Author: Marie Benz MD FAAD
13 Apr 26 Additional Genes Linked to Intellectual Disability Identified
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Muhammad Ayub MBBS, MRCPsych, MSc., MD Professor of Psychiatry Chair Division of Developmental Disabilities Department of Psychiatry Queens University Kingston Kingston ON Canada MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Intellectual Disability affects about 1 percent of the population worldwide. Genetics play a major role in its etiology. Better understanding of the genetic causes is a necessary step in development of improved diagnosis and treatment. Recessive inheritance where the affected child inherits a defective copy of a gene from both the parents is an important genetic mechanism for prevalence of the disease in populations where within family marriages are common. These types of marital bonds are common in South Asia and Middle Eastern countries. The families where parents are related are an effective resource to study recessive forms of Intellectual Disability.13 Apr Founder of ‘The Pink Fund’ Describes Her Journey With Breast Cancer
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_33870" align="alignleft" width="191"]
Molly MacDonald[/caption]
Molly MacDonald
Founder/President/CEO
SurThrivor™
MedicalResearch.com: Would you tell us a little about yourself, especially your life before/outside of your cancer diagnosis?
Response: My life before cancer was a struggle of a different sort. In 1997 I drove up the driveway to our lovely home with five children ages 4-13 safely strapped into the back of my gus guzzling suburban. As I approached the front of the house, I noticed a small paper, about the 4X10 inches tacked to our front door, and where we lived no one tacked notes to the front door and all service providers went around to the side.
Pulling it off I read that the house was to auctioned off in 30 days. That night I had a very unpleasant conversation with my husband during which I learned the deal he was pursuing, among other things, had not come to fruition and he was fronting it with our assets.
Within a monthI liquidated what I could, rented a house for cash and began the process of transitioning our lives from a life of luxury to living paycheck to paycheck.
Trying to find work, while navigating a nasty divorce and helping my children adjust was a huge challenge.
13 Apr Novel Viral Vector Allows Gene Transfer To Correct Hearing Loss
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_33853" align="alignleft" width="163"]
Dr. Landegger[/caption]
Lukas Landegger MD
Molecular Neurotology Laboratory (PI Konstantina Stankovic)
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Genetic hearing loss affects more than 125 million people worldwide and constitutes a major hurdle for language acquisition and child development in general. Technological advances over the last decades, such as cochlear implants, have made it possible for deaf children to partially regain their sense of hearing. However, these devices still have several shortcomings, especially when listeners attempt to understand speech in noise or listen to music.
In establishing Anc80L65 as a reliable vector for gene delivery in the inner ear and releasing the first data demonstrating convincing hearing and vestibular function rescue in mice, we provide a foundation for other researchers interested in assessing the benefits of gene therapy in animal models of human disease.
13 Apr Mortality From Cardiovascular Disease in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Drops, But Still Exceeds General Population
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_33866" align="alignleft" width="141"]
Dr. Rawshani[/caption]
Aidin Rawshani, MD, PhD student
Sahlgrenska Academy
University of Gothenburg
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Management of diabetes has improved in the past decades, studies have shown that mortality and cardiovascular disease among patients with diabetes has decreased, but these studies have not compared the trends among persons with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes to those of the general population, where there have also been reductions in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
We observed marked reductions in incidence for cardiovascular disease and mortality among individuals with diabetes, however, similar trends were observed for the general population. We observed a 43% (HR 1.43, 95% CI 1.25–1.62) greater event rate reduction for cardiovascular disease among individuals with type 1 diabetes compared to matched controls. The reduction in the rate of fatal outcomes did not differ significantly between patients with type 1 diabetes and controls, whereas patients with type 2 diabetes had a 13% (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.85–0.89) lesser event rate reduction compared with matched controls.
There was a 27% (HR 1.27, 95% CI 1.22–1.32) greater event rate reduction for cardiovascular disease among individuals with type 2 diabetes, compared with matched controls. Nevertheless, there remains a substantial excess overall rate of all outcomes analysed among persons with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes, as compared with the general population.
13 Apr Fewer Heart Attacks and Strokes After Trans-Fat Restriction Laws in New York
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_33863" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Eric Brandt[/caption]
Eric J. Brandt, MD
Yale University
Cardiovascular Disease Fellow
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: From previous studies we know that industrial trans fatty acid (trans fat) consumption is linked to elevated risk for cardiovascular disease. Even small amounts of consumption can be deleterious to cardiovascular health. In New York state, there were 11 counties that restricted the use of trans fatty acids in eateries. We compared hospitalization for heart attacks and stroke from 2002 through 2013 in counties that did and did not have restrictions.
Our study found that when comparing populations within New York state that restricted the use of trans fat, compared to those that did not, there was an associated additional decline beyond temporal trends for heart attacks and stroke events combined by 6.2%.
13 Apr Oral Bacteria Linked to Cardiovascular Disease
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Bradley F. Bale, M.D. Texas Tech Health Science Center School of Nursing, Lubbock, Texas 1002 Montrose Drive Gallatin, TN 37066 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: It has been known for some time that periodontal disease is associated with higher risk for arterial disease. It was shown decades ago that the germs in the mouth frequently seed into our blood stream with simple activities such as chewing and brushing our teeth. During the last decade, it was discovered certain high risk periodontal pathogens are associated with various cardiovascular (CV) risk factors such as blood pressure, lipid levels, insulin resistance and endothelial dysfunction. These studies elucidated that the CV risk stems from the bacteria involved in the periodontal disease and not the clinical signs such as pocket depth, bleeding of gums and loose teeth. The above knowledge demonstrated that high risk periodontal pathogens can adversely influence two of the three elements in the atherogenic triad. Those factors are concentration of apoB and endothelial inflammation and dysfunction. Then approximately two years ago it was published that the high risk pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis (P.g.) can enhance the third element. This portion is the transformation of contractile smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in the medial layer of artery into migratory secretory SMCs. These morphed cells enter the deep layer of the intima and enrich it with proteoglycans which are the ‘velcro’ that traps cholesterol particles in the arterial wall and initiates the formation of arterial disease. At that point, there was solid evidence that the high risk pathogens boost every element in the triad to create atherosclerosis. With that knowledge these pathogens must be considered a contributory cause of arterial disease. When a condition is causal it demands diagnosis and management to reduce the disease risk.12 Apr Nasal Spray of Stem Cell Vesicles First Step Toward Treating Brain Diseases
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_33838" align="alignleft" width="189"]
Dr. Prockop[/caption]
Dr. Darwin J. Prockop, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor and Director
Institute for Regenerative Medicine
Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine
Temple, TX
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: We and many others have been trying for many years to develop therapies with adult stem cells that might rescue the brain from the injuries and disease. Recently many of found that small vesicles secreted by adult stem cells have many of the beneficial effects of the cells themselves. The paper shows that a nasal spray of the vesicles can rescue mice from the long-term effects of severe epilepsy.
11 Apr Can Greebles Help Identify People At Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Emily Mason, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Associate Department of Neurological Surgery University of Louisville MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? [caption id="attachment_33830" align="alignleft" width="350"]
Family History of Alzheimer’s Disease is Associated with Impaired Perceptual Discrimination of Novel Objects[/caption]
Response: Alzheimer’s disease is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that currently affects one in eight Americans over the age of 65. Unfortunately, there is still no treatment that will halt or reverse the pathology associated with Alzheimer’s disease. One of the reasons for this may be that we still don’t fully understand what is happening in the very earliest stages of the disease. Previous studies have shown that one of the pathological hallmarks of the disease, called “tau tangles,” begins to accumulate in a specific area of the brain called the medial temporal lobe decades before people are typically diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. We wondered if we could use cognitive tests targeted to structures in the medial temporal lobe to pick up very subtle behavioral changes in people who were at increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease. We examined people who were in their 40s and 50s, which is a time when if any differences could be detected, it’s possible that pathology may be reversible.
Using a cognitive task called “odd man out" that can be easily implemented using a computer, we found that subjects at risk for Alzheimer’s disease tended to do worse in identifying differences between objects called Greebles. These objects are highly visually similar, and most people have never seen them before. Those two things make this task very difficult. We believe that this study lays some of the groundwork in developing cognitive tests targeted at relatively young subjects who may be in the very earliest stages of the disease.
11 Apr Smoking Associated With Comorbidities in Atopic Dermatitis
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_33825" align="alignleft" width="180"]
Dr. Thyssen[/caption]
Jacob P. Thyssen MD, PhD, DmSci
Department of Dermatology and Allergy
Herlev and Gentofte Hospital
University of Copenhagen
Hellerup, Denmark
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Atopic dermatitis has been associated with various comorbidities. With the emergence of biologics for the treatment of atopic dermatitis, the hypothesis has been raised that atopic dermatitis is a systemic immune disease affecting more than just the skin.
11 Apr Evaluation of Athletic Hip Injuries
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_33820" align="alignleft" width="173"]
Dr. Christopher Larson[/caption]
Christopher M. Larson, M.D.
Minnesota Orthopedic Sports Medicine Institute
Twin Cities Orthopedics
Edina, MN
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Until recently Athletic Hip and Pelvis disorders and the appropriate treatment strategies have not received the same attention as other sports related disorders. There is significant overlap between intra-articular and extra-articular hip disorders that make this a challenging area of sports medicine from a diagnosis and treatment standpoint.
11 Apr Animal Study Suggests Lorcaserin (Belviq®) May be Useful to Reduce Opioid Intake
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Christina R. Merritt and Kathryn A. Cunningham Center for Addiction Research University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston, TX 77555 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Opioid use disorder (OUD) is one of the top public health problems in the United States. Overdoses on prescription opioids, heroin and fentanyl accounted for 33,091 deaths in the U.S. in 2015 (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm655051e1.htm); each day, 91 Americans die from an opioid overdose. The first-ever Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs and Health (https://addiction.surgeongeneral.gov/ ) observed that more people used prescription opioids than tobacco in 2015. Furthermore, individuals with OUD, the most problematic pattern of opioid abuse, often relapse, particularly in environments associated with past drug use, and new means to help maintain abstinence are needed. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) function in the brain, particularly through its cognate 5-HT2C receptor, is an important regulator of the abuse liability of cocaine and other psychostimulants. Previous studies suggested that the weight loss medication and selective 5-HT2C receptor agonist lorcaserin (Belviq®) can curb cocaine- and nicotine-seeking in preclinical models, even when tested in tempting environments. We administered lorcaserin to rats who were trained to take the powerful painkiller oxycodone (OxyContin®), a prescription opioid currently approved for treatment of acute and chronic pain with characteristically high abuse potential. Lorcaserin suppressed oxycodone intake as well as the drug-seeking behaviors observed when rats were exposed to cues such as the lights and sounds previously associated with drug intake. Taken together, these findings highlights the therapeutic potential for lorcaserin to extend abstinence and enhance recovery from OUD.10 Apr Exposure To Furry Pets During Pregnancy and Babyhood May Help Keep Your Child Lean
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_33811" align="alignleft" width="149"]
Dr. Anita Kozyrskyj[/caption]
Anita Kozyrskyj, PhD
Department of Pediatrics
Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry
University of Alberta
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: We have known for a while that early-life exposure to household pets can reduce risk for allergic disease; new studies also suggest a benefit in preventing overweight. Our pilot study in 2013 showed that postnatal pet exposure increases the number of different beneficial microbes in the infant gut. My team of 12, including first author and Albert Innovates-Health Solutions (AIHS) postdoctoral fellow Hein Min Tun, took the science one step closer to understanding this connection in our recently published work in the Microbiome journal. In a study of 746 infants from the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development Study (CHILD) birth cohort, we investigated the impact of pet exposure during pregnancy or afterwards on infant gut microbes, and whether this depended on how infants were born.
In infants born vaginally or by cesarean section, pet exposure during pregnancy or pre and postnatally up to 3 months after birth increased the amounts of 2 bacteria found on dogs and cats. One is Ruminococcus, linked to lower rates of allergies in children. The other is a relatively unknown microbe, Oscillospira, reported to promote leanness. Another important finding suggested that contact with pets during pregnancy could reduce transmission of vaginal GBS (group B Streptococcus) during birth.
10 Apr Athletes’ Microbiome May Be Conditioned For Performance
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Orla O’Sullivan Computational Biologist, Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Co. Cork, Ireland MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Previously we had demonstrated that professional rugby players had significantly increased microbial diversity compared to both low and high BMI controls. This microbial diversity correlated with creatine kinase levels in the blood (which we had used as a proxy for exercise) and protein intake. In this present study we went a step further and demonstrated that these same athletes had distinct functional potential in their gut microbes compared to controls and furthermore both the host derived ( urine) and bacterial derived ( faecal water) metabolites were also distinct in the athlete group. In particular we found that the athlete’s microbiome is primed for tissue repair and to harness energy from the diet, reflecting the significant energy demands and high cell-turnover evident in elite sport. Thus, the state of physical fitness is not limited to the host alone; it appears to also include conditioning of the microbiota.10 Apr Probiotics May Influence Schizophrenia Symptoms Through Yeast in Microbiome
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Emily G. Severance PhD
Stanley Division of Developmental Neurovirology
Department of Pediatrics
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Baltimore, MD 21287
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Previously, we found that people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder had an increased susceptibility to Candida albicans yeast infections, which was sex specific and associated with memory deficits. Also in an earlier placebo-controlled probiotic study, we found that although probiotics improved the overall bowel function of people with schizophrenia, there was no effect by this treatment on psychiatric symptoms. Given that C. albicans infections can upset the dynamics of the human microbiome, we decided to re-evaluate the potential benefit of probiotics in the context of a patient’s C. albicans yeast status. Not only was bowel function again enhanced following intake of probiotics, but yeast antibody levels were decreased by this treatment.
Furthermore, psychiatric symptoms were actually improved over time for men receiving probiotics who did not have elevated C. albicans antibodies. Men who were positive for C. albicans exposure, however, consistently presented with worse psychiatric symptoms irrespective of probiotic or placebo treatment.
10 Apr Who Takes Advantage of Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_33665" align="alignleft" width="96"]
Dr. Blanke[/caption]
Charles D. Blanke, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.S.C.O.
CHAIR, SWOG
Professor, OHSU Knight Cancer Institute
Marquam II
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act as a voter initiative which law in 1997 – the first of its kind in the nation. Now, physician aid-in-dying is spreading quickly, with the states of Washington, Vermont, Colorado, and California passing similar legislation, as well as the District of Columbia, and Montana (through a court ruling). Millions of Americans lives in states where they would have the opportunity, if they were terminally ill, to take a lethal dose of medication with a doctor’s prescription.
My team here at SWOG, a global cancer research community that designs and conducts publicly funded clinical trials, wanted to look at Oregon’s 18 years of aid-in-dying data and answer some simple questions: Who is using the law? Why? Are the drugs effective? What are the trends in actually taking the prescribed medications? We found that use of law has mostly increased over time – and substantially increased in 2014 and 2015.
We found that predominantly white, older, well-educated people, take advantage of the law, and many of them – 77 percent – have underlying terminal cancer. The medication is also 99.4 percent effective.
10 Apr Radiation Exposure in the Pediatric Patient: What Every Orthopaedist Should Know
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Ayesha Rahman, MD Chief Orthopaedic Surgery Resident NYU Langone Medical Center. MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Children are more vulnerable and susceptible to lifetime adverse events from radiation exposure, caused by imaging . We reviewed literature and found certain pediatric orthopaedic patients are at greater risk for radiation exposure, namely those who have surgery for hip dysplasia, scoliosis, and leg length discrepancy, as they are among those most likely to undergo CT imaging. After reviewing all types of imaging studies performed in orthopedics and how much radiation is involved in each test, we developed several recommendations that pediatric orthopaedic surgeons should follow. Among those recommendations are: utilize low-dose CT protocols or technology that uses less imaging (like EOS), limit CT scans of the spine and pelvis, know that female patients are more susceptible to adverse risk and plan accordingly, and follow the the “as low as reasonably achievable,”principle to limit exposure to parts of the body that are necessary for diagnosis.10 Apr Advanced Heart Failure Patients Should Have Option of LVAD Device
Posted at 15:40h
in Author Interviews
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Amrut V. Ambardekar, MD
Medical Director Cardiac Transplant Program
Division of Cardiology, Section of Advanced Heart Failure-Transplant Cardiology
University of Colorado
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: As left ventricular assist device (LVAD) technology has improved, the appropriate timing for implant of these devices (essential a form of an artificial heart pump) in patients with advanced heart failure is unknown.
The goal of the MedaMACS study was to describe the prognosis of a group of patients with advanced heart failure who currently do not require intravenous therapies, and determine how they compare to a similar group of patients who received a LVAD.
The main finding from this study is that the “sickest” group of patients with advanced heart failure on oral medical therapy (known as INTERMACS profile 4 patients) have very poor outcomes with a strong trend for improvement in survival with LVAD therapy.
The other take home message is that among all of the patients enrolled in the study on medical therapy, only approximately half were alive after an average of 12 months of follow up without needing a heart transplant or LVAD placement.
10 Apr Excessive Rainfall May Be Linked To Autism Through Nitrous Oxide Exposure
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Keith Fluegge BS Institute of Health and Environmental Research (IHER) Cleveland Graduate School, The Ohio State University, Columbus Ohio MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: The research letter discusses the possible link between rainfall precipitation and risk of autism. Earlier research suggested a link, although there remained quite a bit of skepticism surrounding the findings at the time. The purpose of the study was to briefly highlight the role of environmental exposure to the agricultural and combustion pollutant, nitrous oxide (N2O), as a possible etiological factor in neurodevelopmental disorders. We have published a series of epidemiological investigations, reviews, and correspondences discussing this possibility. In my continued research on this topic, I learned that rainfall and extreme weather-related events, like hurricanes, drive N2O emissions, especially from nitrogen amended soils. Exposure to this particular air pollutant may, therefore, plausibly undergird the relationship between rainfall precipitation and risk of autism.10 Apr Hospital Based Primary Care Practices Provide More Low Value Services
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_33781" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. John Mafi[/caption]
John N. Mafi, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research
UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Affiliated Natural Scientist in Health Policy
RAND Corporation
1776 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90401
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Between 10-30% of healthcare costs are due to low value care, or patient care that provides little to no benefit to patients, and can sometimes cause harm (e.g., radiation exposure from diagnostic imaging tests). In this study, we found that hospital-based primary care practice provide more low value care than community-based primary care practices across the United States. Understanding where and why low value care occurs is going to be essential if we want to get serious about eliminating it.
10 Apr Risk Factors and Stroke Rising Among Young Adults
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_33788" align="alignleft" width="180"]
Dr. George[/caption]
Mary G. George, MD, MSPH
Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Atlanta, Georgia
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States, killing more than 130,000 Americans each year—that’s 1 of every 20 deaths—and costs the nation $33 billion annually, including the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity.
And, stroke is leading cause of serious disability. An ischemic stroke, sometimes called a brain attack, is a stroke that occurs when there is a blockage of the blood supply to the brain.
10 Apr Most Newly Arrived Refugees Have Overseas Vaccination Documentation
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Deborah Lee, MPH Division of Global Migration and Quarantine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: We wanted to assess whether documentation for vaccines provided to refugees overseas was received by clinicians in the US and if doses of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine were integrated into the vaccine schedule as recommended for adults and children by the US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. CDC recommends that US-bound refugees receive vaccinations prior to arrival in the United States. Vaccinations are documented on the Vaccination Documentation Worksheet (DS-3025), which refugees bring with them to the United States, and made available to state and local refugee health programs through CDC’s Electronic Disease Notification (EDN) system. Thirty to 90 days after arrival, most refugees have a post-arrival health assessment performed by clinicians affiliated with the state and local refugee health programs. Our assessment indicated that most refugees had overseas vaccination documentation available at the post-arrival health assessments (87%), and that MMR vaccine was given when needed (83%). Furthermore, many refugees (90%) in our assessment did not require an additional MMR dose because they had received vaccination before entering the United States.10 Apr Vitamin D Deficiency Highly Prevalent in Pediatric Irritable Bowel Syndrome
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_33775" align="alignleft" width="120"]
Dr. Nwosu[/caption]
Benjamin Udoka Nwosu, MD, FAAP
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Division of Endocrinology
University of Massachusetts Medical School
Worcester, Massachusetts
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Vitamin D deficiency has been reported in various gastrointestinal disorders but the vitamin D status of children and adolescents with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has not been previously characterized.
Secondly, the vitamin D status in IBS has not been compared to those of other malabsorption syndromes such as irritable bowel syndrome, lactose intolerance, and celiac disease.
09 Apr Thyroid Function Associated With Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Arjola Bano, MD, DSc PhD candidate Departments of Internal Medicine and Epidemiology Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Atherosclerosis is a chronic condition, characterized by the accumulation of lipids and fibrous elements in the arterial walls. It can progress insidiously from an asymptomatic narrowing of the arterial lumen (subclinical phase) to the clinical onset of vascular events (as coronary heart disease or stroke) and death. Despite advances in prevention and treatment, atherosclerotic diseases remain a leading cause of mortality worldwide. Therefore, identifying additional modifiable risk factors for atherosclerosis is of major importance. So far, the role of thyroid hormone on atherosclerosis remains unclear. Moreover, a comprehensive investigation exploring the link of thyroid function with the wide spectrum of atherosclerosis, including subclinical atherosclerosis, clinical atherosclerosis and atherosclerotic mortality, within the same population is lacking. Therefore, in a prospective study of 9231 middle-aged and elderly people, we explored the association of thyroid function with subclinical atherosclerosis (coronary artery calcification), atherosclerotic events (fatal and nonfatal coronary heart disease or stroke) and atherosclerotic mortality (death from coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular or other atherosclerotic disease). Higher free thyroxine (FT4) levels were associated with higher risk of subclinical atherosclerosis, atherosclerotic events and atherosclerotic mortality, independently of cardiovascular risk factors. The risk of atherosclerotic mortality increased with higher FT4 levels (HR; CI: 2.35; 1.61-3.41 per 1 ng/dl) and lower thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels (HR; CI: 0.92; 0.84-1.00 per 1 logTSH), with stronger estimates among participants with a history of atherosclerotic disease (HR; CI: 5.76; 2.79-11.89 for FT4 and 0.81; 0.69-0.95 for TSH).09 Apr Why Do So Many Stroke Survivors Give Up On Preventive Medications?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Anna De Simoni NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in Primary Care Research Centre for Primary Care and Public Health Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry London E1 2AB MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Three in 10 stroke survivors will go on to have a further stroke, which causes greater disability or even death. Secondary prevention medications, including antihypertensives, blood thinning and lipid lowering agents, such as statins, can reduce risk of stroke recurrence by up to 75 per cent. However, patients’ persistence with these medications decreases over time because a minority of people experience side effects, which are mild in most cases. The analysis, involving Queen Mary University of London and the University of Cambridge and published in the journal Family Practice, was performed on the archives from TalkStroke, a UK online forum hosted by the Stroke Association. The forum is used by patients with stroke and their carers, and generated 21,596 posts during 2004-2011. 50 participants were found to discuss GP advice on prevention medications in 43 discussion threads.09 Apr Deep Brain Stimulation Can Be Effective For Severe Tourette Syndrome
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_33758" align="alignleft" width="149"] Alon Mogilner[/caption] Alon Y. Mogilner, M.D., Ph.D. Associate Professor of Neurosurgery and Anesthesiology Director, Center for Neuromodulation Department of Neurosurgery NYU Langone Medical Center New York, NY 10016 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: The study was a review of our series of patients...
09 Apr Emergency Transfusion of Patients with Unknown Blood Type with Blood Group O Rhesus D Positive Blood
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. med. Kathleen Selleng, OÄ, QB Hämotherapie Universitätsmedizin Greifswald Institut für Immunologie und Transfusionsmedizin, Abt. Transfusionsmedizin Sauerbruchstraße Greifswald Deutschland MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Red blood cell concentrates (RBCs) of blood group O RhD negative are frequently used as universal blood for emergency transfusions in patients with unknown blood type. This leads to an over-proportional use of these red blood cell concentrates and regular shortages of O RhD negative RBCs. Due to these shortages, patients with known RhD negative blood type sometimes have to be transfused with RhD positive RBCs. The present study shows that the overall risk to induce an anti-D by transfusing all emergency patients with unknown blood type with O RhD positive RBCs is in the range of 3 to 6%, while this risk is much higher (20-30%) in RhD negative patients which have to be transfused with RhD positive RBCs due to RhD negative RBC shortages.08 Apr Determining the 2-Dimensional Threshold for Perception of Artificial-Appearing Lips
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_33702" align="alignleft" width="142"]
Dr. Sang W. Kim[/caption]
Sang W. Kim, MD
Diplomate, American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Diplomate, American Board of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
Natural Face Clinics
East Syracuse, NY
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: There are extensive volume of studies and descriptions in literature describing ideal proportions and measurement of facial features, objective measurements for what constitute "artificial" and "overdone" facial appearance have not been studied extensively.
But as elective and cosmetic treatment for face become more mainstream and push its limits, we felt it is important to investigate objective measurement to determine when certain facial features appear to be "artificial" and "overdone".
We decided to study the lips because compared to other features of the face, it is more practical to translate in 2-dimension and alter objective measurements such as the height of the lips or the shapes of the curvature.
07 Apr Thyroid Hormone Medication Should Not Be Taken With Cow’s Milk
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Deborah Chon MD Endocrinology fellow UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Our study shows that drinking cow's milk concurrently with oral levothyroxine significantly reduces the absorption of the medication. Levothyroxine is used for the physiologic replacement of thyroid hormone in patients with hypothyroidism and for serum TSH suppression in patients with thyroid cancer. It is the mostly commonly prescribed medication in the United States as of 2014. Frequent dose adjustments of levothyroxine have been shown to be a costly burden to the national healthcare system. Previous studies have shown that certain foods and medication, such as calcium supplements, can interfere with levothyroxine absorption. However, this is the first study to demonstrate that ingesting cow?s milk, a common breakfast staple, affects oral levothyroxine absorption. To determine the possible effect of cow's milk ingestion, we measured levothyroxine absorption in humans with and without concurrent milk consumption. Pharmacokinetic studies were conducted in healthy adults without allergies to milk or levothyroxine, and who were not pregnant nor using oral contraceptives. All subjects had no history of known thyroid disease and normal thyroid hormone function at baseline. Following an overnight fast, serum total thyroxine T4 (TT4) concentrations were measured at baseline and at 1, 2, 4, and 6 hours after ingestion of 1,000 ?g of oral levothyroxine alone or when co-administered with 12 oz. of milk (2% fat). There was a four-week washout period between the two study visits. Ten subjects (mean age 33.7?10.2 years, 60% male) completed the study. The serum total T4 absorption over six hours, calculated as area under the curve (AUC), was significantly lower when taking cow?s milk concurrently with levothyroxine compared levothyroxine alone (mean?SD: 67.26?12.13 vs. 73.48?16.96; p = 0.02). Also, peak serum TT4 concentrations were significantly lower in those who ingested levothyroxine concurrently with milk, compared to taking levothyroxine alone (p=0.04).06 Apr Immunotherapy Ruxolitinib Cream Improves Facial Vitiligo
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_33739" align="alignleft" width="142"] Dr. Rosmarin[/caption] David Rosmarin, MD Dermatologist; Assistant Professor Tufts University School of Medicine MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Vitiligo is a disease where the immune system causes depigmentation of the skin. We performed a pilot study to evaluate the use...