Blog – Medical Research News and Interviews
08 Apr Melanoma: Screened Patients More Likely to be Diagnosed with Thin Tumors
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_59011" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Ferris[/caption]
Laura Ferris, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Dermatology
Director of clinical trials for UPMC Department of Dermatology
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: In this quality initiative at UPMC (a large academic and community health system in Western PA and surrounding areas) Primary Care Physicians were trained to perform annual skin cancer screening examinations of their patients who were aged 35 years and older at routine medical visits.
Over a 5-year period more than 595,000 patients who were eligible to be screened were seen by a UPMC PCP and about 24% of them were screened. We compared the number and thickness (an important indicator of prognosis) of the melanomas diagnosed in those patients who were screened to those who were not screened.
08 Apr JAK Inhibitors Show Promise For Treatment of Severe Alopecia Areata
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Brett King, MD, PhD, FAAD
Associate Professor of Dermatology
Yale School of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder marked by disfiguring, non-scarring hair loss, and there are no therapies approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of the disease. JAK inhibitors are showing promise for treatment of severe alopecia areata. In this work, the pooled results of two phase 3 clinical trials of the JAK inhibitor baricitinib were reported out to 52 weeks.
07 Apr Scientists Uncover How Obesity Stresses Muscle Cells
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58994" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Roberts[/caption]
Lee Roberts PhD
Professor and Chair of Molecular Physiology and Metabolism
Department of Discovery and Translational Science
Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Medicine
School of Medicine
University of Leeds
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Obesity rates have nearly tripled worldwide since 1975.
In 2016, there were more than 650 million adults aged 18 and above with obesity. Obesity can lead to increased fat in the blood which damages tissues and organs, contributing to the development of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes. This elevated blood fat can damage the cellular organelle responsible for making protein, the endoplasmic reticulum, causing the cell to come under stress and potentially resulting in the cell dying. When this occurs in skeletal muscle it can contribute to features of the metabolic syndrome including metabolic dysfunction and insulin resistance.
07 Apr COVID-19: Neurological Complications May Be First and Only Complication
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58991" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Fischer[/caption]
Tracy Fischer, PhD
Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Tulane National Primate Research Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: We investigated multiple regions of the brain from SARS-CoV-2 infected Rhesus macaques and African green monkeys for the presence of inflammation and other pathology that may result from COVID-19. Most animals were infected for approximately one month before our investigation, however, two of the African green monkeys developed acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) prior to the study endpoint.
06 Apr Coronary Artery Disease: Women Have Worse Outcomes Following Both Medical and Invasive Treatments
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58987" align="alignleft" width="200"] Left: Mario Gaudino, MD PhD; Right: Antonino Di Franco, MD[/caption]
Mario F.L. Gaudino, M.D. PhD
Attending Cardiac SurgeonDepartment of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Antonino Di Franco, MD
Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Weill Cornell Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What is the aim of this review?
Response: Biological and socio-cultural differences between men and women are complex and likely account for most of the variations in the epidemiology and treatment outcomes of coronary artery disease (CAD) between the two sexes. Despite the growing recognition of sex-specific determinants of outcomes, representation of women in clinical studies remains low, and sex-specific management strategies are generally not provided in guidelines.
We summarized the current evidence on sex-related differences in patients with CAD, focusing on the differential outcomes following medical therapy, percutaneous coronary interventions, and coronary artery bypass surgery.
05 Apr Blueberry Extract Studied to Speed Wound Healing
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58962" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Klimis-Zacas[/caption]
Dorothy Klimis-Zacas, MS, PhD, FACN
Professor of Clinical Nutrition
School of Food and Agriculture
Graduate Faculty
School of Biomedical Sciences
Associate Faculty, Institute of Medicine
Fulbright Fellow
University of Maine Orono, Maine 04469
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Bioactive compounds such as polyphenols have been documented to have wound healing properties . In the Klimis-Zacas laboratory, phenolic extracts (PE) from wild blueberries (WB) were reported to promote angiogenesis in HUVEC cells via cell migration, angiogenesis, through VEGF/P13K/AKT pathway documented that the PE, primarily composed of chlorogenic acid significantly promoted cell migration and closure speed of wound by 38% above the control as well as angiogenesis and gene expression for proteins critical for cell movement while the anthocyanin fraction inhibited the above processes (5,6).
05 Apr Cumulative Blood Pressure As Risk Factor For Cognitive Decline and Dementia
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Yangfeng Wu Peking University Clinical Research Institute Peking University MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: It is well-established that elevated blood pressure (BP) at single time point can contribute to increased risks of suffering accelerated cognitive decline, dementia, and mortality. Nevertheless, BP levels could experience significant alterations as time goes, indicating the necessity of monitoring BP longitudinally. In other words, using blood pressure levels measured at baseline to predict future outcomes in a longitudinal cohort with a long-term follow-up period ≥20 years, becomes controversial. Cumulative BP levels have been indicated as a feasible approach for evaluating long-term exposure of BP levels, which might have the ability to respond to this controversy. This is the main reason why we performed this research to evaluate the predictive values of cumulative BP levels, especially additional values beyond baseline blood pressure levels, for future neurocognitive and longevity outcomes.
02 Apr Susceptibility to Autism May Be Detectable by Fetal MRI
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58973" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. ORTUĞ[/caption]
Alpen ORTUĞ, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Massachusetts General Hospital
Department of Radiology
Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging
Boston, MA
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Finding the earliest diagnosis possible for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is one of the main goals for researchers studying ASD. This study aimed to investigate the critical abnormalities in prenatal brain development in ASD using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We hypothesized that volumetric analyses of brain segmentations are useful to identify such abnormalities before birth. We have retrospectively analyzed fetal MRI based on the knowledge that the same individuals were later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. We have evaluated developmental abnormalities in brain structures of prospective ASD fetuses using volumetric segmentation.
The current study is still preliminary, but the ‘insula’ of the brain showed statistically significant volumetric enlargement in prospective ASD patients, compared to the other three control groups.
01 Apr Breakthrough for Nearsightedness: Removable Lens Implant Can Provide Freedom from Glasses or Contacts
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Scott D. Barnes, MD Chief Medical Officer STAAR SurgicalMedicalResearch.com: What is the background for the EVO procedure? Would you briefly describe what is meant by myopia and how common it is?
Response: EVO is a clinically-proven implantable lens that corrects common vision problems such as nearsightedness and nearsightedness with astigmatism. EVO can be the solution for people who want to get rid of their glasses or contact lenses. Myopia (or nearsightedness) is the most common ocular disorder worldwide and its incidence is increasing significantly. An estimated 30% of the world's population, or 2.6 billion people, have myopia and this number is projected to rise to 50% of the global population by the year 2050.
31 Mar Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women: Study Evaluates Single-Incision Mini-Slings
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58976" align="alignleft" width="200"] Prof. Abdel-Fattah[/caption]
Professor Mohamed Abdel-Fattah, MD, FRCOG
Chair in Gynaecology
Consultant Gynaecologist & Sub-specialist Urogynaecologist
School Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
University Of Aberdeen
Co-Director Aberdeen Centre For Women’s Health Research
Lead – MBChB intercalated degree programme
Chief Investigator – CATHETER II, FUTURE, and SIMS RCTs
MedicalResearch.com: Why was this study necessary?
Response:At the time of study design, the main surgical option for treating stress urinary incontinence was the insertion of a standard mid-urethral sling, usually using a general anaesthetic. However, single incision mini-slings were introduced to clinical practice without robust assessment. They were considered promising due to several potential advantages including using less mesh more possibility to be performed under local anaesthetic.
A number of small studies with short-term follow-up (i.e. low quality evidence) showed mini-slings to have similar success rates to standard mid-urethral slings, but required shorter hospital stay and was less painful immediately after surgery. Several systematic reviews at the time recommended an adequately powered robust randomised trial to compare the clinical and cost-effectiveness of mini-slings to standard mid-urethral slings with adequate term follow-up.
29 Mar New Test Aims for Early Detection of Sepsis Utilizing Coagulation Factors
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58711" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Mahan[/caption]
Michael J. Mahan Ph.D.
Professor
Dept of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
University of California
Santa Barbara, CA
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Sepsis is the number one cause of death in US hospitals- but few molecular diagnostics and therapies exist for this condition. In the clinic, sepsis is diagnosed by a symptom-based approach that may include kidney or liver failure, blood clotting or bleeding — which is often well after permanent organ damage.
Thus, molecular diagnostics that detect infection at early stages of disease to minimize host injury are sorely needed.
29 Mar Risks of Anaphylaxis With IV Iron Infusions Assessed
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58967" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Dave[/caption]
Chintan V. Dave, PharmD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy
Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Institute
Rutgers University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: The risks of anaphylaxis among intravenous (IV) iron products currently in use has not been assessed. Older adults have a higher risk of experiencing drug-induced anaphylaxis. Accordingly, our study objective was to elucidate the risk of anaphylaxis among older adults receiving the five frequently used IV iron products: ferric carboxymaltose, ferumoxytol, ferric gluconate, iron dextran, and iron sucrose.
29 Mar Study Sheds Light On How Immune System Allows HIV Infection to Be Chronic
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58956" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Elahi[/caption]
Shokrollah Elahi PhD
Associate Professor at University of Alberta
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: CD8+T cells (killer T cells) play an important role against virally infected and cancer cells, however, their functional properties get compromised during the course of HIV infection and cancer. CD73, is one of molecules that influences killer T cell functions but its role in the context of viral infections has not been well defined.
In this study, we analyzed the presence of this protein (CD73) on killer T cells in a cohort of 102 HIV-infected individuals. We found that the proportion of killer T cells expressing this protein was substantially lower among different killer T cell subsets obtained from the blood of HIV-infected individuals compared to individuals who were not infected with HIV. Notably, CD73 was decreased at the intracellular protein and gene levels. This suggests that the CD73 gene gets suppressed by a specific mechanism in HIV-infected individuals.
Furthermore, we decided to better understand the difference between killer T cells having CD73 versus those who do not. We found that CD73 was essential for the migratory capacity of killer T cells. It means killer T cells without this protein have impaired ability to move into the tissues. This implies that lack of CD73 prevents killer T cells from homing into the tissue where HIV reservoirs are hidden.
29 Mar Brigham Study Identifies Genes That Drive Migraines
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58952" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Renthal[/caption]
William R. Renthal, MD, PhD
Director of Research, John R. Graham Headache Center
Department of Neurology
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: We know that a nervous system structure called the trigeminal ganglion plays a critical role in migraine headache, but the cell types that exist in this structure are poorly understood. We have used cutting-edge, single-cell genomic technologies to profile the genes expressed within each trigeminal ganglion cell type in both human and mouse with the goal of identifying molecular features that could allow us to inhibit head pain selectively without affecting other cell types.
27 Mar Atopic Dermatitis and Growth Parameters in Children
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58947" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Drucker[/caption]
Aaron Drucker MD, ScM, FRCPC
Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Women’s College Hospital
Scientist, Women’s College Research Institute
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicin and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation
University of Toronto
Adjunct Scientist, ICES
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Because atopic dermatitis is a chronic condition that is common in children, parents and physicians often wonder if it will affect overall child well-being, including their growth parameters. Previous studies were mostly cross-sectional, so we conducted a longitudinal study to follow children over time.
We found that although young children with atopic dermatitis were somewhat shorter with higher BMI than children without atopic dermatitis, these differences were small and attenuated as children grew older.
23 Mar USPSTF: Screening for Eating Disorders in Adolescents and Adults
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58942" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Pbert[/caption]
Lori Pbert, Ph.D
Professor, Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences
Associate chief of the Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine
Founder and Director of the Center for Tobacco Treatment Research and Training
University of Massachusetts Medical School
Dr. Pbert joined the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in January 2019
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: This is the first time that the Task Force has looked at the evidence around screening for eating disorders. It was important to address this topic because of the serious harm that these conditions can cause to people’s physical and mental health, and the tremendous toll eating disorders have on individuals and families.
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?
Response: After reviewing the limited available research, we determined there is not enough evidence to recommend for or against screening teens and adults for eating disorders in adolescents and adults who do not have signs or symptoms of an eating disorder or concerns about their eating. It’s important to note that this recommendation is not for people who are showing signs or symptoms of eating disorders, like rapid weight loss or gain, slow heart rate, delayed puberty, or a disruption of menstruation, or for those expressing concern about their eating.
22 Mar 6 Benefits of a Flexible Healthcare Program
Posted at 12:18h
in Education
Once you have completed your bachelor’s program, you might wonder what to do next. One option is to pursue a graduate program. It could open the door to more advanced medical careers while allowing you to broaden your knowledge even further.
Of course, you might not feel ready for going back into full-time classroom-based education. That’s understandable.
Fortunately, you can choose a flexible graduate program. Here are six benefits to doing one.
1: A Chance to Further Your Education
The best part about any graduate program is that it allows you to further your education, which is always good. You become smarter, more skilled, and more desirable to employers. If you are interested in a healthcare graduate program, take a look at the Boston College Healthcare Administration degree online.
22 Mar Medical Students Sucessfully Acquired Surgical Skills with AI Tutoring
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58936" align="alignleft" width="125"]
Ali M. Fazlollahi[/caption]
Ali M. Fazlollahi, MSc, McGill Medicine Class of 2025
Neurosurgical Simulation and Artificial Intelligence Learning Centre
Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
McGill University, Montreal, Canada
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: COVID-19 disrupted hands on surgical exposure of medical students and academic centres around the world had to quickly adapt to teaching technical skills remotely. At the same time, advances in artificial intelligence (AI) allowed researchers at the Neurosurgical Simulation and Artificial Intelligence Learning Centre to develop an intelligent tutoring system that evaluates performance and provides high-quality personalized feedback to students. Because this is the first AI system capable of providing surgical instructions in simulation, we sought to evaluate its effectiveness compared with learning from expert human instructors who provided coaching remotely.
21 Mar A Look At How Medicine Is Made
Posted at 13:20h
in Pharmaceutical Companies
Medicine is now more widely available than ever before, and shelves are filling up with different drugs that have all sorts of impacts on the human body. Recent events such as the covid pandemic have shown how quickly new medicines can be developed and distributed throughout the world. The manufacturing process has been refined in a big way, and swift changes continue to be made on this front. However, if you were wanting to find out a bit more about how medicine is made, there is a lot to say on this particular front. Everything starts off in the initial development phase before a drug goes through its research and development, passes a number of checks and balances, and is eventually released into the wider world as a whole. So, let’s go into a little bit more detail about how medicine is actually made.
20 Mar Quality, Not Length, is What Matters When It Comes to Sleep
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58924" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Ying-Hui Fu[/caption]
Ying-Hui Fu, PhD
Professor, Neurology
Weill Institute for Neurosciences
UCSF
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Most people are aware that a lack of sleep is associated with all sorts of health issues. However, familial natural short sleeper (FNSS) individuals sleep 4-6.5 hours a night most of their live and stay healthy. We set out to determine whether natural short sleep mutations can offer protection from various diseases. We chose Alzheimer as an example to start.
18 Mar Young Hypertensives: Increase in Blood Pressure on Standing Linked to Increase in Adverse Events
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58918" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Palatini[/caption]
Paolo Palatini, M.D.
Professor of Internal Medicine
University of Padova
Padova, Italy
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Up to now doctors measured blood pressure (BP) on standing only in elderly people on pharmacological treatment with the purpose of detecting orthostatic hypotension. In young-to-middle-age people BP is currently measured only in the lying or the sitting posture.
Our starting point was that young borderline hypertensive people have an increased sympathetic activity and thus they might be hyperreactive to physical stimuli such as assuming the orthostatic posture which may be deleterious in the long run. This hypothesis was tested in the HARVEST, a study initiated in Italy in 1990, in which over 1200 young patients screened for stage 1 hypertension were enrolled.
18 Mar Excessive Daytime Naps May Be a Sign of Early Cognitive Decline
Posted at 11:42h
in Alzheimer's - Dementia, Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Sleep Disorders
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Peng Li, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Research Director, Medical Biodynamics Program (MBP)
Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders
Associate Physiologist, Brigham and Women's Hospital
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: People commonly see increased sleep during daytime in older adults. In people with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, daytime drowsiness or sleepiness are even more common. Prior studies have showed protective effects of short naps on cognitive performance and alertness acutely, while also there are studies that have demonstrated more daytime naps are associated with faster cognitive decline in the long-term. We sought to investigate whether daytime napping behavior predicts future development of Alzheimer’s dementia. And we noted that there had been no studies to date that have documented the longitudinal profile of daytime napping during late life objectively.
17 Mar Incidence of Newly Diagnosed Diabetes After Covid-19
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58898" align="alignleft" width="133"]
Dr. Rathmann[/caption]
Prof. Wolfgang Rathmann MSPH
Prof. of Epidemiology
Deputy Director, Institute for Biometrics and Epidemiology,
German Diabetes Center, Heinrich Heine University
Düsseldorf, Germany
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Diabetes is associated with a poor prognosis of COVID-19. There have been raised concerns about a bidirectional relationship between diabetes and COVID-19. Recent studies raised the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 can cause diabetes. However, there is a lack of studies investigating the incidence of diabetes after recovery from COVID-19 in mild cases.
To provide more evidence, we analyzed electronic health records from 1,171 general and internal medicine practices across Germany between March 2020 and January 2021. This included 35,865 patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19. The incidence of diabetes after COVID-19 was compared with patients, who were diagnosed with an acute upper respiratory tract infection (AURI), matched for sex, age, and comorbidities including obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart attack, and stroke.
17 Mar Smartphone Communicates Genetic Risk, Potentially Enhancing Compliance with Heart Medications
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58888" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Torkamani[/caption]
Ali Torkamani, Ph.D.
Director of Genomics and Genome Informatics
Scripps Research Translational Institute
Professor, Integrative Structural and Computational Biology
Scripps Research
La Jolla, CA 92037
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Prior research has shown that people with higher polygenic risk for coronary artery disease achieve greater risk reduction with statin or other lipid lowering therapy. In general, adherence to standard guidelines for lipid lowering therapy is low - about 30% of people who should be on lipid lowering therapy are, with no correlation to their genetic risk. We set out to see whether communicating personalized risk, including polygenic risk, for coronary artery disease would drive the adoption of lipid lowering therapy.
17 Mar Disability-Free Life Expectancy Increasing
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58908" align="alignleft" width="127"] Dr. Bennett[/caption]
Dr. Holly Bennett PhD
Research Associate
Population Health Sciences Institute
Campus for Ageing and Vitality
Newcastle upon Tyne
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Life expectancy has been increasing over time and we want to ensure these are years in good health rather than increasing years in poor health. There has mainly been good news for those living with long term health conditions. With better treatment, prevention and care, the proportion of remaining years lived disability-free has increased for more recent generations.
16 Mar COSMOS: First Large Trial of Cocoa Supplement For Heart Disease and Cancer Prevention
Posted at 21:43h
in Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Cancer Research, Chocolate, Heart Disease, Supplements
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_58894" align="alignleft" width="133"]
Dr. Sesso[/caption]
Howard D. Sesso, ScD, MPH
Associate Professor of Medicine
Division of Preventive Medicine
Brigham and Women's Hospital
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? How does the amount of flavanols in the study arm compare to what might be obtained in a typical diet?
Response: The COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS) is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial that tested the effects of two promising dietary supplements on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer in 21,442 older adults. Cocoa flavanols have been shown to have favorable vascular effects in small and short-term clinical trials. The 500 mg/day flavanols tested in COSMOS exceeds that readily obtained in the diet typically from cocoa, tea, grapes, and berries. Of note, flavanol content in not typically listed on food labels.
COSMOS also tested a multivitamin, the most common dietary supplement taken by US adults and previously linked with a potential modest reduction in cancer in a previous long-term trial of men conducted by our research group at the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
15 Mar Higher Income Students Overrepresented in Medical Schools
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Arman A. Shahriar
Medical Student, University of Minnesota Medical School Research
Consultant, HealthPartners Institute
Minneapolis, Minnesota
15 Mar Sleep Apnea Accelerates Aging – CPAP Therapy May Help Slow it Down
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58885" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Cortese[/caption]
Rene Cortese, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Child Health – Child Health Research Institute
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health
School of Medicine
Core Faculty - MU Institute for Data Science and Informatics
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65212
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects 22 million people in the U.S. and is linked to a higher risk of hypertension, heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, and many other chronic conditions.
We have found that untreated OSA also accelerates the biological aging process, and that appropriate treatment can slow or possibly reverse the trend. Age acceleration testing involves a blood test that analyzes DNA and uses an algorithm to measure a person’s biological age. The phenomenon of a person’s biological age surpassing their chronological age is called “epigenetic age acceleration” and is linked to overall mortality and to chronic diseases.
