Blog – Medical Research News and Interviews
06 Apr Epigenetic DNA Variants Predictive of Coronary Artery Disease
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_40958" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Aslibekyan[/caption]
Stella Aslibekyan, PhD
Associate Professor
PhD Program Director
Department of Epidemiology
University of Alabama at Birmingham
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: When the human genome was sequenced in 2003, there were somewhat unrestrained expectations of unraveling all etiologic mysteries and discovering breakthrough treatments. Needless to say, that did not happen, in part because individual genetic variants can only account for a small fraction of trait variability. Since then, epigenetics-- the study of mitotically heritable changes in gene expression-- has emerged as another promising avenue for understanding disease risk. The best studied epigenetic process in humans is DNA methylation, and earlier studies (including some from our group) have shown interesting associations between changes in methylation in specific genomic regions and cardiovascular disease traits, e.g. plasma cholesterol levels.
In this project, we have combined DNA methylation data on thousands of individuals from multiple international cohorts and interrogated epigenetic contributions to circulating tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFa), a marker of systemic inflammation. We identified and replicated several epigenomic markers of TNFa, linked them to variation in gene expression, and showed that these methylation changes (which were located in interferon pathway genes) were predictive of coronary heart disease later in life. Interestingly, the variants we discovered were not sequence-dependent (in other words, they were not associated with any genetic mutations), highlighting the role of the environment.
05 Apr Mouse Model Shows Gene Therapy Can Reverse Blue Cone Vision Disorder
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_41030" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Wen-Tao Deng[/caption]
Wen-Tao Deng, Ph.D.
Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine|
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Blue cone monochromay (BCM) is a devastating vision disorder characterized by loss function of both L- and M-cones due to mutations in the L- and M-opin gene cluster on the X chromosome. BCM patients display severely reduced visual acuity, loss of color-vision, myopia, nystagmus, and minimally detectable cone-mediated electroretinogram. In our studies, we showed that an M-opsin knockout mouse model resembles human BCM, and expression of either human M- or L-opsin individually or combined through adeno-associated viral vector promotes regrowth of cone outer segments and rescues M-cone function in the treated M-opsin dorsal retin
05 Apr Phase 3 Trial of Cariprazine (Vraylar) Shows Promise in Bipolar Depression
Posted at 16:27h
in Allergan, Author Interviews, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Mental Health Research
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_41025" align="alignleft" width="133"]
Dr. C. David Nicholson[/caption]
Dr. C. David Nicholson, PhD
Chief R&D Officer
Allergan
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this data milestone?
Response: Bipolar I depression refers to the depressive episodes of bipolar I disorder, the overarching brain and behavioral disorder. People with bipolar I disorder can have manic and depressive episodes, as well as mixed episodes that feature both manic and depressive symptoms at the same time. Bipolar I depression typically lasts at least two weeks, and can be difficult to differentiate from major depression during diagnosis.
Once diagnosed, treating bipolar depression can be difficult given the few therapies available to manage these symptoms of bipolar I disorder. Additionally, patients with bipolar disorder may experience shifts from depression to mania or mania to depression as well as mixed states. More treatment options are needed so that physicians can find a therapy that will treat bipolar depression effectively, while also addressing the myriad of other symptoms that patients can experience.
Cariprazine is already approved for the treatment of mania and mixed episodes. With this new data, we have the potential to also treat bipolar depression, effectively addressing the full spectrum of symptoms associated with bipolar I disorder with just one medication.
05 Apr Obese Children Who Lose Weight Before Adulthood Can Reduce Risk of Diabetes
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_40992" align="alignleft" width="166"]
Dr. Geisler Bjerregaard[/caption]
Lise Geisler Bjerregaard PhD
Postdoc, PhD, M.Sc. Public Health
Center for Klinisk Forskning og Sygdomsforebyggelse/ Center for Clinical Research and Disease Prevention
Sektion for Klinisk Epidemiologi
Frederiksberg Hospital, Frederiksberg
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Being overweight in childhood and early adulthood is associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in adulthood. We wanted to know whether or not remission of overweight before early adulthood can reduce the risks of type 2 diabetes later in life.
We studied the associations between different combinations of weight status in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood, and later development of type 2 diabetes.
We found that men who had been overweight at 7 years of age but normalised weight by age 13 years and were normal weight as young men had similar risks of type 2 diabetes as men who were never overweight. Men who normalised weight between age 13 years and early adulthood had increased risks of type 2 diabetes, but lower risks than men who were overweight at all ages.
05 Apr End of Honeymoon Period Means Whooping Cough Can Resurge
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_41013" align="alignleft" width="300"]
This Gram-stained photomicrograph depicts numbers of Bordetella pertussis bacteria, which is the etiologic pathogen for pertussis, also known as whooping cough.CDC image[/caption] Matthieu Domenech de Cellès PhD Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. Biostatistics, Biomathematics, Pharmacoepidemiology, and Infectious Diseases Unit Institut Pasteur, Inserm, University of Versailles St-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Versailles, France. MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Our main motivation was to elucidate an apparent paradox: Why has the US experienced a resurgence of pertussis (whooping cough) since the mid-1970s, despite persistently high vaccine coverage? A variety of hypotheses have been proposed to explain this resurgence, but most attention has focused on the potential shortcomings of the new generation of pertussis vaccines (called acellular pertussis vaccines). However, there remains considerable uncertainty about the degree and the mechanisms of protection conferred by pertussis vaccines. Via a collaboration with the local department of public health, we used detailed surveillance data in the state of Massachusetts to test a number of hypotheses about pertussis vaccines. We found that, although pertussis vaccines are imperfect (in the sense that they do not provide lifelong, 100% protection to 100% of children vaccinated), they are still highly efficacious. Specifically, we estimated that vaccine protection wanes over time, but slowly, with about 85% of children still protected 10 years after vaccination. Despite this high vaccine efficacy, we showed that the resurgence of pertussis was, in fact, to be expected. What happens is that the introduction of routine vaccination leads to an overall reduction in transmission, not only in vaccinated children but also in the population at large. Accordingly, those who escaped vaccination as children (as a consequence of incomplete vaccine coverage or imperfect vaccine protection) increasingly age having also avoided natural infection. As a result, the number of individuals susceptible to contract pertussis gradually increases. Because such people are the “fuel” of epidemics, this sets the stage for pertussis’ resurgence, with increasing incidence among older individuals. This overall effect is called the “end-of-honeymoon” and means that resurgence is therefore a predictable consequence of incomplete vaccination with efficacious, but imperfect, vaccines. Importantly, these results show that recent trends do not necessarily reflect recent changes in the epidemiology of pertussis. Rather, they may be interpreted as a legacy of past immunization practices, with long-to-manifest effects. This is a significant shift of perspective about pertussis epidemiology.
05 Apr Which Brain Circuits Determine Maternal Behavior?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Yi-Ya Fang
NYU School of Medicine
Dayu Lin, PhD
Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry,
Center for Neural Science
New York, NY
Response: Maternal behaviors are essential for survival of offspring across mammalian species. In rodents, mothers show several characteristic pup caring behaviors including grooming pups, crouching over pups and approaching and retrieving pups. Decades of research has been trying to understand how the neural circuit is wired to generate these elaborate maternal behaviors. Medial preoptic area (MPOA), which is located at anterior part of hypothalamus, has been indicated to be important for maternal behaviors. Many studies consistently found deficits in maternal behaviors after damaging the MPOA. To dissect the maternal circuits in the brain, we looked into the properties of the Esr1+ cells.
In this study, we identify estrogen receptor α (Esr1) expressing cells in MPOA as key mediators of pup approach and retrieval. We focused on Esr1 (Esr1) expressing cells in the MPOA since estrogen has been shown to facilitate maternal behaviors, presumably through its action of estrogen sensing cells. We found that reversible inactivation of MPOA Esr1+ cells impairs maternal behaviors whereas optogenetic activation of MPOA Esr1+ cells induces immediate pup retrieval. Additionally, we found that MPOA Esr1+ cells are preferentially activated during maternal behaviors, and the cell responses changed across reproductive states. Tracing studies revealed that MPOA Esr1+ cells project strongly to ventral tegmental area (VTA), a region that has been indicated in motivation and reward. Specifically, MPOA Esr1+ cells provide strong inhibitory inputs preferentially to the GABAergic cells in the VTA, which in turn could disinhibit the dopaminergic cells. VTA dopaminergic cells are highly activated during maternal behaviors.
Altogether, our study provides new insight into the neural circuit that generates maternal behaviors.
05 Apr Readmissions After Stent Surgery Common and Often Due to Co-Morbid Disease
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_40933" align="alignleft" width="200"] Example of Open Cardiac Stent[/caption] Chun Shing Kwok, MBBS, MSc, BSc, MRCP(UK) Clinical Lecturer in Cardiology and Specialist Registrar in Cardiology Keele University & Royal Stoke University Hospital Guy Hilton Research MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a common revascularization...
04 Apr Head Injuries and Concussions Common in Theater Work and Performing Arts
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_41019" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Jeff Russell[/caption]
Jeffrey A. (Jeff) Russell, PhD, AT, FIADMS
Science and Health in Artistic Performance
Division of Athletic Training, School of Applied Health Sciences and Wellness
Ohio University
Athens, OH 45701
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Everyone knows that enormous attention is given to concussions in sports today. Those involved in performing arts experience many head impacts, too; yet, they receive neither the attention nor the specialized care for concussions that athletes do.
At Ohio University’s Clinic for Science and Health in Artistic Performance (SHAPe Clinic) that I direct, we were seeing a number of theater students suffer concussions. So, Brooke Daniell and I decided explore this trend more closely. This is the first known published research to evaluate the prevalence of head impacts in theater personnel. In the sample we studied, which comprised predominantly those involved in various aspects of theater production, the prevalence of receiving at least one head impact in a theater career was 67%. Of those who sustained at least one head impact from theater, 77% reported three or more head impacts, and 39% reported more than five impacts. More troubling, of those who said they had received a head impact that was accompanied by concussion-like symptoms, 70% indicated that they continued their work, and half of those did not report the incident to anyone.
04 Apr Maryland’s Global Budget Plan Did Not Change Hospital or Primary Care Usage
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_40996" align="alignleft" width="138"]
Dr. Roberts[/caption]
Eric T. Roberts, PhD
Assistant Professor of Health Policy & Management
University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: There is considerable interest nationally in reforming how we pay health care providers and in shifting from fee-for-service to value-based payment models, in which providers assume some economic risk for their patients’ costs and outcomes of care. One new payment model that has garnered interest among policy makers is the global budget, which in 2010 Maryland adopted for rural hospitals. Maryland subsequently expanded the model to urban and suburban hospitals in 2014. Maryland’s global budget model encompasses payments to hospitals for inpatient, emergency department, and hospital outpatient department services from all payers, including Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurers. The intuition behind this payment model is that, when a hospital is given a fixed budget to care for the entire population it serves, it will have an incentive to avoid costly admissions and focus on treating patients outside of the hospital (e.g., in primary care practices). Until recently, there has been little rigorous evidence about whether Maryland’s hospital global budget model met policy makers’ goals of reducing hospital use and strengthening primary care.
Our Health Affairs study evaluated how the 2010 implementation of global budgets in rural Maryland hospitals affected hospital utilization among Medicare beneficiaries. This study complements work our research group published in JAMA Internal Medicine (January 16, 2018) that examined the impact of the statewide program on hospital and primary care use, also among Medicare beneficiaries.
04 Apr LUCEMYRA, First Drug for Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms, Receives FDA Recommendation
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Mark Pirner, MD, PhD
Senior Medical Director
US WorldMeds
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Would you briefly explain how lofexidine works?
Response: LUCEMYRA (lofexidine) was studied in two phase 3 pivotal randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical studies, and a phase 3 open-label study. Clinical pharmacology studies included evaluation of drug-drug interaction studies that demonstrated lofexidine can be safely administered concomitantly with methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone.
LUCEMYRA is an alpha 2 adrenergic receptor agonist that reduces the surge of norepinephrine signaling in the brain which results from abrupt opioid withdrawal, and thereby reduces the severity of opioid withdrawal symptoms.
04 Apr Falls in Older Adults Cost US Over $50 Billion Dollars Annually
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_40978" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Florence[/caption]
Curtis Florence, PhD
Division of Analysis, Research and Practice Integration
CDC’s Injury Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The estimates in this study provide a more robust indicator of the economic impact falls have on the U.S. economy. Previous studies focused on Medicare spending. This study includes Medicare, Medicaid and out-of-pocket spending.
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?
Response: Our study found that older adult (65 years and over) falls impose a large economic burden on the U.S. healthcare system. In 2015, with a total medical cost $50 billion for non-fatal and fatal falls. About three-quarters of the total cost was paid by government-funded programs. Medicare paid nearly $29 billion for non-fatal falls, Medicaid $8.7 billion, and $12 billion was paid for by Private/Out-of-pocket expenses. For fatal falls, $754 million was spent in 2015.
04 Apr Combination EGFR + TNF Inhibition May Knock Out Most Lung Cancers
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_40982" align="alignleft" width="142"]
Dr. Amyn Habib[/caption]
Amyn Habib, M.D.
Associate Professor, Neurology & Neurotherapeutics
UT Southwestern Medical Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is expressed in most lung cancers and could play an important role in driving the growth of lung cancer. Drugs are available that can block the activity of the EGFR. However, EGFR inhibitors are successful in only a small subset of lung cancers that have a mutant form of the EGFR, and do not work in the majority of lung cancers that have the normal form of the EGFR.
04 Apr Migraine Linked To Increased Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_40974" align="alignleft" width="133"]
Dr. Elgendy[/caption]
Islam Elgendy MD
Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
University of Florida
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Migraine headache is a prevalent medical condition, often being chronic and debilitating to many. Previous studies have shown that migraine, particularly migraine with aura, is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. Recently, a number of these studies have reported long-term follow up data. To better understand the long-term morbidity that is associated with migraines, we performed a systematic evaluation to study the link between migraine and risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events.
This study demonstrated that migraine is associated with an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, which was driven by an increased long-term risk of myocardial infarction and stroke. This effect was predominantly observed in migraineurs who have aura.
03 Apr Do Rear-Facing Car Seats Protect Children From Rear Crashes?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_40962" align="alignleft" width="348"]
Julie Mansfield straps a doll into a car seat. Rear-facing car seats are known to protect children in front and side impact crashes, but are rarely discussed in terms of rear-impact collisions. In a new study, researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center explored the effectiveness of rear-facing car seats in rear-impact accidents by conducting crash tests with different car seat types and features . It is important to make sure what the impact would be if someone was in a car accident. Accidents do, unfortunately, happen. If the seat you're isn't up to the right standards then you could be putting your child at greater risk! Regardless whether you're in your car or in an Uber, if you find yourself needing help in the case your child seat gives way in the event of an incident with Uber then looking into a uber accident attorney is the next step. Like wise, if you're on your own in you car, you are going to want to contact the manufacturer of the seat for further information and see if you're entitle to compensation. Which is why it is a good idea to make sure that you have the right sort of car insurance for you and your car. You can compare car insurance here if you are unsure about what you can get. [/caption]
Julie Mansfield, Lead author
Research engineer
Injury Biomechanics Research Center
Ohio State College of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Parents and caregivers often understand that a rear-facing car seat will support the head, neck, and spine during frontal impacts. In frontal impacts, the child will simply be cradled and supported by the shell of the car seat as crash forces “pull” the child toward the front of the vehicle. However, caregivers often ask how a rear-facing car seat would work if the vehicle is struck from behind. In that case, crash forces might “pull” the occupant toward the rear of the vehicle. In this case, they wonder whether the head and neck of the rear-facing child would be supported.
Injuries to children in rear impact crashes are fairly rare. However, we wanted to run some crash tests so we could see exactly what was happening in these scenarios. With these data, we can better explain to caregivers how rear-facing car seats work in this type of crash.
We exposed four different models of rear-facing car seats to a moderate severity rear-impact crash pulse. All were installed on a recent model year vehicle seat. We used crash test dummies representing a one-year-old child and a three-year-old child.
We found that the rear-facing car seats protected the crash test dummy well when exposed to a typical rear impact. The car seats supported the child throughout the crash and still did their job to keep the head, neck, and spine aligned. A lot of the crash energy was absorbed through the car seat interacting with the vehicle seat, so that reduced the amount of energy transferred into the occupant. This is important in preventing injuries.
03 Apr Reassessment of Tumor Sequencing For Patients with Potentially Inheritable Colon Cancer
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_40952" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Heather Hampel[/caption]
Heather Hampel, MS, LGC
Associate Director, Division of Human Genetics
Associate Director, Biospecimen Research
Professor, Internal Medicine
Licensed Genetic Counselor
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
Columbus, OH 4322
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: The background is that we had recently shown that some colorectal cancer patients who underwent traditional screening for Lynch syndrome were eventually found to have double somatic (two acquired) mutations in the MMR genes and they did not have Lynch syndrome at all. This was discovered after their tumor had already had MSI and/or IHC screening test, followed by MLH1 methylation and/or BRAF testing, followed by germline DNA testing on a blood sample from the patient for MMR gene mutations, then finally by sequencing their tumor. This gave us the idea to reverse the sequence and start with tumor sequencing since it might streamline testing, save time, and prevent several other tests.
In addition, we knew that all stage IV colorectal cancer are already supposed to have tumor sequencing of the KRAS, NRAS, and BRAF genes and MSI testing for treatment purposes. Our hypothesis was that an upfront tumor sequencing test could replace all these separate tests with similar sensitivity and specificity.
03 Apr FDA Grants Fast Track Designation to Nintedanib for Scleroderma with Lung Disease
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_40947" align="alignleft" width="167"]
Dr. Thomas Leonard[/caption]
Dr. Thomas Leonard, Ph.D.
Executive director, Clinical Development and Medical Affairs, Specialty Care
Boehringer Ingelheim
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this announcement? Would you briefly explain what is meant by systemic sclerosis? What are the disease symptoms and manifestations?
Response: The FDA recently granted Fast Track designation to nintedanib for the treatment of systemic sclerosis with interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) – paving the way for Boehringer Ingelheim to take an important step in advancing this potential therapy for those affected by this disease. The designation was based on Boehringer Ingelheim’s Investigational New Drug application (IND) and the anticipated efficacy and safety data from SENSCIS™ (Safety and Efficacy of Nintedanib in Systemic SClerosIS), a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled global Phase III trial which is fully enrolled and includes more than 520 patients from 32 countries.
The FDA’s Fast Track designation facilitates the development of new therapies that treat serious conditions and fulfill an unmet medical need in an effort to get treatments to those in need sooner, like those living with systemic sclerosis.
Systemic sclerosis, also known as scleroderma, is a rare disease characterized by thickening and scarring of connective tissue of multiple organs in the body, typically affecting women between ages 25 and 55. Most people with the disease will develop some degree of lung scarring, or interstitial lung disease (ILD), which is the leading cause of death among people with systemic sclerosis.
Nintedanib, currently marketed as Ofev®, is approved for treatment of a rare lung disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF, and has been shown to slow disease progression as measured by annual rate of decline in lung function. Because SSc-ILD and IPF share similarities in how the underlying lung scarring, or fibrosis, forms in people with the disease, Boehringer Ingelheim is evaluating the impact of nintedanib on SSc-ILD.
03 Apr Smartphone App Bests Clinical Assessment of Blood Flow
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_40936" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Benjamin Hibbert[/caption]
Benjamin Hibbert MD PhD FRCPCz
Interventional Cardiologist
Clinician Scientist and Assistant Professor
CAPITAL Research Group
Vascular Biology and Experimental Medicine Laboratory
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: When we designed the study in 2014 we were routinely using the modified allen's test (MAT) to screen patients for transradial access for coronary angiography and PCI. We all had iPhones and we started using the HeartRate monitoring application as a photoplethysmograph. Quite quickly we found that using the application was simple, worked well and because we always had our iPhone with us we tended to use it more often. That being said - we wanted to test it in a scientifically rigorous method and thus we elected to perform an RCT to evaluate it's diagnostic accuracy.
The current study is the first to use the photoplethysmographic capabilities of smartphones to assess blood flow - in this case in the hand to assess for blockages in arteries before accessing them for a procedure. The hand is supplied by two arteries - the radial artery and the ulnar artery. In many cases in medicine we use the radial artery, whether it be placing a catheter to monitor blood pressure, as a method of getting to the heart for angioplasty and in coronary artery bypass grafting it is removed and used as a bypass to restore blood flow to the heart. In many instances doctors assess the patency of the ulnar artery to decided if they are going to use the radial artery for a procedure - the concept being that if the ulnar is compromised and we use the radial then the hand can develop complications from not enough blood flow. To determine if a patient is eligible doctors would use a bedside physical exam test called the modified Allen's test in which they occlude both arteries to cause the hand to turn white. They then release pressure on the ulnar letting blood only pass through this vessel to see if the hand turns pink. However, there is a lot of variability in what doctors consider to be abnormal and determining if the test is positive can depend on numerous factors including skin tone, the amount of pressure applied and the size of the vessels.
02 Apr OviTex Reinforced BioScaffolds Combine Synthetic and Biologic Materials For Soft Tissue Repair
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_40921" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Michael Sawyer[/caption]
Michael Sawyer, MD, FACS
General Surgeon
Comanche County Memorial Hospital
Lawton, Oklahoma
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Repair of complex incisional hernias is a challenging surgical task. Abdominal wall surgeons are utilizing advanced abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR) techniques including myofascial advancement flap creation with reinforcement by biologic or synthetic prostheses with greater frequency.
Numerous synthetic or biologic surgical mesh products are currently available to reinforce these soft tissue repairs. Each type of biologic or synthetic material has its own advantages and limitations.
OviTex Reinforced BioScaffolds (RBSs) are unique in that they interweave polymer in a custom "lock-stitch" pattern through layers of biologic tissue in an embroidered construction, aiming to incorporate the salutary properties of both biologic and synthetic repair materials. The biologic material, derived from ovine rumen, has been optimized to minimize foreign body response and enables functional tissue remodeling. The polymer provides additional strength, along with improved handling and load‑sharing capability.
02 Apr Less Restrictive Marijuana Laws Linked To Reduced Opioid Prescriptions
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_18486" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Marijuana plant[/caption]
Hefei Wen, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Health Management & Policy
University of Kentucky College of Public Health
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Marijuana is one of the potential, non-opioid alternatives that can relieve pain at a relatively lower risk of addiction and virtually no risk of overdose. Medical and adult-use marijuana laws, has made marijuana available to more Americans. Yet no study to date has focused on the effect of medical and adult-use marijuana laws on opioid prescribing in particular.
Our study provides some of the first empirical evidence that the implementation of medical and adult-use marijuana laws between 2011 and 2016 was associated with lower opioid prescribing rates and spending among Medicaid enrollees.
02 Apr Multifactorial Aspects of Sex Bias in Surgical Research
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Neel Mansukhani, MD Department of Surgery Northwestern University and Melina R. Kibbe, MD, FACS, FAHA Colin G. Thomas Jr. Distinguished Professor and Chair Department of Surgery Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7050 Editor in Chief, JAMA Surgery MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: This study is a follow-up to our previous work that examined sex bias in surgical research. Previously, we examined sex bias in basic and translational science surgical research, as well as in clinical surgical research. We discovered previously that sex bias exists in basic and translational surgical research in the unequal inclusion of male and female research subjects. In clinical research, we found sex bias in the degree of sex matching of included subjects, and in the frequency of sex-based reporting, analysis, and discussion of the data. In this current work, we sought to understand the effect of author gender on sex bias in surgical research. In this work, we found that most authors are male, most authors work with other authors of the same gender, and sex bias is prevalent regardless of author gender. Most importantly, we found that sex inclusive research receives more citations after publication compared to sex-biased research.02 Apr States with Medical Cannabis Dispensaries Had Bigger Drop in Opioid Prescriptions
MedicalResearch.com Interview with
David Bradford, Ph.D.
Busbee Chair in Public Policy
Department of Public Administration and Policy
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: To give you some background, in 2016, part of our research team (Bradford and Bradford) published the first study to directly examine the impact that medical cannabis laws (MCLs) may be having on prescription use. We used yearly physician-level Medicare Part D data, looked at nearly all prescription drugs used to treat 9 broad categories of illness/diagnoses, and found substantial reductions in prescriptions. We published a follow-up study in 2017, this time using data from Medicaid Fee-for-Service.
Again, we found significant substitution away from prescription medications. In both of these studies, pain was included in the list of conditions for which cannabis may be used in patients, and in both studies, pain prescriptions fell. One of the unanswered questions from both of those studies, though, was what *type* of pain medications were being reduced. From a public health standpoint, when we're worried about opioid overdose, it matters whether the substitution away from pain medications is coming from substitutions away from things like NSAIDs or whether there is substitution away from opioids.
02 Apr The Economic Burden of Child Sexual Abuse is in the Billions
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_40905" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Xiangming Fang[/caption]
Dr. Xiangming Fang, PhD
Associate professor of Health Management and Policy
School of Public Health
Georgia State University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Child sexual abuse is a serious public health problem in the United States. The estimated prevalence rates of exposure to child sexual abuse by 18 years old are 26.6 percent for U.S. girls and 5.1 percent for U.S. boys. The effects of child sexual abuse include increased risk for development of severe mental, physical and behavioral health disorders; sexually transmitted diseases; self-inflicted injury, substance abuse and violence; and subsequent victimization and criminal offending.
31 Mar Ankle Fracture: Close Casting Can Be Alternative To Surgery For Older Patients
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: David Keene DPhil NIHR Postdoctoral Research Fellow NDORMS Research Fellow in Trauma Rehabilitation Critical Care, Trauma and Rehabilitation Trials Group Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences University of Oxford MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Our clinical trial comparing close contact casting to the usual...
30 Mar More Heart Attacks In Younger Men Following Canadian Hockey Games
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Hung Q. Ly, M.D., S.M., FRCPC President, Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiology Program Director, Adult Cardiology Postgraduate Training Program Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine Interventional Cardiology Division, Dept. of Medicine, Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Prior scientific reports have discussed...
30 Mar How Does the Brain Switch Between Automatic and Controlled Decision Making?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Ksenija Marinkovic and Lauren Beaton Psychology Department - College of Sciences Spatio-Temporal Brain Imaging Lab Center for Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience San Diego State University San Diego CA MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: In general, we subjectively perceive our actions to be under our deliberate and voluntary control. However, our results are consistent with other accruing evidence suggesting that a large portion of our behavior is automatic and not accessible to conscious experience. The automatic processing primarily underlies predictable daily routines when we seem to be on an “auto-pilot”. In contrast, situations that are ambiguous or that evoke incompatible response tendencies engage cognitive control which allows conscious override of the preplanned actions and results in flexible behavior. Our study used a multimodal imaging approach that combines perfect time sensitivity of magnetoencephalography (MEG) with structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate spatio-temporal stages of the seamless interplay between automatic and controlled processing. MEG is a highly sensitive method that records magnetic fields generated by the brain’s neural activity in real time. Young, healthy, participants performed a version of the Eriksen Flanker task, which presents two colored squares on either side of a centrally presented target square that appears after a short delay. Participants are instructed to press a button corresponding to the color of the target square in the middle and to pay no attention to the flankers. Although participants know that the flankers are irrelevant, they are unable to disregard them deliberately. Instead, flankers trigger an automatic preparation to respond. This is particularly apparent on mismatch trials on which the flanker color is misleading and it activates the wrong hand. Target appearance overrides the initial automatic response as the response plan is switched to the other hand to make a correct response. This process reflects recruitment of cognitive control or the decision-making capacity which includes a range of functions such monitoring contextual demands, selecting the correct response, and suppressing an automatic but irrelevant action. Our multimodal MEG imaging method has allowed us to track the neural response as the brain prepares an incorrect response to flankers and then “switches” motor preparation between hemispheres. This approach makes it possible to investigate the interplay between automatic and controlled processing and dissect decision making as it unfolds. The addition of a moderate dose of alcohol dysregulates this frontal network involved in motor decision making, which decreases accuracy when response conflict is present and lowers neural activity reflecting cognitive control. Related to this overall decrease, and of clinical importance, is the reduced ability to employ cognitive control to refrain from drinking excessively. However, the underlying patterns of response-switching were preserved under alcohol, suggesting that alcohol primarily induces deficits upstream during decision making and not during executing motor commands.29 Mar Sugar-Sweetened Beverages During Adolescence Linked To Dental Cavities
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Teresa A. Marshall, PhD
Professor in the Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry
University of Iowa College of Dentistry
Iowa City
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Dental caries is a process during which oral bacteria ferment carbohydrates to produce acid. The acid demineralizes enamel and/or dentin at the tooth surface leading to white spots and eventually cavitation in the tooth. Added sugars – those not naturally present in foods or beverages, but rather added during processing – are the primary type of carbohydrate associated with caries. Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs; beverages with added sugars) are the food/beverage category most associated with dental caries.
Historically, fluoride has protected against caries through remineralization of the enamel. However, there has been some question as to whether fluoride’s ability to protect against caries is overwhelmed by the quantity of added sugars currently consumed.
Oral hygiene behaviors – brushing and flossing – are thought protect against caries by disrupting the oral bacteria on the tooth.
Most studies have investigated dietary factors and caries during early childhood, with less attention paid to caries during adolescence.
Our objective was to identify associations between longitudinal beverage intakes and adolescent caries experience, while also considering fluoride intake and tooth brushing behaviors.
We followed a group of children from birth through age 17 years; during this time period, we looked at their beverage intakes, fluoride intakes and brushing behaviors every 3-6 months. We calculated their average milk, 100% juice, SSB, water/water-based beverage and fluoride intakes from 6 months through 17 years, and daily tooth brushing from 1 through 17 years.
29 Mar Most Baby Boomers Still Aren’t Screened For Hepatitis C
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_39686" align="alignleft" width="165"]
Hepatitis VirionsCDC/ E.H. Cook, Jr.[/caption] Dr. Monica Kasting PhD first author Dr. Anna Giuliano PhD Susan. T. Vadaparampil, Ph.D., M.P.H. Senior Member/Professor Center for Infection Research in Cancer H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida.Department of Cancer Epidemiology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: In the U.S., approximately 1 in 30 baby boomers are chronically infected with hepatitis C virus. Half of all cases of liver cancer are caused by hepatitis C and liver cancer is one of only three cancer types that are actually increasing in incidence in the US. Because of this, in 2012 the CDC issued a recommendation for universal screening for hepatitis C virus for everyone born between 1945 and 1965 (baby boomers). We wanted to look at the time period after that to see if the rates of screening in that population increased. From 2013-2015 screening among baby boomers only increased by 0.9% (from 11.8% to 12.7%) which indicates we still have a long way to go before we meet our goal of universal screening.
29 Mar As We Age, Our Circadian Clock Becomes Less Sensitive To Light, Leading To Sleep Problems
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr Gurprit S. Lall BSc, MSc, PhD, PGCHE, FHEA
Medway School of Pharmacy
Interim Deputy Head of School
Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology
Director of Graduate Studies (Research),
University of Kent at Medway
Chatham Maritime, Chatham, Kent
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Medical advancement in prevention and diagnosis of disease has increased life expectancy significantly, thus generating an ageing population far greater than previously seen. Because of this, it is essential that we begin to understand the ageing process, together with the health implications associated with senescence. Recent research has found that changes in the circadian clock, located in the brain, play a contributing role in the decline of many physiological and behavioural traits observed through the ageing process. One example of this, which is commonly seen in the elderly is a decline in sleep-wake cycle regulation; typically presenting as disrupted sleeping patterns.
The circadian clock, in mammals, possesses the ability to integrate our social lifestyle choices with the environmental day-night cycle to generate a 24-hour rhythm to which our physiological functions are synchronised. It is this synchronisation that plays a vital role in regulating many of our behavioural outputs, such as sleeping-wake patterns. This clock takes its strongest timing cue from the natural day night cycle governed by the duration of daily sunlight.
Our study investigated the changes in the interpretation of this light signal by the circadian clock as we age and its impact on function. We found that the clock became less responsive to light stimuli at both the level of clock cells and at driving behavioural activity. We were able to narrow this down to changes in the proteins within cells that relay light information to the molecular time setting machinery. In detail, light signals are relayed to the clock through an excitatory neurotransmitter called glutamate and this signal is predominantly relayed through NMDA receptors located on the surface of clock cells. It is the configuration of the NMDA receptor that alters as we age and this leads to the clock becoming less responsive to light.