Comment
Head to head: Is the conflict of interest unacceptable when drug companies conduct trials on their own drugs?
Drug companies produce most of the evidence on which we base medical practice. Is this an unacceptable conflict of interest? Yes, says Ben Goldacre. He argues that the financial interests of drug companies lead to distorted evidence. No, says Vincent Lawton. He believes that adequate safeguards exist to keep bias in check.
Research methods and reporting
Good publication practice for communicating company sponsored medical research: the GPP2 guidelines
In response to changes in the environment in which authors, presenters, and other contributors work together to communicate medical research the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals has updated the good publication practice guidelines. Graf and colleagues present the guidelines here.
News
Giving homoeopathy on the NHS is unethical and unreliable, MPs are told
Experts have described the practice of prescribing homoeopathic medicines on the NHS as unethical, unreliable, and pointless. Several witnesses giving evidence to MPs on the parliamentary science and technology committee on 25 November questioned the wisdom of giving such remedies to patients in an NHS setting.
More news published on 27 November:
Research
Prospective associations between objective measures of physical activity and fat mass in 12-14 year old children
This longitudinal study found that higher levels of physical activity, in particular activity of moderate to higher intensities, are prospectively associated with lower levels of fat mass in early adolescence. Interventions to raise levels of physical activity in children are likely to be important in the fight against obesity.
Podcast
King's Fund
This week saw the King’s Fund annual conference. The title this year is "Transforming quality, creating value: developing health care for a new economic era." With a worsening financial climate, what can healthcare do to continue its work of improving quality and safety and save money. We ask Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts CEO, Cleve Killingsworth, about how the American insurance giant is tackling the issue. Also this week Zosia Kmietowicz takes us through the news.
Comment
Letting go
Retired doctor Alex Paton reflects on the weeks leading up to the death of his wife in November 2007, concluding: "My wife and I felt that it was time doctors stopped playing God and realised that some people just wanted to let go. At least we weren't forced to take her to Switzerland, a disgraceful alternative brought about because Britain will soon be the last country in Europe to accept euthanasia."
More views and reviews published on 24 November 2009:
Comment
Opportunity knocks: health wins from action on global warming
Will health make it on to the agenda at next month's United Nations climate change talks in Copenhagen? Concerned that the links between fossil fuel energy use and human health are being overlooked, Ian Roberts talked to England's chief medical officer to find out what he thinks doctors and health services in high income countries could be doing. He also canvases expert opinion from Bangladesh, where many people are already experiencing the health effects of climate change
Other comment published on 25 November 2009:
Research
Salt intake, stroke, and cardiovascular disease
A high salt intake is associated with significantly increased risk of stroke and total cardiovascular disease. Because of imprecision in the measurement of salt intake, these effect sizes are likely to be underestimated. The results of this meta-analysis of prospective studies support the role of a substantial population reduction in salt intake for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. The accompanying editorial says that the case for population-wide salt reduction is now stronger.
Education
Endgames
Endgames is the BMJ's free interactive quiz to help doctors prepare for their postgraduate examinations. Questions are made up of case reports and picture quizzes, providing you with a practical and quick revision tool on common topics rather than clinical rarities.
This week's Endgames articles:
Careers
Recruitment to medical specialty training (England) 2010
Competition for specialty training posts in England in 2010 will be extremely tough. So what can you to do ensure that one of the coveted training posts will be yours? Patricia Hamilton, director of medical education at the Department of Health, director of medical education at the Department of Health, talks about the application process and provides step by step guidance through the process.
Video
Remembering John Crofton
John Crofton has died at the age of 97. He pioneered the randomised controlled trial in a 1948 BMJ paper that looked at the antibiotic streptomycin to treat tuberculosis. Earlier this year he participated in a BMJ film to promote its online archive now being searchable back to 1840. In this short film, he talks to Colin Blakemore about the importance of randomisation and blinding, and how it has helped to make medicine more evidence based.
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