Some apps have the potential to encourage healthier habits and are accessible to most people, argues Iltifat Husain, but Des Spence notes the lack of any evidence of effectiveness and the potential for encouraging unnecessary anxiety. Read more about in our head to head "Can healthy people benefit from health apps?" -...

The future of health and social care looks certain to be a defining issue in the forthcoming UK general election. Social care has been subject to deep public spending cuts, raising concerns about the sustainability of services in the future. Whoever wins the next election will need to grapple with providing joined up health and social care...

Underneath all of our civilisation and science, we’re still primates - and the connection between patient and doctor can be reinforced by simply taking a hand. Robin Youngson, cofounder of hearts in healthcare, and Mitzi Blennerhassett, who has written extensively on patient engagement, have co-authored an editorial calling for the humanisation...

For seven years, Republicans have vowed to repeal the Affordable Healthcare Act (Obamacare), and that promise took a central place in President Trump's campaign. The first major vote to replace it was due to happen last week, but was cancelled at the 11th hour. In advance of the potential vote, The BMJ published a debate asking "Should US doctors...

Around 1 in 10 children and young people worldwide have mental health difficulties that substantially affect their lives. Child mental health services often concentrate on risk reduction, at the expense of the wider aspects of a child's wellbeing. As part of the high integrity healthcare series, this podcast focuses on novel ways of providing...

The BMJ has published a series of articles, taking an in-depth look at health in South Asia. In this collection, authors from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan collaborate to identify evidence-based solutions to shape health policy and interventions, and drive innovations and research in the region. In this podcast,...

The rapid changes in the global environment have led many scientists to conclude that we are living in a new geological epoch—the Anthropocene—in which human activities have become the dominant driving force transforming the Earth’s natural systems. A recent joint publication by the World Health Organization and Convention on Biological Diversity...

The 2014 west African Ebola epidemic shone a harsh light on the health systems of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. While decades of domestic and international investment had contributed to substantial progress on the Millennium Development Goals, national health systems remained weak and were unable to cope with the epidemic. Margaret Kruk...

The world bank was set up in 1944. In the aftermath of the second world war, the institution was there to give loans to countries rebuilding after the conflict. Their first loan went to France - but with stipulations about repayment that set a tone for future funds. A new series, authored by Devi Sridhar, and her team from the University of...

The world bank was set up in 1944. In the aftermath of the second world war, the institution was there to give loans to countries rebuilding after the conflict. Their first loan went to France - but with stipulations about repayment that set a tone for future funds. A new series, authored by Devi Sridhar, and her team from the University of...

A study published by The BMJ today reports a possible association between intake of highly processed (“ultra-processed”) food in the diet and cancer. Ultra-processed foods include packaged baked goods and snacks, fizzy drinks, sugary cereals, ready meals and reconstituted meat products - often containing high levels of sugar, fat, and salt, but...

Jönköping has been at the centre of the healthcare quality improvement movement for years - but how did a forested region of Sweden, situated between it's main cities, come to embrace the philosophy of improvement so fervently? Goran Henriks, chief executive of learning and innovation at Qulturum in Jönköping joins us to explain. He also tells...

Helen Macdonald and Carl Heneghan are back again talking about what's happened in the world of evidence this month. (1.20) Carl grinds his gears over general health checks, with an update in the Cochrane Library. (9.15) Helen is surprised by new research which looks at over prescription of antibiotics - but this time because the courses...

In the UK, there's an ethnic group that is surprisingly large, but often overlooked by society, and formal healthcare services. The gypsy traveller community have poorer health outcomes because of systemic issues around access to health and education. In this podcast we're joined by Michelle Gavin and Samson Rattigan, who both work for Friend's...

The UK has just seen it’s hottest July on record, including the highest ever temperature recorded. With climate change in the forefront of our minds, it’s timely that we have two editorials on the sustainability and health. Michael Depledge, emeritus professor of environment and human health at University of Exeter Medical School, and author of...

This week the Trump administration has banned the sale of flavoured vapes in the USA. The reason for that is the sudden rash of cases of pulmonary disease, including deaths, linked to vaping. The mechanism by which vaping may be causing damage to the lungs is as yet unclear, and our understanding is hampered by the heterogeneous nature of the...

The BMJ in partnership with The Harvard Global Health Institute has launched a collection of articles exploring how to achieve effective universal health coverage (UHC). The collection highlights the importance of quality in UHC, potential finance models, how best to incentivise stakeholders, and some of the barriers to true UHC. One of those...

A UK general election has been called - polling day is on the 12th of December, and from now until then we’re going to be bringing you a weekly election-themed podcast. We want to help you make sense of the promises and pledges, claims and counter-claims, that are being made around healthcare and the NHS out on the campaign trail. This week...

A UK general election has been called - polling day is on the 12th of December, and from now until then we’re going to be bringing you a weekly election-themed podcast. We want to help you make sense of the promises and pledges, claims and counter-claims, that are being made around healthcare and the NHS out on the campaign trail. This week...

We all know we should be doing more exercise, and one way to do that is by active commuting - journeying to work on foot or by bike. One thing preventing people from taking up cycling is the fear of being involved in road traffic accidents, and that the risk isn't worth the benefit of the extra exercise. It’s even more confusing when air...

As part of our response to the covid-19 pandemic, we’re going to be running a series of discussions with experts about some of the big issues arising from the virus. In this one, we’re asking about the public health response to an outbreak - what’s necessary, and is it possible to go to far. Joining us are Martin Mckee - professor of european...

We’ve published info on Telehealth in primary care - and have been overwhelmed by the response from GPs who are finding it useful. But it’s not only primary care that is dramatically shifting to remote care - routine hospital care is moving online too, so we’ve asked Rowena McCash - GP and out of hours triage trainer joins us to give some tips...

Around the world, as the covid pandemic plays out, and some countries are starting to ease their restrictions, this narrative of the economy and public health being opposing weights on a set of scales keeps returning - they need to be balanced. But before this, a healthy population is very much seen as being supportive of the economy. So is a...

Masayuki Saito
Jul 1, 2009; 58:1526-1531
Metabolism

Edmond Campbell/Senior Parliamentary Reporter Conceding that healthcare workers in the public sector are burnt out as they combat COVID-19, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton says the Government is taking steps to boost its...

Days after The Gleaner reported a clarion call from Port Maria Mayor Richard Creary for the quarantine of St Mary communities owing to growing concerns about the spread of COVID-19 in the parish, the Government responded with the lockdown of three...

The Senate on Friday paid tribute to distinguished consultant psychiatrist, Frederick Hickling, for his tremendous contribution to persons with intellectual disabilities. Hickling died on Thursday. Senator Dr Saphire Longmore remembered Professor...

Studies on magnetic resonance neurography (MRN) in diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) have found proximal sciatic nerve lesions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the functional relevance of sciatic nerve lesions in DPN, with the expectation of correlations with the impairment of large-fiber function. Sixty-one patients with type 2 diabetes (48 with and 13 without DPN) and 12 control subjects were enrolled and underwent MRN, quantitative sensory testing, and electrophysiological examinations. There were differences in mechanical detection (Aβ fibers) and mechanical pain (A fibers) but not in thermal pain and thermal detection clusters (C fibers) among the groups. Lesion load correlated with lower Aα-, Aβ-, and A-fiber but not with C-fiber function in all participants. Patients with lower function showed a higher load of nerve lesions than patients with elevated function or no measurable deficit despite apparent DPN. Longer diabetes duration was associated with higher lesion load in patients with DPN, suggesting that nerve lesions in DPN may accumulate over time and become clinically relevant once a critical amount of nerve fascicles is affected. Moreover, MRN is an objective method for determining lower function mainly in medium and large fibers in DPN.

There will be a lot of attention paid to D-backs infielder Jake Lamb when Spring Training gets underway. Lamb, of course, is coming off a season that was almost entirely lost to a left shoulder injury. His healthy return would play a big part in helping the D-backs' offense overcome the departures of Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock during the offseason.

Agencies have criticised the lack of action to protect the health needs of sex workers during the pandemic, with the English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP) warning of a “ticking time bomb of health...

As the U.S. health-care system sags under the strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, health-care workers are not only on the frontlines fighting the virus, they are also some of the most at-risk individuals, making it more essential than ever to have sufficient numbers of qualified health professionals. While 1.5 million immigrants and refugees are already working in the U.S. health-care system, an additional 263,000 immigrants and refugees in the U.S. with health-related college degrees are working in low-skilled jobs or are out of work.

OBJECTIVE

To compare trends in Medicaid expenditures among adults with diabetes who were newly eligible due to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion to trends among those previously eligible.

OBJECTIVE

Excessive iron intake has been linked to diabetes risk. However, the evidence is inconsistent. This study examined the association between dietary heme and nonheme iron intake and diabetes risk in the Chinese population.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to understand the longitudinal relationship between financial, psychosocial, and neighborhood social determinants and glycemic control (HbA_1c) in older adults with diabetes.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the differences in health care costs according to glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE

Self-management education and support are essential for improved diabetes control. A 1-year randomized telephonic diabetes self-management intervention (Bronx A1C) among a predominantly Latino and African American population in New York City was found effective in improving blood glucose control. To further those findings, this current study assessed the intervention’s impact in reducing health care utilization and costs over 4 years.

Ralph A. DeFronzo
Oct 1, 2013; 36:3169-3176
Emerging Technologies and Therapeutics

Katherine M Flegal
Jul 1, 1991; 14:628-638
Supplement 3: Diabetes in Hispanic Americans

George A. Bray
Apr 1, 2014; 37:950-956
Current Concepts of Type 2 Diabetes Prevention

Maureen I Harris
Apr 1, 1993; 16:642-652
Kelly West Lecture 1992