Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition whose prevalence has increased drastically in the past few decades, an increase which is largely attributed to an increase in levels of obesity. It’s thought that 4 million deaths a year are related to this disease, the majority of which are due to cardiovascular complications. Recently though, cancer… Read more »
As BMC Medicine and BMC Psychiatry launch a new article collection on the prevention of mental disorders, Ursula D’Souza, Senior Editor of BMC Medicine and Alice Murray, Executive Editor of BMC Psychiatry, look at some of the new research shaping our thinking on mental health. Today marks the start of Mental Health Awareness week in… Read more »
Today, May 12th, marks Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. Developed by the National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association (NFMCPA), this international observance day aims to increase public awareness of the disease, and educate patients and the medical community. Fibromyalgia is a common and chronic disorder characterized by widespread muscle pain, fatigue and multiple tender points. Tender points… Read more »
A new paper published today has shown that a simple exoskeleton can augment human walking. This is just one of many exciting new developments emerging from a lab at MIT which are bringing humans and machines ever closer together. Let me tell you a story. In 1982, a young man suffered severe frostbite in a… Read more »
Guest blogger Emma Mamo, Head of Workplace Wellbeing at the mental health charity Mind, talks about the importance of prioritising mental health in the workplace and what employers can do to make a difference. A new systematic review published today in BMC Medicine (part of their Prevention of Mental Disorders article collection) has found that universally… Read more »
Asthma is one of the most common chronic lung diseases affecting approximately 300 million people worldwide, but despite this little is understood about the causes of the disease itself. To mark World Asthma day, I’ve taken a look at some of the research that’s helping to increase our knowledge of this widespread condition. Asthma is… Read more »
A mother cradles her child. Her son has developed a fever. His blanket is damp from heavy sweating. He lets out a piercing scream, the headaches have started again. She strokes his forehead and rocks him gently. “He’s been sick?” the doctor asks. The mother nods. All the symptoms point to malaria. A simple test… Read more »
Ever wondered why dragons have reigned supreme through fantasy, pop culture, and myth alike? With these winged reptiles are prevalent across our many cultures, from books and television – think Game of Thrones – to ancient mythology. Here we take a look at how they flew to the top. Hi, I’m James, and I… Read more »
A new study published today in BMC Medicine has shown that adverse experiences in childhood can have a serious long term impact on both the individual and society. Guest blogger Karen Hughes, Professor of Behavioral Epidemiology at Liverpool John Moores University and co-author on the study, tells us more about their findings. Over the last… Read more »
Yesterday, Autism Awareness Month in the US drew to a close. To mark this, Dr Joseph Buxbaum and Dr Silvia De Rubeis of the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment tell us about the condition and the exploration of the genetics behind it. Autism spectrum disorder (often simply known as autism) describes a group… Read more »