Tocilizumab versus sarilumab among adults hospitalised with COVID-19: target trial emulation across England and Scotland - Nature Communications

Using electronic health record databases in England and Scotland, this study compared tocilizumab and sarilumab in over 10,000 hospitalised COVID-19 patients and found no meaningful difference in surv...

nature.com

Court upholds CMA findings that firms charged excessive and unfair prices for lifesaving NHS-funded medicine

The Court of Appeal has confirmed that firms broke the law by charging excessive and unfair prices for hydrocortisone tablets over a decade.

gov.uk

GLP-1 diabetes drugs linked to increased risk of hair loss

Open access research

bmj.com

Developmental outcomes in 4-year-old children born in the first COVID-19 lockdown in England: preliminary findings from the Born In COVID Year – Core Lockdown Effects (BICYCLE) study

Background/objective Children born during England’s COVID-19 lockdowns experienced markedly limited social exposure during a crucial developmental window. Given the importance of early interactions in...

adc.bmj.com

Association between initial benzodiazepine prescribing patterns and time to benzodiazepine discontinuation: A population-based retrospective cohort study

In this retrospective cohort study, Nikki Bozinoff and colleagues investigate the association between initial prescription characteristics and duration of benzodiazepine use.

journals.plos.org

Bladder Anticholinergics: review of risk of dementia

Public Assessment Report on the safety review of the available data on the risk of dementia with the use of bladder anticholinergic medicines.

gov.uk

GPs ‘wading through treacle’ to cope with prescription software

The new Vision IT system is so slow it has led to patient appointment slots being cancelled, say family doctors

thetimes.com

GP IT reprovisioning: practices need more than promises

As GPs, I don’t need to tell you how vital it is we have reliable IT systems that work for us and patients. Put simply, clinical systems in general practice are not background machinery. They are t…

bmascotland.home.blog

nihr.ac.uk

BTS Sustainability Toolkit | Respiratory Futures

Tools, resources and ideas curated by the British Thoracic Society to make respiratory healthcare more sustainable.

respiratoryfutures.org.uk

cda-amc.ca

More people are dying from falls. Could these common drugs be to blame? | BBC Science Focus Magazine

Some medications might make older adults more likely to fall, doctors warn – and they're being more widely prescribed

sciencefocus.com

Replacing gas stove can help asthmatics as much as some drugs, US experts find

Team in Ohio finds swapping to electric has ‘very large’ impact, despite study being scaled back by Trump cuts A US study has found a 70% drop in hospital admissions and days off from work or school when people with poorly controlled asthma had their gas stove and hob replaced with electric. Ohio’s publicly owned MetroHealth began the study in December 2024 but funding was terminated early by the incoming Trump administration. It had been designed to investigate if replacing gas cooking improved asthma for 1,200 people living near Cleveland, Ohio. Continue reading...

theguardian.com

The protective effect of breastfeeding on infant inflammation: a mediation analysis of the plasma lipidome and metabolome - BMC Medicine

Background Inflammation has long-term health impacts across the life course. Breastfeeding substantially reduces inflammation risk, but key pathways, including the extent that this is due to protection against early life infection, are poorly understood. We aimed to investigate the relationships between breastfeeding, inflammation, and infection burden, and to determine the extent to which metabolomic and lipidomic profiles associated with breastfeeding mediate these health outcomes. Methods We utilised data from the Barwon Infant Study (BIS), a longitudinal birth cohort in Victoria, Australia. Infants (n = 889) with available breastfeeding (categorised as yes/no) clinical, metabolomic, and Lipidomic data at 6 and/or 12 months were included (n = 793 at 6 months, n = 734 at 12 months). Inflammation, measured via glycoprotein acetyls (GlycA), at 6 and 12 months and infection burden, including parent-reported and medically attended infections assessed through standardised 3-monthly questionnaires were used as outcomes. Results Any breastfeeding, regardless of supplementary feeding, was associated with lower inflammation, fewer infections, and significant, potentially beneficial changes in metabolomic and lipidomic markers, particularly plasmalogens. There was evidence of bidirectional mediation: metabolomic biomarkers and lipids mediated breastfeeding’s effects on inflammation, while inflammation partly mediated breastfeeding’s impact on certain metabolites and lipids. Conclusions These findings highlight pathways through which breastfeeding reduces inflammation and infection burden, identifying potential targets for optimising infant feeding.

bit.ly

One in ten medicines worldwide could be fake or substandard – here’s how to protect yourself

Fake and diverted medicines are reaching UK patients through cloned pharmacy websites and social media – here’s how to spot them.

tcnv.link

Testosterone therapy is trending. Who really needs it, and why?

Nature - Some clinicians are pushing to broaden testosterone use, but there is debate about its benefits and risks.

go.nature.com

Botulinum toxin type A products: updated warnings regarding risk of iatrogenic botulism

Cases of iatrogenic botulism have been reported following the therapeutic or cosmetic use of botulinum toxin containing products where the toxin’s effect extends beyond the area of treatment. Patients...

gov.uk

Domperidone: new contraindication in patients with phaeochromocytoma due to the risk of severe hypertension

The product information has been updated for all domperidone products, to include a contraindication for patients with confirmed or suspected phaeochromocytoma (a rare tumour of the adrenal gland), du...

gov.uk

MHRA approves world's first lower-carbon beclometasone inhalers for patients with asthma

The new inhalers use a next-generation propellant designed to reduce environmental impact while maintaining the same established treatment.

gov.uk

Point-of-care biomarkers or laboratory-based tests to reduce antibiotic prescribing for COPD exacerbations: a literature review and meta-analysis in primary care | British Journal of General Practice

doi.org

Epidurals not linked to increased harm for newborns or children

bmj.com

First-in-human testing of a mutant KRAS vaccine for pancreatic cancer interception in high-risk cohorts

Abstract. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) arises from precursor lesions over a decade-plus, offering a window for interception in high-risk individuals, but current surveillance detects a mino...

aacrjournals.org