The Best of Highlight HEALTH 2011 – The Year in Review

Reading time: 7 – 12 minutes

This December (in fact just four days ago) Highlight HEALTH celebrated its fifth year promoting advances in biomedical research. To observe the event, for the next two months we’re holding prize pack giveaways.

Would you like to win two free books, two magazine subscriptions and a Webicina T-shirt? To enter the giveaway, simply subscribe to the Highlight HEALTH Network email updates.

As the year draws to a close, let’s take a look back at the top stories readers were interested in for 2011. We’ve compiled two top ten lists of the most-viewed stories for the year, one as measured by the absolute number of page views and the other as measured by the average number of page views per day posted.

To get an idea of the underlying theme for the top ten lists, here’s a tag cloud of terms taken from the news stories that made the cut:

Top Biomedical Research News Stories for 2011

According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 80% of internet users have searched online for information about health. To see what’s been frequently viewed on Highlight HEALTH, we’ve calculated the top stories for the year using two measures, either by the highest absolute number of page views for 2011 or by the average number of page views per day (7 out of 10 overlap both lists). Each story indicates an article number (we published a total of 115 stories in 2011) and number of views.

Top 10 stories by highest absolute page view for the year

1. Crizotinib: Another Step Towards Personalized Cancer Care
   (article #11; 6,671 page views)

   Three research studies in a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine highlight the therapeutic potential of crizotinib, a drug that blocks fusion proteins of anaplastic lymphoma kinase, a signaling molecule that can regulate cell growth.

2. Clarian Health Becomes Indiana University Health
   (article #5; 5,469 page views)

   On Monday, January 24, 2011, Clarian Health, the second largest health organization in Indiana, officially changed its name to Indiana University Health.

3. Grey Weather, Grey Mood: Cortisol Levels May Underlie Seasonal Affective Disorder
   (article #13; 5,449 page views)

   A recent study finds that the cortisol response to awakening is reduced in people with self-assessed seasonal affective disorder.

4. Flu Vaccine for the 2011-2012 Season Approved
   (article #62; 5,302 page views)

   On Monday, July 18th, 2011, the FDA said it had approved the formulation for the 2011-2012 vaccine.

5. Neti Pot Deaths Spark Tap Water Warnings
   (article #113; 5,078 page views)

   There have been two neti pot-associated deaths in Louisiana recently, both of which were caused by infection with the “brain-eating amoeba,” Naegleria fowleri.

6. New Strategic Plan for NIH Obesity Research Seeks to Curb Epidemic
   (article #35; 5,063 page views)

   To combat the obesity epidemic, the National Institutes of Health is encouraging diverse scientific investigations through a new Strategic Plan for NIH Obesity Research.

7. President Obama Resists Cuts to Biomedical Research Funding
   (article #16; 4,648 page views)

   While making cuts and freezes in many areas of government, the 2012 budget President Obama recently sent to Congress seeks an increase in funding for biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

8. Daily Aspirin May Reduce Cancer Risk
   (article #9; 4,419 page views)

   A recent report published in The Lancet claims that at least 75mg of aspirin every day can also reduce the risk of developing many different types of cancers.

9. Health Literacy: Key for Managing Personal Health
   (article #2; 4,341 page views)

   Health literacy: what is it, why is it important, and what is being done to increase it and create a health literate society.

10. Easter Seals Living With Disabilities Study
    (article #1; 4,011 page views)

    Most of us take everyday adult life for granted; we have a place to live, access to transportation and the opportunity to live independently. But what happens if you’re one of the millions of adults living with a developmental disability in this country?

Top 10 stories by average number of page views per day

1. Neti Pot Deaths Spark Tap Water Warnings
   (article #113; average: 725 page views/day)

   There have been two neti pot-associated deaths in Louisiana recently, both of which were caused by infection with the “brain-eating amoeba,” Naegleria fowleri.

2. Supplemental Vitamin E and A, Worth The Risk?
   (article #115; average: 118 page views/day)

   A recent research summary published in The Medical Letter On Drugs and Therapeutics may help consumers and practitioners to wade through the conflicting information on supplements, as many supplements have both risks and benefits associated with their use.

3. Flu Vaccine for the 2011-2012 Season Approved
   (article #62; average: 32 page views/day)

   On Monday, July 18th, 2011, the FDA said it had approved the formulation for the 2011-2012 vaccine.

4. Celebrating Five Years of Highlight HEALTH, Prize Pack Giveaways
   (article #108; average: 21 page views/day)

   Some events are special and meant to be observed. Here at Highlight HEALTH, we’re coming up on one of those events: our 5 year anniversary! To celebrate this milestone and to give something back to our subscribers, for the next three months we’re holding a prize giveaway.

5. Crizotinib: Another Step Towards Personalized Cancer Care
   (article #11; average: 20 page views/day)

   Three research studies in a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine highlight the therapeutic potential of crizotinib, a drug that blocks fusion proteins of anaplastic lymphoma kinase, a signaling molecule that can regulate cell growth.

6. New Strategic Plan for NIH Obesity Research Seeks to Curb Epidemic
   (article #35; average: 19 page views/day)

   To combat the obesity epidemic, the National Institutes of Health is encouraging diverse scientific investigations through a new Strategic Plan for NIH Obesity Research.

7. Grey Weather, Grey Mood: Cortisol Levels May Underlie Seasonal Affective Disorder
   (article #13; average: 17 page views/day)

   A recent study finds that the cortisol response to awakening is reduced in people with self-assessed seasonal affective disorder.

8. Clarian Health Becomes Indiana University Health
   (article #5; average: 16.1 page views/day)

   On Monday, January 24, 2011, Clarian Health, the second largest health organization in Indiana, officially changed its name to Indiana University Health.

9. President Obama Resists Cuts to Biomedical Research Funding
   (article #16; average: 15 page views/day)

   While making cuts and freezes in many areas of government, the 2012 budget President Obama recently sent to Congress seeks an increase in funding for biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

10. Tips for a Healthy Thanksgiving
    (article #104; average: 14 page views/day)

    Some easy science-based tips to ensure not only a delicious turkey but a healthy Thanksgiving.

Thanks for reading and Best of Health in the coming year!