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Surgeons and swearing

We will all know colleagues who have raised the act of swearing to an art form; just as Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It could cut a workmate in half with a well-placed swear word, surgeons can be equally...

Specialist teams deliver world-class trauma care

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust runs the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, which is a designated Major Trauma Centre. The Trust holds the contract to treat all UK injured military personnel evacuated from combat zones overseas. More than 1200 of...

NHS collaboration and partnership with the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries

Historically the relationship between industry and the NHS has been a cautious one. Both sides have typically worked with only partially disclosed agendas, under a pervading fear of finding themselves on the wrong end of a win-lose negotiation. Things have...

The structure and function of DNA

DNA structure and replication Genetic information within multicellular organisms, including man, is stored in molecules of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which reside within the chromosomes of each cell nucleus. A DNA molecule consists of two very long chains, or strands, of...

This surgeon learned the power of Twitter / Twitter: an ENT surgeon’s perspective

This surgeon learned the power of Twitter I was once Australia’s most followed surgeon on Twitter, according to my dear wife. She was probably right, as always. I had more than 3,700 followers on my account, but very few people...

BACO 2015: Meet the Key Brits

The triennial BACO is always a feast of academic and social activity – and BACO 2015 promises to be as busy as ever. We hear from three of the key British speakers who are making big contributions to this year’s...

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (e-cigarettes): what you need to know

As an aid to stopping smoking e-cigarettes may have a role, but they are heavily promoted by industry as a leisure pursuit and desirable fashion accessory. Sneh Biyani and Craig Derkay gives a thorough account of what we know about...

Shooting for Gold: ENT surgery and the Commonwealth Games

What are the secrets to success in your career, sports and life in general? Sharp-shooter Parag Patel hits the bullseye again. I write this article following a wave of summer sporting brilliance, from the record Great Britain 67 medal haul...

Tone deafness and perfect pitch

If you think you are tone deaf, do not despair. Singing tuition should help but it is probably too late to hope to develop perfect pitch. Consultant otolaryngologist and keen musician, Chris Aldren, discusses the complex and fascinating subject of...

The role of macrolide antibiotics in chronic rhinosinusitis

The use of long-term antibiotics in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis is a contentious issue, not only because of the increasing problem with antibiotic resistance but also because of the potential cardiac risks, including sudden death. In this article, Anders...

Thyroid ultrasound elastography: does nodule stiffness predict malignancy?

Approximately 50% of the general population has a thyroid nodule while 5-15% of these are malignant [1]. A major challenge, therefore, is how to detect the malignant nodules for appropriate, timely treatment and avoid unnecessary, costly investigations for the remainder....

Discovery in the genetics of complex disease: Otitis media

Otitis media (OM), a common disease of childhood, is considered to be a complex trait with multiple genetic and environmental factors expected to contribute to a child’s risk of developing recurrent acute OM (rAOM; ≥3 episodes in 6 months or...