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Ovarian cancer screening: could you recommend it? No

15 Aug

In December 2015, The Lancet published the final results of The UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS)  which “was designed to determine how many lives could be saved by screening for ovarian cancer”.  The UKCTOCS is another ovarian cancer screening that demonstrates that screening did not reduce  ovarian cancer specific mortality neither all-cause [...]

Ten commandments for the rational use of vaccines. November 2015

1 Nov

Vaccines are a treasure that is not defended and it is improved by simply repeating that mantra. The vaccine treasure requires good use and a continuous critical evaluation, in relation to developing and maintaining the vaccination schedules. Vaccination policies have been very poor in the recent decades, in the scientific, professional and political areas. This [...]

Sacred secrets broken. Threats to the confidentiality of medical records. The case of Osabide, the centralized data base of Osakidetza (Basque Health Service) in Spain

25 Mar

The Basque Health Service, Osakidetza, established in 2003 a centralized data base, Osabide, with two millions medical records in full without asking permission or even notifying patients or the public (in some cases against the written opposition of a few patients who knew about the initiative). Two general practitioners who rejected Osabide and prepared a [...]

Multicasuality of falls and the role of drugs

17 Oct

Falls cause important morbidity and mortality in elderly people, but can occur at any age. They can be caused by various concurrent causes. Psychotropic agents such as benzodiazepines and other hipnotic drugs, antidepressants, antipsychotics and opioids have been associated with a higher incidence of falls. To avoid fractures the key question is to avoid falls. [...]

Coercion is not justified in influenza vaccination

30 May

There are some countries (as Canada and the US) where mandatory influenza vaccine for health workers is a question in debate. There is good intention (to decrease influenza transmission) but has no scientific base, and has adverse effects in public health, as we consider in this paper. Coercion is not justified in influenza vaccination. Gérvas [...]

BRCA test, only for females of high familiar risk

22 May

BRCA genes are “normal” genes we all share in our cells. Some mutations of BRCA genes are associated with a higher incidence of breast and ovarian cancer. In this summary there is a few numbers to understand the problem. BRCA test, only for females of high familiar risk. Gérvas J. Madrid, 21st May 2013. Download [...]

Index case for the fungal meningitis outbreak, United States

13 May

Publications about the fungal meningitis outbreak (USA) do not address whether these injections were appropriate for low back pain. Physicians, patients, payers and regulators should question the role which overuse of injections for low back pain in the US played in this outbreak. Index case for the fungal meningitis outbreak, United States. Gérvas J, Kovacs FM. [...]