Top Medical Stories of 2007

. . . as chosen by the editors of Journal Watch.

Each year, the editors of Journal Watch choose the year’s top stories. We try to strike a balance between relevance to primary care, recognition of landmark studies, and media publicity and public awareness. Some of our top stories emerge from one important study, and others come from several studies on a single topic. All citations are from 2007 unless otherwise noted (a few were published in late 2006, too late to include in last year’s top stories). These stories are arranged in no particular order; their sequence is not intended to reflect their relative importance.

Our top stories for 2007 are:

Medical vs. Invasive Approaches in Patients with Stable Angina

Surgery or Watchful Waiting for Lumbar Disk Herniation?

Rosiglitazone: Unclear Evidence, Uncertain Practice

Effects of Inhaled Therapy on Mortality in COPD

New Guidelines for Prevention of Endocarditis

Benefits and Risks of Long-Term Alendronate

A Bad Year for Pharmaceutical Erythropoietins

Circumcision to Prevent HIV: A Promising Strategy Raises Provocative Questions

Dietary Supplements Don’t Prevent Cognitive Decline, CVD, or Infections

Pharmaceutical Influence Is Pervasive But Hard to Quantitate

Potpourri of Pediatric Research: 2007