Dedicated to the collection of the most entertaining publications to be found in MEDLINE
Last updated on November 06, 2009
Some entries in MEDLINE are intended to entertain by bringing not so serious topics into serious medical journals, some entries are funny without intending to be. Below is a collection of publications meeting either one or both criteria.
Call for abstracts!
Have you found any publications in MEDLINE that you would consider funny due to the topic, the results, the conclusions or the general context? Please send author(s), title and journal with a short description of the reason why you think this paper deserves to be linked on this site to: gasdoc&medlinefun.com (please substitute @ for & - no need for too much SPAM!) Only rule: it has to be in MEDLINE so everyone can get it! If you want to, your name will be listed with the link (no other awards available, for this is a non-profit, privately funded site).
Have fun!
General papers
Oxman AD, Chalmers I, Liberati A
on behalf of the World Artifexology Group
A field guide to experts.
BMJ 2004;329:18-25
Why is someone an expert? Where do you find one? What are their mating habits
and migrating patterns? Enjoy!
Mukamal KJ, Jensen MK, Grønbæk M,
Stampfer MJ, Manson JE, Pischon T, Rimm EB
Drinking Frequency, Mediating Biomarkers, and
Risk of Myocardial Infarction in Women and Men.
Circulation 2005;112:1406-1413
What many have been waiting for: material on the inverse relationship of
alcohol intake and risk to suffer an MI ...
Mukamal KJ, Tolstrup JS, Friberg
J,
Jensen G, Grønbæk M
Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Atrial
Fibrillation in Men and Women - The Copenhagen City Heart Study.
Circulation 2005;112:1736-1742
Just as I was going to get a drink, the next paper by the same author caused
some reconsideration!
Lang EV, Hatsiopoulou O, Koch T, Berbaum
K, Lutgendorf S, Kettenmann E, Logan H, Kaptchuk TJ
Can words hurt? Patient-provider interactions during invasive procedures.
Pain 2005;114:303-309
No warning, no cry? The "nocebo"-effect, or as the authors state: sympathizing
may not make patients feel better.
Manimaran N, Galland RB
Significance of routine digital rectal examination in adults presenting with
abdominal pain.
Ann R Coll Surg Engl 2004;86:292-295
Digital rectal examination did not alter clinical diagnosis or initial
management in any of the patients. Why do it? Just for the fun of it?
Choudhry NK, Fletcher RH, Soumerai SB
Systematic review: the relationship between clinical experience and quality of
health care.
Ann Intern Med 2005;142:260-273
Something to wonder: "Physicians who have been in practice longer may be at
risk for providing lower-quality care."
Pager CK
Streptokinase versus alteplase and other treatments for acute and delayed
thrombolysis of blood stains in clothing.
BMJ 2000;321:1554-1556
From hospital to household: finally a trial that can (and should) immediately
influence daily practice!
Ranheim T, Halvorsen B
Coffee consumption and human health--beneficial or detrimental?--Mechanisms
for effects of coffee consumption on different risk factors for cardiovascular
disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Mol Nutr Food Res 2005;49:274-284
More on the caffeine issue - see also entry number 10!
Dorea JG, da Costa TH
Is coffee a functional food?
Br J Nutr 2005;93:773-782
I knew it! It´s not a "habit", it´s a "diet"!
Hakim AA, Petrovitch H, Burchfiel CM, Ross
GW, Rodriguez BL, White LR, Yano K, Curb JD, Abbott RD
Effects of walking on mortality among nonsmoking retired men.
N Engl J Med 1998;338:94-99
Run - no, walk for your life!
[submitted by Dr. J. Hinkelbein, Mannheim, Germany]
Gwilym S, Howard DPJ, Davies N, Willett K
Harry Potter casts a spell on accident prone children.
BMJ 2005;331:1505-1506
Reading prevents trauma?
[submitted by Dr. J. Breckwoldt, Berlin, Germany]
Schwendimann R, Joos F, De Geest S,
Milisen K
Are patient falls in the hospital associated with lunar cycles? A
retrospective observational study.
BMC Nurs 2005;4:5
Don´t blame it on the moon - it´s obviously not influencing gravity that much
...
[submitted by Dr. M. Winterhalter, Hannover, Germany]
Kumar VV, Kumar NV, Isaacson G
Superstition and post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage.
Laryngoscope 2004;114:2031-2033
The moon is also not involved in bleeding incidents - nor are Friday 13th or
red hair, and they don´t always bleed in patterns of three!
Liem EB, Hollensead SC, Joiner TV, Sessler
DI
Women with red hair report a slighty increased rate of bruising but have
normal coagulation tests.
Anesth Analg 2006;102:313-318
Another paper contradicting wide-spread superstitious assumptions.
Samanek M
Does moderate alcohol drinking decrease the incidence and mortality rate in
ischemic heart disease?
[Article in Czech]
Cas Lek Cesk 2000;139:747-752
Yes!!! Quote: "Everyday drinking is important. There is no big difference
between drinking beer, wine or drinks. The most crucial is to keep the
moderate level of consumption."
Rosenberg BH, Landsittel D, Averch TD
Can video games be used to predict or improve laparoscopic skills?
J Endourol 2005;19:372-376
Playing might be helpful ...
Rosser JC Jr, Lynch PJ, Cuddihy L, Gentile
DA, Klonsky J, Merrell R
The impact of video games on training surgeons in the 21st century.
Arch Surg 2007;142:181-186
... and maybe you really shouldn´t spend too much time on books if you want to
become a good surgeon!
Zetterberg H, Hietala MA, Jonsson M,
Andreasen N, Styrud E, Karlsson I, Edman A, Popa C, Rasulzada A, Wahlund LO,
Mehta PD, Rosengren L, Blennow K, Wallin A
Neurochemical aftermath of amateur boxing.
Arch Neurol 2006;63:1277-1280
I know it´s hard to believe, but it looks like your brain suffers when you get
hit on the head a lot.
Sauvageau A, Racette S
Autoerotic deaths in the literature from 1954 to 2004: a review.
J Forensic Sci 2006;51:140-146
No comment!
[submitted by D. Adam, Perth, Australia]
Lim MS, Hellard ME, Aitken CK.
The case of the disappearing teaspoons: longitudinal cohort study of the
displacement of teaspoons in an Australian research institute.
BMJ 2005;331:1498-1500.
That´s why I drink coffee ...
[submitted by D. Adam, Perth, Australia]
Britton BJ, Evans JG, Potter JM
Does the fly matter? the CRACKPOT study in evidence based trout fishing. The
Collaborative Randomised and Controlled Kennet Piscatorial Options Trail
(CRACKPOT) Investigators.
BMJ 1998;317:1678-1680
Quote: "Urgent funding of a definitive, large multiriver trial is needed."
Taubert D, Roesen R, Lehmann C, Jung N,
Schömig E
Effects of low habitual cocoa intake on blood pressure and bioactive nitric
oxide: a randomized controlled trial.
JAMA 2007;298:49-60
And yet another vice turns medication ...
Buettner HJ, Mueller C, Gick M, Ferenc M,
Allgeier J, Comberg T, Werner KD, Schindler C, Neumann FJ
The impact of obesity on mortality in UA/non-ST-segment elevation myocardial
infarction.
Eur Heart J 2007;28:1694-1701
Good news: while you are more likely to suffer an MI when overweight, your
chances of survival are higher!
Devine A, Hodgson JM, Dick IM, Prince RL
Tea drinking is associated with benefits on bone density in older women.
Am J Clin Nutr 2007;86:1243-1247
To avoid bias caused by severe caffeine addiction, here´s one on the "beneficial
effects of tea consumption on the skeleton".
(But keep an eye on your teaspoon - see number 36!)
Trilla A, Aymerich M, Lacy AM, Bertran MJ
Phenotypic differences between male physicians, surgeons, and film stars:
comparative study.
BMJ 2006;333:1291-1293
Film stars who play doctors are better looking than doctors (and have higher
success rates for treating cardiac arrest - see number 2!)
[submitted by Dr. N. Russ, Heidelberg, Germany]
Flammer AJ, Hermann F, Sudano I, Spieker
L, Hermann M, Cooper KA, Serafini M, Lüscher TF, Ruschitzka F, Noll G, Corti R
Dark Chocolate Improves Coronary Vasomotion and Reduces Platelet Reactivity.
Circulation 2007;116:2376-2382
Made in Switzerland (the study, and the chocolate, too - provided by Nestlé
according to the authors´ disclosures).
Shah J, Christopher N
Can shoe size predict penile length?
BJU Int 2002;90:586-587
There goes another myth ...
[submitted by Dr. M. Schmittner, Mannheim, Germany]
Primack BA, Dalton MA, Carroll MV, Agarwal
AA, Fine MJ
Content analysis of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs in popular music.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2008;162:169-175
Worried about kids listening to Heavy Metal? "The average adolescent is
exposed to approximately 84 references to explicit substance use daily in
popular songs."
Bellis MA, Hennell T, Lushey C, Hughes K,
Tocque K, Ashton JR
Elvis to Eminem: quantifying the price of fame through early mortality of
European and North American rock and pop stars.
J Epidemiol Community Health 2007;61:896-901
... but the artists are at risk as well!
Romeo J, González-Gross M, Wärnberg J,
Díaz LE, Marcos A
Effects of moderate beer consumption on blood lipid profile in healthy Spanish
adults.
Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 2008;18:365-372
Beer lowers male cholesterol!
Wilbert-Lampen U, Leistner D, Greven S,
Pohl T, Sper S, Völker C, Güthlin D, Plasse A, Knez A, Küchenhoff H, Steinbeck
G
Cardiovascular events during World Cup soccer.
N Engl J Med 2008;358:475-483
Soccer matches increase the risk of AMI!
Patton D, McIntosh A
Head and neck injury risks in heavy metal: head bangers stuck between rock and
a hard bass.
BMJ 2008;337:a2825
Some really useful suggestions to reduce the risks of head banging ...
Bhutta MF, Maxwell H
Sneezing induced by sexual ideation or orgasm: an under-reported phenomenon.
J R Soc Med 2008;101:587-591
Bless you!
Wermke K, Robb MP
Fundamental Frequency of Neonatal Crying: Does Body Size Matter?
J Voice 2009;Aug 5 [Epub ahead of print]
Bigger is only a little better ...
Case reports
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