ASCO, Author Interviews, Cancer Research, Colon Cancer / 04.06.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_54443" align="alignleft" width="200"]ASCO: Antibody-Drug Conjugate Shows Promise in HER2 Positive Advanced Colorectal Cancer Dr. Siena[/caption] Salvatore Siena, MD Director, Falck Division of Medical Oncology Department of Hematology and Oncology, and Niguarda Cancer Center Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milano, I Full Professor of Medical Oncology, Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology Università degli Studi di Milano   MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: There remains a significant unmet clinical need in treating patients with HER2 positive advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) who progressed on previous therapies. Exploratory clinical studies in CRC with HER2-amplification documented that patients with tumors with this molecular characteristic may benefit from HER2-targeted therapies  (reviewed in Siena S et al Ann Oncol 2018). In particular, the phase 1 DS8201-A-J101 dose-expansion study of the cohort of patients with HER2 expressing non-breast/non-gastric or HER2 mutant solid tumors who received the 6.4 mg/kg dose of T-DXd, there were 20 patients with CRC. In this studythe experimental drug T-DXd (trastuzumab deruxtecan) showed clinical benefit and manageable safety profile.
  • Investigator-assessed ORR (Objective Response Rate) of 15.0% (95% CI, 3.2-37.9), DCR (Disease Control Rate) of 80.0% (95% CI, 56.3-94.3), and median PFS (Progression Free Survival) of 4.1 months (95% CI, 2.1-5.9) was reported
  • Common TEAEs (Treatment Emergent Adverse Events) include gastrointestinal (low grade) and hematological, which is consistent with overall T-DXd safety profile across various tumors
  • ILD (Interstitial Lung Disease) was reported in 2 patients (Tsurutani et al. 2020)
Given the unmet need in the treatment of patients with HER2 positive advanced CRC who progressed on previous therapies and the clinical observations from the phase 1 DS8201-A-J101 study (see previous paragraph) , the phase 2 DESTINY-CRC01 trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of T-DXd in patients with HER2 expressing CRC who were previously treated with at least 2 lines of therapy. 
Author Interviews, COVID -19 Coronavirus, Infections / 04.06.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Joseph Roth Graduate Student Dr. Roman Engel-Herbert PhD Assoc. Prof. of Materials Science & Engineering, Chemistry and Physics The Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA 16802 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?   Response: UV disinfection is currently a hot topic as there have been many studies on its effectiveness against COVID-19. Typically, this disinfection is done with expensive, mercury containing gas discharge lamps that have major downsides including high power requirements, short lifetimes, and bulky form factors. Ideally these disinfection devices would be replaced with high performance UV LEDs that are far more energy efficient, long lasting, and compact. Currently the development of these LEDs is limited by a lack of effective UV transparent electrode materials. The introduction of an effective UV transparent electrode will greatly expedite the process of making UV disinfection devices widely available.
ASCO, AstraZeneca, Author Interviews, Breast Cancer, Cancer Research / 02.06.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_54437" align="alignleft" width="200"]Josefa Briceno, MD Medical Head, DDR/ADC Franchise AstraZenca Dr. Briceno[/caption] Josefa Briceno, MD Medical Head, DDR/ADC Franchise AstraZenca  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: In January 2018, the US FDA expanded the approved use of LYNPARZA to treat patients with HER2- negative metastatic breast cancer with germline BRCA mutations based on positive results from the Phase III OlympiAD trial, which demonstrated the benefit of LYNPARZA over standard of care in physician’s choice chemotherapy in this patient population. LUCY is a Phase IIIb interim analysis aimed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of LYNPARZA in a real-world setting and has been expanded to include a group of patients with somatic BRCA mutations. A total of 252 patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer with germline BRCA mutations were enrolled in the open-label, single-arm, Phase IIIb study. Patients received a taxane and/or anthracycline in the (neo)adjuvant/metastatic setting, and ≤2 lines of chemotherapy. The primary end point of the study was investigator-defined progression-free survival (PFS), and secondary end points included overall survival, time to first subsequent therapy or death, and investigator-assessed clinical response rate. The interim analysis was planned to take place after 160 progression-free survival events. Overall, treatment lasted for a median of 7.9 months, and the median progression-free survival was 8.1 months (95% confidence interval of 6.9-8.7; 166 progression-free survival events). In addition, the median time to first subsequent therapy or death was 9.7 months (95% confidence interval of 8.7-11.1) and the investigator-assessed clinical response rate was 48.6% (95% confidence interval of 42.2-55.0). Adverse events of all grades were reported in >20% of patients were nausea, anemia, asthenia, vomiting, and fatigue. Grade ≥3 adverse events were reported in 24.6% of patients, and 4.4% of patients had an adverse event that led to treatment discontinuation.
ASCO, AstraZeneca, Author Interviews, Cancer Research, Ovarian Cancer / 02.06.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_54434" align="alignleft" width="200"]Mark Sims US Franchise Head Women’s Cancer & DNA Damage Response AstraZeneca Mark Sims[/caption] Mark Sims US Franchise Head Women’s Cancer & DNA Damage Response AstraZeneca  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: SOLO2 is a Phase III, randomized, double-blind, multicenter trial designed to determine the efficacy and safety of LYNPARZA tablets as a maintenance monotherapy compared with placebo, in patients with platinum-sensitive relapsed or recurrent gBRCA-mutated (BRCAm) ovarian cancer. The trial included 295 patients with germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations who had received at least 2 prior lines of platinum-based chemotherapy and were in complete or partial response. The trial met its primary endpoint in October 2016, showing maintenance treatment with LYNPARZA significantly improved progression-free survival to a median of 19.1 months vs 5.5 months with placebo (a hazard ratio of 0.30; a 95% confidence interval of 0.22 to 0.41; a p value of <0.0001).
Author Interviews, COVID -19 Coronavirus / 02.06.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_54424" align="alignleft" width="152"]Margaret A. Turk, MD Vice-Chairman, PM&R Distinguished Service Professor Departments of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Pediatrics, Public Health & Preventive Medicine SUNY Upstate Medical University  Dr. Turk[/caption] Margaret A. Turk, MD Vice-Chairman, PM&R Distinguished Service Professor Departments of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Pediatrics, Public Health & Preventive Medicine SUNY Upstate Medical University All authors contributed to these responses. (Margaret A. Turk MD, Scott D. Landes PhD, Margaret K. Formica PhD, Katherine D. Goss MPH) MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Throughout this pandemic, there have been published reports related to vulnerable populations and severity of disease with COVID-19, however disability populations have not been studied. People with disabilities in fact report many of the risk factors for severe outcomes from this virus, usually at younger ages. One such population is people with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD), with estimates of  2.6 to 4 million people living in the US – and also with reported high prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and pulmonary conditions. These comorbid health conditions are reported as common risk factors for severe outcomes with COVID-19, along with older age.
Author Interviews, COVID -19 Coronavirus, Lancet / 02.06.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_54427" align="alignleft" width="150"]Holger Schünemann, MD, PhD, FRCPC Professor of Clinical Epidemiology and of Medicine Co-Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases, Research Methods and Recommendations Director, Cochrane Canada and McMaster GRADE Centre Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact Canada Dr. Schünemann[/caption] Holger Schünemann, MD, PhD, FRCPC Professor of Clinical Epidemiology and of Medicine Co-Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases, Research Methods and Recommendations Director, Cochrane Canada and McMaster GRADE Centre Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact Canada  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Many countries and regions have issued conflicting advice about physical distancing to reduce transmission of COVID-19, based on limited information. In addition, the questions of whether masks and eye coverings might reduce transmission of COVID-19 in the general population, and what the optimum use of masks in healthcare settings is, have been debated during the pandemic.
Author Interviews, CMAJ, Endocrinology, OBGYNE / 02.06.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_54421" align="alignleft" width="200"]Lois Donovan MD FRCPC Clinical Professor Cumming School of Medicine Division on Endocrinology and Metabolism and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology University of Calgary Dr. Donovan[/caption] Lois Donovan MD FRCPC Clinical Professor Cumming School of Medicine Division on Endocrinology and Metabolism and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology University of Calgary MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? 1) We observed in our clinical practices that minor TSH elevations in early pregnancy frequently normalized without intervention. 2) Recent randomized control trials have failed to show benefit of treating women with levothyroxine with minor TSH elevations in pregnancy 
Author Interviews, Nutrition, Weight Research / 01.06.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Zachary Zeigler PhD College of Science, Engineering, and Technology Grand Canyon University. Phoenix, AZ  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: We already know that during the COVID-19 pandemic, children alter eating, sleep, and activity behaviors in a manner that promotes weight gain.  Additionally, the unprecedented self-quarantine mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to widespread concern that adults may gain weight during the current pandemic.
Author Interviews, Cost of Health Care, Diabetes, JAMA, Pediatrics / 01.06.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_54411" align="alignleft" width="148"]Kao-Ping Chua, M.D., Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Medical School Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research Center University of Michigan Dr. Kao-Ping Chua[/caption] Kao-Ping Chua, M.D., Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Medical School Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research Center University of Michigan MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Due to high and rising prices, insulin has become increasingly unaffordable for patients with type 1 diabetes who must pay out-of-pocket for this life-saving medication. Over the past 5 months, many states and insurers have taken steps to cap insulin out-of-pocket spending. For example, Cigna imposed a $25 monthly cap earlier this year. This week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services announced a $35 monthly cap for many Medicare Part D beneficiaries.
Author Interviews, Dermatology, Stem Cells, Surgical Research / 01.06.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_54363" align="alignleft" width="200"]Charles-de-SáM.D., Ph.D. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Dr. Charles-de-Sá[/caption] Charles-de-SáM.D., Ph.D. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Our clinical trial was based on our clinical skin observations in areas submitted to a lipotransfer previously, an ordinary practice in plastic surgery. These clinical observations lead us to investigate what will be the key element played in these findings. Our scientific support investigation addressed the Dardick1and Zuk, P2 studies, that demonstrated fibroblastic-like cells in adipose tissue with regenerative ability. Our clinical trial proposal is to investigate the adipose-derived stem cell (ADSC) role in the photoaged skin. The direct endpoint of the study was to assess the histological benefits provided by the subdermal ADSC injection. Mesenchymal stem cells were obtained from lipoaspirates, expanded in vitro, and introduced into the facial skin of 20 patients submitted after three to four months to a face-lifting surgery. In the retrieved skin, immunocytochemical and ultrastructural analysis quantified elastic matrix components, cathepsin-K, metalloprotease MMP-12, and the macrophage M2 markers: CD68, CD206 and heme-oxygenase-1.An overview of the trial steps is described in the infographic. 
Author Interviews, JAMA, OBGYNE, Pediatrics / 01.06.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Katri RäikkönenKatri Räikkönen Professor, Department of Psychology and Logopedics University of Helsinski MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Maternal antenatal corticosteroid treatment is standard care when there is a risk for preterm delivery. The treatment improves the prognosis of babies born preterm. In high-income countries, antenatal corticosteroid treatment has been in routine use for over 30 years. Recommendations and clinical care guidelines for maternal antenatal corticosteroid treatment differ between continents and countries. In Finland the treatment is currently recommended when the risk for preterm delivery is at 34 gestational weeks or less. In select cases, the treatment is recommended even later in gestation. Corticosteroids accelerate fetal maturation, especially in the lungs, and increase the child’s resilience to the stress that results from being born preterm. However, antenatal corticosteroids not only cross the placenta, but also cross the the blood-brain barrier and may harm fetal brain development. We are not aware of previous population-based studies that would have tested if maternal antenatal corticosteroid treatment would be associated with mental and behavioral disorders in children and we are not either aware of studies that would have tested if any associations would be explained by shared genetic or familial factors.
Author Interviews, Cost of Health Care, Diabetes / 01.06.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_54405" align="alignleft" width="200"]Amir Meiri, MD MPH Atrius Health/Department of Population Medicine (DPM) | Delivery System Science Fellow HMS and HPHCI, DPM | General Internal Medicine Fellow Atrius Health Kenmore | Urgent Care Physician VA Boston Healthcare | Attending in Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine Dr. Meiri[/caption] Amir Meiri, MD MPH Atrius Health/Department of Population Medicine (DPM) | Delivery System Science Fellow HMS and HPHCI, DPM | General Internal Medicine Fellow Atrius Health Kenmore | Urgent Care Physician VA Boston Healthcare | Attending in Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: There has been significant media reporting about rising insulin prices and the health impacts of those exorbitant prices. However, it was not clear how these insulin prices may impact out-of-pocket costs among commercially insured patients; though it is clear that those without insurance are affected per previous media reports. Our study examines the difference between insulin manufacturer-set prices and what patients actually pay, the out-of-pocket cost, in the context of the type of insurance patients have.
Author Interviews, Dermatology, Genetic Research / 01.06.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_54401" align="alignleft" width="130"]Sarah E. Millar, Ph.D. Director, Black Family Stem Cell Institute Professor, Departments of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology and Dermatology Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY Dr. Millar[/caption] Sarah E. Millar, Ph.D. Director, Black Family Stem Cell Institute Professor, Departments of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology and Dermatology Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: One of the major roles of the skin is to serve as a protective barrier, both preventing external insults, such as toxins and pathogens, from entering the body, and helping to retain moisture. The mechanisms required for appropriate skin barrier formation remain incompletely understood. Elucidating these processes is important for understanding and developing improved treatments for dermatological diseases in which the skin barrier is dysfunctional, such as eczema and psoriasis. Understanding epigenetic regulators, proteins that modify the structure of genetic material, is an area of scientific interest, as many new drugs target these proteins. Importantly, multiple epigenetic regulators have been shown to be important in skin development. My lab has focused on one group of epigenetic regulators, histone deacetylases (HDACs), because HDAC inhibitors show promise for treating several different cancers and other disorders in which cell proliferation is poorly controlled. We previously showed that HDACs 1 and 2 are required for normal skin development. In the current study, we investigated whether the related protein HDAC3 is also important in establishing the skin barrier. 
ASCO, Author Interviews, Cancer Research / 30.05.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_54250" align="alignleft" width="130"]Cardinale Smith, MD, PhD Associate Professor Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology and Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York  Dr. Smith[/caption] Cardinale Smith, MD, PhD Associate Professor Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology and Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Cancer patients are often hospitalized with complications from cancer and cancer treatment. Physical decline is common among hospitalized cancer patients and contributes to poorer outcomes including increased length of stay, excess days, readmissions and patient experiences.  Therefore, increased activity and mobilization during hospitalization are essential to prevent functional decline. Whereas previous research has focused on risk factors that limit mobility and interventions for enhancing mobility in well-functioning, community dwelling older adults, there have been limited interventions on the mobility of hospitalized cancer patients.
ASCO, Author Interviews, Biomarkers, Breast Cancer / 30.05.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_54388" align="alignleft" width="200"]Francois-Clement Bidard, MD PhD Head of Breast Cancer Group, Institut Curie Professor of Med. Oncology, UVSQ/Paris  Dr. Clement Bidard[/caption] Francois-Clement Bidard, MD PhD Head of Breast Cancer Group, Institut Curie Professor of Med. Oncology, UVSQ/Paris MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: A timely question is how to optimize the endocrine therapy of ER+ HER2- metastatic breast cancers? Aromatase inhibitors (AI) are currently the standard of care in first line, in combination with CDK4/6 inhibitors. Mutations in the estrogen receptor gene (ESR1) can be detected in up to 40% of AI-resistant metastatic breast cancers, but no data was available in the current first line setting (AI combined to CDK4/6 inhibitor). This exploratory study of the first line PADA-1 study reports on the detection rate of ESR1 mutations in cell-free DNA from an “AI-sensitive” population (with no metastatic relapse during adjuvant AI therapy), before the start of therapy (at inclusion). As expected, we found a low prevalence of 3.2% in the general population (N=1,017 patients included). The prevalence of ESR1 mutations among subgroups appeared primarily driven by the type of adjuvant endocrine therapy: patients with prior exposure to adjuvant therapy with AI displayed the highest prevalence of ESR1 mutations (7.1%), followed by patients with no prior adjuvant endocrine therapy (mostly de novo stage IV; ESR1 mutation prevalence: 2.4%). Patients who received adjuvant endocrine therapy with no AI (e.g. tamoxifen only) had the lowest ESR1 mutation prevalence (1.2%).
ASCO, Author Interviews, Cancer Research, Electronic Records / 30.05.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Debra A. Patt, MD, PhD, MBA, FASCO Editor-in-chief of the Journal of Clinical Oncology - Clinical Cancer Informatics Medical oncologist at Texas Oncology, and US Oncology Research Breast Cancer Committee member MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Cancer care is increasing in complexity with differentiation of cancer subtypes, new treatments, and treatment sequences and combinations.  Complying with evidence based therapy has become an increasing challenge.  We see that compliance with guideline based care across the country is highly variable. Our study evaluated an electronic health record based Clinical Decision Support System to facilitate compliance with evidence based guidelines--or pathways--to deliver care to adult patients with cancer.
Author Interviews, CDC, Dental Research / 30.05.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Marcia L. Parker, DMD Division of Oral Health National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion CDC [caption id="attachment_54377" align="alignleft" width="200"]teeth-dental-cdc-phil-image CDC PHIL image[/caption] MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: This report reviewed three measures of tooth loss among adults over 50 years old with selected chronic conditions. The report analyzed data from the 2011–2016 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to compare the rates of total tooth loss, severe tooth loss (less than 8 teeth), and lacking functional dentition (less than 20 teeth) among people with and without selected chronic conditions.
Author Interviews, Blood Clots, Clots - Coagulation, COVID -19 Coronavirus, JAMA / 29.05.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_54374" align="alignleft" width="200"]Dr Tristan Morichau-Beauchant, MD. Intensive Care Unit Centre Cardiologique du Nord Saint-Denis, France Dr. Morichau-Beauchant[/caption] Dr Tristan Morichau-Beauchant, MD. Intensive Care Unit Centre Cardiologique du Nord Saint-Denis, France MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: During the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic in France, early reports on severe patients stated a highly increased inflammatory response associated with procoagulant changes in coagulation pathways and high D-Dimer levels. Preliminary reports from the intensive care community signaled frequent events of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) among this population. We decided to perform prospectively a venous ultrasonogram of the inferior limbs for all patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia at admission in our ICU.  All patients had acute respiratory distress syndrome according to the Berlin definition an required mechanical ventilation. Considering the high prevalence of venous thrombosis at admission we repeated a venous ultrasonography after 48 hours if the first exam was normal. All patients received standard anticoagulant prophylaxis since hospital admission.
ASCO, Author Interviews, Cancer Research, Leukemia, UC Davis / 28.05.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_54355" align="alignleft" width="150"]Dr-Brian A. Jonas Dr. Jonas[/caption] Brian A. Jonas, M.D., Ph.D. UC Davis Health System MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? At this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and European Hematology Association (EHA) virtual meetings, we presented data on the rapidity and likelihood of response to venetoclax treatments, and its associated characteristics, in older patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We evaluated data from two clinical trials of venetoclax in combination with azacitidine, or decitabine (M14-358), or low-dose cytarabine (LDAC) (M14-387) in this patient population.
Author Interviews, COVID -19 Coronavirus, JAMA / 28.05.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_54349" align="alignleft" width="142"]Soumya Sen PhD McKnight Presidential Fellow Mary & Jim Lawrence Fellow of Carlson School Director of Research, MIS Research Center Associate Professor, Information & Decision Sciences Carlson School of Management  University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN Dr. Soumya Sen[/caption] Soumya Sen PhD McKnight Presidential Fellow Mary & Jim Lawrence Fellow of Carlson School Director of Research, MIS Research Center Associate Professor, Information & Decision Sciences Carlson School of Management University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: As the Covid-19 pandemic unfolded across the United States, one of the greatest barriers to understanding the extent of the problem was the lack of reliable and consistent data. Some of the metrics being reported, such as case count and death, are insufficient for hospital capacity planning. Case count is a conservative estimate of the actual number of infected individuals in the absence of community-wide serologic testing, while death count is a lagging metric and insufficient for proactive hospital capacity planning. A more valuable metric for assessing the effects of public health interventions on the health care infrastructure is hospitalizations. Therefore, the Medical Industry Leadership Institute (MILI) and the Management Information Systems Research Center (MISRC) at the Carlson School of Management launched the COVID-19 hospitalization tracking project in March to consistently track and report daily hospitalizations from all reporting states. Tracking daily hospitalization data is a major step forward in quantifying the current impact on local hospital systems, modeling and  forecasting future utilization needs, and tracking the rate of change in the disease severity. It is also useful for understanding the role of health policy interventions in slowing or reducing the impact of the pandemic.
Author Interviews, Cancer Research, JAMA, Yale / 28.05.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_50208" align="alignleft" width="160"]Daniel Boffa, MD Professor of Surgery Yale School of Medicine Dr. Boffa[/caption] Daniel J. Boffa, MD Associate Professor of Thoracic Surgery Yale School of Medicine MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The study examined networks that formed around hospitals that had been previously ranked in the top-50 by US News and World Report.  These top-ranked hospitals have shared their brand with hospitals in their network, which leads some people to believe that the care is the same at top-ranked hospitals and their affiliate hospitals.  We wanted to determine if outcomes after complex surgical procedures were truly the same at affiliate hospitals and top-ranked hospitals. 
Author Interviews, COVID -19 Coronavirus / 27.05.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_54344" align="alignleft" width="150"]Jianfeng Zhou MD, PhD Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital Tongji Medical College Huazhong University of Science and Technolog Wuhan, Hubei, China Dr. Jian Feng Zhou[/caption] Jianfeng Zhou MD, PhD Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital Tongji Medical College Huazhong University of Science and Technolog Wuhan, Hubei, China MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response:  There is accumulating evidence on the key pathophysiological role of cytokines during the severe stage of COVID-19. In the context of lack of vaccine and specific antiviral agents, testing of immunomodulatory agents to reduce excessive or uncontrolled inflammation before it results in irreversible multi-organ dysfunction infection has received increasing research attention. Although several important papers have proposed JAK inhibitors as potential therapeutic targets, the role of JAK inhibitors on COVID-19 patients needs to be clarified quickly, especially in severe COVID-19 patients.
Author Interviews, Nutrition, Pediatrics, Pediatrics, Weight Research / 26.05.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_54336" align="alignleft" width="150"]Megan H. Pesch, MD, MS, FAAP Assistant Professor C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital University of Michigan Dr. Pesch[/caption] Megan H. Pesch, MD, MS, FAAP Assistant Professor C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital University of Michigan MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Picky eating is common among children and is often both concerning to parents. Healthcare providers may reassure parents that their child will “outgrow” picky eating, however there have been few longitudinal studies examining the trajectories of picky eating in children, as well as associated trends in their growth. In our study we examined the trajectories of picky eating in US children over a 5 year period. We also examined how these picky eating trends were associated with child characteristics, weight status and mother’s feeding behaviors.
Annals Internal Medicine, Author Interviews, Colon Cancer / 26.05.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Nastazja Dagny Pilonis, MD Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Currently recommended 10-year interval between screening colonoscopies is based on the limited evidence. We decided to assess what is the risk of colorectal cancer and colorectal cancer death after singe negative screening colonoscopy.
Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Cognitive Issues, Heart Disease, JACC, Lipids / 23.05.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_54285" align="alignleft" width="133"]Robert P. Giugliano, MD, SM Senior Investigator, TIMI Study Group Cardiovascular Medicine Brigham and Women's Hospital Professor of Medicine Harvard Medical School Boston, MA Dr. Giugliano[/caption] Robert P. Giugliano, MD, SM Senior Investigator, TIMI Study Group Cardiovascular Medicine Brigham and Women's Hospital Professor of Medicine Harvard Medical School Boston, MA  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Some prior studies had suggested that lipid lowering therapies were associated with impaired cognition.  We sought to explore this question in a prospectively designed substudy of the large FOURIER randomized, double-blind clinical trial utilizing patient self-surveys administered the end of the study to determine whether patients themselves noticed any changes in cognition over the duration of the trial. The survey tool was a shortened version of the Everyday Cognition Questionnaire (see attached) that asks patients 23 questions that assess memory and executive function (including subdomains of planning, organization, and divided attention). The questions are in the format of "Compared to the beginning of the study, has there been any change in .....", and are graded as 1=better/no change, 2=questionable/occasionally worse, 3=consistently a little worse, 4=consistently much worse.
Author Interviews / 22.05.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_54321" align="alignleft" width="200"]nembro-wikipedia-image Nembro Italy: Wikipedia-Image[/caption] Marco Piccininni Research Associate, CONVERGE Universitätsmedizin Institute of Public Health Berlin, Germany MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The Lombardy region of northern Italy was severely hit by the covid-19 pandemic. However, despite the very high number of confirmed covid-19 deaths in this region, some local investigations suggested that there was a mismatch between the confirmed covid-19 death count and the increase in all-cause deaths. In our study, we decided to further investigate this aspect in the city of Nembro (province of Bergamo), which was one of the first cities to report covid-19 cases, and one of the cities most affected by the pandemic.
Author Interviews, COVID -19 Coronavirus, Race/Ethnic Diversity / 21.05.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_54317" align="alignleft" width="133"]Charles H. Hennekens Dr. Hennekens[/caption] Charles H. Hennekens, MD, DrPH Sir Richard Doll Professor Senior Academic Advisor FAU, Boca Raton, FL  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Blacks and other disadvantaged minorities in the United States have markedly reduced life expectancies compared with their white counterparts.  As is the case with most fatal diseases, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is already taking a disproportionate toll on blacks and other disadvantaged minorities.