Harris, Author at Among Doctors

Let’s Talk About Depression

Posted on April 7, 2017

Today is the World Health Day; for this year, the WHO strives to raise awareness of depression and has put together a campaign with very useful material to be shared with patients. More than 300 million people of all ages suffer from depression, which is the leading cause of disability worldwide, and a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease.

We invite you to join us on Among Doctors and discuss best practices & experiences on #depression and #mentalhealth in our dedicated group.

Image credit: WHO

Posted in Clinical Highlights depression, mental health, WHO, World Health Day, World Health Organization

International Doctor’s Guide to the NHS

Posted on March 29, 2017

RIG Locums is a doctor’s recruitment agency that places doctors in NHS & private hospitals across the UK. The company has many years of experience supporting healthcare professionals from abroad wishing to find locum work in the UK. As a key supplier of doctors to the NHS, they understand that moving to a new country and adapting to a different healthcare system can be challenging and they aim to support doctors every step of the way.

For that reason, they have produced a guide to give a brief background, overview and insight into the NHS, providing useful insights to prepare doctors in advance of their move to the UK. Read about the structure of the NHS, the services it provides and how they fit together. Find out about the UK Medical training system, access possibilities for international doctors and the benefits of becoming a UK locum doctor. You can download the guide from here. Don’t forget to check their available vacancies in the job listings on Among Doctors!

Posted in Uncategorized

Colorectal Cancer Incidence in a Dramatic Increase in the US

Posted on March 3, 2017

A study published by the American Cancer Society found a steep increase in the rate of colorectal cancer rose in adults younger than age 55 years. Three in 10 colorectal cancer diagnoses occur in people of this age group. The authors call for considering early screening as the proportion of rectal cancer diagnosed in adults younger than age 55 years years has doubled in just two decades.

What do you think? Discuss the news on Among Doctors: https://network.amongdoctors.com/userpanel/sharepost/846

Posted in Clinical Highlights cancer, colorectal cancer, incidence, rectal cancer, screening

Group Of Doctors Working On Laptop In Hospital

What Is the Impact of the Doctor’s Gender?

Posted on January 28, 2017

In a recent paper published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the authors reported that patients treated by female physicians had significantly lower mortality and readmission rates compared with those cared for by male physicians. Even though the study did not provide the reasons of such a difference, the authors noted previous evidence suggesting that female physicians would be more likely to provide patient-centred care, psychosocial counselling, and evidence-based medicine, while their male colleagues would be less cautious when managing more complicated patients.

What do you think? Join our discussion on Among Doctors!

Posted in Clinical Highlights gender, health care, patient care

Artificial Intelligence Achieves Dermatologist-Level Skin Cancer Classification

Posted on January 27, 2017

A team of researchers from the Stanford’s Artificial Intelligence Laboratory employed a deep learning algorithm developed by Google (GoogleNet Inception v3 CNN architecture) to create an automated system for the classification of skin cancer. The algorithm that was already able to recognise objects from 1.28 million images, was trained using nearly 130,000 clinical images of more than 2,000 diseases. In a paper published on Nature, the researchers described how they employed over 370 biopsy-confirmed images to assess the artificial intelligence performance against 21 board-certified dermatologists. Notably, the algorithm matched the sensitivity and specificity of the experts’ opinion in classifying correctly keratinocyte carcinomas, melanomas classification and benign lesions. The new system paves the way of accessible and cost-effective applications that will enable recognition of skin lesions with the use of such devices as smartphones.

What is your opinion? Discuss on Among Doctors!

Image Credit: Stanford/Matt Young

Posted in Clinical Highlights artificial intelligence, dermatology, melanomas, mHealth, research, skin cancer

Study finds 33% of adults recently diagnosed with asthma do not have it

Posted on January 19, 2017

A new study from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that 33% of adults recently diagnosed with asthma did not have it. Over 90% of them were able to stop their asthma medications.

What is your opinion? Discuss on Among Doctors: https://network.amongdoctors.com/userpanel/sharepost/824

Posted in Clinical Highlights asthma, misdiagnosis

The World Is Getting Fatter

Posted on December 11, 2016

Based on a study published on The Lancet, blogger Max Galka created this animated map to illustrate the skyrocketing worldwide increase in obesity from 1975 to 2014. According to the study, in the last 40 years, obesity rates increased from 3.2% to 10.8% for men, and from 6.4% to 14.9% for women. Overall, there were 105 million obese people in 1975; that number rose to 641 million in 2014, with China and US being the leading nations with approximately 90 and 87 million obese people respectively.

What do you think? What are the consequences and how can we tackle this worldwide epidemic? Discuss & share more news on Among Doctors:
https://network.amongdoctors.com/userpanel/sharepost/793

Image credit: Metrocosm.com

Posted in Clinical Highlights epidemiology, obesity, overweight, public health

Prevalence of Dementia in the United States in 2000 and 2012

Posted on December 5, 2016

In a large cohort study of more than 21,000 adults 65 years or older in the US, the authors reported that the prevalence of dementia decreased significantly from 11.6% to 8.8% between 2000 and 2012. Notably, an increasing educational attainment may have contributed to such an improvement.

Read more and discuss on Among Doctors: https://network.amongdoctors.com/userpanel/sharepost/776

Posted in Clinical Highlights dementia, mental health

Picks of the Week: Pokemon, the ice bucket challenge, and other frontiers in medicine

Posted on August 19, 2016

From the employment of Pokémon GO! in public health to new advancements in tackling ALS and inducing partial recovery in paraplegic patients, there have been plenty of noteworthy news and evidence updates shared on the Among Doctors network. Let’s have a look at some of them:

Pokemon GO! Pandemic or Prescription? The Public Health Perspective
Pokémon GO! shows how an alternative way of thinking & and a new era of solutions are need to tackle old (or not-so-old) problems.
NEK1 variants confer susceptibility to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Two summers after the Ice Bucket Challenge, new research is crediting part of the $115 million raised to helping to identify NEK1 as a new ALS-related gene.
Long-Term Training with a Brain-Machine Interface-Based Gait Protocol Induces Partial Neurological Recovery in Paraplegic Patients
Following 12 months of training with this paradigm, all eight patients experienced neurological improvements in somatic sensation and regained voluntary motor control in key muscles.
Guideline Update on Duration of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy for CAD
This guideline-focused update on dual antiplatelet therapy for patients with coronary artery disease.
Pioglitazone Prevents Diabetes in Insulin-Resistant Patients With Cerebrovascular Disease
Pioglitazone is the first medication shown to prevent both progression to diabetes and major cardiovascular events as prespecified outcomes in a single trial.
Florida investigation links four recent Zika cases to local mosquito-borne virus transmission
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been informed by the State of Florida that Zika virus infections in four people were likely caused by bites of local Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
Physical activity and risk of breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, and ischemic stroke events: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis
People who achieve total physical activity levels several times higher than the current recommended minimum level of 600 METs/week (as recommended by the WHO) have a significant reduction in the risk of the five diseases studied.
Reasons for Trying E-cigarettes and Risk of Continued Use
Regulatory strategies such as increasing cost or prohibiting e-cigarette use in certain places may be important for preventing continued use in youth.

Do you wish to comment on these news or share your own? Join Among Doctors here and start exploring the physician-exclusive social network right away!

Image credit: CC BY-SA 2.0 iphonedigital

Posted in Picks of the week ALS, breast cancer, cancer, coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, ice bucket challenge, ischemic heart disease, pokemon, public health, smoking, Zika, Zika virus

28th July: World Hepatitis Day

Posted on July 28, 2016

On this year’s World Hepatitis Day, WHO calls for a rapid action to raise awareness of the disease, and increase access to testing and treatment services. Globally, 400 million people are affected by a viral hepatitis infection -a number that represents more than 10 times that of people infected with HIV. According to WHO, it is estimated that approximately 95% of people with chronic hepatitis are unaware of their infection, and less that 1% have access to treatment.

Moreover, WHO has recently published guidelines for the screening and treatment of people with hepatitis C infection, providing recommendations on the preferred regimens, and encouraging the employment of direct-acting antiviral combinations when appropriate.

Comment the story on Among Doctors!

Posted in Clinical Highlights guidelines, hepatitis, WHO