Author Interviews, Heart Disease, PNAS, UT Southwestern / 28.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Audrey Chang, PhD Kamm-Stull Lab UT Southwestern Medical Center [email protected] MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: The heart is a singular kind of muscle that contracts and relaxes continuously over a lifetime to pump blood to the body’s organs. Contractions depend on a motor protein myosin pulling on actin filaments in specialized structures. Heart contraction is improved when myosin has a phosphate molecule attached to it (phosphorylation), and a constant amount of phosphorylation is essential for normal heart function. The amount of phosphorylation necessary for optimal cardiac performance is maintained by a balance in the activities of myosin kinase enzymes that add the phosphate and an opposing phosphatase enzyme that removes the phosphate. If the amount of phosphorylation is too low, heart failure results. Animal models with increased myosin phosphorylation have enhanced cardiac performance that resist stresses that cause heart failure. In this recent study reported in PNAS, a new kinase that phosphorylates myosin in heart muscle, MLCK4, was discovered and its crystal structure reported, a first for any myosin kinase family member. Compared to distinct myosin kinases in other kinds of muscles (skeletal and smooth), this cardiac-specific kinase lacks a conserved regulatory segment that inhibits kinase activity consistent with biochemical studies that it is always turned on. Additionally, another related myosin kinase found only in heart muscle (MLCK3) contains a modified regulatory segment, allowing partial activity enhanced by the calcium modulator protein, calmodulin. Thus, both myosin kinases unique to cardiac muscle provide phosphate to myosin in normal beating hearts to optimize performance and prevent heart failure induced by stresses. (more…)
Alzheimer's - Dementia, Author Interviews, Cognitive Issues, Memory, University Texas / 28.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Timothy Q. Duong, Ph.D Stanley I. Glickman MD Professor of Ophthalmology, Radiology, and Physiology South Texas Veterans Health Care System, VA Southwest National Primate Research Center University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, Texas MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: A single oral dose of methylene blue increased fMRI response in the bilateral insular cortex during a task that measured reaction time to a visual stimulus. The fMRI results also showed an increased response during short-term memory tasks involving the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which controls processing of memories. Methylene blue was also associated with a 7 percent increase in correct responses during memory retrieval. The findings suggest that methylene blue can regulate certain brain networks related to sustained attention and short-term memory after a single oral low dose. (more…)
Author Interviews, Biomarkers, Cancer Research, Prostate Cancer / 28.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Thomas Kislinger, PhD Senior Scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre University Health Network Associate Professor Department of Medical Biophysics University of Toronto MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The goal of this study was to develop a non-invasive, prognostic biomarker that can address the worldwide clinical dilemma of over-treating low-risk prostate cancers. To accomplish this we developed highly accurate proteomics assays in urines collected after a digital rectal examination (termed post-DRE urines). (more…)
Author Interviews, Beth Israel Deaconess, Nature, Vaccine Studies, Zika / 28.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dan Barouch, M.D., Ph.D. Professor of Medicine Harvard Medical School Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard Director, Center for Virology and Vaccine Research Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: We showed that two vaccines, a DNA vaccine and a purified inactivated virus vaccine, both provided complete protection against Zika virus challenge in mice. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of Zika vaccine protection in any animal model. (more…)
Accidents & Violence, Author Interviews, Pediatrics, Toxin Research / 28.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Thomas Swain, MPH Research Assistant, The Center for Injury Sciences, Division of Trauma, Burns and Surgical Critical Care, Department of Surgery University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL 35294 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Case reports show that the number of laundry pod detergent related cases is increasing rapidly and children are disproportionately affected by pod detergent. Pod detergent is highly concentrated and contained in a water-soluble membrane. Prior research of pod laundry detergent did not include regular, non-pod detergent; this exclusion rendered cases and severity of cases between the two incomparable. This study, comparing regular laundry detergent and pod detergent, from 2012-2014 in the United States, using national data from emergency department visits, found that children under 5 accounted for 93.8% of pod detergent related exposures and 71.8% of non-pod exposures. Importantly, 71.8% of pod exposures were diagnosed as poisoning while 72.2% of non-pod exposures were diagnosed as contact dermatitis. Those exposed to pods were 4.02 times as likely to be hospitalized, a marker for severe injury, when compared to non-pod detergent (OR: 4.02; 95% CI: 1.96-8.24). (more…)
Annals Internal Medicine, Author Interviews, Blood Pressure - Hypertension, Metabolic Syndrome, OBGYNE / 28.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Jian-Min Niu Department of Obstetrics Guangdong Women and Children Hospita Guangzhou , China MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Physiological alteration leads to the question of whether the criteria for the diagnosis of gestational hypertension are suitable because the current criteria (systolic BP [SBP] ≥140 mm Hg and diastolic BP [DBP] ≥90 mm Hg) are derived from the non-pregnant population. The optimal blood pressure levels in pregnant women remain an open question. Recent studies have demonstrated associations between prehypertension before pregnancy and hypertensive disorders during pregnancy and gestational diabetes mellitus. To our knowledge, the association between prehypertension during pregnancy and postpartum cardiovascular risk has not been addressed. (more…)
Addiction, Annals Internal Medicine, Author Interviews, Opiods, UCSF / 28.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Phillip O. Coffin, MD, MIA Director of Substance Use Research San Francisco Department of Public Health Assistant Professor, Division of HIV, ID & Global Health University of California, San Francisco MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: San Francisco has a longstanding naloxone distribution program that primarily works out of syringe exchange programs and is temporally associated with a substantial decline in opioid overdose death due to heroin or involving injection drug use. Over 90% of opioid overdose deaths from 2010-2012 were due to prescription opioids in the absence of heroin, and most of those decedents were prescribed opioids in primary care settings. Based on these data, as well as anecdotal reports from sites such as U.S. Army Fort Bragg in North Carolina - where providing naloxone to pain patients appeared to be associated with a radical decline in opioid overdose admissions to the emergency department - we implemented a naloxone prescribing program in the safety net primary care clinics. We recommended that providers offer naloxone to all patients who used opioids on a regular basis, or were otherwise at risk for experiencing or witnessing an opioid overdose, although we only measured outcomes related to patients who were prescribed opioids for chronic pain. We also recommended that providers avoid the term "overdose" as that term does not properly reflect the epidemiology of opioid poisoning and is interpreted by many to mean intentionally consuming a large amount of opioids; instead we recommended saying things like: "Opioids can cause bad reactions where you stop breathing or can't be woken up." Providers prescribed mostly the jerry-rigged nasal device, with the atomizer and a brochure dispensed at clinic and the naloxone picked up at the patients' usual pharmacies, to approximate real-world medical practice. (more…)
Author Interviews, Genetic Research, JAMA, Stroke / 28.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Yongjun Wang  Principal Investigator No. 6 Tiantanxili Dongcheng District, Beijing, China MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Clopidogrel requires conversion to an active metabolite by hepatic cytochrome p450 (CYP) iso-enzymes to exert an antiplatelet effect, and polymorphisms of the CYP2C19 gene have been identified as strong predictors of clopidogrel nonresponsiveness. However, data are limited regarding the association between CYP2C19 genetic variants and clinical outcomes of clopidogrel-treated patients with minor stroke or transient ischemic attack. The main findings of this study is that the combined treatment of clopidogrel and aspirin compared with aspirin alone reduced the risk of a new stroke only in the subgroup of patients with minor ischemic stroke or TIA who were not carriers of the CYP2C19 loss of function alleles. (more…)
Author Interviews, Critical Care - Intensive Care - ICUs, JAMA, Pulmonary Disease / 28.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Peter E. Morris, MD, FACP, FCCP Chief, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine University of Kentucky Lexington, KY MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: ICU survivors demonstrate weakness. It has been postulated that interventions to promote early rehabilitation strategies might be linked to improved functional outcomes for ICU survivors. This study was based upon findings from a quality improvement endeavor that linked early rehabilitation with indications of shortened hospital stays for ICU survivors. (more…)
Author Interviews, Infections, JAMA, Primary Care / 28.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jochen Gensichen, MD, MSc, MPH Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine Konrad Reinhart, MD Center of Sepsis Control and Care Jena University Hospital Friedrich-Schiller-University School of Medicine Jena, Germany MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings? Response: Sepsis survivors face multiple long-term sequelae which result in increased primary care needs as a basic support in medication, physiotherapy or mental health. Process of care after discharge from the intensive care unit often is fragmented. (more…)
Author Interviews, End of Life Care / 28.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr Magnolia Cardona-Morrell, MPH, PhD Senior Research Fellow The Simpson Centre for Health Services Research South Western Sydney Clinical School Sydney MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: We name the non beneficial treatments – those intensive procedures, medications or tests administered to elderly patients who are naturally dying and which will not make a difference to their survival, will probably impair their remaining quality of life or potentially or cause them pain or suffering – that are still occurring in hospitals. Think of these as unnecessary or excessive for the expected benefit. Our review of 38 studies, including 1.2 million patients, doctors, nurses and relatives in 10 countries, showed that on average 33% of elderly patients in the last six months of life and up to the last seven days of life received some of these treatments. Examples include: • attempting CPR on elderly patients with advanced disease or who have a “not-for-resuscitation” order (11-25%) • admission to intensive care in patients with advanced chronic disease (average 10% and up to 33%) • initiation or continuation of chemotherapy at the end of life (24-41%) • hemodialysis, transfusions, oral or intravenous medications to patients in terminal admissions (7-77%) These treatments continue happen after two decades due to a combination of factors: • patients’ lack of communication with families about end-of-life care wishes • unrealistic social expectation of survival due to technological advances • family pressure for doctors to “try everything possible” • medico-legal concerns • doctors’ uncertainty about the time until death and • the default position of intervening because doctors are trained to cure disease and save lives. (more…)
Author Interviews, CDC, Infections, Sexual Health, STD / 28.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Andrew Amato-Gauci MD Head of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Programme on HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections and viral hepatitis MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Our surveillance data (http://bit.ly/1sXdbVv) show that between 2008 and 2014, the overall rate of officially reported gonorrhoea infections has more than doubled across Europe, going up from 8 per 100 000 population to 20 cases per 100 000 persons. In total, 66 413 gonorrhoea cases were reported in 27 countries of the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA) in 2014 – which constitutes an increase of 25% compared with 2013. The majority of gonorrhoea infections were diagnosed among young adults aged 15–24 years who accounted for 38% of cases; followed by the 25–34-year-olds (34%). For the first time since 2010, the number of cases among women was higher than the number of cases among heterosexual men. Given the risk of reproductive tract complications, e.g. pelvic inflammatory disease or, if untreated, infertility, as well as possible transmission from mother to child, this trend among women is of particular concern. (more…)
Author Interviews, Ophthalmology / 28.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jeffrey R. Willis, MD, PhD University of California Davis Eye Center Sacramento, CA MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: The goal of this study was to understand how "Big Data" in ophthalmology could be utilized to assess the prevalence of rare diseases such as myopic choroidal neovascularization (mCNV). Prior to our study, there was limited knowledge on the burden of this devastating condition as previous estimates were done more than 20 years ago, had a small sample size, and were not generalizable to the current U.S. population. In order to address this knowledge gap, we realized the potential of two large datasets with ophthalmic information, including the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the IRIS Registry. The former provides nationally representative data, but with limited ophthalmic disease information. The latter dataset, supported by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), is the nation's only comprehensive database of ophthalmic patient outcomes. By triangulating data from the these two data sources in conjunction with population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, we were able to calculate the mCNV prevalence in the United States. Specifically, we showed that mCNV is a rare condition, affecting about 41,000 adult Americans, with a higher burden on women than men. This study effectively showed that using "Big Data" in ophthalmology could help us better understand the epidemiology of rare ophthalmic conditions in the US. (more…)
Aging, Author Interviews, Dermatology / 28.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Ava Shamban MD Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology UCLA-Geffen School of Medicine MedicalResearch.com Editor’s note: Dr. Ava Shamban, a dermatologist frequently featured on CBS’ The Doctors as the skin maven on ABC’s Extreme Makeover discusses the recent announcement of the 20th Global Anniversary of Restylane. MedicalResearch.com: Would you briefly explain what Restylane® is? What are the main indications for the Restylane® portfolio of products? Response: Restylane is a non-animal, stabilized hyaluronic acid (NASHA), a unique patented HA stabilization technology which contains pure hyaluronic. The Restylane family of products can be used to design individualized treatments with natural-looking results and long-lasting effects. With 190 scientific publications and 150 clinical studies, and more than 3,000 patients in clinical studies, the Restylane family of products are safe and effective products that have been FDA approved based on extensive clinical data. Restylane® is one of the world’s most studied wrinkle fillers and has been used in more than 65 countries worldwide in over 28 million treatments. The main indications for the Restylane portfolio products is to improve the overall appearance of the aging face. Whether you’re young or old, whether you have a fine line or wrinkle or a deeper fold there is a product in this portfolio that can improve the appearance of your face and reverse signs of aging. (more…)
Author Interviews, Education, Exercise - Fitness / 28.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Peter Krustrup PhD Professor of Team Sport and Health Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports Copenhagen Centre for Team Sport and Health University of Copenhagen, Denmark Dr. Krustrup discusses ideas formulated in the Copenhagen Consensus Conference 2016: children, youth, and physical activity in schools and during leisure time. MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: A desire to improve children’s and youth’s health, well-being and social inclusion motivated researchers at University of Copenhagen, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports to gather 24 international top level researchers from a variety of academic disciplines at a consensus conference in Denmark on 4-7 April 2016. The aim of the Copenhagen Consensus Conference in 2016 was to reach an evidence-based consensus within the four themes: 1) Physical activity in children and youth: Fitness and health. 2) Physical activity in children and youth: Cognitive functioning 3) Physical activity in children and youth: Engagement, motivation and psychological well-being 4) Physical activity in children and youth: Social inclusion and physical activity implementation strategies. (more…)
Author Interviews, NYU, Sleep Disorders / 27.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Valerie Newsome, PhD, Postdoctoral fellow Department of Population Health, Division of Health and Behavior NYU Langone Medical Center MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Although sleep duration has been related to a number of negative health outcomes, few studies have examined the relationship between place of birth and sleep duration. We examined data for 416,152 adult participants living in the United States between 2000-2013 who responded to the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS); associations were explored between healthy sleep duration (7-8hrs.), references to unhealthy sleep duration (8 hrs.) and place of birth. After adjusting for socio-demographic factors, health risks, and physician-diagnosed medical conditions, multivariate logistic regression revealed that respondents born in the Indian subcontinent were more likely to report healthy sleep duration, compared with US-born respondents (OR=1.86, 95% CI: 1.57-2.20, p < 0.001), while individuals born on the continent of Africa were least likely to report healthy sleep duration (OR= 0. 86, 95% CI: 0.73-1.02, p< 0.001). We also noted a trend suggesting that the longer immigrants reside in the U.S., the greater their likelihood to experience unhealthy sleep. (more…)
Author Interviews, Brain Cancer - Brain Tumors, Diabetes / 27.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Judith Schwartzbaum PhD Associate professor of epidemiology Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer Center MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Meningioma is a slow-growing brain tumor that is associated with obesity. To further understand this risk we examined records of blood sugar levels within approximately 15 years before tumor diagnosis comparing blood sugar levels of people who developed meningioma to those in people who did not. MedicalResearch.com:What are the main findings? Response: To our surprise we found that risk of this tumor was lower in people with high levels of blood sugar and diabetes. (more…)
Author Interviews, Frailty, Geriatrics, Nursing / 27.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with Oleg Zaslavsky PhD Assistant Professor at the department of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health System School of Nursing University of Washington MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Frailty is a common, but serious medical condition among older adults. It is characterized by weight and muscle loss, fatigue, slow walking and low levels of physical activity. It’s important to accurately diagnose and treat frailty, especially because demographic trends show the percentage of U.S. adults age 65 years and older will increase 19% by 2030. Frailty is commonly assessed by the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) frailty phenotype, which includes a set of physical measurements for slowness, weakness, fatigue, low physical activity and body-weight loss. According to the CHS phenotype, individuals with three or more of these characteristics are at increased risk for falls, hip fractures, disability and mortality. Although the CHS phenotype is good for predicting adverse conditions, it requires direct measurement of physical performance. Refining the phenotype so it doesn’t involve physical measurements of patients in a doctor’s office has practical advantages for research and clinical purposes. For this study, University of Washington School of Nursing researchers worked with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center faculty to refine the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) frailty phenotype, originally developed in 2005. This new phenotype uses self-reporting from patients instead of measurements of physical performance to determine frailty and associated health outcomes. In this report, we show that our newly-proposed WHI measuring scheme performs as well as the more complex CHS phenotype in predicting death, hip fractures and falls in older women. (more…)
Author Interviews, BMJ, Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins, Rheumatology / 27.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Laura C. Cappelli, M.D Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: We had been referred several patients with inflammatory arthritis or dry mouth and dry eyes after being treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. When searching the literature for information on how to evaluate and treat these patients, we realized that there was minimal information available. We wanted to describe our experience and inform the medical community about these events so that recognition could increase. (more…)
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, JAMA, Pharmacology, UCSF / 27.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Gregory M. Marcus MD Gregory M Marcus, MD, MAS, FACC, FAHA, FHRS Director of Clinical Research Division of Cardiology Endowed Professor of Atrial Fibrillation Research  University of California, San Francisco MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Conduction system disease, or blockages in the electrically system (as opposed to blockages in the blood vessels, of which most are well-aware), is a common condition responsible for both heart failure in many patients as well as the need for pacemaker implantation. Although treatments for the disease are available, there are no known means to prevent it. This is important as the primary treatment, a pacemaker, can itself cause problems (including procedural complications, a long-term risk of infection with repeated battery changes, and even a greater risk of heart failure). In addition, predictors of what types of individuals are at risk for developing conduction disease has largely remained unknown. Based on the fact that the majority of conduction disease is due to fibrosis, or scarring, of the conduction system, we sought to test the hypothesis that a common drug for high blood pressure with anti-fibrotic properties, Lisinopril, might reduce the risk of new conduction system disease. We took advantage of the fact that more than 20,000 patients with hypertension were randomized to three common high blood pressure drugs that work via different mechanisms in the ALLHAT trial: Lisinopril, amlodipine, and chlorthalidone. We found that participants randomly assigned to Lisinopril were statistically significantly less likely to develop conduction disease. In addition, our analyses revealed several risk factors for the development of conduction disease: older age, male sex, diabetes, smoking, a thicker heart, and white race (compared to black race). (more…)
Author Interviews, Colon Cancer, Geriatrics, Kaiser Permanente, NIH / 27.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Carrie N. Klabunde, PhD Office of Disease Prevention Office of the Director NIH Rockville MD MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Many studies of colorectal cancer screening focus on adults 50-75 years of age; few specifically look at screening in the elderly. We wanted to examine colorectal cancer screening use, including follow-up diagnostic testing for those with abnormal fecal blood screening tests, in adults 65 years of age and older. We also wanted to assess whether screening use in this population is influenced more by elderly individual’s chronological age, or their health status (called comorbidity in our study). The study was conducted in three large, integrated healthcare systems: Kaiser Permanente in Northern California and Southern California, and Group Health in Washington state and Idaho. We examined data on nearly 850,000 patients aged 65-89. (more…)
Author Interviews, Diabetes, Diabetologia, OBGYNE, Pediatrics / 27.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Lu Qi, MD, PhD, FAHA HCA Regents Distinguished Chair and Professor Director, Tulane University Obesity Research Center Department of Epidemiology Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine New Orleans, LA 70112 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Prenatal malnutrition and other stresses may cause small newborn babies, who are more likely develop type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases during adulthood. However, whether such relation is causal remains to be determined. Genetic associations provide a new approach to provide evidence for such causality. (more…)
Author Interviews, Gender Differences, JAMA / 27.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Gilbert Gonzales, PhD, MHA Assistant Professor Department of Health Policy Vanderbilt University School of Medicine MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Using data from one of the largest, most representative health surveys, we found lesbian, gay and bisexual adults were more likely to report substantially higher rates of severe psychological distress, heavy drinking and smoking, and impaired physical health than straight adults. (more…)
Alcohol, Author Interviews, BMJ, Heart Disease / 26.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Gregory M Marcus, MD, MAS, FACC, FAHA, FHRS Director of Clinical Research Division of Cardiology Endowed Professor of Atrial Fibrillation Research University of California, San Francisco MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Multiple epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that alcohol consumption likely increases the risk for atrial fibrillation and reduces the risk for myocardial infarction. However, the results have been conflicting, they generally all rely on self-report of alcohol consumption (which is known to be unreliable, particularly in those that drink more heavily), and there is almost certainly confounding related to an individual’s choice to consume alcohol (which in most settings is ubiquitously available). In addition, the relationship between alcohol and heart failure remains poorly understood, with evidence suggesting there may be both harmful and beneficial effects. Finally, the relationship between alcohol consumption and these various cardiovascular diseases (atrial fibrillation, myocardial infarction, and heart failure) have not been examined within the same cohort of individuals in a simultaneous fashion. (more…)
Author Interviews, NEJM, OBGYNE, University Texas, Zika / 26.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Abigail R.A. Aiken, MD, MPH, PhD Assistant Professor LBJ School of Public Affairs University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX, 78713 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: As Zika began to emerge as an epidemic in Latin America and its links with microcephaly began to be realized, we were aware that women in the region who were already pregnant or who would become pregnant would have a very limited set of reproductive options. Research and media attention about the possible biological effects of Zika in pregnancy began to appear rapidly. But much less attention was been paid to the impacts of Zika on women. We followed the responses of governments and health organizations and when they began to issue advisories warning women to avoid pregnancy, we knew it would be important to investigate the impacts of those advisories. A country-wide policy that is impossible to follow if you are pregnant or cannot avoid pregnancy is an unusual and important public issue. Accurate data on abortion are very difficult to obtain in Latin America because in most countries, abortion is highly restricted. We wanted to provide a window on the issue of how women were responding to the risks of Zika and its associated advisories, so we worked with Women on Web (WoW), an online non-profit telemedicine initiative that provides safe medical abortion to women in countries where safe, legal abortion is not universally available. (more…)
Author Interviews, Breast Cancer, Microbiome / 26.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Gregor Reid, B.Sc. Hons., Ph.D., MBA, ARM, CCM, Dr. HS, FCAHS Director, Canadian Centre for Human Microbiome and Probiotic Research Lawson Health Research Institute London, Ontario, Canada MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Women who breast feed have reduced risk of breast cancer. Human milk has bacteria passed on to the child. These bacteria reach the breast through the nipple and from the gut via the blood. Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria, beneficial bacteria, grow well in milk. So, I wondered what if women never lactate or breast feed, could bacteria be there? Could bacteria be in the tissue itself and influence whether you got or did not get cancer. Proving there are bacteria in the actual breast tissue itself was an interesting discovery defying previous beliefs. (more…)
Author Interviews, Bone Density, Endocrinology, Menopause, Mineral Metabolism, UCLA / 25.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Albert Shieh, MD Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Whether an individual loses or gains bone mass is dependent on how much bone is being broken down (by osteoclasts) and being formed (by osteoblasts). Both processes occur simultaneously in the human body. At present, we can measure markers of bone breakdown (resorption) and formation. However, we hypothesized that to better predict the amount of bone mass that will be lost in the future, these markers should be combined in an "index" to reflect both processes, rather than being interpreted in isolation. Indeed, we found that the ability of our new bone balance index predicted future bone loss across the menopause transition better than the bone resorption marker alone. (more…)
Author Interviews, Geriatrics / 25.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr-Jinmyoung-ChoJinmyoung Cho, PhD Assistant Investigator Center for Applied Health Research Baylor Scott & White Health Temple, TX 76508 Texas A&M Health Science Center College Station, Texas MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Early life-course transition experiences to the adult years result in continuing consequences for health in later life. Many veterans have encountered life-threatening environments while they were on military service leading to a higher incidence of physical and mental diseases; greater comorbidity profiles in veterans contribute to higher mortality rate compared to non-veterans. With increased life expectancy and demographic shifts in our population, the proportion of oldest-old adults, aged over 80 years, continues to increase. The publicly funded Veterans Health Administration (VHA) must care efficiently and effectively for its increasing population of veterans, who are older, sicker, and socioeconomically disadvantaged relative to non-veterans. Given the large number of veterans over age 80 and the increasing emphasis on managing the aging process, it is important to identify associations between healthcare utilization and survival for VHA’s oldest patients. We identified protective and risk factors associated with mortality by age group. During a 5-year follow-up period, 44% of patients aged 85 years and over died with survival rates of 59% for 80’s, 32% for 90’s and 15% for 100’s. In the multivariable model, protective effects for veterans 80-99 were female sex, minority race or ethnicity, being married, having certain physical and mental diagnoses (e.g., hypertension, cataract, dyslipidemia, posttraumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder), urgent care visits, invasive surgery, and few (one to three) prescriptions. Risk factors were lower VHA priority status, physical and mental conditions (e.g., diabetes, anemia, congestive heart failure, dementia, anxiety, depression, smoking, substance abuse disorder), hospital admission, and nursing home care. For those in their 100s, married status, smoking, hospital admission, nursing home care, invasive surgery, and prescription use were significant risk factors; only emergency department (ED) use was protective. (more…)
Author Interviews, Genetic Research, Science, University Texas / 25.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jared Ellefson, PhD Postdoctoral fellow University of Texas Austin's Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Reverse transcriptases (RT) have revolutionized the field of biology - enabling the conversion of RNA into DNA. This initially allowed the cloning of mature messenger RNA into cDNA libraries (e.g. cloning human genes), but has since been finding a more modern role in high throughput RNA-seq which can accurately depict the physiological status of a cell. Despite its critical role, an inherent flaw exists in all known reverse transcriptases. They make many errors while copying RNA - due to the lack of an error-checking (proofreading) domain. Consequently, the errors produced in reverse transcription are propagated into RNA sequencing potentially leading to corrupted data. The reason for the low fidelity of reverse transcriptases is due to their evolutionary heritage. All RTs are evolved from polymerase enzymes which lack the proofreading domain. This is in stark contrast to certain DNA polymerases which have extreme fidelity. The idea was, what if you could take a high fidelity DNA polymerase and transform it into a high fidelity RT. To do this we developed directed evolution techniques that would enrich these DNA polymerases for reverse transcriptase activity. After a monumental engineering effort, we were left with the world's first reverse transcriptase that could error-check during polymerization. We found that this increased the fidelity of RNA sequencing, in addition to a number of other interesting properties (for instance this single enzyme can do both reverse transcription and PCR). (more…)