Author: Marie Benz MD FAAD
29 Sep Male Basketball Players With LVH Most At Risk of Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Death
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Kimberly G. Harmon, MD
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195.
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) in a young athlete is tragic devastating families and communities. It has been characterized as “rare” by some, however, previous studies have looked at broad age ranges of athletes and used various methods to determine the incidence rate, sometimes only including athletes which have events during school sponsored events. In addition, many studies only look at sudden cardiac death and do not include sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) where the athlete has a cardiac arrest but is resuscitated and survives. SCA is important to include as ideally we would like to prevent both SCA and SCD in athletes. In this paper, over 1/3 of all US high school athletes were studied for six years to determine the incidence and the causes of SCA/D. Media reports were used to identify cases and then autopsies were obtained in those who died.
29 Sep Ingestible Sensor Demonstrates Positive Effects of Cinnamon
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28438" align="alignleft" width="180"]
Prof. Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh[/caption]
Distinguished Professor Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh
RMIT's School of Engineering
Australia
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
1- The development of "swallow-able gas sensor capsules". This was the final test on animals and focused on the measurement of a food supplement (cinnamon) to show the extraordinary capability of this noninvasive tool that will revolutionise the future of Gastroenterology and Food Sciences
2- That cinnamon can improve the health of the stomach, and hence our overall health, by adjusting the acidity and enzymatic secretion in the stomach. So the good effect of cinnamon is not just a grandparent old advice - It is real.
29 Sep Widespread Rotavirus Vaccination Has Greatly Reduced Infections in Children
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Harvey Kaufman MD Quest Diagnostics Madison, New Jersey MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Quest Diagnostics is the leading provider of diagnostic information services, meaning we provide information and insights from our laboratory test services. This includes analyzing results of our laboratory test data in order to provide insights into health, wellness and disease to help providers, patients and health plans make better healthcare decisions. A Quest Diagnostics Health Trends™ study published in the Pediatrics evaluated 276,949 de-identified test results from children ages infant through 9 years over an 11-year period to determine trends in laboratory rotavirus detection and the impact of the rotavirus vaccine on rotavirus detection. Vaccination is recommended for infants. In the study, two patients groups were evaluated for rotavirus vaccine – likely vaccinated (children who were infants after vaccine availability) and unlikely vaccinated (children who were infants prior to vaccine availability).28 Sep Vitamin B3 in Pregnancy and Atopic Dermatitis in Childhood
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr Sarah El-Heis MBBS, MRCP (London) Clinical Research Fellow MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit University of Southampton Southampton General Hospital Southampton MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Atopic eczema is a common, multifactorial and potentially distressing skin condition. Evidence that it partly originates in utero is increasing with some studies suggesting links with aspects of maternal diet during pregnancy. Nicotinamide is a naturally occurring nutrient that is maintained through the dietary intakes of vitamin B3 and tryptophan. As a topical treatment it has been used in the management of some skin conditions including atopic eczema, and has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects, to stabilise mast cells and to alter lipids in the outer layers of the skin. The objective of our study was to examine the link between maternal serum concentrations of nicotinamide and related tryptophan metabolites to the risk of atopic eczema in the offspring. We found that maternal late pregnancy concentrations of nicotinamide and related metabolite concentrations were not associated with offspring atopic eczema at age 6 months. Higher maternal serum concentrations of nicotinamide and anthranilic acid were, however, associated with a 30% lower risk of eczema at age 12 months.28 Sep Statins Reduce Inflammation As Well As LDL
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28426" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Johan Frostegård[/caption]
Dr. Johan Frostegård MD PhD
Professor of medicine
Karolinska Institutet's Institute of Environmental Medicine and
Consultant at Karolinska University Hospital's Emergency Clinic
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Statins are one of the worlds most sold medications, which has generated large profits, but also, in my opinion, helped many people. Still, side effects are much discussed after more than 2 decades of use, as exemplified by a current debate between Lancet and BMJ (the former has the opinion that side effects are not major issues, but the latter do not agree). Also the exact role of LDL (low density lipoprotein, also known as the ”bad cholesterol”) as a risk factor is discussed, and can vary, according to many researchers. LDL levels are important among middle aged persons, especially men, as a risk markers for cardiovascular disease, especially myocardial infarction. LDL is most likely less important as a risk factor in individuals above 60 years of age, and also among women – as compared to middle aged men.
28 Sep Nighttime Hot Flashes With Sleep Disruption Linked To Depressive Symptoms During Menopause
Posted at 22:45h
in Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Depression, JCEM, Menopause, Sleep Disorders
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_28419" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Hadine Joffe[/caption]
Hadine Joffe, MD, MSc
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Vice Chair for Psychiatry Research
Director of Division of Women's Mental Health / Dept of Psychiatry / Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Director of Psycho-Oncology Research / Dept of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care /Dana Farber Cancer Institute
www.brighamwharp.org
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: We conducted this study to advance our understanding about causes of mood disturbance in the menopause transition that are specifically related to menopause. We used an experimental model to dissect out the contributions of hot flashes and sleep disturbance from contribution of changing levels of estrogen because hot flashes, sleep problems, and estrogen fluctuations co-occur and are difficult to distinguish from one another. Understanding whether hot flashes and/or sleep disturbance are causally related to mood disturbance will help us identify who is at risk for mood changes during the menopause transition. This is incredibly important now that we are finding effective non-hormonal treatments for hot flashes and sleep disruption.
28 Sep Rosa & Co. Develop PhysioMap To Advance Drug Development Programs
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Christina Friedrich Chief Engineer, PhysioPD Rosa & Co. LLC MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Elan was developing compounds for the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease. The compounds were designed to modify negative effects of alpha-synuclein on neurotransmitter vesicle trafficking, but these effects are poorly understood. Elan and Rosa collaborated in the development of a Synuclein PhysioMap®, a graphical model architecture to support hypothesis generation and testing. The objectives of the project were to provide insight into alpha-synuclein function in vesicle trafficking, memorialize and communicate the current state of knowledge within Elan, and to recommend experiments to test hypotheses, resolve uncertainties and identify and prioritize potential targets.28 Sep Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Use by Breastfeeding HIV-Uninfected Women
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28422" align="alignleft" width="145"]
Dr. Kenneth K. Mugwanya[/caption]
Kenneth K. Mugwanya MBChB, MS
Department of Epidemiology andDepartment of Global Health
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
Division of Disease Control, School of Public Health
Makerere University
Kampala, Uganda
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Women living in regions with high HIV prevalence are at high risk of HIV acquisition in pregnancy and postpartum because they infrequently use condoms, do not know their partner's HIV status, and have biologic changes or changes in their partner's sexual partnerships that increase susceptibility. Moreover, acute HIV infection during pregnancy or breastfeeding period is associated with high rates of mother-to child HIV transmission because of high circulating level of HIV virus in blood. Oral antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a powerful HIV prevention strategy recommended by both the World Health organization and US Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention. PrEP is an attractive prevention strategy for women as it can be used discreetly and independent of sexual partners. However, there is limited research about the safety of PrEP in HIV-uninfected pregnant or breastfeeding mothers and their infants.
28 Sep Teashirt Gene Links Kidney Disease and Autism Spectrum Disorders
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28407" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Prof. Adrian Woolf[/caption]
Prof Adrian S. Woolf
Chair, Professor of Paediatric Science
University of Manchester, UK
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Several years ago, Laurent Fasano discovered that the Drosophila teashirt gene was needed to pattern the body of embryonic flies.
He then found that this transcription factor had three similar genes in mammals.
Working with Adrian Woolf in the UK, they found that Teashirt-3 (Tshz3) was needed in mice to make muscle form in the ureter When the gene was mutated, mice were born with ureters that were 'blown-up' and they failed to milk urine from the kidney with the bladder.
28 Sep Excess Zinc May Predispose to C.diff By Altering Gut Microbiome
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28403" align="alignleft" width="147"]
Dr. Eric P Skaar,[/caption]
Eric P Skaar, Ph.D., MPH
Director, Division of Molecular Pathogenesis
Ernest W. Goodpasture Professor of Pathology
Vice Chair for Basic Research, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Nutrient metals are known to be a critical driver of the outcome of host-pathogen interactions, and C. difficile is the most common cause of hospital-acquired infections. C. difficile infection typically occurs following antibiotic-mediated disruption of the healthy microbiome. We were interested in learning how nutrient metals can shape the microbiome and impact the outcome of Clostridium difficile infection.
We found that excess zinc alters the structure of the microbiome and increases the severity of C. difficile infection in mice.
28 Sep Manuka Honey May Reduce Harmful Biofilm Formation in Catheters
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28335" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Bashir Lwaleed[/caption]
Dr. Bashir A. Lwaleed PhD, FRCPath, PGCAP, FHEA, CBiol FSB, FIBMS
Faculty of Health Sciences
University of Southampton
South Academic and Pathology Block (MP 11)
Southampton General Hospital
Southampton UK
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The study merges two longstanding interests. We have long worked out of several departments at Southampton and Portsmouth on the therapeutic potential for natural products (including the medium – chain fatty acids GLA (evening primrose oil) and EPA (fish oil) as well as honeys from a number of floral sources. Secondly, there is an established research theme in the Faculty of Healthcare Science at Southampton addressing continence related issues; moreover catheter management as an economic and infection control issue is a major concern in the NHS Trust Urology department. Biofilms on catheters are sources of infection, honey has proven antibacterial (and other therapeutic) properties in topical applications such as skin ulceration. It is a logical step to assess whether a similar use may be made for honey instilled into the bladder and/or flushing the lumen of a catheter.
28 Sep Authors’ Prestige May Influence Some Medical Research Reviewers
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28399" align="alignleft" width="183"]
Dr. Kanu Okike[/caption]
Kanu Okike MD MPH
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kaiser Moanalua Medical Center
Honolulu, Hawaii
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Many journals in the social sciences practice double-blind review, in which reviewers and authors are both blinded to each others' identities. In medicine, on the other hand, most journals practice single-blind review, in which authors' identities are known to reviewers. Concerns have been raised that this could lead to biased reviews, however, especially in the case of well-known authors.
In our study, we composed a fabricated test manuscript and randomized reviewers for an orthopaedic journal to receive single-blind (prestigious authors listed) or double-blind (no authors listed) versions. In our study, the reviewers who were under the impression that the manuscript was written by prestigious authors (single-blind review) awarded higher marks and also recommended acceptance more often, in spite of the fact that the manuscripts were otherwise identical.
27 Sep Walking Can Help Older Adults Recover From Major Disability More Quickly
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28393" align="alignleft" width="133"]
Dr. Thomas M. Gill[/caption]
Thomas M. Gill, M.D.
Humana Foundation Professor of Geriatric Medicine
Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology & Investigative Medicine
Director, Yale Program on Aging/Pepper Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Maintaining independent mobility is an important goal of clinical medicine and public health, especially among older persons, who are at the greatest risk for disability.
By adopting a walking routine and other moderate physical activities, older adults can recover from a major disability more quickly, and maintain their independence over time.
27 Sep IL-33 May Be First Stand Alone Biomarker of Prostate Cancer Recurrence
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Iryna Saranchova MD PhD candidate Michael Smith Laboratories Vancouver, BC MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? • The immune system is efficient at identifying and halting the tumour emergence at early stages. However, when metastatic (sufficient to cause death) tumour appears, the immune system is no longer able to recognize the cancer cells and control their growth and spread. • Recent studies of solid cancers have shown considerable heterogeneity between different tumour types and several lines of evidence suggest that tumours are not only heterogeneous, but they constantly evolve during the disease progression and this often hampers the existing treatment methods. • It means that it is important to consider each patient’s mutational changes accumulated over time in antecedent primary, metastatic lesions and/or local recurrences. This approach will help to understand the mechanism of tumour development, create a background for specific treatment modality and prevent therapeutic failure with consequent systemic relapse of the disease • Therefore, in our project we were aiming to find possible immune markers of tumour transition from the primary stage to its metastatic form. For this purpose, we selected a special study model: two pairs of separate mouse tumour cell lines, where metastatic cells arose from the initial primary tumour.27 Sep Dental Occlusion Can Influence Standing Balance
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Sonia Julià-Sánchez, PhD Universitat de Barcelona MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Over the last few years, a growing interest has focused on the potential correlation between the stomatognathic system and the body balance. While this relationship is still a subject for debate, it is well known that sensory information contributes differently on the postural control regulation depending on the conditions of the surface area. Therefore, we hypothesized that dental occlusion may contribute differently on the body balance control depending on the stability condition (stable versus unstable) and that influence might be more evident in fatigue conditions due to reorganization of the sensory information sources. In the current study we aimed to determine whether: (i) dental occlusion influences body balance in stable and unstable surfaces, and (ii) the influence of dental occlusion on the balance control comes strongly into effect under fatigue conditions. Our results showed that dental occlusion influenced balance control, at unstable level, both at rest and fatigue condition. However, when measuring at stable level, the influence of dental occlusion only reached significance in fatigue condition.27 Sep Ischemic Stroke Treatment Must Be Given Early To Be Effective
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28297" align="alignleft" width="133"]
Dr. Michael Hill[/caption]
Dr. Michael Hill, MSc, MD, FRCPC
Professor for the Departments of Clinical Neurosciences, Community Health Sciences, Medicine and Radiology University of Calgary
Director of the Stroke Unit
Calgary Stroke Program
Alberta Health Services
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: The HERMES collaboration is a pooled individual patient meta-analysis of recent endovascular ischemic stroke trials. The current analysis assesses the role of time to treatment and outcome.
We show that there is a clear relationship between time from onset-to-treatment and outcome, with treatment gradually becoming less effective as time elapses from stroke onset. Treatment was still effect, on average, out to just beyond 7 hours from stroke onset.
27 Sep Isolated Cleft Palate, But Not Cleft Lip, Linked to Increased Health Risks
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Erik Berg, MD Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care University of Bergen Bergen, Norway MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Parents regularly express concern about long term health outcomes for children born with oral cleft. In this study we used population-based long-term follow-up data from multiple national registries to focus on the future health outcomes of cleft cases without additional chronic medical conditions or congenital anomalies. The study cohort consisted of all individuals born in Norway between 1967 and 1992. All patients treated for clefts in Norway during the study period were invited to participate. 2 337 cases with isolated clefts and 1 413 819 unaffected individuals were followed until 2010. The main outcome variables were conditions diagnosed in childhood or early adulthood, need for social security benefits, and risk of death.27 Sep Study Supports Routine Colon Cancer Screening Through Age 75, With Individualized Decisions Afterwards
Posted at 19:48h
in Annals Internal Medicine, Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Colon Cancer, Geriatrics
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_28323" align="alignleft" width="124"]
Dr. Xabier Garcia-De-Albeniz[/caption]
Xabier Garcia-De-Albeniz MD PhD
Research Associate
Department of Epidemiology
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Mongan Institute for Health Policy
Massachusetts General Hospital
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Randomized controlled trials are considered the gold standard to inform health care delivery. Unfortunately, no randomized controlled trials of screening colonoscopy have been completed. Ongoing trials exclude persons aged 75 or older, and will not have mature results before 2025. However, healthy persons older than 75 may live long enough to benefit from colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. The Medicare program reimburses screening colonoscopy without an upper age limit since the year 2001. We used the extensive experience of Medicare beneficiaries to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of screening colonoscopy.
27 Sep C-section carries a 4-fold increased risk of blood clots, compared with vaginal deliveries
Posted at 11:23h
in Author Interviews, Blood Clots, CHEST, OBGYNE, Surgical Research, Thromboembolism
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Marc Blondon, MD
Division of Angiology and Hemostasis, Department of Specialties of Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
Seattle Epidemiologic Research and Information Center, Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Research and Development, Seattle, WA
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Venous thromboembolism, a condition including deep vein thrombosis (blood clots) and pulmonary embolism, is more common in older than younger patients. However, pregnancy and particularly the postpartum period are times at greater risk of blood clots in women. It is important to understand the risk and the risk factors for thrombosis in the postpartum period to guide the use of preventive measures such as heparin, an anticoagulant treatment, or leg compression devices.
Our study summarizes the evidence on the link between C-sections and blood clots from the past 35 years.
Our meta-analysis demonstrates that:
- C-section carries a 4-fold increased risk of blood clots in the postpartum period, compared with vaginal deliveries ;
- that this risk is most prominent but not restricted to emergency C-section ;
- and that women who undergo elective C-section are also at higher risk than women who have a vaginal delivery.
- Importantly, we estimated an absolute risk of blood clots after a C-section of 2-4 per 1000 pregnancies: on average, 3 out of 1000 women after C-section will develop a blood clot.
27 Sep Patient Retention With DMTs vs Gilenya in Adults With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Marcia Kayath, MD Vice President and Head US Clinical Development and Medical Affairs US General Medicines Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Injectable disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are typically used first-line in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), but discontinuation of injectable DMTs is common, especially within the first 12 months of treatment1,2. PREFERMS is the largest, prospective, randomized, active-controlled, open-label study to evaluate patient retention in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). In the 12-month, Phase IV study, a total of 875 patients were randomized (1:1) to Gilenya® (fingolimod) 0.5 mg or to a pre-selected injectable DMT (IFNβ-1a, IFNβ-1b or glatiramer acetate), and followed up quarterly for 12 months3. After a minimum of 3 months of treatment, a single on-study treatment switch was allowed, however, switches due to efficacy or safety were allowed (based on patient-doctor consultation) at any month following randomization3. The primary endpoint was to compare the patient retention on randomized treatment over 12 months3. This study was powered for the primary endpoint (retention rate)3. The study was not powered to detect the treatment difference in the secondary efficacy endpoints or treatment effects related to switching study medication3.27 Sep Can Low Dose Oral Nicotine Have Beneficial Health Effects?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28356" align="alignleft" width="132"]
Dr. Ursula H. Winzer-Serhan[/caption]
Ursala. H. Winzer-Serhan Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics
Texas A&M Health Science Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Nicotine is a plant alkaloid that is naturally occurring in the tobacco plant. Smoking delivers nicotine to the brain where it acts as a stimulant. Tobacco and electronic cigarette smoking delivers many other chemicals to the body, which are harmful and can cause cancer.
However, the drug nicotine by itself is relatively benign and poses few health risks for most people. Nicotine acts in the brain on nicotinic receptors, which are ion channels that are widely expressed in the brain. They play an important role in cognitive functions. Research with rodents and in humans has shown that nicotine can enhance learning and memory, and furthermore, can protect neurons during injuries and in the aging brain. With the increasingly older population, it becomes more and more important to delay cognitive decline in the elderly. Right now, there is no drug available that could delay aging of the brain.
26 Sep A Novel Algorithm Utilizing Expanded Donor Criteria for the Allocation of Dual Kidneys in Adults
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Adam Johnson, MD, PhD, MBA, FACS Thomas Jefferson University Dr. Cataldo Doria, senior author and designer of the study, emphasized that the work was a team effort MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: The goal was to develop an algorithm to identify which donors would be most suitably transplanted as dual kidneys instead of as single kidneys. Dual kidney transplantation is a resource intensive procedure, but may make the most out of two kidneys whose function may be too marginal to transplant independently. Currently allocation decisions are based on individual surgeon and institutional experience and without much available outcome data. This score provide decision support for which donor grafts would have the greatest benefit if transplanted as dual kidneys.26 Sep Depressive disorders are the most frequent neuropsychiatric complication of TBI
Posted at 22:41h
in Author Interviews, Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Brain Injury, Depression, JAMA
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_27935" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Ricardo Jorge[/caption]
Ricardo E. Jorge MD
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Director Houston Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders
Senior Scientist Beth K. and Stuart C. Yudofsky Division of Neuropsychiatry
Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center
Baylor College of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Depressive disorders affect between one-third and one-half of patients with traumatic brain injury. Once established, these disorders are difficult to treat and frequently follow a chronic and refractory course.
Depression has a deleterious effect on TBI outcomes, particularly affecting the community reintegration of TBI patients.
In this randomized clinical trial that included 94 adult patients with TBI, the hazards for developing depression for participants receiving placebo were about 4 times the hazards of participants receiving sertraline treatment.
26 Sep Is Muscle Memory a Myth?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28165" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Maléne Lindholm[/caption]
Maléne Lindholm, PhD
Karolinska Institutet
Dept. of Physiology & Pharmacology
Stockholm Sweden
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: It is well known that exercise training provides marked health benefits and can prevent and treat a broad set of diseases. Therefore, a deeper understanding and characterization of the molecular processes behind training adaptation is essential for human health.
This study aimed at exploring the effects of endurance training on the human skeletal muscle transcriptome (activity of all genes) and investigate the possible presence of a muscle memory of training. To do this, the healthy volunteers in this study first trained only one leg, 4 times per week for 3 months. After 9 months of detraining, the subjects then came back and trained both legs in the same way as during the first training period, thus one leg was then previously well-trained and one previously untrained. This meant that each individual was their own control, as both legs have the same genome, experience the same stress, diet etc. Only the training status differed.
26 Sep Opioid Overdose Associated With Even Higher Health Care Costs Than Dependence or Abuse
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28168" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Jared Howard[/caption]
Jaren Howard, PharmD, BCPS
Associate Director
Medical Affairs Strategic Research
Purdue Pharma L.P.
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The existing scientific literature estimating the healthcare burden of opioid misuse disorders often combines all patients within the broad category of “opioid abuse,” defined as opioid abuse, dependence, or overdose/poisoning.
Collectively, these three conditions can significantly increase healthcare costs among commercially insured patients.
• Real world medical coding practices present challenges to researchers aiming to separately analyze excess costs by diagnosis, though combining these diagnoses may mask some variation in excess costs.
• Furthermore, little is known about the specific drivers of excess costs in terms of medical conditions driving excess costs or places of service at the diagnosis-level.
26 Sep Immunity to the Acellular Whooping Cough Vaccine Wanes With Time
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Kevin Schwartz, MD MSc Infection Prevention and Control Physician Infection Prevention and Control Public Health Ontario | Santé publique Ontario MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: There has been a resurgence of pertussis, or ‘whooping cough’, in several countries and regions since the introduction of the new “acellular” pertussis vaccine in the 1990s to replace the older “whole cell” vaccine. In Ontario, we have not seen large increases but observed a small outbreak in 2012 that affected both unvaccinated people, as well as in those who have been vaccinated against pertussis. Our objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of the current acellular vaccine used in Ontario. We wanted to find out whether immunity wanes with time in the same way as had been previously observed during a large outbreak in California. We also wanted to study the impact of receiving the older ‘whole cell’ vaccine, which we used in Ontario until 1997.26 Sep Nausea and Vomiting During Pregnancy May Signal Less Risk of Pregnancy Loss
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Stefanie N. Hinkle, Ph.D. Staff Scientist | Epidemiology Branch Division of Intramural Population Health Research Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development National Institutes of Health MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Thank you for the interest in our research. Nausea and vomiting are very common early in pregnancy and these symptoms can be difficult for women. Before we began this study there was very limited high-quality data on the implications of these difficult symptoms in pregnancy. Our study is unique because we asked women to report their symptoms continuously throughout their pregnancy before they may or may not have gone on to have a loss. We found that among women with 1 or 2 prior pregnancy losses, women who have nausea, and particularly nausea with vomiting, were less likely to have a pregnancy loss.26 Sep Parkinson’s Disease Linked To Increase in Number of Inflammatory Markers
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28339" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Yong Cheng[/caption]
Yong Cheng, PhD, post-doc fellow
Section on Cellular Neurobiology
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Maryland
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Parkinson’s disease is the second most neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease. The symptoms of the disease are typically movement related. However, the nonmotor features in PD are increasingly recognized. Evidence suggests that inflammation may play a role in the development of AD, and a substantial number of studies have demonstrated altered levels of peripheral blood inflammatory cytokines in patients with Parkinson’s disease, but findings have been inconsistent for individual cytokines and between studies. Therefore, we undertook a systematic review of the scientific literature, using a meta-analysis to quantitatively summarize clinical data on blood cytokine levels in patients with PD, compared with healthy controls.
25 Sep Doctors: “I would never want to have a mental health diagnosis on my record”
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28331" align="alignleft" width="125"]
Dr. Katherine Jo Gold[/caption]
Katherine J. Gold, MD MSW MS
Department of Family Medicine
Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation; Depression Center
University of Michigan
With co-authors Louise B. Andrew MD JD; Edward B. Goldman JD; Thomas L. Schwenk MD
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: It is common knowledge that physicians are often hesitant to seek care for mental health concerns. Knowing that female physicians have increased rates of both depression and suicide, we surveyed female physicians who were mothers and who participated in a closed FaceBook group about their mental health, treatment, and opinions about licensing. More than 2100 U.S. physicians responded, representing all specialties and states.
Almost half of participants reported that at some point since medical school they had met criteria for a mental illness but didn’t seek treatment. Reasons included feeling like they could get through without help (68%), did not have the time (52%), felt a diagnosis would be embarrassing or shameful (45%), did not want to ever have to report to a medical board or hospital (44%), and were afraid colleagues would find out (39%). Overall, 2/3 identified a stigma-related reason for not seeking help.
Almost half reported prior diagnosis or treatment, but just 6% of these women stated they had disclosed this to a state medical board on a licensing application, though states vary on what information they require be disclosed.