Blog – Medical Research News and Interviews
20 Jan Government Endorsed DASH Diet Voted Best Overall
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_31358" align="alignleft" width="144"]
Janet de Jesus[/caption]
Janet M. de Jesus, M.S., R.D.
Program Officer, Implementation Science
Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science (CTRIS)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for the DASH diet? What are the main components?
Response: The DASH eating plan was created for a clinical trial funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The goal of the original DASH trial was to test the eating plan compared to a typical American diet (at the time in the 1990s) on the effect of blood pressure.
The DASH eating plan is rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It includes low-fat dairy products, poultry, fish, legumes, vegetable oils, and nuts; and limits intake of sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages and high-fat meats. The eating plan is a good source of potassium, magnesium, and calcium. The DASH eating plan was shown to reduce blood pressure and improve lipid profiles.
A second DASH trial, “DASH-sodium,” showed that adding sodium reduction to the DASH eating plan reduced blood pressure even more.
20 Jan New Scoring System Guides Surgical Risks During Pregnancy
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Adam Sachs MD Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology University of Connecticut School of Medicine MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: When women undergo appendectomy or cholecystectomy during pregnancy they are obviously concerned about the well being of their fetus. Unfortunately, the majority of the data available to council pregnant women is outdated and medical practice has significantly changed since their publication.19 Jan Cancer Killed While Preserving A Kidney Transplant
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_31344" align="alignleft" width="160"]
Dr. Kenar Jhaveri,[/caption]
Kenar D. Jhaveri, MD
Professor of Medicine
Division of Kidney Diseases and Hypertension
Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine,
100 Community Drive, Great Neck, NY 11021
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: The immune check point inhibitors are novel anti cancer agents being used rapidly in various cancers. Many cancers don’t allow our natural immune system to attack the cancer. These immunotherapy agents “activate” the immune system to attack the cancer. These agents have been reported to cause multiple end organ side effects as noted by this recent NYT article. We also recently reported the known renal effects of immunotherapy.
In the kidney transplant patient who is on immunosuppressive agents, the physicians need to keep the immune system suppressed to preserve the kidney. When one of these agents are used for a cancer in a kidney transplant patient, prior reports have suggested severe rejection episodes and loss of the transplanted kidney. Our case in the NEJM is the first report of a preventive strategy used to allow for simultaneous treatment of cancer and preventive rejection of the kidney. We used a regimen of steroids and sirolimus( an anti-proliferative agent that is used to treat cancer and also is an immunosuppresant) along with the immunotherapy. The cancer started regressing and the kidney did not reject.
19 Jan Genetic Cause of Subtle Immune Deficiency Identified
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_31340" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Prof. Adrian Liston[/caption]
Prof. Adrian Liston
(VIB-KU Leuven)
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: With vaccinations, sanitation, antibiotics and general improvements in living standards, infectious disease is no longer a major killer of children. Death or hospitalisation of children from infection is rare in countries with modern health care systems. Those rare events were once thought to be chance outcomes on the roulette of bad luck, but increasingly we are recognising that genetic mutations underlie severe pediatric infections.
In our study we are seeking to identify the mutations and immunological changes that occur in children, causing them to have severe reactions to infectious disease.
19 Jan Do Financial Conflicts Influence CDC Guidelines For Prescription Opioids?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dora Lin, MHS Sr. Research Assistant Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness Baltimore, MD 21205 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: In response to the opioid epidemic and growing number of overdose deaths each year, the CDC released draft guidelines to improve the safe use of opioids in primary care. The draft guidelines were open to public comment, and many organizations, ranging from professional societies to consumer advocates to local governmental organizations, submitted comments regarding the guidelines. We examined the levels of support or non-support for the draft guidelines among the 158 organizations who submitted comments. We also examined each organization’s relationship to opioid manufacturers. Most organizations supported the guidelines, regardless of whether or not they had a financial relationship to a drug company. However, organizations receiving funding from opioid manufacturers were significantly more likely to be opposed to the guidelines than those who did not receive such funding.19 Jan Financial Ties of Principal Investigators Associated With Positive Outcomes
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Salomeh Keyhani MD Associate professor of general internal medicine San Francisco VA Medical Center and University of California San Francisco, CA 94121, USA MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Randomized controlled trials are the foundation of the evidence base. We examined the prevalence of financial ties in randomized controlled trials and also examined the relationship of financial ties of principal investigators (PI) with trial outcome. We defined a financial tie as the direct compensation (e.g., consulting fees) of a PI by the drug manufacturer of interest. Although there have been past studies that have examined this relationship, many did not separate financial ties from funding source for the trial and many were focused on one specialty, journal, or type of drug. This study identified a random sample of RCTs published in 2013 that were focused on assessing drug efficacy. Both the disclosure section of the paper and several online databases (Medline, Google, Propublica’s Dollars for Doctors, and the US Patent Office) were searched for evidence of financial ties. Principal investigators financial ties with industry were independently associated with positive study outcomes.17 Jan Conflicts of Interest In Medical Guideline Committees Underreported
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_31328" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Akilah Jefferson[/caption] Akilah Jefferson, MD, MSc Postdoctoral Fellow, Clinical Center, Department of Bioethics Clinical Fellow, Allergy and Immunology National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases National Institutes of Health MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: The guidelines that we looked at in...
17 Jan Lyme Disease Ticks Common in Eastern US National Parks
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Tammi L. Johnson PhD, Microbiologist Division of Vector-Borne Diseases CDC MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks, also called deer ticks. Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vectorborne illness in the United States, with approximately 300,000 humans becoming infected each year. While Lyme disease infections are highly concentrated in the northeast and upper Midwest, the number of counties in which the blacklegged tick has become “established” has more than doubled in the past two decades. Established populations of these ticks are found in 35 states. Knowing that Lyme disease is increasing both in numbers of infections and in geographic range in the United States, we did this study to determine if people are at risk of encountering infected ticks while recreating in eastern national parks. This is the first large-scale survey in multiple national parks, and though suspected, it had not been confirmed that ticks in many of these parks were infected. So the purpose of the study was to survey national park units across six Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic States and the District of Columbia, ranging from Maine in the north to Virginia in the south and characterize the risk of human exposure to ticks-borne bacteria. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Park Service evaluated frequently used trails in Acadia National Park, Catoctin Mountain Park, Fire Island National Seashore, Gettysburg National Military Park, Manassas National Battlefield Park, Monocacy National Battlefield, Prince William Forest Park, Rock Creek Park, and Shenandoah National Park.17 Jan Screening Tears, Not Blood, For Vitamin Deficiencies
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_31318" align="alignleft" width="130"]
Dr. Adrienne Minerick[/caption]
Adrienne R. Minerick, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Research & Innovation, College of Engineering
Assistant to the Provost for Faculty Development
Professor, Chemical Engineering
Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI 49931
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: With seed funding from the Gerber Foundation, we asked two scientific questions.
1. Are vitamins present in tears and could we reliably detect them?
2. Do the vitamin levels in tears correlate with the vitamin levels in blood?
This research, conducted by recent PhD graduate Maryam Khaksari, illustrated that vitamins are present in tears. The majority of the essential vitamins are water soluble, which were present in tears in higher concentration than fat soluble vitamins. Given that tears are 98% water, this result wasn’t surprising. This study developed up protocols to reliably detect both water and fat soluble vitamins. The limits of detection and limits of quantification did vary by vitamin, so there is ample room to improve this technique.
The second question was answered by a small clinical trial with UP Health: Portage Hospital’s Pediatric Clinic. During the 4-month well-baby check-up, willing parents and their infant each donated both a blood sample and a tear sample. Vitamin concentrations were determined in the samples and correlations quantified. Fat soluble vitamin K showed the strongest concentration correlation between blood and tears. The strength of additional vitamin correlations were noted. These early-stage results demonstrate that vitamin screening from a single drop of tears (35uL or microliters) is feasible – with additional refinement.
17 Jan When Patients Can’t Choose: Out-of-Network Care Can Be Costly
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_31255" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Ge Bai[/caption]
Ge Bai, PhD, CPA
Assistant Professor
The Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
Washington, DC 20036
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: The average anesthesiologist, emergency physician, pathologist and radiologist charge more than four times what Medicare pays for similar services, often leaving privately-insured out-of-network patients stuck with surprise medical bills that are much higher than they anticipated.
The average physician charged roughly 2.5 times what Medicare pays for the same service. There are also regional differences in excess charges. Doctors in Wisconsin, for example, have almost twice the markups of doctors in Michigan (3.8 vs. two).
17 Jan Minimal Acupuncture Seems To Calm Infant Colic
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr Kajsa Landgren
Faculty of Medicine, Department of Health Sciences
Lund University, Sweden
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Infantile colic is common, affecting 10-20% of newborns. These infants have intense crying and fussing, more than 3 hours/day more than 3 days/week. There is no medical treatment, causing desperate parents to seek complementary medicine. The evidence for acupuncture is sparse.
In this trial including 147 infants with colic, we tested two types of acupuncture. Both types of acupuncture were minimal, i.e needles were inserted for only a few seconds without further stimulation.
Group A received only one single needle for 2-5 seconds. Group B received up to five needle insertions for maximum 30 seconds. A third group, C, received no acupuncture. All families came to four extra visits to their Child Health Center where they met a nurse who gave advice and support. During these visits the infants were separated from their parents for five minutes, being alone with an acupuncturist who gave acupuncture to the infants in group A and B, but not to infants in group C. Parents and the nurse were blinded to which group the infant was randomized to.
17 Jan Effects of Delayed Vs Early Umbilical Cord Clamping on Infant Anemia
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Ola Andersson MD, PhD
Uppsala University,
Uppsala, Sweden
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Anemia affects over 40% of all children under 5 years of age in the world. Anemia can impinge mental and physical performance, and is associated with long-term deterioration in growth and development. Iron deficiency is the reason for anemia in approximately 50% of the children.is. When clamping of the umbilical cord is delayed, ie after 3 minutes, iron deficiency up to 6 months of age can be prevented, but it has not been shown to prevent iron deficiency or anemia in older infants.
At birth, approximately 1/3 of the child's blood is in the placenta. If clamping of the umbilical cord is done immediately (early cord clamping), the blood will remain in the placenta and go to waste (or can be stored in stem cell banks). If instead clamping is postponed for 3 minutes, most of the blood can flow back to the child as an extra blood transfusion, consisting of about one deciliter (1/2 cup) of blood, equivalent to about 2 liters (half a US gallon) of an adult. A blood donor leaves 0.4-0.5 liters of blood.
Blood contains red blood cells that contain hemoglobin. Hemoglobin carries oxygen to the tissues of the body. Hemoglobin contains a lot of iron, and the extra deciliter of blood may contain iron that corresponds to 3-4 months of the need for an infant.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends umbilical cord clamping at 1 minute or later, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends umbilical cord clamping at 30-60 seconds or later.
17 Jan Does HAART Treatment for HIV Contribute To Rapid Rise in Syphilis Infections?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_31241" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Michael Rekart[/caption]
Michael Rekart, MD, DTM&H
Clinical Professor, Medicine and Global Health
The University of British Columbia
.... On behalf of my co-authors
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The background for this study is the observation that new syphilis cases over the last decade in British Columbia, Canada, have been escalating more rapidly than anyone could have predicted and that syphilis incidence has outpaced the incidence of other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including gonorrhea and chlamydia. This unexpected increase in syphilis has been almost wholly concentrated in men who have sex with men (MSM). Most of these MSM are HIV-1 infected and many are taking highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). In fact, the expansion in HAART coverage in MSM parallels the growth in syphilis in the same population. In addition, my co-authors and I had serious doubts as to whether 'treatment optimism', the generally accepted explanation for this phenomenon, was robust enough to account for such a dramatic increase in new syphilis cases. Treatment optimism posits that HAART availability and effectiveness have led to the perception in both HIV-1-infected and HIV-1-uninfected individuals that HIV-1 transmission has become much less likely, and the effects of HIV-1 infection less deadly. This is expected to result in increased sexual risk-taking, especially unprotected anal intercourse, leading to more non-HIV-1 STDs, including gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis.
17 Jan Standardized EEG Reporting Helps Predict Risk of Seizures
Posted at 01:25h
in Author Interviews, Critical Care - Intensive Care - ICUs, Emory, Neurological Disorders
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_31238" align="alignleft" width="100"]
Dr. Andres Rodriguez Ruiz[/caption]
Andres Rodriguez Ruiz, MD
Clinical Neurophysiology and Neurology
Emory School of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The Critical Care EEG monitoring research consortium (CCEMRC) was established with the goal of promoting collaboration and research among healthcare institutions highly involved in continuous EEG monitoring of critically ill patients. This group together with the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society (ACNS) established the standardized critical care EEG terminology that allowed uniform reporting of EEG findings in critically ill patients. As part of this effort, a database was developed for collection and clinical reporting of such EEG findings and was adopted for daily clinical use by Yale University, Emory University and Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Prior retrospective reports have acknowledged an association between periodic discharges and seizures. However, many of these reports were small series and did not include specific characteristics of these patterns. Our goal was to ascertain whether features of periodic and rhythmic patterns such as location (generalized vs. lateralized), frequency and prevalence influenced seizure risk in a large cohort of critically ill adults.
17 Jan Craniofacial Abnormalities and Rare Muscular Dystrophy Linked To Same Gene
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Natalie Shaw, MD, MMSc National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Research Triangle Park, North Carolina and Harrison Brand, PhD Molecular Neurogenetics Unit and Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Human Genetic Research Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Massachusetts, USA. MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Congenital arhinia, or absence of the nose and olfactory system, is an extremely rare malformation, often accompanied by defects in the eyes and reproductive system. Arhinia has been reported in only 80 patients in the past century and though a genetic cause had been suspected, no previous study had identified a plausible genetic candidate. Through an international collaboration among clinicians and investigators spanning 10 different countries, we were able to assemble a cohort of 40 arhinia patients. Using whole-exome sequencing, we found that 84% of the patients had rare mutations in the same gene – SMCHD1. Further, modeling studies based on patient cells and SMCHD1 knockdown in zebrafish strongly support a role for the gene in arhinia. We were surprised by this discovery because mutations that impair SMCHD1 function are known to interact with other regions of the genome to cause a type of muscular dystrophy (FSHD2) that does not affect the bones or cartilage of the face. Deep phenotyping of our cohort revealed that individuals with arhinia can in fact develop FSHD2, but it is still unclear why individuals with FSHD2 do not have arhinia.17 Jan Cannabis Use Linked To Early Drinking and Alcohol Problems
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_31289" align="alignleft" width="124"]
Dr. Kathleen Bucholz[/caption]
Kathleen K. Bucholz, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Psychiatry
Washington University School of Medicine
St. Louis MO 63110-1547
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: We know that development of alcohol use disorder progresses through several stages of alcohol use, from beginning to drink, to engaging in problem drinking, and then to developing alcohol use disorder, but we don’t know whether the same factors are associated with each step in this progression. Stage-specific associations have implications for prevention, where targeting certain characteristics might stave off progression to the next level of alcohol involvement, potentially. That is what this particular study set out to investigate.
The data were from nearly 3600 adolescents and young adults, the majority of whom came from families with alcohol use disorder in their relatives. Thus, this sample was enriched with individuals who were at high risk for progressing to more severe stages of alcohol involvement. In studying the associations at each stage, we strengthened our analysis by defining wherever possible variables as risk factors only if they occurred before or at the same age as the particular alcohol stage. For example, we counted cannabis use as a risk factor for starting to drink only if it either preceded or occurred at the same age as taking the first drink. With this definition, we can infer that a particular factor is antecedent and not simply a correlated influence.
16 Jan More Hip Fractures in Elderly on Antidepressants
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_34480" align="alignleft" width="133"]
Sanna Torvinen-Kiiskinen[/caption]
Sanna Torvinen-Kiiskinen
MSc (Pharm.), PhD student,
Kuopio Research Centre of Geriatric Care and School of Pharmacy
University of Eastern Finland
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Antidepressants are widely used among elderly persons, especially persons with Alzheimer’s disease. They are used not only for treatment for major depression, but for treatment of anxiety, insomnia and chronic pain as well as behavioral symptoms caused by dementia.
However, antidepressants, as well as other psychotropic drugs, may cause sedation, confusion, orthostatic hypotension and hyponatremia, which increase the risk of falling and fractures. Because of changes in pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics due to aging, older persons are at the higher risk of those adverse events.
The aim of our study was to investigate whether antidepressant use is associated with an increased risk of hip fracture among community-dwelling persons with and without Alzheimer’s disease.
16 Jan Novel Oral Iron Formulation Can Correct Anemia in Non-Dialysis CKD
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_31275" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Glenn M. Chertow[/caption]
Dr. Glenn M. Chertow, MD
Professor Medicine, Nephrology
Stanford University School of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Iron deficiency is common in persons with moderate to advanced (non-dialysis-dependent) chronic kidney disease (CKD), for a variety of reasons. Conventional iron supplements tend to be poorly tolerated and of limited effectiveness. In earlier studies of patients treated with ferric citrate for its effect as a phosphate binder, we saw increases in transferrin saturation and ferritin (markers of iron stores) and hemoglobin and hematocrit (the “blood count”). Therefore, we thought we should test the safety and efficacy of ferric citrate specifically for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia (IDA).
With respect to the key findings, more than half (52%) of patients treated with ferric citrate experienced a sizeable (>=1 g/dL) increase in hemoglobin over the 16-week study period compared to fewer than one in five (19%) patients treated with placebo. Rates of adverse events (“side effects”) were similar to placebo; diarrhea in some patients and constipation in others were the most common. There were also favorable effects of ferric citrate on laboratory metrics of bone and mineral metabolism.
15 Jan Variability in Adult Playfulness Understudied
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_31271" align="alignleft" width="111"]
PD Dr. René Proyer[/caption]
PD Dr. René Proyer
Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
Institut für Psychologie
Abteilung Differentielle Psychologie und Psychologische Diagnostik
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: I got interested in the study of playfulness and adult playfulness in particular while I was working in the Psychology Department at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. There we worked with the so-called Values-in-Action (VIA) classification of strength and virtues (developed by Chris Peterson and Martin Seligman). In this classification humor and playfulness are being used synonymously.
One of my first aims was testing whether this reflects their relation or whether they should be used separately. Overall, findings suggest that there is a relationship, but that the two are not redundant and should be studied separately. From there my interest in the field grew and I started reading more and more.
It soon was clear that playfulness is an understudied individual differences variable and that current conceptualizations focus primarily on the facets of playfulness that are associated with fun and entertainment, while disregarding others.
My research is aimed at narrowing some gaps in the literature and developing a structural model of how adult playfulness could be understood.
15 Jan Hidradenitis Suppurativa and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Strongly Linked
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_21019" align="alignleft" width="233"]
Dr. Alexander Egeberg[/caption]
Alexander Egeberg, MD PhD
Gentofte Hospital
Department of Dermatology and Allergy
Denmark
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been associated with increased prevalence of HS, but data has been limited to small studies and even less is known about the concurrence and risk of new-onset IBD in patients with pre-existing HS.
In our study, we found a higher prevalence of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis in patients with HS. Notably, there was a more than two-fold increased risk of new-onset Crohn’s disease and a 63% increased risk of new-onset ulcerative colitis in patients with Hidradenitis suppurativa compared with the general population.
14 Jan Gene Variant That Controls Tumor Metabolism Linked To Breast Cancer Risk
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_31251" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Ulrich Pfeffer[/caption]
Ulrich Pfeffer, PhD
Head of the Functional Genomics lab
IRCCS AOU San Martino - IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro
Genova, Italy
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: In recent years our knowledge on genetic variants that are associated with the risk to develop breast cancer has grown substantially. In addition to the two breast cancer genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2 we know approximately 100 other genes that are present in the population in two variants. In the presence of a single of these variants the breast cancer risk is slightly increased and several variants together determine a significant increase in risk. We also know that certain variants are associated with specific subtypes of breast cancer such as the estrogen receptor positive breast cancer.
We show in our work for the first time that some of these variants are more frequent in breast cancers that carry a specific somatic, non-inherited, mutation. In particular, we show this for the most frequent somatic mutation in breast cancer, PIK3CA, a gene involved in the control of tumor metabolism and many other aspects, a fundamental gene. The knowledge of this association tells us a lot on cancer biology. But most important, it might help to design specific prevention strategies. Since when you carry a germline allele that is associated with a specific somatic mutation you know your risk of a specific molecular type of breast cancer and eventually you can do something specific to prevent it.
14 Jan Fewer Workout Repetitions May Be At Least As Beneficial For Health Benefits
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_31246" align="alignleft" width="133"]
Dr Niels Vollaard[/caption]
Dr Niels Vollaard
Lecturer in Health and Exercise Science
Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport
Scotland's University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Although the health benefits of regular exercise are undisputable, many people do not manage to achieve the minimum recommended amount of exercise. Because lack of time is a commonly identified reason for not doing enough exercise, over the past decade researchers have increasingly focussed on sprint interval training (SIT) as a time-efficient alternative to aerobic exercise. However, while most SIT protocols do indeed only include a short duration of sprint exercise, they also require recovery periods after each sprint. Therefore, the total training time commitment per session tends to be close to half an hour, which is no less than what is recommended for less strenuous moderate intensity exercise.
To date, most sprint interval training studies have used the protocol that was employed in one of the first studies to look at aerobic adaptations following repeated sprints. This protocol consists of 6 repetitions of 30-second ‘all-out’ sprints. Very few studies have attempted to justify why this number of sprint repetitions would be optimal or even appropriate. Nonetheless, the number of sprint repetitions is of clear importance, as fewer sprints would result in more time-efficient training sessions. Thus, recent years have seen increasing interest in the benefits of SIT protocols with fewer sprints, which makes the protocol shorter and easier. However, up to now it remained unclear what the impact is of the number of sprint repetitions on key markers of health, such as maximal aerobic fitness (VO2max). This is of importance, as VO2max is the best predictor of risk of future disease and premature death.
13 Jan Elevated Fasting Glucose and Insulin Resistance Seen Early in Schizophrenia
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_31233" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Toby Pillinger[/caption]
Dr Toby Pillinger MA(Oxon) BM BCh MRCP
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience
King's College London
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Our meta-analysis has provided strong evidence that compared with healthy controls, individuals with early schizophrenia are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus, even when the effects of antipsychotic drugs, diet and exercise are taken out of the equation.
Schizophrenia is associated with a dramatically reduced life expectancy, with individuals dying up to 30 years earlier than the general population. Approximately 60% of this excess mortality is due to physical health disorders such as heart attack or stroke, for which diabetes is a major risk factor.
People with long-term schizophrenia are 3 times more likely than the general population to have diabetes, something that has previously been blamed on poor diet and exercise habits, as well as the use of antipsychotic medication. However, the link between schizophrenia and diabetes was first made back in the 19th century, long before the use of antipsychotics, and in an era where diets were less likely to cause diabetes. This could suggest that there is a causative link between schizophrenia and diabetes.
Our meta-analysis examined whether diabetes risk is already raised in people at the onset of schizophrenia, before antipsychotics have been prescribed and before a prolonged period of illness that may be associated with poor diet and sedentary behaviour. We pooled data from 16 studies comprising 731 patients and 614 individuals from the general population. We collated blood data examining fasting blood glucose levels, blood glucose levels following the oral glucose tolerance test, fasting insulin levels and degree of insulin resistance.
We demonstrated that compared with healthy controls, individuals with early schizophrenia had raised fasting glucose, raised levels of glucose following the oral glucose tolerance test, raised fasting insulin and elevated insulin resistance. Furthermore, these results remained statistically significant even when we restricted our analyses to studies where individuals with schizophrenia were matched to healthy controls with regards their diet, the amount of exercise they engaged in and their ethnic background.
This suggests that our results were not wholly driven by differences in lifestyle factors or ethnicity between the two groups, and may therefore point towards a direct role for schizophrenia in increasing risk of diabetes.
13 Jan Migraine Increases Risk of Perioperative Stroke and Hospital Readmission
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_31109" align="alignleft" width="135"]
Dr. Matthias Eikermann[/caption]
Dr. Matthias Eikermann, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Anaesthesia
Harvard Medical School
Clinical Director, Critical Care Division
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Up to one fifth of the general population have migraine, a primary, chronic-intermittent headache disorder affecting the neuronal and vascular systems and characterized by severe headache accompanied by nausea and/or sensory hypersensitivities such as photophobia and phonophobia. In approximately 20-30% of patients, the headache phase is preceded or accompanied by transient focal neurological disturbances presenting as visual symptoms but also sensory, aphasic, or motor symptoms known as migraine aura.
Stroke is responsible for approximately 6.2 million deaths a year and is a leading global cause of long term disability. Considering that more than 50 million patients in hospital and 53 million ambulatory patients undergo surgical procedures in the United States every year.
We found that patients with migraine, particularly migraine with aura, undergoing a surgical procedure are at increased risk of perioperative ischemic stroke and readmission to hospital within 30 days after discharge.
13 Jan Clinicians Found To Have Inadequate Training in Transgender Health
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Caroline J. Davidge-Pitts, M.B., Ch.B Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minn. MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The awareness of transgender healthcare issues has increased, leading to improved coverage of both hormonal and non-hormonal therapies. In endocrinology practices, there is an increased demand for providers who are competent in these areas. We wanted to assess the current status of knowledge and practice in transgender health amongst our current and future endocrinologists.13 Jan DNA Methylation Allows Head and Neck Tumors To Be SubClassified
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_31235" align="alignleft" width="154"]
Dr. Jacek Majewski[/caption]
Jacek Majewski PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Human Genetics
McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre
Montreal, Canada
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Our lab, in collaboration with Dr. Nada Jabado, has been investigating the molecular genetics of pediatric glioblastoma – a deadly brain cancer. Several years ago, in the majority of our patients’ tumors we discovered mutations in genes that encode histone proteins. Those mutations disrupt the epigenome - that is the way the DNA is modified, silenced, or activated in the cancer cells. It appears that epigenome-modifying mutations are particularly important in pediatric cancers, and our hypothesis is that they act by diverting the normal developmental pathways into unrestrained proliferation. Many other studies have highlighted the significance of epigenome disruption in a number of cancers.
13 Jan Endocannabinoids Link Overeating a Western Diet to Obesity
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_31217" align="alignleft" width="176"]
Dr. Nicholas DiPatrizio[/caption]
Nicholas V. DiPatrizio, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences
University of California, Riverside School of Medicine
Riverside, California, 92521
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Endocannabinoids are a group of lipid signaling molecules that serve many physiological roles, including the control of food intake, energy balance, and reward. Previous research by my group found that tasting specific dietary fats drives production of the endocannabinoids in the upper small intestine of rats, and inhibiting this signaling event blocked feeding of fats (DiPatrizio et al., Endocannabinoid signaling in the gut controls dietary fat intake, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2011). Thus, gut-brain endocannabinoid signaling is thought to generate positive feedback to the brain that promotes the intake of foods containing high levels of fats.
We now asked the question of what role peripheral endocannabinoid signaling plays in promoting obesity caused by chronic consumption of a western diet (i.e., high levels of fats and sugar), as well as the role for endocannabinoids in overeating that is associated with western diet-induced obesity. When compared to mice fed a standard low-fat/sugar diet, mice fed a western diet for 60 days rapidly gained body weight and became obese, consumed significantly more calories, and consumed significantly larger meals at a much higher rate of intake (calories per minute). These hyperphagic responses to western diet were met with greatly elevated levels of endocannabinoids in the small intestine and circulation. Importantly, blocking elevated endocannabinoid signaling with pharmacological inhibitors of cannabinoid receptors in the periphery completely normalized food intake and meal patterns in western diet-induced obese mice to levels found in control lean mice fed standard chow. This work describes for the first time that overeating associated with chronic consumption of a Western Diet is driven by endocannabinoid signals generated in the periphery.
13 Jan Fall in PSA Best Predictor of Mortality After Prostate Cancer Treatment
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Trevor Royce MD MS
Resident, Harvard Radiation Oncology Program
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Clinical trials in early prostate cancer take more than a decade to report on.
Multiple early reporting endpoints have been proposed, but which one is best, remains unknown, until now. Of all the possible early endpoints examined, to date, how low a PSA blood test falls to, after treatment with radiation and hormonal therapy, appears to be the best, specifically, if the PSA doesn’t get below half a point, that patient is very likely to die of prostate cancer if given standard treatment for recurrence.
Those men deserve prompt enrollment on clinical trials in order to properly save their life.