The world’s poor, whether they live in dangerous urban slums or in the remote countryside, are often in dire need of food, clean water, and basic medications. So it might appear misguided to argue that mental health should be a primary rather than secondary concern in developing countries. But the reality is that mental health is not just a First World problem: disorders such as depression are ...

Analgesic headache occurs when drugs given for the treatment of headache aggravate symptoms. The condition is well recognised in adults but has not been described before in children in whom it may be induced by mild analgesics such as paracetamol used alone. Twelve children (nine girls and three boys, aged 6 to 16.5 years) with analgesic headache (from three months to 10 years) are reported. Fi...

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether "network effects" can be detected for health outcomes that are unlikely to be subject to network phenomena. DESIGN Statistical analysis common in network studies, such as logistic regression analysis, controlled for own and friend's lagged health status. Analyses controlled for environmental confounders. SETTING Subsamples of the National Longitudinal Study ...

Overenthusiastic repair of damaged blood vessels could cause a fatal blockage. Sedding et al. (page 2801) report that the normal repair-restricting function of factor VII activating protease (FSAP) is disrupted by a common mutation. People carrying the mutation might thus be more at risk of vessel narrowing. Approximately 5% of the population carries an FSAP polymorphism linked to cardiovascula...