 July 2013) In this Q&A, we talk to Stephen Lawn about the point-of-care LAM test for HIV-associated TB, which could save lives by improving rapid diagnosis and treatment. |
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Debate
Diabetic retinopathy in sub-Saharan Africa: meeting the challenges of an emerging epidemic Philip I Burgess, Gerald Msukwa, Nicholas AV Beare BMC Medicine 2013, 11:157 (2 July 2013) Philip Burgess and colleagues discuss the emerging epidemic of diabetic retinopathy in sub-Saharan Africa, arguing that clinical services and research for diabetes should be expanded, with models of care being tailored to resource-limited settings. |
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Research article
Ying Li, John Ehiri, Shenglan Tang, Daikun Li, Yongqiao Bian, Hui Lin, Caitlin Marshall, Jia Cao BMC Medicine 2013, 11:156 (2 July 2013) Delays in diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) in China are a major barrier to effective management; a meta-analysis finds these delays are mediated by individual and health system factors, suggesting interventions to raise TB awareness will be useful. |
