Top articles in medicine in May 2012

Here are my suggestions for some of the top articles in medicine in May 2012:

Large numbers of very rare genetic mutations may underlie common human diseases like schizophrenia and cancer http://goo.gl/GttAQ

14 Ways Social Media May Soon Change Your Doctor's Visit http://goo.gl/muWK1

Drunk driving across the globe: many countries have “no tolerance” laws with 0.0% blood alcohol limit http://goo.gl/aIsRn

Top 10 Cloud-Based EHRs - CureMD and Practice Fusion (the only free EMR) scored best http://goo.gl/jWMuu

Pets at birth either decreased or had no effect on allergic disease up to age 12. No evidence that exposure to cats or dogs at birth increases the risk of allergic disease in high risk children http://goo.gl/MS4iW

Cleveland Clinic starts a blog called "Health Hub" http://goo.gl/66FF0 - competing with the aging consumer portal of MayoClinic.com

CT colonography is accurate in detecting adenomas 10 mm or larger but less so for smaller lesions http://goo.gl/gMTiX -- Laxative-free colonoscopy on the way? Virtual colonoscope digitally removes stool from the colon http://goo.gl/sJG6H

Do we need vacations? Vacations improve employee wellbeing but the positive effect is short-lived (study) http://goo.gl/jd3CH

NRMP to Implement “All-in” Policy for 2013 Match http://goo.gl/tn5Cs

New labeling will help you pick the best sunscreen - Consumer Reports http://goo.gl/Wtm3M

U.S. politicians invoke the “R word” - rationing for healthcare - NEJM http://goo.gl/Urhua

Pepsi and Competitors Scramble as Soda Sales Drop in the U.S. Average American drank less than 2 sodas/day in 2011, a drop in per capita consumption of 16% since the peak in 1998. Sugary soft drinks are the No. 1 source of calories in U.S. diets - NYTimes http://goo.gl/9tjdD

"Z-Pak Heart Attack" - sudden death may be a new (rare) risk linked to commonly prescribed antibiotic azithromycin http://goo.gl/3DeIh

Coffee Drinkers May Live Longer - there are 1,000 or more compounds in coffee - NYT and NEJM http://goo.gl/VSfbN

Using Internet Search Engines to Obtain Medical Information: users preferred Bing over Google in this study http://goo.gl/mJgpm

The articles were selected from my Twitter and Google Reader streams. Please feel free to send suggestions for articles to clinicalcases@gmail.com and you will receive acknowledgement in the next edition of this publication.

Comments from Twitter:

Mike Cadogan @sandnsurf: Reading: Top articles in medicine in May 2012 bit.ly/KUxEhs via @DrVes ...more great articles from the world of medicine

Karim Jessa @karimjessa: great stuff! thanks dr @DrVes