Antioxidants, Author Interviews, Menopause, Sleep Disorders / 06.02.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Chih-Jen Chang, MD Department of Family Medicine National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Chang:  Postmenopausal women without vasomotor symptoms (hot flushes and night sweats) have poorer sleep quality than premenopausal women. In addition, menopause and snoring are associated with an increased risk of poor sleep quality independently of cardiometabolic factors and lifestyle. (more…)
Author Interviews, Ophthalmology / 06.02.2014

Dr. Flora Lum, MD Executive Director, The H. Dunbar Hoskins Jr., M.D. Center for Quality Eye Care, American Academy of Ophthalmology San Francisco, CA 94109-1336MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Flora Lum, MD Executive Director, The H. Dunbar Hoskins Jr., M.D. Center for Quality Eye Care, American Academy of Ophthalmology San Francisco, CA 94109-1336 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?  Dr. Lum: This study anticipates the increased use of claims data for research. The study recommends a checklist for authors to use in reporting claims data analyses, and discusses the advantages  and limitations of using claims data. MedicalResearch.com: Were any of the findings unexpected?  Dr. Lum: There is variability in the methods and descriptions of claims data analyses, and as these increase in number and importance, its encouraged that researchers use rigorous methods. (more…)
Author Interviews, Electronic Records, Rheumatology / 05.02.2014

Gabriela Schmajuk M.D. M.S. Department of Medicine (Rheumatology) University of California, San Francisco San Francisco VA Medical Center San Francisco, CA 94121MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Gabriela Schmajuk M.D. M.S. Department of Medicine (Rheumatology) University of California, San Francisco San Francisco VA Medical Center San Francisco, CA 94121 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Schmajuk: Our main findings were that moderate LFT abnormalities were uncommon in the first 7 months of methotrexate use among new users, and more likely to occur in patients with obesity, untreated high cholesterol, pre-methotrexate LFT elevations, biologic agent use, and lack of folic acid supplementation. (more…)
Author Interviews, BMJ, Vegetarians / 05.02.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Kinesh Patel, Research Fellow Wolfson Unit for Endoscopy St Mark’s Hospital, Harrow HA1 3UJ, UK MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Patel: Most drugs prescribed in primary care have ingredients that come from animals, but the animals they come from is not always clear and whether the drugs are suitable for vegetarians is difficult to find out conclusively, even after looking at information available on packets, information leaflets and on the internet. (more…)
Allergies, Asthma, Author Interviews, Dermatology / 05.02.2014

Sabina Illi, Dipl.-Stat., MPH University Children's Hospital Lindwurmstr. 4 80337 Munich GermanyMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Sabina Illi, Dipl.-Stat., MPH University Children's Hospital Lindwurmstr. 4 80337 Munich Germany MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: We observed that the offspring of atopic pregnant women that showed symptoms of atopy during pregnancy, i.e. atopic dermatitis or hay fever, had a higher risk of having the respective atopic disorder themselves. However, we do not know whether this is due to timing, i.e. pregnancy, or whether it merely mirrors the severity of maternal disease. Furthermore, in our study pregnant mothers with repeated colds during pregnancy were at increased risk of having a child that wheezed at pre-school age, this was statistically independent of the intake of medication. (more…)
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, JAMA, Nutrition, Sugar / 03.02.2014

MedicalReseach.com Interview with: Quanhe Yang, PhD Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341 MedicalReseach.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Yang: The majority of US adults consume more added sugar than is recommended for a healthy diet. On average, Americans consume about 15% of daily calories from added sugar.  About 70% of adults consume more than 10%of calories from added sugar and another 10% consume more than 25% of calories from added sugar. When you compare those who consume 7.5% (lowest quintile) of calories from added sugar with participants who consume between 17%-21% (quintile 4) of calories from added sugar, the latter group has a 38% higher risk of CVD mortality. But the risk of CVD death more than doubles  for those who consume  ≥21% (highest quintile) of calories from added sugar. (more…)
Accidents & Violence, Cannabis / 03.02.2014

Joanne E. Brady SM Senior Staff Associate Department of Anesthesiology Doctoral Candidate in Epidemiology Columbia University Medical Center New York, NY 10032MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Joanne E. Brady SM Senior Staff Associate Department of Anesthesiology Doctoral Candidate in Epidemiology Columbia University Medical Center New York, NY 10032 Department of Epidemiology, Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: The prevalence of non-alcohol drugs detected in fatally injured drivers in the U.S. increased from 17% in 1999 to 28% in 2010.  The increases are largely driven by the tripling in the prevalence of cannabis. (more…)
Author Interviews, Exercise - Fitness, Rheumatology / 02.02.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Carsten Juhl, PhD, MPH Research Physiotherapist Forskningsenheden for Muskuloskeletal Funktion og Fysioterapi (FoF) Institut for idræt og biomekanik Syddansk Universitet MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Juhi:  The main findings of this study including 48 RCTs with more than 4000 patients were that
  • [1] exercise therapy programs focusing on a single type of exercise were more efficacious in reducing pain and patient-reported disability than those mixing several types of exercise with different goals within the same session;
  • [2] the number of supervised sessions enhances the benefits of the aerobic exercise;
  • [3] exercise focusing on the knee extensor muscle strength only, may increase the benefits of resistance training and
  • [4] exercise seems to be effective therapy for knee osteoarthritis, regardless of age, sex, BMI, radiographic status or baseline pain.
(more…)
Alzheimer's - Dementia, Author Interviews, Baylor College of Medicine Houston, NEJM / 02.02.2014

Rachelle S. Doody, M.D.,Ph.D. Effie Marie Cain Chair in Alzheimer's Disease Research Director, Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders Center Baylor College of Medicine-Department of Neurology Houston, Texas 77030: MedicalResearch.com MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Rachelle S. Doody, M.D.,Ph.D. Effie Marie Cain Chair in Alzheimer's Disease Research Director, Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders Center Baylor College of Medicine-Department of Neurology Houston, Texas 77030: MedicalResearch.com MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?  Dr. Doody: The study set out to see whether the antibody infusion treatment, Solanezumab, would improve the course of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease in the ways necessary to gain drug approval.  Unfortunately, the results did not support an approvable treatment for this purpose. (more…)
Author Interviews, Autism, Case Western, Cleveland Clinic / 01.02.2014

Roberto Fernández Galán, PhD Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH, USAMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Roberto Fernández Galán, PhD Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH, USA MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Galán: The main finding is that autistic brains create more information at rest than non-autistic brains. This is consistent with the classical view on autism as withdrawal into self. It is also consistent with a recent theory on autism, the “Intense World Theory”, which claims that autism results from hyper-functioning neural circuitry, leading to a state of excessive arousal. From both perspectives, the classical and the IWT, communication and social deficits associated with autism result from having a more intense inner life and a higher level of introspection. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cancer Research, Journal Clinical Oncology, Pain Research / 01.02.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Fengmin Zhao, MS,PhD Biostatistician Department of Biostatistics & Computational Biology Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston, MA 02215 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Zhao: We analyzed 2,761 patients in this study. We found that at initial assessment, 53.0% of patients had no pain, 23.5% had mild pain, 10.3% had moderate pain, and 13.2% had severe pain. Overall, one third of patients with initial pain had pain reduction within 1 month of follow-up, and one fifth had an increase. Inadequate pain management was significantly associated with pain deterioration in these patients, as were lower baseline pain level, younger age, and poor health status. Of the patients without pain at initial assessment, 28.4% reported pain at the follow-up assessment (8.9% of them were moderate to severe pain), and more than half of them received inadequate pain management. (more…)
Author Interviews, Outcomes & Safety / 01.02.2014

Joseph D. Restuccia, DrPH, MPH Professor and Deans Research Fellow Operations and Technology Management Department Health Sector Management Program Boston University School of Management Boston, MA 02215MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Joseph D. Restuccia, DrPH, MPH Professor and Deans Research Fellow Operations and Technology Management Department Health Sector Management Program Boston University School of Management Boston, MA 02215 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Restuccia: The study resulted in three major findings regarding quality improvement activities in VA.
  • The first is that of the three general categories, to date VA hospitals have devoted the most substantial effort to quality improvement activities (QIAs) related to prevention.
  • The second is that a strong alignment of goals between senior medical center leadership and inpatient medicine service leadership is the greatest predictor of an institution’s use of QIAs.
  • The third is that the medical centers that employ hospitalists, physicians who specialize in the practice of hospital medicine, show the strongest QIA adoption across all three categories. (more…)
Author Interviews, Johns Hopkins, Mental Health Research, Pediatrics, Psychological Science / 31.01.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Golda Ginsburg, Ph.D Professor Director, Research, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, MarylandGolda Ginsburg, Ph.D Professor Director, Research, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, Maryland MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr Ginsburg: This study examined the long-term outcomes of youth treated for an anxiety disorders. Findings revealed that almost half of anxious youth treated for an anxiety disorder were in remission (i.e., did not meet diagnostic criteria for any of the three study entry anxiety disorders) at an average of six years since starting treatment. Youth showing clinically meaningful improvement after 12 weeks of treatment, were more likely to be in remission, had lower anxiety severity, and had better functioning compared to youth who showed minimal or no initial clinical improvement. Treatment type did not affect long-term outcomes. (more…)
Author Interviews, Heart Disease / 31.01.2014

Professor Gregory Y.H. Lip MD, FRCP (London, Edinburgh, Glasgow), DFM, FACC, FESCUniversity of Birmingham, Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, City Hospital Consultant Cardiologist & Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, Director - Haemostasis Thrombosis & Vascular Biology Unit Birmingham, United KingdomMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Professor Gregory Y.H. Lip MD, FRCP Consultant Cardiologist & Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, Director - Haemostasis Thrombosis & Vascular Biology Unit Birmingham, United Kingdom MedicalResearch.com:  What are the main findings of the study? [GYHL] In this large-scale nationwide cohort study, we found that switching to dabigatran increased the risk of MI compared to continued warfarin usage in the early period after switching. Caution may be warranted especially when switching prior VKA-experienced patients with atrial fibrillation to dabigatran. This risk was not evident in the warfarin-naïve cohort newly started on dabigatran. (more…)
Author Interviews, Pediatrics / 31.01.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Sanjay Mahant, MD, FRCPC Division of Pediatric Medicine, Pediatric Outcomes Research Team (PORT), Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Health Policy, Evaluation and Management, University of Toronto, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, CanadaDr. Sanjay Mahant, MD, FRCPC Division of Pediatric Medicine, Pediatric Outcomes Research Team (PORT), Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Health Policy, Evaluation and Management, University of Toronto, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Mahant: In a large cohort of children undergoing same-day tonsillectomy at 36 children's hospitals in the U.S., we observed substantial variability in several areas. These include: processes of care, the use of steroids and antibiotics - for which there are national guidelines that outline the recommended use of these medications - and outcomes of usage, as well as revisits to hospital after surgery for complications within 30 days following surgery. (more…)
Accidents & Violence, Author Interviews, Brain Injury, Wake Forest / 31.01.2014

Steven Rowson, Ph.D. Research Assistant Professor Virginia Tech Wake Forest UniversityMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Steven Rowson, Ph.D. Research Assistant Professor Virginia Tech Wake Forest University   MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Rowson: We found that there were large differences in concussion risk between football helmet types.  This is the first study to address this question while controlling for the number of times each helmet type was impacted. This allowed us to compare apples to apples.  For example, we're not comparing starters who frequently get hit in one helmet type to second string players who don't get hit as much. (more…)
Accidents & Violence, Annals Internal Medicine, Author Interviews / 30.01.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Andrew Anglemyer, PhD, MPH; Clinical Pharmacy and Global Health Sciences University of California, San Francisco San Francisco, CAAndrew Anglemyer, PhD, MPH; Clinical Pharmacy and Global Health Sciences University of California, San Francisco San Francisco, CA MedicalResearch.com:  What are the main findings of the study?  Dr. Anglemyer: Over all, you are more than 3 times more likely to commit suicide if you have access to a firearm than if you do not.  And,  among men only, they are nearly 4 times more likely to commit suicide if they have access to a firearm than if they do not. Additionally, over all, you are 2 times more likely to be a victim of homicide if you have access to a firearm than if you do not. We also found that females have a higher likelihood of being a victim of homicide, than males when considering firearm access.  And we know from empirical data that the majority of female victims knew their assailant—which, to us, suggests that they were victims of domestic violence. (more…)
ADHD, Author Interviews, Autism / 29.01.2014

Bennett L. Leventhal, MD Nathan S. Kline Institue for Psychiatric Research 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Building 35 Orangeburg, NY 10962MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Bennett L. Leventhal, MD Nathan S. Kline Institue for Psychiatric Research 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Building 35 Orangeburg, NY 10962 MedicalResearch.com:  What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Leventhal: In the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM5) released in May 2013, changes include major alterations in criteria for developmental disorders, in particular, the DSMIV diagnostic criteria for Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), including elimination of subtypes found in DSMIV such as Asperger Disorder and PDD NOS. Additionally, DSM 5 adds a new diagnostic category, Social Communication Disorder (SCD): individuals with SCD have difficulties similar to ASD but these problems are solely restricted to the realm of social communication and do not include the restrictive and repetitive behaviors found in ASD. (more…)
Author Interviews, Lancet, Weight Research / 28.01.2014

Professor Sally Wyke Deputy Director, Institute of Health and Wellbeing Professor (Institute of Health and Wellbeing Social Sciences) The University of GlasgowMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Professor Sally Wyke Deputy Director, Institute of Health and Wellbeing Professor (Institute of Health and Wellbeing Social Sciences) The University of Glasgow MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Prof. Wyke: The FFIT programme was very effective.  The men who did the programme lost nine times as much weight as the men who did not.  On average, they lost over 5.5kg  (11lbs)and kept it off for the full 12 months. In addition, we found highly significant differences in favour of the intervention objectively-measured waist, percentage body-fat, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and self-reported physical activity, diet and indicators of well-being and physical aspects of quality of life. (more…)
Author Interviews / 28.01.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Gopal K. Singh, Ph.D., M.S., M.Sc. Senior Epidemiologist/Health Care Administrator Office of Epidemiology and Research Division of Epidemiology HRSA/ Maternal and Child Health Bureau U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Rockville, MD 20857, USA and Mohammad Siahpush, PhD Professor, Department of Health Promotion, Social & Behavioral Health University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Public Health MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: There are significant disparities in life expectancy between rural and urban areas of the United States – and these disparities have widened over the past 4 decades. In 1969, life expectancy was 0.4 years longer in urban than in rural areas (70.9 vs. 70.5 years). In 2009, the life expectancy difference between urban and rural areas increased to 2.0 years (78.8 vs. 76.8 years). Much of the disparity appears to have increased since 1990. Life expectancy has increased more rapidly in urban than in rural areas, which has contributed to the widening gap in life expectancy. Life expectancy is lower in more rural areas. In 2005-2009, life expectancy was 79.1 years in large metro areas, 77.8 in small metro areas, 76.9 years in small-urban towns, and 76.7 years in rural areas. So, the difference in life expectancy between the most-urban and most-rural was 2.4 years. (more…)
Author Interviews, Breast Cancer, Dartmouth, Radiology / 27.01.2014

Michael Mastanduno Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College 14 Engineering Dr. Hanover, NH 03755MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Michael Mastanduno Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College 14 Engineering Dr. Hanover, NH 03755 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: The study was able to illustrate the design and clinical testing of an MRI breast coil for combined MRI and Near Infrared Spectroscopy. The coil was tested on 8 healthy volunteers spanning all bra cup sizes and mammographic density categories. In the past, MRI/NIRS imaging was only possible in C and D cup sized breasts. The system also will give researchers the ability to target lesions in hard-to-reach areas close to the chest wall. With the successful completion of this study, simultaneous MRI/NIRS is possible in all breast sizes, tissue compositions, and lesion locations. (more…)
Author Interviews, Melanoma / 26.01.2014

Robert O. Dillman, M.D., F.A.C.P. Executive Medical Director Hoag Institute for Research and Education Hoag Cancer InstituteMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Robert O. Dillman, M.D., F.A.C.P. Executive Medical Director Hoag Institute for Research and Education Hoag Cancer Institute MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Dillman:  The main finding of this study is that among 149 metastatic melanoma patients treated with high-dose interleukin-2 (IL2), survival was much better in the subset of 32 patients who also were treated with patient-specific vaccines (that is active specific immunotherapy or ASI) that contained antigens from tumor cell lines derived from there own metastases that had been surgically resected.  The 5-year survival rate from the date of starting IL2 was 39% in those receiving vaccine compared to 13% in those who did not (p<0.001).  A number of studies have reported that a 5-year survival rate of 15% is typical for patients treated with IL2. The data also suggested that 5-year survival was better in the 25 patients who received the vaccine after, rather than before IL2 (46% vs 14%), p<0.001).  Among the 32 ASI-treated patients, there was a trend for survival benefit for the 16 patients treated with autologous dendritic cells pulsed with antigens from the autologous melanoma cells and injected with granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) compared to injections of irradiated tumor cells with or without GM-CSF (p=0.17) (more…)
Author Interviews, Health Care Systems, JAMA, Primary Care / 26.01.2014

Dr. Lyndonna Marrast MD Fellow in General Internal Medicine Cambridge Health Alliance 1493 Cambridge Street Cambridge, MA 02139 MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Lyndonna Marrast MD Fellow in General Internal Medicine Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA 02139 MedicalResearch.com:   What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Marrast: We found that disadvantaged patients (categorized as racial and ethnic minorities, non-English home language speakers, being low income, having Medicaid, or reporting fair or poor health) were more likely than other patients to be cared for by a minority physician. A majority, 54%, of black, Hispanic and Asian patients received care from a minority doctor and the vast majority, 70%, of those who report not speaking English at home got care from a minority physician. (more…)
Author Interviews, BMJ, Orthopedics / 26.01.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Keijo T Mäkelä Associate professor Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology Turku University Hospital, Rauhankatu Turku, FI-20100, Finland MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: • The implant survival of cemented total hip replacement was higher than that of uncemented total hip replacement in patients aged 65 years and older in our multinational register study with a comprehensive patient population. • The proportion of uncemented total hip replacement is rapidly increasing in Nordic countries. The increased use of uncemented total hip replacement group is not supported by these data. (more…)
Author Interviews, Breast Cancer / 26.01.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Deirdre McLaughlin PhD MAPS Associate Professor, Principal Research Fellow Centre for Longitudinal and Lifecourse Research and Janni Leung, BHS School of Population Health University of Queensland MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: Breast cancer patients living in rural areas were diagnosed later than breast cancer patients living in urban areas. Evidence from Australia, Egypt, Italy, Canada, Poland, South Africa, Denmark, and parts of the United States indicated that patients residing in rural areas were more likely to be diagnosed with more advanced breast cancer. Our meta-analysis showed that rural breast cancer patients had 1.19 higher odds (95% confidence interval= 1.12-1.27) of diagnosis of a late stage breast cancer compared to urban breast cancer patients. (more…)
Author Interviews, BMJ, Hip Fractures, Hormone Therapy, Orthopedics / 25.01.2014

Professor Nigel Arden Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences Botnar Research Centre Windmill Road Oxford OX3 7LDMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Professor Nigel Arden Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences Botnar Research Centre Oxford  OX3 7LD MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Professor Arden: We found that in a cohort of women who had used hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and underwent knee or hip replacement their risk of implant revision was reduced by about 40% compared to non-users of HRT. (more…)
Author Interviews, Vitamin D / 24.01.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Professor Mark Bolland Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Medicine University of Auckland, New Zealand MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Prof. Bolland: We pooled data from randomised controlled trials of vitamin D supplements in traditional meta-analyses and trial sequential analyses to assess the effect on important health outcomes. We found that vitamin D supplements (with or without calcium) had no effect on myocardial infarction, stroke, total cancer, or total fracture, and further similar trials are unlikely to alter these conclusions. For hip fracture, the results were more complicated. There was uncertainty as to whether vitamin D by itself increased the risk of hip fracture or had no effect, whereas the combination of vitamin D with calcium had no effect on hip fracture in people living in the community, but reduced hip fracture risk in two trials of elderly women living in residential care. (more…)
Author Interviews, FDA, JAMA, Yale / 23.01.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Nicholas S. Downing, AB Yale University School of Medicine New Haven, Connecticut MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: In our systematic review of all new drugs approved by the FDA over an 8 year period, we found that there was real variability in the quality and quantity of clinical trial evidence used as the basis of the agency’s approval decisions. Some drugs were studied in multiple randomized, double-blinded, controlled clinical trials that provide very helpful information for patients and physicians. However, other drugs were studied in clinical trials that did not produce as much information about their safety and effectiveness. (more…)