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BMJ Today
Research
Combined resynchronisation and implantable defibrillator therapy in left ventricular dysfunction
Combined therapy reduced all cause mortality by a third compared with medical treatment alone, but did not further improve survival when compared with defibrillation or resynchronisation used separately. This is the finding of a Bayresian network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.
Finlay A McAlister, in an accompanying editorial, says that until a trial definitively proves that a combined device is better than cardiac resynchronisation alone, such devices should be reserved for people with heart failure who are eligible for cardiac resynchronisation and have the highest risk of sudden cardiac death.
Comment
Head to head: Should young people be given antidepressants?
Depression is disabling a growing proportion of children, but evidence on treatment is disputed. Should antidepressants be given to young people?
Yes, says Andrew Cotgrove, these drugs are a vital part of the armoury.
No, says Sami Timimi. He is unconvinced that they are helpful or safe.
Tell us what you think by submitting a rapid response to bmj.com
Comment
Editorial: Participation in mammography screening
Our editorialists explain why women should be encouraged to decide what is right for them, rather than being told what to do.
News
Inquiry calls for major overhaul of specialist training for medical graduates in the UK
Doctors' postgraduate training needs to be completely reformed after the "sorry episode" of Modernising Medical Careers (MMC), Professor Sir John Tooke (photo) recommends in a highly critical report, which calls for the national computerised application system to be scrapped and for an end to the "run through" training introduced as part of MMC.
Tony Delamothe, in an accompanying editorial, says that after the mess the Department of Health has got doctors into, Tooke has provided the roadmap for postgraduate medical education and training.
Lynn Eaton also reports that the Department of Health has confirmed that a national computerised system - known as MTAS - will not be used for matching junior doctors to specialist training posts in England in 2008 (read more).
Education
Diagnosis and management of cervical cancer
Clinical review of the diagnosis and management of the second most common cancer in women.
News
Trusts fail to monitor impact of patients' complaints
Results from the first ever audit of complaint handling done by England's national health watchdog, the Healthcare Commission, show that the way in which complaints are followed up by trusts varies greatly.
Research
Antioxidants and degenerative eye disease
Prospective cohort studies including nearly 150
Jennifer Evans, in an accompanying editorial, confirms that current evidence does not support a protective role for dietary antioxidant vitamins, and that stopping smoking is the only known method that reduces the risk of AMD.
Stop press
Royal Mail strike in the United Kingdom
Deliveries of last week's print BMJ were affected by postal strikes. As these are likely to recur, readers should expect further disruption to the supply of their journals.
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