The prevailing situation in Jammu & Kashmir is preventing people from accessing health care, say 18 doctors in a letter published in BMJ. The letter urges the government to “ease restrictions on communication and travel at the earliest... to allow patients to access health care without hindrance”. In a letter published on August 16 in … Continue reading In letter in BMJ, doctors urge government to allow patients in Kashmir to access health care
BMJ
FDA wants to prevent smoking addiction by limiting nicotine in cigarettes
Lower nicotine content in cigarettes is an idea whose time has come. On July 28, 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration struck panic among tobacco companies by announcing a comprehensive proposal to reduce the amount of nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive levels. The level of nicotine that would be required to render cigarettes “non-addictive” … Continue reading FDA wants to prevent smoking addiction by limiting nicotine in cigarettes
A ‘turning point’ in the Zika outbreak
More than 50 years after the infectious pathogen, rubella virus, was identified as the cause of an epidemic of congenital defects, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States confirmed on April 13 that Zika virus infection during pregnancy causes microcephaly and other severe foetal brain defects. The confirmation of causal … Continue reading A ‘turning point’ in the Zika outbreak
‘Extremely severe’ brain damage found in babies with Zika-linked defect
For the first time, radiological findings of babies born in Brazil with microcephaly, presumably caused by Zika virus infection, show “extremely severe” brain damage with a range of abnormalities. Doctors have tried to distinguish the abnormalities in babies with microcephaly from the patterns seen with other congenital infections for the first time. The results are published … Continue reading ‘Extremely severe’ brain damage found in babies with Zika-linked defect
Activity equivalent calorie labelling to fight obesity
If pictorial warnings on tobacco products help in effectively conveying the harsh reality of the effects of tobacco and increase the awareness among users and potential users, there is a strong case to change the way food items are labelled too. Instead of merely stating that a particular food item has certain amount of calories, … Continue reading Activity equivalent calorie labelling to fight obesity
Where does the fat go when you lose weight?
Many won’t know the answer to this question and there is no reason to feel embarrassed as general practitioners, dietitians and personal trainers themselves were not sure of the answer. A study undertaken by two researchers and published in the journal BMJ found widespread misconception about the fate of fat among doctors, dietitians and personal … Continue reading Where does the fat go when you lose weight?
Zika Virus – “it really felt like having bad sunburn, all over your body” — by BMJ talk medicine
In this BMJ talk medicine podcast find out how Zika, once a little known virus causing a rash and fever, has subsequently become a global health emergency. How the infection is linked to microcephaly, and what we still need to understand to control the disease “Juliet”, a woman living in London, was diagnosed with a mysterious … Continue reading Zika Virus – “it really felt like having bad sunburn, all over your body” — by BMJ talk medicine
Sugar tax may be the bitter pill to cut obesity
After years of waiting, the World Health Organisation (WHO) finally took a stand on January 25 and urged governments to levy taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages to end childhood obesity. The recommendation was based on a new report commissioned by it. “The Commission believes that there is sufficient rationale to warrant the introduction of an effective … Continue reading Sugar tax may be the bitter pill to cut obesity
Show cause notices sent to 10 Indian doctors for receiving payment from drug companies
The Punjab Medical Council has sent show cause notices to 10 doctors for receiving funds from pharmaceutical and allied healthcare companies. By accepting funds directly from these sources, the doctors have allegedly violated the Medical Council of India’s code of ethics, notes an October 27 news item in journal The BMJ. The Punjab Medical Council’s … Continue reading Show cause notices sent to 10 Indian doctors for receiving payment from drug companies
Editorial: No immediate threat from H7N9
The influenza A(H7N9) virus may not have the characteristics required to quickly and easily spread among humans but the first confirmed case of human-to-human transmission recently reported in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) indicates that it is not completely devoid of such ability either. The novel bird flu strain that emerged in China in late … Continue reading Editorial: No immediate threat from H7N9
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