Our Journals
Conference: Health-care Associated InfectionsDecember 11-12, 2008 QEII Conference Centre, London, UK Competition: Young Voices in Research for HealthThe Lancet, together with the Geneva-based Global Forum for Health Research, announces the winners of the 2008 essay competition. Read the six winning essays at The Lancet Global Health Network. |
Feature
Tissue-engineered airway transplantation
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The first operation for transplantation of a tissue-engineered airway has been successful. This procedure has massively improved the quality of life of the 30-year-old Colombian female recipient who needed the transplant after contracting tuberculosis. The work was a multicentre effort, led by Professor Paolo Macchiarini (Hospital Clínic of Barcelona). These pioneering results are reported in an Online First Article, and discussed in an accompanying Comment. |
Selected Online First articles from The Lancet journals ahead of print publication.
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Malaria protection for under-fives
Article The Lancet (online Nov 18)
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Surgical interventions for basal-cell carcinoma
Article The Lancet Oncology (online Nov 17)
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HIV vaccine
Article The Lancet (online Nov 13)
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Tissue-engineered airway transplantation
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Inequalities in healthy life years in Europe
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Beta blockers and non-cardiac surgery
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Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis
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Endocrine therapy and recurrence of breast cancer
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Sleep apnoeaSeminar The Lancet (online Oct 30) PDF
The Lancet's summary of news and developments across medicine
More than two months remain until the inauguration of the USA's President-elect, but already there are signals that Barack Obama will move quickly to make important changes to the nation’s health-care policy.
Heart failure
In the USA, the number of people aged 65 years or older admitted to hospital for heart failure has more than doubled over the past 27 years, according to figures presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association. Whereas hospitalisation rates for stroke and coronary artery disease have fallen since the mid-1980s, the number of people hospitalised for heart failure rose 131% between 1980 and 2006.
For more on heart failure and hospitalisation see http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=545
Animal welfare
The European Commission has issued a draft revision of the EU Animals Directive, with particular emphasis on the welfare of animals used in research. The draft protocol sets out housing and care requirements, and proposes a ban on the use of great apes in scientific research. UK research councils have expressed concern over the proposed changes, claiming that valuable studies may be affected.
For more on the EU Commission draft proposal see http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/lab_animals/proposal_en.htm
Cholera outbreak
Failure to provide clean water, sanitation, and health services in Zimbabwe has led to an outbreak of cholera. Health workers have reported that the government is deliberately down-playing the scale of the disaster, and as a result the official death toll is unclear. WHO and UNICEF have stepped in to help Zimbabwe’s national disaster response agency control the situation.
More This Week in Medicine:
Most cited in The Lancet since 1996
| 1. | Intensive blood-glucose control with sulphonylureas or insulin compared with conventional treatment and risk of complications
in patients with type 2 diabetes (UKPDS 33) Research (1998) Lancet 352 (9131), pp. 837-853
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| 2. | MRC/BHF Heart Protection Study of cholesterol lowering with simvastatin in 20 536 high-risk individuals: A randomised placebo-controlled
trial Research (2002) Lancet 360 (9326), pp. 7-22
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| 3. | Effects of intensive blood-pressure lowering and low-dose aspirin in patients with hypertension: Principal results of the
Hypertension Optimal Treatment (HOT) randomised trial Research (1998) Lancet 351 (9118), pp. 1755-1762
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| 4. | A randomised, blinded, trial of clopidogrel versus aspirin in patients at risk of ischaemic events (CAPRIE) Research (1996) Lancet 348 (9038), pp. 1329-1339
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| 5. | Peginterferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin compared with interferonalfa-2b plus ribavirin for initial treatment of chronic hepatitis
C: A randomised trial Research (2001) Lancet 358 (9286), pp. 958-965
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Most read in The Lancet journals in October 2008
| 1. | Effect of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in patients with chronic heart failure (the GISSI-HF trial): a randomised, double-blind,
placebo-controlled trial Research (2008) Lancet 372 (9645), pp. 1223-1230
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| 2. | Thrombolysis with alteplase 3-4·5 h after acute ischaemic stroke (SITS-ISTR): an observational study Research (2008) Lancet 372 (9646), pp. 1303-1309
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| 3. | China and global health Comment (2008) Lancet 372 (9648), pp. 1439-1441
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| 4. | Effect of candesartan on progression and regression of retinopathy in type 2 diabetes (DIRECT-Protect 2): a randomised placebo-controlled
trial Research (2008) Lancet 372 (9647), pp. 1385-1393
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| 5. | Childhood outcomes after prescription of antibiotics to pregnant women with preterm rupture of the membranes: 7-year follow-up
of the ORACLE I trial Research (2008) Lancet 372 (9646), pp. 1310-1318
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Floating Info
Letter to the Editor
"…the 6-min walk distance might not be an appropriate variable of outcome in patients with mild pulmonary hypertension."
Listen to summaries of The Lancet journals in mp3 format
