It is time to abandon youth access tobacco programmes

It is time to abandon youth access tobacco programmes.

Is it time to abandon single intervention cure trials?

Only one person in the world has been cured of HIV. The Berlin patient was transplanted with CCR5-negative and HIV-resistant stem cells for cancer that eradicated his HIV. Reported in 2009, the case renewed interest in the search for a cure. But what has happened in the ensuing years? In 2013, apparent HIV remission (ie, undetectable plasma viral load in the absence of antiretroviral therapy or...

[Is it time to abandon the digital rectal examination?]

OBJECTIVE In 2012 the US Preventive Services Task Force released recommendations against prostate specific antigen (PSA) based screening for prostate cancer, but did not fully address screening via digital rectal exam (DRE). As such, many practitioners continue to perform DRE in attempts to identify men with clinically significant prostate cancer (CSPC). This study seeks to determine the value ...

Is it time to abandon the food frequency questionnaire?

Although painful to admit, it is possible that epidemiologists have been deluded in their acceptance of food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) as the standard tool for dietary assessment in large studies of diet and cancer. The substantial limitations of FFQs have been known for some time (1) and published studies based on FFQ-derived data have long included in their discussion sections a litany o...

Is it time to abandon suicide risk assessment?

SUMMARY Suicide risk assessment includes estimating the likelihood of suicide in words such as 'low, medium or high'. A 'high suicide risk' rating can trigger a powerful urge to eliminate risk immediately. But it is far from clear what 'high suicide risk' actually means. In the current state of knowledge, suicide reduction measures should apply to all psychiatric patients, irrespective of an in...