bmj.com:

This week

Current print issue

Do sex and good health go together? Will a market deliver quality and efficiency in health care better than central planning ever could? Does avoidance of peanuts in early life reduce the risk of peanut allergy? Also read about the use of comics in patient care. To find out more about this week's BMJ print issue, read Fiona Godlee's editor's choice, "Reform our libel laws, but not our NHS," and the print issue's table of contents. All articles have already appeared on bmj.com as part of our continuous publication policy.

Research

Mortality among contraceptive pill users

Women in the UK who have ever used the oral contraceptive pill are less likely to die from any cause, including all cancers and heart disease, compared with never users according to this research. The results show a slightly higher risk in women under 45 years old who are current or recent users of the pill. The authors stress that the effects in younger women disappear after about 10 years. Furthermore, the benefits in older women outweigh the smaller excess risks among younger women.

Research

HPV testing on self collected cervicovaginal lavage specimens as screening method for women who do not attend cervical screening

More high risk cases of human papilloma virus (HPV) could be detected by offering home testing kits to women who do not come forward for cervical screening, according to this cohort study. The authors conclude that using home testing kits for detecting HPV would lead to twice as many cases of cervical cancer being diagnosed compared with the regular screening programme.

Research

Obesity and alcohol act together to increase the risk of liver disease

These two studies show that obesity and alcohol act together to increase the risk of liver disease. In the first study, researchers examined the link between body mass index and liver cirrhosis in 1.2 million middle-aged UK women. Compared to women of a healthy weight, women who were overweight or obese had an increased relative risk of liver cirrhosis. Although this relative risk did not differ significantly by alcohol consumption, the absolute risk did. In the second study, researchers investigated the joint effects of BMI and alcohol consumption on liver disease in more than 9,000 men. Both factors were related to liver disease and, more importantly, the combination of high BMI and alcohol consumption was greater than the additive effect of the two separate factors. An accompanying editorial says that future research must focus on better diagnosis and treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Careers

Revalidation

The General Medical Council (GMC) rolls out its consultation on revalidation this month, giving doctors a say on the "biggest change in regulation for 150 years", as the council puts it. Doctors know that revalidation will happen, they know it�s happening soon, and they know it will examine their fitness to practice. But beyond that, the details are pretty sketchy for most. This week BMJ Careers publishes three articles on the theme: a GMC briefing on its consultation, an interview with the GMC's new chief executive, Niall Dickson, and an opinion piece from a locum GP.

Research

Vitamin A supplementation and BCG vaccination at birth in low birthweight neonates

The combined results of this trial and the complementary trial among normal birthweight neonates have now shown that, overall, it would not be beneficial to implement a neonatal vitamin A supplementation policy in Guinea-Bissau. Worryingly, the trials show that vitamin A supplementation at birth can be harmful in girls. Previous studies and future trials should investigate the possibility that vitamin A supplementation has sex differential effects. In an accompanying editorial, Andrew Prentice says that although the new trials are not individually powered to assess sex differential effects, they could help to resolve this controversy once and for all.

Comment

England's libel laws versus scientific debate

Several high profile cases have brought to the fore how England's libel laws can stifle scientific debate, but as Richard Smith, former editor of the BMJ, explains, it is not a new problem.

More comment published on 10 March:

Comment

Will a market deliver quality and efficiency in health care better than central planning ever could?

James Gubb and Stephen Smith are convinced that market forces will improve the NHS, but Neal Lawson and Jonathon Tomlinson have their doubts. Cast your vote on this week's bmj.com poll.

Education

Treatment for lymph node tuberculosis

According to this lesson of the week, treatment for lymph node tuberculosis must be preceded by adequate pathological investigation of the lymphadenopathy.

Other education published 10 March 2010:

Tachycardia due to atrial flutter with rapid 1:1 conduction following treatment of atrial fibrillation with flecainide

Education

Endgames

This week's instalment of our new weekly educational clinical quiz is now live. Compiled from peer reviewed contributions from readers, it covers clinical medicine and statistics. There's also a prize quiz, pulled from the BMJ's sister product OnExamination.

This week's Endgames articles:

News

Patient champions fail to support BMA's opposition to electronic patient records

Patient representative groups have clashed with the BMA over its opinion of electronic patient records after the association this week called for the roll out of summary care records to stop. The BMA has called for an instant suspension of the programme to upload summaries of patients' medical records in England to a national database, claiming the process is being rushed and many patients are unaware of their right to opt out of having a record created.

News published on 11 March:

Student BMJ

Wanted: student editor for Student BMJ

Would you - or a medical student you know - like to learn how to edit the Student BMJ? The job involves all aspects of publishing the award winning international magazine for medical students online and in print, including commissioning, peer reviewing, and editing articles. You should have some clinical experience, excellent written English, and some experience of writing or editing. The job is based at our London offices for a year starting this May and attracts the salary of a first year NHS house officer. Find out how to apply here.

doc2doc

Hospital parking charges for staff

The Department of Health denies being responsible for unpopular patient and staff car parking policies but says it is completely legal for NHS employers to increase parking tariffs whenever they want. This means the amount NHS staff pay for the right to fight for a parking space every morning remains at the mercy of hospital managers. One hospital trust recently took one of their doctors to court over an unpaid �10 parking fine that the doctor refused to pay on principle. Is this a waste of hospital and court time and expense or reasonable action from the trust in order to make an example? Have you had any parking horror stories? Share them on doc2doc, BMJ's global clinical online community. How much does your hospital charge you for parking? Add your hospital to our Google map