Blog – Medical Research News and Interviews
15 Mar Regional Variation in Spending and Survival for Older Adults With Advanced Cancer
MedicalResearch.com Interview with Gabriel Brooks MD
Fellow, Medical Oncology
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Brooks: First, we found that there is substantial regional variation in Medicare spending for patients with advanced cancer. For patients with a new diagnosis of advanced stage cancer, spending in the six months following diagnosis varied by 32% between regions in the highest and lowest quintiles of spending. And for patients who died from cancer, spending in the last six months of life varied by 41% between the highest and lowest spending regions.
Second, we tested the association between area-level spending and survival from the time of advanced cancer diagnosis. We found that there was no consistent association between increasing spending and survival for any of the five cancer sites included in our study (non-small cell lung cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreas cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer).
11 Mar Influenza Virus Aerosols in Human Exhaled Breath: Particle Size, Culturability, and Effect of Surgical Masks
MedicalResearch.com Author Interview: Dr. Donald K. Milton, MD, Dr.P.H
Dr. Donald K. Milton, MD, Dr.P.H
Professor and Director
Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health
University of Maryland
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Milton: We found that total viral copies detected by molecular methods were 8.8 times more numerous in fine (≤5 µm) than in coarse (>5 µm) aerosol particles and that the fine particles from cases with the highest total number of viral RNA copies contained infectious virus.
Surgical masks reduced the overall number of RNA copies by 3.4 fold.
08 Mar Selection Criteria for Lung-Cancer Screening
Medical Research.com
Author Interview: Dr. Martin C. Tammemägi
Professor (Epidemiology) Brock University
Department of Community Health Sciences
St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada L2S 3A1
Medical Research.com What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Tammemägi: Our study accomplished three things:
1. We presented an updated Lung Cancer Risk Prediction Model, which compared to our previously JNCI-published model, incorporates more predictors but is simpler to use because we changed the way we modeled nonlinear effects.
2. We demonstrated that using the Lung Cancer Risk Prediction Model to select individuals for lung cancer screening was much more effective than using the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) enrolment criteria. 41.3% fewer lung cancers were missed. Sensitivity and positive predictive value of identifying individuals who develop lung cancer were significantly improved. Shortly after our NEJM paper was published, Ma et al published in CANCER their findings that 8.6 million Americans are NLST-criteria positive and if they were CT screened under ideal conditions 12,000 lung cancer deaths would be averted. Our NEJM article findings indicate that an additional 2,764 lives would be saved if the selection criteria had enrolled 8.6 million individuals for screening based on highest risk by our Lung Cancer Risk Prediction Model.
3. Importantly, using NLST data we demonstrated that the beneficial effect of CT screening did not vary by model predicted lung cancer risk.
08 Mar Extended Use of Dabigatran, Warfarin, or Placebo in Venous Thromboembolism
MedicalResearch.com Author Interview: Sam Schulman M.D., FRCPC(C)
Professor, Division of Hematology and Thromboembolism, Department of Medicine
Associate Professor, Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
Director, Clinical Thromboembolism Program Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton General Hospital, Hamilton, Ontario
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Response: Similar effect of dabigatran as warfarin, 92% risk reduction compared to placebo. The risk of bleeding is reduced by almost 50% compared to warfarin but in comparison with placebo there is an increased risk of minor bleeding. No routine coagulation monitoring or dose adjustments are required, making the treatment convenient for patients and physicians.
13 Jan Breast Cancer News from Medical News Today
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13 Jan Mental Health News From Medical News Today
Posted at 13:01h
in Mental Health Research
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13 Jan Alzheimer’s / Dementia News From Medical News Today
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10 Jan MedicalResearch.com News: NewsFeed
Posted at 17:18h
in Author Interviews
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11 Jul Identifying risky behaviors: The key to HIV prevention
Posted at 23:55h
in HIV
HIV prevention must be better targeted, according to David Holtgrave from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US, and colleagues. Health care professionals need a more detailed analysis and understanding of the interplay between HIV risk behavior, access to treatment and treatment success among those living with...
11 Jul Using biomarkers to identify and treat schizophrenia
In the current online issue of PLoS ONE, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say they have identified a set of laboratory-based biomarkers that can be useful for understanding brain-based abnormalities in schizophrenia. The measurements, known as endophenotypes, could ultimately be a boon to clinicians...
11 Jul How metastasizing cancer cells enter organs
Posted at 23:48h
in Cancer Research
It is not primary tumors that are responsible for the majority of cancer deaths, but rather their metastases. Physiologists and neuropathologists from the University of Zurich have now identified the origin of metastasis formation, thereby becoming the first to reveal the pathway of metastasizing intestinal cancer cells out of the...
11 Jul Alzheimer’s plaques in PET brain scans identify future cognitive decline
Posted at 21:18h
in Alzheimer's - Dementia, Duke, Mental Health Research, University of Pennsylvania
Alzheimer's plaques in PET brain scans identify future cognitive decline DURHAM, N.C. – Among patients with mild or no cognitive impairment, brain scans using a new radioactive dye can detect early evidence of Alzheimer's disease that may predict future decline, according to a multi-center study led by researchers at Duke University...
15 Jun Study: Virtual colonoscopy without laxative equals standard in identifying clinically significant polyps
Computed tomographic colonography (CTC), also known as virtual colonoscopy, administered without laxatives is as accurate as conventional colonoscopy in detecting clinically significant, potentially cancerous polyps, according to a study performed jointly at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, the University of California, San Francisco and Massachusetts General Hospital. "I think we...
04 May Blacks and Hispanics at Higher Risk for Precancerous Colorectal Polyps
Colonoscopy may be preferable to sigmoidoscopy for these populations Newswise — New York, NY (May 3, 2012) — Blacks and Hispanics have a significantly higher risk of developing precancerous colorectal polyps compared with whites, according to a study by researchers at NewYork – Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. The findings appeared...
15 Apr New Method May Help Detect Marker for Alzheimer’s Disease Earlier
Newswise — NEW ORLEANS – Use of a new drug to detect the beta-amyloid plaques in the brain that are hallmark signs of Alzheimer’s disease may help doctors diagnose the disease earlier, according to research that will be presented as part of the Emerging Science program (formerly known as Late-Breaking...
12 Apr Study Reveals High Rate of Anal Cancer in HIV-Positive Women
Newswise — NEW YORK CITY (April 12, 2012) -- Anal cancer is on the rise among HIV-positive women, according to a Montefiore Medical Center study entitled, “High Prevalence of High Grade Anal Intraepithelial Neoplasia in HIV-Infected Women Screened for Anal Cancer,” to be published in the Journal of Aids on May 1. “Anal cancer...
12 Apr Targeting Glucagon Pathway May Offer a New Approach to Treating Diabetes
Newswise — (NEW YORK, NY, April 12, 2012) —Maintaining the right level of sugar in the blood is the responsibility not only of insulin, which removes glucose, but also of a hormone called glucagon, which adds glucose. For decades, treatments for type II diabetes have taken aim at insulin, but a...
12 Apr Newly approved device to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Newswise — April 11 2012— Mayo Clinic in Florida will be one of the first health care institutions in the United States to offer a newly approved device to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The condition, also known as acid reflux disease, can lead to serious health problems. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)...
12 Apr Beach Sand May Contain Harmful Bacteria
Posted at 00:50h
in Infections
CORAL GABLES, FL (April 11, 2012)--On warm days, the beach seems an ideal destination for family rest and relaxation. Who hasn't built a sand castle or been buried up to the neck in sand? However, that family fun has a dark side -- sand can harbor illness-causing microbes. Unfortunately, there...
12 Apr Chemotherapy Proves Life-Saving for Some Leukemia Patients Who Fail Induction Therapy
Newswise — (MEMPHIS, Tenn. – April 11, 2012) An international study found that bone marrow transplants are not the best option for some young patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who fail to attain clinical remission after the initial weeks of intense chemotherapy known as induction therapy. The largest study ever of...
03 Apr Researcher finds that vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased mortality in intensive care patients
Posted at 23:08h
in Vitamin D
Scientists have long believed that vitamin D, which is naturally absorbed from sunlight, has an important role in the functioning of the body's autoimmune system. Now Prof. Howard Amital of Tel Aviv University'sSackler Faculty of Medicine and Sheba Medical Center has discovered that the vitamin may also affect the outcomes of patients in intensive...
29 Mar Scientists create small molecules that alter biological clock and lead to weight loss
The new molecules could lead to unique treatments for obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and sleep disorders JUPITER, FL -- Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have synthesized a pair of small molecules that dramatically alter the core biological clock in animal models, highlighting the compounds' potential effectiveness...
28 Mar Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy Reduces Risk of Side Effects in Breast Cancer Patients
Newswise — Breast cancer patients treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) instead of standard whole breast irradiation (WBI) have a lower incidence of acute or chronic toxicities, according to a study in Practical Radiation Oncology (PRO), the official clinical practice journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). Researchers...
28 Mar Report: New More-Sensitive Blood Test Catches Recurring Breast Cancer a Year Earlier
Posted at 20:55h
in Breast Cancer
Newswise — SAN DIEGO, March 28, 2012 Research was presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society — A new blood test is twice as sensitive and can detect breast cancer recurrence a full year earlier than current blood tests, according to a scientist who reported here today at the...
28 Mar Report: US Cancer Death Rates Continue to Fall
Posted at 20:49h
in Cancer Research
Newswise — BOSTON—A report from the nation’s leading cancer organizations shows rates of death in the United States from all cancers for men and women continued to decline between 2004 and 2008. The findings come from the latest Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer. The report also...
15 Mar Dietary Cadmium May Be Linked with Breast Cancer Risk
Newswise — PHILADELPHIA — Dietary cadmium, a toxic metal widely dispersed in the environment and found in many farm fertilizers, may lead to an increased risk of breast cancer, according to a study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Cadmium occurs at low concentrations naturally,...
15 Mar Study Suggests Link Between H. pylori Bacteria and Blood Sugar Control in Adult Type II Diabetes
Newswise — NEW YORK, March 14, 2012 – A new study by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center reveals that the presence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacteria is associated with elevated levels of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), an important biomarker for blood glucose levels and diabetes. The association was even stronger in...
15 Mar U.S. Tobacco-Control Efforts Prevented Nearly 800,000 Lung Cancer Deaths Between 1975 and 2000
Newswise — SEATTLE – Declines in cigarette smoking among Americans since the mid-1950s – particularly since tobacco-control policies and interventions were implemented after the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health was released in 1964 – prevented nearly 800,000 lung cancer deaths between 1975 and 2000, according to a...
09 Mar Researchers reveal ways to make personalized cancer therapies more cost effective
AURORA, Colo. -- As scientists continue making breakthroughs in personalized cancer treatment, delivering those therapies in the most cost effective manner has become increasingly important. Now researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have identified new ways of doing just that, allowing more patients to benefit from this...