Medicine and Science from The BMJ

Pre-diabetes - epidemic or emperor’s new clothes?

Pre-diabetes is an umbrella term and the most widely used phrase to describe a blood concentration of glucose or glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) that lies above normal but below that defined for diabetes.
John S Yudkin, emeritus professor of diabetes at University College London, thinks this is over-medicalisation and will only increase the burden on individuals and the health system.
Read the full analysis article:
http://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g4485

Should research fraud be a criminal offence?

Research fraud, the deliberate falsification of research data, undermines science and can lead to horrible outcomes, as exemplified by Andrew Wakefield and the MMR/Autism scandal.A new Head to Head in The BMJ sets out the case for and against making research fraud a crime. Arguing yes is Prof. Zulfiqar Bhutta, from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, who says that criminal sanctions are necessary to deter growing deliberate research misconduct, which can ultimately harm patients. Prof. Julian Crane, from the University of Otago Wellington, disagrees: he doubts that sanctions will have any deterrent effect and worries that criminalisation would undermine trust.Read the full debate:http://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g4532

Newly diagnosed HIV

HIV testing is now being routinely offered in increasingly diverse health settings, including primary care. In this podcast we talk to HIV consultant Mike Rayment, from Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, and Paul, a patient diagnosed with HIV infection 4 years ago.
They discuss how to go about offering testing, and what matters to patients when they receive the diagnosis.
Read the clinical review discussed:
http://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g4275

Why we need an independent WHO

Devi Sridhar, population health researcher and lecturer, joins us to discuss why an independent organisation to co-ordinate international health concerns is absolutely necessary.Read more in her analysis article, Global rules for global health: Why we need an independent, impartial WHO

FiFA, the World Cup, and the disappearing alcohol ban

Whichever country hoists aloft the World Cup trophy on 13 July, the real winner will be the alcohol industry. In this podcast Jonathan Gornall explains why FIFA promotes the interests of the alcohol industry, and the extraordinary demands countries comply with in order to host the World Cup.World Cup 2014: festival of football or alcohol?http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g3772

Drugs for weight loss

Drugs to encourage weight loss have a chequered past, with many of them having been withdrawn from the market due to increased morbidity and mortality.In this podcast Raj Padwal, associate professor of medicine at the University of Alberta, takes us through the remaining therapy Orlistat, and discusses the potential for two new therapies, Phentermine-ER topiramate, and Lorcaserin, which are being licensed in some countriesRead the full article: http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g3526

Helicobacter pylori - new evidence, and when to test and treat

Two articles on bmj.com look at helicobacter pylori; a systematic review and meta-analysis examines if eradication treatment reduces rates of gastric cancer, and an uncertainties article asks who we should be testing and treating for the infection.Two of the authors of those articles, Alex Ford from the Leeds Gastroenterology Institute, and Paul Moayyedi from the Gastroenterology Division of McMaster University, join us to discuss the bacterium.Read the full articleswww.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g3174www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g3320

Is advice to cut down smoking wrong?

New NICE guidance says that smokers should be encouraged to cut down on the number of cigarettes they smoke, as well as trying to quit.In a head to head, published on bmj.com, Paul Aveyard, professor of behavioural medicine at the University of Oxford, says that reducing smoking is a worthwhile step towards cessation, but Gerard Hastings, professor of social marketing at Stirling and Open Universities, argues that the lifelong nicotine replacement therapy being recommended in support may benefit industry more than public health.Read the full head to head:http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g2787

Investigating UTIs in older adults

UTIs are often diagnosed in secondary care, but often that diagnosis isn't accurate. In this podcast Gavin Barlow from the Department of infection and tropical medicine at Hull & East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust joins us to discuss when and how to test for the infection​.Read the full clinical reviewInvestigation of suspected urinary tract infection in older people http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g3861

Alcohol - The UK’s billion unit pledge is worthless

The BMJ has been investigating the “cosy relationship” between the alcohol industry and the British government.In a series of articles Under the influence, journalist Jonathan Gornall has been looking into UK government’s consultation into introducing a minimum unit price for alcohol in England and Wales, and also at the wider responsibility deal between government and industry which is meant to champion public health.In his latest article, he looks at the billion unit pledge, and how it's actually being used as a marketing tool to attract new drinkers.Read all of the articles discussed on www.bmj.com/alcohol