Author Interviews, Johns Hopkins, NEJM, Pulmonary Disease / 11.09.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Robert A. Wise MDMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Robert A. Wise MD Professor of Medicine Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine 5501 Hopkins Bayview Circle Baltimore, MD 21224   MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
 Dr. Wise: The TIOSPIR trial was a landmark study, one of the largest ever conducted for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).  It was designed to test the comparative safety and effectiveness of two delivery devices of tiotropium, a long-acting bronchodilator.  One formulation is the Respimat multi-dose soft mist inhaler and the other formulation is the single dose HandiHaler dry powder inhaler. After following more than 17000 patients for an average of 2.3 years, TIOSPIR showed that there was no difference in either the safety in terms of mortality or adverse cardiovascular events between the two devices.  Moreover, both devices showed similar effectiveness in terms of time to first COPD exacerbation. A lung function substudy in 1370 patients showed that the 5 microgram dose of Respimat was equivalent to the HandiHaler as a bronchodilator, but the 2.5 microgram dose was not quite as effective.
Author Interviews, JAMA, Pediatrics, Weight Research / 11.09.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Elsie Taveras Massachusetts General Hospital for Children Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics 100 Cambridge St, 15th Floor Boston, MA 02114Dr. Elsie Taveras Massachusetts General Hospital for Children Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics 100 Cambridge St, 15th Floor Boston, MA 02114   MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Taveras: The main findings of the study were that, overall, the body mass index of children in the intervention group dropped an average of 0.18, while it rose 0.21 in the control group. Children in the intervention group were sleeping about 45 minutes longer than children in the control group. Time spent watching television on weekends dropped about an hour per day in the intervention group, leading to a significant difference from the control group, which increased weekend TV viewing. Both groups had a small reduction in weekday TV viewing, with a greater decrease in the intervention group, as well.
Author Interviews, Cognitive Issues, Diabetes, Genetic Research / 11.09.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Ramit Ravona-Springer M.D., Psychiatrist Director of Memory Clinic, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: In a cohort of elderly, cognitively normal type 2 diabetes (T2D) subjects, those with Haptoglobin (Hp) 1-1 genotype present lower cognitive performance compared to Hp 2 carriers (Hp 1-2 and Hp 2-2). The contribution of cardiovascular risk factors to cognition was significantly higher in subjects with Hp1-1 genotype compared to Hp 2 carriers.
Author Interviews, Exercise - Fitness, Heart Disease / 11.09.2013

Madelein Hoogwegt, MSc Promovenda Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic diseases (CoRPS) Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology Kamer P711 Tilburg University 5000 LE TilburgMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Madelein Hoogwegt, MSc Promovenda Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic diseases (CoRPS) Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology Kamer P711 Tilburg University 5000 LE Tilburg MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: The main finding was that we found a significant relation between positive affect and mortality, and that exercise explained this relationship. With respect to the second outcome, hospitalization, we found a significant relation between positive affect and hospitalization, a significant relation between positive affect and hospitalization, but exercise did not mediate this relationship.
Addiction, Author Interviews, Memory, Methamphetamine, Scripps / 11.09.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Ph.D., Neurobiology & Behavior and Center for the Neurobiology of Learning & Memory (2005), University of California, Irvine, CaliforniaCourtney A. Miller, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Metabolism & Aging Department of Neuroscience The Scripps Research Institute Jupiter, FL 33458 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Miller: The relapse rate for drug abusers, smokers and alcoholics is high because abstinence is so difficult. A major factor is the craving that drug associations can trigger. These range from seeing the neighborhood where someone used to buy, in the case of illicit drugs, to social drinking for a smoker. We’ve found a way to disrupt these drug-associated memories without affecting other, more benign memories.
Case Western, Esophageal, Gastrointestinal Disease, University of Michigan / 11.09.2013

Joel H. Rubenstein, MD, MSc, FACG, FASGE Research Scientist, Veterans Affairs Center for Clinical Management Research Assistant Professor, Division of Gastroenterology, University of Michigan Medical School VA Medical Center 111-D 2215 Fuller Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48105MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Joel H. Rubenstein, MD, MSc, FACG, FASGE Research Scientist, Veterans Affairs Center for Clinical Management Research Assistant Professor, Division of Gastroenterology, University of Michigan Medical School VA Medical Center Ann Arbor, MI 48105 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Rubenstein: In a set of case-control studies within the same population, we found that H. pylori was inversely associated with erosive esophagitis, and with Barrett’s esophagus, but we did not find such a relation with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Author Interviews, Diabetes, Diabetes Care, Mental Health Research / 11.09.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jean-Pierre Le Floch, MD Diabetology-Endocrinology Villecresnes Medical Hospital 94440 Villecresnes MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of this study? Answer: The main finding of the study is the association between classical macrovascular complications of diabetes and impaired scores of five geriatric scale scores exploring cognition, activities of daily life, instrumental activities, mood and nutrition.
AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Stroke / 11.09.2013

R. Gilberto González, MD, PhD Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Radiology, PO Box 9657 Boston, MAMedicalResearch.com Interview with: R. Gilberto González, MD, PhD Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Radiology, PO Box 9657 Boston, MA MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. González: Administration of IV tPA to patients with a severe stroke syndrome caused by occlusion of the distal internal carotid artery and/or the proximal middle cerebral arteries results in good outcomes in 35% compared to 17% of similar patients who did not receive tPA.
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Pediatrics / 11.09.2013

David R. Fulton, M.D. Associate Cardiologist-in-Chief for Administration Tommy Kaplan Chair in Cardiovascular Studies Chief, Cardiology Outpatient Services Department of Cardiology Children's Hospital Boston Boston, MA 02115David R. Fulton, M.D. Associate Cardiologist-in-Chief for Administration Tommy Kaplan Chair in Cardiovascular Studies Chief, Cardiology Outpatient Services Department of Cardiology Children's Hospital Boston Boston, MA 02115 MedicalResearch.com:   What are the main findings of this study? Dr. Fulton: The main findings of this study demonstrated that using a quality improvement methodology (SCAMPs), a diverse population of children and adolescents with chest pain could be managed  with relative uniformity and cost effectiveness in a multi-center collaborative.  Only 2 patients of the 1016 children who formed the basis for this review were shown to have a cardiac etiology.   The clinicians were able to screen and reach a diagnostic conclusion in a  large segment of this population using history, physical examination and ECG.
Author Interviews, Cost of Health Care, Critical Care - Intensive Care - ICUs, JAMA / 11.09.2013

Thanh N. Huynh, MD, MSHS Clinical Instructor UCLA Division of Pulmonary Critical CareMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Thanh N. Huynh, MD, MSHS Clinical Instructor UCLA Division of Pulmonary Critical Care MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Huynh: Our study shows that it is common for ICU doctors to recognize that futile treatment is provided to patients who cannot benefit from it.  In our study, 11% of ICU patients were perceived as receiving futile treatment.  The outcomes of these 123 patients were uniformly poor, with 85% dying within 6 months.  Advances in critical care medicine has allowed us to save lives, but it has also allowed us provide aggressive life-sustaining treatments that may not benefit all patients.  When aggressive treatment is poorly matched with a patient’s prognosis, doctors will consider such treatment as futile and our study shows that this is not an uncommon occurrence in our health system.
Author Interviews, JAMA, Mental Health Research / 10.09.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Ricardo E. Carrión, PhD Division of Psychiatry Research The Zucker Hillside Hospital, North Shore–Long Island Jewish Health System, Glen Oaks, New YorkCenter for Psychiatric Neuroscience, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, North Shore–Long Island Jewish Health System, Manhasset, New York MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of your study: Answer: Reduced neurocognition, poor functioning, and other behavioral symptoms at baseline were associated with an increased risk of long-term social difficulties and school/work problems in adolescents and young adults at high clinical risk for psychosis.
Author Interviews, Colon Cancer / 10.09.2013

Dr. Bettina Scholtka Universität Potsdam Institut für Ernährungswissenschaft Abt. Ernährungstoxikologie Arthur-Scheunert-Allee 114-116 14558 Nuthetal, Germany.Dr. Bettina Scholtka Universität Potsdam Institut für Ernährungswissenschaft Abt. Ernährungstoxikologie Arthur-Scheunert-Allee 114-116 14558 Nuthetal, Germany. MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: The extremely high sensitivity of the WTB-HRM technique allows to find very low amounts of different types of colon cancer initiating gene mutations even in stool samples of patients. The method is able to find the expected mutations as well as unknown mutations. So, by applying WTB-HRM to a panel of especially selected marker genes, it is possible to detect cancer precursors in feces before they progress into a malignant stage.
Author Interviews, Weight Research / 10.09.2013

Lu Qi, MD, PhD, FAHA Assistant Professor of Medicine Harvard Medical School Assistant Professor of Nutrition Harvard School of Public HealthMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Lu Qi, MD, PhD, FAHA Assistant Professor of Medicine Harvard Medical School Assistant Professor of Nutrition Harvard School of Public Health MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: It has been known that weight loss diets may improve metabolic status, in parallel with reduction of body weight. We found that the beneficial of various weight loss diets, such as high-fat and low-fat diets, may be different for people carrying different genotype.
Author Interviews, JAMA / 10.09.2013

Dr. Amy Sanderson MD Department of Anesthesiology Perioperative & Pain Medicine Boston Children’s Hospital Boston, MassachusettsMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Amy Sanderson MD Department of Anesthesiology Perioperative & Pain Medicine Boston Children’s Hospital Boston, Massachusetts MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Sanderson: There is substantial variability in the interpretation of a DNR order. 66.9% of clinicians believed that a DNR order indicates limitation of resuscitative measures only on cardiopulmonary arrest, whereas 33.1% considered a DNR order to be the threshold for the limitation of treatments not specifically related to resuscitation. 68.7% of clinicians reported that the care of a patient changes once a DNR order is written. Of those reporting changes in care, 11.2% reported that this happens only if a cardiopulmonary arrest occurs, while 36.7% believed that there is an increased attention to comfort. Finally, 52.1% reported that care changes beyond both resuscitative measures and focusing on comfort, including limitation or withdrawal of diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. Most clinicians reported that resuscitation status discussions happen later in the illness course than is ideal.
Author Interviews, Diabetes, Kidney Disease, Stroke / 10.09.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Yongjun Wang, MD Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital Capital Medical University, Beijing, China MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: Our study demonstrated that reduced eGFR was independently associated with all-cause mortality and other post-stroke outcomes in type 2 diabetic patients; stroke subtype analysis in our cohort showed that this association was only evident in ischemic stroke and TIA. We also observed a U-shaped relationship between variation of eGFR and post-stroke outcomes, that is, increased odds ratios were seen among those with low and high levels of eGFR. The cutoff points of eGFR associated with poor outcomes of stroke were eGFR<45 ml/min/1.73m2 and≥ 120 ml/min/1.73m2, respectively.
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, JAMA, Nutrition / 10.09.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Shanshan Li, MD, MSc, ScD Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts On behalf of Drs. Chuive, Flint, Pai, Forman, Hu, Willett, Mukamal and Rimm. MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: In our prospective study of diet quality among MI survivors, we found that a higher diet quality post-MI, measured by Alternative Healthy Eating Index 2010, was associated with 24% lower death rate and 26% lower death rate from cardiovascular disease. Greater improvement of diet quality from pre- to post-MI was associated with 30% lower death rate and 40% lower cardiovascular disease death rate. In addition to reducing the bad fats intake, for example, saturated and transfat intake, MI patients also tended to reduce the good healthy polyunsaturated fats.
Author Interviews, Heart Disease / 07.09.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jonathan Hsu, MD, MAS Cardiac Electrophysiology, Division of Cardiology University of California, San Diego (UCSD) MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Hsu: We found that the prevalence of cardiac perforation during modern day ICD implantation is 0.14%. We also found that specific patient and implanter characteristics predict cardiac perforation risk: older age, female sex, left bundle branch block, worsened heart failure class, higher left ventricular ejection fraction, and non-single chamber ICD implant are associated with a greater odds of perforation, whereas atrial fibrillation, diabetes, previous cardiac bypass surgery, and higher implanter procedural volume are associated with a lower odds of perforation.
Author Interviews, Duke, Heart Disease, Outcomes & Safety, Surgical Research / 05.09.2013

Marco D. Huesch, MBBS, Ph.D., Assistant professor at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy Adjunct professor with Duke’s School of Medicine and Fuqua School of Business.MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Marco D. Huesch, MBBS, Ph.D. Assistant professor at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy Adjunct professor with Duke’s School of Medicine and Fuqua School of Business. MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: This study asked whether ‘learning by doing’ works backwards too, as ‘forgetting by not doing’. In an nutshell, the answer is ‘no’ among the Californian cardiac surgeons I examined with short breaks of around a month.
Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, JAMA, Kidney Disease, Medical Research Centers / 05.09.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Gearoid M. McMahon, MB, BCh Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts Framingham Heart Study, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and Center for Population Studies, Framingham, Massachusetts MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: This study examined the incidence, causes and outcomes of rhabdomyolysis in two large University Teaching hospitals. Rhabdomyolysis is a characterized by an increase in serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and results from muscle damage from a variety of causes. The most important complication of rhabdomyolysis is acute kidney injury which can result in a need for dialysis. Using a series of laboratory and clinical variables that are readily available on admission, we constructed a risk score that can predict with some accuracy the likelihood that a patient with rhabdomyolysis might die or need dialysis during an admission. The final variables included in the model were age, gender, the cause of rhabdomyolysis and the admission CPK, creatinine, phosphate, bicarbonate and calcium. One of the advantages of this study was, because we had access to data from two institutions, we were able to derive the risk score in one hospital and confirm its accuracy in the second institution.
Author Interviews, Blood Pressure - Hypertension, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Medical Research Centers, PLoS, Social Issues / 05.09.2013

Bert Uchino PhD Department of Psychology and Health Psychology Program University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UtahMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Bert Uchino PhD Department of Psychology and Health Psychology Program University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Uchino: The main findings from our paper is that independent of one’s own social network quality, the quality of a spouse’s social network was related to daily life ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) levels.  More specifically, the more supportive (positive) ties, and the less aversive (negative) or ambivalent (both positive and negative) ties in a spouse’s social network, the lower was one’s own  ABP.  In addition, looking at the social networks of couples as a whole showed that couples who combined had more supportive ties and less aversive or ambivalent ties showed lower ABP.
Author Interviews, Orthopedics, PLoS / 04.09.2013

Assistant Professor School of Biological & Population Health Sciences, Exercise & Sport Science Program College of Public Health and Human Sciences Oregon State University Corvallis, OR 97331Marc F. Norcross, PhD, ATC Assistant Professor School of Biological & Population Health Sciences, Exercise & Sport Science Program College of Public Health and Human Sciences Oregon State University Corvallis, OR 97331 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Norcross: In the scientific community, there remains considerable disagreement over which direction of knee loading is most responsible for causing an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury event.  Many researchers tend to fall into one of three “camps” in which they believe quadriceps loading (sagittal plane), “knock-kneed” landing (frontal plane), or twisting (transverse plane) is the essential factor in the injury mechanism.  However, we know from cadaver studies that combined loading from all of these different planes puts the most strain on the ACL.  We found that men and women are equally likely to use a sagittal plane landing strategy that we believe increases the risk for ACL injury.  However, females were about 3.6 times more likely than males to use a higher risk frontal plane landing strategy.  This suggests that the increased likelihood of greater frontal plane loading in women coupled with the equal likelihood of using a high-risk sagittal plane strategy is likely at least partly responsible for women’s 2-6 times greater risk for ACL injury.
Author Interviews, Cost of Health Care, JAMA / 04.09.2013

Seth A. Seabury, PhD Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Southern California Los Angeles Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, University of Southern California, Los AngelesMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Seth A. Seabury, PhD Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles   MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Seabury: We studied the trends in the earnings of male and female physicians in the US from 1987-2010 using nationally representative data from the Current Population Survey (CPS).  We found that, while the number of female physicians grew significantly, male physicians continue to have significantly higher earnings than female physicians.  The difference in the median earnings of male physicians compared to female physicians actually increased from $33,840 in 1987-1990 to $56,019 in 2006-2010, though the difference across years was not statistically significant.  Our approach controlled for differences in hours worked, so earnings gap was not driven by differences in work hours, though it could be explained by other factors we did not observe in our data (e.g., specialty choice). Looking at other occupations in the US health care industry, the male-female earnings gap was smaller for pharmacists and registered nurses and decreased over time, but was large and increased for physicians assistants.  On the other hand, our numbers indicate that outside of the health care industry, the male-female earnings gap fell by more than 45%.  Even though significant gender inequality persists across the US, female physicians do not appear to have benefited from the relative gains that female workers outside the health care industry have.
Author Interviews, HIV, Social Issues, UCLA / 03.09.2013

Sean D. Young, PhD, MS Assistant Professor In-Residence Center for Behavioral and Addiction Medicine Department of Family Medicine University of California, Los AngelesMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Sean D. Young, PhD, MS Assistant Professor In-Residence Center for Behavioral and Addiction Medicine Department of Family Medicine University of California, Los Angeles Dr. Young: Here's the main take-home point: There is a lot of excitement about the possibility of using technologies, big data, and mHealth to improve health outcomes and change behavior. However, 1) little work has been done on this topic using sound research methods (for example, studies have asked people to report whether a technology changed behavior rather than objectively measuring whether it actually changed behavior.
Author Interviews, Kidney Disease, University of Michigan / 03.09.2013

Afshinnia, Farsad, M.D., M.S. Research Fellow and Clinical Lecturer Department of Nephrology University of Michigan Health System MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: Spontaneous Renal Artery Dissection (SRAD) is most commonly observed in middle aged individuals. Although SRAD can have no association with other comorbidities at the time of presentation, we have noticed association with a number of systemic disorders such as hypertension, cancer, congestive heart failure, and rheumatologic diseases. In particular clustering of Fibromascular dysplasia (FMD), Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, poly arteritis nodosa, Poland syndrome, and nail patella syndrome in our patients has been striking. The most commonly observed presenting symptom is sudden onset severe flank pain which may be spontaneous or following physical stress. Other presenting features may include uncontrolled hypertension, groin and/or testicular pain, headache, nausea, vomiting, fever, dysuria, hematuria and blurry vision.
Author Interviews, Exercise - Fitness, Menopause / 03.09.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Pascale Mauriège, PhD, Division of Kinesiology PEPS, Room 2148, Laval University, Québec, Canada G1K 7P4 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: 1)    The impact of a 4-month brisk walking program (3 sessions/week of 45-min walking at 60% of heart rate reserve) on postmenopausal moderately obese (BMI=29-35 kg/m2) women’s perceived health, and more particularly the perceived ideal weight and stress level. 2)    The existence of a relationship between improvements in perceived ideal weight and fat mass reduction in the walking group. 3)    The lack of non respondents to our novel self-administered Short Perceived Health Questionnaire (SPHQ) that was completed within 2-3 min by all participant. 4)    The good reproductibility for five of six items of the SHPQ, and the validation of three questions against generic tools.
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Weight Research / 03.09.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr Søren Skøtt Andersen and Dr Michelle Schmiegelow Study done in collaboration between Roskilde University Hospital and Gentofte University Hospital in Denmark. MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: The main finding of this study of young women was that a body mass index above or equal to 25 kg/m2 in metabolically healthy women was not associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction or ischemic stroke) within 5 years of follow-up. A BMI >= 25 kg/m2 in women with any metabolic disorder was associated with a 4-fold significant increased risk of the end-point. As increasing BMI is strongly associated with risk of developing metabolic disorders, the key message of this study is to stress the importance of preventing the development of metabolic disorders in overweight/obese women during this possible "window of opportunity".
Author Interviews, Pediatrics / 03.09.2013

Professor Sheena Reilly PhD FASSA Associate Director, Clinical and Public Health Research Murdoch Childrens Research Institute Professor of Speech Pathology Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne Royal Children’s Hospital Flemington Road Parkville Victoria 3052 AustraliaProfessor Sheena Reilly PhD FASSA Associate Director, Clinical and Public Health Research Murdoch Childrens Research Institute Professor of Speech Pathology Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne Royal Children’s Hospital Flemington Road Parkville Victoria 3052 Australia MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Prof. Reilly: Stuttering was more common than previously thought. The cumulative incidence of stuttering by four years old was 11%, which is more than twice what has previously been reported. Developmental stuttering was associated with better language development, non-verbal skills with no identifiable effect on the child’s mental health or temperament by four years of age.
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, NEJM / 02.09.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Massimo Imazio, MD, FESC Dipartimento di Cardiologia/Cardiology Department Maria Vittoria Hospital-ASLTO2 via Cibrario 72 10141 Torino, Italy MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Imazio: In a multicenter, double-blind trial, eligible adults with acute pericarditis (idiopathic/viral, post-pericardiotomy syndromes and pericarditis related to a systemic inflammatory disease) were randomly assigned to receive either colchicine (at a dose of 0.5 mg twice daily for 3 months for patients weighing >70 kg or 0.5 mg once daily for patients weighing ≤70 kg) or placebo in addition to conventional anti-inflammatory therapy with aspirin or ibuprofen. The primary study outcome was incessant or recurrent pericarditis. After a mean follow-up of 22 months (minimum 18 months) the primary outcome occurred in 20 patients (16.7%) in the colchicine group and 45 patients (37.5%) in the placebo group (relative risk reduction in the colchicine group, 0.56; 95% confidence interval, 0.30 to 0.72; number needed to treat, 4; P<0.001).
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, Infections, JACC, Yale / 31.08.2013

Behnood Bikdeli, MD Yale/YNHH Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation One Church St, Suite 200 New Haven CT 0651MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Behnood Bikdeli, MD Yale/YNHH Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation One Church St, Suite 200 New Haven CT 0651 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
 Dr. Bikdeli: We determined the trends in hospitalizations and mortality from endocarditis among US older adults from 1999 to 2010. Endocarditis is the most serious cardiovascular infection and our study that had a very large sample, signified the high burden of endocarditis in this time period.