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Awareness weeks guide

Medical journals at Christmas

Medical journals at Christmas 

As 2024 wraps up, just for fun we thought we would look at some of the light- hearted ‘research’ articles published during the Christmas period over the last twenty years.

2024

2023 

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2008

2006

2005

2004

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2024

All I want for Christmas…is a precisely defined research question
Each year, Santa Claus and his reindeer have the monumental task of delivering billions of presents across the world. With an ever-increasing population and number of presents to deliver, Santa must continually find new ways to optimise his present delivery. This includes reindeer performance. Over recent years, he had noticed reindeers who ate carrots before starting their 24-h Christmas Eve journey tired more easily than those that ate Mrs Claus’ homemade mince pies, and he started to wonder if this was related to their chosen pre-flight meal. Santa decided to put his theory to the test and as part of his delivery improvement research programme conducted a randomised controlled trial to investigate the impact of a reindeer’s pre-flight meal on performance. Trials 14 December 2024

Living happily ever after? The hidden health risks of Disney princesses
While much current research on Disney princesses focuses on the harmful impact of unrealistic ideals on young viewers’ self-esteem, there is a critical need to shift attention towards the health risks faced by the princesses themselves. BMJ 16 December 2024

Dexterity assessment of hospital workers: prospective comparative study
Surgeons showed greater dexterity, but higher levels of swearing compared with other hospital staff roles, while nurses and non-clinical staff showed the highest rates of audible noises of frustration. The study highlights the diverse skill sets across hospital staff roles. Implementation of a surgical swear jar initiative should be considered for future fundraising events. BMJ 20 December 2024

Age against the machine—susceptibility of large language models to cognitive impairment: cross sectional analysis
How leading large language generative AI models respond to The Montreal Cognitive Assessment test. BMJ 20 December 2024

The ghosts of research past, present and future: understanding the past to inform a future of models-based practice research
This paper draws inspiration from Charles Dickens’ novel, A Christmas Carol. In this work, the miserly protagonist is visited by three spirits – the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future – to warn him of the consequences of leading a parsimonious life. In the paper, the metaphor of research ghosts is used to explore the past, present, and a possible future of Models-based Practice (MbP) research. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy 8 December 2024

How to transport a polar bear, and other idiosyncrasies in providing emergency medical services in the Arctic
Emergency helicopters in Norway’s northern Svalbard archipelago sometimes take unusual passengers. BMJ 18 December 2024

Alzheimer’s disease mortality among taxi and ambulance drivers: population based cross sectional study
The hippocampus is important for spatial memory and navigation and is one of the first brain regions to atrophy in Alzheimer’s disease. This study investigates deaths from Alzheimer’s disease amongst people with occupations that demand frequent spatial and navigational processing. Taxi drivers and ambulance drivers, occupations involving frequent navigational and spatial processing, had the lowest proportions of deaths attributed to Alzheimer’s disease of all occupations. BMJ 17 December 2024

Effect of heated mittens on physical hand function in people with hand osteoarthritis: randomised controlled trial
Use of electrically heated mittens for six weeks was not related to a positive change in physical hand function compared with control mittens. Heated mittens provided no additional benefits on global rating of hand osteoarthritis related problems and grip strength. A small benefit was detected for hand pain, but this could have been overestimated. BMJ 17 December 2024

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2023

Analysis of Barbie medical and science career dolls: descriptive quantitative study
Medicine and science themed dolls help to inspire tomorrow’s medical professionals and scientists. All toy companies should ensure that future medical professional and scientist dolls meet clinical and laboratory safety standards and diversify the types of medical and scientific professions represented (especially among male dominated fields). For young girls’ sakes as much as her own, Barbie must keep shattering glass ceilings. BMJ 18 December 2024

Effect of a doctor working during the festive period on population health: natural experiment using 60 years of Doctor Who episodes (the TARDIS study)
A new Doctor Who episode shown every festive period, especially on Christmas Day, was associated with reduced mortality rates in England, Wales, and the UK, suggesting that a doctor working over the festive period could lower mortality rates. This finding reinforces why healthcare provision should not be taken for granted and may prompt the BBC and Disney+ to televise new episodes of Doctor Who every festive period, ideally on Christmas Day. BMJ 18 December 2024

An elf service for the NHS: individual doctors can lead digital transformation from the bottom up
On Christmas morning, Santa Claus delivers presents to many good children worldwide. His operation has grown hugely since the illustrated poem Old Santeclaus with Much Delight introduced the modern Santa in 1821, when the world’s population was just one billion. Santa’s work seems to have been scaled up without customer dissatisfaction or bad press—so he must have a solid recruitment and retention plan for his elf workforce, making smart use of digital transformation. BMJ 14 December 2023

Common Healthcare Related Instruments Subjected To Magnetic Attraction Study (CHRISTMAS): prospective in situ experimental study
The study highlights the potential for harm (major tissue damage and bone fractures) when commonly found objects in a healthcare setting are unintentionally brought into the MRI scanner room. Patients and healthcare professionals need to be aware of the dangers associated with bringing ferromagnetic objects into the MRI environment. BMJ 21 December 2023

Chocolate brownies and calorie restriction: the sweetest paradox?
Could sharing chocolate cake increase engagement with research on intermittent fasting? BMJ 20 December 2023

Association of health benefits and harms of Christmas dessert ingredients in recipes from The Great British Bake Off: umbrella review of umbrella reviews of meta-analyses of observational studies
Recipes for Christmas desserts from The Great British Bake Off often use ingredient groups that are associated with reductions, rather than increases, in the risk of death or disease. This Christmas, if concerns about the limitations of observational nutrition research are set aside, you can have your cake and eat it too. BMJ 20 December 2023

Cheers not tears: champagne corks and eye injury
The joyful effervescence of champagne is often associated with celebration, happiness, and the holiday season. The rapid release of carbon dioxide gas after uncorking a bottle of sparkling wine is a memorable moment enjoyed by all, regardless of whether you drink alcohol. But there is a dark side to uncorking these bubbly beverages. Cork eye injuries are an often overlooked and substantial threat to ocular health. BMJ 20 December 2023

Bug in a mug: are hospital coffee machines transmitting pathogens?
For many, coffee is the elixir of life. But is it also a cradle of life? Sarah Victoria Walker and colleagues peer into the depths of the hospital coffee machine. BMJ 18 December 2023

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2022

Taking the biscuit: defining excessive quantities of free refreshments in a healthcare library
Evidence suggests that complementary hot drinks and biscuits benefit an overworked and highly stressed healthcare workforce. But when signage in healthcare libraries asks patrons not to consume “excessive” quantities of free hot drinks and biscuits, how much is too much? Tabner and colleagues explore this resource allocation conundrum. BMJ 19 December 2022

Everything causes cancer? Beliefs and attitudes towards cancer prevention among anti-vaxxers, flat earthers, and reptilian conspiracists: online cross sectional survey
Almost half of the participants agreed that “It seems like everything causes cancer,” which highlights the difficulty that society encounters in differentiating actual and mythical causes owing to mass information. People who believed in conspiracies, rejected the covid-19 vaccine, or preferred alternative medicine were more likely to endorse the mythical causes of cancer than their counterparts but were less likely to endorse the actual causes of cancer. These results suggest a direct connection between digital misinformation and consequent erroneous health decisions, which may represent a further preventable fraction of cancer. BMJ 21 December 2022

Quantifying the benefits of inefficient walking: Monty Python inspired laboratory based experimental study
For adults with no known gait disorder who average approximately 5000 steps/day, exchanging about 22%-34% of their daily steps with higher energy, low efficiency walking in Teabag style—requiring around 12-19 min—could increase daily EE by 100 kcal. Adults could achieve 75 minutes of vigorous intensity physical activity per week by walking inefficiently for about 11 min/day. Had an initiative to promote inefficient movement been adopted in the early 1970s, we might now be living among a healthier society. Efforts to promote higher energy—and perhaps more joyful—walking should ensure inclusivity and inefficiency for all. BMJ 21 December 2022

Can artificial intelligence pass the Fellowship of the Royal College of Radiologists examination? Multi-reader diagnostic accuracy study
When special dispensation for the artificial intelligence candidate was provided (that is, exclusion of non-interpretable images), the artificial intelligence candidate was able to pass two of 10 mock examinations. Potential exists for the artificial intelligence candidate to improve its radiographic interpretation skills by focusing on musculoskeletal cases and learning to interpret radiographs of the axial skeleton and abdomen that are currently considered “non-interpretable.” BMJ 21 December 2022

“Harry Potter and the Multitudinous Maladies”: a retrospective population‐based observational study of morbidity and mortality among witches and wizards
Morbidity and, in particular, mortality were very high and predominantly caused by magical means. Further investigation into the safety at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is warranted. The few treatments used had high success rates; rapid recovery was the rule, and hospital stays generally brief. Efforts should be undertaken to identify the magical therapies and interventions used and to introduce these novel remedies into Muggle medicine. MJA 12 December 2022
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2021

A guide to the management of atrial fibrillation in Santa Claus
In view of his advanced age and risk factors, Santa Claus is at high risk of developing atrial fibrillation. Despite this, no guidelines exist on the subject. Following a review of the literature, we present our position on the management of atrial fibrillation in Santa Claus, and propose the use of the SANTA CLAUS mnemonic to aid clinicians: Screen for atrial fibrillation; Anticoagulate; Normalise heart rate; Treat comorbidities; Anti‐arrhythmic drugs; Cardioversion; Lifestyle measures; Ablation treatment; Understand emotional and psychological impact; Save Santa Claus. MJA 13 December 2021

The CRECHE study: testing the urban myth that chocolate Santa Clauses are re‐wrapped Easter Bunnies
Although about one‐third of our survey respondents did not rule out the possibility of seasonal sweets being re‐used, Whole body computed tomography (WBCT) imaging found no similarity between chocolate foil‐wrapped Easter and Christmas figurines, providing solid evidence against this urban myth. Chocolate Santa Clauses are unlikely to pose a significant threat to hospital food hygiene requirements. MJA 13 December 2021

We all fall down: head injuries in nursery rhyme characters
Nursery rhymes might aim to teach children morals and good behaviour, but Declan Patton examines several that involve or are suspected of involving fall related head injuries and wonders if they convey the correct message.  BMJ 15 December 2021

Garlic as a vampire deterrent: fact or fiction?
We believe we have summarised the available evidence for the efficacious use of garlic as a protective measure against vampires and conclude that both the science and historical evidence support the use of garlic as a public health intervention. Faced with ongoing environmental (biodiversity loss, climate change) and medical (COVID‐19 pandemic) disasters, populations globally are increasingly vulnerable to additional assaults on their wellbeing. Removing as many stressors as possible is good public health practice under such circumstances, if only to render the population more resilient to assaults on the public health by possible threats, such as vampires, over which we have little control. For these reasons, we recommend that all individuals increase their use of garlic as a preventive measure to minimise the risks of a “vampiregeddon” event. BMJ 13 December 2021

Ghost in the machine or monkey with a typewriter—generating titles for Christmas research articles in The BMJ using artificial intelligence: observational study
AI can generate plausible, entertaining, and scientifically interesting titles for potential Christmas research articles in The BMJ; as in other areas of medicine, performance was enhanced by human intervention. BMJ 15 December 2021
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2020

Delivering human factors at Christmas: how does Father Christmas do it?
During the festive period, Father Christmas (also known as Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, and Kris Kringle) has the busiest 24 hours of his year delivering Christmas presents across the world. While this seems an insurmountable task, for him it’s all in a night’s work, facilitated by applying human factors (HF) in many areas. BMJ 16 December 2020 _________________________________________________________________________________

2019

Symbolic sexism: superficial or serious bias? An investigation into images on patient call bells
The known: Sexism persists in health care despite policies and procedures that require gender equality. Patient call bells in our hospital include female images, but gender‐specific symbols are unnecessary and inappropriate.
The new: Most call bells in our international sample bore female images. This is an example of widespread and probably unconscious bias.
The implications: Sexism is manifested both subtly and overtly in health care. Hospitals need to actively identify unconscious bias to achieve equitable workplaces. MJA 9 December 2019
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2018
The emergence and characteristics of the Australian Mamil
The known Middle-aged men in Lycra (Mamils) are often described in the media, but little is known about the extent of the phenomenon.
The new We found that Mamils do exist, evidenced by increases in the proportion of middle-aged men who cycle at least weekly. However, more regular cycling and commuting to work by bicycle have not increased. The habitat of the Mamil is predominantly in affluent suburbs of major cities, often near water.
The implications Mamils provide mutual midlife support for each other and engage in challenging cycling on expensive machines, but may not contribute to increasing overall physical activity levels among adult Australians. MJA 10 December 2018

Licence to swill: James Bond’s drinking over six decades
The known James Bond exhibited problematic alcohol consumption in the Bond books, but their content often deviates from that of the movies.
The new Bond showed a consistent pattern of heavy drinking in all 24 movies over six decades (109 drinking events). His peak binge involved 24 units of alcohol (6 vespers), enough to kill some people. His hazardous activities after drinking included fights, vehicle chases, contact with dangerous animals, and sex with enemies, sometimes with guns or knives in the bed.
The implications Bond should seek professional help and find alternatives to drinking for managing on-the-job stress. MJA 10 December 2018

Everything is awesome: Don't forget the Lego
What is already known on this topic:
•    Children frequently ingest foreign objects.
•    Parents worry about transit times and complications from ingestion.
What this paper adds
•    A predefined object passes through adult patients in 1–3 days.
•    There were no complications in our subjects.
•    Parents should be counselled not to search for the object in stools as it is difficult to find.
Journal of paediatrics and child health 22 November 2018
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2017

The Specialty and Naughty/Nice Tendency Audit (SANTA): which medical specialists can be trusted to follow recipes?
The known Personality is thought to influence choice of medical specialty; it is also likely to influence whether a doctor tends to follow recipes or not. Santa expects food offerings beside the Christmas tree.
The new Most doctors do not follow recipes, despite admitting that the results are often less than desired.
The implications Santa will be disappointed by the quality of food offerings beside the Christmas trees of medical practitioners.
MJA 11 December 2017

The science behind “man flu”
This research explores whether men are wimps or just immunologically inferior. BMJ 11 December 2017
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2016
The razor’s edge: Australian rock music impairs men’s performance when pretending to be a surgeon
Rock music impairs the performance of men but not women when undertaking complex surgical procedures in the board game Operation, increasing the time taken to operate and showing a trend towards more surgical mistakes. In addition, classical music was associated with lower perceived distraction during the game, but this effect was attenuated when factoring in how much people liked the music, with suggestions that only people who particularly liked the music of Mozart found it beneficial. Conclusions: Rock music (specifically Australian rock music) appears to have detrimental effects on surgical performance. Men are advised not to listen to rock music when either operating or playing board games. MJA 12 December 2016

What’s in your hot dog? A histological comparative analysis
The contents of hot dogs (also known as street meat, tube steaks, frankfurters, wieners, etc) have been a source of speculation in popular culture. However, a search of published literature did not identify any studies analysing the histological composition of these products. The oral mucosa from the vermillion border and anuses of large mammalian domesticated animals has been postulated. We sought to not only determine the varieties of tissues that make up hot dogs, but also to do a comparative analysis of various brands of hot dogs to study the amount of skeletal muscle (which most people consider to represent meat) within each type. MJA 12 December 2016
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2015
The psychopathology of James Bond and its implications for the revision of the DSM-(00)7
The proposed DSM-(00)7 has benefits for both patients and clinicians. Patients will experience reduced stigma, as most individuals will meet the criteria for Normality Disorder. This parsimonious diagnostic approach will also mean clinicians have more time to focus on patient management. MJA 14 December 2015
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2014
The Darwin Awards: sex differences in idiotic behaviour
Sex differences in risk seeking behaviour, emergency hospital admissions, and mortality are well documented. However, little is known about sex differences in idiotic risk taking behaviour. This paper reviews the data on winners of the Darwin Award over a 20 year period (1995-2014). Winners of the Darwin Award must eliminate themselves from the gene pool in such an idiotic manner that their action ensures one less idiot will survive. This paper reports a marked sex difference in Darwin Award winners: males are significantly more likely to receive the award than females (P<0.0001). We discuss some of the reasons for this difference. BMJ 11 December 2014

What proof is in your Christmas pudding? Is caring under the influence possible?
Christmas puddings contain ethanol that does not all evaporate during the cooking process. However, the rise in blood alcohol content (BAC) after ingestion of a typical slice of Christmas pudding was negligible and unlikely to affect work performance or safety or impair a health care worker's ability to make complex decisions. MJA 14 December 2014

The surprising benefit of passive–aggressive behaviour at Christmas parties: being crowned king of the crackers
The passive–aggressive strategy of failing to pull has a high rate of success at winning Christmas crackers; however, excessive adoption of this approach will result in a complete failure, with no winners at all. MJA 15 December 2014
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2013
The survival time of chocolates on hospital wards: covert observational study
From this observational study, chocolate survival in a hospital ward was relatively short, and was modelled well by an exponential decay model. Roses chocolates were preferentially consumed to Quality Street chocolates in a ward setting. Chocolates were consumed primarily by healthcare assistants and nurses, followed by doctors. Further practical studies are needed. BMJ 13 December 2013
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2012
Why Rudolph’s nose is red: observational study
The nasal microcirculation of reindeer is richly vascularised, with a vascular density 25% higher than that in humans. These results highlight the intrinsic physiological properties of Rudolph’s legendary luminous red nose, which help to protect it from freezing during sleigh rides and to regulate the temperature of the reindeer’s brain, factors essential for flying reindeer pulling Santa Claus’s sleigh under extreme temperatures. BMJ 12 November 2012
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2011
Orthopaedic surgeons: as strong as an ox and almost twice as clever? Multicentre prospective comparative study
Male orthopaedic surgeons have greater intelligence and grip strength than their male anaesthetic colleagues, who should find new ways to make fun of their orthopaedic friends. BMJ 11 December 2011

Is 27 really a dangerous age for famous musicians? Retrospective cohort study
The authors identified three deaths at age 27 amongst 522 musicians at risk, giving a rate of 0.57 deaths per 100 musician years. Similar death rates were observed at ages 25 (rate=0.56) and 32 (0.54). There was no peak in risk around age 27, but the risk of death for famous musicians throughout their 20s and 30s was two to three times higher than the general UK population. The 27 club is unlikely to be a real phenomenon. Fame may increase the risk of death among musicians, but this risk is not limited to age 27. BMJ 20 December 2011
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2010 

Effect on gastric function and symptoms of drinking wine, black tea, or schnapps with a Swiss cheese fondue: randomised controlled crossover trial
Gastric emptying after a Swiss cheese fondue is noticeably slower and appetite suppressed if consumed with higher doses of alcohol. This effect was not associated with dyspeptic symptoms. BMJ 10 December 2010

A shopping list of doctors
The season of dietary indulgence seems a good time to celebrate doctors whose names have become linked with items of food and drink. From antiquity to the present, doctors have attempted to influence the diet of their patients. Some have developed foods that became so popular that they have achieved lasting commercial success. Although many are forgotten as doctors, their names remain well known to the public, becoming famous brand names and trademarks. BMJ 10 December 2010
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2008

Head and neck injury risks in heavy metal: head bangers stuck between rock and a hard bass
To minimise the risk of head and neck injury, head bangers should decrease their range of head and neck motion, head bang to slower tempo songs by replacing heavy metal with adult oriented rock, only head bang to every second beat, or use personal protective equipment. BMJ 18 December 2008
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2006
Sword swallowing and its side effects
Sword swallowers run a higher risk of injury when they are distracted or adding embellishments to their performance, but injured performers have a better prognosis than patients who suffer iatrogenic perforation. BMJ 21 December 2006

The hazards of watching football — are Australians at risk?
Australians appear to be resistant to acute stressors associated with watching sporting events, possibly due to higher rates of motivational deficiency disorder (MoDeD) than in European populations. MJA 4 December 2006
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2005

The case of the disappearing teaspoons: longitudinal cohort study of the displacement of teaspoons in an Australian research institute
56 (80%) of the 70 teaspoons disappeared during the study. The half life of the teaspoons was 81 days. The half life of teaspoons in communal tearooms (42 days) was significantly shorter than for those in rooms associated with particular research groups (77 days). The rate of loss was not influenced by the teaspoons' value. The incidence of teaspoon loss over the period of observation was 360.62 per 100 teaspoon years. At this rate, an estimated 250 teaspoons would need to be purchased annually to maintain a practical institute-wide population of 70 teaspoons. BMJ 22 December 2005
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2004
The perils of pet ownership: a new fall-injury risk factor
Pets are a potential environmental hazard in the occurrence of fall-related injuries in older people, with dogs and cats most likely to be involved. Women appear more likely than men to be injured. MJA 6 December 2004

A precious case from Middle Earth
Tolkien’s character Gollum is certainly disturbed, but is he physically or mentally ill? Gandalf the Wizard provides the history BMJ 18 December 2004
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