Author Interviews
30 Nov Everything That Your First Aid Kit Needs to Have
Posted at 19:13h
in Author Interviews
If you find yourself in an emergency situation, then it is important that you have a fully functioning first aid kit to hand. This should be a small kit filled with different supplies that will be helpful for various injuries and ailments.
The Importance of Contents
It is incredibly important that the contents of your first aid kit are of high quality and include everything you need – because without them, you will not be able to use the equipment to its fullest extent in an emergency, and you may lack crucial pieces.
You can buy complete first aid kits online that are already full of everything you need; however, you will have to keep a list of these supplies so that you can replenish your gear as and when you need to. As such, below, this article will discuss the most crucial components that should make up your first aid kit in more detail.
29 Nov Spike in Firearm Fatalities Differ Among Ethnic and Age Groups
Posted at 21:33h
in Accidents & Violence, Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Emory, JAMA, Race/Ethnic Diversity
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Chris A. Rees, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine
Research Director, Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship
Emory University School of Medicine
Attending Physician, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Pediatric Research Scientist, CHAMPS, U.S. Program Office and
Eric W. Fleegler, MD, MPH, FAAP
Associate in Pediatrics, Division of Emergency Medicine
Director Sedation Service
Boston Children’s Hospital
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine
Harvard Medical School
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Rates of firearm fatalities in the United States have reached a 28-year high. Yet, an understanding of the specific demographic groups who have been most affected, and where in the United States these fatalities have occurred, has not been clearly described in the past.
28 Nov The Many Benefits of Sound Healing
Sound healing is an alternative therapy that uses sound waves to heal the mind and body. This therapy is based on the belief that all matter is vibrating at a certain frequency and that disease or ill health occurs when the body’s natural frequency is out of alignment. Sound healing practitioners use a variety of tools, including singing bowls, gongs, and tuning forks, to restore the body’s natural frequency. There are many benefits of sound healing, including reducing stress, promoting relaxation, improving sleep, and reducing pain. Sound healing can also be used to treat a wide range of conditions, such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, and addiction. If you are looking for a non-invasive way to improve your health and well-being, sound healing may be right for you.
26 Nov Study Finds Cognitive Decline Lowest in Those with Lots of Flavenols in Diet
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_59755" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Holland[/caption]
Thomas M Holland, MD, MS
Assistant Professor
Rush Institute for Health Aging
Rush College of Medicine & Rush College of Health Sciences
https://www.rushu.rush.edu/faculty/thomas-m-holland-md-ms
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: My late mentor Martha Clare Morris, ScD had published a manuscript investigating leafy green intake, and the nutrients found therein, and cognition. I wanted to take this thought a step further and investigate the potential association bioactives, found in vegetables, like leafy greens, has to cognition. Further, this is a continuation of the research I published in the green journal in 2020 associating flavonols to incident Alzheimer’s dementia. This study extends the understanding that flavonols are not only beneficial for the most detrimental outcome of Alzheimer’s dementia (in decreasing the risk), but also advantageous in mitigating components of the, clinical syndrome i.e. decreasing the rate of cognitive decline.
23 Nov Herpes Zoster: Persistent Increased Risk of Cardiac Event or Stroke After Shingles
Posted at 21:19h
in Aging, Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Dermatology, Heart Disease, Herpes Viruses, Stroke
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:|
[caption id="attachment_59757" align="alignleft" width="133"]
Dr. Curhan[/caption]
Sharon G. Curhan, MD, ScM|
Director, CHEARS: The Conservation of Hearing Study
Channing Division of Network Medicine
Department of Medicine
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA 02114
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Herpes zoster, commonly known as “shingles,” is a viral infection that often causes a painful rash. Shingles can occur anywhere on the head or body. Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causes chickenpox. After a person has chickenpox, the virus stays in their body for the rest of their life. Years and even decades later, the virus may reactivate as shingles. Almost all individuals age 50 years and older in the US have been infected with the varicella zoster virus and therefore they are at risk for shingles.
About 1 in 3 people will develop shingles during their lifetime, and since age is a risk factor for shingles, this number may increase as the population ages. The risk is also higher among individuals of any age who are immunocompromised due to disease or treatment. A number of serious complications can occur when a person develops shingles, such as post-herpetic neuralgia (long-lasting pain), but there was limited information on whether there are other adverse long-term health implications of developing shingles.
There is a growing body of evidence that links VZV, the virus that causes shingles, to vascular disease. VZV vasculopathy may cause damage to blood vessels and increase the risk of stroke or coronary heart disease. Although some previous studies showed a higher risk of stroke or heart attack around the time of the shingles infection, it was not known whether this higher risk persisted in the long term. Therefore, the question we aimed to address in this study was to investigate whether shingles is associated with higher long-term risk of stroke or coronary heart disease.
To address this question, we conducted a prospective longitudinal study in 3 large US cohorts of >200,000 women and men, the Nurses’ Health Study (>79,000 women), the Nurses’ Health Study II (almost 94,000 women) and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (>31,000 men), without a prior history of stroke or coronary heart disease. We collected information on shingles, stroke and coronary heart disease on biennial questionnaires and confirmed the diagnoses with medical record review. We followed the participants for up to 16 years and evaluated whether those who had developed shingles were at higher risk for stroke or coronary heart disease years after the shingles episode. The outcomes we measured were incident stroke, incident coronary heart disease [defined as having a non-fatal or fatal myocardial infarction (heart attack) or a coronary revascularization procedure (CABG, coronary artery bypass graft or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty)]. We also evaluated a combined outcome of cardiovascular disease, which included either stroke or coronary heart disease, whichever came first.
23 Nov USPSTF: More Evidence Needed Before Routine Screening of Adults Can Be Recommended
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58144" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Kubik[/caption]
Martha Kubik, Ph.D., R.N.
Professor, School of Nursing
College of Health and Human Services
George Mason University
Member, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Obstructive sleep apnea is a health condition in which part or all of a person’s airway gets blocked during sleep, causing their breathing to stop and restart many times. Untreated sleep apnea is associated with heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. However, there is currently very limited evidence on screening people who don’t have signs or symptoms like snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness.
22 Nov Makeup Applied to Facial Features Improves Perceived Skin Evenness
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_59707" align="alignleft" width="80"]
Dr. Batres[/caption]
Carlota Batres, Ph.D.Assistant Professor, Department of PsychologyDirector, Preferences Lab
PreferencesLab.comFranklin and Marshall College
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Previous research has found that complexion-oriented makeup products, such as foundation and concealer, make the skin appear more even. Interestingly, though, the effect size of perceptual judgements has been found to be larger than the effect size of physical measurements, suggesting that there are factors affecting the perception of skin evenness that are not captured by the physical measurements of isolated skin patches.
17 Nov New Drug Might Suppress Both COVID-19 and Cancer Growth
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_59739" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Lee[/caption]
Amy S. Lee, Ph.D.Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular MedicineUSC/Norris Cancer CenterLos Angeles, CA 90033
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Trying to find stable host cell targets to combat SARS-CoV-2 instead of chasing after the ever-mutating virus.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: When SARS-CoV-2 infects the host cell, it creates stress leading to higher production of GRP78. Blocking GRP78 reduces the ability of the virus to multiple and infect other cells.
14 Nov NYU Oncologist Discusses Lung Cancer During Awareness Month
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_59732" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Sally Lau[/caption]
Dr. Sally Lau MD
Medical oncologist, NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center
Assistant professor of medicine
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: How big is the problem of lung cancer?
Response: Amongst all cancer types, lung cancer is the number 1 killer in the US.
14 Nov Polyphenols in Hops Studies for Role in Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Alessandro Palmioli PhD Cristina Airoldi PhD Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, NeuroMI, Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: We started many years ago by studying some natural and synthetic molecules that were able to counteract the early stages of this disease. With a view to early prevention, we wondered if these molecules could be routinely taken with the diet or dietary supplements. So our studies focused on the search for bioactive molecules present in food and edible plants.
Hops are very rich in polyphenolic compounds, and for this reason it is historically used for the production of beer, but also for the preparation of herbal teas and infusions, and its uses in traditional medicine are known. In recent years we have also collected interesting results on Coffee, Sage, Radix Imperatoriae, Cocoa and Cinnamon extracts.
09 Nov Wearables to Detect Heart Disease: Patients Most at Risk Less Likely to Use them
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_59724" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Dhingra[/caption]
Lovedeep Singh Dhingra, MBBS
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Cardiovascular Data Science (CarDS) Lab
Yale School of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Wearable devices are shown to have multiple health-related features, including heart rate and activity monitoring, ECG tracing, and blood pressure monitoring.
In our analyses of the nationally-representative Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), we discovered that patients with and at risk of cardiovascular disease are less likely to use wearables. Older patients, patients with lower education, and patients with lower incomes are less likely to use wearables. Also, among adults with access to wearables, patients with cardiovascular disease use their devices less frequently as compared to the overall population.
09 Nov USPSTF: Hormone Therapy Not Recommended to Prevent Chronic Health Problems After Menopause
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_59720" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Stevermer[/caption]
James Stevermer, M.D., M.S.P.H.
Vice chair for clinical affairs
Professor of family and community medicine
University of Missouri
Medical director of MU Health Care Family Medicine–Callaway Physicians,
Dr. Stevermer joined the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force in January 2021.
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: As people get older, they are more at risk for many chronic conditions like heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer, and diabetes. It’s unclear how much menopause—which typically occurs around age 50—contributes to this risk. Although we all want to stay healthy as we age, the Task Force does not recommend that people who have already gone through menopause use hormone therapy to prevent chronic health problems.
09 Nov Biomarkers of Carcinogens in e-Cigarette Vapers vs Cigarette Smokers
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_59717" align="alignleft" width="230"]
Dr. Dai[/caption]
Dr. Hongying Daisy Dai, PhD
Professor and Associate Dean of Research
The College of Public Health
University of Nebraska Medical Center.
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Tobacco use landscape has been changing in the United States with fewer combustible cigarette smokers and more e-cigarette and other emerging tobacco users. Nicotine concentration level is a key product characteristic of modern e-cigarette products and high-nicotine vaping devices have recently become available. This study seeks to examine whether biomarkers of exposure to tobacco-related toxicants have changed since 2013 among adult nicotine e-cigarette users, non-nicotine e-cigarette users, and cigarette smokers.
09 Nov Americans’ Sleep Patterns Differ on Work and Free Days
Posted at 13:02h
in Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, JAMA, Nutrition, Occupational Health, Sleep Disorders
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_59713" align="alignleft" width="136"]
Dr. Shan[/caption]
Zhilei Shan, MD, PhD
Postdoctoral fellow on Nutritional Epidemiology
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Unhealthy sleep behaviors and sleep disturbances are associated with higher risk of multiple diseases and mortality. The current profiles of sleep habits and disturbances, particularly the differences between workdays and free days, are unknown in the contemporary US.
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?
Response: In this nationally representative cross-sectional analysis with 9004 adults aged 20 years or older, differences in sleep patterns between workdays and free days were observed. The mean sleep duration was 7.59 hours on workdays and 8.24 hours on free days (difference, 0.65 hour). The mean sleep and wake times were at 11:02 PM and 6:41 AM, respectively, on workdays and 11:25 PM and 7:41 AM, respectively, on free days (differences, 0.23 hour for sleep time and 1.00 hour for wake time). With regard to sleep disturbances, 30.5% of adults experienced 1 hour or more of sleep debt,46.5% experienced 1 hour or more of social jet lag, 29.8% had trouble sleeping, and 27.2% experienced daytime sleepiness.
04 Nov Subtle Makeup Increases Attractiveness In Male Faces
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_59707" align="alignleft" width="80"] Dr. Batres[/caption]
Carlota Batres, Ph.D.Assistant Professor, Department of PsychologyDirector, Preferences Lab
PreferencesLab.comFranklin and Marshall College
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Makeup is commonly attributed with increasing attractiveness in female faces, but this effect has not been investigated in male faces.
We therefore sought to examine whether the positive effect of makeup on attractiveness can be extended to male faces.
04 Nov Some DNA Variants Raise Risk of Lupus But Protect Against Severe COVID
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Professor Tim Vyse Professor of Molecular Medicine and Dr David Morris Non Clinical Lecturer in Molecular Genetics Guy’s Hospital, London MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: We observed a correlation between the genetic associations with severe COVID-19 and those with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, Lupus), and aimed to discover which genetic loci were shared by these diseases and what biological processes were involved. This resulted in the discovery of several genetic loci, some of which had alleles that were risk for both diseases and some of which were risk for severe COVID-19 yet protective for SLE. The locus with most evidence of shared association (TYK2) is involved in interferon production, a process that is important in response to viral infection and known to be dysregulated in SLE patients. Other shared associated loci contained genes also involved in the defense response and the immune system signaling. These results add to the growing evidence that there are alleles in the human genome that provide protection against viral infection yet are risk for autoimmune disease.
04 Nov Vaginal Immune Mediators Rise Dramatically After First Intercourse
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Sean M Hughes MA
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of Washington
Seattle, WA
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Young women are at elevated risk of getting sexually transmitted infections at the age when they typically start to have sexual intercourse. It’s not known whether this elevated risk is a consequence of behavioral factors (such as choices around use of barrier protection), physiological factors (such as a difference in the immune system) or a combination of both. In this study, we investigated a physiological factor: the immune system in the vagina.
03 Nov Melanoma: Escalated Immunosuppression For Toxicity From Checkpoint Inhibitors May Impair Survival
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Olivier van Not Scientific Bureau, Dutch Institute for Clinical Auditing Leiden, the Netherlands Department of Medical Oncology University Medical Centre Utrecht Utrecht, the Netherlands MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has significantly improved the survival of advanced melanoma patients. Treatment with these ICIs can lead to immune-related adverse events, also known as toxicity. This toxicity is graded from 1 (mild) to 5 (fatal) and examples of these toxicities are hepatitis and colitis. Since these toxicities can be life threatening and become chronic, they require treatment with immunosuppressants such as corticosteroids or anti-TNF. In a previous study of melanoma patients treated with different types of immune checkpoint inhibitors [Verheijden et al, Clin Cancer Research 2020] we found survival to be better for patients experiencing immune-related toxicity, which is in line with many other studies in several cancer types and a recent meta-analysis.
01 Nov HPV Vaccine to Prevent Cervical Cancer Most Effective Before Sexual Debut
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_59684" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Egemen[/caption]
Dr. Didem Egemen PhD
Statistician, Division of Cancer Epidemiology & Genetics
National Cancer Institute
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Persistent infection with human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease, is the cause of virtually all cervical cancers. Various studies have reported high effectiveness of HPV vaccination in preventing HPV infection and cervical cancer, particularly when administered at early ages.
In this study, we looked at the proportion of females eligible for vaccination (<26 years of age in 2006 when the vaccine was FDA approved) who were unvaccinated, vaccinated against HPV before sexual debut, and vaccinated after debut. Then we estimated the prevalence of HPV 16 and 18, the two HPV genotypes that cause most cervical cancers, in each subset.
01 Nov Study Finds Insulin Resistance Improved with Afternoon or Evening Exercise
Posted at 12:43h
in Author Interviews, Circadian Rhythm, Diabetes, Exercise - Fitness, Hepatitis - Liver Disease
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_59681" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. van der Velde[/caption]
Jeroen van der Velde, PhD
Leiden University Medical Center
Dept. Clinical Epidemiology, C7-102
Leiden, The Netherlands
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: We hypothesized that, in addition to the amount of physical activity, the pattern in which physical activity is accumulated over the day is relevant for metabolic health.
Several studies previously showed beneficial effects of interrupting sedentary periods with short periods of activity (breaks in sedentary time) on glucose control. In addition, very recently it has been argued that the timing of physical activity during the day may be relevant for metabolic health. This was mainly shown in animal studies and intervention studies with supervised high intensity exercise training in men with impaired glucose control or type 2 diabetes. If timing of physical activity matters in a ‘free-living’ setting in the general population is largely unknown.
Therefore, our aim was to investigate associations of timing of physical activity and breaks in sedentary time with liver fat content and insulin resistance in a middle-aged population.
20 Oct USPSTF: Screening Can Help Identify Anxiety and Depression in Older Children and Teens
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_58144" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Kubik[/caption]
Martha Kubik, Ph.D., R.N.
Professor, School of Nursing
College of Health and Human Services
George Mason University
Member, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Too many children and teens in the United States experience mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts or behaviors. There is a critical need to address the mental health of children and adolescents in primary care so that they can get the support they need to thrive.
18 Oct Brain Waves Form Unique “Fingerprint” For Each Person
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_59652" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Prerau[/caption]
Michael J. Prerau, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine,
Faculty, Division of Sleep Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Associate Neuroscientist and
Director of the Neurophysiological Signal Processing Core
Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders
Department of Medicine Brigham and Women's Hospital
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The brain is highly active during sleep, which makes it an important, natural way to study neurological health and disease. Scientists typically study brain activity during sleep using the electroencephalogram, or EEG, which measures brainwaves at the scalp. Starting in the mid 1930s, the sleep EEG was first studied by looking at the traces of brainwaves drawn on a paper tape by a machine. Many important features of sleep are still based on what people almost a century ago could most easily observe in the complex waveform traces. Even the latest machine learning and signal processing algorithms for detecting sleep waveforms are judged against their ability to recreate human observation.
In this study, the researchers asked: What can we learn if we expand our notion of sleep brainwaves beyond what was historically easy to identify by eye?
18 Oct Inflammation Leads to Epigenetic and Metabolic Changes that Benefit Cancer.
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_59644" align="alignleft" width="150"] Royce Zhou[/caption]
Royce Zhou, MD/PhD Candidate
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The background of this story is to see whether things outside of the cancer cell, such as the tumor microenvironment, can lead to epigenetic changes within the cancer cell. These changes are largely believed to be due to factors inside the cell, not outside.
Super-enhancers are the top 1-2% of enhancers in the genome. They control cell identity genes and oncogenes in cancer.
18 Oct Hair Straightening Chemicals May Increase Uterine Cancer Risk
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_59639" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. White[/caption]
Alexandra J. White, PhD, MSPH
Stadtman Investigator
Epidemiology Branch
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
National Institutes of Health
Research Triangle Park, NC
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What is the chemical primarily used in hair straighteners?
Response: Hair products such as dye and chemical straighteners contain several different chemicals that may act as carcinogens or endocrine disruptors and thus may be important for cancer risk. Straighteners in particular have been found to include chemicals such as phthalates, parabens, cyclosiloxanes and metals and may release formaldehyde when heated. Previous research has suggested that hair dye and chemical straighteners are related to other hormone-sensitive cancers such as breast and ovarian cancer, but no previous study has considered how they are related to uterine cancer risk.
06 Oct UCLA Study Finds Kids Attending Higher Performing Charter Schools Had Lower Alcohol and Marijuana Use
Posted at 20:56h
in Addiction, Alcohol, Author Interviews, Cannabis, Education, JAMA, Pediatrics, Social Issues, UCLA
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_59623" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Wong[/caption]
Mitchell Wong, MD PhD
Professor of Medicine
Executive Vice Chair for Research Training
Department of Medicine
Executive Co-Director, Specialty Training and Advanced Research (STAR) Program
Director, UCLA CTSI KL2 Program
UCLA Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research Los Angeles, CA 90024
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: It is estimated that social factors like poverty, education, and housing have a large impact on health. Yet, there are few interventions that exist to directly address those issues. Schools are a promising solution since society already invests heavily in education and schools are an everyday part of most children’s lives.
06 Oct Study Finds Reduced Kidney Disease Progression with DOACs vs Vitamin K Antagonists
Posted at 10:16h
in Author Interviews, Clots - Coagulation, Heart Disease, Karolinski Institute, Kidney Disease
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_59616" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Carrero[/caption]
Juan Jesus Carrero Pharm PhD
Professor of Epidemiology
Cardio-renal Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Concerns on the possibility of (direct oral anticoagulants) DOAC-related nephropathy may limit its use.
In this cohort study of non-valvular AF patients from routine clinical practice, initiation of DOAC vs (vitamin K antagonists) VKA was associated with more favorable kidney outcomes, i.e., a lower risk of the composite of kidney failure and sustained 30% eGFR decline, as well as a lower risk of AKI occurrence.
In agreement with trial evidence, we also showed that DOAC vs VKA treatment was associated with a lower risk of major bleeding, but a similar risk of the composite of stroke, systemic embolism or death.
06 Oct NEJM: Trial of IVIG for Autoimmune Disorder Dermatomyositis
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Rohit Aggarwal, MD, MS Rheumatology, Professor of Medicine Medical Director, Arthritis and Autoimmunity Center Sub-Specialty Education Coordinator Division of Rheumatology Department of Medicine University of Pittsburgh MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? [caption id="attachment_59610" align="alignleft" width="150"] One example of Dermatomyositis: DermNet image[/caption]
Response: Dermatomyositis is a rare autoimmune inflammatory disease that affects muscles and skin, although muscular forms without skin symptoms and vice versa are also seen. The exact etiology of the disease is not known but is thought to be immune-mediated with many patients having highly specific autoantibodies. There is no cure for dermatomyositis, but several types of treatment have been successfully used in the last years including different kinds of immunosuppressants (e.g. steroids) and intravenous immune globulins (IVIG) to improve the patient’s condition. So far, none of these treatments was approved for use in dermatomyositis based on large, randomized, placebo-controlled trials. Their effectiveness was mainly deduced from clinical experience and from small clinical trials. The ProDERM study was the first large, pivotal, randomized placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) in dermatomyositis patients.
05 Oct Hepatitis C: Few Insured Persons Receive Timely Treatment, and Disparities Exist
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: William W. Thompson, Ph.D. Epidemiologist Division of Viral Hepatitis CDC MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Prior to this analysis, we knew only an estimated 1.2 million persons initiated hepatitis C treatment with DAA agents in the United States during 2014–2020, far below the number needed to achieve national hepatitis C elimination goals. Further, the number of persons treated was highest in 2015 and declined to its lowest level in 2020. This analysis used a large national health care claims database to assess the level and timing of hepatitis C treatment among persons with diagnosed HCV infection with breakdowns by sex, age, race, insurance type (i.e., private, Medicaid, and Medicare), and by state.
30 Sep USPSTF Recommends Syphilis Screening for Those at Risk
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_56129" align="alignleft" width="133"]
Dr. Ogedegbe[/caption]
Gbenga Ogedegbe, MD, MPH
Dr. Adolph & Margaret Berger Professor of Population Health
Director, Division of Health & Behavior
Director Center for Healthful Behavior Change
Department of Population Health
NYU Langone Health
NYU School of Medicine
Member of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Syphilis has become more common over the past 20 years, after reaching a record low in 2000. The Task Force found that screening people who are at increased risk for syphilis can identify the infection early so it can be treated before problems develop. For that reason, the Task Force recommends screening people who are at increased risk for syphilis infection.