Medicine and Science from The BMJ

Sting in the tale

This week we find out the best way to treat a Mesobuthus tamulus (indian red scorpion) sting. We also discuss the current state of healthcare in Iraq; and how Andrew Wakefield’s article linking the MMR vaccine and autism was not bad science, but deliberate fraud.

Dowsing for data

In this week’s podcast we hear from Tom Jefferson of the Cochrane Collaboration about the problem of publication bias – and a tool that could help researchers dowse for hidden data.Also, Brian Deer discusses his features and explains why it’s been so long from the original publication of Wakefield’s work in the Lancet to the revelations just published in the BMJ.And David Payne talks to us about the new BMJ iPad app.

Andrew Lansley’s apples and oranges

Andrew Lansley said this week his NHS reforms are needed because the UK’s health outcomes are amongst the poorest in Europe. However John Appleby, chief economist at the King’s Fund, tells us why the comparisons are flawed.We also hear from Turkey’s minister of health, Recep Akdağ, on the strides his country has made in providing healthcare.

Judging the nudging

In this week’s podcast Theresa Marteau, director of the Behaviour and Health Research Unit at the University of Cambridge, wonders if a nudge is enough to change our health behaviours.Also this week, Aziz Sheikh, from the E-medicine Group at The University of Edinburgh, explains how telemedicine is going to be an integral part of future healthcare.

Overusing oxygen

In this week’s podcast Andrew Farmer from the National Institute of Health Research, Health Technology Assessment programme (NIHR HTA), tackles uncertainty.Also, Andrew Clark from the University of Hull tells us that the case for administering oxygen isn’t air tight.

Diabetes

This week we find out about diabetes. Mabel Chew, our Sydney based associate editor, discovers why it’s important not to miss the diagnosis of type I diabetes in children. And we learn about a new therapeutic agent for type II diabetes: glucagon-like peptide-1 analogues.

A hearty drink

In this week’s podcast we find out from Susan Brien and Paul Ronksley about the cardioprotective effects of alcohol.Also, Annabel Ferriman tells us about the nominees for the BMJ Group lifetime achievement award.

Food for thought

Between March 2010 and March 2011 the cost of maize and wheat doubled. This is just the latest in a series of price hikes in food staples. In an editorial this week, Joachim Von Braun sets out some of the problems that this price rise is going to cause. David Nabarro, UN special representative of the secretary-general on food security and nutrition, describes why and how we should control the price rise.

Watching waiting times

In this week’s podcast, Johan Sundstrom explains how blood pressure in adolescents effects mortality in adults. And John Appleby, chief economist of the King’s Fund, talks waiting times.

30 years of AIDS

This month marks the 30th anniversary of the first diagnosed case of AIDS. Bertrand Audoin, from the International AIDS Society, brings us up to date with the latest developments in the fight against the disease.Also this week, Francesco Capuccio from Warwick University explains the importance of sleep as a “health commodity” and the problems with its sacrifice, in our increasingly busy lives.