Articles
Volume 11 (2013) - March 2013
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Research article
Maoqing Wang, Xue Yang, Fan Wang, Ran Li, Hua Ning, Lixin Na, Yifan Huang, Yue Song, Liyan Liu, Hongzhi Pan, Qiuju Zhang, Lijun Fan, Ying Li, Changhao Sun BMC Medicine 2013, 11:86 (28 March 2013) A panel of protein biomarkers discriminates between calcium-deficient and non-deficient rats and two of these biomarkers, pseudouridine and citrate, correlate with calcium intake in humans, making them useful to screen for calcium deficiency. |
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Review
Novel approaches to minimize ventilator-induced lung injury Eddy Fan, Jesus Villar, Arthur S Slutsky BMC Medicine 2013, 11:85 (28 March 2013) Arthur Slutsky and colleagues review novel approaches to counteract ventilator-induced lung injury in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome, discussing studies that minimize biotrauma and the underlying pathophysiology. |
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Research article
Reporting of analyses from randomized controlled trials with multiple arms: a systematic review Gabriel Baron, Elodie Perrodeau, Isabelle Boutron, Philippe Ravaud BMC Medicine 2013, 11:84 (27 March 2013) Evidence from a systematic review shows inconsistency between planned and reported analyses in multiple arm randomized controlled trials, indicating that improvements are needed in reporting findings from these trials with complex design. |
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Research article
Spyridon Arampatzis, Georg-Christian Funk, Alexander Leichtle, Georg-Martin Fiedler, Christoph Schwarz, Heinz Zimmermann, Aristomenis Exadaktylos, Gregor Lindner BMC Medicine 2013, 11:83 (27 March 2013) Patients on diuretics have a high prevalence of electrolyte disorders on admission to the emergency room and diuretic therapy is associated with in-hospital mortality, suggesting alternative treatment could be considered for at-risk patients. |
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Commentary
Potential repurposing of oncology drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease Wataru Araki BMC Medicine 2013, 11:82 (26 March 2013) There are currently no therapies that target the underlying cause of Alzheimer’s disease (AD); Wataru Araki comments on research showing carmustine reduces amyloid plaques in a mouse model, and discusses the potential of oncology drugs for AD treatment. |
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Research article
Crystal D Hayes, Debleena Dey, Juan Palavicini, Hongjie Wang, Kshitij A Patkar, Dimitriy Minond, Adel Nefzi, Madepalli K Lakshmana BMC Medicine 2013, 11:81 (26 March 2013) The oncology drug carmustine reduces beta amyloid generation and plaque burden in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), possibly through interference with intracellular trafficking, indicating the therapeutic potential of carmustine for AD. |
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Guideline
Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) statement Don Husereau, Michael Drummond, Stavros Petrou, Chris Carswell, David Moher, Dan Greenberg, Federico Augustovski, Andrew H Briggs, Josephine Mauskopf, Elizabeth Loder, on behalf of the CHEERS Task Force BMC Medicine 2013, 11:80 (25 March 2013) Don Husereau et al. present the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS), a consolidated and updated version of current guidelines, which aims to provide clear recommendations for the reporting of health economic evaluations; the statement has been published in 10 journals including BMC Medicine and Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation.
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Opinion
Ian B Hickie, Sharon L Naismith, Rébecca Robillard, Elizabeth M Scott, Daniel F Hermens BMC Medicine 2013, 11:79 (22 March 2013) There is a need for specific therapies for major depression; Ian Hickie and colleagues recommend that sleep-wake cycles and circadian systems should be targets for mood disorders to provide a personalized approach to patient treatment. |
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Review
Hypersomnia and depressive symptoms: methodological and clinical aspects Yves Dauvilliers, Régis Lopez, Maurice Ohayon, Sophie Bayard BMC Medicine 2013, 11:78 (21 March 2013) Yves Dauvilliers and colleagues review the quality and breadth of studies linking hypersomnia and depression, and highlight that interventional studies are needed to ascertain if management of sleep disorders can improve mood disorders and vice versa. |
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Technical advance
Quantifiable diagnosis of muscular dystrophies and neurogenic atrophies through network analysis Aurora Sáez, Eloy Rivas, Adoración Montero-Sánchez, Carmen Paradas, Begoña Acha, Alberto Pascual, Carmen Serrano, Luis M Escudero BMC Medicine 2013, 11:77 (20 March 2013) A new diagnostic tool based on a network science analysis captures information in muscle biopsies and helps to diagnose muscular dystrophies and neurogenic atrophies, indicating its potential for use in both clinical and pre-clinical settings. |
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Opinion
Jean-François Daneault, Benoit Carignan, Abbas F Sadikot, Michel Panisset, Christian Duval BMC Medicine 2013, 11:76 (20 March 2013) Dyskinesia is a major complication in the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease; Christian Duval and colleagues propose a new approach to manage the level and type of these motor symptoms and help improve patients’ quality of life |
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Research article
Nicola Hobbs, Alan Godfrey, Jose Lara, Linda Errington, Thomas D Meyer, Lynn Rochester, Martin White, John C Mathers, Falko F Sniehotta BMC Medicine 2013, 11:75 (19 March 2013) It is important to remain active in retirement to reduce the risk of age-related diseases; evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis shows interventions improve physical activity in older adults, so could have significant health benefits. |
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Opinion
Aspirin: a review of its neurobiological properties and therapeutic potential for mental illness Michael Berk, Olivia Dean, Hemmo Drexhage, John J McNeil, Steven Moylan, Adrienne O'Neil, Christopher G Davey, Livia Sanna, Michael Maes BMC Medicine 2013, 11:74 (18 March 2013) Michael Berk and colleagues review the potential of aspirin as a therapeutic agent in neurological and psychiatric disorders, based on the role it may play in regulating inflammation, oxidative and nitrosative stress in the brain. |
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Research article
How do autoimmune diseases cluster in families? A systematic review and meta-analysis Jorge Cárdenas-Roldán, Adriana Rojas-Villarraga, Juan-Manuel Anaya BMC Medicine 2013, 11:73 (18 March 2013) Evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis shows autoimmune diseases, particularly autoimmune thyroid disease and systemic lupus erythematosus, aggregate in families, indicating that shared genetic factors may be responsible. |
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Editorial
Medicine for global health: can “simple interventions” improve the worldwide burden of disease? Gretchen Birbeck BMC Medicine 2013, 11:72 (14 March 2013) Gretchen Birbeck launches our new article collection, Medicine for Global Health, with an editorial, discussing the relevance of medicine in resource-limited settings, highlighting that simple interventions may help to lessen the global burden of disease. |
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Question and Answer
Q&A - Economic analyses for vaccine introduction decisions in low- and middle- income countries Raymond Hutubessy BMC Medicine 2013, 11:71 (14 March 2013) For the launch of our new article collection, Medicine for Global Health, Raymond Hutubessy, a health economist, discusses the importance of economic analyses for vaccine introduction decisions in low- and middle-income countries. |
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Question and Answer
Q&A - Global challenges of epilepsy management - an interview with Gretchen Birbeck Gretchen Birbeck BMC Medicine 2013, 11:70 (14 March 2013) Gretchen Birbeck, a neurologist based in southern Africa, answers our questions on the challenges associated with managing epilepsy in resource-limited settings, as part of our new article collection; Medicine for Global Health. |
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Question and Answer
Ethical considerations in the globalization of medicine – an interview with James Giordano James Giordano BMC Medicine 2013, 11:69 (14 March 2013) Neuroscientist and neuroethicist, James Giordano discusses the ethical issues associated with global health research, and highlights the challenges of conducting such research in low- and middle- income countries. |
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Research article
Kathryn Maitland, Elizabeth C George, Jennifer A Evans, Sarah Kiguli, Peter Olupot-Olupot, Samuel O Akech, Robert O Opoka, Charles Engoru, Richard Nyeko, George Mtove, Hugh Reyburn, Bernadette Brent, Julius Nteziyaremye, Ayub Mpoya, Natalie Prevatt, Cornelius M Dambisya, Daniel Semakula, Ahmed Ddungu, Vicent Okuuny, Ronald Wokulira, Molline Timbwa, Benedict Otii, Michael Levin, Jane Crawley, Abdel G Babiker, Diana M Gibb, for the FEAST trial group BMC Medicine 2013, 11:68 (14 March 2013) Children suffering from sepsis in the FEAST trial given fluid boluses exhibited excess mortality; analysis of the data suggests that this was due to cardiovascular collapse, which should prompt a re-evaluation of fluid resuscitation practice. |
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Commentary
Causes of death after fluid bolus resuscitation: new insights from FEAST John Myburgh, Simon Finfer BMC Medicine 2013, 11:67 (14 March 2013) Analysis of the FEAST trial explored the mechanisms behind excess mortality in African sepsis patients given fluid boluses; John Myburgh and Simon Finfer discuss the broader relevance of this result for other populations of critically ill patients. |
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Research article
Charles S Wiysonge, Olalekan A Uthman, Peter M Ndumbe, Gregory D Hussey BMC Medicine 2013, 11:66 (14 March 2013) Since the onset of the Expanded Program on Immunization, vaccine research productivity in Africa has skewed towards those funded privately, with minimal research input from African authors, suggesting a need for better communication between all stakeholders. |
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Research article
A multifactorial interdisciplinary intervention reduces frailty in older people: randomized trial Ian D Cameron, Nicola Fairhall, Colleen Langron, Keri Lockwood, Noeline Monaghan, Christina Aggar, Catherine Sherrington, Stephen R Lord, Susan E Kurrle BMC Medicine 2013, 11:65 (11 March 2013) In a randomized trial, frail older people on a 12-month multifactorial interdisciplinary program show reduced frailty and improved mobility compared with the group on usual care, indicating that the intervention can be used to treat frailty. |
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Review
Gerwyn Morris, George Anderson, Piotr Galecki, Michael Berk, Michael Maes BMC Medicine 2013, 11:64 (8 March 2013) Michael Maes and colleagues review the similarities and differences between myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and sickness behavior, concluding that the two disorders have shared pathways, but are distinct conditions. |
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Research article
Sabine Rohrmann, Kim Overvad, H Bueno-de-Mesquita, Marianne U Jakobsen, Rikke Egeberg, Anne Tjønneland, Laura Nailler, Marie-Christine Boutron-Ruault, Françoise Clavel-Chapelon, Vittorio Krogh, Domenico Palli, Salvatore Panico, Rosario Tumino, Fulvio Ricceri, Manuela M Bergmann, Heiner Boeing, Kuanrong Li, Rudolf Kaaks, Kay-Tee Khaw, Nicholas J Wareham, Francesca L Crowe, Timothy J Key, Androniki Naska, Antonia Trichopoulou, Dimitirios Trichopoulos, Max Leenders, Petra HM Peeters, Dagrun Engeset, Christine L Parr, Guri Skeie et al. BMC Medicine 2013, 11:63 (7 March 2013) A large study finds a positive association between processed meat consumption and mortality due to cardiovascular disease and cancer, indicating that reducing the amount of processed meat in the diet could reduce mortality risk. |
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Research article
Income and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) after primary total knee arthroplasty Jasvinder A Singh, David G Lewallen BMC Medicine 2013, 11:62 (6 March 2013) Patients with a lower income have better pain outcomes and improvement in function after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) than those with a higher income, a finding that needs further research to understand the underlying mechanisms behind this link. |
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Research article
Tobias Raupach, Jamie Brown, Sven Anders, Gerd Hasenfuss, Sigrid Harendza BMC Medicine 2013, 11:61 (5 March 2013) Summative assessment of electrocardiogram interpretation in medical students is associated with better examination performance compared with more intense teaching methods, indicating the value of summative assessment in medical education. |
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Research article
Tao Xu, Christina Holzapfel, Xiao Dong, Erik Bader, Zhonghao Yu, Cornelia Prehn, Katrin Perstorfer, Marta Jaremek, Werner Roemisch-Margl, Wolfgang Rathmann, Yixue Li, H -Erich Wichmann, Henri Wallaschofski, Karl H Ladwig, Fabian Theis, Karsten Suhre, Jerzy Adamski, Thomas Illig, Annette Peters, Rui Wang-Sattler BMC Medicine 2013, 11:60 (4 March 2013) Serum metabolite profiles differ between smokers and non-smokers, and these changes are reversible after stopping smoking, suggesting the metabolites could be used as biomarkers to measure success of cessation interventions and evaluate disease risk. |
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Research article
Gemma Bruera, Katia Cannita, Daniela Di Giacomo, Aude Lamy, Thierry Frébourg, Jean Christophe Sabourin, Mario Tosi, Edoardo Alesse, Corrado Ficorella, Enrico Ricevuto BMC Medicine 2013, 11:59 (4 March 2013) The KRAS mutation in codon 12 (G12D) is associated with poorer survival of metastatic colorectal cancer patients treated with intensive triplet chemotherapy plus bevacizumab compared with patients having wild type or different KRAS genotypes. |
