Wiley-Blackwell

One of the most widely used medications to treat arrhythmias may increase the risk of developing cancer, especially in men and people exposed to high amounts of the drug. That is the conclusion of a new retrospective study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study’s results indicate that a potential link between amiodarone and cancer warrants further investigation.

Researchers from the UK determined that developmental delays are present in children within six weeks following convulsive status epilepticus (CSE)—a seizure lasting longer than thirty minutes. The study appearing today in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), suggests that neurodevelopmental impairments continue to be present one year after CSE.

Results from an anonymous survey of U.S. transplant providers report that incarceration, marijuana use, and psychiatric diagnoses, particularly suicide attempts, may lower patients’ eligibility for liver transplantation. The study published in the April issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society, also found that most providers would not offer transplants to patients with advanced age, those severely obese, or with lifetime imprisonment.

From: Polymer International

From: British Journal of Surgery

From: Drug Testing and Analysis

Older people who fall over at home and require ambulance assistance are at higher risk of future falls and associated injuries. This is the finding of a study published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

From: New Phytologist

From: The Journal of Wildlife Management

Quad bike fatalities have a significant economic impact on Australian society. This is the finding from a study published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

From: Brain and Behavior

In women who have a potentially or mildly abnormal cervical smear, using a DNA-based test can identify those at higher risk of having precursors of cervical cancer, according to a new Cochrane systematic review. The authors found that the DNA-based test identified patients in possible need of treatment more accurately than a repeat smear test.

Self-management interventions delivered by computer and mobile phone currently provide limited benefits for people with diabetes, according to a systematic review published in The Cochrane Library. Although computer and mobile phone-based self-management programmes had small positive effects on blood sugar levels, these effects seemed to be short-lived.

Although smoking prevalence has declined in the United Kingdom over recent decades, it has changed little among people with mental health disorders, remaining substantially higher than the national average.  Yet a study published in the journal Addiction, presenting work carried out for a report released today by the Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of Psychiatrists called ‘Smoking and Mental Health’, suggests that general practitioners (GPs) are missing opportunities to help smokers with mental health disorders to quit. 

Prebiotic supplements in infant formula may help to prevent eczema, according to a systematic review published in The Cochrane Library. However, the review highlights a lack of high quality evidence for the effects of prebiotics in preventing allergies.

EMBO Molecular Medicine research confirms the animal-to-human transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in two Danish farms.