Medicine and Science from The BMJ

A study on bmj.com raises raises concerns over possible “subjective bias owing to racial discrimination” in the MRCGP - the Royal College of General Practitioner''s postgraduate exams required to become a registered GP in the UK. Aneez Esmail, professor of primary care at the University of Manchester and the paper's lead author, explains the background to the study and its findings. Read the accompanying editorial and news story, which includes a response from RCGP chairwoman Claire Gerada. See also: Academic performance of ethnic minority candidates and discrimination in the MRCGP examinations between 2010 and 2012: analysis of data http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f5662 BMJ author hits out at attempts to dismiss findings of possible racial bias in RCGP exam http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f5871

Professor Sir Mike Richards, previously National Cancer Director at the Department of Health, and former head of the Academic Division of Oncology at King's College London, is the new chief inspector of hospitals in England. In his new role he will have the power to enter hospitals, both in planned and unplanned inspections, to highlight problems before they develop into another scandal of the kind that happened in Mid-Staffordshire. He talks about his new role to Nigel Hawkes. See also: “We know where to probe,” says Mike Richards, the new chief inspector of hospitals http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f5557

UN Refugee Agency High Commissioner António Guterres described the Syrian crisis this week as the great tragedy of the century, a "disgraceful humanitarian calamity with suffering and displacement unparalleled in recent history." Every 15 seconds a Syrian seeks refuge in neighbouring countries. UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic describes a typical refugee's journey from the stricken country and how their health needs are addressed when they reach refugee camps and host communities in Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. See also: http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f5413

NICE has published now guidelines on the treatment of children with autism. Mabel Chew BMJ practice editor talks to Tim Kendall, director of the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, who helped draw up the guidelines. Mabel also talks to Declan P O’Regan, consultant radiologist at the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre in London, and an author of our rational imaging article on investigating stable chest pain See also: http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f3940 http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f4865

What do clinicians need to know about the developing role of HPV in cervical cancer prevention? BMJ clinical reviews editor Sophie Cook speaks to Henry Kitchener, professor of gynaecological oncology, and Emma Crosbie, senior lecturer and honorary consultant in gynaecological oncology, both at the University of Manchester. Read the full clinical review: http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f4781

inda Gask, professor of primary care psychiatry at the University of Manchester, explains why a personality disorder diagnosis is not as hopeless as many patients and doctors fear. Also Carol Brayne, professor of public health at the University of Cambridge, discusses how to make the most of the UK government’s push to diagnose dementia, even though the evidence is limited. See also: http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f5276 http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f5125 http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(13)61570-6/fulltext

For our first podcast of 2010, we’ll be asking various medical professionals what they’d like to see happen to healthcare in the next decade. Also, Chris Grundy tells us how effective 20 mph zones really are at preventing accidents.

This week, research published on bmj.com shows that overweight and obese teenagers can be taught to eat more sensibly by using a device called a mandometer. Professor Julian Shield, who led the study, talks about the results. Also this week, the response to one of the articles in the latest Christmas BMJ was enormous. Duncan Jarvies talks to Nathan Grills, the author of the article, about the storm in a sleigh.

Haiti this week suffered its worst earthquake in 200 years. Marc Dubois, general director of aid charity MSF UK, talks about how his organisation is responding to the disaster and how doctors can help. Also, BMJ clinical editor Elizabeth Loder interviews Benjamin Wolozin about the link between cardiovascular disease and dementia. Krishna Moorthy talks to Helen Morant about what medicine can learn from aviation.

This week the Faculty of Public Health has released its manifesto tor a healthier Britain. Duncan Jarvies speaks to the faculty’s president, Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, about the manifesto’s recommendations. Also new online this week, we have a clinical review on depression in adolescents. We talk to one of the authors, Professor Anita Thapar, about one aspect of it - prevention - and the promising research that is under way.