There was a strong message of the new age of digital humanitarianism at the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Scientific day 2012 (#MSFSD). Serving to highlight the innovative research being carried out by the international medical aid organization, the annual day held at the Royal Society of Medicine showcased new technologies and effective policies used to support… Read more »
An estimated 12.66 million new cancer cases and 7.56 million cancer-related deaths occurred in 2008, and this figure is increasing. Recent years have seen much progress in the development of various diagnostic and prognostic techniques, and of particular interest are tumor markers. These can be used as a measurable tool, within specific laboratory tests, to… Read more »
The first international stroke trial (IST) suggested that aspirin should be administered to stroke patients as soon as possible after the onset of ischaemic stroke. Published in 1997, its recommendations are now part of mainstream clinical practice. The results of the latest IST trial; IST-3, are published in The Lancet this week – with a… Read more »
Highlighting mood disorders is well-timed for mental health awareness week from 21 to 27 May 2012. These include affective disorders such as unipolar and bipolar depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Unipolar depression includes symptoms of low mood and loss of interest or pleasure. The World Health Organisation has estimated that depression… Read more »
Infertility is an important clinical problem, with around one in seven couples having difficulty conceiving. There are many possible causes, and abnormal semen accounts for around 40–50% of infertility. This includes conditions such azoospermia, where sperm is absent in the semen, and oligospermia, where only a very low concentration of sperm is present. Although there… Read more »
2The first edition of the Current Controlled Trials quarterly newsletter was published in April 2012, and we hope that our users find this newsletter informative. If you missed it, you can register to receive future editions. We encourage you to share these updates with friends and colleagues and to send any feedback you may have… Read more »
This guest blog is written by Dr Georgina Hosang, who is an ESRC/MRC Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Fellow from the MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London. Her research focuses on understanding the role of life stress in bipolar disorder and major depression and their interaction with genetic factors. In… Read more »
1Autism is a highly prevalent developmental condition, affecting millions of people worldwide. Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, highlighted the necessity to focus our attention on autism in his message marking the 5th annual World Autism Awareness Day on April 2 2012, stating that autism is a ‘worldwide challenge that requires global action’. The International Meeting… Read more »
What is metabolomics and how is it being used to predict and manage disease? That’s the subject of Genome Medicine‘s and BioMed Central’s first interactive graphic. This graphic is part of a series in Genome Medicine dedicated to the advances and state-of-the-art approaches in the use of metabolomics to understand, prevent and treat disease. Metabolomics… Read more »
BMC Ophthalmology will be attending this year’s The Royal College of Ophthalmologists Annual Congress in Liverpool. The three day conference is the UK’s largest ophthalmology conference and will feature various poster sessions and workshops, plus a wide array of talks from world renowned experts in their fields highlighting the newest and most exciting developments in… Read more »