Accidents & Violence, Author Interviews, Biomarkers, Brain Injury, JAMA / 14.03.2014

Pashtun Shahim, MD Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology Department of Neurochemistry Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal SwedenMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Pashtun Shahim, MD Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology Department of Neurochemistry Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal Sweden MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Shahim: Sports-related concussion in professional ice hockey players is associated with acute axonal and astroglial injury. Plasma total tau, which is a highly central nervous system-specific protein, is a promising biomarker to be used both in the diagnosis of concussion and in the decision-making when an athlete can be declared fit to return to play. (more…)
Accidents & Violence, Author Interviews, Duke, JAMA, Ophthalmology / 14.03.2014

Glenn Yiu, MD, PhD Duke Ophthalmology Duke University Medical CenterMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Glenn Yiu, MD, PhD Duke Ophthalmology Duke University Medical Center MedicalResearch.com:  What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Yiu: This paper reported a child who suffered injury to both eyes from a powerful blue laser pointer purchased via the internet from overseas. Our report reviews the scientific basis for laser injuries in eyes and the factors that may affect outcomes, such as power, wavelength, duration, and distance of exposure. Newer green and blue lasers, especially high-powered ones, may be more prone to inducing eye injuries. We summarized the clinical features of ocular laser injuries, methods of prevention, and discussed how consumer availability of high powered lasers may require careful federal regulations. (more…)
Accidents & Violence, Lancet, Sexual Health / 14.02.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Professor Naeemah Abrahams Senior Specialist Scientist:  Gender & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council Extraordinary Professor:  Faculty of Community Health Sciences -School of Public Health: University of the Western Cape Associate Professor: Faculty of Health Sciences - School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: University of Cape Town MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Prof. Abrahams: We found a global estimate of non-partner sexual violence of 7.2%  for women 15 years and older - but this estimate varied across the globe. The regions with the highest prevalence was Sub Sahara Africa Central and Southern with a prevalence was 21% in the central region and  17.4 % in the Southern region. This is nearly 3 times the global estimate . The region with the lowest prevalence was  Asia South at 3.3%. The low level could be due to a number of reasons. Firstly data from this region was very limited – from 2 countries only  and we have found that if sexual violence questions are added to other larger studies the level of disclosure is not very high. It is also  more likely that people from Asia region do not disclose the violence in research studies because of stigma and shame. (more…)
Accidents & Violence, Author Interviews, Johns Hopkins / 10.02.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with study leaders: Shalini Selvarajah MD, MPH Postdoctoral Research Fellow Center for Surgical Trials and Outcomes Research Department of Surgery Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, MD 21287  and Edward R. Hammond, MD, PhD, MPH Research Associate International Center for Spinal Cord Injury Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger Institute Baltimore, MD 21205. MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Researchers: ·    Between 2007 and 2010, the number of serious traumatic spinal cord injuries (TSCI) in the United States (U.S.) increased, doing so more rapidly among older adults (age ≥65 years) compared to younger adults (age <65 years). Injuries from falls have overtaken motor vehicle crashes as the main cause of adult TSCI. ·    Older adults are more likely to experience worse outcomes compared to younger adults even after taking into account severity and mechanism of injury, as well as other co-morbid conditions. Older adults are 4 times more likely to die in the emergency room, and if admitted to inpatient care, they are 6 times more likely to die as inpatients compared to younger adults. ·    Emergency room charges for treatment of acute TSCI among adults increased 20% from $3,342 per encounter in 2007 to $4,024 per encounter in 2010 even after accounting for the cost of inflation. (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…)
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…)
Accidents & Violence, Author Interviews, NEJM / 02.01.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Sheila G. Klauer, Ph.D Virginia Tech Transportation Institute MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr.Klauer: We found that novice drivers are especially at risk of crash/near-crash involvement when engaging in secondary tasks that take their eyes off of the forward roadway.  This includes tasks with wireless devices such as texting, dialing, and reaching for the device as well as reaching for any object, eating, and looking at objects along the roadway.  We also found that the prevalence of engaging in these high risk tasks increases over time which concerns traffic safety researchers.  This is particularly concerning with the proliferation of highly capable smart phones where teens can do not only texting but also sending pictures, watching video, skype, etc. (more…)
Accidents & Violence, Author Interviews, Pediatrics / 18.11.2013

Brad J. Bushman, PhD Professor of Communication and Psychology, Margaret Hall and Robert Randal Rinehart Chair of Mass Communication School of Communication, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NetherlandsGun Violence Trends in Movies Brad J. Bushman, PhD Professor of Communication and Psychology, Margaret Hall and Robert Randal Rinehart Chair of Mass Communication The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Bushman: Gun violence in PG-13 movies has tripled since 1985, the year the PG-13 rating was introduced. When the PG-13 rating was introduced, PG-13 films had about as much gun violence as G and PG films. Now PG-13 films have significantly more gun violence than R-rated films. (more…)