Reevaluating Nonoperative Management for Pediatric Uncomplicated Acute Appendicitis – A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis This systematic review and meta-analysis of seven randomized trials (1,480 children) compared nonoperative management (antibiotics alone) versus appendectomy for uncomplicated pediatric appendicitis. Results showed that while antibiotic management allowed for a slightly quicker return to school and daily activities, it was […]
Helicobacter pylori Screening After Acute Myocardial Infarction – The Cluster Randomized Crossover HELP-MI SWEDEHEART Trial In a large Swedish cluster-randomized crossover trial of 18,466 patients with acute myocardial infarction, routine Helicobacter pylori screening via urea breath test did not significantly reduce upper gastrointestinal bleeding compared with usual care (16.8 vs 19.2 events per 1,000 person-years; rate […]
Using Health AI in the Exam Room: What Doctors Should Consider This article emphasizes that physicians must remain in control: active oversight is needed because AI outputs can contain errors or lack transparency. Key considerations include verifying AI-generated content, maintaining patient trust through transparency, and being vigilant about bias and inequities embedded in AI systems. […]
Using Health AI in the Exam Room: What Doctors Should Consider This article emphasizes that physicians must remain in control: active oversight is needed because AI outputs can contain errors or lack transparency. Key considerations include verifying AI-generated content, maintaining patient trust through transparency, and being vigilant about bias and inequities embedded in AI systems. […]
Potential for Error when Relying on Administrative Data The article argues that using administrative (billing or claims) records for disease identification or research is fraught with misclassification risks. For example, diagnoses may be coded when a condition is merely suspected rather than confirmed, leading to high false‑positive rates—one study found two‑thirds of “hernia” codes were […]
WHO, EMA, ACOG, and other medical societies: Acetaminophen Remains Safe Option in Pregnancy with no Autism Link The WHO says there is no conclusive scientific evidence that using acetaminophen (paracetamol) during pregnancy is linked to autism. The causes of autism remain unclear and are believed to involve multiple factors; increased diagnosis and awareness partly explain […]
Comparing the Use of Physiotherapy, Shockwave Therapy, Prolotherapy, and Platelet-Rich Plasma for Chronic Lateral Epicondylitis: A Prospective, Randomized Controlled Trial With 2-Year Follow-up. A prospective randomized controlled trial with a 2-year follow-up compared outcomes of four treatments—physiotherapy, extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT), prolotherapy, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP)—for chronic lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow. Results showed that PRP […]
Ampicillin-Sulbactam Versus Third-Generation Cephalosporins in Aspiration Pneumonia: A Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Study Researchers analyzed data from nearly 549,000 patients hospitalized with aspiration pneumonia in Japan between 2010 and 2022, using the national inpatient DPC database. Patients treated with ampicillin–sulbactam experienced significantly lower in-hospital mortality—14.6% versus 16.4%—and a reduced incidence of Clostridioides difficile infection—2.0% versus 2.8%—compared […]
Brain Abnormalities in Children Exposed Prenatally to the Pesticide Chlorpyrifos A longitudinal cohort study of approximately 270 children (ages 6–14) in New York City found that higher prenatal exposure to the insecticide chlorpyrifos was dose-dependently linked to widespread brain changes—including thicker cortical regions, reduced white matter volumes, altered microstructural integrity, and lower cerebral blood flow—as […]
The Effect of Misinformation and Disinformation on Physicians’ Ability to Provide Quality Care More than 60% of surveyed U.S. physicians reported that their patients were influenced by health misinformation or disinformation over the past year, with nearly 90% saying it’s increased compared to five years ago. This influx of inaccurate information is undermining patient safety […]