News & Comment

The most common complication after surgery is surgical site infection. A recent randomised controlled clinical trial published in The Lancet compared the rate of infections following four different wound closure regimes in low-income and middle-income countries.

HPV infection causes the majority of cases of cervical cancer but can be prevented via vaccination. A new study in The Lancet reports a substantial reduction in cervical cancer incidence after the introduction of the HPV immunisation programme in England.

People with psychiatric disorders often experience sleep problems. A recent post hoc cross-sectional study in PLoS Medicine used movement readings from participants’ wrists to assess their sleep and then investigated associations with several psychiatric disorders.

Air pollution is a major cause of poor health and premature death, but evidence on the impact of changing levels of air pollution on mortality rates is scarce. A recent study in The BMJ shows that relocating to an area with improved air quality is associated with decreased mortality.

High levels of salt in the diet have been associated with high blood pressure and poor cardiovascular health. A recent trial in The New England Journal of Medicine investigates whether a salt substitute could decrease the rate of strokes, other cardiovascular events and deaths in a high risk population.

Reducing energy intake is known to result in weight loss. However, there is a need for real-world data on the impact of specific interventions to reduce energy intake. A recent trial in PLOS Medicine evaluated whether reductions in portion size and in the availability of high energy foods in workplace cafeterias could reduce energy consumption.

Bast et al. discuss the early detection of ovarian cancer in the context of the recent UKCTOCS screening trial. The authors suggest potential reasons why the trial failed to achieve a reduction in mortality and outline next steps in the development of biomarkers and imaging modalities to detect ovarian cancer.

Regenerative medicine may offer strategies to alleviate the debilitating symptoms of osteoarthritis and delay the time to joint replacement. In a study now published in Science Translational Medicine, Acevedo Rua and colleagues provide evidence of the therapeutic potential of autologous nasal chondrocyte-derived cartilage grafts in repairing arthritis-damaged knee joints.

Improvements in life expectancy have stalled over the last ten years in England, prompting research into the underlying causes. A recent study in The Lancet Public Health examines the relationship between cuts to local government funding and mortality in England.

Kurtovic et al. highlight some of the recent advances in the development and clinical evaluation of malaria vaccines. The authors outline key vaccine strategies and clinical trials, and discuss priorities for research into the development of an efficacious malaria vaccine.

Vokinger et al. discuss potential sources of bias in machine learning systems used in medicine. The authors propose solutions to mitigate bias across the different stages of model development, from data collection and preparation to model evaluation and application.

KRAS is one of the most commonly mutated oncogenes in lung cancer but has long been considered undruggable. With the recent FDA approval of sotorasib, supported by positive phase II trial data now published in The New England Journal of Medicine, this is no longer the case.

Dengue virus is transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and causes the disease known as dengue. In a trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine, Utarini and colleagues report that release of wolbachia-infected A. aegypti populations in a dengue endemic area reduces the number of symptomatic cases and of hospitalisations.

Alwan discusses the lessons learnt over the past year regarding Long COVID, prolonged illness resulting from SARS-CoV-2 infection, and their implications for public health policy and disease management, drawing insight form her own lived experience, research, and advocacy work with Long COVID.

Lazarus et al. outline the barriers slowing down the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Spain. They issue a call to action for all stakeholders to improve access to vaccines, with a particular emphasis on reaching marginalised populations.

Kundu discusses how artificial intelligence will transform medical practice and doctors’ training. The author explores the changing role of the clinician in the doctor-patient relationship, drawing parallels with the role of the pilot in light of increased automation in aviation.

Amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) deposition in the brain is an early feature of Alzheimers’ disease. In a phase II clinical trial recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine, Mintun and colleagues report on the safety and efficacy of an antibody targeting Aβ peptide in amyloid plaques for the treatment of participants with early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease.

Communications Medicine is publishing its first articles today. We are an inclusive and open access medical journal that aims to facilitate and disseminate discovery that will promote health for all and improve the lives of those experiencing or living with disease.

In patients with high cholesterol and at risk of cardiovascular disease, inhibitors of PCSK9 are useful in lowering lipid levels but must be dosed regularly. A recent study in Nature by Munsunuru and colleagues explores the possibility of permanently disrupting PCSK9 expression via in vivo CRISPR gene editing in non-human primates, with long-lasting reductions in LDL cholesterol.

Kurtzhals et al. mark the centenary of the discovery of insulin by looking back at how this model protein has changed science and medicine. They discuss how lessons learned from insulin over the last one hundred years are shaping the present and future of protein-based therapies for chronic disease.