Month: November 2018

  • Backstory podcast: Scaling up delivery of mental health treatment

    Backstory podcast: Scaling up delivery of mental health treatment

    Flickr (Ryan Melaugh) In this latest podcast from the BMC Medicine “Backstory” series, we talk with global mental health experts Retha Arjadi and Vikram Patel about recent research on scaling up digital delivery of mental health treatment for depression in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). As the rates of depression and burden of mental health…

  • Being around vapers does not undermine desire to quit smoking

    Being around vapers does not undermine desire to quit smoking

    © vchalup / stock.adobe.com E-cigarettes are considerably safer than combustible cigarettes and help people to stop smoking. However, numerous researchers in the field have raised concerns that e-cigarettes may cause unintended harm for other smokers. They argue that exposure to other people using e-cigarette may be ‘renormalizing’ smoking, which could make smokers less inclined to…

  • Challenges to globalizing genetic predictions of health and disease

    Challenges to globalizing genetic predictions of health and disease

    © elenabs / Getty Images / iStock Our understanding of hereditary disease risks has blossomed during the past decade, largely due to thousands of genome-wide association studies (GWAS). These studies involve scanning through genomes to identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are associated with common diseases and traits. For example, individuals who have a “G” allele…

  • Introducing BMC’s new blog: On Society!

    Introducing BMC’s new blog: On Society!

    On Society, our new addition to the blog network, reflects the expanded scope of our open access research offerings. Here you’ll find new research and commentary exploring the many facets of what it means to live in society. Start exploring the socially minded research published by BMC, and its fellow Open Access brand SpringerOpen, by…

  • Aircraft noise at small airports and mental health

    Aircraft noise at small airports and mental health

    Belfast City Airport Air travel is expanding world-wide and airports are often at the heart of local economies (I grew up three miles from London Gatwick and my first summer job was in the left luggage office). On the downside, aircraft noise exposure has been linked with physical health problems (e.g. hypertension and cardiovascular disease)…

  • Your last breath: Raising awareness on World Pneumonia Day

    Your last breath: Raising awareness on World Pneumonia Day

    Lydie stock / stock.adobe.com In 2011, Betty White was invited on to the Late Show with David Letterman to reveal her 10 Tips for a Long and Happy Life. You may know Betty as Rose from the Golden Girls series. Her #3 tip was, “Try not to die”. Today, 7 years later and at the…

  • The road to echinococcosis control in Peru: A workshop to review and synthesize the evidence

    The road to echinococcosis control in Peru: A workshop to review and synthesize the evidence

    Disease and transmission pathways Cystic echinococcosis (CE), also known as hydatidosis or hydatid disease, is caused by infection with the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus. Several herbivorous and omnivorous animals act as intermediate hosts of the parasite, but most infections affecting people are maintained in a dog–sheep–dog cycle. Intermediate hosts become infected by ingesting parasite eggs in…

  • Breech birth at home: a new study of safety outcomes

    Breech birth at home: a new study of safety outcomes

    Dr. Stuart Fischbein, MD, FACOG: I was trained in an era and a hospital that did not see properly selected breech birth as high risk. I have supported this option my entire 32-year career. In 2010, for reasons having nothing to do with outcomes, my hospital system chose to ban vaginal breech birth as well…

  • An interview with Sunil Krishnan, new co-EiC of Cancer Nanotechnology

    An interview with Sunil Krishnan, new co-EiC of Cancer Nanotechnology

    Image courtesy of Steve Curley As you can read about here, we are delighted to welcome Sunil Krishnan of MD Anderson, Tyler, Texas, as a new co-Editor-in-Chief of Cancer Nanotechnology. Sunil will join existing Editors-in-Chief Fred Currell, Dalton Cumbrian Facility, University of Manchester, UK, and Steve Curley, CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances, Texas, in helping to…

  • A new EiC and new identity for Cancer Nanotechnology

    A new EiC and new identity for Cancer Nanotechnology

    There have been some exciting developments recently for Cancer Nanotechnology. In August, the journal joined the BMC family of journals, and in doing so, became a part of a brand that has been a true innovator in open access publishing since its founding in the late nineties. Itself a pioneer as a research venue at…