Medicine and Science from The BMJ

Several articles on bmj.com deal with clubfoot disorder. Kirsten Patrick gives us a quick history of the condition, and talks to Andrew Hogg - a GP trainee - about a film he made in South Africa to help Zulu parents understand it. Also this week, Trish Groves tells Duncan Jarvies about the importance of sharing data - and the possible problems that may arise. Deborah Cohen takes us through the news.

Urinary tract infections are commonly seen in primary care, particularly in women, yet there are gaps in the evidence about their treatment. Trish Groves talks to Paul Little about a group of papers that compare management approaches for the condition, look at their cost effectiveness, and analyse patients’ reactions to them. Duncan Jarvies takes us through the news.

This week new research was published on the use of the SSRI (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor) antidepressants, in combination with the drug tamoxifen. For some time there have been concerns about prescribing them together, and a new study finally quantifies that, David Juurlink explains how. Also this week, a child’s early years will affect the rest of their life, in terms of medical as well as social and educational outcomes. Clyde Hertzman talks about what governments are, and should be, doing to help build a solid foundation. Juliet Walker and Birte Twisselmann takes us through the week’s news.

In this week’s podcast Sam Lister, health editor of the Times, explains the political fight that’s emerging around provision of free home health care for elderly people. Duncan Jarvies talks to Iain Chalmers, from the the James Lind Initiative, about the importance of making information about clinical trials available to the public. Sabreena Malik takes us through this week’s news.

Estimates of HIV are just that, estimates – but in order to research the progression of the virus, and the effectiveness of intervention strategies, those estimates have to be as accurate as possible. Professor Prabhat Jha joins us to explain the novel way in which he and his team have collected data in India to provide a more accurate picture about the spread of the virus. Also this week, as spending cuts are planned across public services, the financial strain on the UK health service is increasing. One way in which some money can be saved is through disinvestment; ceasing treatments which have been superseded, or shown ineffective. Peter Littlejohns, the clinical and public health director of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), joins us to explain what NICE is doing in that arena. Annabel Ferriman takes us through the news.

This week’s hot topic is chronic fatigue syndrome. The journal Science published a paper in October 2009, which suggested a possible link between a new virus (xenotrophic murine leukaemia virus-like virus) and the syndrome. Duncan Jarvies is looking at the evidence behind this link, and finding out more about the history and treatment of the condition. Richard Hurley takes us through what caught his eye on bmj.com week.

This week, Duncan Jarvies talks to Stacy Lindau and Natalia Garilova about their new sex life expectancy measure, and what it could mean for patients and public health. Zosia Kmietowicz talks to Douglas Gwatidzo and Rutendo Bonde about the health care system in Zimbabwe, and how the situation there has changed since its nadir in 2008. David Payne takes us through this week’s news.

If you visited Trafalgar Square in central London today you’d see Admiral Nelson gazing down from his column. What you won’t see is a statue to celebrate the work of Edward Jenner – although once there was one. Gareth Williams, a professor of medicine at the University of Bristol, is backing a campaign to have Jenner’s statue reinstated. Mabel Chew talks to him about the life and times of the father of vaccination.

This week the BMJ published research into the use of sunbeds. Cancer Research UK surveyed teenagers across the country to find out how often they top up their tan. Duncan Jarvies talks to Catherine Thomson, from Cancer Research UK, and Madeleine Brindley, a journalist who’s often campaigned on the dangers of solariums, about the results. Also this week, recent revelations from a group of stem cell scientists shone a light on some of the problems with peer review. Modern science often holds it sacrosanct, but in a feature in this week’s BMJ, Mark Henderson - science editor of the Times newspaper - highlights various ways in which it might not work. Trish Groves, the BMJ’s research editor, talks to Liz Wager, an independent researcher into peer review, about the process and the ways in which it might be improved.

This week Duncan Jarvies discusses with London GP Chris Ford how to talk to patients about their cannabis use. Rebecca Coombes talks to Jim Swire, a retired GP whose daughter Flora died in the Lockerbie bombing. Dr Swire has written an article for the BMJ about the role of Abdelbaset Al-Megrahi’s doctors in his early release.