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Medical Brief MedicalBrief is Africa’s authoritative weekly medical news digest, providing a succinct summary of the latest medical research, news & policy development

MedicalBrief is Africa’s authoritative weekly medical news digest, providing a succinct summary of the latest medical research, news and policy developments, with the links for speedy access to the original source documents. MedicalBrief is a project of the African Medical Brief Foundation, working in partnership with the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation. The material is delivered directly to subscribers by weekly email to keep the busy clinician abreast of latest developments. MedicalBrief was launched in March 2014, with the first edition going to about 150 people. There since has been phenomenal growth and it now is delivered every week to in excess of 33,000 subscribers, of whom approximately 31,000 are registered medical practitioners, the balance made up from the ancillary medical professions, administrators, and public officials. More than 90% of subscribers are in South Africa, but MedicalBrief has a growing base of southern and east African readers. In November 2015 the MedicalBrief website was established as an online hub for detailed articles and background information. MedicalBrief is published by WMG Media, on behalf of the African MedicalBrief Foundation, in partnership with the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation (DTHF). The Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation is the NGO arm of the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, an accredited medical research grouping based at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Cape Town. The Foundation, supported by the Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and his wife Leah, has been in existence as a not for profit organisation since 2004. Gilead Sciences Inc supports MedicalBrief with grant funding. It has no input into the development or content of the items published in the e-publication or the website.

Could psychological distress increase your risk of dementia?Medical Brief finds out:
30/01/2019

Could psychological distress increase your risk of dementia?

Medical Brief finds out:

A new study suggests that vital exhaustion – which can be perceived as an indicator of psychological distress – is a risk factor for future risk of dementia. Researchers from the department of public health, University of Copenhagen have, in collaboration with the National Research Centre for th...

Could neck exercises reduce concussions among sports players?Find out more on Medical Brief:
29/01/2019

Could neck exercises reduce concussions among sports players?

Find out more on Medical Brief:

Researchers have proposed a way to mitigate risk for football and soccer players and others at risk of concussion: Protect your head with neck-strengthening exercises in the pre-season. A paper by researchers at the Rutgers School of Health Professions, examines previous studies on the role that the...

Is it too risky to take a daily aspirin?Read more about benefits and risks on Medical Brief:
28/01/2019

Is it too risky to take a daily aspirin?

Read more about benefits and risks on Medical Brief:

A systematic review of large trials found that among those with no known history of cardiovascular disease, regular aspirin use was associated with a 11% lower risk of CV events but also with a 43% increase in major bleeding episodes. No effect was seen with on new cancer diagnoses or deaths. The sy...

Does air pollution pose as big a risk for pregnancy as smoking?Read this article to find out:
25/01/2019

Does air pollution pose as big a risk for pregnancy as smoking?

Read this article to find out:

Short-term exposure to elevated levels of air pollutants was associated with 16% higher risk for miscarriage, equivalent to the effect of smoking in first trimester pregnancy loss, a US study found. The Guardian reports that according to the researchers of the study, toxic air must be cut to protect...

Could painting white stripes on the body prevent insect bites?Medical Brief finds out:
24/01/2019

Could painting white stripes on the body prevent insect bites?

Medical Brief finds out:

A study by researchers from Sweden and Hungary shows that white, painted stripes on the body protect skin from insect bites. It is the first time researchers have successfully shown that body-painting has this effect. Among indigenous peoples who wear body-paint, the markings thus provide a certain....

Why are there so many more c-sections these days?Read more:
22/01/2019

Why are there so many more c-sections these days?

Read more:

About 26% of babies born in South African public hospitals are born by caesarean, the latest available figures show. Bhekisisa looks at the factors, including fear of litigation, that are driving the caesarean surge. For decades, caesarean sections were a last resort for mothers and babies in distre...

Is the keto diet a socially accepted form of disordered eating?Find out more on Medical Brief:
21/01/2019

Is the keto diet a socially accepted form of disordered eating?

Find out more on Medical Brief:

This time last year, Google searches for the keto diet outranked those for paleo for the first time. Laura Thomas, registered nutritionist writes in The Guardian that twelve months on, keto recipe books are flying high in the publishing charts, there are emerging permutations (vegan-keto, the vegeta...

Why you shouldn't miss a GP appointment:
18/01/2019

Why you shouldn't miss a GP appointment:

Missing GP appointments is associated with early death, and those with long-term mental health conditions are at particular risk, according to a large Scotland study over three-years. Dr Ross McQueenie led the study from the University of Glasgow along with colleagues from Lancaster University and t...

Should we be focusing on upping fibre rather than cutting carbs?Medical Brief finds out!
17/01/2019

Should we be focusing on upping fibre rather than cutting carbs?

Medical Brief finds out!

A systematic review of studies over almost 40 years, commissioned to inform new World Health Organisation guidelines, found that higher levels of fibre and whole grain intake cut all-cause and cardiovascular-related mortality by 15-30% and reduced incidence of coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2....

Doctors' bad handwriting is no laughing matter.Read more on Medical Brief:
16/01/2019

Doctors' bad handwriting is no laughing matter.

Read more on Medical Brief:

An unnamed Glasgow patient had to be treated in hospital after the pharmacist dispensed an erectile dysfunction cream instead of an eye lubricant, due to the similarity in names. She suffered from blurred vision, a swollen eyelid and redness and discomfort immediately after putting the cream into he...

Could Botox cure migraines?Find out more:
15/01/2019

Could Botox cure migraines?

Find out more:

A growing body of evidence supports the effectiveness of botulinum toxin injections in reducing the frequency of chronic migraine headaches, concludes a French meta-analysis. Based on meta-analysis of pooled clinical trial data, botulinum toxin is superior to inactive placebo for preventive treatmen...

Does stroking a baby help to relieve their pain?Find out more on Medical Brief:
14/01/2019

Does stroking a baby help to relieve their pain?

Find out more on Medical Brief:

Gently stroking a baby reduces activity in their brain associated with painful experiences, a small UK study has found. Researchers from University of Oxford and Liverpool John Moores University, monitored the brain activity of 32 babies while they had blood tests. Half were stroked with a soft brus...

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